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mrsbrekkers · 4 years ago

Note

Hi! How are you?

Could I get a Kaz Brekker imagine where he opens up to the reader after a job about his past and the next day he tells her it was a mistake and a lapse of judgement, quite harshly. And then the reader gets hurt after a heist and he realises how much he actually needs her.

Thank you <3

i’m doing pretty good! first kaz fic tehe, i’ve been waiting to do kaz brekker one-shots since i read the books. he is v much a comfort character. i understand his aversion to physical touch ( i have panic attacks at times because of so ), his humor, and inner dialogue so he is v dear and near to my heart yeeee

i switched up the next day bit and did it as the same time since it made more sense to me?? i’m not sure how to explain it haha

pairings! kaz x reader / jesper x wylan + nina x matthias ( with inej third wheeling because she’d so do so. )

reader is female in this, but i can make it non-gender specific if one would like me too! just let me know i’m very flexible in my writing!

warnings! talking about jordie, ptsd, trauma, talk of death, loss of a brother + mother, swear words, kaz being sad, panic attacks, blood, near death experience, pekka a-hole rollins,

word count; 2610 ( proud again haha )

one-shot under cut!

COMPANIONABLE SILENCE

The Slat had become uncharacteristically quiet. A successful heist on part of the Crows made for easy celebration amongst the Dregs. Most sat gambling at the Crow Club, drinking the night away. Jesper had been having a weirdly lucky night, the money in front of him displaying such. Wylan had been on Jesper’s leg the entire night, and the occasional ‘This is my lucky charm’ could be heard from Jesper. Inej and Nina sat drinking together, Matthias looking like an unwilling bystander to the girls' fun. And yet, Y/N found herself back at the Slat after the long day. Her back screamed at her to call it a night, but instead, she found herself in front of Kaz’s door.

It was a routine the two had when they were the only ones at the Slat. Y/N would sit on the bed, head in a book, and Kaz would sit quietly at his desk planning whatever it was Kaz Brekker decided to plan. It seemed the same tonight, with Y/N quietly reading, until her head lifted to see Kaz rubbing his eyes.

“You need to get more sleep. The amount you manage is minimal. I’m surprised you’re not dead yet,” Y/N commented, her book falling into her lap, the page she’d left off on now folded at the corner. It surprised her how Kaz managed to live off of his, if lucky, two hours of sleep. She’d never understand it. Granted, she slept less than the suggested as well, but she always made up for it with at least a nap during the day.

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

That might be sooner than you think at this rate. But Y/N wouldn’t take that for an answer. She wasn’t usually a pushy person, especially with Kaz Brekker. She’d learned being pushy with him was never a good idea, considering the amount of people who did were left with a ruined reputation and nothing to live with.

“Sleeping when you’re dead isn’t an option in Ketterdam. Even when you’re dead here, you’re really not. Especially when people know of you. And last time I checked, the entire city knows you, and half of it wants your head on a silver platter. I’m actually sure people outside of the city know you, and may want the same,” Y/N said, standing and moving over to the wooden desk, sitting across from Kaz. Her eyes landed on the work Kaz worked on, seeing another heist plan he was drawing out.

Kaz wasn’t going to give in easily, anyone who knew him knew he was stubborn. One of the most stubborn people who lived in Ketterdam, but he knew what Y/N was saying held some truth in it. One was never truly dead in Ketterdam. He suspected people would dig up his body to hand over to Pekka Rollins - no, he wouldn’t die before Pekka Rollins did, that was a promise he’d made himself after Jordie. Brick by Brick. He couldn’t pull Rollins apart if he was dead. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t dead yet: his vigor to destroy the man who’d killed his brother. But he did suspect that when he, Kaz Brekker, was dead, he’d never truly be dead.

“Even so, I have things to do, plans to make-”

“At 1 in the morning? I’m sure such plans aren’t going to disappear overnight.” Being cut off, Kaz casted Y/N a glare, eyes narrowing. Why she had such influence over him, he’d never know. Or, maybe he did know and wasn’t going to express why. Because why would he? Kaz Brekker didn’t need a reason after all. He always had reasons though.

Finally, Y/N sighed. “I don’t expect you to listen to me, but I’m not going to let you rot away from the lack of sleep you get, Kaz. I am just as stubborn as you, and if I must? I will sit here and bug you about your lack of sleep until sunrise. Or until I inevitably fall asleep.” The smallest glimpse of a smile reached Kaz’s lips, an instinct to roll his eyes almost playfully too. Stubborn about the well-being of her friends was a Y/N special. Kaz had simply thought he’d have time before she got on his ass about his own health.

She’d already gotten on Wylan about his self-destructive habits. His tendency to blame himself for not being good enough. Y/N had practically choked him out once when he’d gone on a rant about how he was a problem for the Crows. A burden. Kaz himself had been somewhat frightened. She’d found ways to help Jesper and his gambling addiction, which usually included them gambling, but in ways that didn’t involve money. She’d gotten on Matthias for his excuses to not kiss Nina.

If Kaz remembered correctly, she’d called it ‘redirecting the issue’.

“You’re avoiding something,” Y/N then spoke, crossing her arms. Weren’t they all avoiding something? Kaz thought, huffing as he sat back into his seat. This was Ketterdam after all. If you weren’t running from some rich merchant, then you were running from their son. Wylan had simply been a lucky break in that usual streak.

“You say that as if we all aren’t running from something,” Kaz finally said out loud, his eyes casted downwards.

“Avoiding, Kaz. Not running, and something tells me the thing you’re avoiding isn’t something, but someone.” Y/N knew the look Kaz had on. She’d worn it herself dozens of times.

“I had a brother.” Kaz couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Y/N. It would make talking about this all too real. Too much. Was this a lapse in his judgement? Why was he telling her this? Had she managed to get so under his skin?

“We moved to Ketterdam after my father died. My brother . . . Jordie-'' the name came out with a small crack in his voice. He hadn’t said that name out loud since he’d laid on his sick brother’s chest. “Was hopeful about what the city would bring, and it brought peace for some time. We worked with a man for some time, and my brother was in on a deal. One that seemed too good to be true,” Kaz scowled now, his anger seeming to rise as he spoke.

Y/N sighed, knowing where this was going now. “When an offer is too good to be true-”

“It usually is. That man went by a different name then. One to scam people for their money to rise through the ranks of the Barrel.” Kaz finally lifted his eyes, seeing the realization rush over Y/N’s face.

“Pekka Rollins.”

“Pekka Rollins is the reason my brother is dead.”

The room fell silent for a few moments, Y/N contemplating what to say. She had a feeling she was among the few who knew Kaz’s story. She was tempted to ask how Joride died, but she could infer. She’d been around Ketterdam during the time firepox had plagued the city. Her mother had been taken from the disease. She’d been the same age as Kaz. It began clicking in her head too.

“I’m sorry,” Y/N murmured. “I know you probably don’t want my pity, but really, I’m sorry.” It made sense why Kaz felt like he needed to best Pekka Rollins. He wanted revenge. He wanted Rollins to be just as down as him and his brother had been.

Kaz sucked in a deep breath, standing and running a hand through his hair. His regret for telling the woman before him began to consume him. This was a mistake. Why had he told her? A harsh look fell over his face, looking down at the plans he had laid out. “I need to finish these plans, and I’m sure you need some sleep,” his tone was harsh, but it was clear there was hurt underlying it. He wasn’t going to be an outright asshole, but he needed his space now.

“You need sleep too, and I doubt you’re in the right headspace to try and make plans-”

“Y/N, leave.” He internally was begging. And Kaz Brekker never begged . . . but Kaz Rietveld would, and that’s who was begging.

“Kaz-”

“Leave.” Anger washed over his features, his eyes directing Y/N to the door.

Y/N sighed, walking towards the door. Before she turned the knob, she stopped. “You know being open about your past doesn’t make you weak, right?” But Kaz said nothing, afraid his voice would fail him. With no words spoken for a beat, Y/N opened the door, shutting it as she paced down the steps.

Her book still lied on the bed, the folded paper to the chapter she was on prominent. Kaz took one look at it before sighing and sitting in the chair, one tear making its way down his face.

---

It was supposed to be in and out. Another job. Another however much Kruge. Where is she? Kaz thought. Y/N was never one for being late. Sure she was working with Jesper, who was notoriously late, but she should’ve been out before Jesper was, and she wasn’t.

It’d been a week of no speaking. Kaz couldn’t speak to her after revealing so much. He feared it would become all too real. A common fear he had. Stealing, picking locks, it was all real to him, yes, but he never experienced reality when he was on a job. It was his way of ‘avoiding’ as Y/N would put it. But now, he couldn’t avoid the reality of this job.

The reality was: He’d ignored Y/N for a week in fear, and now she wasn’t at the rondevu point.

She’s Y/N, she isn’t dead. But that may not be true. She could indeed be dead. She could be, She could be, She could be.... Dozens of potential outcomes came to mind.

The world seemed to spin as he paced. Nina and Matthias had already tried to calm him. Nina had even tried to calm his heart rate down. Wylan seemed to be just as worried as Kaz as well, Jesper still out there alongside Y/N and all. Inej was calm, but it was clear she was worried too. They all were, but Kaz was being unusually emotional.

“At this rate, you’re going to have a heart attack Kaz,” Nina had said.

And if he did, then that’d be a first for the Bastard of The Barrel.

“And you’re not close to having one?” Wylan asked, shooting a glare over at Nina.

Kaz mentally thanked Wylan. At least he wasn’t the only one close to breaking down. Get in and out. In and out. What had gone wrong?

But then he heard the sound of boots running across the muddy ground, his eyes shooting up to see Jesper carrying a bleeding Y/N.

She’s bleeding. Who had hurt her? Kaz wasn’t sure, but anger filled him. That was until he fully internalized that Y/N was bleeding.

“Jesper, what happened?”

Jesper helped Y/N into the safe house, his breathing heavy as he helped her onto the bed of one of the rooms. “Rollins. He got word of the job. We became overwhelmed and Y/N here took a bullet to the shoulder.” Then Wylan was practically engulfing Jesper in a hug.

How? Was Kaz’s initial thought, but with a huff, he closed his eyes. Moving over to follow Jesper, he took off his coat. Upon entering the room Y/N was sitting in, he nodded towards her good arm, silently asking for her to take off the sleeve of the arm that was hit.

“I thought we weren’t speaking?” Y/N asked, groaning as she pulled the sleeve of her bad shoulder off with some help from Inej who pushed everyone else out of the room. Inej left as well, but gave Kaz a nod to let her know when he would need help.

Kaz didn’t lift his eyes to look at Y/N, his eyes steady on the bullet lodged in her shoulder. He pulled out the medical kit under the bed. Always prepared, Y/N thought.

“How did Rollins find out?” Y/N asked, watching Kaz pick up tweezers from the small medical kit.

“I’m not sure, but I plan on figuring it out. Stay still.” And Y/N did, knowing this was hard enough as it was for Kaz, she didn’t want to make it any harder. Squeezing her eyes shut as she prepared for the pain. She gripped onto the bed, seething as Kaz took the bullet out with the tweezers.

“I hope you know, I didn’t mean any harm last week.” Kaz knew what Y/N was referring too, and he simply nodded for the moment. Picking up the bandages from the kit, Y/N shook her head.

“Get Inej to do it, you’ve already pushed yourself enough.”

“It’s fine,” Kaz spoke, his voice firm.

“Kaz, don’t-”

“I want too.” His eyes lifted to finally look up at Y/N. She looked down as well, silently nodding. She understood Kaz enough to know this was his apology for ignoring her the past week.

“My mother, she died from firepox,” Y/N spoke quietly. She didn’t know how Kaz would take her bringing it up, but she felt that if she didn’t, they’d build up all this anger again. They’d ignore one another again. Kaz stalled. Flashes of Jordie and Reapers Barge consumed him for a few moments. Y/N’s skin turned cold, icy and raw. He flinched away from the feeling.

Then he heard it - Y/N’s heartbeat. She was living. She wasn’t a corpse. The heartbeat and blood were testament to that. She isn’t dead.

“I never told you how he died,” Kaz spoke quietly. He wasn’t used to talking about such subjects with anyone. It was the reason he’d taken on a different surname. That way he could cut ties with his past.

But for some reason, Y/N was able to make him feel . . . though begrudgingly, open with his past.

“I can infer, Kaz,” Y/N said with a small hiss as Kaz finished with the bandage, his hands shaky. “Now, you can continue ignoring me if you wish, I imagine you enjoy avoiding me.”

“I don’t enjoy it.” Kaz now had someone he connected with on a level he wasn’t used to. He wasn’t going to enjoy being apart from that.

“I know, I was simply making sure,” Y/N teased, her lips quirking in a small smile.

Kaz gave a small shake of his head, his lips pulling into a smile as well for just a moment. Then he picked up his coat he’d taken off. “I imagine you’re cold, here,” he spoke then, watching as Y/N took it and wrapped it around herself.

Then the door swung open, Nina rushing over to give Y/N a hug. “Kaz here almost had a heart attack. Wylan almost did. Jeez, never do that again,” she said, laughing a bit.

“Ouch, ouch, Nina,” Y/N spoke, referencing the still open wound on her shoulder.

“Sorry, sorry. We made food for you,” Nina said, smiling before handing Y/N a tray of food.

Kaz exited the room, allowing the others some time to talk to Y/N. Inej followed him, her arms crossed as she leaned against one of the walls.

“What information do you want me to get on Rollins?”

“Whatever you can find.” You’re not taking her from me Rollins, and you’d better be ready when I do come for you. Brick by Brick.

578 notes · View notes

alluringjae · 4 years ago

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it’s a royal order - jjh

⤑ summary: one of your royal campaigns became a success, and your bodyguard jaehyun was there to see it all happen. it’s only fair to celebrate, right?

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 2k

⤑ genre: fluff, suggestive (dirty talk, jaehyun got a daddy kink, superiority complex!!), implied smut | bodyguard!jaehyun, princess!reader, slight enemies to lovers!au, modern royal!au (where south korea remains under monarchial power)

⤑ warnings: mentions of alcohol, drugs, family problems and therapy, explicit language

⤑ author’s note: this is definitely less emotional than all i do is wait! i got this idea from a show i really enjoyed before it got cancelled named the royals. specifically, i really liked the story of eleanor and jasper, which is the whole princess x bodyguard dynamic. the pining and tension, ugh! if you know this show or not, it doesn’t matter. anyways, thank you for the 30+ followers and 200 notes on aidiw! enjoy!

i need holy water because of this piece.

⤑ credits to jeongjaehyuns for the gif above uwu

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

“On behalf of the royal family, I would like to extend my utmost support for the Anti-School Violence campaign for all students to have a safer and more meaningful learning environment.” You proudly announced to the board of officials alongside other influential individuals in Korean society.

Being the only princess in the current royal line may have its pressures, but holding a strong, direct impact for a brighter future for the people motivated you to take advantage of your platform for the better. As the image of pure innocence and revamped women empowerment, you aimed to accomplish all the things your mother wished she could before her untimely death alongside your personal aspirations.

Expressing genuine joy with the campaign, with a tinge of desire to annoy the old-fashioned and closeminded officials, your prying eyes were more enamored by a certain man in the back clapping by the ballroom doors. You can’t help but act flustered whenever he witnessed you in a state of success and satisfaction.

This man went by the name Jeong Jaehyun, your trusted bodyguard since you were in your early twenties. 3 years later, he still stuck by your side and helped you endure all the darkness as a royal.

Back then, you went through a rebellious phase that was ruining the image of your family. Clubbing almost every night, drugs, skipping school, you even managed to get all assigned bodyguards to quit! The media ate up all your tricks, turning them into scandals. That was the plan, of course. You desired your own freedom from all the royal obligations because you didn’t ask to be born into that lifestyle. To all of your peers who wished to be in your footsteps, you would’ve impulsively passed your title to them. There’s so much deception that lies behind the glitz and glam of it all.

This unexpected change in your former untainted attitude came to the point that your father, the king himself, stepped in and personally assigned one of his men to get you in check. He figured that appointing a guard nearest your age may lessen the tension and mend you back together.

In the start, you absolutely despised him. There was no way to fool him when you were up to no good. He easily found your alcohol and drug stash which he disposed of on the spot and stood by your bedroom door every night so you wouldn’t sneak out past curfew (which your father also strictly implemented).

One big turning point in your relationship was when he rushed you to the royal hospital when you drank a cocktail that went unnoticeably spiked. To think that this was a typical social gathering with other royals and officials, you’re a constant target to many. You didn’t wake up for a few days, and the entire time, Jaehyun willingly stood by your bedside and outside your hospital room.

Since that and more instances your father insisted you get involved in royal affairs, you softened up. As cliché as it was, the more time spent with him, the more you knew about him and vice versa. He was the one that got you to fully open up about your grief towards your late mother, encouraging you to seek help. Turns out you weren’t as different as you thought despite your differing ranks in society when he also had a void for a missing parent. In his case, it was his father, who ditched his family for his mistress. Silently, you helped each other recover from your traumas alongside therapy. From dreading his presence, you started treating him more casually. Your father’s tactic of assigning a bodyguard around your age admittedly worked.

Oh, how time flies.

This campaign was the last thing on your weekend agenda, so you had the entire late afternoon and evening to yourself. Bowing one last time to the audience, you stepped down from the platform and accepted the soft hand of your bodyguard, who quickly made his way to you despite the flashing cameras. It was something he got used to as it is part of the job.

Once he successfully ushered you out of the ballroom, his hand still held yours. Nothing new, except this event was quite public and you didn’t want anyone to get any wrong ideas. Strolling down one of the many hallways in the palace became a pastime for the both of you, where no one can catch you. It was a safe haven within the destructive life of the Park kingdom.

“You did phenomenal as I expected, your highness.” Jaehyun complimented, recalling your panic the night before as the stage fright hit strong when you were reciting your speech to him over and over again.

“We are in private, Jaehyun. Must you really use those formalities with me?” You taunted, bobbing your head sideways mockingly. With him could you felt like a normal young adult, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Jaehyun loved being frisky with you, catching you get irked up. And he was up to do it again.

“Hmm last time we strolled these halls, Yuta caught us making out after a successful meeting with the Prime Minister.”

You gasped at his statement, conscious of whoever may be in the vicinity. But before you could refute, your hand that was interlocked with his were mightily slammed against the white wall. You lost your breath for a moment, his warm body closely on yours. His free hand freely roamed up and down your covered waist. His lips were dangerously near your neck, where you’re sensitive. Your hips naturally grinded against him to release the pent-up tension.

“Something tells me you want to do it again, princess?” Now he’s just using your title as a pet name, but you couldn’t complain. It just hits differently when the situation was set up like this.

“I deserve it, don’t I? Got a lot of those hell-driven officials on my side for this round.” You raised both your brows cockily, licking your lips.

“Hell yeah, you do.” Finally, he rids of the tension and plants open kisses on your bare neck. Your throaty moans were uncontrollable, and you could care less.

“My princess,”

Kiss.

“So intelligent,”

Kiss.

“So benevolent,”

Kiss.

“So helpful,”

Kiss.

“But,” He changed his pace and direction, swollen lips near your ear.

“But?” You question naïvely. He scoffed, smirking at your antics of playing dumb.

“But a total slut for her bodyguard.” He dominantly planted his lips against yours, one of his veiny hands gripping on your waist and the other by the arch of your butt. He was hungry, needy even. Due to your shared schedules, it’s been a constant struggle to have proper alone time from the snooping eyes of Korean society. After all, it wasn’t in the norm for a princess to fall deep for her bodyguard. Nor were you sure you would be accepted by anyone. Yuta, the bodyguard of your oldest brother, the crowned prince Jinyoung, finding the both of you at that time was a total shock but didn’t care either.

All that mattered was that your feelings towards each other are real and strong. Accepted or not, you had each other.

All this lust put you in a daze, wanting much more than another smooch fest in the hallway. Tugging on his belt, he squeezed your butt tightly. You emitted a moan, which allowed his tongue access. No way could you keep your hands to yourself, touching his upper body and the flexing of his abdominal muscles from his button-up. You felt his now hard member poking through.

Analyzing your area, you were on the other side of the palace. Farther to your bedroom where numerous rendezvouses were made, one kink you’ve considered in the past amplified your mind. Considering this area was also the king’s side, and he was abroad for royal affairs, this was your chance.

“I have an idea, my love. You up for it?” You rose a brow at your lover, challenging him. Not one to overpower this man in bed, but always suggesting a way on how to spice it up.

“And what exactly does your feral brain want to do with me, princess?” His finger lifted your chin so you meet eye to eye. You can just see the fire still burning, and oh how you were ready to intensify it.

“The main ballroom, where my father and late mother’s throne rest, are a few doors away.” Your fingers signal him to lower his stance as his tall height was difficult to reach. With a sneaky smirk,

“Let me ride you in the king’s throne, my love.” Your lips brushed over his and sucked his bottom lip, tugging him by his belt. He groaned, squeezing your butt. “It’s a royal order.”

“Nasty, your highness. Insanely nasty, you are.” His hands hoisted your waist, boosting you up in his arms. You gasped with profanities, ravenously cut off by his lips again. His nails digging deep in your bare thighs, your legs naturally linked themselves around his torso while your arms passionately intertwined his broad neck.

In between kisses, he carried you to the said main ballroom. One of your wildest imaginations, just a second away. This room remained to be the only place without any guards stationed technological advancements or updated interior designs to preserve its traditional beauty. Dated as far as the 19th century, only special events were held and the highest of the high were allowed inside. Spacious, surrounded by gold linings majestic paintings of angels from above with a huge crystal chandelier right above the center. Right ahead, the original thrones that your ancestors, grandparents, and parents sat on when they were throned in its pure glory.

Pushing your lover on the king’s throne, the gold sun-like rays plastered behind the headrest, he cockily leaned back and manspread his legs for comfort. He rubbed his hands before patting his thigh, waiting for your submission. But you weren’t going to give in just yet.

Not when you prepared a mini-show just for him underneath your designer silk dress.

Jaehyun’s solemn eyes marveled over your gorgeous figure as you stripped down one strap after the other. Due to its silk fabric, it effortlessly dropped down to your figure to reveal a new set of black lace lingerie from your previous trip to Paris. Ages ago, Jaehyun unhesitatingly ripped your favorite ones during his birthday, so you decided to get a mature version of it. A version where your bra lifted your breasts more and undies hiked up to your waist to elongate your legs. Only for the eyes of yourself and the man in front of you, establishing that you were a powerful woman who can be absolutely anyone she can be. Princess, a normal young adult, or his slut, it’s up to you how you see yourself.

Jaehyun mumbled all the profanities he could think of at the moment. Looking like a divine angel when the sun from outside shuns behind you, his slacks tightening so much more than a while ago.

“All this for me?” He ogled shamelessly, undoing the buttons of his dress shirt and untying his necktie. “What did I do to deserve such regal treatment?”

You sneered at his comment, stepping out your dress in your heels and stationing right in front of his luring lap. “You’ve always been there for me, thick and thin. I think you deserve a reward, don’t you think?”

Lowering yourself to straddle him, his breath hissed when your damp core collided with his crotch. Distracted and caught in your trap, “I don’t think you answered my question, my love.”

