#unless i'll try to get some sleep on a train

[pardonmydelays]

IN THE HEIGHTS countdown: 1 DAY!

song for today:

abuela, i’m sorry but i ain’t goin’ back because i’m telling your story and i can say goodbye to you smilin’, i found my island i been on it this whole time i’m home!

[roosterforme]

Aim for the Sky Part 34 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Maverick makes time to have a conversation with Bradley, but you've already lost faith in him. Your words hurt him more than anything else could. 

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, pregnancy, jealousy

Length: 3500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

When the mattress dipped and you felt the bedding shift around your legs, you opened your eyes to find Bradley climbing out of bed. The room was still dark, but his face was illuminated by his phone screen. The baby was thumping against your tender insides, making you wince, and your husband was playing around on his phone in the middle of the night. Or texting someone.

"What are you doing?" you croaked. Bradley's gaze snapped toward your face, and he leaned down to pull the covers to your shoulder.

"Uh, I need to head to base a little early," he whispered, tracing your cheek with his thumb. "To meet with Mav."

"What time is it?" you asked, rolling toward him to see his phone.

"Almost six," he replied, kissing your forehead as he tipped his screen away. "I love you. Try to get some more sleep."

You swallowed hard, rolling away from him as he started pulling his uniform from the closet. The rustle of fabric set your nerves on edge, and you squeezed your eyes shut as he got dressed. Maybe he thought you fell asleep again, because he didn't say another word before he left the room. But you were pretty sure you heard him stop in Rose's nursery before leaving the house.

Now you were wide awake and alone. Your phone told you it was 5:28 which was completely absurd. Neither you nor Bradley ever got to base before 8:00 unless you were working your ass off on a project.

He used Maverick as his excuse which seemed ridiculous. Bradley wasn't in the middle of training for a special mission which would require extra hours before daylight. And he had to know Maverick would only cover for him for so long.

You sat up and laughed miserably. Your husband was lying to you. And you thought you knew what he was lying about. Tears filled your eyes as your hand rested on your belly where your younger daughter was moving around. Why was Bradley doing this to the three of you? 

It wasn't like you couldn't tell how bad you looked at the moment. You knew it. You were bloated and chunky and broken out, but it was at least half his fault you were pregnant again in the first place. And you would make it a priority to get in shape after she was born. You would.

Your fingers were curled around the sheets, trying to keep yourself on your side of the bed, but you crawled toward Bradley's nightstand anyway. The lamp was too bright, taking your eyes a beat to adjust. You yanked the drawer open which offered almost no insight to anything except his Nugget Notebook with the pink and blue striped cover. But then you saw something underneath it.

You grabbed the second notebook, this one bright pink, and pulled it from the drawer. Only the first few pages were covered in his writing, but you soaked the words up greedily.

To my second daughter, you are the third love of my life. I realize that sounds a little unfair, like you're coming in third place, but I promise that's not that case. It's only because I met your mom and your sister first. You're not even here yet, but I already know I love you just as much as I love them. And I can't wait to meet you, too.

Before I get carried away, let me introduce myself. I'm your dad. It's my job to love you and take care of you. I'm not perfect, but I love you so much, I'll always try my best to be here for anything you need. To be honest, I never expected to have a family at all. And to be extra honest, you were a bit of a surprise. But a very good surprise. My favorite kind of surprise. I can't wait to teach you everything I know, which isn't much, but I do know how to love my three girls. 

"How?" you gasped, dropping the notebook back into the drawer. You sobbed into Bradley's pillow, unable to make sense of this. How was the man who wrote notebook passages to his children the same man who was sneaking around behind your back. With Indigo. It simply did not make sense, but both versions of him seemed to exist at the same time. And somehow you were the one who was more at odds with yourself than he was with himself.

You could feel the love he had for his daughters. It was so obvious. He was so good with Rose, and he seemed excited about having two kids.

You weren't sure if you'd be able to kick him out. You didn't know if you could leave him. If push came to shove, you didn't know if you could be that strong. You wished he wasn't making you consider it at all. 

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

"Oh, God."

Bradley was awake as soon as Maverick replied to his text at five in the morning. He'd barely been able to sleep anyway, but when Maverick told Bradley he was heading to Lemoore in a few hours for a meeting, he begged his godfather to meet with him first.

Now Bradley was sitting in his office in a silent building waiting for any help he could get. As far as he had worked out, Indigo had been devouring his extra attention for weeks for a less savory reason than he originally thought. All the times she invited him out for a drink left him shaking his head while he stared at the wedding photo perched in his desk. 

He never tried to hide the fact that he was married. He fucking flaunted it. You were perfect; why wouldn't he? If someone else thought they had a gorgeous wife? Ha, Bradley could lay it down in spades. Someone else claimed their wife was smart? Well, his was a goddamn genius. Someone wanted to brag about their kids? All he had to do was pull up a photo of Rose, and he had everyone around him swooning.

He found it easier to make small talk about his family than anything else these days, and he was sure Indigo knew he was married before he even left Texas to fly back to San Diego. It still seemed unlikely she wanted to sleep with him, but he wasn't going to deny that Nat was usually right about these things.

"Oh, God," Bradley groaned for probably the tenth time since he woke up. He wanted to rewind and go back to Texas and never select Indigo in the first place. 

But would that have been fair? To leave her behind when she was the best? When she was clearly one of the pilots who should be moving forward with new programs? It wasn't like she ever touched him. Other than persistently inviting him for drinks and showing up for all of his office hours, she never made an advance. But now he was uncomfortable. There was something about the way she always looked at him that.....yeah, Nat was right.

But if Bradley couldn't handle his first assignment in his new position, how was he supposed to prove he could do this going forward?

There was a knock on his already open door, and Maverick stood there looking perplexed. "Bradley? What did you need that couldn't wait until later this week?"

Bradley groaned again as he stood. "Can you shut the door?"

"Sure."

Maverick let it slip from his fingers, and Bradley waited until the echo of the door closing gave way to silence. He could feel his godfather's gaze on his face as his eyes closed. He swallowed hard, not wanting to waste the other man's time, but now that he was here, he felt so stupid. 

"I need your help," Bradley rasped, voice hoarse as his eyes opened. "It's work related."

"Okay," Maverick replied, voice between a statement and a question. "What can I do?"

Bradley's fingers curled around the edge of his desk as he looked down at his phone sitting there. "Uh...Mav, this is embarrassing."

When Maverick took a step closer, he reached across the desk to cuff Bradley on the shoulder. "Just hit me with it."

Bradley took a long breath and let it out slowly. "There's another officer who... well, it's been brought to my attention that she..." He let go of his desk and rubbed his fingertips against his eyes. "There's a chance my wife thinks something's going on between me and another officer on base. One who reports to me."

Maverick's expression gave nothing away, but he shifted his weight from one foot to the other before taking a step away from Bradley. "To be clear, Bradley, are you asking me to help you hide an indiscretion from your wife?"

Bradley's head tilted slightly. "Huh?" he grunted, thoughts already swirling around his mind so rapidly, it took him a few seconds to catch up. "What the fuck, Mav? No!" he gasped. "An indiscretion?" He could barely even say the word as he shook his head. "No. God, no! Nothing happened! Nothing is ever going to happen!"

He realized he was shouting when Maverick's hands flew into the air in surrender. "Okay. Alright. I hear you loud and clear. I just needed to be sure I understand what we're dealing with here. Why don't you have a seat and explain everything to me?"

Bradley was raking his fingers through his hair as he dropped down into his chair. "It's Lieutenant Jeffries. Indigo." Her intense blue eyes filled his mind as he shook his head. "Phoenix and Hangman pointed out that she..." He paused and glanced at the ceiling. "This is so embarrassing, Mav, but they said it seems like she wants to sleep with me."

"Hmm."

When Maverick hummed and went silent, Bradley said, "I know how ridiculous it sounds."

"It doesn't," his godfather replied immediately. "This sort of thing happens sometimes. You said nothing happened? You should keep your distance moving forward, and if she contacts you outside of work or does anything inappropriate, we can write it up."

Bradley groaned miserably, unlocked his phone, and pushed it across the desk with his messages open. "She did text me outside of work."

While Maverick reached for the phone, he said, "Did you give her your number?"

"No. Why would I do that?" he replied. "But honestly, it's not hard to get access to that kind of information. I didn't think much of it the first time."

Maverick shrugged. "Well, what did she text-" His eyes grew wide when he looked down at the phone, his cheeks turning pink as he was surely looking at the photo that had been in Bradley's messages for less than twelve hours.

"Yeah," Bradley croaked. "She sent that last night."

"But she texted you before that. When you never explicitly gave her your number." Maverick looked up at him, shaking his head. "Bradley, what were you thinking? She seems to have some sort of agenda. You should have come to me immediately after the first message."

Bradley stood, stomach lurching. His marriage, career, and reputation were somehow all on the line, and he hadn't even done anything. He couldn't help but think of his parents and the fact that his dad probably never put his mom through this kind of shit when she was seven months postpartum.

"An agenda?" Bradley whispered. "Shit, Mav. This is the kind of thing that happens on carriers. Not on base. I thought this was something men did way more than women when they wanted to cheat."

Maverick handed his phone back across the desk with the photo of Indigo open. Bradley swiped out of the text thread immediately, sick to his stomach. 

"You work in a high stakes field where women routinely outperform men. They are capable of anything you are."

"I know that!" Bradley snapped. "But I'm married! I'm not looking for that shit. I never let on that I was."

"Oh, you sweet summer child," Maverick sighed, checking his watch. "Literally," he added as he dug his own phone from his pocket. "If Lieutenant Jeffries is sending you photos and playing coy, she doesn't care about your wife."

Bradley winced. "Fuck."

"Yeah," Maverick grunted, taking a few steps toward the door. "And your wife is pregnant and vulnerable, and now I'm going to have to tell Admiral Simpson that I'll be late getting to Lemoore. Follow me. And bring your phone."

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

Bradley was late getting home. This was happening almost every night now, and you were hanging on by a thread as Rose screamed in your arms. She was fed, but she always seemed to prefer the way Bradley burped her over your technique.

"He's not here," you said through gritted teeth. "I don't know where he is or when he'll be back. I just need you to burp so you can go to sleep."

Your texts had gone unanswered. You weren't sure if Bradley had been in the cafeteria at lunchtime, because you hid in your office. Dinnertime had come and gone, and his cold plate of food was currently sitting on the kitchen counter.

"I don't know where he is," you repeated to your daughter while her younger sister did somersaults against your bladder. Rose's sobs finally started to taper off as you rubbed your hand firmly against her back. She finally burped, and that seemed to do the trick. Her fists curled up next to her face as she yawned. You barely had enough time to change her into a clean diaper and pajamas before her eyes were closed.

You were mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. You stood in her nursery, watching her sleep while you decided you needed to say something to your husband tonight. There was no way you could keep punishing yourself for not being enough. If he wanted someone else, you deserved to have him say it to your face.

But when you heard him open the front door thirty minutes later, your heart lurched into your stomach at the sight of him. You'd known how handsome he was since the day you met him, and he only seemed to get better looking with age. Each year added more silver to his hair and laugh lines to his face, but he was undeniably sexy.

Today, however, he looked exhausted, and your brain went wild with awful ideas. What had he gotten up to? Why was he so late? The top buttons of his uniform were undone, and his hair was mussed. He was staring down at his phone in his hand while you stood silently at the end of the hallway, terrified of what he was looking at.

Suddenly everything you'd been holding inside for weeks was bubbling up to the surface, and you were done holding it back. You cleared your throat, and his gaze snapped up to your face, phone hanging in his hand by his side.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Is Rosie already asleep?"

You nodded, taking each step slowly until you were standing right in front of him. When he reached for you, his fingers skimmed your shoulder before you pushed his hand away. Those beautiful, brown eyes you loved so much went wide, but he didn't look surprised. Not at all.

"Why are you so late?" you snapped. "And don't feed me some bullshit about office hours, because I know your schedule. Or, at least, I know what they are supposed to be."

Bradley licked his lips, gesturing between the two of you with his phone. "I had to take care of something important with Maverick."

You wanted to laugh in his face. "You're really going to use the same excuse as this morning? Another meeting with Maverick? What, one was at the crack of dawn and the other was after dinnertime? I've been texting you for hours, Bradley."

You watched his Adam's apple bob. "I didn't have my phone with me for part of the day."

"You have it now!" you laughed sardonically, pointing at his hand just in time to see his phone light up. 

It was her. You saw her name there. Indigo. She was texting your husband well after work hours, and you could already feel the tears stinging your eyes.

You grabbed his phone before he seemed to realize what was happening. Your fingers shook as you entered his passcode to find it was still your birthday. He wasn't even trying to hide this from you. He wasn't trying to take his phone back. As you braced yourself for what you were about to see, you whispered, "What the fuck is going on with her?"

His brown eyes were so sincere, and once again, you couldn't understand how this was the same man who wrote journals for his unborn children. "Nothing," he replied, voice taking on a tone of defeated exhaustion. "There's nothing going on."

Your eyes dipped down to his phone to find not one, but two flirtatious selfies. One new one, and one that was sent last night while he was working out in the garage. Indigo's eyes stared back at you from the screen, mocking you, making a fool of your family.

You were crying. You didn't want Bradley to see you cry right now, but you couldn't stop. "This doesn't look like nothing. And you didn't tell her to stop."

Now he looked panicked, eyes wide as he saw the photo on his phone in your hand. "Okay, I know this looks bad, but I reported it, I swear! I've never been alone with her behind closed doors. You can call Mav!"

Violent sobs shook your body, and when Bradley slowly let his hand settle on your arm, you shook him free. "You expect me to believe nothing is going on? When you get home late every day? When she told me that it's no wonder you prefer her since I let myself go?" you gasped, swiping at your tears.

"What?" Bradley barked as you blindly handed his offending phone back to him. "She said that to you?"

You nodded miserably, taking a step away from him. "I don't want to know if you said that to her, or if she formed her own opinion after spending time with you. And I don't want to know if you're fucking her or just considering it. But I want you out of the house."

Bradley looked like you just slapped him. His mouth was hanging open, brow creased while you sobbed. "You want me out?" he whispered, hand going up to rake his fingers through his hair.

"Yes," you squeaked, trying to stay strong not just for yourself, but for your daughters as well. Every word hurt as you forced them out of your mouth, but you had to say them. "Go. Until I can talk to my parents about canceling the sale of their house. I'll transfer to Annapolis. Take the girls with me."

Bradley closed the distance to you, tears already pooling in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. His lips found your belly, and you sobbed harder as he wrapped his hands around your hips. "No. You can't," he said so softly, you could barely hear him. When he looked up at your face, you almost believed he would never be capable of hurting you. "Baby Girl, you can't leave me. I need you. I need my girls."

When you stepped out of his grasp, his arms fell limply to his sides. You'd never seen him look so miserable before, and you had to stand firm instead of reaching for his hands.

"Find somewhere else to sleep."

The implications of your own words stung your heart, and you had to watch him slowly get to his feet. He kissed your forehead, and your eyes blurred with fresh tears when he went down the hallway to Rose's room. Less than a minute passed, but each second felt like a day. You had plenty of time to tell him the truth. That you didn't want him to leave. That you couldn't blame him for wanting someone else, and you still needed him as much as he said he needed you.

When he reappeared, you pressed your lips together even as he kissed your damp cheek. "I love you," he rasped. "I'm never going to stop loving you. I'll figure out some way to make you believe me."

You watched him retreat to the front door with his keys, shoulders sagging as he gave you one last lingering look before slipping out into the darkness.

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

Ouch. Ouch. Okay. I want BG to believe Roo beyond any doubt, and I think I know how to make that happen. Please stay tuned. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 36

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[arc-misadventures]

Team Leader Woes

Glynda: Hello, Mr. Arc. Do you know why i called you here today?

Jaune: Noooo...

Glynda: It's because you fell asleep in my class. In fact, you have fallen asleep in a multitude of class other than my own.

Jaune: I'm sorry, Professor Goodwitch...

Glynda: Would you care to explain why you keep falling asleep during classes?

Jaune: I haven't been able to get a proper good nights sleep for the past few... weeks...

Glynda: Weeks? What is happening, Mr. Arc?

Jaune: My... Yawnnnnnn... My teammates aren't giving me time to sleep...

