#this turned out longer than I expected kill meeee

[jawtitan]

Chapter 102 reaction after six hours and a reread

I’ll put it under the cut, because damn this turned out long. Been a while since a chapter release has made me so wordy! I’m blaming the hype, haha.

All in all, a very exciting chapter! A lot of short-term and long-term mysteries were broached, and we finally got to see most of our Paradis crew for the first time since Chapter 90 exactly one year ago! Shit’s finally hit the fan, and events may be spiralling out of everyone’s control. Rather scary, when you think about it. Not as scary as the Warhammer Titan though. What is her deal? Anyway, reactions under the cut.

Our boy Theo knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s honestly not something I expected from him, considering we’ve characterised him as quite lenient and sympathetic. But he is, he really is trying to pit Eldian against Eldian. Vili was in on it, and it can be inferred that he’s been using Zeke, too. God, I just hope at least someone will be able to see past it before they all destroy each other. The ball is rolling.

I really like Jean’s hair in theory, okay? I just don’t think Yam draws it that well.

... Sorry Flock, I don’t judge characters on appearances, and I think you’re an interesting garbage bag, but that hair... It’s gotten worse.

Intrigued but not completely surprised that he’s taking Eren’s side in all of this. Suggests a nice bit of character development in just one line of dialogue. Also I really like the line - “those demons are necessary”, yeesh. Flock has a really good head on his shoulders but he’s a rabid idealist, probably as a result of his experience at Shiganshina, which just undermines that.

You don’t understand how sad Mikasa made me this chapter. Big angst. Clearly Eren stopped listening to her a long time ago, and she hasn’t learned to live for herself yet. Please, bby, be happy.

The Warhammer Titan is nightmare fuel in a good way. It’s just SO off-human.

Okay, I haven’t seen anyone ask this question yet: why does Eren have a vested interest in eating the Tiber girl? We’ve already established that combining titan powers is rather inefficient from a strategic perspective, so why her, and why now? It suggests something significant about the powers of the Warhammer Titan, especially in relation to the Founding Titan. OR we could be circling back to the “Eren combines all nine powers” theory but I don’t believe that as much as I used to.

Bye, Koslow, we never knew ya. I bet it’s retribution for tripping Eren up earlier in the arc.

The direction Gabi’s going in is interesting. While I think she has similarities to Eren on the surface, there’s certainly some fundamental differences. I’ve always had the impression that Eren had a conduct disorder as a child, that only stopped from developing into ASPD due to the connections he formed. As a child, Eren was a discontented, aggressive loner with “abnormal” world views. Gabi on the other hand? Nothing like that, IMO. So the comparisons don’t completely line up but there’s certainly the familar concept of revenge. Eren lost that mindset after a long string of experiences that challenged his worldview. Does Gabi need that, too? Undoubtedly, she’s indoctrinated. Will she get it? We shall see.

I actually find it likely that Gabi will die unceremoniously. It’s a possibility, at least.

Sniper Sasha is the fucking best.

Connie’s shot up and has a really thin frame, it’s crazy to see how much he’s changed, actually. Also, HAIR.

Blocking off the streets... and the lights? I can only speculate with the rest of you. They’re DEFINITELY trying to contain the fight though. Very likely that the lights are simply beacons for additional forces (*cough cough* danchou?)

Jean’s words about the WT are super cryptic too, holy shit. Anyone got any thoughts on that?

Eren, combining good instincts with good intuition? He’s grown. Not that I ever thought he was incapable of it, but in the heat of the moment he’s always been driven by his emotions until now. I mean, that’s literally the canon reason why he’s bad at chess LOL. Something’s definitely changed inside of him.

Also fuck he transformed quickly. Suppose he’s been doing a lot of training LOL

So, Tiber girl cocooning herself. It’s definitely a thing for titans with advanced hardening. But man, the concept of indirect control over a titan form is kinda scary.

Nice to see a bit extra from Galliard this chapter. He’s one of my favourite characters, so it’s nice seeing a bit more of his ideals/opinions shine through? He’s one of the newest shifters, so I think his reaction to being in high-stakes combat against soldiers competent in anti-Titan warfare for the first time ever is a nice touch. Knocked off his high horse a bit lole.

I LOVE PIECK’S SHIFTER MARKS, SHE’S STRIPY!

Fucking death stare from the Tiber girl, christ, she’s good.

THE WT IS SO FUCKING STRONG, it really lives up to its hype. Literally my joint favourite titan form alongside the CT now.

Zeke’s back. Wonder what monkey business he’s been up to since he left the festival?

Last two panels are fucking great. Not only do I always adore that sort of visual line-up (same with Chapter 94), but it really outlines the similar but entirely contrasting motives of the two main factions at the moment. 

*chanting* ZEVI FIGHT. ZEVI FIGHT. ZEVI FIGHT.

Where are my blonds. I’m missing my blonds. Give me my blonds.

In all seriousness the longer I go without seeing a certain few characters, the more I worry about 1. What they’re gonna do and/or 2. What’s going to happen to them. Reiner has so much to tie up from this arc. The setup’s there, now we need the payoff. And Yam’s been explicit in his desire and need to start up Armin’s character arc again. That kid went backwards in his development the moment he decided to throw his life away. Let’s hope his new circumstances inspire some change, bad or good. And... Annie? Well, it’s been six years. Every chapter without any of these three is really ramping the tension up for me.

[historicfailure]

wow.... i just read the entirety of end my loneliness (which took an entire day, oh my gosh) and OH MY GOSHHH. the rollercoaster i was just on,,,,, i loved everything about it and i didnt feel like a kudos was enough to express my love for this fic. i cant explain how much i love the mc's character development. it took so long for her to even look at team 7 and the second she let sakura into her garden i screamed into my pillow, and then ofc naruto and her bonding immediately after that almost made me cry. and the long awaited fist bump after she left naruto hanging when they were sawing the tree. MAN and dont even get me started on her and kakashi's relationship.... when she asked if he expected her to do THAT with her and he got all flustered and panicked???????? fantastic. I screamed when she held onto his shirt for the first time AND WHEN HE PROTECTED HER FROM TSUNADE'S CHAIR????? underrated scene i just know. and god i LOVE how the story ended. so much. omg thank you so much for writing this, honestly.

OH MY

yeah, EML was looooong, way longer than I planned or expected xD Indeed, a rollercoaster as well, emotionally and with the plot. So good to see you made it through and enjoyed it! 

The character development was something I really tried to work out just RIGHT T^T also her bonding with Team 7 was so important for meeee ;_;

And OMGHNJHEBJKGBD YEAH! her relationship with Kakashi still kills me sometimes... I’m just soft for Kakashi being just as shy, nervous and insecure in the romance department and I really liked how he turned out in this fic ^^ So good to see that you liked him as well! 

YOU LIKE THAT CHAIR SCENE??? LET ME LOVE YOU OMFGGGG T^T seriously, that one scene was just for funsies, but I’m just in lvoe with it, because it’s just so small but important and sweet andandand T^T9 

Thank you so much for your lovely ask and I’m so happy you liked EML so much! 

[crystalxfrost]

To Live or To Die

I gripped my steering wheel tightly, knuckles bone-white with tension, shoulders bunched up and sore. The road spun out endlessly under my tires, a strip of slick black silk painted with bold yellow lines. My eyes noticed and then promptly ignored the beauty of the dark-washed scenery around me; there was only one room for one thought in my mind.

I had been at the end of my rope for some time now, but still too much of a coward to just turn out my own lights. I had tried therapy, only for the bitch to laugh and tell me I was beyond help. I had tried talking to the people in my life, but my own parents just shrugged it off. I had even tried drugs and alcohol to drown my depression, but I had found out the hard way that it wasn't the right road to go down. I had been debating over the best method of my execution when a friend of mine I hadn't heard from in years messaged me out of the blue.

After some very emotional pouring out that left me feeling drained but somewhat relieved, my friend gave me some information that had led me to where I am now, driving down Route 236 in the middle of the night. She had told me to come to the beginning of the highway and just drive and think about my feelings and my depression, let it really take me over. Then, she'd said, that's when SHE would come and make it all better.

I remember pressing her on who SHE was, but she wouldn't tell me. She just said that SHE would come only when I was at the very very end and couldn't stand it anymore and that SHE would take all the hurt away. She had made it abundantly clear that for the entire time SHE was with me, I was not to look at her or I would belong to her. As long as I kept my eyes away, I would be fine...I would be healed. Desperate for any relief from the impending shadow of my own death, I had agreed.

I scoured the shadowed landscape around me for any sign of movement but saw nothing. My fingers clenched even tighter as hot tears prickled behind my eyes and my chest hitched, and suddenly I was bawling out loud, great big gasping sobs that racked my body and forced me to struggle for breath. I pulled over blindly on the side of the highway, threw the car in park, buried my face in my hands and just openly sobbed. It was like expressing poison from a snake bite; an enormous weight lifted off my chest in a flood of emotional downpour as I cried out every bit of hurt I'd ever struggled to push down.

In the midst of my sobs, the temperature in my car dropped noticeably, and even in the dry heat of the desert summer, goosebumps rose to prominence on my arms. A cold chill wormed its way up my spine and between my shoulderblades with an icy fingertip and my breath hung in the air like frozen crystal vapors. Then the voice spoke from behind me, murmuring soft things I could almost hear.

Immediately my hair stood on end. The voice, which I had been somewhat expecting to be deep and powerful, was little more than a high-pitched whisper of breath that drifted to my ears from somewhere beyond my vision. But it felt...wrong. My entire being screamed at me to not turn around, not to lay my eyes on whatever was currently occupying my back seat because to do so would mean the instant loss of whatever sanity I had left. And all at once, I knew that SHE had come.

As if in response to my mental acknowledgement of the heavy presence, a soft breath drifted to my ears, but with it came the sickening stench of a thousand rotting corpses under a blanket of desert sun, and I was unable to stop myself. I threw open the car door and emptied the last three days worth of food from my stomach in a splatter on the pavement.