Rather than a verbal response, he roughly pulled you back in for a kiss. His hands scattered to explore from your back down to your waist. Your hands messily ran through his hair, tugging on some when your body got too sensitive to his wild touches. The thrilling sounds of the two of you drowning in your fiery romance bounced throughout the ballroom, not minding if anyone passed by the hallways outside. It was a private room after all, and whatever happens here, stays here.

Rolling on his crotch while his lips trailed down to your collarbones, the quick snap of your bra wires echoed. The tight lift lessened as Jaehyun’s fingers dropped the straps, unveiling your bare chest covered in his marks.

“Enough playing, princess. Let daddy have some real fun with you.”

944 notes · View notes

yesimwriting · 4 years ago

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Searing Starlight (chapter one)

SERIES SUMMARY: the most powerful inferni alive, raised to see herself as a god-in-the-making, the bastard of the barrel and his team, and a shadow summoner with a common goal. What could go wrong? The giant mass of darkness known as the shadow fold and y/n’s sense of humor.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Y/n is sent to hustle the Crow Club. Technically it’s not cheating, but Kaz Brekker isn’t the type to let people off on technicalities alone. Especially when the one that committed the offense could help him earn 1 million kruge.

a/n just a little something based on the show bc IM OBSESSED :)) --I’m planning on making this a series so if you want to be tagged let me know :)

The candles flicker as Kenya's palm makes contact with my face. I used to cry after he hit me; I used to run to Anya’s room for comfort and my energy would became so irritated I snuffed out all the candles in the church. Now, I just stand there. You get punished worse for showing fear. Gods fear nothing, and that’s what he wants from us--to turn into Gods so that the heavens will owe him.

“You risk us again and again!”

The yelling is worse than the stinging of the slap. I make a point of keeping my palms flat; the candles of the room flicker as if feeling my restraint. “Watch yourself or the tidemaker you’re so fond of will feel my wrath instead of you. At least when I bruise his face it doesn’t cost me a night of revenue.”

I want to point out that the men I trick in the pleasure district don’t care about bruises, but the reminder of Jace has me frozen in place. Jace is good. He doesn’t deserve this treatment. “It won’t happen again, Father Kenya.”

He nods once, unsatisfied but growing bored. “Disappear from my sight before my flesh wins and I forget to show you mercy.” Kenya turns sharply, watching Anya’s stoic expression. “Anya--we’re in need of funding, take these coins and triple it by morning.”

Anya’s lips part; I shake my head once, a subtle plea for her silence. “Father Kenya, y/n’s the most talented card player we have--if she comes with us we can bring five times what you’re going to give us.”

The promise Anya makes is that of a fool, but I know I’m capable of it. People are easy to read when they’re drunk, they’re easy to trick and lie to. And drunk people exude the clearest energy, something about their bluffing is as tangible as fog to me.

Kenya squeezes the drawstring bag between his violent fingers. He loathes me more than the others. He expects more from me. He’d lock me in the cellar if he could afford to. But he can’t--he knows what I’m capable of.

“Go somewhere in the Barrel--somewhere that doesn’t ask questions if the money is good.” Kenya looks at me, the bruises on my arms and cheeks. “Clean yourself up beforehand.”

I nod once, stomach rolling at the thought of going out and knotting at the thought of staying here. I keep my steps even as I approach Anya, grateful for the excuse to disappear behind the chapel’s doors.

----

This club is louder than most, boisterous men drinking constantly, slurring their words and leaning over bars. I only smile when someone’s looking, tugging on the dress Anya picked for me subconsciously.

“Relax, y/n,” Anya hums, “Men don’t understand they’re being hustled when someone pretty is the one swindling them, and you look hot.”

A particularly drunk man walks by slowly, eyes reflecting no shame as he blatantly rakes his gaze down my form. I shift uneasily. “That might be the problem.”

She tilts her head back, gaze focusing on the crow marking etched into the back wall of the club. A very strange and consistent crow theme in here. “Maybe you should keep the dress on until you run into Jace.”

The mention of Jace in that context leaves my face warm. “Wha--what?” Great. I’m sputtering. “Shut up!”

She laughs easily, “I’m only teasing--he’d probably ta--”

“Anya!”

Again, her laugh is loud and bright. “Kidding!” Before I can scorch her, she nods her head towards a gambling table. “An open seat--go, you know Kenya’ll have our heads if we don’t multiply this,” she tosses me the drawstring bag, I catch it awkwardly, “By five.”

There are a lot of things I’ve ruined--but I never mess up when it comes to gambling. We’re all entitled to our talents and mine are destruction and trickery. “I’ll have six times this amount before midnight.”

A little cocky, but it’s well deserved. I stroll up to the table easily, comforted by the fact that Anya’s only a few feet away.

“You’re playing this round?”

I smile politely, used to this kind of hesitance. “I think I’d like to try it.” The mock-hesitance in my voice burns coming up, but the dumber I seem the faster I make up my money. The rest of the participants snicker. Expected. I’m going to enjoy taking their money. “I can pay if that’s the issue.”

The sound of me fishing through the small bag of golden coins silences the men at a table. The man closest to me, the one with smooth brown skin and a smile I imagine has convinced many people to play into sins for him, leans forward slightly. I let him peek at the coins, the more they want my money the more they’ll believe my lies.

“How much to enter?”

A tall man snorts. I fight back the urge to glare.

“Three of those coins should do.” The boy next to me is decent enough to answer. I’ll steal from him least. “I’m Jesper.”

I’ve been to enough clubs to know when a man is attempting to find company for the night. I hope the playful niceness I see in him is real. “Kamil.” My sister’s name is salt water on my tongue.

The first game is easy enough to throw. The second, I have to work at a little more--their smugness is killing me. I pretend to be ready to step away from the table.

“Where are you going?”

I shrug at the stranger. “I shouldn’t lose any more money, my father won’t be happy with me as it is.”

The stranger leans forward, glancing at his chips. “We don’t want a girl like you in trouble at home--why don’t we up the stakes? You win this next hand, and you’ll win double what I did.” He pauses, eyeing my drawstring bag, “Of course--you’ll have to be willing to risk a matching sum.”

Awful odds. “Deep odds,” Jesper mumbles, “Consider cutting your losses.”

Jesper is a better person than the other men here. I almost feel bad he’s going to be losing any money. “One more game won’t kill me,” I smile as politely as I can manage, “Besides--my luck could be about to change and I’d never know.”

I hand the coins over to the dealer. I watch as the money is shuffled onto the center of the table, suppressing the grin of someone about to release her killshot. Ten minutes later, I’ve doubled what I’ve lost. The man who upped the bet is gaping, Jesper’s expression has shifted entirely, and everyone’s staring at me like I’ve shifted into another person entirely.

“Wow--luck really does change quickly here.” I’ve hooked them. They’ll want to play again, to prove that my victory was a fluke. “Do you guys want to play again? It only seems fair I give you a chance to win back everything you just lost since you did the same for me.”

Everyone’s quick to agree, but I’m quicker to win the second round. Some men look murderous, some look ready to play again, their egos incapable of handling defeat at my hands.

“You came in with a surprising amount of coins,” Jesper muses, reaching over to pick up a piece of gold that rolled towards him, “I hate to accuse you of counterfeiting, but one has to wonder.”

Typical. “I swear my money’s real.”

“Real money can take a bullet…” Is he going to shoot it...in doors? Jesper tosses the coin easily, letting it flip in the air before taking out a pistol and shooting it dead center in a movement so casually fluid and deadly I’m taken back.

The coin clatters onto the table, the bullet embedded into the precious metal. I eye it cautiously, beyond relieved that Kenya at least doesn’t lie. “T-told you.”

His eyebrows narrow as he reholsters his pistol. “About that, I guess you did.”

Jesper’s skepticism is a red flag. I need to get out of here before my winnings are taken from me and Kenya kills me or Jace for my failure. “I didn’t take you for such a sore loser.”

Before Jesper can respond, something black raps against the table once. “What did I tell you about loud noises at the table?”

Jesper’s gaze leaves mine immediately. “Sorry boss, just checking a swindler.”

He--he knows. I blink twice, forcing surprise to color my features. “Swindler?” I look between him and the man he called his boss. “N--no, it was just--luck. I played a hand, I lost some money, I played again and I won some money. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?”

“You only started winning after the stakes were raised--I’ve seen that tactic before and it’s not appreciated here.”

I swallow once, a pinch of dread making its way through my stomach. He had shot that coin with no hesitation--I didn’t even see him click off the safety. How dangerous is the man at my table? How dangerous is his boss? Everyone seemed to straighten at the sight of the stranger with the cane.

“There was no tactic--it was a game.”

The man I don’t know tears his gaze away from Jesper. “Someone like you shouldn’t even be here.”

He has a point--my demeanor doesn’t exactly scream someone who frequents establishments at the Barrel during the night. “I’m only here to keep my friend out of trouble.” A fair enough response. “And I played a game and someone can’t handle a loss.”

“You should have seen her bluff, I’ve met professional thieves that lie less fluently than her.”

At Jesper’s words, the stranger’s grip around his cane tightens. I imagine that beneath his gloves, the color of marred souls, his knuckles are white. “Who do you work for? Who sent a girl to invade my business?”

Who do I work for? No one that has any business with him. “What?” How self absorbed can one man be?

“If playing the fool didn’t get you through a card game--don’t think it will get you through this.”

What? Before I can question him, Anya grabs my shoulder, pulling me so that there’s a safer distance between me and the man.

“You’re an idiot,” her whisper is pointed, directed solely at me. “Of course you’d find trouble with Dirtyhands.” Did I hear that correctly? Dirtyhands--as in the Dirtyhands? I stare at her, eyes wide. How had I been so stupid? I should have recognized him from his gloves alone. Anya turns her head towards them. “We don’t want any trouble--forgive my friend, she’s not a spy she’s just an oblivious idiot.”

“Rude.”

She throws me a glare. “But she did win.” The money isn’t worth the trouble we’ll find trying to keep it but Kenya’s words follow us wherever we go. “We’ll take what we earned and never come back.”

“I don’t concede often.”

I reach for Anya’s arm, brushing her forearm in hopes of telling her things will be okay. Kaz Brekker may be feared, but we’re gods in the making. “Neither do we.”

He seems to want to play at an odd, power-filled standstill, but Anya and I are more desperate than him. Anya leans forward, ready to take the money from the table, but the unidentified man who upped the stakes earlier is quick to grab her forearm.

“I don’t take losses, little girl.”

Anya. I can only imagine the horror she feels when a strange man touches her. Screw precaution. “Is that money worth burning for?”

“Y/n.” Anya’s warning comes out low; Jesper raises an eyebrow. I guess being Kamil was short lived.

“Excuse me?”

The man will not intimidate me. Fear is a crutch men use to keep women in check. “You heard my question.” I hold up my hand, releasing enough energy to develop a flame in my palm. “And if your answer is ‘no’, I suggest you release my friend before your body is nothing more than a pile of ash your own mother wouldn’t even be able to identify.”

The stranger blinks, touches the gun on his hip, and then releases Anya’s arm.

“You can’t come into my club, hustle money away from my men, and walk away unscathed because you’re a grisha.”

Words cannot express how badly I do not want to speak to Kaz Brekker at any point in my life. His grip on his cane is a silent warning--a threat. But what is a man’s threat to a girl that’s meant to be a god? “You can kill me but I’ll use my dying breath to burn this entire building.” I’ve publicly backed him into a corner--I’m insane.

Dirtyhands opens his mouth to reply, anyone within earshot holding on for his next words. Anya yanks me back as the sound of something explosive interrupts the room. A bullet flies past directly where I was standing and strikes the wall behind me. Anya just saved my life. Someone just shot at me.

“Y/n, do you think it’s--”

“No.” It can’t be. There’s no way a soldier found me again. “It can’t be--we were--we’ve been careful--and Kenya said they wouldn’t look for me--that he purchased me fully.”

A man is moving through the crowd. A blue kefta. No. No.

Not here. Not now.

And why are they shooting at me? “Anya,” I breathe out as cautiously as possible, “Run and no matter what don’t turn around.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

Anya. Always the older sister. “They don’t want you--they want me.”

“You’re not a real Sun Summoner--it’s suicide for you.”

I don’t have the heart to tell Anya I don’t particularly care about my life. It’s never truly been mine anyway. “I’ll make it out.”

“You’re an inferni, not a miracle worker.”

My lips pull into an odd sort of grimace. The gentle kind one hopes is mistaken for a smile. “I thought we were meant to be gods.”

“A god can’t do what they want from you.” She mumbles. “So you’re capable of producing more fire than most--it’s not the same as creating light. It doesn’t matter how many drugs they pump into you it’s--”

I shake my head once, “Anya--go.”

“They want you to play Sun Summoner.” Dirtyhand’s tone is too smooth to trust. I know when someone’s trying to sell dreams that don’t exist. “The way they’ll have you do it will cost you, but the way I’ll have you do it will be practically painless.”

Is he always this confusing? “What?”

The question is an irritation, that’s apparent in the cold tint that takes over his practically blank expression. “I need a Sun Summoner for a business deal--and lucky for you I’m out of time.”

“You don’t want to work with me.”

“No,” his voice is dismissive, he didn’t understand I meant that as a warning, “But I need to have some form of mass light before sunrise.”

“The man I’m indentured to will never go for it.” Proposing such an idea would leave me with a broken rib again.

Dirtyhands nods once, a vague acknowledgement. “That’s not your problem.” I keep my jaw set, scanning at the crowd for a flash of that blue kefta. “After all, it wasn’t his problem when he hurt you.”

I had been careful to hide the bruises. The reminders of my humanity. My weaknesses, my failures, written onto my skin in purple and blue ink. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I didn’t until I got that reaction.” I’ve never so quickly felt the need to loathe someone. “It was easy enough to assume--young girl, desperate for money, a grisha powerful enough to be hunted down.”

Is that supposed to be some sort of consolation? “My freedom would never come so easily.”

“It wouldn’t be freedom--you’d owe me more than you already do for the kruge scam.”

I swallow before I can make the mistake of telling him I’d consider any escape from Kenya freedom. “Close enough.”

The grisha’s closer now, the light blue kefta so easy to spot amongst a sea of darkness. “You’re running out of time.”

“Can you get my friend out?”

“Y/n.” She can be mad for the rest of her life if she wants.

He nods his head once. “She’ll be out the back before anyone knows she was even here.”

“And she can take the money I won.” Maybe the income will be enough to spare her from Kenya’s wrath. “That’s a dealbreaker.”

Kaz Brekker hesitates. It’s such a normal pause I almost think it’s a trap. “If she takes it there will be no way out for you--you will do what I ask even if it endangers your life.”

“Y/n, it’s not worth it.”

I don’t look at Anya. “You have my word.”

“Y/n, I’m not taking anything and I’m not leaving you.”

I finally turn. “Don’t be a self-sacrificing idiot--it’s not in your nature and frankly it doesn’t suit you.” Acts of goodness towards me have always left me feeling raw. Too raw. Like I’m bleeding out. “Sorry, I just…” Anya’s eyes are soft. She knows. She always knows. “I’ll get through whatever it is he’s planning and I’ll come back.” I swallow once, nerve draining from my body slowly. “Take the money--Kenya will be angry enough as is.”

Anya drops her gaze as she collects from the table. It takes me a moment longer than it should to recognize this is shameful for her. I consider telling her that she’s doing the right thing, but that would burn her heart more.

“You’re my sister,” Anya’s voice is lower than it’s ever been, “I should have stopped him.”

Her guilt hurts more than the bruises. “You were as hurt as me--you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

This is already more emotion than we’re used to expressing when alone let alone around others. Anya stretches out an arm, squeezes my shoulder once, and then takes a step back. “I’ll see you again.”

“Yes,” I nod once.

“Jesper, take the girl out the back.” Turning forward blankly, Kaz begins to speak to me, “Hide behind the bar--my wraith will find you and take you somewhere else.”

“Y--you have a wraith?” And I thought Kenya was weird. He lets out a sigh. “Sorry. Not the time.”

“Desperation leads to bad decisions.”

Dramatic. “I agree.”

His gaze falls on me, taking in my narrow-eyed glare. There’s a moment in which I think the left corner of his mouth twitches upwards, but then he turns his head again. A trick of the light. “Go before you’re found and I’m out the money I let your friend take.”

Yes. I’m not exactly safe right now, but Kaz Brekker needs me for something. That means I will not be leaving this building. By force or willingly.

Silently, I turn, melting into those in the crowd that are either oblivious or don’t care enough to react to the cat and mouse game I’m currently in. When I reach the bar, I’m quick to duck behind it, pressing my back against shelves of alcohol.

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rcksmith · 3 years ago

Text

The Agreement part.2 — Kaz Brekker

Resume/Masterlist

Couple: Kaz Brekker/ Fem!Reader.

Warnings of series: Convenience/arranged marriage, swearing, mention of fight, mention of death, mention of desire, fluff, sensual, mention of post-traumatic stress.

Warnings of chapter: swearing.

Word count: 4k

A/N: I hope you guys like.💖

English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.

Requests are closet. Love you ❤️

— — — —

“What?!” Your exclamation came out louder than intended, and perhaps sharper than expected.

The salty sea breeze came through the window once more. The smell of salt and ocean invaded the room and for a second it felt like being in a ship's cabin at sea.

Kaz looked at you as if you were some child. Or someone deaf. But if he was swimming in acidic thoughts, he didn't say them.

"Think carefully." His voice was firm and explicit, the ones men use to convince women of something. “You want freedom, don't you? Live your life without having to fulfill a man's whims or your father's expectations. You wants to be able to snow on a ship without having a date to go back and make your own destiny. You want just needing to care what new adventure knocks on your door and what promise of wonders life awaits. It is not?"

How did he figure it out so well in such a short time? Was he too shrewd or were you too transparent?

You nodded, unable to say anything. Perhaps out of perplexity at how Kaz read you so easily. Or maybe the way he looked like an overpoweringly beautiful fallen angel in the moonlight.

“And the only way to do that is to get married.”

You frowned. “As I recall, Brekker, I came here just so I wouldn't have to get married.”

“And it's a stupid plan.” God, you wanted to kill him. “You asked me to have the Dregs take you to the harbor without your father's spies noticing. But it turns out your father's spies already know you're here.”

Your breath was lost somewhere between lungs and nose.

“Since you arrived, the noise from the Crow Club downstairs has become less shrill. And this is not typical criminal behavior. Either they have adopted good manners or someone they know they should fear has joined the Club.” Kaz sat more relaxed in the armchair behind his desk, his dark blue eyes locked on you. “I would bet on the second option.”

“So I came here for nothing?” You were starting to get angry at his beating around the bush. Because you knew it was manipulation. Brekker was laying the groundwork and you understood that.

“I did not say that. Turns out you can never get rid of your father. Not when he's a man with the purchasing power able to buy an entire country. There will always be someone who will recognize you, someone who will find you. And for the right price, the whole world is capable of being bribed. You would run away only to be chased by other spies, other people wanting the reward your father will give to whoever brings you back home.”

Very early on, you realized that Kaz Brekker was capable of crushing dreams as easily as crushing an insect. His destructive power was colossal and you saw all of your desires floating under his palm. Waiting just for him to brutally clench his fist and crush them.

But that's not what he did.

“You'll only get what you want if you follow his orders.” The breeze came through the window once more, ruffling her charcoal hair. “But if you can't defeat your enemies, change the rules of the game.”

“And is that where marriage to you comes in?”

“See it.” His body leaned very gently across the table towards you, it was a millimeter and ridiculous gesture, but it felt like him standing a breath away from you. “What you need is to get married. But marrying someone who doesn't give a damn about what you're going to do, and don’t have expectations of you. Someone who is not interested in home life, family life or Any other things you can offer other than money.”

Any other things you can offer. The night breeze this time was accompanied by an impure, almost obscene scene of the fallen angel in front of you on a bed of black duvets and caustic weather. A moment when the ends of his black hair brushed your forehead and your nose, moving back and forth as followed the rhythm of his hips and…

The sea breeze was gone, taking the obscene image with it and bringing back your common sense. For a second you wondered where that came from! You hadn't been in his presence for more than two hours and the entire compilation of what it was like Kaz Brekker, so far, had frightened you and attracted you in an absurdly dangerous way.

"And are that you came, I suppose." You hoped your voice couldn't give away your impure thoughts from seconds ago. “Do you want us to form an alliance where you receive my dowry and in return I am free from my father's demands and can do as I please with my freedom?"

“Alliance is a very strong term for what we are doing here.” He was succinct, “I would tell you to look at this as a business transaction. A marriage document is still just a piece of paper. And nothing else. Don't get carried away by sentimentalism. Things only have feelings if you want them to.”

Kaz was right, you knew that. For all your belief in true love and the many books romance novels you devoured, you still understood that a marriage could very well be seen as a business translation. It are a sad, cold way to see something so beautiful, but it still true.

“I have no interest in anything other than your dowry and you have no interest other than freedom. So what I'm proposing is something very sensible and objective. When we get married, your father will set you free, and you won't have any husband to please or any other crap. I don't want and don't expect anything from you, I don't care if you're sailing to Ravka or venturing on The Fold.”

“Do you want the money out of greed or despair?”

Kaz took a second to get a better look at you after that sneaky question. You had asked the correct question amid so many banalities and he realized that you were more cunning than you looked.

If he wanted to know your secrets, you also wanted to know his.

“A bit of both.” He was sincere.

“And what do you intend to do with my father's industries? Because you would win them too. And any misdirection could end up reducing my father's empire to nothing, and I don't want him to see the thing he loves most in ruins.”

Brekker heard the feelings in your voice. There was a hidden pang of hurt, but a lot of determination and honesty. You loved your father and understood him, even if you didn't agree with his principles. You had a fair and upright nature and were able to move mountains to get things done the way you thought was right. That was a red flag for Kaz. You were a good person. And he not.

He could never promise you things that go back to a good guy. But he could promise you honesty and justice. Kaz Brekker would never take something from someone the way it was taken from him so many years ago. He was a monster. But never in the same category as Pekka.

“I have no interest in having an empire doomed to fail.” His eyes were serious. “My motivation has always been greed. Why would I sink the company that is capable of making me such a rich man?”

He would have to be an idiot to let such a lucrative business go. And Kaz Brekker was anything but an idiot.

“Would you let me do anything I want?”

“I have no interest in what you don't or do.”

You hesitated for a second, as if remembering another detail. “My father doesn't believe in divorce, and even if he did, I would be pressured to remarry. Do you understand that we couldn't divorce?”

“I have no desire to marry again. And you might as well get other men you want without making a fuss, without your father finding out.” Always rational and objective. Without any inclination to the heart's desires. “There is no room in this world for feelings. Much less in this agreement. If you fall in love with someone you will have to be content with just relating to them, not getting married. And it seems like a small price to pay for so many benefits.”

It was the perfect plan. Did you know that. It was rational, objective and cunning. Something advantageous for both without costing too much. But why did you feel that something could go very wrong? You were a romantic person and you knew you could see things where they didn't exist. The truth was, you would have to leave your heart completely out of the picture.

Just a business transaction.

Brekker seemed to see a hint of hesitation in your eyes.