Glynda: Your teammates? What are they doing that keeps you awake at night?

Jaune: My partner... Neo...

Glynda: Yes, Ms. Politian, what of her?

Jaune: Well... When I go to bed, Neo comes over to me, and... and...

Glynda: And...?

Jaune: Uhhh...

~~~

Jaune: Huw, what?

Neo: 😁👋

Jaune: Neo? What is it?

Neo: 👌🍆💦😁

Jaune: Oh come on, Neo, I need to get some sleep... And, not with you...

Neo: 😠

Neo: 🤔

Neo: 😀☝️

Jaune: Neo, what are you...

Neo:

Jaune: ...

~~~

Jaune: She's been trying to sleep with me, and she's been keeping me up at night with all of her attempts...

Glynda: What is wrong with that? She wants to sleep next...

Jaune: ...

Glynda: You're talking about sex, aren't you?

Jaune: Yes... She's been rather... thirsty... and, keeping me up late at night with her advances... She's been whitling me down until I snap, and... do her...

Glynda: I see... And, unless you sleep with her, you won't be able to get any sleep?

Jaune: Yes...

Glynda: Any idea why she is... doing this to you...

Jaune: I uhh... I triggered a kink in her...

Glynda: You what?!

Jaune: She was being a brat, so I grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her against the ground... She blushed like a ripping tomato, and has been trying to seduce me ever since... Short stacks like to be man handled it seems...

Glynda: Oh... okay... Well... Despite all of this, your combat grades have improve drastically! Why you even beat, Ms. Xiao Long the other day. When you first started she would, pardon the expression, mop the floor with you. Now you can hold your ground with the best of them, and even win. You should be proud of yourself, Jaune.

Jaune: Thank... Yawnnn... Thank you, Professor... but, that's most because of the twins... threats...

Glynda: The Twins threat? Are you talking about your teammates the, Malachite twins?

Jaune: Yep...

Glynda: What exactly are they... threatening you with?

Jaune: Yawnnn... The pair agreed to train me, but if I fail... They'll...

Glynda: They'll...?

~~~

Jaune: Thanks guys! I really appreciate you guys training with me.

Miltia : Think nothing of it, Jaune!

Melanie: It's our pleasure!

Miltia, and Melanie:

Jaune: Alright! I'm ready!

Miltia: Oh! Before we begin, Jaune we have to tell you something.

Jaune: Oh, what?

Melanie: If we beat you!

Miltia: Whoever beats you gets to have sex with you on the spot!

Jaune: ...

Jaune: What?!

~~~

Jaune: ...

Glynda: S-Seriously...

Jaune: Yeah... I've been running on fumes trying to stop both the twins, and Neo's advances... I am absolutely exhausted...

Glynda: Oh... Those are certainly some... understandable reasonings on why you haven't been sleeping...

Jaune: Yeah... pretty much...

Glynda: Are you falling asleep, Mr. Arc?

Jaune: I've been falling asleep for the last two weeks...

Glynda: Oh~? Come here, Jaune. Place your head down here...

Jaune: This is.. this is your lap... Are you giving me a lap pillow...?

Glynda: Yes, I am?

Jaune: Why...?

Glynda: Because, you're such a brave student, trying to hold out as long against those little sluts. Here, rest your head upon my succulent thighs for as long as you want I'll keep those horny brats away from you~!

Jaune: Oh... okay... Thank you... Professor...

Glynda: My pleasure, Jaune~!

Jaune: ...

Jaune: ...

Glynda smiled as she watched, Jaune's resting face as he slumbered across her thighs she looked up, and saw the rest of, Jaune's teammates before flipping them the bird.

Glynda: He's all mine bitches~!

Neo: 🤬💢

Melanie: Fuck!

Miltia: I knew we were pushing him too hard!

///

I think the punk aesthetic would have looked better than the gothic lolita in my opinion.

[witherby]

Hey El! I’m back and god this place needs a clean! *Iooks in the booth and sees a man sleeping* is this one of your employees or not? Also with truceJuice how would Kon and the family react to an over worked mouse?

You leave that little guy alone! That's Blorbo, he's my emotional support loiterer! I give him some leftover drabbles and he scrapes all the gum off from underneath my tables and warns me when the Health Department is coming. We have a symbiotic relationship.

And, hmm. I like this question! Let's walk it through!

How does your family + Kon react to you overworking yourself at Truce Juice?

Masterlist is Here!

Bruce:

Can't say shit to you and he knows it. This man is THE overdoer of overdoing anything. Trained his body beyond typical and atypical human limits. Used to train himself to sleep in 20 minute bursts in his prime so he could spend the other 23 hours and 40 minutes a day working on bettering Gotham day and night. Made contingency plans for every single hero and villain and antihero known to him just in case he might need to put them down one day. Bruce has never done anything with less than 110% commitment. It's not a surprise you picked up that trait, as much as it makes him both proud and worried for you. So, like the hypocritical coward he is, Bruce says nothing.

To you. He's gonna lament about it to the others, though.

Hal:

Not happy about it. You're grown, and you can do what you want with your time as you see fit, but if you happen to be spending more time at your cafe and less time at home, that's when he's gonna crack his knuckles and start bugging you.

"Hey, kiddo! I think you've stocked up enough ingredients to keep this joint running for the next 6 months. Five if Killer Croc orders anything more than once a week. Don't you think you're going a little overboard? Come on home and take a rest; I'll give you a ride."

Dick:

He's gonna try to get legal about it. If you're in there working beyond your posted opening and closing times, he's threatening to fine your business. You wouldn't want that, would you? Just call it quits for the day and go lie down! Everything is fine!

(This does not work. You hand him a fat stack of cash to cover the fine, call your brother a Blüddy pig, and oink at him until he rushes out of the store, embarrassed.)

Jason:

Enforces the Weekly Family Nap Time when you don't. He calls or texts you and says you've got five minutes to wrap up the most important shit, then he's coming. It doesn't matter if you lock the doors, he's getting in the building, he's hoisting you over his shoulder, and he's taking you home and putting you and everybody else to bed. Shouldn't have skipped dinner, idiot. Now you're in a big cuddle puddle. If you use your shadows to slip away, he's threatening to cause property damage. He'll take the heat on that if it gets you to slow down.

Tim:

You're stubborn and bull-headed like the rest of your family. Once you focus on a task you're very unlikely to pull your attention away from it unless you're made to. So he makes you.

He locks down your POS system until you call him in frustration, then gets you to give it up and come home.

"It's eleven at night, M. The place closed at seven. Come back and I'll reactivate it tomorrow morning before it's supposed to open again, I promise. Whatever you're doing can wait."

Damian:

Similar to Jason, he's slipping into the cafe after hours and leveling you with a disappointed glare. Unlike Dick and Hal, his little guilt trips and speeches actually work.

"When you were six years old, I watched you flatline in a hospital bed because of your poor immune system. And you hadn't even done anything to get yourself sick back then." He leans against the counter and watches you painstakingly adjust and readjust and re-readjust all the furniture in preparation for the painting crew scheduled to arrive in the morning to give the place a fresh look. You refuse to turn around and face him. "Why are you purposely working yourself sick again? Are you going to make me sit at your bedside in the ICU while you fight for your life over something you couldn't leave to the other staff? To the contractors you hired to do this for you? Are you trying to frighten the people that love you, Flit?"

You leave the furniture where it's at and go hug your brother, then let him take you home.

+ Conner:

Sometimes you're overworked because there's too much to do, and not enough hours in the day. You aren't the kind of boss to ask your staff to stay longer than they've been scheduled for (not realizing that they happily would if you needed the help), so you take on the mundane, often laborious, after-closing duties yourself.

Conner is attuned to your needs and desires. He doesn't have to convince you to pack it up and go home. He knows that's what you want to do. But you also have to take care of your business, and sometimes that means staying for hours past closing to supervise a major renovation, or coming in so early the sun hasn't even risen to receive a shipment of baked goods from across the city.

Conner doesn't force you to abandon those tasks to go home. But he does stay to help them along. Need something moved from one end of the café to the other? He's on it. Need something dropped off at another store? Leave it to him. Need someone to prevent the creepy window washer from staring at your ass? He's already on it.

And when it's all said and done, and you can finally head out for the night, Conner will carry you home.

[mrpenguinpants]

Turning Red

— He's always so serious that they can't help but wonder what kind of emotions he's hiding underneath. Good thing you're around.

— Dan Heng, Gepard, Blade + Jing Yuan

Slight spoilers for Xianzhou and Kafka's companion quest.

[Masterlist]

I've fallen into the Honkai train, but here we are. Also, I know Jing Yuan doesn't fit this prompt but I like him so who cares.

Dan Heng

"Dan Heng! We need one more person to play Celestial Jade!" March hollars down the hallway only to receive no response. It makes her pout, biting the inside of her cheek as she taps her foot restless against the floor, "If you don't come soon then I'll be the one in trouble you know!"

Again no response...

She's checked his room and the archives, and yet no sign of the man. The Express is only so big so surely he didn't wander off somewhere outside right? Maybe you know where he is? Dan Heng seems to talk to you more than he does with her, so maybe he gave you a heads-up that he was going somewhere? It's not a solid plan, but it's a plan nonetheless so she marches her way to your room.

"Hey, have you seen Dan Heng anywh-" March starts as she opens your door only to stop mid-sentence since the eyes of the very man she was looking for are staring right back at her. "Ah. Oops."

Her eyes slowly trail down from his and ah- she understands why he was missing. You're curled up around him, arms haphazardly laid across his waist while your head is cushioned by his chest. Dan Heng doesn't seem to find your sleeping position bothersome, if anything it looks like he's trying to slowly nudge you closer without waking you up. One hand is on his phone, probably typing away on the databank, while the other is curled around your waist. His chin rests on top of yours contentedly as his white and turquoise coat is used as a mock blanket, leaving him in the black turtle neck.

Dan Heng looks like he's about to say something but you shift and mumble something in your sleep and they both go still. Scared that they may have accidentally woken you up and the Express doesn't have enough space for March to run and hide from Dan Heng but thankfully, you seem to settle down and return to your dreams. Thus, March and Dan Heng are locked in a staring contest before she slowly reaches into her back pocket without breaking eye contact.

"Don't you dare," Dan Heng whispers as loud as he dares, although his pink cheeks don't do anything to make him look intimidating.

"Oh, I think I dare," she grins too widely as she raises her camera, making sure it's on silent before she starts to bombard her gallery with a pink Dan Heng because he can't stop her unless he gets up. The most he can do is turn his face away but it shows the world his red ears. Once she's satisfied, she's sticking her tongue out and darts out of the room. She expects that two things will happen. Dan Heng will hunt her down and make her delete the pictures, but not before she sends them all to him. As soon as the door closes and March walks down at the end of the hallway she let her mini explosion commence because Geez! That was so cute! Who knew Dan Heng could be so adorable! Why can't she have that with someone special, this isn't fair!!

Gepard

Gepard Landau. The prestigious young captain of the Silvermane Guards who belongs to the noble Landau family. A personality of righteousness, a good family background, and on top of that he sure has a pretty face. The absolute perfect man.

What a boring guy.

That's the only thought that runs through Sampo's mind as he observes the blond hair man talking to his subordinate from a distance. The two of you are supposed to be on break - he knows this because it makes the other Silvermane Guards more relaxed so it's easier for him to run around - and yet Gepard has his back straight and looks as if he's never heard of what a day-off is. What a shame that those pretty blues only have eyes for reports.

"This part here has been causing some issues for our intelligence team," he hears the subordinate say and Sampo's eyes shift to you. He's heard of you before although not as much as Gepard. A simple errand girl who frequently moves between the Silvermane Guards and the Neverwinter Workshop to deliver messages and supplies. Nothing incredibly remarkable but you're a kind person who keeps to themselves. Sampo thinks you and him could get along if you didn't hang around Gepard so often.

"Let me see..." Gepard mumbles and leans down closer to read the fine print before you turn your head to the side and plant a small kiss on his cheek. Despite the cute gesture, Gepard doesn't change or make any expression. He simply steps back into a polite distance, a hand coming up to loosen his collar as he clears his throat, before reprimanding you on workplace-appropriate jokes. You don't seem to take offense to his lack of response, just adorably hiding your smile behind your paper before waving goodbye to the Captain. Meanwhile, Sampo is coughing violently behind his fist because what the hell was that? So much build-up only for a lackluster ending? As a man of the dramatics, it's too much for him.

"Seriously, there's nothing fun about this guy," Sampo sighs, shrugging his shoulders as if to console himself. He's about to turn and leave but the rushed clinking of armor has him looking back at the Captain.

"Seriously..." Gepard mutters before hiding his face behind his hand. Even from this distance, Sampo can see how red the Captain's ears have gotten just from a simple cheek kiss.

Blade

Kafka thinks you're cute. Really cute.

Everyone in the Stellaron Hunters hides their true emotions behind multiple masks and it's refreshing to meet someone who wears their heart on their sleeve. Although it could also be because you're incredibly bad at hiding your feelings. Even if Kafka wasn't as skilled as she is with reading people, you do a piss poor job. Still, it's fun for her and that's the important part.

"Oh? Back so soon?" Kafka greets you as you step out of the alleyway. Even if your face isn't plastered across the Xianzhou like Kafka's and Blades, it wouldn't look good to be seen conversing with them. Plus you rather like being able to walk in broad daylight without the fear of the Cloud Knights chasing you down to slap some cuffs on you.

"Yes ma'am. We can depart when you're ready," you salute and she can't help but laugh at your cute mannerism. It makes you falter the slightest bit but you hold your pose.

"Good. Good. It must have been hard to pilot a ship so close to the Xianzhou without being detected. Especially given," she makes a gesture at Blade, "recent events."

You only nod at her hidden meaning before she's suddenly stepping into your personal space. You can only make a small noise before her arm is wrapped around your waist pulling you closer to her, and you pointedly ignore how her chest is pressed against yours, and her other hand raises your chin until your lips brush against hers. With her so close, she can see the pink in your cheeks growing and how tense your body is against hers. Your eyes dart from her down to her lip before catching yourself and instead looking behind her. It's cute.

"Would you like a reward?" she whispers next to your ear.

"Don't tease so much."

"Oh," Kafka blinks twice, turning her head to her companion as she lets go of your chin so she can press her fingertips against her mouth like one of those posh ladies when they find out about the latest gossip, "how out of character Bladie."

He doesn't dignify her with a response, just closes his eyes and goes back into his meditation. His face fell into that perfect stone that she could have imagined that he spoke. But those piercing eyes carving their way into her bones are unmistakable that even if they are closed, she still feels watched. But she relents and drops her arms around you before sending you off back to the ship. They'll join you soon.

"That's interesting," Kafka muses, she rolls her fingers as thin magenta strings appear before being flicked away with her wrist. Blade shouldn't be able to register anything but herself and yet, he seemed to notice you.

Jing Yuan

Yanqing has the sneaking suspicion that his General is sneaking off to slack off again. While he knows Jing Yuan is incredibly busy and he tends to do things discreetly, this getting far too strange. The General always has a complacent smile, but recently, it's been a tiny bit more genuine every time he waltzs in. For someone so tall, at least in Yanqing's opinion, he's able to slip past everyone and it's impossible to get in contact with him until he suddenly appears hours later. Yanqing would know, he's blasted the General's phone only to receive a cute emote and a "Surely my lieutenant is more than suitable for this, no?". Does it make Yanqing swell with so much pride that he forgets about Jing Yuan slacking off, maybe, but that's beside the point.

"General, what exactly are you doing in your... "off time"," Yanqing words slowly, unsure of what he was asking is considered a pry into Jing Yuan's personal life and if he will get upset with him.

"You're making it sound as if I'm doing something depraved during this "off time"," Jing Yuan chuckles at how fast Yanqing turns pink at his implications. Yanqing's hands quickly come up in a placating nature as he shakes his head so hard that his ponytail smacks against the wall.

"N-Not at all General! I was just curious- but you don't need to answer if it's something important!" Yanqing struggles through his words but luckily, Jing Yuan doesn't seem to take offense. If anything, he finds it amusing as he rubs Yanqing's head like an overactive puppy. It makes Yanqing huff and shoos away the offending hand before crossing his arms, expectantly waiting for an answer.