After my stomach had settled, the voice came again. "I can taaaaaste your paaaiiin." Then a hiss like an indrawn breath. "What issss it you waaant from meeee? "

I had had a million things to ask, a million points of hurt I wanted to spill, but that all vanished in an instant, leaving only white hot honesty. With tears threatening to fall again, I sighed brokenly. "I want it to stop hurting."

There was silence, followed by a darkly throaty chuckle that made me want to scream. "Isss that all? Coommme. I want to shhhhooowww you sssomethinnng." The back door of my car opened then and I physically felt the oppressive presence leave my aura. Careful to keep my eyes averted, I followed the voice over to the side of the road. I sensed rather than saw her raise an arm and point down into the darkness. "Look theeerrre."

I squinted out into the darkness and was able to barely make out a pair of glowing taillights far down below. With horror I realized that there was no footing there, only an endless void of darkness down a sheer face. I stepped back, a lump in my throat, and turned back for the comfort of my car, but when I turned around, my car was gone.

Sputtering and stammering, I nearly forgot myself then, turning in the general direction of the voice. I managed to catch myself just as a flash of white flickered into and back out of my view. "Where is my car?"

Again I sensed her point down at those suddenly damning twin spots of flame red so far down in the darkness. "That is yoooouuuu down theerre. You drove yourssssself off the cliiiiffff."

"No, no, no, no..." I pressed my hands hard against my ears and squeezed my eyes shut in a weak attempt to block out her lies, but all at once, freezing cold hands were on mine, forcing my hands down to my sides and unblocking my ears, and her rancid breath flooded my nostrils with the odor of rot. I swallowed my gorge and forced my eyes shut even tighter, my friend's warning standing out in stark white against the blank whirling fury of my mind.

"You wanted to die, did you not?!" The voice was no longer a breathy whisper, but a deep roar of monstrous proportions. The force of the voice blew my hair back and showered my face with foul-smelling spittle. I felt the cold hands move up and grip me by my upper arms, and suddenly I knew what was coming next. I struggled to twist away from those freezing cold hands.

"No, please..."

The voice boomed again, "You wanted to die. So DIE!" And with that, I was thrown violently out off the cliff and into the void of darkness. I snapped my eyes open and screamed, covering my face with my arms and fighting to brace for impact, and when it finally came...

...I crashed against the surface and plummeted down underneath the freezing cold water. Disoriented, sore from the impact and still screaming, I clawed my way up to the surface, my scream choking off when I felt the icy hand grip my ankle and pull me down, hold me down under the water. I kicked at the fingers that dug into the tender skin of my ankle but it was like kicking stone. My lungs burned in my chest and I felt myself start to gray out. My vision went dark, and I opened my mouth to scream. The water poured down my throat and into my lungs, and just as my lungs felt like they were about to explode...

...I was hauled out of the water by more hands I couldn't see, which pulled me to my feet none too gently. I was surrounded by yammering voices, some men and some women, and was soaking wet and gasping for air, but the invisible hands that gripped me forced me along anyway to a wooden pole standing upright all by itself. The voices around me began to clear up even as I felt more hands press my back up against the pole. My hands were then tied behind me with thick rough rope that dug deep and scraped my wrists raw. It was then that I heard the chant begin spreading.

"Burn the witch...burn the witch...burn the witch..."

"Wait...what?!" I cried out, fighting to get free of the ropes that lashed me fast to the hard post behind me, to no avail. "I'm not a witch!"

"Tha's wot they all say," an invisible woman's voice jeered in my ear. "But yer a witch just as clear as I c'n see ya. 'n guess wot? Yer goin ta buuuuurn." The voices around me melted back into a wordless clamor...and then I felt the heat and looked down in horror. A flame had already been drawn to life in the pile of wood that now surrounded my feet, and the yellow-red tongues climbed higher, licking at my feet hungrily. I screamed in pain as my pants caught fire and my skin began to bubble and char as the fabric seared to my very flesh. In mere moments I was reduced to helpless agony as I felt my flesh melting off of my bones, leaving huge exposed sections of sinewy muscle and bone for the fire to take. And still the voices clamored on.

It was when my hair caught fire and my face begin to first grow warm, then melt into liquid puddles of pulpy flesh, that I found a new voice, carried on new waves of fresh pain. The flames consumed my entire body, and as I felt myself dying and was ready to give in to the sweet release of death...

...the car blared its horn as it missed me by a hair, goddamn asshole city drivers. I was no longer wet, nor on fire, but I was terrified nonetheless. I scanned my surroundings wildly but saw only a busy street filled with the hustle and bustle of the city's nightlife. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so I took a few seconds to prepare myself for whatever horrible thing might happen next.

A footstep next to me made me jerk wildly, and I glanced up to see a large man in a mask staring down at me where I was sitting. That in itself wasn't terrible. What made it much worse was the dark empty tunnel of the gun barrel that was pointed directly at my forehead. The man pulled the hammer back slowly, and when I heard the bullet enter the chamber, I froze.

"Please..." I breathed, every muscle as taut as wire. "Please...don't kill me."

The man's eyes remained locked on mine. His breathing came heavy and ragged, and when he spoke, his voice was deep and gravelly. "Do exactly what I say and I'll let you live." I let out a shaky whimper as he gripped my arm and forced me to my feet, then propelled me into the nearest dark doorway. The next thing I knew, he was on me then, grunting like a beast in heat.

The hand with the gun stayed pointed at my head while the man pushed me down with the other hand onto the hard concrete floor. I struggled to get away, but the icy hands once again gripped me by the shoulders and pinned my legs apart, through the floor somehow, and I found myself powerless to move. The man straddled me then, dripping sweat onto me as he fumbled clumsily for his knife. Almost teasingly, he snapped the blade out, turning it back and forth a few times so the light caught the silver blade's edge. Then with a few unskilled cuts, he cut through my shirt, my bra and my pants, leaving me only in my underwear. And still the hands held me down, that breathy voice now laughing wickedly in my mind.

The man turned the blade then even as I screamed and fought against the hands that pinned me down and slid the blade underneath the bottom of my underwear. With a sudden sharp jerk, he jabbed me lightly with the blade on the inside of my thigh and I bit back a sob of fear. Then he simply turned the blade again and cut through my underwear, leaving me now fully exposed and powerless to escape.

Thankfully, I blacked out before the man was done, but the torture and abuse was something I'd only ever heard about or read in books. I was used several times in several different ways as the man acted out every one of his depraved fantasies on me, and when he was finally finished and was pulling up his jeans, I looked up at him through swollen eyes from where I lay on the floor, bleeding and bruised, and he returned the look, not one of pity, but of disgust. "You probably liked that, didn't you, you filthy whore?" he growled.

Too weak to move, I simply lay there shivering and aching, and he clicked his tongue in disgust. My vision grayed out even as I felt myself fading out, but was brought back swiftly and in sharp relief by the sound of the gun cocking back. I managed to look back at him again to see that the gun was once more trained on my head.

With all my strength, I whispered through battered and cracked lips, "You said...you...wouldn't kill me...if I did...what you wanted."

The man shrugged. "I lied." I somehow found the strength to scream once more, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Nooo! Please, that's enough! I don't want to die anymore!" The gunshot was deafening in the tiny room and I tensed, waiting for the bullet to tear my skull apart...

...but instead, I found myself standing back on the edge of the cliff in the darkness. I was whole, and not naked, or drowned, or burned, but most of all, I was alive, and never before in my life had I been so happy to be on solid ground. I stumbled back in relief, sobbing openly again but with celebration of my life, and felt the familiar and welcome smooth texture of the door of my car.

The voice came then from somewhere in the darkness, once more that terribly wrong high-pitched whisper. "You no looonnngggeer wish to diiiieee?" Unable to answer, I could only keep my head down. "Tell me noooowww!" the voice whispered demandingly. "Will your life become miiiinnne? Make the chooooiiiccce!"

I shook my head back and forth furiously. "No! Never! I want to live! I want to live!" Sobbing harder, I dropped to my knees, and I felt the icy hand touch me gently on the top of my head.

"Then live you shaaaalll. But jussst know that I will allllwwaayys be watching you. And should you eeeeevvveer decide to taaaakkke your own liiiifffe again, I will be theeerre, and you wiiilll belong to meeeee." The hand drew back. "Now goooo. Go and never eeeevvveer come back!"

I needed no more coaching. I leaped into my car, shoved the key into the ignition and slammed my foot down on the pedal, spinning my tires wildly as I peeled off in the direction I had come earlier that night.

I have heard some say that their guardian angel saved them, sat on their shoulder and protected them from some danger. But what about when all the guardian angels are busy? I still say it was a demon that saved my life that night, that pulled me back from my dark thoughts and made me realize that my life is worth it. And who knows? Maybe if someday another one like me happens to feel like their life is as worthless as I thought mine was, maybe they'll find Route 236, and maybe they'll meet HER too. And maybe, just maybe, they'll be braver than I was.

[ofwolvesandbutterflies]

Knock Knock

Stray Kids Hwang Hyunjin x Reader

Genre: fLufF? 

lowkeyassassin!AU

A/N: Yeah... alright. first things first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HYUNJIN, you adorable, talented person! second things next... idk man. I’m re-posting this becuz i wasn’t happy with the first version, but i guess just tell me what you think...? 

“Hyunjin, I fucking swear. There is a medical bay for a REASON.” You opened the door to your room, pinching the bridge of your nose out of pure exasperation. Yes, Hwang Hyunjin was your best friend. Yes, you had known each other since you were in test tubes. But NO that did not at all mean he could come knocking your door for the third time that week with a gash on a forehead and a knife wound on his forearm.

And the boy still had the nerve to show up with a smile on his face.

“I know.”

You stood there, crossed arms and a look of revulsion concealing the immense feeling of relief that washed over you at the sight of your best friend still alive after that mission. Refusing to move, you pursed your lips, still blocking your fellow assassin from entering.

“Hwang Hyunjin, give me one good reason I should let you in my room again.”

“Um… I’m bleeding? Isn’t that a good enough reason for you?”

He held up his arm as if it was obvious. When you made no attempt to budge, he rolled his eyes.