“It's very simple, Ms. Y/L/N.” That voice that gave you goose bumps hovered in front of you. “You marry me and you still have your freedom, because I don't give a damn about what you do after.”

“20 million from Kruges. Rich.” his eyes gleamed with a deep glow.

“And how do I know this isn't a trick?”

“I don't promise lies.” His firm face was serious “I won't give you happiness, Y/n. Much less love. Love doesn't exist in Kerch. But I will give you freedom, independence, a comfortable life that you are accustomed. And it seems to be much more than you have now.”

You knew you could be making a deal with the devil. Selling your soul to that man with the face of a fallen angel and the aura of Lucifer. But what choice did you have?

You couldn't go back if you sealed that deal. That man would be bound whit you, even by a piece of paper, for a lifetime. Was it worth the price? You didn't care for your father's press to want to be in the management and you had a lot more money than twenty million Kruges. What would you be missing? Your chance to marry one day whit someone you came to love? But if you came home without someone one day from now your father would marry you to a gargoyle. And the way out to flee no longer seemed a viable option.

Yes, it was worth it.

Seeming to see from the glint in your eyes that you've made a decision, Kaz Brekker, Bastard of the Barrel, reached out a leather-gloved hand toward you. His eyes sparkled with a mysterious spark, the scent of male cologne with a hint of danger lurking around the room. And for a moment, you felt a shiver go up your spine and the feeling that your life had just begun.

“Agree to marry me?” He said.

The feeling was that you were about to embark on the greatest adventure of your life. You didn't know what that little stunt with Kaz Brekker awaited you. But you would find out.

“Yes.” You took his hand in a firm, intense handshake that held a million secrets.

A satisfied, victorious smile came to his lips. And whenever Kaz gave him that expression, it felt like seeing the fallen angel that was the reason so many humans sinned. The clouds in the sky shifted, moving out of the moon's path and making the distilled rays of light shimmer more brightly. His black hair and white skin were graced with those bundles, and for a second his beauty was overwhelming.

You held your breath.

Brekker continued to say something, but you couldn't pay attention. Your heart began to race, the moonlight following in his footsteps as Kaz got up from his chair and went to fetch some papers from across the room. You couldn't tear your eyes away from him. His body was taller and thinner than you deduced when he was sitting down. Kaz had long, slender legs beneath black straight-cut pants, his chest was broad and his waist was narrow. For a second, you felt like running your hand over the contours of his body.

You shifted your attention forward abruptly. Focusing eyes on something else.

That was the curse of handsome men. They fooled women and made them daydream. With his underworld god beauty and mysterious aura with a touch of danger, Kaz Brekker was overwhelmingly attractive. And your blood reacted to that. Any woman would have reacted the same way.

“And we'll have to leave tomorrow morning…” he sat opposite you again.

“Sorry, what?”

You turned your attention to his words, not remembering half of what he said seconds ago. Kaz looked at you intently this time, squinting his eyes millimetrically, as if he was trying to guess which paths your mind had wandered in for the past two minutes.

“Your deadline is the day after tomorrow, isn't it?”

"Yes." You got back to the core of the problem once more. “The trip to my house takes a few hours. Half a day if it's raining.”

Kaz had his eyes on the papers in his hands, maybe they were maps or documents, but you didn't feel like craning your neck to see what it was. Leaning over to view the papers meant getting closer to Brekker, and two hours in his presence was enough for you to understand that nothing good would happen if you got any closer. Or maybe you didn't trust your own feelings and emotions.

“This will have to be done very discreetly.” He didn't look up from his papers. “If any rumors about our deal reach the wrong people, your father will hear about our plan. And that meant you will being forced to marry someone else, and me without my money. Does anyone know you're here because you planned to run away?”

You shook your head. “No. I didn't get to tell my friends. But now that the plan is different, I intend to tell a friend that…”

“You can't tell anyone.” Kaz lifted ocean blue eyes to you in an electrifying look that made you shiver.

“And what is supposed to say to my friends?” You felt a pang of indignation.

“That we are in love.”

This time, your breath was gone. The phrase was like pouring gasoline on an old, flammable woodpile. And you were afraid of what might be the match that would set off a fire.

Kaz noticed your reaction and was amused by it. “Just say some nonsense about falling in love with a criminal. It wouldn't be the first time a rich little girl has fallen in love with the bad guy, and I guarantee it won't be the last.”

“And you won't tell anyone about the truth too?” You wanted to change the focus you.

“I don't have to answer to anyone.”

This time you gave a smug smile and crossed your arms in an insolent gesture. “So everyone will think the infamous Kaz Brekker, Dirty Handes and Ketterdam's most dangerous gangster is in love with a rich little girl?”

Kaz narrowed his eyes at your teasing.

“It won't be the first time that the man with a bad temper and dangerous soul falls in love with the little girl. And I'm sure it won't be the last.” You said.

You were provocative, witty and stubborn. You would always hit at the same height and loved to show people that could very well play their game. Brekker unraveled this perfectly. You weren't the kind of woman who would be peaceful, serene, and calm. You wouldn't be like Inej. You would not take his orders and his taunts in silent, contained rage. You were intense. And that was a danger.

Why did he get the feeling you were so much more than he imagined?

“Let's go to your house tomorrow morning. Nine in the morning.” He changed the subject. “I'll go with you and we'll get married.”

"My father must be preparing everything by now." You sighed. “He takes his promises very seriously and I have no doubt that, when I returns, the ceremony scene will be set in the party garden.”

Partly you were relieved about it now. Planning a ceremony are intense and personal. You never really thought about getting married, but you always imagined that if one day it happened it would be the man of your dreams. And you didn't know if you would want to organize a fake wedding. There were certain things that were inevitable to keep the heart from breaking.

“Better yet, the faster the better.”

The two of you discussed some more details of the plan in the next few hours. It was agreed that Kaz would pick you up at nine from your hotel tomorrow, in an elegant hired carriage (which you obviously would be paying for) and the two of you would go to your house in Kerch. For all intents and for all people, the truth would be that the two of you were in love. It was such a typical cliché that it wouldn't be the least bit hard to believe.

And after a while, you two could already show yourself to the world as a couple who barely saw each other. Rich society was full of them: marriage with coldness and distance, where the man has his bets and lovers and the woman her travels and her jewelry. Your father would surely understand and leave you alone. After all, he had gotten a son-in-law to inherit his empire. A young son-in-law with blood for business who would make your father extremely satisfied. However, now the two of you had to look like a couple in love. And the reality of the situation was a secret that only the two of you would take with you to the tomb.

But, that night it was difficult for you to sleep. Anxiety, restlessness and fear gnawed at you like cunning mice, rolling you from side to side in bed, whispering in your ears millions of futures where everything could go wrong. Where not even Kaz Brekker's plans could free you from the clutches of one of your father's suitors.

When the clock struck seven in the morning, you jumped out of bed with unsettling, restless energy. You didn't like feeling helpless and waiting for Brekker to show up was exactly the definition of a princess in trouble. You had to do something.

- -

“What do you mean to get married?!” Jesper choked on his breakfast, and Nina nearly spit out all her orange juice.

Kaz rolled his eyes and continued sorting through the documents on the large round table. He was going to be gone for a few days at most and needed the people he trusted most to take care of business while he was gone. There were a lot of robberies to do and Kaz spent the night crafting and modifying plans for options where he wasn't involved. He had made a list of what needed to be checked at ports and what needed to be resupplied at Crow clube.

The plan was to marry you when they arrived in Kerch and return to Crow Club the next day. Kaz knew he would have to bring you, the two of you would have to stay together until your dowry was delivered to him. After that you could go on any adventure you wanted.

But dealing with the Crows was being more exasperating than Kaz could have expected.

"I didn't even know you had a girlfriend!" Wylan was in shock.

"Nobody knew!" Nina and Inej had their chins on the floor. Matthias was the only one who didn't seem to care so much.

"I didn't know the affairs of my private life were your business." Kaz didn't look up from the papers he kept in folders for the stupid ones.

"But you never said anything." Inej said.

"It was the intention."

"It's with Y/n, isn't it?" Jesper had bright eyes and a gleeful gambling smile stretched across his lips.

Kaz looked up at the boy with chocolate creamy skin, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

“She spent hours in yours office last night.”

"Oh my Santis!" Inej, Nina and Wylan exclaimed at once, eyes wide.

"The daughter of the richest man in Kerch." Wylan said.

"YOUR DOG!" Jesper clapped Kaz on the shoulder with an open palm, a loud laugh echoing and joy filling his voice.

Kaz suppressed the urge to look at the spot where Jesper had touched him. It had been years since he'd gotten over the most brutal aversion to touch, when the mere thought of getting close to someone made him tingle and dizzy with imminent fainting. At 28 years old, Kaz Brekker had proven to be greater than the demons and weaknesses that haunted him, wanting to see his downfall. A man who wanted to defeat Pekka could have no weaknesses. And he prided himself on almost have none of them.

However, offhand gestures made him look at the spot where he had been touched. The sensation brought was not unbearable or nauseating, but strange. And when the situation was skin to skin in a touch that caught him off guard, the feeling was unpleasant. Like a splinter under the skin.

It was easier with people Kaz felt comfortable with, but it wasn't something he cared about. He forced himself to overcome the most brutal aversion just to be a man without weaknesses, no chance of being defeated in a torture, no chance of being defeated by a faint. No for to touch someon.

“I thought you didn't know her in person when I warned you yesterday.” Inej tried to contain her little smile.

“It was the intention. You guys forgot the definition of secret…”

"Boss." One of the employees had entered that exclusive room. "There's someone here wanting to talk to you, Sir." He looked apprehensive.

Kaz frowned. The crow club had no movement at eight in the morning.

"Who is?"

"I think…"

"Will you please let me through!" The female voice sounded outside the room.

Jesper and the rest of the gang were wide-eyed, mouths opening in amusement and bewilderment. Kaz was catatonic. What the fucking hell were you doing there?!

"What do you mean I can't talk to your boss?!" And you continued. “I spoke to him yesterday...Don't give me these arguments, my dad tells his employees to tell people exactly that...I swear if you touch out about me again I will...”

"Fucking hell!" Kaz came out from behind the counter, crossing the living room and opening the door.

He came face to with that scene. A short girl who argued with a bouncer who was triple her height and size. Kaz knew the man was arrogant and macho, and had probably nudged your temper. He would have been amused by the scene if he wasn't abgry that you didn't follow his explicit rules.

“Ray.” Kaz glanced at the bouncer, a steady gaze that made the brute immediately back away from you.

You even gave the man an angry look before heading towards Kaz.

"What are you doing here?!" He whispered angrily.

"I couldn't wait." You wiggled your fingers, a tic of anxiety. “I could barely sleep. It was lucky I didn't show up at six in the morning.”

“That's not excuses. We have a schedule!"

“But I couldn't wait!" You whispered too. “It's visseral. I can't just sit there and wait!”

What an insufferable creature!

"Well, you'll have to learn because…!"

"What are you two whispering back there? “ Jesper's voice interrupted the discussion in whispers.

The two of you turned to the troupe standing in the doorway of the Crow room. Playful, mischievous smiles were plastered across their faces, and you felt your cheeks blush. Kaz and you looked at each other, and in that second of silent complicity, the two of you finally stepped into the roles of partners in crime.

Tagged: @aleksanderwh0r3 @thedelusionreaderbitch @hi-there-x @mell-bell @glowingatdawn @subjecta13-thefangirl @itsnotquimey @thatchampagnebitch @lamoursansfin @lostysworld @s3xymoonman @is-it-really-a-secret

#kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker x oc #kaz brekker fluff #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker fanfic #kaz x reader #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x y/n #kaz brekker #shadow and bone reader #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone #freddy carter x y/n #freddy carter x you #freddy carter fluffy #freddy carter imagines #freddy carter x reader #freddy carter

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iamaghost-fearme · 3 years ago

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Ectober Day 5: Messages From the Other Side

Read on AO3

Paulina pulled the dusty wooden Ouija board from the age-lined box and delicately set it in its place of honor in the middle of the circle of friends. The floor had been covered with an equally old tablecloth and the open spaces between the A-listers were filled with flickering candles. Danny Phantom’s number one fan was nothing if not thorough. She intended to question the ghosts about the ghostboy with all the proper decorum and style.

The faces around her in the circle were a mixture of fear, eager anticipation, and boredom as she pulled the final piece, the small planchette, from the box. She frowned at Dash whose look of utter apathy threatened to ruin the thrill of the whole event.

“Is there a problem Dash?” she asked sweetly. It was best to approach this positively since Dash was the co-chair of the Phantom Phan Club. Perhaps something else was bothering him - he couldn’t possibly find speaking to ghosts about Danny Phantom boring. If they were lucky, maybe they’d even be able to get in touch with Phantom himself!

“I don’t get why we don’t just go talk to a ghost in person, Pauly. It’s not like we won’t get an opportunity to see one, probably at school next week,” he grumbled. “This is a waste of time anyway, Ouija boards aren’t real.”

Paulina’s mouth fell open in a perfect O. How dare he question her plan to contact some ghosts to find out more about Phantom. She’d even borrowed her abuela’s Ouija board instead of purchasing a new plastic one for authenticity.

“And how are we supposed to get time to talk to a ghost while it’s attacking us at school?” Star quipped, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Should we catch it’s attention before or after it shoots the place up?” Leave it to her best friend to have her back. It brought a smile to face and filled her with renewed confidence.

“Besides,” she added primly, “if we had a chance to talk to a ghost at school, we could just talk to Phantom. I’ve tried and he always disappears as soon as the fight is over.” Paulina stared at Dash, letting her and Star’s words hang in the air until he relented with a resigned “Fine.”

“So, how do we do this?” Kwan interjected to break the tension. He leaned forward over the tablecloth ready for Paulina’s instruction despite the twist of nerves she could read in his shoulders.

Tucking her hair behind her ears and out her line of sight, she joined Kwan in leaning toward the board and lightly rested her fingers on the planchette. “Everyone place your hands here. But be gentle, we don’t want to make it difficult for the spirits to move the planchette across the board.” Five pairs of hands joined hers on the small wooden triangle. “I’ll gently move it in a circle to help us contact a spirit.” As she spoke, she began to nudge the planchette in a clockwise circle around the board. When they reached a steady pace, she continued with her instructions. “Now, we can ask any question we want one at a time. I’ll go first obviously,” she directed.

She cleared her throat and thought of which question to ask first. There were so many things she wanted to know about the ghostboy. Where did he go between ghost fights? Did he love her as much as she loved him? How did he die? It probably wasn’t a good idea to ask the last one, ghosts tended to get aggressive when talking about their death.

Maybe it was best to try and direct who they were going to speak to. Maybe they actually could get in touch with Phantom. “May we speak to Phantom?” she asked clearly.

All eyes were riveted to the planchette. Paulina made sure to keep her circular motion steady so she wouldn’t influence it by accident. She wouldn’t give Dash any opportunity to accuse the Ouija board of being fake. After what seemed like ages, the small wooden piece began to drift out of rotation, across the board to the upper left corner.

YES.

The buzz of excitement that ran through the circle was electric. They did it! All of Phantom’s attention to themselves! Dash seemed to have gotten over his earlier skepticism and opened his mouth to ask a question only to be silenced with a sharp look from Paulina. Couldn’t he see that she hadn’t asked a real question yet?

“I’ve wanted to tell you how much I love you for so long, but you always fly off after you save me. I know you must love me too. Will you be my date to the Homecoming Dance?” Dash scoffed and rolled his eyes at her declaration of love. Paulina didn’t let Dash’s reaction ruin her good mood. She watched the Ouija board with bated breath for the inevitable ‘Yes.’

NO.

Paulina was knocked back on her heels with the force of her shock and almost released the planchette. Her dreams of a future with the ghostboy were slipping through her fingers like smoke. It was all she could do not to burst into tears; she couldn’t give Dash the satisfaction. Instead, she sat frozen in silence.

Kwan took advantage of her stunned silence to jump in with a question of his own. He’d always thought Paulina’s romantic obsession with Phantom was weird. “We’re all really big fans, and appreciate all the times you’ve saved us. But I’ve always wondered, why do you protect Amity Park from bad ghosts?”

The planchette slowly drifted across the letters on the board, opting to spell out the answer instead of a simple yes or no. WHO SAYS I’M NOT A BAD GHOST?

“You protect us all the time, especially at school. You’re my hero!” Dash defended. How could his idol think that he was bad? He was the total opposite; why couldn’t he see that?

AH DASH BAXTER, CASPER HIGH’S GREATEST BULLY. I DON’T KNOW WHY I EVER PROTECTED YOU. YOU DON’T DESERVE IT.

Dash froze, heartbroken that Amity Park’s hero thought he wasn’t worth saving. But the more he thought about it, the less it sounded like Phantom. He’d spent a whole day with him that time they were stuck being tiny at Fenton’s house. “That’s not Phantom! He’d never say something like that,” he yelled, startling several of his friends around the circle including Paulina.

Dash’s outburst jerked Paulina out of her swirling thoughts and she immediately brightened at the possibility that Phantom could still love her. They were all being lied to by a horrible ghost! “Who are you, really?” she demands.

PHANTOM. JUST, NOT THE ONE YOU KNOW.

The temperature dropped like they were suddenly plunged into an ice bath and all the candles blew out. Someone shrieked in the sudden darkness.

FOOLISH HUMANS, PLAYING WITH FORCES YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. WHEN I FREE MYSELF FROM THIS HORRIBLE PRISON THAT INSUFFERABLE DO-GOODER HAS TRAPPED ME IN, I WILL START MY DESTRUCTION IN AMITY PARK. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE TERROR IN YOUR EYES AS I RIP YOU APART!

With an ear-splitting scream, Paulina flung the Ouija board away from her and out of the circle. Her hysterical terror was mirrored on all the faces she could see once again as the candle flames re-ignited after the connection was broken. An unspoken pack was made as they stared into each other’s terrified eyes: they would never speak of this or the Ouija board ever again.

#Paulina #Dash #Star #Kwan #Dan Phantom #Ectober Month 2021 #Ectoberhaunt 2021 #Ectoberhaunt Trick #Ectober Day 5: Ouija Board vs Fairy Circle

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jjuzoir · 4 years ago

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Match Maker | s. banri

request: “Hello! I personally really love your writing and your whole aesthetic is my dream lol 👉👈 Can I request a scenario where reader and Banri are best friends since childhood? You can turn it into best friends to lovers kind of thing if you feel like it. I’m personally a huge fan of best friends to lovers aus, they just,,, melt my heart 🥺 Thank you so much, please don’t feel like you have to rush it and take your time! 💞” from anon

a/n: i accidentally deleted your anon but i managed to save the request itself sooryy^^ i am so sorry it’s taken me so long omg 🥺 i love you sooo much anonie 💕✨ i love f2l so much too it’s so cute just seeing people who love each other being able to be with each other is !!! ahhh ✨💕 i really enjoyed working on it and i’m really happy with it hhhh thank you sm for requesting ilysm ahhh

word count: 2973

There were many perks to being friends with Banri, he was funny and nice when he wanted to be— he’d help you out with homework and never let you down; if there was one thing you could always count on Banri to be it was determined and loyal. But there were downsides to it too like the looks you’d get for hanging out with a guy with such a shitty reputation, the way he’d always get into fights, or seeing him waste his life away due to lack of interest. There were the multiple fights you had to endure, patching him after he got his ass beaten to a pulp the first few times.

But you wouldn’t trade him for the world. You had stuck with him through so many things, so many phases and bruises, beginnings and ends, you knew him like the back of your hand and you knew how hard it was for him to live such an “easy” life. He liked a challenge, something to work hard towards, something worth fighting for— so he could relish in the satisfaction, but that something never came. When everything comes easy you can never really bask in satisfaction; the afterglow after a succeeding.

Maybe at first, you guessed, Banri did enjoy it but he soon grew tired; everything was easy, too easy. How could he enjoy a life with no challenges when what he liked the most was a challenge?

That’s why when he joined the Mankai company you were ecstatic, finally a non-destructive hobby after years of fights and punches. It was why you didn’t mind distancing yourself from him, to let Settsu enjoy himself and get to know theater— you guessed you just didn’t know how far was enough, leading you to grow farther away than either of you expected; than either of you needed.

Looking back, Banri was somewhat grateful; he knew had you stuck around he wouldn’t have been able to concentrate with the growing feelings he had blooming in his chest.

He realized his feelings for you weren’t the same when texting you wasn’t enough, when meeting you at school wasn’t enough; when he realized that he wanted more. He never took into account how often you two would be together, it felt so natural, there was never a second thought or a minute to imagine what would happen if your routine were to change. After school and during breaks, you’d always be together chatting away; to not have you there by his side as often was weird. It wasn’t as if he never saw you but whenever you left he felt a bitter feeling in his mouth, it left him feeling unsatisfied. What was once a friendship that lasted 24 hours a day soon shortened into a relationship that would last as long as school breaks would allow.

He hoped that once he quit the troupe— after making his point known to Juza, he’d be able to go back to his routine with you, perhaps confess or just let it go, he just wanted to ditch acting and see where you two would go. But he never really quit and so the distance between you two became bigger.

You never grew estranged, neither of you would’ve been able to live without the other by this point— 14 years of friendship, of familiarity and comfort, can’t go down the drain like that. To you Banri was the need for a future, for excitement and adventure, and to him, you were home, nostalgic and known. But going from hanging around each other everyday to almost once in a blue moon, it hit hard and it hit roughly.

By the third performance, you and him could barely meet in person— you had joined clubs while he practiced, your classes weren’t the same and your part time job started demanding more attention; so all you could do was text. He hated texting, you could never really express your tone and feelings properly, but your relationship— or what remained of it, now hung on a thin thread of texts. It was weird, heart breaking almost, to see the shell that remained of your friendship.

It was around that time Banri realized he needed to act on his feelings for you, it was when he realized he could lose you.

He didn’t know how to confront you about it— the boy you had been hanging out around, he’d seen you two, heard the rumors of a possible romance, but he never confronted you. Blue eyes could only watch in confusion as the situation unfolded itself; you two were 17, not kids anymore, it’d be weird for him to pop in one day and demand for you to explain yourself to him. Banri wasn’t delusional, he knew you didn’t owe him an explanation.

Izumi noticed the uncertainty and hesitation in him, how something or someone was bothering him. It was soon after that his discomfort was known to the rest of the company and they grew confused and concerned— some more worried than others. It was her who ended up confronting Banri, she had to convince the dyed blond to not threaten the young boy with behavior and discipline.

Even through his short answers and cold stare it didn’t take the brunette long to understand what was bothering him.

“So, you like your best friend?” Izumi’s pink eyes were tinted with understanding and pity as she looked at the young boy.

However, Banri was too prideful to answer, instead opting to roll his eyes in acknowledgment.

“Well, why don’t you say something about it?”

“[Name] doesn’t owe me an explanation,” he muttered, he had thought about it but really— he was also afraid; if you were dating that boy then it meant his feelings were one sided and he could ruin your trust, make you feel like you had a babysitter or a possessive friend, and accidentally reveal the feelings he had only recently begun to acknowledge.

“I guess you’re right, but you owe yourself closure,” Izumi states straight into his eyes, “Just try talking to them about it.”