"It's not anything that needs to be kept as a secret. I'm simply taking a walk around Xianzhou to distress. You should take some time to do so as well, training every single day without a break will only lead to weary bones and stiff muscles," Jing Yuan advises which Yanqing nods carefully along to. Although Yanqing's eyes drift from the General's eyes to mouth, he seems more...softer around the edges? Even though he's the only one here, it looks like Jing Yuan is speaking to someone else through him.

"Are you sure you're not doing something indecent?" Yanqing deadpans to which the General laughs. He reaches over to ruffle his disciple's hair again before crossing them behind his back and walking ahead. Seriously, Yanqing thinks as he fixes his hair back into place, he can never get a good read on his General.

[st4rychnine]

Cheating Spree ★ Suguru Geto

mature content!

you can't feel anything anymore; the rain seems to have washed everything away. it soaks through your clothes, chilling you down to the bone, yet you don't care, you can't. you're done caring, you're tired. 

you sigh, finally pausing your long walk to look up at the darkened sky, pouring rain as if it was weeping for you.

then you realize. you're in front of gojo and geto's shared apartment. you gasp, sigh, and think… this was as good a time as any. despite the fact that you're literally a dripping wet mess, you're going to break up with satoru.

when you ring the doorbell, it's suguru that answers.

at a hulking five foot eleven, bulging muscles, obsidian eyes, and unending miles of dark hair, you swear on your life that suguru geto is the most attractive man you'd ever seen. and here he was, standing before you in nothing more than grey sweatpants. 

"you alright? why're you standing in the rain like that; wanna come in?" his voice is low, husky, sexy. you stammer while trying to answer.

"I– is…" you swallow, clear your throat. "Is satoru home? There's… something I'd like to… talk to him about. briefly." it takes everything in you to keep your eyes trained on his.

oh man. when you say the man was built like a Greek God, you meant it. but it was an awful time to thirst over your ex's best friend. even though he was leaning against the door frame without a single care in the world. even though you could clearly see that sexy trail of hair, stretching all the way from his lower abdomen and disappearing into his sweatpants.

holy fuck. 

suguru hums and meets your eyes, amusement dancing in the obsidian depths. then he shakes his head. "nah, I should be asking you that though. earlier, he told me that he was going on some bar date with you, so. unless…” then it dawns on him.

you thought you were behind feelings, but you couldn't stop the small twinge of pain in your chest that your boyfriend was away screwing other girls and lying to his best friend that he was out with you.

it sucked.

you blink at the news, then sigh, resigned. "alright. I'll… be on my way then."

just as you turn around, ready to leave, he stops you with a call of your name. "I don't think you should be out in this weather. come on in. you can stay the night."

you don't have the strength to disagree. 

in about fifteen minutes, you've settled on the couch in one of suguru's old shirts, swathed in blankets with a cup of steaming coffee warming your hands.

suguru's at the kitchen counter, whipping up something small for himself.

the coffee doesn't do it for you. you need something stronger; something to make you forget. "geto? do you happen to have any alcohol on you?”

“uh… I think so. should be somewhere,” he says, opening and closing a few cupboards until he hits the jackpot. he gets out a tall bottle, tinted a dark black, and pops it open. he pours the contents into two glasses, then turns around, hands you one filled with a bromine-coloured liquid.

you accept it gratefully, downing half the glass in a single gulp. 

it's liquid fire, leaving you wincing as it slides down your throat. liquid fire, but it tasted lovely. it had an orange-like flavour with a slightly bitter undertone. "it's nice." you say, and it's true.

suguru smiles. "I know – it's our most expensive." he takes a sip of his drink.  “you can sleep in Satoru's room. I don't think he'll be returning tonight.”

you shake your head, a pang striking your chest. “I'd rather sleep on the sofa.” you say matter-of-factly. 

he hums in response.  “you can take my bed then. i’ll take the sofa.” 

again, you shake your head, insisting on the sofa. the last thing you wanted to do was to make the poor guy uncomfortable. he's already being such a darling, helping out a brokenhearted girl. you didn't want to inconvenience him any further. 

but that's technically what you end up doing because he insists, and you're unable to argue. you down the rest of your drink and hold out your glass for another.

while refilling the glass, Suguru asks, “so… do you want to watch a movie?”

you don't say no.

you end up watching some stupid fucking horror movie, which left you practically trembling against suguru, covering your face and peeking between your fingers.

you hadn't expected it to be this scary. it was a movie that had always been on your to-watch list, and now, you absolutely regret choosing it. it's interesting, but definitely won't leave you with peace of mind for the next few days.

“sorry…” you murmur, voice pitched high and slurred from the alcohol. “I don't do well with horror movies.”

suguru laughs, eyes glued to the screen. “why’d you pick it, then?”

“I don't knowwwww!” you cry, flinching at a scene and covering your eyes. God knows you might share suguru’s bed with him tonight. no, not in that way. “i didn't know it was this scary!”

“it's not even that scary,” he says, still chuckling.

“yeah, maybe to you! we're sharing your bed!” you cling onto his arm, burying your face in his shirt.

“really?” he smirks, and your face burns at the implied meaning. “fine, but you've gotta watch it.”

you shake your head, no.

“please?” suguru asks, trying to pry your hands away from your face. they don't budge. “aw, come on! its only fun if we watch it together!”

“I'm not here to have fun!”

“but you should, regardless of your purpose.” he tries to pry your fingers away from your face, and finally, you give in.

the rest of the movie is spent with you clutching at Suguru for a dear life and screaming, especially when unnecessary. 

by the time the movie is over you're a mess, laughing with tears running down your face. “ne– never again!” you half-sob.

he pats your head. ��don't worry, you did good. at least you enjoyed it, yeah?”

you sniff and turn away.

he calls your name. twice. you refuse to answer though, feigning mock anger. although he probably deserves it genuine after forcing you to watch that stupid fucking movie. its your fault though, technically. you shrug and scoff.

Suguru decides in that moment. he's going to fuck you. being honest, he's always wanted to. and now, he's got a chance. he'll take it. oh and, he wanted to piss satoru off. it was well deserved. so once more, he calls you. 

you turn to him, pupils blown wide in the reflected television light, lips wet. damn, he wanted those around his cock.

he shifts closer to you; your lips are almost touching. you have no idea when the energy around the two of you changed.

"you want revenge on Satoru, yeah? well, I've got a plan." he mummurs huskily, his lips brushing yours. 

"wh– what is it?"

"let me fuck you." then he smashes his lips on yours.

the kiss is unlike anything you've ever experienced before – with satoru or otherwise – and, oh boy, you loved it. your lips are pried open, your tongue dancing with his in the most sloppy, lewd kiss you've ever partaken in. 

you know it's wrong. I mean– you're technically cheating on your boyfriend, aren't you?

but even as the thought crosses your mind, you push it away. 

tit for tat.

his hands grip your waist, pulling you even closer to him as the kiss gets even filthier and filthier, then the two of you pull away.

you're left panting and gasping for breath and suguru, well, looks otherwise unaffected. but the growing erection in his grey sweatpants states otherwise.

"you accept?" you swear his voice grows an octave deeper. 

you need him so bad. "ye– yes…" you whisper. "yes sir."

his thumb strokes your cheek, and he presses another kiss to your lips. "I want you to suck my cock for me. would you do that?” he whispers against them. you nod.

your heart beats furiously, head dizzy as you find yourself on your knees. you feel like you're dreaming.

if you are, then it's a good one.

suguru loosens the ropes on his sweatpants and pulls the front down, just enough for his boner to pop out.

it's longer and thicker than anything you've ever seen; not that you'd seen that many anyway. but still. it's length was tremendous – you'd roughly estimated about ten inches, his girth about thee.

all in all, you don't think it'll fit. in your mouth or otherwise.

"you're staring like you're seeing something extraordinary.” suguru smiles

you're about to dish out a mildly disturbed ‘because it is!’ but you hold your tongue and give the tip an experimental lick to stop him, from saying anything else.

then you take a big breath and wet it with your saliva before taking the thing into your mouth. 

the thing is monstrous, the head barely fitting past your lips. you try as possible to keep your teeth away from it, opening your mouth wider than comfortable. tears bead in your eyes, trickling down your cheeks.

you get the head, then the first few inches. you try to work your tongue around it as much as possible; if there was any one thing you learned while with satoru, tongue action was key.

you're less than halfway – about three inches in – and the tip was already poking the back of your throat. you have no idea what to do except keep going. so you take the next two inches. 

the wet suckling noises you make, the tears that stream down your cheeks – they turn suguru on even more, his cock twitching in your mouth. he's literally a grown man, but watching you struggle to get down the sheer length and girth of him is doing things to him. he's a grown man, but he's about to blow his load already. it takes everything in him not to. "fuck– you're doing quite good. you've got a bit more to go."

that certainly gets you going. you squeeze your eyes shut and swallow around him, willing yourself to not choke. you swallow down the next three, whimpering lowly around him. tears prickle at your eyes and trail down your cheeks.

"almost there. come on. thats my girl – fu– yeah?" suguru's voice is audibly strained, his fingers clutching your hair. oh man, he's about to lose it. 

you force yourself down on the last two, your nose finally pressed against his pubes. you tremble, forcing yourself to not choke around it's girth.

you did it! but at what cost?

you open your eyes, looking up at him though your lashes. My guy looks like a Greek god; long black hair sticking to his forehead and the sides of his face and his neck, thick brows furrowed, dark black eyes endless and glossy, and god, he's so fucking fine.

you're dripping through your underwear.

he calls your name in what is almost a moan, gripping your hair in a fist. "shit – fuck, don't look at me like that–"

you hum through a mouthful of dick then shrug. like what?

maintaining eye contact, you pull your head backward, almost choking as his length retracts from your throat. you pull back halfway, then go down again, swallowing the half-length. 

you continue the movements, – retract, then swallow – slow and jerky at first, but eventually, you begin to build a steady pace.

saliva and precum leak out of your mouth, coating his cock with a transparent sheen and suguru groans above you, hands gripping your face as his hips fuck subtly into your mouth.

a mild, salty taste builds at the back of your throat as his precum leaks from the tip of his dick. you use your tongue to pleasure him as much as possible, your jaw aching.

“fuuuuck– agh– shit, that feels good. fuck–” suguru grunts and slips his cock out of your mouth, wetting your cheeks with a mixture of saliva and precum, and smearing your tears.

“wh–” you begin, voice cracking. you clear your throat and start again. “what's wrong?”

“fuck, I'm… if you keep that up, I'm gonna cum.” suguru whispers through breathy pants. 

he's so pretty, you stare for a bit before answering. “that's fine. if you don't cum down my throat, where will you cum?” the alcohol in your blood makes you bolder than usual. 

he makes a sound deep in his throat and slips his cock back into your mouth, gripping the sides of your head and making you take the whole thing fully.

“I'm… I'm gonna fuck your mouth,” he mumbles, strands of dark hair falling over his eyes. slowly, his hips fuck his cock into your mouth, in and out, smearing precum around inside your mouth. 

he gasps lowly with each thrust he makes into your mouth, abdominal muscles tensing as he does so. his eyes are half-lidded, cheeks damp with sweat. 

as the pleasure builds, his hips increase their pace, until his cock is entering and exiting your mouth so fast, you're almost gagging around him. his gasps turn to small groans, his fingers gripping your hair tighter to slam your face into his pubes with each upward thrust he makes.

you can feel how close he is – his cock dripping and twitching in your mouth. you need him to cum, before your jaw cracks open and falls to the floor. so you suck in your cheeks even more, creating a strong vacuum that, from experience, would make Satoru spill instantly. 

it works it's intended effect.

"holy fucking shii–t.” he takes extra care in pronouncing the t. “fuck, keep that up. fuck, im cumming.” he warns, and that, he does.

ropes and ropes of hot salt spill into your mouth, down your throat. you almost choke, try to pull away, but suguru holds you there, letting his cum flow down your throat. it's salty and thick, and more of an acquired taste if anything, but its not completely awful.

Suguru groans deep in his throat with each spurt of him down your throat, his head tilted back, thick hair cascading down his back and sticking to his skin in some places with sweat. his eyes are half closed, cheeks flushed, and jaw locked tight to keep himself from moaning. though your tears, you still can't get over how absolutely beautiful he was.

he holds you there for a good minute, his cum never stopping its flow until it does, and you drag your head back, pulling him out of your mouth.

you cough, splutter. some of his cum exits through your nose and you wince.

“fu–fuck." suguru pants, chest heaving. “fuck, you're an expert.” 

you smile at that. “thanks,” you whisper, voice hoarse.

your skin is flushed, eyes dark and unfocused, a trickle of cum dripping down your jaw. you looked absolutely delectable. suguru could just eat you up.

and he decides he will – you need some loosening up anyways. 

he picks you up, biceps bulging, and you squeal as he all but flings you on the sofa.

before you can think, he's on top of you, lips back on yours, tongue entwined with his. a small moan escapes you, and he groans into your mouth, lips trailing down to your jaw, then your neck. 

“g– get– sugu–ahh! fu–uuh–ck!”

his teeth attack the skin, tongue lapping the fresh bruises as they appear. you know they'll turn an angry colour tomorrow but you can't care. you need him.

his palms trail up the shirt, skimming over your thighs then higher. higher, until–

his thumb brushes your clit and you jolt, body tending under his.

"you're dripping" he mumbles, pushing a thick digit inside you. "just from sucking my dick? fuck." 

you whimper in response.

suguru fucks you with that single finger, pumping it in and out if your drenched pussy. the steady build of pleasure has your legs almost locking around suguru's forearms. 

he adds another finger. That stretches you a bit, and you grit your teeth at the barely-there but still-existent pain. more pumping. the build of pleasure, but faster this time, more intense. your hear the slick, squelching sounds of his fingers in your pussy, and you blush.

his lips are back on yours again, just as insistent. he sucks your bottom lip into his mouth and you gasp as he presses his fingers into you harder, thumb working lazy circles on your clit. you squirm.

"ooh, you like that?" suguru grins. you don't answer, biting your lips to keep back moans. he clicks his tongue. “no, baby, don't keep those precious sounds from me, yeah? come on, good girl.” he whispers huskily into your ear, suddenly curling his finger into you and hitting a spot that makes you see stars.

you yelp, back arching off the sofa, a strangled moan being forced out of your throat. 

"ooh! that's it. I need more from you. can you do that?" he doesn't wait for your response. insistently, his fingers curl inside you, massaging that perfect spot deep inside you and, fuck, you can't help the moans and gasps that tumble out of your lips without permission.

you can't help how good it feels, his fingers stretching you open, slick dripping around his fingers. can't help but think how exquisite it would feel if they were his cock instead. 

you squeeze your eyes shut, back arching against the sofa, with suguru very steadily leading you towards the delicious edge of an orgasm.

“fuck– mmmph! geto, I– ahh!” it hits you like a train. your back arches of the sofa, eyes rolling back in your head from the absolute pleasure. your legs tremble. cunt twitching around his fingers and you try your hardest not to scream.

the pleasure was brain numbing; better than anything that you've ever felt, leaving your body spent and sagging into the sofa, eyes barely able to focus on his lovely face.

it takes every bit of suguru’s self control not to fuck you senseless right then, to lose himself in your tight cunt. instead, he presses his lips on yours, lazily exchanging saliva, and kisses down your body – to your navel, and then–

you jolt, a curse ripping through your throat as a hot, open mouthed kiss is placed on your clit. it startles you, but suguru doesn't give any time to recover, licking and sucking at the little nub like his life depends on it. 

“does that feel good? tell me.” suguru murmurs into your skin. 

unable to form words you moan, running fingers through his thick, black hair. 