“Come on, __…” He whined. “Would it help if I showered you in compliments and promised to clean the bathroom for the next week?”

At last, your facade cracked with a smile.

“Maybe…”

“Fine,” he gritted his teeth, mentally preparing himself for such a daunting task. “You’re cool. You’re nice. You do a much better job at cooking and bandaging me than anyone else here does. You give really good massages. For an assassin, you are actually really pretty.. Is that enough?”

“Hmm..” You leaned against the door frame, tapping your chin in thought. “I don’t know…”

“__!” He threw his hands up into the air, immediately wincing when he remembered the knife wound on his forearm.

“Yes, Hyunjin?”

“For fuck’s sake, let me in already!” Usually, the banter between the two of you lasted for much longer, but you could tell from the sweat forming on his forehead, his injuries were getting the best of him.

“Alright, you big baby.”

Finally, you ceased playing the role of the road block and opened the door wider. The relief was beyond obvious in his tired, bloodshot eyes and for a moment, guilt - a foreign feeling to you - flashed through your body. As briskly as it appeared, the guilt vanished and before he could come in, you held out your arm to stop him.

“But don’t you dare bleed on my floor.”

The smirk you’d grown up with slipped back onto his face and he scoffed playfully.

“No promises, __.”

Oh, how this scenario sparked dejah vu. The two of you sat on your white couch with your legs on top of his. Hyunjin’s hand rested atop your thighs, more for reassurance than anything else. Your soft breath fanned across his face as you gently applied the antiseptic to his forehead. A slight hiss was heard as his fingers twitched across the skin of your thighs, signaling his discomfort.

“How was it this time?” you whispered, not wanting to yell as you angled his face towards yours to gain better access to his cut.

He sighed, eyes darting all over your distracted face, stopping briefly on your lips before moving on again.

“Not much better than usual. This dude was more paranoid than Chan thought. It took a little longer than expected, but Minho and I still got it done.”

You released his face, turning to grab some basic bacitracin and a few butterfly closures.

“Mm. How did you get these ones?” you inquired, referring to the new lacerations on his pale skin.

He laughed softly.

“Would you believe me if I told you the dude this time held a knife in his sleep?”

“I’ve heard crazier,” you snorted, applying the bandages to the cut on his forehead. He hummed in amusement at your indifference. Pressing the medical adhesive in its place, you moved on to his forearm. Folding his sleeve up, you inwardly cringed at how long and deep this new cut was.

The silence hung in the air not uncomfortably as he rested his head on your shoulder. For such an intimate position, the two of you were quite at ease. After all, the two of you had grown up together, trained together, even killed together. You worked at his forearm as if it was second nature to you, gently caressing the sensitive skin around the incision as your genetically engineered heart beat a little faster than normal, a regular occurrence when you were around Hyunjin. Finishing up, you brushed the hair out of his eyes to touch the cut on his forehead lightly.

“I’m glad you’re alright, Hyunjin.”

Your eyes met his breathtaking brown ones like many times before, but something this time was different. His pupils darkened and dilated. His cool hands crept up your legs until they rested comfortably on your hips. Your hands fell from where they had been on his face to a resting position on his broad shoulders. Before either of you could figure out what the strong pulsating in your supposedly cold hearts was, the haze cleared from your mind and you looked away speedily, hoping the flush rising to your cheeks wasn’t as obvious as you knew it was.  

Hyunjin cleared his throat and his hands dropped from your hips.

“Yeah.”

“Why meeee...? What do you want from mee...?” You snapped under your breath while climbing out of your bed to open the door for your one and only best friend, Hwang Hyunjin. How did you know it was him? Because no one else came knocking at your door at 2:30 in the morning.  You were beyond irritated with the young, attractive, irritating assassin. You weren’t his mom for goodness sake.

Arriving at the door, you took a deep breath to calm your raging irritation and yanked the door open.

“I swear, Hwang Hyunjin, there better be something actually wrong with yo-” the second you saw his pale and sweaty skin, you desperately wished you could take back your words.

“Shit, nevermind. There actually is something wrong with you.” And your door opened rather swiftly as you hauled the older boy into your room.

Fifteen minutes later, you found yourself on your couch yet again, stifling back a laugh as a sick assassin drowsily clung to you. “__... Don leab me.”

“How would I even be able to, Hyunjin? You’re literally laying on top of my legs,” you snorted, running your fingers through his sweaty hair.

“-know,” he mumbled, nuzzling his face into your lap. “mm I dying?”

“No, you idiot,” you giggled this time, tracing the bags under his closed eyes with the pads of your thumbs. “Haven’t you ever been sick before?”

“Nuu… but umm I gon die?” Was all you could understand from the sick boy in your lap. Before you could respond, your cellular phone rang, causing the sick boy in your lap to smack his hands over his ears in horror. You snickered, picking up the vibrating device and answering it.

“Hey Felix.”

“__? Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. What’s up? And also... why are you up at 2:45 in the morning?”

You removed your hand from Hyunjin’s hair, trying to hear your partner on the other side of the line better. As soon as your hand left his scalp though, he started whining.

“__~ ples don leab me…”

“Hey Felix, lemme call you back, yeah?”

“Alright but-”

“Look man, I’m sorry, it’s just I have a feverish and clingy assassin in my lap. I’ll call you back when I’ve convinced him that having a cold doesn’t mean he’s dying.”

“Ahh… I see what’s happening.” You could practically hear the smirk in your partner’s voice.

“The fu- NO! Felix, that’s not-” Unfortunately, your partner hung up before you could fully explain what was really happening. Blowing a puff of air out of your mouth, you flicked Hyunjin in the forehead.

“Oww.. __!” He pushed himself into a sitting position slowly, a pout evident on his chapped lips. “Why’d you do dat?”

“That’s what you get, you clingy-ass big baby.”

“Dat’s mean.”

“Would you like to leave?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“I thought so.”

“Hey __.”

Dropping down from the pull-up bar you had been on, you gazed across the training room to see your attractive best friend crouched by the mini stereo. The undeniably catchy song that was Hyunjin was just dancing to stopped as he stood to approach you.

“Yeah?” Stretching briefly, you rolled your neck and faced him.

“Can I…” the older boy pursed his lips, subconsciously running his hand through his sweaty hair. It looked as if he was contemplating his next words.

“Can you… What?” you inquired suspiciously. It was unlike Hwang Hyunjin to be at a loss for words.

“It's kind of weird to ask because I always come over at the most random of times without asking… But can I come over tomorrow?” the Hyunjin you knew was a mischievous, fast thinker who loved to bother you no matter what the occasion… so it was awfully strange to see your best friend rubbing his neck nervously like a regular teenager.

“Honestly Hyunjin, I’ve gotten so used to your sporadic visits over the last 18 years, you really don't need to ask,” you laughed, ruffling his dance-tousled hair. “Besides, as long as it's not past midnight, you're totally welcome.”

As you said that, the boy across from you relaxed visibly.

“Okay, because Chan said you and I weren't scheduled for anything tomorrow and I just wanted to hang out,” Hyunjin explained, shoving his hands into his sweatpant pockets.

“As long as you’re bringing food, sounds great. What's the occasion?” It might have been a trick if the light, but you could've sworn your genetically engineered eyes picked up traces of a light pink blush dusting the cheeks of your best friend.

“You mean you forgot my birthday?”

“So __, what is actually going on between you and Hyunjin?” Felix asked curiously, picking at his french fries, clearly more interested in you than the greasy food on his plate. You glanced at the boy sitting across from you, illuminated by street lights and glowing windows of neighboring skyscrapers. You and Lee Felix had been a duo for years now. Tall for his age, well built, stealthy and attractive, it was almost a miracle you hadn’t fallen in love with Felix. Instead, your partner had often been a listening ear and helping hand when Hyunjin was away. This time was not any different.

“From what I know for sure, we're really close friends. We have been from birth, but I don't know… sometimes it seems like we're more than that,” you shrugged, pushing around the noodles on your own plate with your fork, avoiding eye contact with your partner.

“Do you want to be more than friends?” Felix leaned closer, even more attentive now, his french fries now completely forgotten.

“I-” you paused. Did you want to be more than friends? “I’ve… thought about it on more than one occasion,” you found yourself admitting hesitantly. The boy across from you raised an eyebrow, teasing you.

“Is that so?” a blush burned across your cheeks and you reached across the table to smack his arm.

“Shut up, Felix!” 

The boy across from you cackled evilly before calming down enough to finally ask...

“Well, what’s stopping you?” Your partner’s blunt question almost had you fuming, but as you were opening your mouth to spit out a sharp retort, you found that you had nothing reasonable to say.

“I… I don’t know. I guess I just don’t want to have misunderstood anything.”

“Oh trust me, __,” Felix rested his head on his intertwined fingers. “I know boys and I know without a doubt your feelings are definitely requited.”

KNOCK KNOCK

Straightening out your outfit, you were intrigued to find the irregularly rapid beating of your heart didn't bother you one bit. You hurried to the front door and opened to it to the sight of Hwang Hyunjin leaned against the door frame. Decked out in a loose black tank top and Adidas sweatpants, he shot you a cheeky smirk.

“Hey __.”

“Hey Hyunjin.” Succumbing to the smile pulling at your lips, you let your best friend in. “You know, for once, I'm not totally pissed to see you standing on my doorstep.”

“Stop kidding yourself, __. You know you love it when I show up on your doorstep.”

“I mean... whatever floats your boat.” 

“Remind me what we’re supposed to be doing today?” You mumbled, eyes closed, lying against your best friend’s firm chest. The yellowish afternoon glow filtered through your thin curtains, bathing you in a soothing, almost pacifying gleam. Neither of you could recall how you ended up in this position, but then again neither of you were willing to move. 

So there the both of you were, on your couch yet again, relaxing underneath his soft blanket.

“We’re celebrating my birthday,” Hyunjin murmured against your hair, snaking his arms around your waist as if it were the most casual thing ever.

“By wasting the day away on my couch?” You shifted on his lap, cracking one eye open to look at your handsome friend.