“Hmph…”

He stared at your contact name for a while before pressing it that night, he spent at least 14 minutes typing and re-typing what he wanted to send, never before had he been so self conscious when talking to you.

As he laid buried within his covers, only the soft light of his phone shining, he realized how important you were to him; he couldn’t fuck up.

‘Hey, our next performance is next week wanna come??????’

Once he had settled for a text and was ready to press send he heard a deep, and extremely annoying, voice coming from beside him.

“Delete some question marks, it makes you look desperate.”

“Fuckin’- were you reading my texts?” Banri barked at the golden eyed boy, what was that creep doing getting into his conversation with you?

“Kinda hard not to when you’ve got your ringer on, this isn’t a coming of age movie turn that shit off, iss’ annoying.” Juza grumbled before shoving his head between his pillows and Banri swore the small wooden panel separating both of their beds was suddenly asking to be used as a murder weapon.

“Fuck off, Hyodo.”

‘Hey, our next performance is next week wanna come over??’

“You are gonna give them their tickets, right?”

“Of course I am, I ain’t some sort of asshole!” Settsu could swear every time Juza opened his mouth he lost 10 years of his lifespan.

“Ya’ sure about that?”

“Say it to my fuckin’ face, eh?”

‘Hey, I got some tickets for our next performance if you wanna come??’

“Is that better, dick head?” Banri shoved his phone at the purple haired boy causing him to swat his hand away.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Whatever-? You know what, choke on my dick.”

“Come on, I’ve sucked candy bigger than your dick, Settsu, I ain’t chokin’ on a pickle.”

He was surprised that you answered so quickly a short and simple ”Oh my god!!! Yes!!” that had sent his heart into super sonic speed. He guessed that, if Izumi was right and he did like you, that it made sense- and if he had to be honest, really had to be, you could say he didn’t mind the way his heart fluttered around his chest.

‘Come over early and I’ll give them to you’

“And they say chivalry is dead.” Juza grumbled into his pillow, earning a smack from Banri.

A week later and you were standing in front of the Mankai dorm waiting for him, you had to admit that- although sudden, the invite did make you quite happy, even if you both didn’t talk as often you still cared deeply about him.

While you stood outside waiting, however, inside the dorm Banri was getting one final pep talk from Izumi before he asked you out- or tried to at least.

“I get it! Izumi, stop nagging already,” blue eyes rolled as the older woman went over the plan.

“I am not nagging, Settsu! I am simply making sure you don’t screw up!” She shrieked, she was this close to setting you up with Juza out of spite.

“Look, I’m fine,” he assured her, “I’ll just tell ‘em how I feel and if they say yes then good and if they say no then whatever- it’s not like we won’t talk if I’m rejected.” Right?

“Hey, Neo delinquent, you shouldn’t leave your date waiting,” Yuki grumbled as he nodded over to the door, “Poor thing’s been there for half an hour, let it in already.”

“Yuki! Don’t talk about [Name] like they’re a dog!” Izumi scolds the middle schooler.

“Whatever, just worried they’re gonna catch a cold.” He shrugs before leaving the room, if you ended up sick you’d only have those two to blame.

“Okay, now go- go!” Izumi pushed the tall boy before running off to hide behind the wall, just in case.

Banri takes note of his sweaty hands and scolds himself; keep it together. He shakes his head and opens the door to find you waiting for him.

In the second it took you to process the opened door, Banri felt himself fall in love with you. After not seeing each other in person since the start of the new semester, it dawned on him how much he yearned to be with you.

“Banri, I missed you!” You throw your arms around your friend, you were excited— it had been weeks since you’d last seen him and you missed him, even if you two didn’t talk as much there was never a day you didn’t think of him in some way.

“[Name],” he ruffled your hair, his eyes softening as he looked at you, “I missed you too.”

“I’m so excited,” you pulled away from him, looking him straight in the eyes, “I was so worried I wouldn’t get tickets, I really wanted to see you act again!”

“Tch, ain’t you a fan?” He teases you, making way for you to come inside the dorms and you gladly do. It had been months since you last came, but it still looked and felt the same; he felt and looked the same, he looked smarter though, more mature and put together.

“You’re talking as if I wouldn’t come see my best friend.” You smile up at him and he feels his heart clench in his chest at your words.

As he leads you to the living room he wonders if he should actually tell you— unlike most things in his life, you were always there, no matter what he was doing you’d always stuck around him. Ever since you were young, Banri can’t remember a time where you weren’t there and, honestly, he didn’t want to.

His silence catches your attention and you decide to speak up; “So, how have things been?”

“Ah, good, they’ve been good,” he coughs, he felt stupid getting nervous over this- he should just get it out as fast as possible, “and you?”

“Things ‘ve been well, kinda weird without you around.” You admit awkwardly as you sit down on the couch.

He nods, a smile gracing his lips as he thinks about how to lead the conversation where he needs it to be. He remembers Izumi’s words and advice, he deserved closure and, maybe it was selfish of him but, he wanted a relationship with you too. He really, really wanted a relationship with you.

“[Name]?” He speaks out, his voice wavering slightly and if he could he’d beat himself up for it. Hearing the uncertainty behind his words you almost shoot up from your seat in worry.

“Yeah?”

“I- I know it’s sudden and,” he takes a deep breath, “it’s gonna sound weird but I, uh- realized somethin’.”

You nod confused, you were listening to him and you wanted him to continue; that’s the moment he realized he’d need to fold whatever pride he had left and throw it in the air if he wanted to know the truth.

“It’s very weird and if it makes you uncomfortable it’s okay! It’s just, I've heard about you goin’ out with someone and I wanted to know if-?”

“Oh! You mean Rin, right? No, don’t worry, he’s dating someone; we’re just friends!” You laugh as you explain.

“Oh, good.” Even with his, albeit limited compared to other members, acting experience he couldn’t quite hide the relief that washed over his face and body at the revelation.

“Why do you wanna know? Worried you’re gonna lose me?” You tease but the words he uttered next made you do a double take his way.

“Yeah, actually- funny you’d say that.” He sighs before looking around the room, “I didn’t invite you just for the tickets, [Name], I-I wanted to tell you something… I like you.”

You feel the blood rushing to your ears and spread through your cheeks, you were sure you were practically heating up the room just from your blushing alone.

“You like me?” You ask him, you were extremely flattered and the thought that a guy like Banri liked you was nice. You liked him, you’ve liked him for a pretty long time but were too afraid to say anything so for him to, after so many years, tell you he liked you was straight out of a shojo manga.

“Yeah, it’s okay if you feel weird, I just wanted to say it, ya’ know?” He avoids your eyes and you quickly piece together the rest. He’d been acting weird, all shy and nervous, his texts were kinda dry, and even when you did meet in the hallway he had been acting off… was it all because he liked you?

“Banri, I- wow, me too,” you stutter, fidgeting with your fingers slightly at his confused face, “I kinda like you too.”

“Ya’ do?” It was his turn to jump from his seat at your words, his heart knocking against his chest as if it were about to explode from the override of emotions he was feeling at your words.

“Yeah, it’s embarrassing,” you laugh, “but I’ve liked you for some time now, I’m surprised you didn’t notice.”

His signature cocky smile is back on his face as soon as you say it and you wish you could take it back so he wouldn’t tease you, but would it really be Banri if he didn’t make fun of you even just a little bit.

“Shoulda’ known, no one can resist me.” He plopped himself next to you and you shove him slightly.

“Yeah, no one can resist you and your bowl cut.”

“You said it looked good!” He glares at you but you know he isn’t angry at all.

“Yeah when we were like 10?” You ruffle his hair, the soft strands gliding through your fingers and Banri is sure that if he had a tail it’d be wagging.

“Ya? Well why d’ya like me if I got a stupid bowl cut?” He grabs your hand and levels himself to look you in the eyes.

“Because you’re smart,” you lean closer and peck his lips, “and cute, even with that shitty hair.”

“You can’t insult me and compliment me like that! You're gonna give me whiplash, geez.” His eyes widen at your actions and he blushes a deep pink, and you do your best to memorize that look knowing it was rare.

“Ew, the NEO delinquent is flirting on our couch,” you both hear a whine from behind you two and you jump startled, “Now we’ve gotta clean it up.”

“We’d appreciate it if you kept the PDA minimal with the kids here, Settsu.” Sakyo glares at the young man, you could almost miss the soft smile as he watched his leader finally look like himself again.

“So, [Name], you two dating or what?” Izumi pokes her head out of her hiding spot, going straight to the point.

“Please, he probably didn’t even give ‘em the tickets.” Juza makes his way through the small crowd and into the kitchen area.

“Yes I did-“

“No you did not.” You correct him, causing the actor to blush even redder at your words.

“Told ya’.”

“Cut it off you guys!” The director scolded everyone in the room, too excited at the newly formed couple to care about much else, “Are you two dating?”

“I think we are.” You look at Banri who looked back at you, his scowling face softening until a smile broke out.

“We are.” He confirms, giving you a kiss on the cheeks with a smile and you feel light on your feet with excitement.

“I should start a match-making agency or something.” Izumi giggles at her comment, proud to finally have helped the young boy.

“With your dating life? Please.” Sakyo laughs at the younger woman.

#—🎀 a3!#a3!#a3 #act addict actors #a3 x reader #a3 banri #banri #a3 banri x reader #banri settsu #banri settsu x reader #banri x reader #—✒️ sora’s scripts #—📨 request #—💌 mysterious messenger!

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lamb-and-knife · 5 years ago

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imagine reading Silence and Hannibal, watching Clarice develop a bond with Hannibal, seeing all the sexism and loss Clarice endures, witnessing the systematic destruction of her dream career, then getting to the end and thinking, "but she would NEVER just run off with some rando serial killer (even though she risked her life to save his) and abandon (the smoking ruins of) her life!" /snark

We’ve had so many private discussions about this, but I still want to publish a long response of my thoughts on my blog.

Clarice Starling choosing to spend the rest of her life on the run with Hannibal is one of the biggest examples I’ve ever read in literature of a woman taking back her agency and using it to further herself. It’s unusual, it’s unexpected and so of course it’s frequently misunderstood and despised.

From what we learn of her background in Silence and Hannibal, Clarice has spent many, many years of her life trying to prove to herself and to others that she’s valuable — that she’s smart, brave, more than meets the eye. The last thing Clarice Starling is going to be is average, which Hannibal picks up on (even if he teases her for it in the beginning). There’s a fair amount of criticism leveraged against her as being rude at times or selfish. I politely disagree; if she’s rough, it’s because she’s on a mission, and it’s usually for someone else’s betterment instead of her own.

e.g. Her pursuit to save Catherine Martin begins with Clarice wanting to prove her stuff to Crawford, but it quickly shifts into an extreme need to save the girl, no matter if she loses out on a career at the FBI or not; aka, the goal she’s been busting her ass off to get since college. She’s willing to risk everything to save someone else.

We see this behavior again in Hannibal, when she learns of Verger’s plan and decides that she’s going to singlehandedly take the operation down to save someone that many people would let the pigs eat. Of course, I believe there were the buds of romantic feelings towards him already within her when that happened, which I’ll touch on in a moment, but the fact stands that she risked her own life to save someone else’s because what was going to happen to them was ethically wrong.

However, none of this drive matters when it comes to the glass ceiling she faces at the FBI. Clarice is a woman, and she’ll never be in the boy’s club. Oh she’ll get a promotion here or there, but if someone needs to get tossed under the bus, she’s going first. Imagine working your ass off to do so much good in the world just to hit a Paul Krendler and see that go down the tubes. Are you running back to the FBI again?

But even so, why would she like Lecter in the first place? As you mentioned, a lot of people think he brainwashes her into tossing her life away.

Over and over again, Hannibal Lecter (you know, the convicted serial killer and cannibal) is the ONLY PERSON in the series that treats her with the respect she’s owed (besides Brigham, who dies). Chilton tosses her literally into the lion’s den without any preparation because he’s angry a woman spurned his romantic advances. Krendler sabotages the remains of her career because she won’t sleep with him. Nobody at the FBI is willing to believe her testimony over those of the men conspiring against her.

Lecter doesn’t lie to Clarice. Sure, he plays his games in Silence, but does he lie? No. And in Hannibal, he leaves her gun for her. She has the keys to her Mustang. He makes it clear she’s free to go at any time, and, based on all of his behavior with her up to that point, I honestly believe he WOULD let her go without following. He respects her too much. He’s been like this the entire series to her, and that’s why I believe she had a romantic interest in him even before we get to the end of the third novel.

As for the brainwashing bit, two things:

First, Harris’ line about the crossbow is: “Or somewhere Starling may hear a crossbow string and come to some unwilled awakening, if indeed she even sleeps.”

I would agree that Harris is being rather ambiguous here. However, I point out “unwilled,” which suggests that Clarice wouldn’t want to go back to the old way of thinking even if that was the case. But that matters little to me because of the final bit. Is she even asleep? That leads me to my second point.

Do people REALLY think that Clarice Bad Ass Starling, the only one who can make Hannibal Lecter scared, the woman with enough balls to singlehandedly take down Mason Verger’s operation, the woman who sees in Lecter’s psyche something that Chilton tried to see for YEARS and failed to do, would be brainwashed into handing her life away? For money and dick? I think not.

At the end of Hannibal, what does she have to return to? A failed career at the FBI, a place that will never respect her? Sure, she could get another job and live a life being labeled as Frankenstein’s bride, given a run in the tabloids whenever there’s a slow news week. Even if she brought them Hannibal Lecter alive, that wouldn’t be enough. We saw that with her takedown of Jame Gumb and with how she did the best she could at the fish market. Her good deeds are used against her as leverage over and over. There was nothing she could return to. Instead, she chose to be with someone who respected her and understood her on a level no one else could — and vice versa.

So in summation, who doesn’t want to get dick 24/7 on some terrace in Buenos Aires, I mean really?

#did you want a novel? no? sry #clarice starling #silence of the lambs #peremadeleine #[ admin : asks ]#[ char : clarice starling ]#[ ref : hannibal ]#[ ref : silence of the lambs ]#long post

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define-deicide · 3 years ago

Text

CHAPTER I: Before & After

The broadcast came to life on the holo-viewer, flashing the Charys 6 News Report logo with flamboyant graphics and an assortment of mismatching fonts. The channel’s premier anchorman was as starchy and stiff as ever when his weathered face and silvered hair graced the screen. He performed the pick-up-and-straighten-the-stack-of-papers table tap and set them back down with practiced fluidity, prepared to give the report.

“Hello and thank you for tuning in to the Charys 6 News Report. I’m Ray Lundgren with tonight’s top stories,” he initiated in a booming, informative tone. The screen switched to a closer side shot of Ray as he swiveled in his chair to face the new camera. An info graphic displayed in the top corner of the screen showing an image of a planet-like structure with “ERESHKIGAL” in bold letters below it.

“This week Hydrangea Technologies plans to complete their newest project, the Ereshkigal Interplanetary Detention Facility in the orbit of the planet Gaia after five years of testing and construction. Company spokesman Siebold Luz is scheduled to host a ribbon cutting ceremony at the facility this weekend at an unspecified time, citing that Hydrangea Technologies wants to be certain that the facility is functioning perfectly before it is deemed complete. The CCCP plans to implement the facility in a new incarceration and internment program, which went largely unopposed when it was proposed by Hydrangea officials at last month’s Consortium meeting here on Charys. Charys 6 News attempted to get an interview with Mr. Luz but-“

Max shut off his viewer, officially sickened by the barrage of news reports on the corporate space station that had been looming in the atmosphere of Gaia for the last five years. He kicked back in his chair, feet up on the array of flashing and unnecessarily complex control panels that lined the cockpit of his own ship, which he called “the Heimdall.” It was bad enough that he flew a ship that was designed by Hydrangea, he felt he didn’t need to be thinking about what prison life would be like on their new pseudo-moon. Hydrangea Technologies had effectively seized political control of the entire Cosmos since their inception Before, which to Max was not unlike the days of Disney and Comcast, although he did realize how contrarian it was to continue flying the Heimdall. He even refused to purchase one of Hydrangea’s (almost) universally beloved and accessible “ENKIDU” mobile devices.

The holo-viewer had dissolved from the ship’s center console, and Max was now looking out at the landscape before his ship. Colossal tree roots sprawled across the land, forming hills of wood and dense canopies filled with nothing but branches, leaves, and the occasional family of tree-dwellers. Max liked to park the Heimdall here in the Grove, which was what remained of a country that had sort of self-destructed some time Before, leaving nothing but toxic spills and Mother Nature in its wake. Thankfully, much of the Grove had covered up the ruins and wreckage. The ship was nested in a small clearing on a cliff, providing a perfect view of the land’s natural beauty. It was one of Max’s favorite places in the Cosmos.

Max’s tranquility was interrupted when the overhead light began flashing red and an monotonous alarm sounded. The holo-viewer came back over the console and displayed a message: “IDENTIFICATION ERROR – EMERGENCY OPERATIONS INITIATING.” Max spun his chair around and rushed out of the cockpit. Ducking under pipes and hopping over technological fixings, Max attempted to reach the engine bay before it was too late. He felt the ship reverberate as it prepared to take off toward the nearest Hydrangea orbital station. Finally, he arrived at the engine bay door and threw it open. The engine bay was a closet-sized room, the engine filling it almost entirely from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. A computer console was nestled into the center of the engine, displaying the same warning message. Max slid the keyboard out and began typing frantically:

>EMERGENCY OVERRIDE

>IDENTIFICATION NO. 68106-402

>CUT ENGINE POWER

Having done this before, Max was able to work quickly and succinctly, and successfully shut off the engine before the take-off could proceed. This was a process that Max had to repeat about every other week, though what caused the error was a mystery to him. All he knew was that he’d rather deal with the temporary scare than try to take it to a Hydrangea orbital station and solve the issue. Though Max was unsure of how and why such a thing would happen to his own ship, he resolved the issue of his own accord and considered that to be good enough. The first time it had happened, Max sprang into action the same exact way, although figuring out the engine console took a little bit more time. How long ago was that, exactly? A dozen instances? Two dozen? Max couldn’t recall clearly. As the engine quieted down and the Heimdall returned to its resting state, Max heaved a sigh and strolled back into the cockpit, returning to his reclined position in the captain’s chair. All in a day’s work, he thought.

The holo-viewer reappeared a bit less urgently with a new message: Incoming Call from LETUS. Max leaned over the console and pressed a few buttons and switches, effectively accepting the transmission. His friend’s beaming face came over the holo-viewer, and he excitedly began speaking at breakneck pace as he usually did.

“Hey, man! Good to see you enjoying the views as per usual,” he started, “Did you see the Charys newscast about that Hydrangea shit?”

“Yeah, man,” Max said in a relaxed tone, “the usual corporate takeover bullshit. I’m real over it.”

“Me too, me too. Anyways, the boys and I are goin’ up to Lunar-12 tonight, you in?”

“Yeah, alright. What time?”

“Oh, probably roundabout six,” Letus tousled his own hair and fidgeted with his beard stubble as he paused, then continued, “Y’know, that girl Machiko will probably be there.”

Max rolled his eyes. “So?”

“You know why ‘so!’” Letus laughed. “Don’t pretend that doesn’t entice you, dude, I know you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you then, man.” Max reached up and cut the call so Letus wouldn’t see his smug grin at the idea of seeing that girl again. Machiko was a girl that Max, Letus, and their friends had met at that very moon base, Lunar-12, about a month prior, and they’d seen her there every time they went since then. All Max knew about her, thanks to a brief and awkward conversation the first night they’d met, was that she was a mechanic that worked for Hydrangea. Though this generally would be much to Max’s chagrin, he couldn’t help but fall into the gravitational pull of a pretty girl who wanted to talk to him at a bar.

It then occurred to Max that he had a perfect chance at another conversation with her, A, and B, a chance to get her aboard his ship. If she was a Hydrangea mechanic, he could invite her to take a look at the recurring errors he’d been experiencing. Two birds, one stone. This newfound motivation shot Max out of his chair as he raced out of the cockpit toward the back of the ship where the captain’s quarters could be found. It was time to make use of the only button-up shirt he owned.

══╬══

Max arrived with the utmost punctuality at six o’clock on the dot, pulling his ship into the docking area of the Lunar-12 moon base, located on the grey, craterous surface of Gaia’s one and only moon. The entire base was located within one of the moon’s largest craters, and the docking area was positioned just outside of it, with a tunnel for patrons to pass through to and from the parking lot that drove through the crater wall. Lunar-12 was not only a collective of individual bars, but also hotel accommodations, a small water park, a few restaurants, and even a strip club. Its name was merely a shortening of its full designation: Gaia Lunar Operations Base No. 12. All of the other bases were out of commission, and even Lunar-12 had been fully renovated from its previous state as a military base before becoming a tourist attraction for denizens across the Cosmos.

The parking lot was rife with spaceships of all shapes and sizes, most of them parked dreadfully. Max parked as far away from the crater tunnel as he could, hoping it would prevent the Heimdall from being the victim of a hit-and-run. Though the parking spaces did indeed have designating lines, most of them went ignored by some of the massive ships that had obviously carried crowds of people, whether they were corporation flagships taking employees on a company retreat or just an exceptionally large family of some alien race famous for its hardy broods. Some still lingered in the docking area, eyeing Max as he made his way across the expansive lot.

Letus had messaged Max via his ship console again and the two agreed to meet at the southernmost bar in the base, the same place where they’d seen Machiko on every visit. Max couldn’t help but daydream about the conversation he’d have with her, imagining himself suavely inviting her aboard the Heimdall, desperately in need of a Hydrangea mechanic to check out his engine console. He thoughtlessly mouthed some of the words as he walked, earning even more confused glances from some of the passerby. He finally arrived at the gate to the tunnel, where two guards awaited him, having been watching him approach with his head so obviously in the clouds.

“Identification, please,” one of them said in an uninterested voice. Both guards were dressed in an over-the-top silver garb that shone in the light of the stars. A patch was featured on the chest, ‘LUNAR-12’ emblazoned across it in bold, yellow lettering. Max whipped out his wallet and produced his ID. The guard studied it briefly before handing it back to him and turning to open the gate. The massive panels of the gate slid open with a low roar, and the guards stepped aside as Max passed through. The tunnel was dimly lit with low-hanging light fixtures, and posters featuring some of Lunar-12’s “coming attractions” that never quite came were plastered on the walls. One teased a state-of-the-art movie theater, another showed off one of the highbrow bars that had already completed construction some years back. They were all very much in the same vein. It took Max a full ten minutes to cross to the other side of the tunnel, where yet another pair of guards stood before an identical gate. They needn’t ask for further identification, so as Max approached, they simply opened the way inside. Max nodded at them and passed through, his heart now beating out of his chest at the thought of his potential upcoming conversation with Machiko, who happened to be a female that also happened to have a pretty face, which was all very taxing on Max’s psyche.

Max followed the elaborate halls that interconnected the many facets of Lunar-12, every single one of them packed to the brim with both tourists and regulars. If not for the many directories and labelled arrow signs, one was sure to get lost in the sea of unbridled, drunken chaos. It was another twenty minutes of pushing past guests and wading through crowds before Max finally arrived at the south bar, where he immediately eyed a table filled with his friends. He waved to them, and they yelped out back to him, waving him over. Max could feel a few beads of sweat form on his forehead as the potential of spotting and/or being spotted by Machiko was now at maximum capacity. He took his seat as the already drunken Letus patted him on the back and welcomed him to the circle.