“Delicious…” suguru murmurs into the moist flesh, the vibrations going straight to your clit. you almost scream.

suguru geto eats pussy like an expert, his tongue worming his way into you, slurping up your juices wetly like he'd been dehydrated for months. he licks flat-tongued stripes up your clit before sucking it into his mouth, basically playing with it on his tongue.

you're losing it, fingers raking through his dark hair, pressing him into you, legs wrapped tight around his head. you're close; you can practically taste it at this point, with your thigh muscles contracting, stomach clenching. and then–

white.

white and static and the most overwhelming flood of pleasure you've ever felt. it rolls over you in thick, heavy waves, weighing you down and making you practically seize. 

you don't know how long it takes for you to come to your senses. 

by the time you do though, you're at the cusp of another orgasm, suguru still working his ministrations on your clit.

you scream at him to stop. it's too much; you're too sensitive! 

your pleas, however, fall on very deaf ears. he doesn't stop, gripping your hips to keep you in place while he continues. he rolls the tender nub around his tongue like he would a lollipop, and, once more, you're seizing on his tongue.

you black out for longer this time. when you come to, you find suguru looking at you with a mix of fascination and awe, his dark eyes glossy with arousal. his entire upper body is drenched, either with sweat or... something else. it's like someone threw a bucket of water at him.

“more.” he groans, voice husky. “give me more of that.”

before you stutter out denial, his lips are back on your lower ones, tongue-fucking you into ecstasy.

from that point on, you lose track of the number of orgasms you've had that night. all you know is that it was definitely not in the single digits. but the time suguru is done making a meal out of you, you, the couch and suguru are drenched with your bodily fluids. you're also a senseless mess, body still trembling, overstimulated.

suguru kisses up your abdomen, tongue lingering on your nipples before he finally comes up to kiss your forehead.

“I need to- I need to fuck you. you'll let me, won't you?” he questions pleadingly, grinding his erection against your cunt. “pl– fuck– please, I can't go to bed like this.” his eyes are soft, pleading and begging for you. and, fuck, you can't deny him.

suguru wonders why he all of a sudden can't control himself around you. why all he can think about is bottoming out in your warm cunt. it's obviously not the first time he's doing this, definitely not the last… but his cock is the hardest it's ever been, his heart thumping against his ribcage. he chalks it up to the excitement of fucking his best friend's (ex) girlfriend. or maybe the alcohol, though he wasn't one to let something like that affect his judgment. 

but fuck it, whatever. the two of you have gone past the point of no return.

“that's my girl.” he smiles, placing another kiss on your forehead. and then your cheek

you feel the tip of him pressed against you. grunting, he tries to push it in, only for it to slip against your wetness, nudging against your clit.

you whimper at the feeling, heart pounding in your chest.

again, he tries pushing his tip inside you, this time guided by a hand against his pulsing member. it slips inside you with ease and you both moan at the intrusion. 

for you, the pleasure is spiked with pain as his fat cock splits you open at the seams, threatening to unravel you. you hiss and whimper at each inch sliding into you, your pussy pushing him out with each contraction around his dick.

“sh- fuck, you're so fucking tight.” he says through gritted teeth, physical exertion making his muscles tense. “you've gotta loosen up, or i might not pull out in time.”

silently, you wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to you and at the same time making him bottom out. the tip of his cock hits the opening of your cervix and you yelp, pleasure and pain mixing into a hot brew in your stomach and tightening into a cord. 

“...the fuck did that come from?” he groans, voice tight. he rocks his hips into you, gripping your waist tight and hissing. 

you shake your head, unknowing. all you do know is that you need him. right now, as deep inside you as he can go.

had his patience not been worn thin, suguru would have asked you to voice your thoughts. how did it feel? did it hurt? fast or slow? but his cock is so hard and your pussy so tight, his cock might have an aneurysm. he can't even form words to begin with. so he starts with an experimental pace, slow and steady, rocking into you and splitting you open. 

you whine and gasp each time he fully bottoms out into you, the tip of his cock just barely grazing your cervix. the slow pace is exquisite, but you need more. in your current state, you wont accept anything else.

“f– faster, please…” you whine. “harder,”

without hesitation, suguru obliges. for fear of breaking you beyond repair, suguru had started out with a slow, steady pace. however, it seems you didn't want that. and he was grateful. he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep yourself from fucking your pretty pussy senseless.

he does that, hips picking up their pace absolutely fucking the life out of you. the pace he sets makes his hips a blur, his dick reaching places you never knew existed. 

“fuck, you like that? yeah?” 

yeah, you nod as tears spill from your eyes, moans morphing to heavy sobs as the pleasure and slight pain build, heightening to a peak. the cord in your stomach is pulled ridiculously tight, your breathing ragged. 

“fv– fucking– unnghhhhh – ahhhhh—” you say, or rather, try to. it doesn't work out – clearly – your words fucked out of your mouth just as they spill from your lips. 

“trying to say something?” suguru grunts out.

a particularly hard thrust has your barely that there thoughts skittering into nothing with a sharp yelp, back arching off the sofa as you brush dangerously close to your orgasm.

“fuck!–nnn–g–h... fuck– n– m’... m’ gonna cum… shit–” you mumble, eyes rolling back, in your head. your cunt traps suguru in a vice-like grip, your overflowing lubrication the only reason he's able of move properly. he grunts, smashing his lips onto yours and swallowing the sounds coming out of your mouth.

good lord, it feels good. better than anything you've ever had, ever -felt. and holy fuck, you're going to cum. cum yourself unconscious, if you will. it's dangerously close, and you can feel it, creeping up to you, making the edges of your body tingle. it's scary, but feels so good.

“go ahead, doll. come for me, yeah? drench this cock with you.” suguru murmurs in your ear, and suddenly, the orgasm takes hold of you, slamming into you with such force, your back arches violently into suguru’s hold. the cord in your tummy snaps and a scream rips through your throat with the sheer force of the pleasure, and white overtakes your vision before it fades to black.

suguru fucks you through your orgasm, threatening to do you through another. your whole body feels like an exposed nerve, and you don't think you've ever felt as close to death as you do now.

your cunt flutters around his cock, and he hisses as his hold on your hip tightens. fuck, you feel like heaven, your cunt so tight, so wet, so, fucking perfect around him. each time he drags himself out of you, the suction draws him back in, and once he's in, you try to push him back out again. he can't explain why, but that feeling is positively exquisite, and God, he loves it.

“fuck!” he exclaims, face buried in your neck. “fuck, im cumming. fuck, I'm– you’ve… you've gotta tell me where you want it.”

you don't need to think much about the answer. inebriated and incredibly horny, a single word comes to mind. “inside– nnngh!” you breathe, your legs weakly tightening around his waist, drawing him closer to you.

“al– hah!– alright. I'm gonna fuckin’... hah, fuck!” he didn't get to complete his sentence, his muscles stretching taut as a white heat spills inside you.

it's enough to send fireworks exploding behind your tightly closed eyes, your orgasm lighting your body on fire with his cum as the catalyst.

“fuck, ahhhh– you feel so fucking good, hah–” suguru groans as he pours himself into you, teeth clamping down on your shoulder and making you scream. 

he finds his hips rocking into yours once more, fucking you through the aftershocks and overstimulation of both your orgasms.

you shake your head, no. no, no, no more, no! you can't cum any more than you have already or you might die. you shake your head as vigorously as you can, the choked out moans tumbling from your mouth neutralizing your denial.

“fuck, im sorry. one more, yeah? one more, just one more, please,” Suguru whispers breathily into your hair, voice trembling from the pleasure. he can barely breathe, his breath catching his lungs from how good he feels and fuck, its not long before another orgasm creeps up on him, looming over him like a disaster.

and he will be one by the time this is over, he's sure. “fuck, yo– you're g'nna make me cum- again, shit–” 

me too. you think just as you black out for good, chased to unconsciousness by a spill of heat.

☆

you're woken up by a sharp pain in your lower abdomen as you try to change position. you groan, eyes fluttering open, and you find that those hurt too. every single inch of your body hurts, some minor, some major, but it kind of feels like you got into mini car accident. God, and you had an awful sore throat.

at the feel of sheets on your once bare skin, you sit up, realizing that you’re no longer on the couch.

judging from the scent of the room, or the lack thereof, you guess that you’re in suguru’s room. though the sliver of light though the curtains, you can see that it's organised perfectly. 

groaning, you swing your legs over the side of the bed and stand up, trying your best to maintain balance, ignoring the burn of your inner thigh and abdominal muscles, then you walk out of the room, to the kitchen.

the room is an assault of light to your poor eyes and you wince, squinting. vaguely, you can see Suguru standing in front of the kitchen stove. whatever he’s cooking up smells pretty good.

“hi, Suguru.” you say, smiling, walking towards him. the warmth in your face freezes as your eyes catch another person in the room. Gojo. he's sitting on a chair by the kitchen island, typing away at his phone. “hi Satoru.”

he looks up, startled, then confused at your dishevelled appearance. you’d forgotten you wouldn't look the best after last night. “oh. I didn't know you were here.” he says.

“she stopped by last night. good morning.” suguru smiles back at  you, handing you a plate of food. “you'll find some painkillers on the side table in my room. you'll probably need them after last night. and tea for your throat.” he says and you blush at the memory and nod. 

Gojo watches the exchange silently, a pale white brow cocked. “what happened last night?” he questions and Suguru throws him what might have been a glare.

in response to Satoru's question, you shrug. “uh, nothing. I stopped by in the rain and asked for some alcohol to keep warm. I ended up taking a bit too much.” you pop a piece of bacon in your mouth.

“and that explains the bruises on your neck?” he asks and you freeze, heart thumping. then you swallow, making yourself remember that Gojo was also a shitty cheater. it cancels out.

“yeah.”

he coughs out a laugh, bright blue eyes hardening to sapphires. “bullshit.” he says and turns to suguru. “did you fuck her?”

he shrugs, turning off the stove and sliding a plate of food towards gojo.

“what the fuck, Suguru? why would you do that?” he yells, face paling. “you're my fucking best friend, why the fuck would you fuck my girlfriend?”

“ex girlfriend.” you step in instead, voice bleeding with anger and that shuts Gojo up. “sorry, I forgot you were the only one who could cheat.”

satoru, about to open a drawer to pick up a fork, pauses and turns to look at you with an unreadable expression.

“you thought I wouldn't figure it out? you're very bad at keeping secrets.” another peice of bacon in your mouth. suguru hands you a cup of lemon tea. “I actually stopped by yesterday to break up with you. but it seems you'd told your roommate you'd be out with me. why? when you'd told me that you'd be at home having a games night with suguru.”

“that was the plan, but I stepped out.” gojo says, the ice in his eyes reflecting in his voice.

you flinch, but hold your ground. “stepped out for the whole night?”

“I got caught in the rain.”

“which stopped before I went to bed.” 

a rushed breath of air leaves Suguru's mouth as laughter. you roll your eyes. “more like blacked out.” he says under his breath. Gojo's eyes dart to him, then you.

“I… stayed over at a friend's house.” he says carefully. 

“which friend?” 

he pauses, eyes cloudy with thought. “...you won't know them.”

“we share friendship circles. whoever I haven't met, at least I've heard of.” you drum a nail on the table, patience wearing to the width of papyrus paper. he's wasting time with his lies.

“she's–” he starts, and catches himself. your eyes narrow. “they're not from our circle. I met them at a party. I don't have to tell you about every single person I befriend.”

“befriend and fuck.” 

“I didn't fuck her!” Gojo slams his hand on the table in outrage.

“the used condom back at my apartment. was that me? did I use that? the cum stains on my bed–” you scrunch up your face in disgust. “--that was me, right? I grew a dick overnight. stop lying, it doesn't suit you.”

he doesn't have anything to say in return and neither do you. “I'm breaking up with you.”

[nooneelsecomesclose17]

Prompt: John somehow convinced Vic it wouldn’t be a good idea for Rob to stay with her. Aaron sees Robert sleeping rough with loads of cans around him, and it’s cold.

Aaron was just finishing off his run, contemplating dropping into the pub for a quick pint before heading home as John was off on some training course for the night, and he didn't fancy sitting at home on his own all night.

He was cold even though it was meant to be summer, maybe he'd grab a burger while he was in there, if Marlon hadn't fallen out with Moira again over her meat supply and taken them off the menu. Had nearly caused a riot the last time so hopefully his mum would put a stop to it if he tried again.

He decides to run up the hill to the pavilion and back just to finish off when he spots someone. As he gets closer he can see them trying to force the door open.

"Oi!" He sprints the rest of the way and nearly falls over in shock when he sees that it's Robert. "Rob?"

"Go away Aaron."

"Not until you tell me why you're trying to break into the cricket pavilion."

"Every man needs a hobby."

"Are you trying to get yourself sent back inside again!"

"Gonna report me?"

"Don't be daft. Come on, what are you doing?" His eyes roam over him, he looks terrible. Even in the low light he can see the dark circles under his eyes, his hair is flat like it was in his worst days after being shot. Then he sees the bags shoved into the shadows, the four pack of lager and what he thinks is a bottle of some kind poking out and his heart breaks. "Are you...Robert, were you going to sleep in here?"

"No."

"I thought you were at Vic's." She'd gone backwards and forwards for ages on it, saying the place would be too crowded, but then Kerry had moved out to help Eric and she'd changed her mind. He'd kept out of it then, it was none of his business anymore.

"Yeah well. She changed her mind." Now he knows he can hear in his voice that he's been drinking and he hates it. Robert's been drunk before, they both have, but not like this, and he feels like he's out of his depth. It shouldn't be his problem, not any more, but when has he ever been able to walk away from him.

"Well you can't sleep in there. It's freezing! Don't know what's happened to the weather lately." He shook his head, what was he doing, having a nice chat about the weather when Robert was in front of him, apparently homeless. "What happened with Vic?"

"She said it wasn't working. Think she's fed up with me now she's got a newer model in her life. Probably been in her ear about getting rid of me ever since I got back."

"Are you talking about John? He wouldn't. Anyway why would Vic even listen to him, she loves you. You know she does."

"Funny way of showing it. Now are you going to go so I can wallow in my new living quarters?"

"Fat chance." He takes a deep breath, making a decision that he was very likely going to regret in the morning. "Come back to mine."

"What's Johnny boy going to think about that?" Aaron sees the spark of something in his eyes though, he wants to. It would be pathetic on anyone else, the hope in his eyes, but it's just Robert.

"He's away for the night. You coming with me or not? Cos if not I'll be going for my pint."

"Doesn't look like I've got any choice does it, unless you're going to pick this lock for me. You always were better at that stuff than me."

"Just bring your stuff."

Robert's quiet as they're walking back, he leads him back via the play area rather than by the pub, he'd rather his family didn't see him, he'd never hear the end of it. Not that he's doing anything wrong, anyone would do the same if they found someone out in the cold.

When they get back he leaves Robert staring round the flat as he flicks the kettle on, both because he's cold and because it might help sober Robert up.

"How come you live here?"

"I left, after Liv, gave Vinny the house and he sold it to my uncle, the new one, not Cain. When I came back I was... let's say messed up a bit, and told him I was living here whether he liked it or not."

"It's interesting."

"Yeah? Well you should see downstairs then. I thought your taste was bad." He hands him a mug watches with a wince as he cradles it to him. "Rob..."

"Don't, Aaron, please. I wish you hadn't seen me like this."

"I could kill Vic. What was she thinking?"

"Like I said..."

"Yeah yeah. Even if John had told her she didn't have to listen did she? You can't live in the pavilion Robert. For one thing you need an address for your probation."

"You offering?"

He sits opposite him, "Surely you can afford the B&B for a bit, til you find your feet? You had savings before..."

"It's gone." He looks up at him. "The appeal cost money Aaron and i'd already put aside a load for Seb, for Liv. So...unless you can magic up a money tree I'm all out of ideas."

He blinks back tears before Robert can see. He might not want Robert in his life anymore but seeing him like this, with nothing and no one is too much.

"Well...tonight you're stayin' here. The sofa's a bit crap but it's comfy enough, and tomorrow we'll work something out." If John found out there'd be hell to pay but right this second he didn't care.

"I don't want to cause trouble..."

"Well that'd be a first." He's happy that he gets a bit of a laugh out of him. "It's fine. We'll sort something in the morning and no one needs to know do they? I'll get you some blankets and that, you look knackered."

When he's found the bedding and a pillow he goes back to the living room to find Robert already asleep. He covers him gently with the blanket and goes back to the bedroom sinking down onto the bed with a sigh. He should call Vic, but the thing with Vic is, once she's made up her mind she's got all the Sugden stubbornness, and really it's not exactly good for Robert to be somewhere he's not wanted. He has one other idea though, good or bad, it might just work.

"Hey Mack, it's me. Is there still a spare room at yours?"