“By spending time with my favorite person in the world.” He offered you a small, genuine smile, squeezing you lightly. In an attempt to hide a blush of your own, you hid your face in his chest. However, had you been paying more attention, you’d have noticed the same light pink hue sprinkled over his cheeks as well.

“You're serious? You didn't have anything else planned?”

“Nope. I just wanted to spend time with you.”

“Stop it, Hyunjin,” you spoke, trying anxiously to lighten the mood. “You’re being cheesy.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

You looked up, slightly startled at the tone of your best friend’s uncharacteristically serious voice. Your genetically altered heart beat more rapidly. Had Felix been right? Were your feelings reciprocated?

“Hyunjin… What are you…?”

Once again, his cool hands rested on your hips, sending miniscule shivers up your spine. Your heartbeat sped up yet again as he pulled you closer to him, his gaze never leaving yours.

“Hey __…” He whispered.

“Mm?” you hummed, consciously glancing quickly down to his lips.

“Wanna know what I want for my birthday?” his tantalizing brown eyes wandered down to your lips.

“Give me a hint,” you breathed, leaning in ever so slightly.

With that, Hyunjin eliminated all space from between your lips. Your eyelids fluttered close as your grip tightened around his neck. His lips touched yours gently, hesitant at first. As the seconds ticked by though, he slowly gained more confidence when you responded, equally as enthusiastic.  

“I’ll take a wild guess,” you murmured as the two of you separated. “Is it me?”

The attractive boy whose lap you were currently sitting on placed a quick kiss on the edge of your nose.

“Yeah.. it’s you.”

[amoonmermaid]

Christmas Carol || season special! w/ Jaehyun

freckels

i had to jam to christmas songs to get some inspiration kjcsbhsdhbkd i’m so lame lmao

leT’S gEt StaRtEd 

warnings: mention of alcohol

You and this bby smol precious bean have known each other since y’all were 8 y/o

and like the firt time you saw him at your door on a summer evening you were like omg mom who’s dis boi, he has cooties eww

but like two days later you went all ok he has nothing at all, we’re fine and actually you got along pretty well, mainly bc your moms obliged you to talk to each other lol 

and after that week of knowing 8y/o yous time passed and y’all got to see each other grow up an bloom into a pretty flower lmao and since that sole week you two were inseparable

now you were in your 20′s, broke college studets, happily broke college students

y’all enjoyed of your majors and your students life over all, it was... interesting, to say the last

you had plenty of friends in common, with whom you partied and studied and did almost everything

almost, bc doing everything with you was jae’s job just like johnny

aHeM

e v e r y o n e noticed the little things going in between you two, but n o  o n e dared to say a thing bc

jae: catch these fists, i dOn’T lIkE HEr

you: i don’t even know him ewww

to say the least, you had this some thing, but it’s whatevs

well enough back story lmao

holiday break started and y’all were free to do whatever the fuck you wanted with your little spare time

and your friends + jaehyun agreed to go to this new bar just a few block away from uni to celebrate the end of finals and the cherished holiday break before heading home to spent the parties

y’all missed mama so much

but out of nowhere, some of your friends cancelled and you were all :((

so now it was only johnny, winwin, ten, mina, wendy, momo, yugyeom, jungkook, jackson, jennie, jehyun and you

ofc there’s actually a lot of you, but what did you expected from a 20+persons friend group????

so y’all headed to the bar, looking pretty and shit, y’all stationed yourselves at a booth on the very end of the bar and talked a little at first before getting to the drinkinggg

and it all was pretty chill, the music of the bar was into the early christmas mood, playing Frank Sinatra’s xma’s classics and having little ornaments hanging al over the place, it all mixed so well with the alredy cold weather

so to get your bodies warmed up, you ordered a bottle of  Moët & Chandon bc you are fancy as fuck  and cheered for surviving yet another semester of hell

soon, the champagne bottle was empty and was replaced by two bottles of Smirnoff and mojitos delicately held by some of the girl’s hands

you, on the other hand and playing your mom role, decided to not drink as much as the others, alcohol was not needed for you to have fun, you could just chat with your tipsy friends and laugh at jungkook’s clumsyness

Mina, being your wife and second mom usual self, approached you with the half empty glass of the rosé liqud served at the begining of the evening on one hand, and her coat on the other, asking you if you wanted to get some fresh and cold air to just kill some time

“how long do you think they’ll last until one of them throws up?” she asked in a non comical tone, sipping the fruity beverage before turing your way

her voice distracted you from the muffled sound of Mariah Carrey’s voice, turning to her while you leaned over the railing of the balcony on the second floor of the bar

“i don’t think they’ll last any longer, Momo and Ten already danced to winter wonderland twice” you shrugged with a small grin plastered on your face, the fresh memory of momo spilling some vodka over winwin’s white button down playing on your head

Mina was about to open her mouth and say something between the lines of a disappointed mother when a sober yugyeom came hurriedly to you, begging you to make jaehyun stop crying and also quit singing in an off tone way

“Johnny already did his best, but the crying fucker only pushed him away and took one of the bottles to use it as his microphone”

You frowned at his statement, jae was usually one of the lasts to get drunk, why the hell was he in that state with just two and a half hour of arriving?

huffing and giving mina an apologetical look before heading downstairs, where you could already hear the loud voice of a distressed Johnny and Ten trying to calm jaehyun down

failing miserably when the latter met your eyes and immediately broke into another fit of sobs and even more unnecesary tears damping his cheeks and the collar of his button down

“Y/NNNNN~~~, babyyyy.... why don’t you loooovee meeee?”

an eye roll instinctively adorned your face, followed by and embarrassing blush that could easily be mistaken by the effect of alcohol in your system

you aproached the trio with a serious and motherly look on your face, ignoring the dancing jennie and jungkook in the background

“I’ll take him to the dorms, he’s already had way too much” you said a little bit louder than usual so you could be heard over the loud and ambiguous christmas music

Ten and johnny nodded in agreement while you took the bottle off jaehyun’s hold and placed it over the table before taking him by the arm and dragging him with you towards the exit

“Oow, baby you’re huuuurting meee!” he looked down to your tight grip on his upper arm with a small pout and damp eyes, walking clumsily by your side

you ignored his slurred words, tightening your hold a little bit more until you were out of the bar and asked him not to move an inch from where he was while you went to get the car

he nodded at you wit a pout still adorning his face, he looked you in the eyes while you asked for the keys and gave them to you without a single flickering of his eyes

he waited patiently for you to get the car while he still mumbled the lyrics of Last Christmas, tears treatening to fall again just because the lyrics did get him

when you parked a few metres from his again crying form and opened the door for him, he started to sing loudly yet again, earning an eye roll from you and some petty giggles from the people around him

Once again, you had to drag him with you to get him in the car, fastening his seatbelt and rolling dow th window in case he needed to throw up

going out with him usually ended up like this: he would get over his limit and make a total fuss over some dumb shit, you’ve expressed him the frustration of babying in said situation and scolded him for not being rational over the amount of alcohol he ingested

for him, this time it wasn’t some dumb shit, the fuss was mainly because of you

you’ve been in his mind the moment he met you, and he tohught he was the luckiest person whenever you were with him, he loved your bright smile and the way you always smelled like a mix of vanilla and baby lotion

he sighed loudly as he looked out the window, chin resting over the palm of his hand, he felt his eyes getting wet yet again and soon the small lines of salty tears adorned his cheeks and quiet sobs began to erupt from his mouth

“Jae-...” you hesitated at first, watching fro the corner of your eye the way tears fell from his jawline “what is it about, this time?”

“It’s nothing”

“It is clearly something... y’know, you always do this: first you tell me you’re fine, even tho you crearly aren’t, and by the time we’re at your dorm, you spill the beans, so like.. want to skip the drama and tell me already?” your tone was slightly cheerful and soft, even if you werea little bit mad at him, you couldn’t snap at him, you had no reason and you never wanted one

he didn’t answer for a few minutes, you could only hear his quiet sobs and his random sighs “just drive”

after that, you didn’t said a word, not until you were in the uni parking lot, where you got out of the car immediately ad opened the door for jaehyun to get off, you could tell he got sobber and more concious, but he still worried you, so you followed him silently to his dorm, and once you got there you asked once again

“what is it?”

he froze at your small voice, turning ever so slightly just to look over his shoulder and spare a quick glance at you “i said it’s nothing, you can go back to the bar if you want”

you were pissed, he never acted like this and just a few minutes ago, he was all needy and kept calling you pet names, and out of nowhere he was acting like a brat

just before he could close the door in your face, you pushed him further into his dorm and slamed the door shut behind you

“what’s wrong with you, jae?”

he flinched at your harsh tone, looking everywhere but your eyes between his playing hands and a nervous gulp “i don’t know w-what you are talking about...”