“Hey, dude, sorry we came a lil’ early,” Letus paused to burp, “We jus’ couldn’t wait to get th’ party started!” The whole table guffawed.

“No worries, man,” Max reassured him and the others. He could feel his eyes wandering around the bar. Every table and booth was filled with equally chaotic groups of friends. Every single bar stool was filled, with waiters and waitresses dashing between tables, bartenders running up and down the main bar. The funny part to Max was that it was a Thursday night. This kind of night was nothing to a business like this. It was then that it finally happened; Max spotted her.

One Machiko the Female was seated at the bar between two obvious Hydrangea employees, the company’s flowery logo printed on the back of their jackets. She wore one as well, but Max was liable to credit it to her potentially feminine personality had he not recognized the emblems. Letus caught Max looking off in her direction. “Go over there, man!” he encouraged, “We all see the way you look at her.” The other men at the table nodded and agreed with gleeful cheers. Max sighed, knowing that this sort of teasing would persist if he didn’t just rip the bandage off and go over there. And so, he did.

Max pushed once again through the crowd of patrons and reached the bar. The blinding overhead lights made him a little dizzy, or was it the nerves? Perhaps both. He reached the end of the bar where the three Hydrangea-ites were seated, and he reached to tap on Machiko’s shoulder. As he did, a massive, manly hand reached out and grabbed his wrist faster than he could react. One of Machiko’s coworkers had noticed his approach.

“Hey there, little man,” he said in a deep and smooth voice that seemed to cause Max’s entire body to vibrate, “got somethin’ to say to my girl?”

Fuck, Max thought. She’s taken. He urgently began stuttering out a response. “N-Not at all, I just have talked to her before is all, just wanted to say hi.”

At this point Machiko had turned around and was scolding her boyfriend. “Knock it off, Dirk, he’s a pal. We know each other.” She turned to face Max. “Hey, Max! How ya’ been?”

The beads of sweat were probably visible to anyone in Max’s immediate vicinity at this point. “Oh, ah, y’know, not too bad. Just getting by.”

“Oh yeah, I know how that is. Don’t I, Dirk?” she passed a jeer over to her man.

“Yeah, if anyone’s getting by, it’s you, babe,” he laughed and finally let go of Max’s arm, turning to finish the rest of his drink that was resting on the bar. The couple’s third coworker had yet to join the conversation beyond flashing a few glances at Max.

“Anyway,” Machiko seemed to be wrapping up already, “It’s good to see you, Max.”

“Y-Yeah, you too,” but just as Max began to turn away, his brain cells seemed to reform a fully functional brain and he spun back around. “Actually, ah, Machiko-“

She interrupted him, “Oh, call me Mai.”

By some supernatural occurrence, this token of seeming familiarity made Max blush. “Oh okay, uh Mai. I’ve got somethin’ I wanted to ask you.”

She sipped on her drink without saying another word, awaiting his question.

“See I actually fly a Hydrangea built spaceship, and, well, it’s got this error message that keeps coming up, something about identification, and I was wondering if-“

She interrupted again, “Oh, for sure! Yeah, Dirk and I can go look at it.”

This was about fifty percent of the response that Max was hoping for, but to him it at least beat a blank. He nodded, “Cool, yeah, if you just want to, uh, finish your drinks, I’ll rejoin my friends and we can all go look at it together.” Max considered briefly that Letus and Co. might make for some decent back up, and then recalled how absolutely trashed they were. As Machiko turned back around, Max sheepishly hurried back to his table where Letus awaited his report.

“So, how the hell did it go?” Letus asked earnestly.

“She’s in a relationship, man.”

The table got quiet. “Oh, bummer.”

“She’s gonna check out my ship, though. Y’know, that error message I was telling you about?”

“Oh yeah, that’s perfect! Get ‘er alone on your ship, dude! Pretty freakin’ sly.”

“She’s bringing her boyfriend.”

If it were fundamentally possible for the table to get quieter, it would have.

“Oh,” Letus finally said under his breath. After a few extremely awkward moments, the table went back to their raucous drinking and let Max bathe in his embarrassment before having to board his ship once again, hand-in-hand with girl who was hand-in-hand with boyfriend.

══╬══

“So what’s this guy’s name, anyway?” Letus asked in a hushed tone. He and Max walked together, just ahead of the happy couple, leading them across the Lunar-12 parking lot to Max’s ship. Max was relieved that Letus was able to find it in his heart to chaperone him, turning their awkward threesome into an awkward foursome. Their other friends were still at the bar, pounding away at an appropriately intergalactic rate.

“Dirk,” Max answered after a grimace.

“Dirk!? Jesus Christ,” Letus looked back at the couple briefly and gave an underperformed wave to cover his glance before turning back to Max and whispering, “Yeah he looks like a Dirk.”

They arrived at Max’s precocious parking space, boarding ramp lowering. Max ushered his old friend and one new friend too many onto the ship, crowding them into the the ship’s main corridor. Dirk and Max ducked under the piping and tubing that lined the ceiling as the happy group strolled on over to the engine room. He threw open the door, as he had many times, and introduced Mai to the console, pulling out the keyboard for her.

“Now,” he began to explain, “everything probably looks in order at the moment, but every couple of weeks my entire ship will go on the fritz and start heading off to the nearest Hydrangea station claiming that there’s an ‘identification error’ despite the fact that my ship doesn’t even record my identification, or at least, not as far as I know. It’ll just start taking off if I don’t come back here and override it.”

“That is strange,” Mai agreed, already tapping away on the keyboard and accessing the ship’s internal systems. Dirk and Letus were looking around in the main corridor, poking and prodding at random terminals and fixtures to appear occupied. Mai looked up from the console at Max, who realized in that moment that he was hovering directly over her as she worked. “Do you have your identification on you?”

“Yeah, duh. You have to have one to get into Lunar-12.” He fished his wallet out of his pocket once again and presented his ID to her.

Mai brushed her stark black bangs aside as she studied the ID. “Maximus Cellulie, huh? Well, there’s your problem.”

“That’s a problem?” Max asked.

“Yeah,” she returned her attention to the console, “Your ship is registered under an Auber Thomas.”

“Auber Thomas? I recognize the name, but, ah, I can’t put my finger on it. But what does that have to do with the error message? Like I said, it’s not like I have to present my ID to fly the ship.”

“That’s true, but remember, you’re talking to a Hydrangea technician here, buster brown,” she giggled and looked back up at Max. “These ships are high tech as shit. They know who’s aboard them and who’s not. Auber Thomas sure as hell isn’t aboard it. That’s why your ship is freaking out.”

“Wouldn’t it be doing it constantly, then?”

“Well, yes, ideally. I’m not sure why it isn’t. Old model, I suppose?”

“Old? It ain’t much older than me, though.”

This comment struck Mai as more confusing than anything else that had been said so far. She furrowed her brows and began working away at the console again. “Um, think again.”

“What?”

After a few more moments of surfing the systems, Mai pulled up a window and pointed to it. “See?” she said, urging Max to look. Max followed where her finger was now pointed and read the text: HYDRANGEA STARSHIP MODEL 6767 “TREKMASTER” OPERATIONAL SINCE 2158. “This ship is old as shit, my guy. It’s from Before.”

“What the actual fuck,” was the only thing Max could utter as he stared blankly at the screen, grasping what was being said to him.

“I’m thinking we need to take this bad boy to an orbital station after all if you want to fix this, don’t you think?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Max said, “yeah I do think.”

#story #scifi #fantasy #writing #writerslife

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kadeu · 4 years ago

Photo

Accepted — Alis Nazarian

♣️ Alis Nazarian aka. Vesper looks like Angela Sarafyan (actor) ♣️ She was born August 5th, 1869; making her 150 years old but she appears 37 ♣️ This Shifter is Pansexual and an Ace of Clubs ♣️ She is the Owner of Boxing Clubs

Biography

They regarded her with pity.

For valid reasons, of course. To be born to low ranking parents—a 1 of Clubs and 2 of Clubs respectively—was one thing, but for said individuals to remain distant, burdened by their own string of issues that they couldn’t care for each other, for her, was another matter entirely.

Alis Nazarian served as the perfect example of how one’s pedigree mattered little in the scheme of things. Her father’s former status as a formidable Ace and mother’s position as ruthless Queen were a distant memory; something akin to a myth, a tale drummed up by intoxicated patrons over one too many. A once fearsome reputation ultimately lay in ruins, courtesy of destructive habits, and she was the unfortunate victim of their poor choices.

But it wasn’t in her nature to dwell over the details.

There was no point in criticising her father’s penchant for Chrono and mother’s fascination with the gambling scene. No point in wondering just who would guide her along the shifter path, some day, when they were busy with other pressing… matters.

As easy as it might have been to pin her suffering on the pair, she couldn’t find it in herself to indulge in such. The only viable choice was to proceed and push through, regardless of the difficulties associated with it. Sure, the hardships were aplenty, and it would be a blatant lie to say that the frustration hadn’t driven her up the wall on multiple occasions— but it could’ve been worse.

And so, she did what she did best in situations such as these when the odds were heavily stacked against her: survive.

In the hands of distant relatives, family friends, or anyone kind enough to take her in on a temporary basis, she was raised among a bevy of both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Armed with a razor sharp wit and keen eye, Alis seamlessly adapted to each environment she was presented with. Not even subpar sleeping arrangements or measly meals could bring her to tears—in public, at least. Humour quickly became a source of comfort. It was far easier to joke than worry over the fact that she’d eventually have to figure her own way out. Alone, in a society that had it out for her.

What exactly was a girl meant to do in this instance? Sit back and wait for the end? Allow the other Clubs to trample right over her when she was down and almost out like this? Well.

Ask her and Alis would swear that she hadn’t meant to steal that day. Promise. The thought of dipping her hands into the pockets of a highranker was absurd. No one had to tell her twice. Consequences were deadly for someone lowly like her, except the possibility of hitting gold—perhaps in the literal sense—gave her the incentive to give it a go. Just for today, anyway. Better to be taken down on a high than wither away like many had assumed she would.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was to be caught red handed. More specifically, to come face to face with a person who apparently knew her father far better than she did. Even knew her, for that matter.

Huh. It was a goddamn joke that not even Alis could laugh at.

Boris Kuznetsov, he’d introduced himself as over a meal later on. A childhood friend of her father’s, a training partner, a close confidante; the poor soul who’d personally witnessed his demise and didn’t want the same for her. Or so he claimed. Alis barely took note when the abundance of food before her was considered significantly more interesting than whatever he chose to ramble on about at the very moment.

It was a sight that prompted the man to ultimately take her under his wing. Either to keep her off the streets and give her the chance to live, or to restore honour to her family name once more. Maybe both.

In a matter of days, Alis finally understood the very definition of stability: a roof over her head, never-ending meals, proper clothing. There was no risk of having everything snatched from right under her here; a far cry from what she was usually accustomed to. It was the kind of life she’d long been deprived of, yet a life that could be hers, so long as she was willing to, quite literally, fight for it. And was she? Was a reckless street kid capable of making it to the top? Boris thought so.

Whereas he was stern and implemented a strict training regimen as preparation—but also to keep in her line— she was fond of bending said rules when possible. Whereas he emphasized the importance of upholding tradition, she opted to break it and put on her own unique spin on it, instead. And when he’d requested that she get her shit together and actually take him seriously, Alis would pretend to deviate for the sole purpose of hearing him grumble angrily in his mother tongue—only to turn around and prove that she’d excelled in everything he’d taught her so far.

Let it be known she’d developed a soft spot for the old man and would vow to work hard in his name, shit talking and all.

To put it simply, the first few fights didn’t go to plan. Battered, bruised, and brandishing a new scar; her friends considered it an absolute miracle she was still alive by the end, let alone capable of cracking a joke about having her ass handed to her. Trust Alis to see the lighter side when others (see: Boris, always Boris) did not. Although the outcome was widely viewed as a disappointment, especially when her parents were capable of so much more, there was no denying that she was one to be watched.

Unconventional in her use of weaponry, and unpredictable in her movements; it was startlingly clear that the young woman had all the makings of someone great. Pair that off with a never say die attitude, and her potential would become a popular topic of conversation among the masses. It was only a matter of time until Boris honed her in and polished her up until she emerged gleaming, glittering. Unstoppable.

Whoever said her ascension through the ranks was an easy one had no idea. Not one. The years were marred by unexpected losses, in addition to accumulating a steady amount of injuries; some of which would leave Alis stranded on the sidelines. No one made mention of the mental toll involved in going from Jack to Queen to King, nor the fear in having the hard work fall apart in its final stages. How a poorly timed move could unravel everything achieved so far, leaving no other choice but to start over, with no guarantee of returning to where they’d left off.

The road to Ace hasn’t been pretty. Alis wouldn’t hesitate to vouch for that, pointing to her numerous battle scars as proof of how much she’s had to endure. Plenty has been lost, although just as many has been gained. She isn’t the type to brag of her achievements and prefers to remain humble, biting her tongue against the compliments regarding her fancy ranking.

But she’s done it. Pulled off the impossible, and by God, no one is going to take it away from her that easy.

Not without a damn good fight, at least.

Personality

At first glance, it would be easy to assume Alis Nazarian was anything but the Ace. Often caught in the midst of some farfetched tale that may or may not be true, she’s often regarded as unthreatening by many at The Boxing Club. A complete jackass, in fact, by those closest to her. Her laidback nature, along with her fondness for a good time, tends to distract others from straying too far, and instead encourages them to stay close, just to see what kind of entertainment she’d drag them along to.

The faction and ranking system holds little to no importance to her. Having risen from the bottom herself, Alis doesn’t deem it fair to judge people according to their ranking, and chooses to rely on interactions when determining whether someone is worthy of her attention. She finds grudges utterly draining, petty conflict even more-so; thus, she won’t outwardly express her displeasure towards certain individuals when it’s perceived to be a waste of time and energy.

Saying that, Alis is capable of switching to deadly in an instant. Anyone who’s seen the woman in action is well aware how ruthless she can be when the situation calls for it. Her tolerance for mayhem is high, except if a person has chosen to cross her, time and time again, for the sake of riling her up, she will see to it that they never do so again via a personally delivered and violent message. All because she’s relaxed, doesn’t mean she should be messed with.

Congratulations Bee your app has been accepted and your personalized plot drop will be sent to you soon

Please follow and welcome @alisnaz to Kadeu!

#follow;#accepted;

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leviackermanscleaningbuddy · 5 years ago

Text

BTS DRABBLE-JUNGKOOK

Anon Request: Member drabble based off of Lewis Capaldi’s “Forever.”

Tags: BTS, Bangtan Boys, Bangtan Seonyeondan, Beyond the Scene, BTS Drabble, Anon request, Anon ask, Jeon Jungkook, Jungkook x you, Jungkook x reader, Lewis Capaldi, “Forever”

Genre: Angst

Title Forever

“Caught me off guard, I wish that I’d been sober”

Jungkook is slightly buzzed, a half drunken glass of alcohol, his third of the night so far, clenched in his hand, as he presses through crowds of bodies toward the far wall of the club.

He passes a girl, maybe college age, swaying her hips on the dance floor to the beat of the music, her skin tight dress, full of cutouts that reveal flawless skin, not leaving much of her nubile body to the imagination.

When she sees him, she offers him a smirk, ruby lips pulled up at the corners, as she beckons to him with the pull of one, long manicured finger, turning in his direction, moving her body invitingly, hinting for him to come to her, that she’ll fix all of his problems, at least for the moment.

Jungkook knows, in the back corner of his mind, as he accepts the girl’s invitation, her body pressed up against his as she dances suggestively, that the pattern he has fallen into the last several months is destructive. He’s not himself, and he hasn’t been, not since you left.

Pushing the mood dampening thoughts from his mind, his hands find purchase on the girl’s hips, her bare skin warm beneath his palms, and in response, she rolls her hips back into his body, causing him to bite back a low moan as he feels arousal build, unbidden, in his core.

“You like that, baby?” The girl asks beneath her breath, looking up at him through her bangs, slightly sticking to her forehead from the heat created by the press of bodies around them, her eyes dark, pupils blown wide with alcohol and lust.

Before Jungkook can open his mouth, before he can respond, before the destructive cycle can repeat itself, once again, the moment is unexpectedly interrupted by a voice, a voice he knows by heart, a voice that still echoes in his head, each and every day, creating painful scars in place of pleasant memories.

Your voice.

“Jungkook?”

He startles, pushing the girl away from him on reflex, and she leaves with a huff of irritation, off to find some other slightly drunk target, as he looks up to meet your own startled gaze, eyes dark and wary in the dim lighting of the club as you regard him cautiously from a few feet away.

“(Y/N).” Your name, not spoken after so long, feels slightly bitter in his mouth, and he swallows, trying to collect his hazy thoughts, muddled from the alcohol, before he blurts out, “What are you doing here?”

You laugh, and it’s just as he remembers it, dry and slightly sardonic and way too pretty, and then motion behind you across the crowded to the dance floor, as you say in exasperation, “Ah, you know Sarah, she just had to drag us all out for a drink to celebrate the end of the semester.”

Jungkook nods, because he does know Sarah, and then silence falls between the two of you again, as he watches you awkwardly fiddle with the glass in your hand. He notices, briefly, that you’re drinking your usual-an Old Fashioned, with little to no ice, as you said it ruined the flavor to water it down-and then, before he can say anything else to you, you’re laughing again, awkwardly this time, as you brush your hair back behind your ear, and then say, without meeting his gaze, “Anyway. Good to see you, Jungkook. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

And then, you are pushing back through the crowds toward your group of friends beside the bar, and Jungkook is left, standing in the middle of the crowded dance floor, almost empty drink in his hand, watching you go, his thoughts still jumbled from the alcohol he has consumed, but knowing, by the ache in his heart as he watches you go-again-that he is still not over you.

Not by a long shot.

*********

“Nobody said that it would last forever,

That doesn't mean we didn’t try to get there”

Jungkook is dreaming.

He knows this isn’t real, it’s impossible, because you are gone, you do not look at him any longer with the same love in your eyes that you once did, like you are now, and so it must be a dream, yet, he cannot bring himself to wake up.

He doesn’t want the dream to end.

You are laughing, head thrown back, at something he has just said, your hand still resting on the spoon you had been using moments ago to stir, and he cannot help the large grin that comes across his features, as he pauses in setting the table with paper plates, to cross the kitchen to you and wrap his arms tightly around your waist.

“Jungkook!” You scold lightly, turning in his arms to face him, face bright with happiness, wooden spoon clenched in your hand, as you wave it in teasing warning at him, biting back a smile. “Finish setting the table! Dinner’s almost ready!”

He doesn’t move, he likes the feeling of you in his arms, the comfort of your warmth pressed against him, the faint smell of your strawberry shampoo tickling his nose. And so, he nuzzles his face into your hair, and murmurs against your skin, soft beneath his lips, “I know, I know. Just one more minute.”

Just one more minute.

That is the thought that rests heavily, emptily, at the forefront of his tired thoughts, as he wakes with a start, the sound of his alarm shrill and angry in the silence of the small bedroom, the bedroom he used to share with you.

He looks, almost unbidden, toward your side of the bed, the side that is now empty and always cold, and that he leaves untouched, in the vain hope, that maybe, someday, he’ll be able to move on from you.

And then, he gets out of bed, leaving the warmth of his blankets, and the dream of you, behind, in favor for the cold, stark, routine of the day.

********

“I don’t remember calling,

Had too much tonic wine, sometimes it does the talking”

Jungkook is sitting in the coffee shop, cold cup of coffee held between his palms, eyes squinted behind dark sunglasses, as he tries to abate the pounding headache that is mounting behind his temples.

This coffee shop is still slightly unfamiliar to him, the staff do not know his name yet, and he still does not have a regular beverage he orders from the sprawling menu. It is also farther from his apartment than his previous morning stop, but he cannot go there anymore, not after losing you.

It is too filled with memories-memories of cold mornings, your hand held in his own, as you pulled him along in search of some much needed, warm caffeine to start the day.

He grimaces slightly, taking another drink from the cup resting before him, and wishes, for a brief moment, that he hadn’t drank so much the night before, hadn’t brought upon himself the hangover to end all hangovers, but the guys had gotten together to celebrate the team’s win, and who was he to say no?

Since you had left, he never had any other plans anyway.

Starting as his phone buzzes loudly against the top of the table, making himself wince as the sudden movement jostles his already aching head, he picks up the device between fumbling fingers, not bothering to look at the caller ID, before he mutters gruffly into the receiver, “Hello?”

There is a brief silence, and then, your voice, hesitant, softened by distance, says, “Jungkook?”

“(Y/N)?” He stutters out, straightening and pushing the sunglasses back on his head, long, dark bangs that he has let grow since you moved out, falling into his line of vision as disbelief pounds an erratic beat in his chest. “Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah!” You say quickly, trying to reassure him. Another brief pause, and he’s holding his breath unwittingly, before you ask, slightly uncertain, “Are YOU okay?”

“Yeah?” He trips over the simple reply slightly, trying to sound more confident than he feels in the moment. Why are you asking him that?

“Okay....” You draw out the word on a sigh, and he wonders, suddenly, why you sound so tired all of the sudden, so resigned. “Jungkook. About last night....”

He feels panic rise into his throat, and his fingers play with the handle of his coffee cup, a nervous tic, as he wonders, silently, anxiously, what the hell you were talking about.

What had happened last night? Honestly, he remembers getting back to his apartment, falling into his bed, and then not much else after that.

What had he done? What had he done with YOU?

“Jungkook.” You say his name again into the silence, and he doesn’t like it, the way it falls from your lips like he’s a child and you’re chiding him. “You can’t keep calling me and leaving messages when you’re wasted. It’s not helping anything, for either of us.”

He feels his heart stutter to a stop in his chest at your words. He had called you? And left a message? How many times had it happened before this? And what had he said?

“I....” He struggles over his words, trying to think around the pounding in his head, as he rubs at his temples with his fingers. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I said or why I called you, but I’m sorry, (Y/N). It won’t happen again.”

“Thank you.” You say, after another pause, your voice filled with quiet relief. And then, “I have to go. See you around, Jungkook.”

The dial tone sounds, his mouth still pursed in the middle of everything he wants to say to you, and then, slowly, he lets the cell phone slide back to the table top, your voice echoing around his head, causing more pain than before, as he relives, over and over, the disappointment, the detachment, hidden behind every single word you had uttered.

Taking one more swig of his cold, flat coffee, Jungkook pushes himself up from the table and exits the coffee shop, another coffee shop, now ruined, with painful memories.

*********

“They’ll never take those long summer days,

When love was untamed”

“Jungkook?”

He snaps his head up at your voice, and there you are, standing in front of him, backpack slung over your shoulder, head cocked slightly in interest, as you regard him, one brow raised, mouth quirked slightly at the edges, your voice holding amusement.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, uh.” He glances down at the half eaten sandwich in his lap, open book lying on the bench beside him, pages being ruffled in the warm, balmy, afternoon breeze. “I have a test in my next lecture. Just trying to multitask.” He waves the sandwich for you to see, and you laugh, and the sound makes him smile, if only a bit.