[moniericreative]

Joker and Neurodivergency: The Very Long ADHD Yappathon

So this is mostly just an excuse to ramble, project, and headcanon.

But the longer I've been working on my Dialogue Compilation Project... The more I've gradually started to notice bits about Joker as a character that hit pretty close to experiences I've also dealt with as someone neurodivergent, specifically someone with inattentive ADHD.

So how about we delve into it?

So as a foreward to describe the explanation process: What exactly is Inattentive ADHD?

Inattentive ADHD is a type of ADHD where children have a hard time paying attention but don’t necessarily exhibit hyperactive behavior.

In simpler terms, it's more of an internal hyperactivity. Like your brain or emotional regulation are constantly unrestrained. For instance: - Your thoughts tend to get scattered - Your short-term memory's spotty (i.e. you may struggle to repeat back something you were just told a few seconds ago) - You tend to dissassociate out of the blue due to a lack of stimulation - Your emotions might go 0-to-100 where it may be "nothing" or "suddenly everything at once" depending on what's going on (especially with external stimulants like crowds or sudden noises) - Etcetera.

And because of that lack of internal structure, it's difficult to: - Maintain habits or time awareness for some folks - Bodily queues like hunger or sleep simply don't register unless in extremes (like a low blood sugar, hunger shakes, or overall sleep deprivation crapiness).

And that's not even getting into the executive dysfunction or auditory processing issues... Hoo boy... 💪🥲

There's a wide variety of symptoms for each individual, nobody's the same. Heck some of these are experiences someone else might not even have, either.

Some of them even overlap with autism as well (and some folks might have both), but out of respect as someone who isn't autistic, I'll personally refrain from discussing about it here to avoid accidental stereotyping (but feel free to add to this with personal anecdotes if you like!). Mostly just going off my own experiences with ADHD.

So how exactly does any of this apply to Joker?

Well, some of the oh-so-fun things about being ADHD is:

- Needing consistent reminders for tasks

- Executive Dysfunction (especially when things go wrong or you feel like crap)

- Being able to Hyperfocus (i.e. "being in the zone" to a degree that you tune everything else out including the time spent on the task).

We know based on the Persona series' time-slot system that typically, Joker will spend hours doing a single task and only that task. There's no multitasking or anything. He is focused solely on whatever he starts doing, be it studying, making tools, training, etcetera.

(There's also smaller moments like the P5 Anime as well, where he'll actually get mildly frustrated with anyone that distracts him from a task he's focusing on. Specifically Akechi when he keeps trying to have a conversation with him while he's concentrating on using a pour-over. Or he's shown getting frustrated by an ever-increasing list of tasks in Mementos Mission:)

That sounds about normal for anyone though, right?

Well, here's the thing.

He usually doesn't stop until Morgana suggests he should.

This is different from previous Persona protagonists like Yu or Makoto/Kotone because they don't have someone like Morgana constantly reminding them that they've done plenty of work, or that they should head to bed. They just do it themselves.

On top of that, while party members (both from P5 itself and prior games) will occasionally remind you to "do [blank] by a certain date," Morgana's the one character that will consistently remind Joker (and you) several times in a single day, ranging from maybe a line or two, to three/four different ones every day the week before the deadline.

The one time Morgana's not present do this?

No afternoon or evening events to work on, Joker's just so damn miserable without his close friend that he holes himself up in Leblanc's Attic and does nothing for two days straight. Not even in said attic, it's standing around missing Morgana or going to sleep. Good 'ol depressed-flavoured executive dysfunction if ever I've felt one. 🥲

And on top of the "reminders" bit... Joker's also the only protag who has handwritten notes about events in the game on top of the Calendar Menu's summary too (courtesy of the notebook Sojiro gives him). Sometimes the date in the menu itself will be blank, but Joker will have these written down anyways:

Which is something that's often super helpful for ADHD folks when recalling our long-term memories (one of our bigger strengths), as specific details like these can help us piece the entire situation back together even if it was months/years ago.

(Good thing too in his case especially, considering the Interrogation Room plan hinged on him remembering everything)

So that's surely it, right?

NOPE.

There's another very important detail about Joker that's gets heavily underlooked:

Now we already know some key bits in regards to this information:

Sojiro absolutely doesn't starve him, and in fact he's not only willing to feed Joker on his way out the door, but he's also willing to teach him how to make Leblanc's food too.

And we also that eventually culminates in Strikers as a beloved game mechanic: Joker's Kitchen, which Joker does entirely of his own volition.

It's probably safe to say that he at least doesn't have a food aversion. I mean come on, he's got endless pockets full of random crap from vending machines, some of which sound absolutely inhumane. Or he's at a clinic guzzling random drugs with reckless abandon like the unhinged weirdo he is.

But with the above context that he has a tendency to lose track of time without Morgana's input, it adds a layer to this line that makes a lot of sense. Between being distracted by a task, and sometimes not having "hunger signals" at all, a lot of us tend to not even realize we've been starving all day. It's usually a state of "normal" nothing until oops it's Sudden Hunger Shakes O'Clock.

Which can also develop into just generally eating small portions of food as well, because again, we tend to "not feel hungry" unless it's extreme, and that can really affect our degree of appetite/intake.

Or in other cases, including my own and probably Joker's too until Strikers, there's a lack of general interest in food as a whole too. It's yet another time management task that you have to remember to do, every few hours, every single day, every single week, every single month, every single year. So you'll probably grab anything just so long as it's filling enough to get you by for the day. (Unless you have food aversion... Godspeed us all in finding filling safe foods that don't suddenly change and make us hurl 🫡💦). It's necessary of course, but there's a tedium to it sometimes regardless of the meal that you really have to fight with just to keep living.

Sumi gag aside, come on. Look at the sheer difference. That bun's smaller than Morgana's head and it's the barest minimum snack you can find anywhere.

"But what about the Big Bang Burger Challenge?" Come on man, we all know he's not doing it for the sake of eating. He's doing it to get smarter and prettier and kinder. The power of processed junk food filled with microplastics and employee tears I guess.

Distractability and focusing on a particular interest.

Obviously we don't go "SQUIRREL" at the drop of a hat like an excitable dog (despite how often people like to use that stereotype). But for some of us, our minds do tend to flitter around a bit in search of something to stimulate our brains.

Kinda like a zoo animal pacing around an enclosure, except it's our squishy brain trapped in a cage of bone and too little dopamine. 🫠

And in the abscence of something to work on or talk about, that can range from zoning out in classes/discussions (which Joker does a lot) to dissociate the boredom away (which ironically most people tend to see as "endless patience," if only they knew...), or looking for things to work on or talk about (which he... also tends to do a lot, depending on how much of the maps you explore).

And in Joker's case specifically, a lot of that tends to end up with him sticking his nose into situations that benefits the specific thing that gives him a purpose/drive (being a Phantom Thief), but are absolutely not normal things a teenager should be getting into.

Like dealing with the Yakuza. Or being the fake boyfriend of a drunk woman. Or paying his homeroom teacher to be a maid for him. Or a homoerotic shoot-out (... well, three separate times actually if you count an arcade game) with another teenage weirdo. Or T-Posing in a church to understand The Passion Of The Christ. Or unholy amounts of burger-eating to raise his "social stats."

He's willing to get into all kinds of mischief if it helps the Phantom Thieves. If it doesn't, then he's not particularly interested in starting anything with someone. More often than not, it takes Morgana mentioning how someone's services or skills "could help the thieves" to get Joker to be interested in them.

Or the person being especially pushy for him to cave in Maruki's case, to which Joker will make the same rationalization instead despite his initial pushback:

He's so dedicated to being a Phantom Thief that it's equal parts inspiring, relatable, hysterical, and sad to watch.

Especially since at the end of almost every single confidant (bar the party members', and Akechi's and Maruki's who both peg him as a thief pretty quickly through happenstance), every single one of them find out he's a Phantom Thief on their own. Because this poor boy is so tunnel-visioned on his role as "Joker" and helping people that he's about as subtle as a steel chair to the face and woefully unaware of it until it's told to him. 🥹

Lastly, NO TOUCHY.

Honestly, probably my favorite underrated bit about Joker that barely gets talked about.

Across the different P5 mediums (well, two as far as I'm aware of), there's at least one on-screen instance in each of Joker being touch-aversed whenever other people invade his personal space. Usually whenever he has physical contact with someone else (like any of the romaceable confidants, or Akechi), he's the one initiating it first.

In the P5 Anime you've got the bathouse scene between him, Ryuji, and Yusuke after Madarame's palace. In it, Ryuji jumps away from the hot water coming out of the faucet and bumps into Joker.

His response directed at Ryuji?

In English: "Please scoot back."

In Japanese (according to subs anyway): "You're making it hotter."

Both of which he says while hunched up with his shoulders to his ears and shooting Ryuji an unhappy expression.

Seriously. That is a "dead-inside and accepting reality" stare if ever I've felt one, choppy animation quality aside.

In P5 Royal meanwhile, you've got Yusuke's third awakening in Third Semester, where Joker says this when he suddenly grips his shoulders:

Both of which are basically the exact same message, just told in different ways.

... And that's not even going into how more often than not, any time we see Joker being touched on-screen by someone else, they're usually restraining or physically abusing him.

Whether you want to chalk that up to trauma from his initial arrest in the Shido Flashback, or as a ND aspect of his, is entirely up to you. Personally I'm leaning more on the latter as he usually only establishes this boundary with people he trusts (whereas he just outright avoids contact altogether around strangers), and he only breaks this boundary himself around specific people he cares about.

So with all that rambling finally done, hopefully this helps others notice some really cool bits of characterization around this loveable goofball. I won't say this a "100% accurate" interpretation of Joker as a character because everyone sees him differently. He is a self-insert after all.

But compared to the previous Persona protags (hell, even Atlus protags in general), Joker's always the one I immediately fall back to as the favorite for some reason. The coat is snazzy, he has a smirk that makes all the ladies and gay detectives weak at the knees, but... I could never really pinpoint the actual why until now.

Whether Atlus intended Joker to be neurodivergent-coded is up in the air, but there's just so many aspects about him beyond the player's control that hit really close to home, and I'm glad that he's such a popular and beloved character for the traits that make him him.

[danieyells]

@mayoigotokurousagi also asked for Sho, so here are my favorite of Sho's voicelines! He's a lil more chill--most of the excitement for him is because Leo's causing him trouble, so maybe there won't be as many since it's just him? (Spoiler: i still put nearly all of them, or it feels that way. . . .)

Also sorry this one took way longer haha i had to do some irl stuff and i was pretty tired too lol. . .may not get to the next ones for a few days since i have to wake up early tomorrow and i work double shifts all weekend. But i'll try and find time for it.

May 27th 2025, added the year 2 birthday lines!

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Hey,  good timing. You got a second?" お、センパイ。いいとこに来たわ。ちょっと付き合ってくんね？

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"You got a message. Gonna check it or what?" おい、なんか通知来てっけど。見なくていいのか？　それ

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"Here you go, Bonnie. Barbecue sandwiches, your favorite." ほら、食えよボニー。お前の好きなＢＢＱサンドだぜ

"Huh? Was that your stomach? You hungry?" ……？　なんだよ。もしかしてあんた、腹減ってんの？

"Pit's on again? I'm done with that already. They're all normies—what's the point?" あ？　また地下で騒いでんのか？ 俺はもうやんねぇよ……パンピー相手にしても仕方ねぇだろ

the word he uses for 'normie' here means 'commoner' lmao

"Yeah I got it, you want to train. You go ahead, I'll catch up." はいはい、トレーニングっすよね。もうちょいしたら行くんで

"Did you just see a creep in a black mask over there? ...Nah, never mind. I'm hallucinating." ……今、あそこに黒マスクした胡散臭ぇやつ歩いてなかったか？ ……いや、なんでもねぇ。幻覚だわ

SO THIS LINE CONFUSED ME AT FIRST because it's always referred to as a blindfold by everyone else? HE'S TALKING ABOUT HYDE HYDE IS JUST STALKING HIM LMAO

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"Too early... What's Leo doing today? Guess I'll text him." ねっみ……玲音のやつ、今日はどうすんだ？ 一応Ｄチャしとくか……

if it's too early for you it's too early for Leo. But also I'm sure he's got something exciting or interesting planned. I like that we're immediately shown he wants to spend time with Leo even when he's tired haha

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Freakin' sasquatch... Would it kill him to approve an R&R permit every once in a while?" ったく、あのデカブツ……外出許可くらい出せっつの

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Class? What's the point? It's all written in the textbooks—all you gotta do is memorize it." 授業？　あんなん出なくても全部教科書に書いてんだからよ。そのまま覚えりゃいいだけだろ？

Doesn't go to class because he's smart enough to memorize the contents of the textbook I guess! Plus he doesn't care as much about Real Missions so knowing how to do the hard stuff doesn't matter to him haha. . .plus first years probably don't learn as much that's not in the textbook too.

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"All right, time to go for a spin. C'mon, Bonnie." うし、軽く流してくっか。行こうぜ、ボニー

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"(yawn) What time is it? Seriously? Damn, overslept." ふぁあ…… 今何時だ……？ マジかよ、寝すぎたわ

Neither he nor Leo sleep at night lmao

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Huh, haven't ridden a skateboard since middle school but I guess I still have the muscle memory. Watch this, I'm gonna do a trick." 中坊ぶりにスケボー乗ったけど、意外と体が覚えてんだな。 トリック決めてやるよ、見ててみ？

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Nice, got an order. More demand than I thought. Getting Leo to make this app was a good call." お、出前の予約が入ったわ……思ったより需要あってよ。 玲音に予約アプリ作らせたの正解だったな

Leo has a line that references this one!

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"What's Mido texting me for? come tot hr epuit... Pfft. What the hell is this, some kinda secret code?" あ？　御堂センパイからＤチャ？『血か二個い』って…… ぷっ……なんだこれ、暗号かよ

Ksvdhdisn Alan is adorable. . .i love technologically incompetent characters. Poor bby can't even text. . . . .

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Shit, my whole body's killing me... Sparring five sets of fifteen rounds, are you kidding me? Mido's insane..." クソ、筋肉痛がやべぇ…… 御堂センパイ、スパー１５ラウンド５セットとか正気じゃねぇよ……

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"What am I gonna do tomorrow... Got nothing on, guess I could go to class... That asshole's on the schedule. Pass." 明日どうすっかな……暇だし、たまには授業出とくか？ ……あいつのコマあるわ。やめとこ

Lmao 'i guess i could go to class--wait my brother's teaching one of them tomorrow? Fuck that then.'

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"All right, that's the morning prep done. Guess I'll shower and go back to bed." うし、朝の仕込みはこんなもんか。後は……シャワー浴びて二度寝だな

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"This? It's a fishing rod. Sometimes I catch and filet the fish myself. It's pretty easy, and it saves cash." あ？　これか？　釣り竿だよ。たまに自分で魚釣ってさばくわけ。 簡単だし、コスパ良いだろ？

Fishing with Sho. . .sounds nice and chill. Also did the pc not recognize a fuckin fishing rod. . . .