“what’s with the sudden change? why won’t you tell me what’s going trough your drunk head?” you took a few steps closer to him, you tone dropping and giving space to your softer side, your hands moved up to wipe away the tears that still covered his face

he moved away from your hold with a small ache of his heart and sat himself on the edge of his bed, looking out the window with a   barely visible pout “why do you act like you care?” he mumbled with sadness in his voice

“i’m not acting-”

“yes, you are, you’ve always acted like it, damnit!”

now you were truly mad, and just a little bit sad, but anger was the only important thing takng over you

“first of all, you stupid, do you think i would act like i give a damn about you for twelve years straight? like, are you really that dumb or what?”

he looked at you with sad puppy eyes and a glimpse of anger inside his eyes “i-... “

“oh my god... i really can’t believe that, after almost fifteen fucking years of friendship, you think i’m that shit of a person...” you shook you head in desbelief, you felt the back of your eyes start to warm and get damp as well

“of course i fucking care about you, of course i love you, and not in the way that i should! gosh, you are so stupid”

just when you were about to get out of his room, tears already falling off your eyes, jaehyun grabbed your wrist and turned you around, his other hand pulling you closer to him in one smooth movement

his lips crashed against yours in a desperate way, but the gentleness never left his every motion

tears and alcohol mixed between the taste of his soft lips as they moved gracefully against each other

unsaid words and unexpressed emotions played with one another as the kiss turned into something more delicate and sweet, and after a while your hands moved back to his cheeks to bring him even closer to you

jaehyun was the first to break the kkiss, resting his forehead against yours with just the smalles grin he could muster in that moment, his hands were still resting on your hips while yours started tracing the tender skin of his jawline

“you’re indeed really stupid” you mumbled after a few seconds of silence, you moved your head a little just to peck his lips and the tip of his nose, earning the cutest laugh you could ever hear

“you make me this way” 

THE END

i just realized that everything a write has a slice of angst in it, and the titles have almost nothing to do with the story lmfao

but well, i’ll try to improve

aND i promise to write the next season special! with you two being together already :p

[cloudysfluffs]

Lullaby

D A R K S T A C H E   T I M E

MY GOD GUYS THIS SONG-

I HEARD A COUPLE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS BUT I WENT WITH WHAT SEEMED TO BE THE MOST COMMON

ANYWAY; DARKSTACHE AND TICKLES AND FLUFF AHEAD

~~~~~~~~~~

Warf flicked off the lights of him studio, dismissing Bim to go. He rubbed his eyes, yawning softly. It had been a long day, longer than he expected. All he really wanted to do at the moment was curl up beside his boyfriend and talk to him. With that intent in mind, Warf fixed his suspenders and started heading towards his door.

His hand had only just touched the doorknob…when he heard it. Yep, it was Dark alright. But he had never heard him sound like…that! It was gorgeous!

Dark was singing.

Something emo, Warf assumed, though he couldn’t tell.

He softly turned the doorknob to peer inside.

Dark was in fact singing. It was low and sweet, though in perfect pitch. Almost like Mark’s, but a bit more…hypnotizing. Warf stepped in as silently as possible as Dark shed his black jacket, singing his heart out. Dark had slipped into a more comfortable outfit and was at the mirror by the time he finished his song. As he was wiping off his eyeliner, he saw Warf’s reflection in the mirror, staring at him with a shocked expression. Dark grinned, wiping off the last of the black on his eyes.

Dark spun on his heels, crossing his arms.

“Can I help you?” He chuckled, rasing his eyebrows.

“You can sing?” Warf questioned after a moment of silence.

“Yes?” Dark asked, leaning against the sink. “Why?”

“Do it again!” Warf smiled brightly.

“Why?” Dark laughed, walking over to him to kiss him on the nose.

“Cause I love your voice!” Warf replied, grabbing Dark’s hand and pulling him to the bed. The two sat down, Warf still with a big smile.

“My voice?” Dark asked, slightly surprised. “It’s really nothing special, Will.”

“Yeah it is!” Warf whined. “C'mon, please? One more song?”

“What for?” Dark pushed himself back against the bedframe, patting the bed beside him. Will sat next to him and put his head on Dark’s shoulder.

“Because you love me?” Warf said hopefully. Dark rolled his eyes.

“While that is true, it’s late. Are you not tired?” Dark put an arm around his lover, leaning against his head.

“Kinda,” Will shrugged. He suddenly gasped. “You could sing me a lullaby!”

“A lullaby?” Dark shook his head. “Will, I don’t-”

“Pleeeeease? One song. Then I’ll stop pestering you for as long as you want!” Warf looked up at Dark with puppy-dog eyes. Dark sighed.

“No, Will.” He insisted. Dark was starting to wonder how he fell in love with this man. Warf huffed.

“But Daaarky!” Warf groaned playfully. Dark had to smile. But really, how could you not? Sure, he could be annoying. But he’d be lying saying he didn’t think Will was cute as all hell. Warf nuzzled his face into Dark’s neck. “Sing for meeee!”

Dark fliched, his shoulder moving up to protect his neck. His expression twitched into a wider smile, eyes wandering to the floor. He hoped Will wouldn’t notice, but he knew he had. Especially when Warf’s arms wrapped around his middle, drawing shapes on Dark’s stomach.

“Will…cuhut it ohohout…” Dark said warily, cursing the glitching and giggling in his voice. Warf smiled wider, lightly scratching the skin of Darks torso. Dark jumped, swatting at his hands. “Wihihilford!”

“All you gotta do, Darkasparkles, is agree to sing me a sooong!” Will chimed, his fingers crawling up Dark’s sides. Dark bit his tongue, shutting his eyes.

“N-No!” He said, firmly though not quite sternly. Warf grinned, shrugging.

“If you say so~” He laughed, his fingers growing closer to Dark’s ribs. The second they hit them, Darks hands locked around Warf’s wrists. Dark caught his breath in record time, pushing Warf’s hands away. He managed to hold both of the others wrist in one hand, adjusting himself to face Warf who was smiling like an idiot. Dark sighed…then smirked. He let go of Warf’s hands.

“Fine then,” Dark huffed, watching Warf’s face light up. “I’ll sing you a lullaby. Lie down.”

Warf did so, lying with his arms behind his head. He watched curiously as Dark stradled his thighs, clearning his throat.

“Alright, I’m gonna sing to you,” Dark said, still grinning like a madman. “But if you want me to sing, you have to do one thing.” Dark warned. Warf cocked his head.

“And what’s that?” He asked, albeit a bit nervously.

“Keep you’re arms above your head, just like that. And try not to move or…mess up my song.” Dark chuckled. Something about the way Dark spoke was unsettling, but Warf nodded all the same. “I have a perfect lullaby.”

Warf visably tensed when Dark rested his hands on his stomach. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. He already felt the butterflies swarming around his stomach and Dark hadn’t even done anything yet!

But when he had, Warf regretted ever asking him to sing. Dark pulled up Warf’s shirt slightly, just enough to expose his navel. Then, he began drawing torturously light circles around it…

“‘Round and 'round the garden, like a teddy bear~” Dark sang, continuing his circle pattern. He watched with a maniacal grin as Warf’s face lit up like a firework, biting his lip. Dark walked his fingers, first one…

“One step…”

Then another…

“Two steps…”

He added his second hand on his one, one on either side of Warf’s ribs.

He paused, and so did Warf, who held his breath. This is not at all what Warf was expecting…but it definitely was what he was hoping for. After what seemed like an eternity…Dark finished the lyric.

“…A tickly under there!” Dark moved his hands underneath Warf’s arms, scribbling his fingers in the hallows. Warf’s arms slammed down from behind his head, grabbing Darks arms in an attempt to fend off the sensations.

“DAHAHARK! Yohou ahahahasshole!” Warf giggled heavily, squirming underneath the other. Dark chuckled, ruffling his hair.

“You brought your arms down~” Dark sing-songed. “Lets make a deal. Every time you bring your arms down, I do another verse. Got it? You have to make it 30 seconds. That doesn'tsound to bad, does it?”

Warf paused for a moment, reviving from the after-tickles. He nodded, blushing harder. Dark smirked.

“Good. Now, put your arms up again.”

Though hesitant, Warf did.

Dark repeated his actions from earlier, smirking as he traced circles. Warf didn’t even make an attempt to stop his high-pitched stream of childish giggling. He held his arms where they were though.

“'Round and 'round the garden, like a teddy bear…” Dark sang. Warf admitted, he still did love his voice. But…the pitch and the way he sings, especially lyrics like these brought a blush to his face. Warf’s breath hitched slightly as Dark walked his fingers across his stomach.

“One step…two steps…”

Warf held his breath, shutting his eyes. Thirty seconds, Will. You can do this.

“A tickly over again~”

Wil, you cannot do this.

Darks fingers scribbled and skittered across Warf’s stomach, occasionally going up to his ribs or under his arms. The timer had begun. He could hear Dark counting over his laughter.

“DahahaHAHARK!” Will whined playfully, fighting the urge to pull his arms down. “Stoppit- Ahahaha- Nohohohooo!”

“Aww, where’s the fun it giving up? Kitchy kitchy coo, Wilfy~” Dark teased, speeding up his motions momenarily. “15…16…17.”

“SHUHUhuhut uhuhup!” Warf ended up snorting mid-sentance, only making him blush harder as well as making his warning less meaningful.

“Cute snort, sweeheart~” Dark cooed, poking each and every one of Warf’s ribs. It was practically madening…but he still had his arms up. Dark would be lying saying he wasn’t impressed. “26…27…28…”

Warf had an odd feeling Dark was about to go for the kill, but to his surprise, he started slowing down. Warf took a moment to regain himself…However, he had less time than he anticipated.

“…30.”

Dark suddenly vibrated his thumbs into Warf’s hips, smirking devilishly as the other broke into loud, booming laughter. Warf’s arms shot down and grabbed Dark’s wrist, pushing in vain at the other.

“DAHAHAHAHARK!” Warf yelled, curling intoa desparate ball of laughter. “STAHAHAP IT!”

Dark felt himself laughing along with him, finally retracting his hands and laying down beside Warf.

After Warf had taken a moment to calm down, he wrapped his arms over Dark, who did the same.

“You should sing more.” Warf mumbled into Darks chest. Dark smiled.

“That song?” He joked. Warf huffed playfully.

“Nooo! Not that one!” He insisted.

“I’ll think about it. Now, get some sleep, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

A moment of silence was followed by Warf’s after-tickle hiccups. He slapped his hand over his mouth, peering up at Dark. In the darkness of the room, there was still a bright red on Warf’s face. Dark only laughed softly, holding him closer.

“Adorable~” Warf didn’t even bother protesting, shutting his eyes, and dozing off. Dark followed suite, finally relaxing as well. Dark really did love him, he always had. And sometimes he forgot how much he valued that until he was holding Warf in his arms. It was sweet, but he’d never admit it. And honestly, neither would Wilford. But I can assure you, neither would change a thing.

~~~~~

… SECRET ANGSTY ENDING IF YOUR UP FOR IT BELOW BECAUSE I CANT HELP MYSELF-

Dark wished he could have gone to bed. He watched with a sigh a his lover fell asleep in his arms. He whispered his name, just to make sure he wasn’t awake.

“Wilford?” He asked lowly. The other didn’t stir. Dark very slowly retracted his arms from around him, getting out of bed. He paused when Warf reached to the empty space, but by the looks of it, he was still asleep. Dark stood, shutting his eyes. And, in an instant, he was gone. Two took his place.