“Well, I’m glad the old bench is still getting some regular use.” You say, lips still curled slightly, eyes bright. You wave a hand at the area where he sits, worn wooden bench tucked beneath the shade of the large tree, hidden in one of the quieter corners of the campus. “Lots of memories here of cramming for last minute exams while eating soggy ham sandwiches.” Your eyes, for the briefest of moments, dim, as if lost in the past, and he wonders, after all this time, if you still think of him, like he thinks of you.

“Anyway. I have to get to class.” You laugh again, giving him a little wave, hiking your backpack higher on your shoulder, and in that moment, that small gesture, as he watches your hands grip the straps, takes Jungkook back, back to a very different time.

“I have to get to class, Jungkook.” You say, pushing him away from you and extracting yourself from his arms, laughing as he tries to pull you back down beside him on the bench. “Jungkook!”

“Ah, come on, you haven’t even finished the sandwich I made you!” Jungkook protests, tickling his fingers across your ribs as you struggle away from him, laughing and shrieking at his teasing touch.

“It’s soggy.” You wrinkle your nose slightly in disgust at the sight of the sandwich held out to you in one of his hands, reaching for your backpack as you do so, and he can’t help but think how cute you look in that moment, nose crinkled and eyes half hidden in the folds of your cheeks.

“Soggy is the only way to eat a mayonnaise and ham sandwich, (Y/N).” He says confidently, taking a large bite of his own sandwich and chewing loudly, smacking his lips as he winks at you.

“You’re disgusting.” You say, as you stick your tongue out at him, before slinging your backpack over your shoulder, hiking it higher on your back, as your fingers wrap around the straps, skin pale against the bright pink fabric.

“The only disgusting thing about me is how disgustingly in love with you I am.” Jungkook says in retort, tossing both sandwiches to the side as he rises, tackling you in a large hug, as you stumble on your feet at the impact, but he holds you up.

“Jungkook, stop!” You shriek out, as he resumes tickling you, and you wriggle to escape his grasp. “Jungkook!”

“Jungkook?”

He is brought back to reality, as he hears you say his name, and he meets your gaze, the current one, once again, as you regard him with something akin to slight curiosity, head tilted in his direction once again, before you ask, “You okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” He says, his tongue suddenly thick, a lump threatening to cut off his throat. “Have a good time at class.”

“Yeah, you too. Good luck on your exam.” You say, waving at him again, before turning on your heel and striding away, toward your next class, calling out over your shoulder, “See you around, Jungkook!”

He watches you go, bright pink backpack easy to spot among the crush of other students, and then sighing, he turns back to studying, taking a bite of his soggy mayo and ham sandwich as he does so, the bread suddenly feeling gummy in his mouth and the soggy ham tough between his teeth.

Soggy sandwiches, he realizes, trying to shake memories of you from his head once and for all, will never again taste as good as they once did.

Because with you, soggy bread and salty ham and wet mayonnaise, and all the ordinary, mundane things in Jungkook’s life, had been nothing short of extraordinary.

“Remember, nobody said that it would last forever.”

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mypassionfortrash · 5 years ago

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Do More of What Scares You (Part 12)

After you leave, things go from bad to worse for Roger over the rest of the tour as his bandmates distance themselves from him. Back home, your best friend comes up with a plan to take your mind off Roger. 💡Catch up: 1&2 ~ 3&4 ~ 5&6 ~ 7&8&9 ~ 10&11💡

Notes: Thank you so much for reading! I’m going to be posting the final two parts over the weekend! Get ready!

Things got worse for Roger as the tour progressed.

He stumbled through each show, barely registering which city he found himself in; trashed kits, broken bottles and spending a fortune on thrills of every kind had become ingrained in his daily routine. He threw himself back into the rock and roll lifestyle with gusto.

Every night, the parties grew with wild, unchecked opulence. Cocaine did the rounds. It never agreed with him, but he took it by the bucketload these days. Strippers were a staple. He loved those. He especially enjoyed the ‘extra services’ they offered to select (read: rich) clients. He’d tip them handsomely, too - more out of self pity than gratitude.

Each member of his band slowly distanced themselves from him.

Roger couldn’t see past the inciting incident that led to the demise of his relationship. And the blame for that he placed squarely on Freddie. He was as twisted as Roger, and he had other, better and more important distractions to attend to. Any time Roger and Freddie ended up in the same room together, it would always end in Roger reminding Freddie that he left his girlfriend for dead; then Freddie’s assistant, Paul, would drag him away to the nearest sordid club to make him forget about that day’s argument. Roger loved holding grudges, though. There was no way of breaking that cycle, so Freddie made sure to keep his distance for the rest of the tour.

Then Deacy grew tired of his hostility. Roger was like a petulant child, whining about how much he missed his girlfriend, and how it was all Freddie’s fault she left him. There was only so much Deacy could listen to, so much he could watch. Not wanting to be dragged into Roger’s mission for self destruction, Deacy quietly gave up spending time with him. Roger would swing by Deacy’s hotel room after every other gig, looking for another buddy to get wrecked with. But Deacy knew how to fob people off - it wasn’t hard when it was a drunk and emotional Roger. “I’m busy,” “I’m washing my hair,” “Sorry, Veronica’s going to call and put the kids on the phone.” All lies. He spent more time sampling local bars - and local women - with the crew than with his bandmates.

Brian stuck by Roger the longest. He was always the one to try to make Roger see sense when he was deep in the throes of another rough night. But when Roger almost suffocated in a pile of white powder and his own vomit, Brian just couldn’t bring himself to watch as his best friend ruined himself so stubbornly. There was no talking to Roger.

And so, on the morning that Queen were due to fly home, Roger had to be woken up by his assistant, Crystal.

He lay, spaced out of his dainty blonde head, in the centre of a kingsized bed with a greasy looking prostitute on each arm. A peaceful scene, that Crystal took great pleasure in ruining by throwing no less than six icy glasses of water over.

“The fuck did you do that for?” Roger whined, sitting bolt upright.

“You’re supposed to be on a flight home in two hours,” Crystal responded with a jab of his finger. “Get them out of here and get in the shower. You fucking stink.”

Roger groaned, throwing himself back down into his pillow, while his company frantically retrieved their scant clothing from the previous night.

Crystal gave it an hour, standing guard outside Roger’s room. He had even taken the liberty of dragging Roger’s belongings down to the car outside. But when Roger failed to show, he took matters into his own hands. He teamed up with Ratty, one of Freddie’s roadies, to haul the drummer outside by any means necessary. He was like a dead weight - the pair swore they nearly put their back out, carting him out of the hotel.

When the deed was done, and Mr Taylor was safely stowed in First (with enough champagne and cocaine to last him the flight back to Heathrow), they took their places in Coach with a sigh and a toast of cheap lager. Homeward bound.

—————————————

The weeks you spent away from Roger were hard. There was no denying it. The smallest things would remind you of him. Something one of your friends said or a Mercedes zooming past you on the street - even the shape of your coworker’s glasses transported you back to misty forests, open waters and skinny dipping.

But life continued to deal you blows you couldn’t avoid.

Alex meant well. They all did. And you were certain they were growing tired of your musings about where Roger was, or what he was getting up to. And with whom.

It was a Friday night. You and Alex had parked yourselves in front of the telly for the night, sinking Prosecco like it was going out of fashion, and committed yourselves to cheering you up. Temporarily, at least.

Fat lot of good it did you. All Alex was good for was babbling on about how lovely Jake - her ‘oh so perfect’ other half - was. He bought her flowers when she had the flu. He always did the dishes after she cooked him dinner - like that was an achievement in itself. Apparently he was a catch. She was in love. Besotted. And it only made you think of Roger.

Eventually, the conversation turned to you. She couldn’t resist.

But her own sparkling brand of brass blonde narcissism shone through.

“I could have told you Roger was no good for you when you told me about him,” she grumbled, necking the dregs in her glass. “I could have chosen someone better for you. You know, Jake’s brother, Michael’s a dish. Maybe he’d be interested in you.” She reached her slender hand out to brush your hair behind your ear, getting a good look at you with those murky, serpentine eyes of her’s. “Of course, we’re going to have to do something about all of this, aren’t we? You just don’t make the best of yourself.”

Your stomach lurched. “What’s wrong with the way I look? Freddie-”

“But Freddie’s not your friend, remember? From what you told me, it sounds like Freddie left you for dead!” she scoffed, widening her eyes. She looked manic, rocking toward you to hammer home her point. “Tell me you’ll come to dinner with us - a double date!”

“What?”

“Oh come off it! It’s time you got back in the dating game!”

“The dating game?”

“Yes! Me, you, Michael and Jake! It’ll be fun.”

“Which night was it you wanted to…” You trailed off, twirling a strand of your hair around your finger. Your brain clawed for any excuse not to go.

“Next Friday. Jake and I are going to that new Greek place near Covent Garden. Halloumi, it’s called.”

“I-I… I don’t even like halloumi!” You thought that was a good enough reason. Evidently not.

Alex drummed her hand against the sofa, annunciating every single word. “They. Do. More. Than. Halloumi.”

You huffed, sinking back into the sofa. The rushing in your ears was never far away; you could predict how awful that double date was going to be and how noisy your brain would get. But Alex was like a dog with a bone. And you were tiring of this conversation. “I don’t know if I’m up to this.”

Alex rolled her eyes and poured herself another glass of wine. “Always so dramatic. It’s not even going to be half as bad as you think it’ll be. It’s just your… anxiety… thing,” she shrugged.

“If I say yes, will you stop pestering me?”

———

Seven days later, you were crammed like sardines around a table inside Halloumi. The room was packed to the rafters, like they had made every effort to cram as many bodies into one room as they could. Mugginess hung in the air like a noose around your neck, reminding you of stressful summer commutes, or how you felt on your first date with Roger.

Oh god, there he was again.

All those conscious efforts you made to make him leave you alone weren’t exactly working the way you hoped.

It didn’t help matters that you could barely read Jake or Alex or Michael’s lips over the bustle as they indulged in mindless chatter. Unable to join in, you zoned out.

Not that you wanted to be there, or join in, for that matter.

Michael wasn’t even your type. His plaid suit didn’t fit him and his shoes looked like they belonged to a clown. His laugh was so abrasive that it made you recoil whenever he erupted into a fit of it, bashing the table for good measure. Alex said he was a dish, but it looked like he was wearing tonight’s dish - shards of spinach sandwiched between his teeth. He was no Roger.

Another joke and another round of laughs brought you back to your senses for a moment. Just long enough for you to noticed that you had stewed through one of your favourite red dresses while your brain did its hamster-wheel thing and your ears went off to sea.

Had you worn this one for Roger? Fuck, you did. On your first fucking date. Typical.

The realisation forced you to your feet, driving a wedge through the niceties being exchanged around the table. Alex, Jake and Michael put down their cutlery in unison to gawp at you. No words fell from their lips. A first this evening.

You welcomed it. They were insufferable. Three of the most grotesque human beings you had ever met, actually.

“I’m…” you trailed off, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the bathroom.

Alex rolled her eyes. “Go on! Do a runner!” she mocked, with the brothers echoing her cruel laughter.

Your legs couldn’t have carried you through the rickety wooden door in the corner of the room any faster if they tried. When it slammed closed, your surroundings began to cave in on you. Like a victorian outhouse, the stench of faeces burned in your nostrils and settled in your lungs, shaking up the acid in your gut. There was no holding back. Hunched over a hole on an elevated plinth, you let it all go. Heaving and squirming and sweating. The sweat etched blotches underneath the arms of your dress and all down your back. The damp material felt constrictive as it clung to your skin; there was no way you could go back out there. Absolutely not, you thought, straightening your back.

You turned towards the sink and eyed yourself in the mirror. The buzzing and flickering of the lights could turn even the most beautiful woman into a gargoyle. But the signs of your mental state showed everywhere. Trails of vomit tracked down from the corners of your mouth, and your mascara had run a mile. You just looked like a sad clown. Huffing, you puffed out your cheeks and looked up at the ceiling, bracing yourself on the edge of the sink. God, those lights were harsh on your eyes. You scrunched them shut isolating yourself in just one way.

The rushing was still there.

The longer you stayed rooted on the spot, the more unstable your feet in your four-inch heels became. Turning back to the rudimentary throne, your eyes searching the room for an escape route.

A tiny, open window behind the loo caught your attention.

Your heart pounded as you scrambled for freedom. It never occurred to you that your body might not fit through the slender gap. Rational thought didn’t rank highly on your list of priorities in that moment.

You stood up straight on the wooden plinth, sizing up the window. You sucked in your stomach and patted down your breasts (it did nothing to make them smaller, just a cursory comfort ahead of your disappearing act). And then you went for it.

You grabbed the ledge, hauled yourself up and burst headfirst out into the street above.

It was raining. It was dark. But at least you were out of there.

——————————————————————————————————

You couldn’t remember how or when you got home the night before, but you woke up the next morning fully clothed. Complete with your heels still on. Tossing on to your back, you recoiled in horror as a dreamy orange sunrise seeped through your bedroom curtains. You groaned. Life wasn’t going to get better by itself. You had to make an effort. Something. Anything.

So you resolved to make time for yourself; going where you wanted, doing things you loved and trying to make sense of where your life had got to.

That first hour was torture. You were still groggy from the night before; coffee burned more than it usually did and showering felt akin to having millions of ice shards fired at you for a whole five minutes. Even picking out something to wear was a chore.

But when you finally pulled a comfy sweater and your favourite jeans, and fixed your hair and did your makeup, a small sliver of hope shot through your brain. You could do this. You could go a whole day without thinking about Roger. None of your friends’ futile efforts at finding you love, or Roger Meddows Taylor’s sleights could get to you now, you thought, flouncing towards your door and shoving on your coat.

You opened your door, ready to go. But the figure loitering in your hallway stopped you in your tracks.

“Jim?”

He turned to face you, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “I thought I had the wrong block for a moment there,” he laughed quietly. “You’re just the person I wanted to see.”

You crossed your arms. “So Roger’s got you doing his dirty work for him now, has he?”

“No, but he’s the reason I needed to see you.” His brow furrowed, finding the words to say to you. “I haven’t heard from him in three weeks.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“We’ve tried everything. He’s not answering the door, or his phone. None of us have heard from him. We’re not even sure if he’s home. We’re off to Munich tomorrow. To record another album.”

“If this is about money-”

“Please. The label can sing for it for all I care. God knows, we have enough of it to buy our way out,” Jim rambled, scratching the back of his head. “I’m just worried what Freddie, Brian and John will do if anything has happened to Roger. They’re a family.”

“With all due respect, I’m not in the right frame of mind to see him right now.”

“But he’ll listen to you.”

You shouldered past Jim and hurried down the first flight of stairs. “I still don’t care.”

“Please,” Jim pleaded, his words preventing you from taking another step. “Just go and see him.”

Determined to maintain your steely resolve, you clenched your jaw. “That’s not my problem, Jim. I’ll see you around.”

That sadistic streak reared its ugly head within you. Wandering aimlessly through the city, you took pleasure in the thought of Roger sitting in his flat, or at his mansion, pining for you. It proved to be just the tonic for your broken heart. Knowing that he was hurting so badly that he couldn’t even bear to be around his own bandmates had you smiling to yourself at regular intervals. The crowds at Kensington Market were like a warm hug, blanketing you as you threaded your way between the bodies and the stalls, picking up trinkets and treats every so often until your arms were full and your belly ached from hunger. Home time.

You wearily plonked yourself down on a rare, free seat on the tube, settling in for the ride back to Brixton. Your eyes felt heavy. Your head lolled back, allowing the carriage window to judder against your skull. It felt strangely therapeutic, beating your brain to sleep.

The feverish knock of a fist on fine oak rattled you to your senses. Drowsy from the tube ride, it didn’t even register that it was your own hand stretched out in front of you, rapping on a towering auburn coloured door. And then it clicked.

You had never been here before.

But you just knew.

Your stomach dropped.

But you couldn’t stop your hand from battering the door.

You glanced around at the quiet street; the pristine row of white townhouses, the river of crisp orange leaves on the pavement, the expensive cars. Your heart pounded against your ribcage. Your ears rushed. Your hand quickened.

Until…

#roger taylor x reader #roger taylor #queen

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momorabu · 5 years ago

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Ibara Hime - Playthrough (Part II)

Warning: Spoilers. R18 Story.

Here’s the next playthrough log of Ibara Hime~ I was planning to wrap up the game in this post but turned out that the remaining 4 endings were still pretty long, so I’ve split up the endings again into two separate posts. The playthrough this time will mostly focus on Itoh, Ririko’s boyfriend since there’s an ending dedicated to him (sort of).

Ending 2

(Note: This ending can be reached by Ririko wanting to meet Itoh after she had gone to school secretly on Saturday. However, due to options catering more to Mizuki, Ririko’s relationship with Itoh isn’t that good enough to reach the “Itoh” ending.)

Ririko texted Itoh that she wanted to meet him, and decided to hide in an empty classroom after notifying him where she was. She got a phone call from Mizuki, who told her to come home, and asked her where she was. He also informed her that Minato had come to their house and was staying in Mizuki’s room, telling him that he needed her. (Minato sounded desperate) Ririko sarcastically congratulated Mizuki, asking them to get along well together. Mizuki threatened Ririko by saying that perhaps it’s best to tell Minato that they had sex together, but Ririko wasn’t threatened at all, even rebutted that she shall not return home forever, and would rather sell her body for money and staying at internet cafes. Mizuki told Ririko to knock it off since he doesn’t think of Ririko of someone capable of selling her body anyway and demanded her to come home straight away since there would be a harsh punishment later on if she did not do so.

Ririko did not fall for Mizuki’s threat again, rebutting that she doesn’t care anymore since she’s not even a virgin now and that there’s nothing scarier in this world than getting raped by her own brother. (Woah... that was a harsh blow on Mizuki D:) Mizuki urged Ririko to stop harbouring such thoughts as he warned her of maniacs capturing her and keeping her in captive forever using drugs. (How did you even think of such a possibility, Mizuki? Unless you’re planning on using such a plan as well~~ =w=“) Ririko refused to listen to Mizuki and prayed furiously in her heart for Itoh to come and meet her.

Finally, Itoh arrived and got a phone call immediately. Seems that it was a 3-way call, but Itoh told Mizuki that Ririko had not contacted him when the latter asked him about Ririko’s whereabouts.

When the phone call had ended, Itoh asked Ririko whether she had gotten into a fight with Mizuki, and felt that it’s best that she returned home tonight. Ririko told him that she didn’t want to return home now that her parents were not around, and asked Itoh to accompany her until night time before she went to stay in a business hotel. Since Ririko’s parents would only return on Sunday afternoon, Itoh suggested that they sing karaoke all night to pass through the time. Even though Ririko worried that Itoh won’t get enough rest that way as he and Mizuki had club practices tomorrow morning till afternoon, Itoh assured her that he can sleep in the karaoke room and that he would take a short nap at home tomorrow morning too.

Ririko knew that Itoh was suggesting that to accompany her through the night as it might get lonely for her to stay at the hotel at night, and thus suggested Itoh accompany her at the hotel instead so he can rest better. Itoh told her truthfully that he felt that he won’t be able to restrain himself anymore if both of them were alone at the hotel, and asked Ririko if that was alright. (In a way, he’s asking permission for sex already at this point of time ^^;) Itoh suggested Ririko to at least let Mizuki know that she’s staying elsewhere safe and that she can lie that she’s staying at a friend’s home just to make Mizuki feel reassured. (Guess Itoh didn’t want Mizuki to get too worried) Ririko knew that Mizuki would guess that she’s lying if she said she’s staying at a friend’s home since she doesn’t really have any other close friends other than Minato. Itoh asked again what was the reason she didn’t want to go home, but Ririko could only mutter a reply that Mizuki was being weird (maybe weird is just a nicer way of saying it, Mizuki’s love is going towards the crazy end...), and felt that perhaps Mizuki was seeing Ezaki Senpai in her... (Ririko still felt that maybe Mizuki was still in love with the senpai rather than her...? o.O Or maybe she’s just telling that to herself since she doesn’t believe that Mizuki loves her...)

Itoh decided to dote on Ririko, telling her that she’s cute and he actually envied Mizuki for staying in the same home as her ever since they’ve started dating. He knew that Mizuki was talented and good-looking with a great personality, and was worried that Ririko might dote on her younger brother and cherished him more than Itoh himself. Ririko didn’t want to hear anything more about Mizuki though and instead asked to be closer to Itoh.

They started kissing, and before she knew it, Itoh’s hand was on her thigh and pulling up her skirt. Turned out that Itoh had started to get horny and suggested that perhaps they should head to a hotel now even though it was still noon. The situation then proceeded onto both them wanting to have sex right now. (Guys you two are still at school and in a classroom >/////<)

However, when Itoh went under her, he decided to stop, telling her it’s no good. Ririko worried perhaps Itoh didn’t feel sexually simulated enough upon seeing her private area, but Itoh asked her whether she was truly in love with him with a furious expression.

Turned out that Itoh had discovered kiss marks all around her inner thighs, and he could see that these were landed recently. He remarked that Ririko’s area around her private parts was “dirty”, and Ririko blamed herself for not discovering those herself and had even wanted to have sex with Itoh normally after being raped by Mizuki. Itoh guessed that Ririko must not be a virgin any more after seeing the kiss marks (since no way a guy would not have sex after leaving kiss marks all over the private area of a girl’s body OAo), to which Ririko worried whether Itoh wanted to dump her after knowing that she’s not a virgin. Itoh assured her that it’s not because of that, but rather he felt that he was the one being toyed by Ririko instead since it seems like he was the only one who loved her while she decided to have sex with someone else behind his back. He told Ririko that the kiss marks were meant as a symbol by some other guy that Ririko belongs to him, and as a display for Itoh to see. (Mizuki you’re really a jerk to NTR your best friend =w=“)

Ririko could only shed tears after knowing what Mizuki had done to destroy the relationship between her and Itoh. Itoh gave Ririko a chance to explain herself or to break up now, even though he was seriously really pissed at the moment. He grabbed her hands and started kissing her neck, leaving a kiss mark on it, and then started doing the same thing on various parts of her body, where they can be easily seen even if she’s dressed. (Wow, I did not expect Itoh to be someone who would do something like this? O////O Jealousy is strong here O////O) Ririko felt pained and pushed him away, to which Itoh glared at her and demanded to know who was the one who had landed the kiss marks on her. Itoh told Ririko that he still loves her and wanted to have sex with her, though he can’t guarantee that he would be gentle with her. Ririko felt the same way towards Itoh too. Even if he might end up being rough on her during sex, she still wanted to have sex with him, if it can erase away the feeling of being raped by her brother.

However, after thinking through, Ririko would rather they break up than to tell Itoh that she was being raped by her brother. Itoh showed a sad expression when he realised that she didn’t want to tell him, and guessed that he was indeed being toyed by her. He told her to stop pretending that she’s not good with guys anymore since she’s Mizuki’s sister. (Hello? Mizuki is a womanizer doesn’t mean that Ririko would be ><”) He felt silly for not suspecting her at all and broke up with her.