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"{PC}, there you are. I'm headed to the diner, could you come with and help me carry some stuff?" お、センパイ見っけた。俺、今からダイナー行くんだけどよ。ちょっと荷物持ち手伝ってくんね？

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"You think I look grumpy? The stream for the finals started at 3 AM, what do you want me to do about that? (yawn)" ……あ？　機嫌が悪ぃって？ しょうがねぇだろ……決勝の中継、夜中の３時開始だぜ？ ふぁあ……

Staying up late to watch a basketball game, much like Leo he does not go to bed until the sun's up ordinarily lmao

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Hey... Pfft. What are you panicking for? You need to be somewhere? Hop on—I'll give you a ride." お、センパイじゃん。ぷっ……なんだよその余裕ねぇ顔。 急いでんなら、乗っけてってやろうか？

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You hungry, {PC}? I made lunch, but Leo bailed on me, so I was just gonna eat it myself." センパイ、腹減ってねぇ？ 昼飯作ったんだけどよ。玲音のやつ来ねぇし、食っちまおうと思って

Sho: hey our boyfriend ditched me wanna have lunch with me

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Last year I would've been in a club around this time. Leo was always getting in fights though, so we got banned from almost every joint in Shibuya." 昔はこの時間、毎日クラブいてよ。玲音がすぐ喧嘩すっから、渋谷の箱ほとんど出禁になっちまったけどな

Menace boyfriend Leo lmao

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"{PC}, black or white? I'm trying to choose some packaging for the food truck, what'd you think I meant? ...I'll keep it in mind, anyway." センパイさ、白と黒どっちが好き？ ……出前の容器の話なんだけどな。ま、一応覚えといてやるよ

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Geez, it's pretty late. Wait there—I'll give you a ride back." もうこんな時間かよ…… 送ってくわ。そこで待ってろ

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Seriously, it's way too early for this... What? I'm going to class. You're the one who wouldn't shut up about it." はぁ……マジねみぃ…… あ？　今から授業行くんだよ。あんたが行けってうるせぇからだろ

Ordinarily doesn't go to class(a lot of them don't tbh, and Luca says the classes are elective so the ghouls probably don't have to) but will go if you want him to I guess! Leo's gonna call him whipped but Leo already knows he's whipped because he's the one who's been whipping him--

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I've finally got the hang of running this food truck. I want to thank you for helping me out—think of something you want." キッチンカーも大分慣れてきたわ。手伝ってもらった礼もしてぇし、何か欲しいもの、考えといて

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Huh? No, I don't really need any help today... You don't have to make excuses to hang out with me, you know. Just ask." 手伝い？　今日は特にねぇけど…… センパイ、俺と一緒にいたいって、素直に言えば？

"senpai, why don't you just tell me honestly if you wanna be with me?" Is the Japanese here I think and. idk i love that. He's catching on and teasing you a little.

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"What time you planning on heading home, {PC}? Anytime's fine for me. You can stay over if you want." センパイ、今日何時に帰る予定？俺は別に、何時でも…… なんなら、泊まってってもいいぜ？

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Can't sleep? Come over here—I'll warm you up. Pfft... I was kidding, don't get mad." なんだよ……寝れねぇのか？あっためてやるから、こっち来い。 ぷっ……冗談だって。怒んなよ

WERE YOU KIDDING THO. WERE YOU? KINDA HIGH AFFINITY TO JOKE LIKE THAT. AND YOU JUST SAID THEY COULD STAY OVER IF THEY WANTED. . .CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY SHOHEI

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"Here, this helmet's for you. I got some time today, so I'll take you somewhere. Anywhere you wanna go." はい、あんたのメット。今日は時間あっから、センパイの行きたいとこ連れてってやるよ

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"Forget it, I can't keep my eyes open. Wake me when it's noon." 駄目だ。ねみぃ。昼んなったら起こして

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Pretty warm out lately, huh? Bet it's already snorkeling season in Okinawa. I used to go pretty often." もう大分あったかくなってきたな。沖縄じゃ、シュノーケリングできる時期だぜ？　昔はよく行ってたわ

He plays basketball, he skateboards, he fishes, he snorkels, this bitch loves sports lol

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"This? It's chirashizushi. Cuts are pretty chic, right? The idea came to me when I was over in Hotarubi." これか？　ちらし寿司作ってんの、飾り切り渋ぃだろ。 ホタルビ行ったら、こんなイメージが湧いたからよ

Chirashizushi is sushi ingredients cut into small pieces and scattered over sushi rice! It comes in a lot of variation and isn't always made with raw fish like you might expect sushi to be.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"If I can get an R&R permit granted, I want to go for a solo ride. Haven't been for ages, and riding through the cherry blossoms this time of year feels awesome." 外出許可出たらよ、久々にひとりで走りてぇわ。この時期の桜坂辺り、最高に気持ちいんだよな……

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Damn, I'm melting here... I need a haircut. Nah I don't need a barber, I just do it myself. 'Course I'm serious." クソ暑ぃ……そろそろ髪切んねぇとな…… 美容院？　めんどくせぇから自分で切ってっけど。マジだぜ？

Sho really knows a little about everything huh. He cuts his own hair, he memorizes textbooks, he plays every sport, he can cook. . .is there anything Sho can't do? In his character story he even says he played guitar for a little while but hasn't done it lately, so music is probably within his wheelhouse too.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Sweating my ass off over here... It's been like a year since I last played basketball. Mido's core's gotta be made of steel... Oh, is that water for me? Thanks." 暑ぃ！　バスケしたの１年ぶりか？御堂センパイ、体幹強すぎだろ…… お、水くれんの？　サンキュ

actually i'd like to see alan playing basketball too. . .it's nice to know he doesn't just work out by sparring and running, he'll play sports too.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Summer homework? Nah, haven't done it yet. Only takes a day, right? Pfft... You want me to help you?" 夏の課題？　まだやってねぇけど。あんなもん一日で終わるだろ？ ぷっ……センパイ手伝ってやろうか

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Leo won't shut up about wanting to let off fireworks, but no way am I doing that shit with him again. I'm sure you can guess why." 玲音が花火してぇってうるせぇんだけどよ、俺は二度とあいつとはやんねぇって決めてんの。わかんだろ？

wtf was Leo doing with the fireworks that Sho decided he's never settijng off fireworks with him again. . .was he just pointing them at him lmao. Leo also has a line referencing this!

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Yesterday when I was fishing in the river I saw this guy who looked like one of the Frostheim ghouls out there. Can't have been though, right?" 昨日川釣り行ってきたんだけどよ、フロストハイムの奴に似��んのがいた気がすんだよな……人違いか？

which one. . .i mean if it was Luca he was probably training, but if it was Kaito. . .idk what Kaito would be doing out in the river by himself. . .I know it wasn't Jin but if it was Tohma maybe it was some official business. . .? Or, y'know, spy stuff. . . .

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Geez, don't pipe up outta the blue like that. ...What? You gotta a problem with me reading a book?" ビビった。いきなり声かけんなよ。 ……なんだよ、その顔。俺が本読んでちゃ悪ぃのか？　あ？

sho has been saying like this entire time 'yeah i read and memorize the textbooks instead of going to class' how is the pc so shocked to see him ACTUALLY READING. Then again, i also wouldn't think he's a hobby reader. . .on the other hand he's got like every hobby he can get his hands on, so it makes sense.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Pfft... Hey, {PC}. Come over here. Geez, what're you doing walking around with a leaf in your hair?" ぷっ……【名★前】センパイ、ちょっとこっち来い。 ったく、なんで髪に葉っぱ付けてんだよ……

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Scariest Ghost Videos to Fuel Your Nightmares... I asked a buddy for some good videos to kill the time, and he sent me this..." 『最恐の怨霊ビデオ集』…… ダチに暇つぶしになる動画教えろっつったら、これ送られてきたんだよ

it's hard to tell based on his expression how he feels about this lol

i wonder if he's not really into horror stuff or it makes him feel uneasy after the PC got attacked by Takeru?

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"I get more delivery orders on cold days... It's a pain in the ass, but I guess I'll just wear an extra layer..." 寒ぃ日ってさ、出前の注文やたら増えんだよな…… めんどくせぇけど今日は１枚多めに着とくか……

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Damn, I really wanna go snowboarding. I used to go every year before I ended up here... Think they got a good slope in Frostheim?" マジでスノボ行きてぇ……ここ来る前は、毎年必ず行ってたのによぉ。 フロストハイムで滑れねぇの？

I bet they do I mean rich people would wanna go skiing now and then right? It's just a matter of would they let a vagastromer use them. . .then again what're they gonna do, stop him?

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Huh? I'm looking at a catalog. I could serve hot food if I had an electric pot. I'm thinking about it." ……あぁ？　カタログ見てんだよ。保温ジャーがありゃ、あったけぇメニュー出せんだろ？ 考え中

this makes it sound like his food isn't served hot lol to my understanding he does make everything in advance, not on the spot but i assume he means like. hot-hot. like soups for the winter kind of thing. he should do it! serve up some new england clam chowder.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I'm freezing my ass off... I just saw Mido walk past in a T-shirt. Are his nerve endings dead?" クソ寒ぃ……さっき御堂センパイ、Ｔシャツ１枚で出てったんだけど。自律神経狂ってんじゃねぇ？

Apparently I'm Alan lmao i too experience less cold than other people

His birthday (Year 1): (August 19th)

"What, you're gonna celebrate my birthday? What do I want for a present? Hmm... I'll take you. Just kidding." へぇ、俺の誕生日祝ってくれんの？プレゼント…… じゃあさ、あんたのことくれよ。 なんてな

Y'KNOW I'M SURE THEY WOULDN'T MIND IF YOU WEREN'T KIDDING THO YOU ARE VERY POPULAR then again based on his valentine's day dialogue he knows that lol

His birthday (Year 2): (August 19th)

"You got me a present? Wow, thanks. Oh yeah, you free after this?" 誕生日プレゼント？ マジか……ありがとな。 そうだセンパイ。この後、予定って空いてねぇ？

Your birthday (Year 1):

"Know what this is, {PC}? Yep—an R&R permit. Today's your birthday, right? So, where are we going?" センパイ、これ何だと思う？　そ、外出許可書。 今日、誕生日だろ？どこ行きたいか考えとけよ

I'm beginning to suspect that he heavily values freedom and being able to go where he wants and do what he wants. That includes taking you wherever you wanna go. Even at max affinity he has the same response--'we're going somewhere, anywhere you want.' At max affinity he doesn't mention an R&R permit--which suggests he doesn't care if you get in trouble going out, as long as you actually get to go out. One of the first things we see him talking about relating to Darkwick is asking Leo if he regrets going--I think Sho regrets it. He can't leave whenever he wants, even though he's one of the top students as far as grades, he's more restricted in what he's allowed to do and when. . .so I think these offers to drive you anywhere in total freedom are his ways of showing you what means the most to him. Just. . .being able to do whatever, whenever. I think that's also part of why he likes Leo so much. Leo doesn't let himself be restricted either. Leo gets into fights and into trouble and Sho complains about it but he understands the liberation. Sho wants to see that unrestricted you, I think. Even if it isn't anything extreme, even if it isn't anything exciting. He wants to see what you're like out of Darkwick's cage. So he'll take you on little joyrides into freedom. Show him where you go and what you do when no one's there to stop you.

Your birthday (Year 2):

"Here, this is for you. Pfft… What's with the face? You said you wanted one, didn't you? Happy birthday." ほら、これやるよ。 ぷっ…… なんだその顔。センパイ、それ欲しいっつってただろ？ 誕生日おめでと

He's just such a thoughtful thug haha like. now that he knows you, now that he's spent time with you, he knows exactly what you like, remembers all the things you said you wanted. . . .

New Years: (January 1st)

"What'd I wish for at midnight? For this year to be peaceful... Not that any gods are listening out for us." 新年の願い事ねぇ……今年こそ、平穏無事に過ごせますように…… って、神様叶える気ねぇだろな

Well when you've been chosen by demons. . .yeah, you're probably not on the good side of many gods.

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Yeah, these are all the chocolates I got. No idea how I'm gonna get through them all... So? You didn't get me anything?" ああ、これ全部もらったチョコ。これ食いきんのきちぃんだよな…… で、センパイは俺にくれねぇの？

I'm surprised Leo's wasn't similar to this tbh. Like, Leo's an influencer, why didn't he mention getting a metric fuckton of valentine's day chocolate? I'm happy Sho's loved by the students tho haha.

White Day: (March 14th)

"Baking sweets and cooking are totally different. It's not really in my wheelhouse, but... here. My firsts. Thanks for the chocolates." 菓子作りと料理は別もんだからよ、普段はやんねぇんだけど…… はい。俺の初焼き菓子、お返しにどうぞ

THE FIRST TIME HE EVER BAKED AND IT'S FOR YOU what a sweetheart. considering how good he is at just about everything i'm sure they came out just fine

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Hey, it's snowing outside. Wait, guess that's not so unlikely in this place... I used to get duped by that one all the time when I was a kid." おい、外、雪降ってんぞ？ って、この学園じゃ嘘になんねぇか。ガキの頃、これ何回やられたことか……

we found the one thing he's not good at! pulling pranks!

Halloween: (October 31st)

"You really need an explanation? Leo made me wear it! Shit, why am I always the girl..." ああ？　言わなくてもわかんだろ。玲音に着せられたんだっつの！ クソ、なんで毎年女装なんだよ……

Your boyfriend best friend makes you crossdress for him on Halloween on a yearly basis. . .and you do it!!!

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Sorry for making you help me prep all these roast chicken orders... Wanna do something Christmassy together once we're done?" センパイ、チキンの注文さばくの手伝わせて悪ぃ…… 今日の分片付いたら、俺らもクリスマス楽しもうぜ

Christmas is often considered a holiday spent with a lover in Japan to my understanding. . .what are you suggesting Sho. . . .

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"What're you looking at?" あぁ？　見てんじゃねぇよ

little peek at the delinquent thug vibe lol

(13 affinity and above)

"C'mon. Hurry up, or I'm gonna leave you behind." センパイ、そろそろ行くぞ。早くしねぇと置いてっちまうぜ？

Always on the go, always doing something, he doesn't wanna leave you behind but he won't wait too long so. . .come back already?

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"What took you so long? Your food's cold. Go wash up." 遅ぇよ……あんたの飯、冷めちまっただろ。 さっさと手ぇ洗ってこい

Alright, mom.

I STILL FEEL LIKE I CHOSE A BUNCH THIS ONE IS ALSO ALL OF THEM NOW . . .Sho is pretty lowkey. But after rereading them all and giving it some thought, you can definitely get a feel for his character. He seems like he keeps busy a lot--he's always doing something. Cooking, playing sports, reading, memorizing his textbooks. . .he's confident and comfortable and sometimes he's a bit rough around the edges. And sometimes he's a little flirty too, if he likes you. But that's all part of how confident and self-assured he is--and he has plenty of reason to be when he's so smart and skilled at damn near everything he touches. He acts more like the senpai character here. He's a lot like Haku, except where Haku is a bit lazier and less motivated(although he still works hard) Sho is always on the go. Always up to something, always trying something. He likes to keep busy and doesn't like to sit still--to the point that he even considers going to class when he's got nothing to do during the day. He wakes up and has nothing to do? Let's call Leo, he's usually got something going on. He complains about Alan making him work out so much or go to the pit or play basketball real hard? He still goes and does it anyway. But it seems like he just. . .always wants to be busy. I can't really think of many points he just kinda had downtime. Yeah, he goes fishing and reads and watches basketball(?) but like. . .he's still occupied even then. Then again maybe that's because he's stuck in Darkwick. He'd rather be driving around somewhere or doing some sport but he can't do so much unless he can leave. . .he feels a little restless to me. But maybe that's just me haha.

[fairyqueennerd]

Day 2- Cozy Morning/ casual intimacy

The sunlight slowly filled in the previously dark room with its light, and Lucy snuggled in her fluffy bed, spooning into the warmth radiating from her not so secret invader, she fluttered open her eyes taking in the open window and the wind blowing through it, making her shiver a bit, as if someone switched on the heater, her invader made his body temperature rise a little and pulled her closer, she wanted to throw at tantrum at him for breaking into her house again and entering via the window but the way he was sleeping cutely made her refrain and just give in into his warmth.

"Morning Luce!" Natsu casually stated when he caught his favourite blonde looking at him with flushed cheek, trying to give him an angry look, he knew that she had always told him to not enter by the window and if he did he was to close the window, but how was he supposed to explain that he missed her in the middle of night, that he can't sleep unless her fragrance surrounds him, that he just didn't want to wake her up and loved the fact that as soon as he sleeps beside her, she naturally turns and cuddles with him.

So, he just gave her a sheepish look,

"Sleep some more Luce." Natsu said with a cheeky grin pulling the not so struggling blonde into him and kissing her forehead to vaporise her anger which worked like magic.

They had recently completed a mission, and since Lucy said that she needed a break, Natsu was gonna take a break too, because spending time with her is the moment he counted on the most. He loved waking up next to her, he loved the food she cooked, he loved when she talked about anything seriously, he loved how her nose scrunched when he annoys her, he loved how her laughter was music to his ears.

After getting ready for the day, Lucy offered to make breakfast, Natsu was surprised that he had not gotten screamed at for once and was even offered food but later it all made sense when Lucy made him help with the cleaning, even though her house appeared spotless, it took them a while to vacuum, change the screens, the bed sheets and dusting.