One red, one blue.

Damien adjusted his suit, creeping towards the other.

“Damien,” Celine sighed. “We can’t…be here long.”

“It’ll only take a moment, Celine. Please. I just…” Damien rubbed his eyes. “I need…to see him again.”

The two sat on the edge of the bed, the lightness of the spirits not denting the matress. Damien lie beside Warf, examining him.

“…He’s so different now.” Damien said softly, propping himself up on his elbow.

“He’s not the Colonel anymore.” Celine answered quietly,  wiping Warf’s hair from his eyes. Whatever she touched turned red on Warf’s skin, though only for a moment. Damien fought back tears, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“I miss him, Celine.” He choked, wiping his eyes. Celine put a hand on his shoulder.

“So do I, Damien. But he can’t know us. It will only hurt him more. He’s been through enough already.” Celine stated with a trembling voice. She felt tears in her eyes aswell. As light as he could, Damien put a hand on Warf’s shoulder, the area around it going blue.

“…Goodnight, William.” He said softly, retracting his hand. Celine nodded, standing where she perviously was with open arms. Damien took one glance back at Warf, then stood to embrace Celine.

As quickly as they had arrived, they were gone, Dark standing in their place. Dark wiped his eyes, straightened his posture, and crawled back into bed. In almost no time at all, Warf had pulled him close, and he had done the same.

Warf was never going to admit he was awake.

[sweet-christabel]

A Trusted Friend In Science

FF.net: (x) AO3: (x)

Chapter Twenty-Four - Unknown year. Exodus.

Chell’s injuries would surely kill her. She knew that, yet she clung on to life, clutching Wheatley’s handles with a cast-iron grip. To let go would mean certain death, frozen, suffocated in the crushing blackness of space within minutes. The debris from the central chamber rushed past her as she stared back at Wheatley, looking longingly at the safety of the room in the portal behind him.

“Let go!” he ordered her selfishly. “Let go! I’m still connected, I can pull myself in. I can still fix this!”

GLaDOS’s robotic arm snaked towards him through the portal. “I already fixed it!” she told him acerbically. “And you are not coming back!”

“Oh no, change of plans,” he said hurriedly. “Hold on to me. Tighter!”

Chell had no time to make a decision either way. The robotic arm gripped her wrist, knocking Wheatley aside. He spun away into the depths of space, his voice fading.

“Grab me, grab me, grab me! Grab meeee!”

GLaDOS pulled her back inside and closed the portal, dropping her none too gently to the ground. Chell lay completely still for the first time in days, able to do nothing but breathe, and lucky to even be doing that. She was exhausted, cold and damp from the sprinklers that had put out the fires in the main chamber, and in too much pain to move. The bombs Wheatley had hidden by the stalemate resolution button had not done as much damage as the core had initially intended. Chell had spotted them at the last minute, retreating as fast as she could, but she’d been caught in the blast regardless. She didn’t know enough about explosions to know exactly what the extent of her injuries were, but she had burns up her right arm, where she’d thrown it up in front of her face, and her entire body hurt. There was a wound in her side that was making her feel light-headed. She wasn’t sure how it had gotten there, but it was bleeding heavily enough to cause her concern.

As she lay motionless, her cheek pressed to a floor that was no longer rocked by tremors, she saw the robotic arm tug GLaDOS’s head into her line of sight. The yellow optic peered at her as she passed, but she said nothing. Chell felt her eyelids grow heavy, and she fought to stay awake. Closing her eyes would be a death sentence, she was sure of it. She’d read that somewhere, hadn’t she? She was so tired, though.

Don’t do it, she ordered herself firmly.

But it was no use. Her shattered body was done taking commands, even from herself. Her eyes drifted shut, cutting her off from the world.

Chell awoke to lights that were painfully bright. She squinted, adjusting, realising that she was lying on the floor of an elevator. Her head felt fuzzy, but her body was pleasantly numb. Her arm and torso had been firmly bandaged, and she could feel a dressing on her shoulder too. She didn’t even remember having an injury there. Her long fall boots were gone, but her clothing was dry again.

As she moved stiffly to a sitting position, she saw that she was being watched by two bipedal robots. They startled her momentarily, until she realised that they weren’t armed with anything resembling a weapon.

Are those the things Wheatley was going to replace me with? she wondered inwardly.

They retreated when she got to her feet, although she couldn’t fathom why. She was hardly a threat. She barely felt able to stand.

“Oh, thank god you’re all right,” GLaDOS said, with more sincerity that Chell would have expected.

The central chamber was back to normal, once more the circular, minimalist room that GLaDOS preferred. The A.I. herself was back to normal too, in her own body again, and in control of the facility.

"You know, being Caroline taught me a valuable lesson. I thought you were my greatest enemy. When all along you were my best friend."

That explains why she patched me up, Chell thought. And maybe why I’m still alive.

It gave her a tentative burst of hope that perhaps she would make it out of Aperture after all. During the fight with Wheatley and all the narrow escapes she’d had, she was starting to wonder whether it was truly likely.

"The surge of emotion that shot through me when I saved your life taught me an even more valuable lesson,” GLaDOS went on. “Where Caroline lives in my brain."

"Caroline deleted," reported the announcer.

Chell froze, gripping the railing that lined the side of the elevator. Her fragile hope wavered.

"Goodbye, Caroline," GLaDOS said in a pensive tone of farewell. "You know, deleting Caroline just now taught me a valuable lesson. The best solution to a problem is usually the easiest one. And I'll be honest. Killing you is hard.”

Chell frowned at her, too tired to try and figure out where the conversation was going.

“You know what my days used to be like?” GLaDOS asked rhetorically. “I just tested. Nobody murdered me. Or put me in a potato. Or fed me to birds. I had a pretty good life. And then you showed up. You dangerous, mute lunatic."

Chell pressed her lips together firmly, schooling her expression.

GLaDOS turned her amber gaze in her direction. “So you know what? You win. Just go."

The elevator started to rise, and Chell tightened her grip on the railing, taken aback. She looked down at her enemy-turned-ally with wide eyes. Was she really…?

GLaDOS chuckled gently. “It’s been fun. Don’t come back.”

And then she was gone. Chell watched the rapidly-passing levels of the facility open-mouthed as the elevator took her closer to the surface.

GLaDOS is letting me go, she repeated to herself, trying to get the message to sink in.

But then the elevator slowed, coming to a stop in front of a locked door. As she stood there, its light changed to green and it opened, revealing four turrets. Chell shot backwards as far as she could go, a jolt of alarm making her gasp. She should have known it was too good to be true.

The turrets stared at her for a beat, their scarlet laser sights dotting her vest top. Then, bizarrely, they started to produce music. Chell stared back at them, breathing hard, unsure what to make of it.

I’ve lost my mind, she thought to herself. I’ve finally snapped.

The elevator jolted into life again, lifting her up another dozen or so floors, then slowed once more to carry her past a vast room filled with turrets. All of them were singing, in what Chell thought was Italian. A gigantic, leopard-skinned turret sat at the very back wearing a crown, its voice clearer than the rest.

This is insane. This is...completely insane.

She was starting to feel woozy again, the sight blurring before her eyes. The elevator picked up speed, carrying her up countless more levels until it came to an abrupt halt in front of an industrial-looking door in a small room. As she watched, it swung open, letting golden sunlight flood the area. The elevator doors slid open and Chell stumbled out of it, immediately feeling the warmth. She darted through in a trice, taking in the cerulean sky, fluffy white clouds, and vast field of wheat.  

The door slammed shut behind her, making her jump. She spun, seeing that she had come from a tiny shed made of corrugated metal. It sat on a small patch of concrete, flanked by a pile of junk. She heard a rattling, clanging sound coming from inside, growing closer, and she warily took a few steps backwards. The door opened again, just long enough to spit out a charred, blackened companion cube.

What is going on?

The journey up from GLaDOS’s chamber had been almost too fast for her brain to keep up with. The whole situation felt surreal.

Wait, she thought, I was close to the surface already. I shot a portal on the moon through the ceiling.

It seemed that GLaDOS had returned her room to its previous location while she’d been out cold. Either that or she was still asleep, and the turrets and the outside world were a dream.

No, she decided firmly. I can feel the heat of the sun on my back. This concrete is warm and rough under my feet, and that breeze is moving my hair.

She ignored the cube for the time being, taking stock of her surroundings. She didn’t recognise the shed, and there were dozens of wheat fields in Michigan. This one was huge, though, stretching on for miles in every direction. Even when she stood on the cube, all she could see was wheat. That was unusual. She had no idea where the parking lot was from here, or main reception.

Doug might know. I have to trust that he’ll make it up here. He promised me.

But even if he did make it, who was to say that he’d come out the same way? They might end up miles apart, each waiting for the other. There was no telling exactly how big Aperture was or how much space it really took up.

Chell sat down on the cube, resting her aching feet. Everything was uncertain, and she didn’t know what to do. There was nothing to do except wait. But how long should she wait for? How would she know? Was he even still alive? A lot could have happened while she was unconscious.

Out of the blue, she started to cry, ugly, throat-clenching sobs. Then it hit her that she was free, and she silently laughed until she could barely breathe. She cried twice more while she waited, each time feeling more cathartic than the last. She sat and rested, she walked around, hands touching the bobbing strands of wheat, she curled up and tried to sleep. Once, a remembered scene from ‘The Truman Show’ had her walking as far as she dared, arms outstretched as she fervently prayed she wouldn’t discover any disguised walls. She didn’t want to venture too far though, afraid that she’d miss Doug.

The waiting was agonising, the uncertainty: worse. After the first four hours or so, judging by the position of the sun, whatever painkillers GLaDOS had given her started to wear off. The pain sapped her energy, coupled with the lack of food and water, until she slumped against the cube in a dreamlike stupor, wondering how she could ever survive out here. Eventually, she slipped into a merciful doze, content to forget everything for a while.

When Doug awoke, he was still lying on the walkway by the breaker room. The cube was a comforting presence at his back, and he was glad it was still there. The portal gun was long gone, most likely having dropped into the pit when the strange, tugging draw had stopped. Groggily, he got to his feet, using the railing for support. His head was pounding, and he felt dried blood in his hair when he investigated with his fingers.