“Bye-bye Ririko. Even though it’s only been a short while, it was happiness for me.” (You hardly get to see a breakup line in an otome game seriously =w=“)

Ririko could only break down and cry after Itoh had left. She really likes him and didn’t want to break up with him actually. But as a girl with kiss marks like this, she sees herself of incapable of attaining happiness with him. (Girl really sees herself badly too D:) She knew that she would not be able to attain happiness for the rest of her life since Itoh might be the only person who actually loved her in this world.

Since Mizuki had ruined her happiness, Ririko felt that there was no meaning of her escaping from home anymore, and felt she was stupid for rejecting her brother all this while. Thus, she decided to went home. (This just sounds like the fall of Ririko TWT)

When Ririko reached home, she noticed a pair of female shoes by the door. She realised that Minato was still here, and wished she would leave soon since Minato’s presence here will destruct her plan, as she took a knife from the kitchen and hid it behind her. (Ririko, you’re not planning to?! OAO) Ririko planned to kill Mizuki, thinking that since it’s her fault for making Mizuki be what he was today, she had to do something to finish all of this.

Ririko head up to her room and things turned out to be just like how it was three years ago. She thought she had opened the door to Mizuki’s room, but now that she thought about it, Mizuki’s room was locked and hers wasn’t (since her room didn’t have a lock), and turned out the door she had actually opened was her own bedroom door. Mizuki and Minato were on her bed (Guys?! Please do it on your bed D:), and when Minato spotted her, she hurriedly gets away from Mizuki and tidied her clothes.

Minato noticed that Ririko was wearing her school uniform and asked her if she had gone to school, to which Ririko coolly asked her to leave since they were in her room. Minato smiled as she apologised, saying that Mizuki needed “this type of treatment”, even joking that Mizuki seems to be a “sis-con”. (Minato, this is really not something to joke about now. How can she still laugh at this moment? =w=“) In the end, Mizuki urged her to go home since her role here was done. Minato apologised for “dirtying” Ririko’s bed before leaving. (Her apology doesn’t even sound sorry at all =w=“)

Mizuki smiled happily as Ririko returned to him. Ririko remembered why she had avoided Mizuki at that time when she spotted a girl with him in her bedroom. She had found the act of them having sex in her room as bizarre since he could have used his room instead as that room can be locked. She pretended that everything was normal as she approached Mizuki slowly with the knife still hidden behind her. Mizuki was holding his hands out to her, welcoming her back, and Ririko felt that this was the best chance she has to stab seeing that he was unguarded against her. Ririko rushed towards him with the knife, wishing that even if she wasn’t able to stab him in the chest, it would be good if he was stabbed in the stomach (at least that gave her some time to escape?), but in reality, she ended up just stabbing the blanket instead...

Mizuki smirked as he told Ririko that her actions were slow to him as if it was playing in slow motion, so he was able to dodge them easily. (Well Mizuki was very athletic afterall D:) He guessed that even if he was indeed stabbed, he might not get too injured since Ririko wasn’t able to use much strength. As Ririko pondered whether she should try stabbing him again, Mizuki taunted her not to give up as it would be too boring, even giving her suggestions that she should have to try kissing him and stab him in the midst of it instead. (Mizuki sure was good at thinking up all these scenarios... =w=“)

Just then, Mizuki grabbed onto Ririko’s hands and used them to position the knife to be pointing at her own chest. He smiled as he asked her to kill herself instead since she had failed to kill him, and said if any of them had died, they would still be linked to each other for the rest of their lives. Ririko closed her eyes in fear, thinking that perhaps it would be better to die rather than being controlled by Mizuki for the rest of her life. She wanted to blame her parents for giving birth to them so close in a year since their minimal age gap had caused Mizuki to turn out like this. (Maybe if Ririko was way older than Mizuki, all these might not have happened?... I’m not exactly sure D:) She thought about what would happen if she were to die, perhaps their family would be easier to manage when that happens, and Mizuki would return back to being a normal guy if she had not existed.

Suddenly, Mizuki grabbed tightly onto her hands, making her drop the knife in pain. He kicked away the knife swiftly to the other end of the room and pushed her onto the bed. Noticing the kiss marks on her neck, Mizuki guessed that those must have been planted by Itoh and sort of guessed what had happened between them. Ririko cried for Mizuki to forgive her and let her go since she knew that she won’t be happy with him. Mizuki told her that she would attain happiness as long as she falls in love with him, and proceed onto landing kiss marks right above where Itoh had planted his. (Wow, this is just overwriting in a way... OWO”)

Ririko told him that there won’t be any happiness if siblings were to fall in love with each other, to which Mizuki asked her why. He’s willing to be with Ririko and just having sex with each other would be enough for him even if they do not marry nor have children with each other. Ririko rebutted that Mizuki’s mind must be damaged to not register what she had been telling him, but Mizuki insisted that since their mother had always said that he was a child being picked up from under the bridge, they’re not really blood-related and thus she can put away her worry and just fall in love with him. (Feels that Mizuki was the one who wanted to believe they’re not blood-related.) Ririko replied that their mother was just joking in the past when she said that, and that they even look like twins when they were young. It’s the truth that they’re indeed siblings. Mizuki told Ririko once again that he doesn’t care what others would view them as long as Ririko loves him, and wished that she would look at him as a man instead of as a brother.

Ririko had viewed Mizuki as attractive and didn’t know any girl that was not attracted by him. But no matter what, she and he were siblings, adding on to the fact that Ririko now realised that she loves Itoh. She told Mizuki that Itoh was the one she loves, so even if Mizuki and she aren’t siblings, she would choose to be with Itoh instead. (Guess it’s a scenario of “even if you had my body, you won’t get my heart”.) Mizuki coolly reminded Ririko that Itoh had broken up with her and told her not to say his name anymore, but obviously Ririko doesn’t listen, claiming over and over again that she loves Itoh, and still loves him even if she was being dumped. (Awww~~~ TWT)

Just then, Mizuki mummered out a scary thought - he had to make Itoh disappear since he believed that with Itoh gone, Ririko would forget about him over time and might fall in love with him instead... (OAO”) Ririko had thought that he might be joking but Mizuki claimed he wasn’t. He even planned to cut away Ririko’s legs so the latter can’t go and find Itoh if she had wanted to, and then he would stay by her side and take care of her forever and ever... Ririko didn’t fear him though and rebutted that he can try doing that, but he would get caught by the police, and thus, even without her legs, she would be free from Mizuki forever.

Mizuki suddenly fell silent, as he got off from the bed and picked up the knife that was lying across the room. Holding up the knife against her leg, he confessed that he loves her legs. Ririko said that she felt that her legs were short and fat and thus wished Mizuki would take it away. (Not sure Ririko was just acting strong or falling in depression when she said this.) Mizuki thanked her, though he felt that just cutting off her legs would just make Ririko feel that her legs were gone (which probably isn’t anything in Mizuki’s eyes OAO”), and decided that maybe he should try destroying her vagina instead. (Scary!!! OAO”)

Mizuki knew that he shouldn’t have a child with Ririko, and thus felt that it’s useless for Ririko to have a vagina since she shouldn’t give birth to their child anyway. He only wanted to see Ririko’s happy expressions, claiming that this was enough and he would continue to love her even if she doesn’t have a vagina. (Why not you just cut away your penis then Mizuki? I really don’t get this logic =w=“) He pointed the knife blade right at her private parts with the knife between her legs, making Ririko starting to breathe irregularly as she worriedly looked at Mizuki’s action. Mizuki wondered which parts of Ririko he shall take away, and happily decided that maybe he shall take her head instead. Ririko realised that rather than taking away her freedom (legs), or the ability to have sex (vagina), Mizuki seems to have decided to remove her existence (since she would most definitely be dead without her head.) Mizuki bid goodbye to her, telling her to love him the next time they meet, and the last thing Ririko saw before her mind went black, was her brother smiling at her...

As she lost consciousness, Ririko was glad that at least she didn’t have to experience the feeling of being killed, and wondered that with her gone, maybe Mizuki would be released of his feelings towards her. Will he feel that he was being saved? Will he feel sad about the loss of her? Will he be able to live on happily? She felt that Mizuki should be able to live on even with what had happened. Even as a murderer, there are still many people who were willing to love him, and overall, she felt that he had more of a right to keep living more than her... (This just sound so depressing coming from Ririko. In the end she still views herself lower than Mizuki TWT)

Ririko awoke later on and realised that she was at the hospital, with her mother looking worriedly over her. She checked herself, and it seems like none of her body parts was missing. Ririko asked for Mizuki’s whereabouts and got to know from her mother than Mizuki had died, leaving behind a short letter for their parents.

“Dad and Mum, I’m sorry. I’ve been in love with my sister all this while. Thus, in order to save myself, I’ve decided to escape from living this life. I’m sorry for making this decision by myself without telling you guys about it.”

(Maybe this is also one of those rare times I get to read a suicide letter in an otome game. TWT)

Ririko’s mother cried and claimed that Mizuki was a foolish child. If he had discussed this matter with them, they might be able to save him. (Perhaps this might be a clue to what would happen in another ending...) She blamed herself for discovering Mizuki’s issues earlier. It was also arranged that Ririko would have to undergo counselling later on, as, at the time she was being discovered by their parents, Mizuki’s blood had splatted on her when she was unconscious. Turned out that Mizuki had committed suicide by slashing his own neck and collapsing next to her.

Even though she noticed that her mother was crying really badly and suffering from the loss of Mizuki, Ririko realised that she wasn’t even sad at all at the death of her brother. (I don’t blame her though, Mizuki had probably scarred her mind for the rest of her life.) It seems as though she had lost sense of her feelings. She had hoped to run away from Mizuki since the latter had done acts on her like a criminal and thus felt that it was perhaps good that Mizuki had died since she would be free now. But Ririko had also known that Mizuki had died because of her, and wondered that perhaps Mizuki had felt committing suicide was a “beautiful” way of ending this twisted and stalkerish love. She remembered Mizuki’s last words - to love him when they next met and thought to herself that hopefully, he would rest in peace until then...

(This ending actually made me a little sad and teary in the end... Mizuki’s last words are too powerful TWT I shall talk more about this ending in the review portion.)

Omake - Ending 2

This ending is considered yet another bad ending and the author felt that this was perhaps the most “hunter-like / scariest” ending. Mizuki wondered whether he would be saved if their parents had revealed about his birth... But their father... and Ririko.... (This part was said in a way that it’s a very mysterious way. The author might be hinting something here towards a certain ending.) However, Mizuki felt that even if they were not siblings in this ending, there’s a very high possibility that Ririko would still end up with Itoh anyway. (So... *shrug* no way Mizuki can have a happy ending in this ending no matter what.)

Ending 4 (Itoh’s Ending)

(Note: This ending is reached by choosing all the options that favoured towards Itoh more than Mizuki - in other words choosing to be mean / not nice towards Mizuki if possible, and then choosing to meet Itoh and telling the truth to him in the latter part of the story.)

Major story branches from the moment Ririko had fallen from the stairs.

When Ririko fell from the stairs, she felt that the one who had caught her was Itoh. Since she felt that the scent and warmth of the person who had caught her were very familiar to her, the scent and warmth of a person she gets to know recently... (Hinting to Itoh) She was glad that Itoh had helped her and was by her side, and knew that regardless of what happens from now on, Itoh would come to her aid. (Ririko began to rely on Itoh) She realised that she really likes Itoh, and wanted to be by his side forever.

When she awoke, she realised that Minato was by her side, looking at her sleeping all this while. (Minato is still a good friend even though she... can be inappropriate at times ^^;) She informed Ririko that it was already after school when she had awoken. She offered to pick up Ririko’s bag and was excited to stay over at Ririko’s and Mizuki’s home at night, claiming that she didn’t help much earlier on and now wanted to do what she can to take care of Ririko. It was revealed that Mizuki was the one who had caught Ririko, to which Ririko actually felt abit relieved since she didn’t want Itoh to get hurt while carrying her, and getting a shock when he realised how heavy she was. (So it’s okay for Mizuki to get hurt? XD)

Minato was a great girl in Ririko’s eyes and she felt that the best future for Mizuki was perhaps being a couple with Minato. However, Ririko’s hope for such a future was smashed when she, later on, heard a confrontation between Minato and Mizuki at home, where Mizuki admitted that he likes Ririko romantically, and thus didn’t want to get a girlfriend anymore. Minato told Mizuki that his overprotectiveness of Ririko was disturbing and disgusting, seeing that she had an older brother and would not forgive her brother for harbouring such a feeling for her if that were to happen. She also expressed that she’s disappointed that Mizuki was actually such a person.

Ririko had tried to act as though she had not heard the confrontation (I think they’re quarrelling either in her bedroom or right outside her room), but Mizuki realised she’s awake when he came to check on her after Minato had left. Ririko continued to act that she was still asleep, and realised that Mizuki had sneaked his finger into her mouth and started toying around with her tongue. Ririko didn’t know why Mizuki was doing this and tried hard to continue to pretend to be asleep. Just then, she felt Mizuki’s weight on the bed as he climbed on top of her, and opened her eyes in a hurry.

Mizuki knew that she had overheard his conversation with Minato earlier on, and said that he had been told that his feelings for Ririko were disgusting. He started fondling the lower part of her body, to which Ririko started to regret that she was just wearing a shirt and her undies now since Mizuki began to unbutton all her buttons and remove her underwear easily. Ririko had wondered that perhaps Mizuki had decided to say that he’s in love with her as an excuse to get away from Minato, asking him whether he had done that as a revenge to her. But Mizuki simply smiled and said that he was just confessing his true feelings.

As Mizuki started fingering with her, Ririko started to feel good, though she still questioned herself on the reason why Mizuki was doing all these to her. One possibility she thought of was Mizuki didn’t have any girls he likes and thus played his hands on her just to make through this moment when he’s feeling lonely and unloved. Mizuki continued onto licking her private area, making Rirko felt guilty that she’s actually enjoying it as much as she didn’t want her body to feel that way. She tried to lecture Mizuki for laying his hands on a patient (since she was still sick), but he simply smiled and said that’s her punishment for trying to act asleep. He confessed to Ririko again and told her that the person she likes wasn’t Itoh at all, and the reason why she did not fall in love in her life at all was all because she was bothered by Mizuki’s presence. (Feels like a round of brainwashing Ririko that she actually likes him all these years....) With that, Mizuki forcefully kissed Ririko, even french kissing with her until she ran out of breath. (And Mizuki wasn’t even panting at all, why is he so good?!)

Mizuki then took off his clothes and got on top of Ririko, and as he prepared to have sex with her, he asked her whether she has a condom since he doesn’t have one on him. (.... seriously why are you asking her?.... =w=“) Ririko pleaded him not to touch her and that he can do whatever he likes with Minato the next day anyway since they’re going for a pool date, but Mizuki affirmed that Minato and he aren’t dating and that he found her annoying. Since Minato had found Mizuki disgusting for liking Ririko anyway, she won’t be coming near him again, which actually works for Mizuki instead. Ririko cried as she begged Mizuki not to come into her, but Mizuki only smiled gently at her, telling her that she will get used to it over time. (The devil in an angel’s appearance! ><”)

Ririko thought to herself that she did not like Mizuki at all, feeling pained, scared and disliked this whole situation, even though her body was saying the otherwise. She wondered why Mizuki had become such a guy since he used to a bright and cheerful boy who would always protect her, so... why on earth is he doing such hurtful things to her now? She wished this situation would end quickly, as she can’t wait for Mizuki to leave her body, as she harboured thoughts of hating him. Mizuki, however, kept confessing to her that he loved her and can’t leave her side. (What a contrast...) Mizuki ultimately cummed in Ririko.

When the sex is over, Ririko tried to leave the room, but Mizuki stopped her, asking her to stay by his side and that he was still not yet satisfied. (??? Who cares about you being satisfied or not? =w=“) Ririko ignored Mizuki though and walked out of the room. She felt disgusted and wanted to vomit, and thought that whoever that was in her room just now wasn’t her brother, but instead another human, or say monster who wanted to have sex with her even though they carried the same blood. (The Ririko in this route was just soooo fed up and disgusted with Mizuki, no way she will ever like him D:) She didn’t want to stay at this home anymore now that she knew how much Mizuki kept wanting to have sex with her and thought that she should stay at a friend’s house until the day their parents get back.

(Next up was the whole situation of Ririko going to school, meeting Ezaki Senpai, then getting a text from Itoh. It’s going to be the same scenario where she tells Itoh that she wanted to meet him like what was written in Ending 2. So I’m just going to skip straight away to the part where Itoh gave her choice to tell him the truth or break up with him.)

Ririko realised that she really loves Itoh and didn’t want to break up with him. She pleaded for Itoh to save her and that she’s scared to be going through this nightmare. She admitted that the kiss marks on her thighs were planted by Mizuki, and this was why she didn’t want to go home. She trembled as she had no idea what to do next. She had planned to hide the truth from Itoh initially, but knowing that she would have to break up with him if she did not tell him about the truth, she would rather tell him the truth even if they ended up breaking up anyway.

However, unlike what she had feared, Itoh hugged her. Even though she could not see Itoh’s expression, she felt warmth, as he told her that he would believe her words. Itoh confirmed Ririko’s feelings again and she told him that the only person she ever loves was him. He comforted her not to worry and that they would think of a solution together. Ririko felt that Itoh was indeed a good person who stayed by her even knowing that she was now “dirtied”.

As they parted from their hug, Itoh suggested talking it out with Mizuki, since the matter won’t get solved if they kept running away from him. But Ririko worried that things might not get resolved even if the three of them had a talk together, and wanted to hide somewhere safe until their parents had returned, even thinking of the future where she will move elsewhere after letting their parents know about the matter. Itoh asked Ririko if this was the ending she had wanted, to keep avoiding and escaping from Mizuki, to the point they can’t even continue to be siblings. Even though Ririko replied that she doesn’t mind since it’s not like they’re behaving like siblings now anyway and that Mizuki just seems like someone who stayed in the same house as her since a few years ago, she too regretted that she had not been a good elder sister to Mizuki since three years ago. She wondered whether her actions of avoiding him was what had caused Mizuki’s emotions to go out of control... but then again, after what Mizuki had done to her, Ririko felt that it was hard for her to forgive him.

Itoh showed a sad expression after knowing that not only Mizuki had planted the kiss marks on her, he had even raped her. Ririko wondered why does he show such a pitiful face rather than getting angry for her seeing that his girlfriend suffered a sexual assault from others. Ririko started to get pissed off wondering whether Itoh had prioritised his friend more than his girlfriend (seeing that Itoh seems more focused on feeling disappointment in Mizuki rather than angry for her), to which he apologised for showing his emotions, revealing that he really likes Mizuki ever since they were in junior high, and had trusted him more than anybody. Ririko felt despair, since she had finally decided to reveal the truth to Itoh, but turned out that Itoh valued Mizuki alot too, so it seems like nobody was actually siding with her at all... (Feels bad for Ririko D: But Itoh might be in a bad position too if he had to choose between his girlfriend and his best friend.)

(Turned out that Itoh really admired Mizuki alot, praising that he’s talented in playing soccer, has good looks to be scouted by entertainment companies, yet was humble didn’t brag about him. Even Ririko had to diss that Mizuki was born in a normal family just like her and Itoh, so there’s nothing much for Mizuki to brag since it’s not like he’s a prince just because he’s good-looking... I feel that Mizuki can still be quite a bragger at various times though =w=“)

Ririko started to get worried and asked Itoh if he’s siding with her, but Itoh only replied that Ririko was indeed someone special to Mizuki, making her felt weird that everyone seems to be obsessed with Mizuki and siding with him instead. It worried her that perhaps her parents would side with Mizuki too seeing that he was the talented one between the siblings, and felt that there’s really no one in this world she could rely on at all. (Itoh, how can you make Ririko feel so helpless? You’re not comforting at all. If Minato was still willing to meet up with Ririko, maybe she can ask her for help instead...)

Itoh smiled as he assured her that he would protect her since he loves her and valued her as much as Mizuki does for her. Ririko still refused to meet up with Mizuki, claiming that he’s weird now and that there’s no telling what he’s going to do. Itoh assured her that he would stop him, and would accept whatever that had happened between her and Mizuki since as her boyfriend, he didn’t want to escape from such a situation. With that, Itoh accompanied Ririko back home.

Obviously, Mizuki wasn’t pleased when they reached home, asking Itoh why the latter did not contact him when he had found Ririko. (Mizuki’s over-protectiveness, or say... obsession was alarming here D:) Itoh told Mizuki that they had something to discuss with him, and made his way up to Ririko’s bedroom first. After Itoh had gone up, Mizuki asked Ririko whether she had already told Itoh what had happened, even taunting her that he might hurt Itoh if she still planned to have sex with Itoh in the future. Ririko could only think of Mizuki as a devil as she followed behind up into her room, where Itoh was already waiting for her.

Itoh told Ririko that he shall be the one leading the discussion later on and that she could just listen and add on anything that she wants to say. Mizuki claimed that it’s Itoh fault since if he had not touched Ririko, Mizuki himself would not have started laying his hands on Ririko. Itoh asked Mizuki why had he not continue on hiding his feelings since he initially had planned to do so, but Mizuki revealed that he could not bear hiding his feelings anymore, and he wanted to do what his body had desired for. Itoh told Mizuki that he understood his feelings but at this rate, Mizuki is just going to get rejected by Ririko. Getting heartbroken and then forcefully raping Ririko since he could not control his emotions is just going to make Mizuki end up being a criminal. (What Mizuki is doing is already a criminal act... D:)

Mizuki remarked that Itoh was indeed a great guy and that he really likes him since he had thought that Itoh would break up their friendship over this. Itoh replied that he would accept everything, including Ririko and would be by their side, and thus wished that Mizuki would let himself go from the suffering. He revealed that there’s a letter in the second bento he had gotten from their mother and that he had hurriedly read it this morning since he had forgotten to read it yesterday. Mizuki didn’t want to hear about the letter and refused to give Ririko up, even if Itoh had pledged that he would make Ririko happy. As much as Itoh kept trying to suggest Mizuki give up since both Ririko and Mizuki would be bound together forever as siblings, Mizuki refused to listen, even claiming that he loves Ririko more than anybody does for her. (It’s turning into a scenario where both guys are fighting over Ririko?!) Ririko started to feel that this conversation was going nowhere since Mizuki’s stance did not change at all. Noticing that Mizuki’s reluctance to talk about the letter, Ririko wondered perhaps the content of the letter was something they did not want her to know about.

Ririko asked about the letter, but the two guys ignored her, with Mizuki demanding Itoh to leave and the latter wanting to stay and help Ririko. Mizuki taunted Itoh how he was going to protect Ririko since Mizuki was confident that he would win if the two ended up fighting, to which Ririko had to shout loudly demanding to know about their mother’s letter to get their attention. Itoh replied that he should not be the person who should talk about this matter since this was what their family had decided to hide from her, but seeing that this matter was what that had troubled Mizuki, he decided that it’s best to let Ririko know about it. Mizuki was pissed but decided to leave the room to let the two have some privacy.