Being too exhausted to cook for lunch, they decided to order food, Lucy suggested to watch a movie and got popcorn, they both settled on the couch, putting a blanket over their legs, Lucy casually putting her head on Natsu's shoulder, both of them eating the popcorn and watching intently, somewhere in the middle of it. Natsu had pulled Lucy to sit on his lap. with his arms over her stomach and Lucy putting a popcom in her mouth and one Into his.

The scene was getting interesting, both so immersed that they didn't pay much attention to their closeness, Lucy was putting the popcorn in her mouth, Natsu had thought it was supposed to be his popcorn and subconsciously moved his mouth to it and before either of them knew their lips lightly touched, that was when both of them came into their senses and jumped apart, Natsu's eyes were completely focused on her lips and slowly he diped his head towards her as if being attracted by some magnetic force, Lucy's heart was thumping with anticipation of the impact then suddenly the doorbell rang, breaking them apart again!!

Lucy rushed to the door and got their orders, came back and sat awkwardly, the movie was now forgotten, the food was sitting in the middle ignored with two frantic hearts hoping the other won't hear it.

"Hahahahaha. That scene was so funny, Man I am starving!" Natsu was the first to break the awkwardness, though he was not sure if the scene was funny or not, nor did Lucy care, but she was grateful for it, soon things were back to normal, they completed the movie and then settled for some card games with a bet that whoever wins would get to let to make the other do whatever they want.

"Ahaha! If I win I gonna make you ride the trains for the next month of all our missions." Lucy said with a mischievous grin.

"No wait, I'll make you not fight anymore for a week, though that seems impossible."

"Nah! Better would be to make you my servant for a week, Ha! Perfect."

Lucy kept suggesting things left and right while Natsu just pouted telling how mean she was and how he was completely capable of keeping his words.

As if fate was mocking her, Lucy lost, she was more embarrassed than disappointed.

"Hal In your face Lucy." Natsu silently cheered while his sharp ears caught the words 'Damn It' leaving Lucy's lips.

“Soooooo.. what do you want?" Lucy asked sweat dropping she was scared  he gonna ask her to pay for his food, or worse make her pick fights with him.

"I want you to kiss me." Natsu blurted out, his eyes fixed at her lips, Lucy  was stunned, doubting that she heard him right or not, then she watched him come close to her and looking at her with hopeful eyes.

Lucy blushed furiously but pressed her lips on his cheeks swiftly and tried to make her way out of this proximity, but Natsu pulled her back in with such a force that she found herself stranding his hips and smashed his lips into hers, all of this happened in such a short span of time that Lucy had no time to react till she felt his hands moving from the small of her back to her neck and another one into her hairs pulling her closer, she started to respond and giving in into the heated kiss, before it sucked the air out of her lungs forcing her to break free and pant like she ran a mile, yet the way Natsu looked at her made her heart skip a beat.

Natsu was completely mesmerised, ‘so this was how the kisses feel,’ was his exact thought and he enjoyed it very much, the flushed face Lucy with those slightly swollen lips, was pulling on his heartstrings making him go for another chaste kiss it did surprise Lucy a bit, but she was happy and that was all Natsu cared about.

After spending years together as Nakama, knowing that he loved her very much and yet fearing that being in relationship was a huge step and would break their friendship, today he

felt that he was scared for nothing, if anything he wanted this more than what his fears and insecurity warned him about and the smile Lucy was giving him made him think that she too was thinking the same.

Maybe it was about time that he didn't sneak in but rather lived in here.

[luzial]

s i ckcfgic sick fic

After some deliberation, it was determined the best way to do this was to let both Solas and Ellana get sick (one at a time, so then they each get a turn as caregiver as well). Thank you for the very timely prompt, anon.

Full text below, also on AO3.

------

Solas rolled onto his side, burying his face in Ellana's hip where she sat upright beside him on the bed.

"I'm dying," he croaked out, his throat on fire with the effort.

"You're not," Ellana said. She sounded very certain, and perhaps slightly cross.

"How can you be certain?" He tugged up his blanket until it covered his ear. Sweat was pooling between his shoulder blades and on the backs of his thighs, but his body seemed certain that he was, in fact, freezing and he should ask Ellana for yet another layer of blankets.

"You've already been to the doctor. He didn't say anything about you dying. I'm pretty sure he would have mentioned it."

She was certainly cross.

"I should sleep on the sofa," Solas offered, making a perfunctory effort to sit up. "I'll only make you sick as well if I stay here."

"No," Ellana replied decisively, a hand on his chest to push him back down. "I'll be fine. I never get sick. I absolutely refuse to get sick. You should try it."

Solas was confident it didn't work that way, but he lacked the energy to debate her at the moment and had no real desire to move to the sofa. He wanted to stay in bed, hugging Ellana's legs while feeling absolutely miserable.

"I can't sleep," he complained some time later.

His head was still under the blankets but he heard Ellana set her cell phone on the nightstand.

"Can I get you something?" she asked. "Do you want some tea? Or water?"

"No."

"Crackers? Soup?"

"No."

"I don't think it's time for another dose of medicine yet."

"No, not for another hour."

"I can grab my laptop if you want to watch something?"

"No."

Ellana sighed. "Is there something you want to read?"

"No," he groaned into his pillow. "Unless …" he said as an idea occurred to him. "Would you read to me?"

She didn't immediately respond and so he tightened his grip on her leg, hoping to convey the urgency of his request. He was suddenly certain that this would be the thing that would finally make him feel a bit better.

"I can. Did you have something specific in mind?"

"There is an issue of The Orlesian Historical Review on my desk that I haven't had a chance to read yet."

She hesitated again.

"You want me to read you articles from an academic journal?"

"Yes," Solas nodded against her leg. He wanted it very badly.

Ellana sighed again. "Alright," she said, beginning to stir beside him.

"Don't leave." He held tight to her legs.

"Solas. You do understand that unless you've trained Parchment to fetch things from your desk, I'm going to need to get up."

"I know." He dug his fingers into her thigh.

Ellana leaned over him, chuckling. "It'll be a minute. Not even a minute. Just let me go." She briefly placed her lips to his forehead, then abruptly pulled away.

"Oh," she said, the touch of her lips suddenly replaced by back of her cool hand against his skin. "You're actually really warm." She sounded worried. "Here, I'll get you a cold washcloth while I'm up."

He let out a low whine as she eased his arm off her and finally slipped out of the bed. In truth, he was feeling a good deal better than he had an hour before. But if Ellana thought he seemed worse, if she had determined he needed additional care, who was he to argue?

When she returned, she put a few extra pillows behind him so he could sit up without feeling the iron bars of his bed poking at his back. She arranged the washcloth on his forehead before sitting beside him again and opening the journal to an article on the prevalence of swans in early Storm Age woodcarvings found in southern Orlais. Solas happily closed his eyes and leaned back into his pillows.

"'The carvings at the recently discovered remains of the Avery estate in Montsimmard depict two members of the genus Cygnus facing one another, their wings outstretched. While some have argued -'"

"Wait," Solas peeked at the journal in Ellana's hands through half-lidded eyes, lifting his head only just enough to see over her shoulder. "Was there a footnote in that sentence?"

"How could you possibly know that?" She angled the text away from him.

"It had the cadence of something that needed additional clarification," he said.

"Yes," she bit out. "There's a footnote."

"Would you read the footnotes as well, please?"

She stared at him, her lips forming a tight pout as he watched her cheeks grow red. "All of them? Even the citations?"

He did want all of them, even the citations, but he was enjoying himself too much to risk pushing her too far. "The content footnotes will suffice," he said.

Ellana took in a deep breath. "This is a note after the bit about the genus Cygnus: 'As the carvings were not embellished with color, there are difficulties in determining which species is represented. While the Empress Swan was, and remains, the most common species found in southern Orlais …'"

Solas watched her as she read, entranced by the movements of her mouth and the way she swept her hair back behind her ear each time it fell forward when she leaned over the journal. He chuckled when she added editorial quips to the text (to 'give it some flavor,' she said), though he quickly lost control of his laughter as it shifted to a hacking cough. He wished he could hold her close to him and feel the cool press of her skin against his own; he wished he could kiss the corner of her mouth where it pinched each time she made a joke. He sighed loudly, his frustration getting the better of him.

"You sound worse," Ellana said, all the amusement gone from her face as she looked over at him. She ran a hand from his forehead down his cheek and it was perfect, just perfect, Solas thought.

"I'm going to get you a glass of water and your medicine, and then I really think you should try to go back to sleep." Her eyes were so wide, her mouth curved down in a little frown, so concerned, so tender.

"I will try," he said. It sounded very brave to his ears.

Once he'd taken his pills and finished the full glass of water (Ellana insisted, and he was delighted), Solas settled down beneath the covers. She left again, carrying the empty glass back into the kitchen. When she didn't immediately return, he called out her name. When she didn't reply, he called it a few more times.

Finally, she reappeared at the door with her open laptop balanced in one hand.

"I was coming back," she assured him. "I just wanted to watch something while you slept - unless you think the noise will bother you."

"It won't," he said. He had no real intention of sleeping, anyway. He merely wanted to lie beside her. Parchment, perhaps sensing his mood, hopped up onto the bed, made several small circles, and then found a comfortable spot pressed up against his legs.

Ellana slid beneath the blankets, perched the computer on her lap, and then draped her arm above his head on the pillow. Very responsibly, he did not turn to kiss her fingers, though he easily could have.

"What will you watch?" he asked.

"I thought I should finally check out that version of Inquisitive Hearts you and Dorian are always talking about," she said. "The Antivan production."

Solas knew he would not sleep now, even if he had been tired. He was far too invested in seeing Ellana's reactions to the film, though he might have to at least pretend to doze off occasionally. As slowly as he could, so as not to disturb Parchment, he angled himself toward her and hooked a knee over her leg. He heard the swell of familiar music as the film began.

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

Three days later, Solas returned from an afternoon in his office at the university to find Ellana sitting on his sofa with blankets piled on top of her. When he approached her, he realized she was also wearing several layers of clothing and had somehow convinced Parchment to sit on her lap.

"Why is your house so cold?" she complained.

"You're sick," he said immediately.

"No, I'm not."

"Have you taken anything?"

"No. Because I'm not sick."

She sneezed loudly, several times in a row. Parchment hopped down off her lap, clearly offended by the display. Ellana stared up at him as if daring him to contradict her.

"Come," Solas said, reaching down a hand to her. "You should be in bed."

"Well if that's what you wanted, you could have just … oh shit, it's freezing!" Ellana winced as her bare feet touched the floor.

"It isn't," he said, putting a hand behind her back to balance her. "But I will get you a pair of socks."

She was shivering when he finally managed to convince her to get into bed, so he piled the extra blankets on top of her. He brought in her laptop because she insisted she was still going to conduct the two remote interviews she had scheduled for the afternoon, even though she sounded increasingly congested (and ridiculous, and a bit endearing) with each passing minute. He considered pointing this out and decided against it - she would only become more insistent that she needed to stick to her schedule.

Solas tried not to hover outside the closed bedroom door while she finished her interviews, noting the increasing frequency of her sneezes and, now, coughs as well. Once he was certain she was done, he knocked on the door to bring her a cup of hot tea.

"Thanks," Ellana said, her voice hoarse. "I'm just going to take a quick nap and sleep it off. I'll be fine in a couple hours."

"Are you certain you don't want to take something first?"

"No." She coughed. "It's not …" she coughed again, "… that bad."

"And if you wake up and it's worse, will you take something then?"

"Sure. I guess," she shrugged before dissolving into a coughing fit and shrinking below the covers. She was snoring lightly not long after.

Solas used the hours she was asleep to clean. The house had become somewhat disorganized while he'd been sick, during which time Ellana had managed to do a load of laundry but not to put it away. He also noticed a few items in the kitchen had not been returned to their usual places. She'd been apologetic about the state of things, but he knew the blame was partially his as well - he'd wanted her to keep him company for as much time as she would allow.

With the laundry folded and the kitchen thoroughly cleaned, Solas peered into the bedroom to check on Ellana. She was lying face down, had kicked off several layers of bedding, and had her arms and legs splayed across the entire mattress. Parchment was perched on her lower back, purring loudly enough that Solas could hear it from the door. He hurried in to move the cat off her.

Ellana slept well into the evening, emerging from the bedroom with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders sometime after sunset. She insisted upon eating the soup he'd made at the dining table, though he'd found a tray to use so she could stay in bed if she preferred. She shuffled into the bathroom after she ate and returned with a selection of medicines that she spread across the table. After some consideration, she finally chose one of them and then immediately returned to bed.

Solas joined her a few hours later. She had managed to confine herself to one side but was tossing and turning constantly, her cough keeping her half awake. When he finally decided it would be best to move to the couch, she grabbed him around the waist with both arms and sleepily murmured, "Stay," so he did.

In the morning, he left her only long enough to take a shower. But when he opened the door from the bathroom he found Ellana at the front door, fully dressed, and attempting to pull his heavy winter coat over one of her arms. She already had it half on, but it was so large on her that it fell down to her ankles, and she was struggling with the second arm because her hand was lost somewhere in the first.

"What are you doing?" he said, baffled.

Ellana looked up at him and her face was deathly pale. Her eyes were only slightly open and sweat beaded on her forehead. "I'm going to the store," she said with something he imagined was supposed to be a smile but actually looked a bit harrowing.

"Ellana …" he began, uncertain what to even say.

"Do you need anything?" she asked before she hunched over, coughing uncontrollably, and reached out a hand to balance herself on the door.

"Oh, come on, Solas!" Ellana objected as he carefully escorted her toward the bedroom. "I just want to go outside for a few minutes. Sun is supposed to be good when you're sick, right?"

After a long negotiation, he situated her on the bench in the garden still wrapped in his winter coat, with a blanket beneath her and two more on top. He then hurried back into the kitchen to make tea and collect the medicines she'd left on the dining table. It was time, Solas decided, to take matters into his own hands.

While Ellana sipped her tea and blinked sleepily in the sunlight, Solas scoured his phone for some way to set a timer. Eventually he found it and set individual, labeled alerts for each of the medications he handed over to her.

"See?" she said as she finished her tea. "I told you the sun would help."

"Taking something to treat your symptoms is what helped," he muttered under his breath as he took her mug into the kitchen to refill it.

He sat beside her on the bench until she began to fall asleep, then took the mug from between her hands when he saw her head slump forward to her chest. When he felt certain he wouldn't wake her, he carried her back to the bed.

By the third day Ellana had a little color back in her cheeks and the medicine was keeping the worst of her cough under control. She was, however, far more congested than she had been at the start, and Solas had to make a trip to the store for more tissues when she went through everything he had in the house.

He knew she must be over the worst of it when, while he sat beside her on the bed and read through the latest issue of The Orlesian Historical Review now that he could better focus on it, he suddenly felt Ellana's hand slide from where she'd rested it on his chest down into his lap.

"Ellana!" Solas grabbed her and laced her fingers with his own to keep her from pulling away.

"What?" she groaned, then sniffled loudly. "It might help. You don't know. Please, I can't just sit in bed all day. I'm so bored."

"Flattering," he told her. "And yet not the solution to your problem."

She huffed with frustration and curled up closer to him, bringing their clasped hands down to rest against her chest.

"I'm dying," Ellana proclaimed with another round of sniffles.

"I know," Solas said as he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her against his chest, and placed a kiss to her forehead.

[maggotknight]

The Wasteland Wayfarer

I tried my hand at writing again. woe be upon thee who enter ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ I would like to thank one of my friends for helping me with this! She's the best :3

its also posted on ao3 because i'm trying to be brave!

It felt as though the entire ship was spinning. She couldn't get to the lift fast enough; Pushing through faces she recognized but names she couldn't recall. Some calling out to her, others mumbling tomorrow's lounge gossip:   

'Is the Lord Captain alright?'

'She looks.. ill.'

'I had a feeling she wasn't cut out for this-- you heard about her past-- only a matter of time before she cracked.' 'You might be right.. look at 'er. About to make a mess on the deck..! Or worse..

'Lord Captain..?'

"Lord Captain..!" A firm hand stopped Lilith in her tracks, fingers painfully close to pushing the button for the lift. She almost thought she heard it's machine spirit sigh in frustration. Or perhaps it was just her Seneschal, who's infuriatingly stern grip kept the woman from escaping.