Looking up, he saw that the hole in the ceiling had been fixed, and he could hear GLaDOS’s voice echoing in the room above.

“Override,” she was saying, sounding strained. “Authorisation 20-56-38.”

“Cannot override command,” the announcer told her. “Caroline reinstated.”

She made a soft noise of frustration. Doug frowned, confused. He wasn’t used to that, having spent three years listening to her impassive tones. His footsteps rang out as he began to walk away, looking for the exit.

“Oh,” said GLaDOS in surprise. “You’re still down there. Come on up, Rattmann.”

The gate to the breaker room slid up, and he hesitated. He knew better than to go anywhere near her, but she seemed different now, and she was the only one who could tell him what had happened to Chell.

“Don’t!” squeaked the cube. “Don’t be a hero. Heroes die.”

Doug reached into his pocket, feeling the bullet that had been extracted from his leg. “Not always,” he said quietly.

He stepped through onto the console panel and was lifted up. The hatch opened above him, and he emerged in the chamber. GLaDOS lazily spun around to peer at him, her optic appraising.

“Have you been down there this whole time?” she asked. “What were you doing?”

“I was unconscious,” he answered, a trace of bitterness seeping into his voice, prompted by his sore head. “What happened after I put out those fires? There was an explosion, and then…some kind of pull…”

“The moron planted bombs in the stalemate resolution annex,” GLaDOS told him. “The force of it knocked panels out of the ceiling.”

“But Chell,” Doug cut in anxiously, “was she…?”

"Do you want to hear this or not, Rat Man?" she retorted irritably.

Biting down his anger, he nodded. "Yes," he said through clenched teeth.

GLaDOS stared at him for a moment, as if waiting for him to interrupt her again. Then she continued. “The core chamber had been moved so close to the surface that she was able to shoot a portal on the moon. The vacuum it created pulled that little idiot straight off the mainframe.”

Doug’s jaw dropped as he listened, and he wondered at the depths of Chell’s desperation that had made her aim for the moon.

“How did she avoid getting pulled through?” he asked, in as polite a tone as he could muster.

“She didn’t,” GLaDOS said calmly, sending a wave of panic through him. “But she held on to the moron and I brought her back through.”

He looked at her in surprise. “You saved her?”

GLaDOS turned away from him. “We had our differences, but she rescued me from being eaten by a bird and carried me back here. Fair’s fair.”

The cube made nervous noises at his back, wary at being in the central chamber, unarmed.

“Where is she now?”

“Outside.”

He did a double take. “She is?”

“But she won’t leave.”

“What do you mean?”

GLaDOS summoned a monitor from above, and two panels moved aside to let it pass. She brought up an image from a security camera, showing him an unfamiliar field of wheat. Chell’s orange-clad figure was visible, sitting with her back against a scorched companion cube.

“She’s been there for almost three hours,” GLaDOS said. She sounded mildly irritated and somewhat confused. “I was debating whether to send up the party escort bot. She's trespassing.”

Doug fought back a smile as he saw her, not wanting to annoy GLaDOS further. “I know why she’s there,” he confessed. “She’s waiting for me.”

“Why?”

“Because we made each other a promise,” he said softly.

GLaDOS looked at him steadily, her optic giving no clue as to her thoughts.

“Tell me honestly,” he went on, meeting her amber gaze. “Is there any chance at all of you letting me leave?”

She remained silent for a long while, before answering, “I haven’t decided yet.”

“Strike a deal with her,” the cube piped up. “We’re so close.”

“I heard you just now,” Doug said, scrambling for a plan. “Trying to override something. If I help you with your programming, will you let me go?”

GLaDOS seemed surprised by the question, and took another long moment to consider her options. “Well…” she said at length, “that would be helpful. And you did put out those fires.”

Doug nodded, shoving his hands in his lab coat pockets to hide how much he was shaking. His fingertips found the bullet again, and somehow it made him feel calmer.

You've been through this much...

“All right, Rattmann. You have a deal.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. Bring me up to speed,” he said, managing to keep his voice relatively steady.

“It’s simple,” she told him. “I want you to delete Caroline. Permanently.”

He blinked at her, frowning, unsure if it was even possible.

“I’ve tried several times now. She keeps coming back.”

Doug cleared his throat, searching for a delicate way of phrasing his question. “Um…may I ask why you want to delete Caroline? She’s a vital part of your programming.”

“She remembers,” GLaDOS murmured. “She remembers what he did. And she’s hurt. I want to forget.”

Doug swallowed hard as he nodded. It was understandable and completely reasonable. But he had to consider the consequences of such an action. Repressing Caroline had led to the chaos before, and the need for the morality sphere that had been ineffective anyway. If he removed the only conscience she had, what was to say she’d honour their deal?

“I understand,” he said earnestly, “and I’ll see what I can do, but for my own safety I’ll be putting a time delay on the changes. Otherwise you might decide to keep me here.”

“I still might decide that,” she shot back.

“I don’t think you will,” Doug countered gently, finding that he believed it. “Back when the scientists first built this room, there was a console in a nearby office. Is it still around?”

“Yes. I kept it as a memento.” As she spoke, the panels moved, bringing the old, dusty equipment up through the floor. “It’s still connected.”

Doug approached it, blowing the majority of the dirt off the keyboard.

“Hey!” GLaDOS protested, as it swirled onto her pristine floor.

“Do you want me to do this or not? I need to be able to see what I’m doing.”

She fell silent after that, and Doug concentrated on his task. He still wasn’t sure if it would be possible to simply delete Caroline. She was engrained in GLaDOS’s foundation. But he might be able to block her memories. He worked steadily, sifting through the complex layers of code, while GLaDOS watched with a curious eye. It was tough going. The situation was making him nervous, which in turn made the babble in his head more difficult to ignore.

“Is there a problem?” GLaDOS asked him. “That’s the third time you’ve stopped in the last fifteen minutes.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” he retorted. “You know about my condition. It can be hard to concentrate when there are voices screaming at you that you’re doing everything wrong.”

She turned to him, looking strangely alert. “I know,” she said. “I’ve heard voices all my life telling me not to do things, or giving me reasons why doing what I want to do would be a bad idea. It can get…”

“Maddening,” he finished.

“Yes.”

“I’d…never considered how having all those cores attached to you must have felt,” he admitted, feeling a sudden spark of empathy.

“But you worked on me, didn’t you?” she said resentfully.

“I did,” he confirmed with a nod, “but not in the way you think.”

“What do you mean?”

He straightened up from the console, his back clicking. “Chell and I…we knew each other before we came to work here. When we were kids, we saw something that painted Aperture in a worrying light. Neither of us forgot it.”

“What did you see?” she asked in open curiosity.

“Wheatley,” he said, remembering. “The man that he was based on, anyway. We were there when he got…taken.”

She recoiled a little in disgust at the name, but did not interrupt him.

“Years later, we ran into each other again when we both started working here. We decided to find out what Aperture was doing. Over the course of several years, we kept our eyes and ears open. I worked my way up to a place in the team that built you. We’d deduced by then that you were Aperture’s big secret project, the one that Caroline and Wheatley had died for, but we needed more information before we could act.” He sighed. It all felt so long ago. “We were horrified by what they’d done. We just wanted it to stop.”

“Remember who you’re talking to,” the cube warned him.

“It wasn’t real science,” he added hastily.

GLaDOS made a quiet, thoughtful noise, but said nothing. Doug returned to his work, realising the conversation was over. Then a panel moved in the floor beside him, letting a second one through. It lifted up to waist-height, displaying a collection of large plastic containers. He glanced at them in confusion before looking at GLaDOS.

“There’s enough there to last you five years,” she said impassively. “You should be able to find an alternative in that time.”

His brow creased in puzzlement, and he picked up the nearest bottle to read the label. “This is…my medication,” he said in shock.

“I cleared out the entire supply in the employee pharmacy store,” she explained. “They’ve been stored in an air-tight vault, so they’re in date.”

“Thank you,” he said, unable to completely quash the suspicion that she was trying to poison him. It seemed illogical though, and he tried to shove it aside. “But…why?”

“You’re helping me rid myself of my voices,” she explained with a movement that looked like an awkward shrug.

Empathy counted for a lot, it seemed. Doug returned the bottle to the panel so he could continue working, uncomfortably aware that his efforts would most likely destroy this reasonable, fair-minded part of her.

We’ll be gone by then, he assured himself, and she has no more humans here to hurt.

He had no water to start taking the pills, and he knew that part of him would struggle to say goodbye to the cube. He also knew that in the end there’d be no real choice to make, but it would feel strange nonetheless.

GLaDOS soon realised what was missing, producing some bottles of water from somewhere in the facility. Doug reached for one, taking a quick swig to parch his dry throat. With a trembling hand he shook two capsules out of the nearest container, swallowing them before he could overthink it. The cube made no comment, conflicted by Doug’s self-awareness.

The time dragged by as he worked until he finally had everything in place.

“I’m setting a three hour delay,” he told GLaDOS. Just in case you decide to come after us, he added silently.

“Fine,” she said, although she sounded eager for the wait to be over. “Thank you,” she added solemnly.

Doug nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you for the meds.”

She summoned the elevator by way of reply. Doug put the containers and water bottles in his bag. It was a tight fit, but with the portal gun gone, he just managed it. He refused to leave the cube behind, even if he had chosen to cut off its voice. He stepped into the elevator with a burst of apprehension.

GLaDOS studied him thoughtfully. “I…need you to pass on a message,” she said with some hesitation. “Tell her…tell her she won’t get sick.”

He tilted his head, confused.

“When we were down in old Aperture,” she went on, “we came into contact with some hazardous materials. She may be wondering if what killed Mr. Johnson will kill her. It won’t.”

“How can you be sure?” Doug asked in concern.

“I’m sure,” she said firmly, her tone inviting no argument.

Realising there was more to it than he could grasp, he simply nodded. “I’ll tell her.”