Other than the letter, Itoh had discovered something from the internet and thus decided to tell what he had known to Ririko. Itoh had known that Ririko and Mizuki did not communicate much even when they lived together and that Ririko seems to have built a wall of defence in her heart against Mizuki even though he did not know the reason why. Anyway, the letter stated that Ririko’s body had stopped growing and developing for 3 years in the past, and their mother, being worried, had brought her to the Gynecology for a checkup. Even though Ririko’s reproductive organs were normal, it was stated that it was unknown on whether she was able to get pregnant. Ririko remembered that she had started her first period later than others, in which her mother had accompanied her for the checkup. She had thought that everything was normal since her period came normally after that... but turned out that there’s an incident that happened in her childhood which affected her body...

In the past, Ririko was abducted by a woman for half a day when she was in elementary year one and had lost her memory on what had happened on that day. Her body had stopped growing from the time to she was abducted till three years later. After Ririko was abducted for 14 hours, she was found naked at a nearby park. The culprit was a woman who had lost her young son a year ago and had initially planned to abduct Mizuki instead. On the day when Ririko was found, the woman was later captured by the police. This incident sounds like a piece of sad news that Ririko was reading in a third-person point of view, and that she found it hard that she was the one who had went through this incident.

After that incident, the siblings who used to look alike to each other started looking different. Mizuki started growing tall rapidly, while Ririko’s height and weight remained unchanged for the next three years. Even though Ririko did not have any memory of what had happened on that fateful day, it seems like Mizuki had blamed himself and was hurt badly in his heart. Ririko was shocked that she did not know why she had stopped growing in that period, and what Mizuki was feeling troubled about, since the memories she had was them being siblings always having fun together in their elementary days. She had not suspected that her body growth was halted since even though she was short, it’s not like she’s a dwarf and there are even girls that are shorter than her. Even though it might be painful for Ririko to try remembering about this past, Itoh felt that perhaps the past would help to save Mizuki now...

Ririko closed her eyes as she tried to remember a woman in the part when she was in elementary year one. She realised that there was a dream she had recently that seems familiar to this... and opening her eyes, Itoh continued on that the incident he had talked about was what he had found on the internet. As it was a very old piece of news, there are not many articles can be found regarding it nowadays, and thus he shall reveal more about this incident from what that was written on the letter. The news he had found talked about the culprit being a 35-year-old woman, whose 6-year-old son had died last year. She had divorced her husband after that and lived in a 4LDK house with her dog at the time of the incident. This information sparked Ririko’s memory as she remembered what had happened at that time...

The woman had invited Ririko to her house on that fateful day and even told her that her mother and she knew each other since they usually chat when they met each other at the supermarket. She showed Ririko the photo of her son, saying that he’s older than her by a year and that unfortunately, he had passed away last year in a car accident. Ririko started to realise that something was amiss when the dog started barking, and the woman, who had felt annoyed by the dog, picked it up and threw it against the wall. The dog fell as it crashed against the wall, and did not move ever since. The woman turned to Ririko, smiling gently, and demanded Ririko to go into the bathroom, even though she had wanted to go home for dinner since it was already 8pm.

The woman stripped Ririko later on when she came into the bathroom and was surprised to know that she wasn’t a boy when she saw her underwear. It was then Ririko realised that the woman did not know who she was, since the woman did not call her by her name at all, and realised that the person that the woman had wanted to invite was her brother, Mizuki. The woman had mistaken her for Mizuki and had been treating her like him all along. Facing towards the scary woman, Ririko told her not to get close to Mizuki. She remembered she had talked to this woman before, and she was the one who had revealed Mizuki’s name at that time. (Probably some of the readers might have realised by now, the conversation at the start of this entire game was the forewarning of this segment OWO”) The woman snotted as she told Ririko that there’s no need for a family to have two children of the same age, so giving her one child will be fair enough (what is this logic? O.o) Ririko hated herself for giving out Mizuki’s name, and also for not noticing that the woman was tailing them. She started to get angry and told off the woman that her only brother was Mizuki and that he’s part of her family, not an unwanted child at all. (Ririko is such a strong child to stand against an adult like this OAO - impressed)

Ririko could see from the woman’s eyes that she was crazy, and felt that it won’t be good if the woman could continue to live on this street (since there’s no knowing when she would abduct another child again, or even laying her hands on Mizuki this time). She knew that even if she had called the police at this moment, the woman won’t get captured for long since she had not done any criminal acts at this time. Ririko decided to confront the woman, even more, stating that Satoshi (the woman’s child) was already dead and that her brother, Mizuki, was way cuter and good-looking than him. The woman screamed at her to leave since she didn’t want a girl as a daughter. She only wanted a son, a boy who was in elementary year one. She grabbed Ririko by the neck and dumped her outside the house, as Ririko felt that her conscious started to blur. It was already dark outside, but Ririko knew that if she was found at this time of the day (it was still around 8pm, so not too late to be worrying about?), this incident would be wrapped easily, and Mizuki might be in danger the next day onwards. The culprit of the incident did not do anything bad to her since she only just dumped Ririko outside her house when she realised she isn’t Mizuki, and thus Ririko felt that Mizuki shouldn’t blame himself so much. However, Ririko also knew that her words were like lies now, since Ririko realised there’s still some missing parts of her memory which indicated she was still hiding something.

In the end, Itoh encouraged Ririko to talk this matter over with Mizuki and that he’s returning home for the day. Ririko was still worried that Mizuki might rape her again when Itoh is gone, but the latter asked her to believe in Mizuki, which made her felt weird why Itoh was so forgiving and why did he like Mizuki so much to the point that he was willing to forgive him. Itoh replied that he did not forgive Mizuki, but he likes Mizuki and since he was Ririko’s family member, after all, there was no way Itoh could cut ties with Mizuki as long as he still loves Ririko. He knew that the situation between them won’t get resolved easily, but he put the hope that if Mizuki and Ririko put down their guard on each other and talk it out, their relationship might improve for the better. Itoh also worried that Mizuki might commit suicide, asking Ririko whether this was what she had wanted to see, to abandon the very person she had tried so hard to protect when she was young. He promised Ririko that he will protect Ririko no matter what, even if she forgives Mizuki, or ended up abandoning him, vowing to accept her everything. (Ugh... Can’t help but feel guilty when Itoh said everything out like this TWT)

When Itoh had left, Ririko called Mizuki, as the latter had gone out after their last confrontation. Mizuki told her that he’s not returning and that she should not bother where he was, even suggesting that perhaps he should find a random woman and let her take care of him for a while. Mizuki sounded depressed, stating he doesn’t need anything now that Ririko does not belong to him anymore... Ririko started to get pissed off since if Mizuki doesn’t come home, everything was going to end up being her fault again, and she doesn’t like the fact that Mizuki was like the victim in this situation. She wondered what was Mizuki troubling about at that time, but since she was the one who was abducted, she guessed that he might be blaming himself for what had happened to her later on. (Her slow growth sput, her lack of memories etc.) In a spurt of anger, Ririko yelled to the phone that if Mizuki indeed did not want to return home anymore, he should hang up the phone on her and not pick up any phone calls from their family anymore. (It doesn’t help that she even overheard a woman talking to Mizuki, guess Mizuki wasn’t lying that he staying with a woman now... =w=“) She continued on that if Mizuki wanted to cut ties with her, he should throw away this phone, throw away his past and ask that new woman he had now to buy a new phone for him to start his new life instead. She told Mizuki that she would not abandon him, but now it’s up to him to make a decision whether he wanted to abandon his family, his current life. If he still wants his family and life back, she demanded him to return home right away. (Suddenly Ririko had the vibe of elder sister!!! OWO)

After the phone call, Ririko realised that the feelings that she had for her brother since young, how she likes to care over him, had never really gone away, and felt sad why their relationship had fallen apart all these years. She guessed that Mizuki must have blamed himself for causing Ririko’s slow growth spurt, seeing that her first period started late and she ended up being short with a height of 150cm and that their mother worried whether Ririko would be able to get pregnant. Feeling pissed off that the entire family had hidden their worries about her from her, Ririko angrily punched her pillow, realising that she really likes and values her younger brother so much that she did not want to land him in danger at that time. Thanks to her remembering her past, she suddenly realised the importance of Mizuki in her life. (Should we thank Itoh for this? ^^;)

Ririko ended up falling asleep, and when she awoke, she saw Mizuki staying by her bedside. She wondered they can return to being close siblings like how it was in the past, as Mizuki asked her if she had felt scared remembering the past, seeing that she was pulled, trapped in, tortured, and then abandoned at that time. (It doesn’t sound that scary in Ririko’s memory though, not that I’m downplaying it) He remarked that Ririko was such a young child at that time, barely even 1m tall, and she was facing off against an adult. He had guessed that the incident had caused a trauma for Ririko that affected her physically and mentally, though he and their parents were actually relieved that she did not remember anything on that fateful day. (I bet they were scared that she might harbour really bad memories and suffer a break down from that.)

Ririko told Mizuki that she was not harmed at all on that day, but Mizuki shook his head painfully, telling her that this had nothing to do whether she was hurt or not. He told her that he had felt as if half of his body was gone the night she had gone missing and that the rest of the family was worried sick for her. That night, Mizuki was forced to sleep alone by himself when they used to sleep together every night. Their father had gone out to search for her, while their mother had stayed in the living room all night waiting for news. All Mizuki could do was to stop himself from trembling and crying silently in bed. (Awww~~~ TWT)

Finally, the news arrived the next morning that Ririko was found. The family had gone to the hospital and was surprised to learn that she was naked when she was found. Ririko went through multiple check-ups and counselling. where they found out that she only had some slight injuries on her body, and that she had forgotten what had happened on that day. Initially, the family was told that it’s best that Ririko had forgotten about what had happened, but they started to get worried when she wasn’t growing. Even though the woman was finally caught in the end, Mizuki still blamed himself, since Ririko was forced to stay petite because of that while Mizuki grew taller and taller. As Mizuki worried about Ririko all these years during their elementary school days, he realised that he had fallen in love with her romantically, not as a sister anymore.

Ririko tried to assure Mizuki again that she wasn’t harmed at all by the woman, since the woman only dragged her outside of her house and abandoned her there, stating that now that she had remembered the past, it wasn’t an incident that’s of much of a big deal. However, Mizuki told her that the night that she went missing was a night that he will never forget since he feared that she might not return. He now feared too, that she would be snatched away by Itoh.

Ririko wondered how she could comfort Mizuki. She had wanted to protect Mizuki at that time and thus decided to hide rather than returning home herself until the next morning when she was found. (I guess little Ririko wanted to make this incident a more serious incident so that the woman would be captured and thus Mizuki would remain safe.) She did not know that her actions had ended up hurting Mizuki, the very person she had wanted to protect. Ririko had learned from Itoh earlier on that the news stated that the woman had committed suicide later on after she had captured, which made her wonder whether her actions had instead caused unhappiness and worry for Mizuki, her parents, and even the woman as well. However, regardless of what had happened, Ririko did not regret what she had done. The woman had told her that she wanted her to be exchanged for Mizuki, and thus Mizuki would definitely be targeted the next day. Ririko admitted what she had done when she was young, she wanted to increase the seriousness of the woman’s crimes (Ririko can be quite a scary kid), telling Mizuki that she might be in the wrong for doing that and whether that was considered a crime too. Mizuki assured her that what she did wasn’t a crime, but he wished that she had not done that. He was worried sick when he heard that she was naked for hours outdoors, as she might be attacked by yet another weird adult, stray dogs, or ended up getting a very bad cold, so she was landing herself in more danger by doing that. The family would have cried very badly if they had known what she had done at that time, and thought that Ririko was too silly to go ahead and do that.

Hearing what Ririko had done in the past, Mizuki can’t help but feel that Ririko was strong to fight back even when she was being abducted, unlike him, who could only remain to be her younger brother. Ririko smiled as she told Mizuki that perhaps it was fate that he was meant to be a spoiled child since Ririko was too used to take over the elder role of the sibling anyway. Mizuki confessed again that he really likes Ririko, and this feeling of his probably had nothing to do with the incident. Even if Ririko hates him, he still wants to be bound to her no matter what. As Mizuki started to cry, Ririko realised this may be the first time in years that she had seen the crying face of her younger brother. Even though Mizuki had acted to cool and solemn most of the time, he was still the spoiled younger brother before her in the end. Mizuki continued on that he would wish to return back to their relationship in the past, where they were close siblings who could laugh and talk together, though he wondered that was still possible seeing what terrible things he had done to her. Ririko decided that she can only choose to forgive Mizuki for what he had done since she too had longed for that relationship she had with Mizuki in the past.

As Mizuki continued to cry, Ririko petted him on the head, thinking that he’s just like a big dog. After so much had happened, they finally realised their feelings and managed to return to their relationship of being siblings. It seems like all those hatred and fear had dissolved away, and now she could love her younger brother with all her might again...

(So in a way, it’s a happy ending where Ririko and Mizuki were close siblings again, and Itoh and her were still dating? But... let’s read on...)

Years passed, Mizuki, Ririko and Itoh were now adults and were drinking openly in their living room. It was Mizuki’s birthday, and though Ririko would soon be growing a year older than Mizuki after a few weeks, this was a short time where the two would be at the same age. The trio had gone to study in universities in Tokyo after they had graduated from high school, and while Itoh and Ririko had chosen to stay together in an apartment, Mizuki had chosen to stay in the school dormitories, busy juggling his life with schoolwork and club activities.

(Turned out that Itoh’s family was quite rich in a sense they’ve helped to pay half of the apartment, though the two still needs to work part-time jobs to pay off their daily expenses. Ririko worked in a convenient store till last year, until she switched to working in a cafe recommended by Itoh. Even though Mizuki was mostly busy, he managed to land himself a few chances to be a model for magazines and earn some extra money. Must be good to be a good-looking person to earn money that easily ^^; Oh yeah, Itoh doesn’t have to work and could concentrate on his studies since his family is rich *shrug*)

The trio was soon drunk in their apartment, and Ririko felt someone getting near and then kissing her. It was her boyfriend, Itoh, and as she felt Itoh’s tongue in her, she could sense his alcoholic breath and realised that he must be really drunk. Ririko knew that she was also dead drunk since she could hardly lift up her arm. Soon, Itoh put his hand into her clothes and started fondling with her breasts. Ririko tried to resist since she knew that Mizuki was here too, but Itoh told her that it’s okay, spreading out her legs and started fingering her. Ririko tried to stop herself from letting out an erotic sound, and looked for Mizuki, worrying that he might find out what they were doing. Seems like Mizuki was drunk too, even though he was drinking at half the pace of Itoh, but Ririko can’t control herself and let out moaning when Itoh’s finger went into her.

Mizuki heard Ririko’s moans and awoke groggily, while Itoh grabbed Ririko from behind, and opened up her legs wide before Mizuki. Even though Mizuki tried to resist, Itoh encouraged him to have sex together (what are you talking about Itoh?!), making Ririko felt that her body was in danger as she wondered how drunk Itoh was. Mizuki kneeled before Ririko and asked her whether it was alright for him to have sex with her, and though she tried to resist, Itoh told her that he wanted to see Ririko having sex with others. As much as he might not forgive if she had sex with other guys, he’s alright when it comes to Mizuki. (Did Itoh has an NTR fetish or what...? OAO”) Mizuki readily agreed to Itoh’s wishes, while Ririko asked the two guys to knock it out.

Even though Ririko tried to resist, her hands were locked by Itoh, as Mizuki began fondling with her breasts and even sucking it. He confessed that he loves Ririko and thus he wanted to have sex with her. (Guess Mizuki still hasn’t changed all these years I guess =w=“) Ririko could feel Itoh heavily panting behind her and guessed that he must be really excited by the current situation, as Mizuki continued onto licking her private area. Itoh teased Ririko that she’s shaking her waist, suggesting that it must feel good to be being licked by her younger brother. He started fondling with Ririko’s breasts again as he looked at her face, making her shield her face in embarrassment and tears. Itoh even told Mizuki that he can have sex with Ririko without a condom and even cummed in her since he would “take responsible” if anything were to happen. (You are even willing to rear Mizuki’s and Ririko’s child? OAO”)

As Mizuki proceed to penetrate Ririko and have sex with her, Ririko only felt like vomiting. (She really did not like incest D: Why you guys are forcing it on her TWT) Itoh remarked that he felt lonely for missing out, wanting to join in the action, while Ririko’s mind was in confusion as she wondered what on earth Itoh was talking about. She looked up at Itoh and noticed that he was looking at the area where Mizuki and she were connected together intensely. As Mizuki continued having sex with her, Ririko wondered are they were all driven to do this just because they were drunk. Having sex with her brother in front of her boyfriend, it suddenly becomes something that’s not of a big deal once one is being pushed by their desire and becoming a monster. As Mizuki and Itoh continued to take turns having sex with her, Ririko wondered why do they even bother going through so many struggles and troubles in the past...

When the sex is over, Ririko went to the kitchen to get a drink to wake herself up. Itoh soon joined her after getting a smoke on the balcony (Woah... didn’t know Itoh would smoke OWO), saying that he’s here to get a drink too. Itoh remarked that it seems like Mizuki still likes Ririko romantically regardless of what had happened in the past, to which Ririko asked him what had happened just now. Itoh tried to play it off as all of them being drunk and end up doing the inevitable, and that all evidence of what had happened had been erased, except for Mizuki’s feelings towards Ririko. However, Ririko replied him that she knew that not everything will be erased (probably meaning her memory regarding this incident), and told him off that she had never expected him to be such a person to allow such a thing to happen since she had claimed that she did not wish for a sexual situation to happen between her brother and her.

Itoh asked Ririko whether she had hated him now, to which she replied that there’s no way she will hate him, since other than Mizuki, he’s the closest person to her heart other than her family. Itoh had helped them to patch up their relationships as siblings after knowing their past and was an important person in both Mizuki and her life. Even though Itoh smiled gently at her, Ririko suddenly felt a whim of distrust in her heart about him and told Itoh that they’re not going to do anything like that (the sexual situation) ever again. But what she got was a disappointing answer, Itoh would make such a situation happen again if Mizuki hopes for it. Ririko asked to know the reason, and he answered that this was the way to do to bring happiness to both of them. Ririko did not understand what is going on, and Itoh explained that his family was going to launch a food business in Tokyo, and he would be working on this business this coming year. Their first shop was actually the cafe Ririko was already working at, so Itoh will soon join her in working later on.

Turned out that Itoh had wanted to stay by Mizuki’s side ever since their junior high days. Even though in the past they could always be together since they’re in the same soccer club, Itoh knew that that won’t do once they become adults. (So... in a way Itoh had already planned for the future with him, Ririko and Mizuki forever together... since he knew that Mizuki won’t leave Ririko’s side, Itoh being with Ririko would mean that Mizuki would still stay around and thus Itoh can be by Mizuki’s side... OWO”)

Even though Itoh’s words sounds like betrayal in Ririko’s mind, she doesn’t feel betrayed at all. Itoh had been truthful all this time since he had stated he likes Mizuki from the beginning, but this just all means... Itoh continued that after he knew that Mizuki had a sister, he ended up liking Ririko the same as much as he likes Mizuki, and since they all know Mizuki’s feelings towards her, Itoh felt that he wanted to bring happiness to all of them. Even though Mizuki may not know Itoh’s feelings about him, Itoh was satisfied in just being a friend to Mizuki, though he vowed to make Mizuki’s wishes come through. He stopped Mizuki in the past since he didn’t want Mizuki to end up destroying his own future, knowing that the world would never approve of a relationship between the siblings.

As for the reason why Itoh wanted to work hard in a business? He knew that Mizuki can’t be a soccer athletic forever since the time will come where he would need to retire. Itoh wished to build up his business and help Mizuki as much as he can financially when that happens and had planned out the future even though they were all university students currently. He asked for Ririko’s hand in marriage and vowed that he would definitely bring happiness to Ririko and Mizuki. Ririko asked Itoh whether he had planned all this just to have Mizuki in his hands finally, but Itoh simply replied that he had never planned for Mizuki to belong to him, only to want to grant his wishes. The person he wanted to belong to him was Ririko, telling her that he would take responsibility forever. (How did this scenario end up creepy yet abit romantic at the same time...?)

Ririko asked Itoh why had he suddenly decided to reveal everything he had planned to her now, to which Itoh replied that he had already belonged to Ririko since a long time ago and that he would always be by her side even if Mizuki left by his own accord in the future, until the day they die. But Ririko also realised that as long as Mizuki wished for it, she may not belongs to Itoh only, to which he only smiled silently in reply. (In other words, there would be times that Itoh would “lend” Ririko to Mizuki to release his feelings for Ririko if the latter wished to... =w=“) Ririko realised that Itoh had always look at them with the same gaze he had over the years. She knew that she likes Itoh, and will only like him in the future, but the person who she only has eyes for had decided to give her away even though he claimed that he only belongs to her... That revelation alone was enough to bring despair to Ririko after she had learned about Itoh’s heart.

Suddenly, Itoh stepped towards her, making her move back a step in fear. He asked her whether she had known about her ovulation dates. Ririko’s mother was worried about Ririko’s ability to get pregnant, and thus in her letter to Itoh, she wrote that she didn’t want them to get an abortion in case Ririko wasn’t able to get pregnant again the future. She cautioned them to be careful when having sex, though if Ririko indeed gets pregnant, their mother will want Itoh to take responsibility. Itoh did not cummed in Ririko when they have sex together, and thus Ririko did not get pregnant throughout her teenage years. But Itoh had spun that into his plan for the future now, hoping that Ririko would get pregnant with Mizuki in the future by allowing him to cum in her. As Ririko started to shed tears upon knowing about Itoh’s ultimate plan, he comforted her that no one will realise that the child belongs to Mizuki, since they would just think that the child looks more like the mother as Mizuki and Ririko look alike to each other anyway.

This was then Ririko realised that this was how much Itoh likes Mizuki, that he was willing to use Ririko to bear the latter’s child. Itoh hugged Ririko silently. Though his hands were cold, Ririko could feel that his chest was warm. Even though she was being hugged gently, it did not help in stopping her tears...

(Short Rant: This twisted BL ending just makes me feel that I ended up eating shit when I thought I was about to have some sweet desserts. Ugh!!!)

Omake - Ending 4 (Itoh’s Ending)

This is considered one of the true endings, since it revealed the idea why Mizuki was “sick” (or say sort of reveal the idea why he was so obsessed with Ririko), thanks to the help of Itoh and Ririko’s mother’s letter. Even though initially things seem great that Mizuki and Ririko went back to being close siblings, and the two guys maintained their friendships, the twisted ending right at the end twisted that perfect image.

Mizuki felt that he might end up getting Ririko involved with Itoh and that it seems like she’s just being “bred” by him in the end. He welcomes the proposal suggested by Itoh since he knew that by following Itoh, he will get his share of happiness too. But knowing himself, Mizuki guessed he won’t be able to restrain himself once his feelings for Ririko had awakened. There would be one day that Mizuki will find Itoh’s presence to be an obstruction between him and Ririko, and thus... Itoh will be gone one day. (Mizuki, you’re just going to remove Itoh’s presence somehow right?!)

Seeing that Itoh was even willing to rear the future child of Ririko and Mizuki, Mizuki knew that Itoh will definitely treat the child as one of his own and that their parents will be elated as well. (Just want to rant that in the end, nobody really cares whether Ririko is happy or not TWT)

#ibara hime #otome game #r18 otome game #playthrough

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