“Goodbye, Rat Man.” There was a touch of amusement and respect to the name this time.

“Goodbye.”

The elevator rose smoothly up, taking him out of her chamber in a trice. It was a surprisingly short journey up, the levels blurring together as they flew past the glass doors.

“You did it,” said the cube in a small voice.

“We did it,” he corrected. “I told you I would always need you. That hasn’t changed.”

“But the capsules…”

“You’re part of me,” Doug reassured it. “You always have been.”

The elevator ground to a halt in front of a heavy-duty door that swung open almost at once, revealing the wheat field he’d seen on the security monitor. He lurched towards it, throwing a hand up to shield his eyes from the setting sun. It was not particularly bright, but he’d had years of artificial light.

When his eyes adjusted, he lowered his arm, looking around for Chell. She was still sitting against the companion cube, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of him. With stiff, pained movements, she got to her feet, and he saw her bandages, and the multitude of cuts and bruises that marred her tanned skin. But she was alive. She was alive, and so was he, and they were together in the same space for the first time in years. He felt suddenly choked up, his relief at seeing her safe with his own eyes breaking the dam he’d constructed to keep his emotions at bay.

“Chell,” he murmured in a strangled, broken voice, her image blurring as his eyes filled with grateful tears.

She stumbled towards him, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug so tight it was painful. He didn’t mind it. He hugged her back, careful of her injuries, relishing the touch of another human. He’d all but forgotten what it could feel like.

“We’re safe,” he told her, hearing her draw in a shaky breath. “We’re safe.”

A/N: This is not the end! I know it looks like one, but we will be seeing how Chell and Doug adapt to life outside.

No illustration this week, I’ve been pretty swamped. Although I may have to draw the hug sometime :)

[hotcocosharing]

Glory Days Part 11 (IM RP AU- Shun & Midi)

Part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥

Eriko’s POV I would be lying to say that I wasn’t jealous of Midi as Toshi chooses her instead of going to me but she’s far too drunk to even walk. A part of me wishes time to freeze so I’d watch him day and night or touch his bare chest with all the possible dirty ways I’d find on internet. Obeying the gentleman like a good girl, I sneak back to the changing room and slide myself out of the bustier, squeezing myself into a matching set of lingerie with leopard print before throwing over my head the white and summery dress which’s obviously too thin and cold for this time of night.

Watching the usual mature Midi acting child like is priceless to me whilst I’m usually the one getting picked up and sent home in a cab or waking up next to hotties who I have no recollection the next morning. Anyhow, walking along side Toshiaki makes me feel safe and having drunken Midi around only makes it better. "WOOOOPS!!” I exclaim a little too loud for anyone’s liking but seeing the man I just taunted couples of hours ago is most certainly not on my plan. Heading straight to the kitchen in attempt to fill my void hungry stomach. Pouting at the sad fact that Toshi is no longer shirtless as I nearly lick a jar of nutella clean.   “Are you planning on spreading that on something you can eat or all over yourself?” Instead of playing along and telling Maki or what his types would love to hear, I look down to see Toshi cleaning up my mess and letting go of whatever weird feelings that’s been bothering me- completely ignoring the fact that this could cause a boys fight or one really pissed off doctor to be. I throw all remaining decency and moral out the window- if there’re any to begin with and launch myself on Toshi’s back, wrapping my arms around his neck with my legs on his waist. “Piggy backkk ride!!! Yah!!!!!” “Midi???? Piggy back ride? Midi! Gosh are you  doing it already? Tachibana, she’s got some preeetty sexy bra underneath, don’t let it go to waste!” Drawing some extra nutella on Toshi’s cheek, I slowly lick the trace away and whisper loud enough for everyone in the kitchen to hear. “Did I look goodddd in my bustier?” “Oh I changed into …. a matching set just like Midi’s, wannnnna see? Tell me which one suits meeee moreeeeee?!” Slurring and mixing my words with uncontrollable giggles, an angry call of my name and the sound of fist slamming to the wall has forced my temporarily attention back onto the man I was initially interested in fucking on the night we met. “If looks could kill, Tooooshiii you and I are dead by nooowww. Look… Scaryyyy doctor!” Snuggling my face to the side of his neck, I tighten my grip and yelp in a half serious and half playful tone. “Ahhhhhh get him away from me! He'ssssss the baddd guy.” I give the lovely lone wolf a light peck on his cheek and tell my most honest thoughts, “And you are a gooood guy. I …. thi…. think I’m doneeee with bad boysss now..so doneeee!” Then everything else goes pitch black follow by dead silence. Shunichiro’s POV Raising my brows in disbelief, I pull Midori to my bed and tell the guys NOT to come in for the night. No one is to see what she’s wearing underneath after Eri’s helpful announcement, chuckling at her drunken form the new girl of my life caresses my chest and sleeps like a cat. Gently brushing her hair as she lays peacefully (and I’d love to say gracefully too if she isn’t so drunk.) My kiss on her forehead shift to her heated cheek then onto her red and seductive lips which I stand no chance to. “Midori, you’re letting this goes to waste according to Eriko but I would enjoy teasing you more when you’re awake.” With fingers dancing at the hem of the oversized shirt that presumingly belongs to Toshiaki, I carefully roll it off her and cover the sheets over her with my arms wrapping around her waist, falling back to sleep happily and look forward to her bizarre and funny reaction in the morning.

Toshiaki’s POV She’s drunk - still - great. I did not sign up for this shit! Thrown off guard by a piggy back that I’m not expecting, I decide to turn this around and into my favour as I carry the drunk and disorderly girl over to my bunk and throw her down onto it. Watching her squirming around pulls a deep and heavy breath from me as I try to figure out what to do - Maki making himself comfortable on the couch as he laughs from the distance at my dilemma. "You could offer to help asshole.” “Toshi - She’s not my problem.” I swear, a sucker punch to his jaw would do me the world of good in regards to stress release but I can’t walk away without Eri rolling off the bed and possibly hurting herself. Figuring I have no choice other than to stay where I am; it’s a few gentle strokes of her hair and telling her - reminding her - that it’s okay and that I’m not going to leave which causes her to fall asleep. Ugh - guess this means I’ll be taking the couch again. Midori’s POV It’s warm. Warm and a little cologne smelling. I feel like I have the worst possible headache known to mankind and the vibration of my phone buzzing against my ribs forces me to slowly open my eyes. EEEEEKKKK! It’s too bright. Turning over, I manage to snuggle into something warm which makes a sound - a groan - and catches me by surprise. The scream which slips from my lips is enough to wake the entire campus. Backing away in a flash I don’t realise how close I am to the edge of the bed and fall off; hitting the floor heavily and taking down every sheet and cover I’ve managed to get myself tangled within. Rubbing my forehead, the urge to throw up is very, very real and I feel like bursting out into tears when I notice who I’ve fallen asleep beside and what I’m wearing. Please tell me Shunichiro and I did not have sex. Ugh - no…. no, no, no… I was meant to be sober to remember it. Fuck. No. It couldn’t have happened - I’m clothed. Half clothed. Why am I in lingerie and where the hell are my actual clothes. As the men of dorm room 3026 roll over, get comfortable and try to gain a few more hours of sleep, I’m up straight onto my feet, sheet wrapped around me to conceal any kind of dignity I might have. “Errriiii..”, I hiss in a whisper, “Errrriiiii.” My head is pounding. A paracetamol or something is needed - STAT!. “Psstttt.. Erikoooooo.” Finally looking up enough to see her sprawled out on the top bunk, I skillfully attempt to climb it enough that I can shake her and wake the ever so sleeping beauty enough that I have to tell her it’s time to go. AGAIN my phone vibrates and I’m mortified to see the number on the screen. My mother? What the hell does she want? Oh fuck I’m in lingerie. Did we go past her store? Did I lock up correctly? How on earth did we get here? After enough persistant bugging, I finally manage to wake Eri and force her to clamber down, instructing in a whisper that drums at the inside of my skull that we need to be quiet and leave. “Can’t we stay for breakfast?”, she whines and I’m about to snap when I notice Shunichiro’s eyes open - a heart melting smile paint onto his face that I really don’t want to leave. Ugh - do we need to leave? Midi make your mind up. Yes. No. Yes. N– “No. I am in deep shit - ughhh.. I have like 46 missed calls from my mother and a text which is all in capslock and I’m pretty sure with the very, very broken memory I have of last night that I’ll be dead when she sees me.” Finding a shirt on the ground which I vaguely remember wearing, I slip back into it quickly - my arms not quite working so the struggle begins before half crawling onto Shun’s bed to give him a quick kiss on the cheek even though I can for some strange reason taste alcohol on my breath. “I’m sorry… I don’t… I don’t know how we ended up here but I’ll call you or… something. Maybe text me later. We gotta go! I’ll make all this – whatever it is up to you.” Grabbing at Eri’s wrist, I drag her out of the boys dorm room without a second word said as we trip into the elevator and take it down to the ground floor. Ughhhhhh - there’s sun. It’s burning my eyes. It’s only 11am - on a… I don’t know what day it is but why are so many people awake this early? Marching across the campus grounds, without looking at where I’m going a basketball flies in our direction which I’m not able to stop and manages to hit Eri straight in the arm. There’s a sharp sound which follows which I know must sting and hurt like hell but her delayed reaction tells me she too doesn’t know what’s going on, let alone possibly didn’t feel anything. “Shit are you ok?”, I ask concerned. Right now my mother and death-wish can wait - I need to make sure that Eri’s not hurt. Before I have a chance to even check over her; there’s a stranger at her side, rubbing down her arm and asking her if she’s alright - if where the ball hit hurts and if she needs medical assistance. He’s sweating - no glistening in the sun and everyone standing on the court seems to be waiting for him. He uses his fingers to gently lift Eri’s head up and force her to look at him. I watch as she cracks into a small smile; her eyes still glazed over from whatever we got up to last night. “Rikiya.. hey - is she alright?”, another guy calls out walking over. From the look of the jersey’s they’re all wearing these guys are possibly another college team over to practice before a game or something.

“I don’t know”, the auburn haired gentleman mentions, “…she hasn’t said anything.”