"What happened down there? A scrambled vox signal was obtained and then nothing!" His concerns came out as per usual: demands rather than concern. Why did men always demand and not ask? Lilith closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to gain her paper thin composure. She could feel every eye in the room trained on her. Like when you looked into lasfire for much too long; a burned afterimage behind her lids. 

"Roaches. Genestealers. Hidin' like vermin on that carcass of a ship. We barely got out." Lilith's response came hoarse. As the tremor in her voice dissipated with each clipped sentence. She gestures a hand behind her, still not turning to face her audience.  "If it wasn't for Heinrix... I'll draft a report. Goin' to my quarters. Don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Lord Captain I mu--"

"That's an order, Seneschal! Do I make myself clear?!"

Abelard's expression faulters for the briefest of moments, a mix of his typical patronly stoicism and something more.. concerned. He stands at attention, nodding his head, 

"Yes, Lord Captain."  

The silence that followed her outburst lingered on the bridge like a miasma. Only broken by the furious clicking of the lift's hailer and the machine spirit's staccato protests that the lift *would* arrive. But those were for her ears only. Not that she was really paying much attention-- or hearing anything but her own racing thoughts. 

She just needed to get to her quarters. Get drunk. Sleep it off. Busy herself with things that didn't involve the mountains of skeletons that hid within her thinly walled closet. Lilith stepped into the lift, taking off her hat so she had something to look at that wasn't the Bridge crew.. And if she were to catch a glimpse of Heinrix; the disappointment, the judgement that would no doubt be there.  With a clunk and groan of servos, the lift descended.

⋘ later... ⋙

Lilith swallows hard, trying to finally stuff the hard lump of shame that grew in her throat down with a smooth gulp of whiskey. The bottle sat half empty on the round regicide table, among other various items. She had some mind to set the regicide board and it's pieces aside; but not enough to keep track of the last game her and Heinrix had played. Its pieces lay scattered on the well loved marble surface and some rolling onto the floor.  

Her bolt pistol, freshly scrubbed of xenogunk and blood, lay in pieces to air dry. The sight of the fetid remains of those horrible things was enough to make her gall rise once more. However, the fragrant unguents and blessed oils mixed with the warmth in her belly from the whiskey was salve to her frayed nerves.

Felix, her personal servo-skull familiar, sat on the table. The servos held within the cranium whirred and clicked as the pict data transferred from his memcore to her portable cogitator. He stared impassively back at Lilith as she tended to her bolt pistol. Lilith, in turn, flashed him a weary smile. 

Lilith moves on to her boots. Uncorking a bottle of black, viscous polish and dabbing a rag to it's lip. It's been too long since her boots have gone without polish. It was at least ten lashes worth of scuffs, grime and blood on the leather. 

But she was no longer a cadet at the Schola Progenium, nor serving the Gaurd as a Commissar. She was a leader on a completely different scale. With more lives than she could even fathom looking to her for guidance. For protection from monsters untold. 

These worries felt smaller as Lilith slipped back into a familiar routine. Finding a small comfort in the buffing of her boots. So engrossed was the Lord Captain in her old cadet's duties that she almost didn't notice the rumbling of the lift. Nor the pair of steady footsteps approaching her.

"I don't think our last game went that poorly, Lord Captain."

Heinrix van Calox says, picking up a scattered knight and queen from the floor. 

Lilith's head snaps up, "Oh... It's just you." She says, relieved that it wasn't Danrok or, Emperor forbid, Abelard. Even at the best of times, her and the senior Seneschal butt heads.

She'd like to avoid biting it clean off. 

Heinrix looks at Lilith. His once hard and inscrutable features soften with concern. "It's the twelfth hour. You had asked for a regicide match." 

Lilith looked at Heinrix like he had grown a third eye. "Oh! Yeah, right.. I asked before we left for.."

"The Wasteland Wayfarer." Heinrix finished, moving closer to where Lilith sat crouched over her polished boots. He hesitates for a brief moment before taking the nearby chair and seating himself next to the Lilith. 

"Right." Lilith croaks.

For a long while, they both sit in silence. 

Heinrix's jaw works; mouth parting then closing in false starts of a conversation. With a deep exhale of breath, he decides on something. 

"This ordeal reminded me of my time spent in the Imperial Guard. I had just been cleared to serve after sanctioning. "

Lilith looks up from her boots, listening intently to Heinrix as he speaks.

“By the will of the God-Emperor the very first assignment my regiment received was at…”

He stumbles, frowning and shaking his head. 

“Names don’t matter anyway. The thing is, the star system was besieged with Xenos forces. Not sure if you heard of them… they are called Orks. No matter how much you listen to priests spouting about the viles and monstrosity of enemies of Humanity, the first time seeing the said enemy will leave scars on your psyche.” 

He fell silent for several seconds. Then, as he continued, his voice changed. 

“They were terrifying, Lilith. After all the trials and challenges of leaving the planet, going through sanctioning, surviving the training and being the walking anathema to everyone you serve with, I didn’t think something can rattle me. I had nightmares of Greenskins for months. I shuddered every time a sound of machinery reminded me of their roars.”

He glances at the woman at his side, their eyes meeting. “The God-Emperor’s blessing of righteousness can go only so far, as well as our own nobleness of spirit. Remember this, because knowing your limits might be the only thing that keeps you alive one day.”

Lilith held Heinrix's gaze, her eyes grown glossy. "Bit harder to boil than a grink, it sounds like." She chuckles, an awkward smile curling her lips. 

Heinrix stares at Lilith, stunned, before breaking into a low, sincere laugh. 

"You are a mean woman." The Interrogator sneers, his crooked smile turning warm. 

Lilith laughs in kind, taken by how much younger Heinrix looked when smiled. And how rare his smiles were. The Lord Captain fumbled for a lho and her lighter. Looking to keep her hands busy with something other than reaching out to Heinrix for an embrace.. or more. 

They were colleagues--- Heinrix was, no doubt, here to *survey* her as much as endear himself to her. Both provided leverage for the Inquisition and its growing establishment within the Koronus Expanse. Lilith was not so stupid as to think otherwise. 

She was, however, starting to believe she might be stupid as she flicks her lighter to no avail. Her profanity muffled under the lho stick held between her lips. 

"Here."

Heinrix reaches over and offers his hand. Then, tentatively, takes the lighter from Lilith's. Two small flicks before the lighter ignites. Heinrix leans in, and Lilith follows suit. Their eyes meet as the lho connects with the flame. For a moment, the world slows.

The Lord Captain leans back, taking in a languid pull from her lho, savoring its taste and allowing the stimulant to wash over her nerves. 

"I don't think I got a game in me, Heinrix." Lilith exhales, a small, guilty smile on her face.

"I had assumed as much before coming." Heinrix said in earnest. He hands the lighter back to Lilith before standing. "We will reschedule. I'll make sure you have no distractions to rely on for when I win next." The Interrogator bows, hiding his smile.

"Arsehole." Lilith snickers, waving him off with a free hand.

[rickybobbydan]

22. Por Siempre

Daniel Ricciardo x Fem!OC Driver

Summary: Mayne things are finally looking up as we end the 2015 season and get ready to see whet 2016 brings/

Warnings: Mentions of Jules,

Words: 2.6k+

A/N: SO this is the end of this part of Solana and Daniel's story. I'll be posting an initial poll with some drivers so that it makes choosing one easier. On another note, I really hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I did when I wrote this a while ago.

Previous

Winter 2015–2016 – Between Seasons

The paddock sleeps, tucked under frost and silence. Garages dark. Flights paused. Helmets stored away like relics of war.

But Solana doesn’t sleep.

Not really.

She lies awake in her apartment in Maranello, or sometimes in Daniel’s flat in Monaco, listening to the quiet hum of the world. It should be peaceful. It should feel like rest. But her soul still runs hot, haunted by the rhythm of circuits and ghosts.

The roar of the engine lives in her chest like a second heartbeat. Sometimes she dreams of Eau Rouge. Sometimes Suzuka. Sometimes Jules's laugh in the gravel after a qualifying run gone wrong.

In the mornings, she traces her calloused fingers over photos taped beside her bed: her parents at the Mexican GP, Charles and Jules in karting gear, Daniel kissing her podium-wet cheek in Austin. Proof that the year happened. That she made it through. That she didn’t drown in expectation or grief.

But survival changed her.

She trains harder now, alone on empty tracks under gray skies, headphones blasting music loud enough to drown doubt. Her trainer tries to convince her to rest. But how do you rest when you spent a season proving you're worthy of the seat you were told you’d never earn?

Sometimes, on particularly cold mornings, she texts Charles.

Still feel him out there?

Every time I brake late, he writes back. He’s smiling.

And then there’s Daniel. The boy with the sun in his laugh and grief hidden behind his teeth.

Their love lives in stolen days, quiet breakfasts in bed, blurry Facetimes between testing, laughter in languages that don't always need translating. They fight sometimes, too, when fear creeps in and neither of them knows what the future holds. But they always come back to each other. Anchors in a sport that never promises permanence.

One night, curled against his chest under a worn Red Bull hoodie, she whispers, "Do you ever think we’re just trying to hold something broken together?"

Daniel presses a kiss to her temple. "Maybe. But it’s ours. And it’s still beating."

She closes her eyes. Counts the seconds between his breaths. Between seasons. Outside, the world is sleeping.

But Solana is still awake. Still listening. Still carrying the weight of everything she lost and everything she became. Because the story isn’t over.

It’s just winter. And winter is when champions are made.

Monte Carlo – December 2015

The skies over Monaco are soft and gray, the kind of overcast that mutes the glitz into something reverent. Rain glides down the hills and rooftops, tracing the old bones of the city with quiet, steady grace.

Solana walks through the winding streets. Her hood pulled low, red scarf knotted tight at her neck, one of the last things Jules ever gave her.

The cemetery sits high on the hill overlooking the marina, where the water glimmers steel-blue beneath the clouds. The headstone isn’t Jules’ actual resting place—his grave is in Nice, with his family—but this memorial was erected with Charles' help. A place for them. For his chosen family. A space carved into Monaco’s silence where they could come and feel close.

Jules Bianchi 1989 – 2015 Pilote. Fils. Ami. Tu vis dans nos cœurs.

It’s simple. Quiet. The kind of tribute Jules would have preferred—modest, easy to miss unless you knew where to look. But to Solana, it’s the only place where her heart lets go.

She kneels in front of it, rain soaking the knees of her jeans, gloves damp from the slick stone.

She doesn’t pray.

She speaks.

"Charles is getting stronger. More focused. I see you in him more every day."

Her voice catches, low and brittle.

"I still hear your voice sometimes. When I brake late. When I’m scared. You always said 'Don’t lift.' So I don’t."

She bows her head, one tear sliding down, followed by another. They fall like the rain—soft and constant.

Then—arms.

Strong, familiar ones.

Daniel.

He wraps himself around her from behind, not saying anything at first. Just being there. Being with her.

"I didn’t want you to be alone," he murmurs into her damp scarf, voice quiet but steady.

She places her hand over his, right where it rests against her chest.

"You never let me be," she says. "Even when I tried to push you away."

He presses a kiss to her temple. Gentle and grounding.

"This place isn’t for him," she whispers. "It’s for us. For me, for Charles. So we have somewhere to remember without falling apart."

Daniel doesn’t speak. He just holds her tighter. The kind of silence that says, I get it. They stay there for a while, kneeling before memory, grief wrapped in red scarves and rain. Eventually, Solana leans her head back against Daniel’s chest.

"You were a bug part of his life" she says softly. "He always talked about you."

"I miss him. Everyday," Daniel answers.

And for the first time all season, Solana lets herself cry without guilt.

Here, in the city where Jules lived and laughed and dreamed, she lets Daniel carry the weight with her.

Because this monument may not hold Jules' body, it holds their love and it’s enough.

Italy – Ferrari Factory, Maranello December 2015,

The skies over Emilia-Romagna are overcast, heavy with the kind of chill that seeps into bones and carbon fiber alike. But inside the gates of Maranello, there’s a different kind of intensity. Not the roar of engines, but the hum of legacy being reassembled—one part, one vision, one heartbeat at a time.

Solana visits the factory twice that winter, once early in the month for business, and once quietly, just before Christmas.

The first is all business. She arrives in a tailored Ferrari jacket and sharp boots, sleeves pushed up, eyes focused. She spends hours in the simulator room, headset on, dissecting telemetry down to the millisecond. The engineers learn to keep pace with her—not just technically, but emotionally. Because she doesn’t speak in cold math. She speaks like the racer she is.

"You're overthinking turn-in response here," she says, leaning over a screen. "The car doesn't hesitate, the team does. Make it trust itself again."

She challenges them to find the soul of the machine, not just its specs. She pushes aero concepts that mimic driver instinct, not just wind tunnel approval. She reminds them that the driver isn’t the last step in development. She is the blueprint.

"I don’t just want a faster car," she tells the tech director. "I want a car that punishes fear. That rewards risk. Build me that."

They nod. They listen. Because she's not just the face of the team anymore. She’s its backbone.

The second visit is quieter. Personal.

Charles Leclerc joins her—fresh off his final F3 tests, wearing a puffy jacket too big for his narrow frame, his eyes full of awe and unspoken grief. The factory feels sacred to him. But also distant.

She walks him through the Hall of Legends—walls of red velvet and gold plaques, every world champion immortalized.

"Un día estarás aquí," she says, stopping beneath the names of Schumacher and Lauda. Her voice is soft, but sure.

Charles lowers his gaze. "Only if I earn it."

"You already carry it," she replies, looking directly at him. "You just don’t know it yet. But you will. Drive like you deserve to be remembered. Like Jules believed in you. Because I do."

His throat works with emotion. But he nods.

"Merci," he says quietly. "Pour tout." Thank you. For everything.

Solana places a hand on his shoulder. "For Jules, we go forward. Always."

Before she leaves, she asks for a moment alone on the assembly floor. The factory lights are dim, casting golden hues over unfinished chassis, sleek nosecones, and scattered parts like relics waiting for purpose.

Her next season’s car rests there—just a shell for now. But she walks toward it slowly, reverently. She presses her gloved hand against the monocoque. The cold carbon fiber warms beneath her touch, or maybe that’s just her heart answering back.

"Let’s write the next chapter right," she whispers. "Together."

And somewhere in the hum of the factory—in the echoes of Jules, the spark in Charles, and the fire in her own chest—Solana Villarosa knows:

The future isn't waiting.

It's being built here.

Right now.

By her own hands.

Navidad con la familia Riverside, California – December 24, 2015

The Villarosa household is glowing—literally. Strands of colorful Christmas lights hang from every corner of the roof and twine around the iron gate. Inside, the warmth isn’t just from the space heaters or the stove; it’s from the people.

The living room is full of voices and aromas that stitch together her childhood—tamales de mole rojo, pozole rojo, carne asada sizzling on the grill outside where her tíos laugh over beers and swap family gossip under strings of blinking lights. The kitchen table is crowded with bowls of guacamole, pan dulce, mugs of bundles of strawberry flavors atole, and her abuela’s ceramic nativity set, carefully arranged like it has been every year since Solana was five.

Her younger cousins crowd around the TV, screaming in a chaotic mix of Spanish and English as they battle it out on Mario Kart. “¡No manches!” one yells, after spinning out on Rainbow Road. Another shouts, “Cheater!” before bursting into giggles.

Solana watches it all from the couch, wrapped in a thick fleece blanket, the familiar scent of cinnamon and masa in the air. Her cheeks are flushed from laughter, from home, from something more.

Daniel rests his head in her lap, legs stretched out, curls slightly damp from the shower he took after helping her tíos set up the canopy outside. He’s barefoot, in sweats and a borrowed Christmas shirt from her cousin. It says “Feliz Navidrift”with a drifting sleigh.

He watches her, eyes soft beneath the blinking lights.

“You’re happy here,” he says, not as a question, but as a realization. His accent is gentle, like he's afraid to break the moment.

Solana nods, stroking his hair, twirling a damp curl between her fingers. “Because this is home,” she whispers. “Not the podium. Not the paddock. Just this. You.”

Daniel’s hand slides up from the blanket, lifting hers, and presses a kiss to the inside of her wrist, slow, tender, reverent.

“Wherever you are is home for me too,” he says.

Outside, fireworks pop in the distance, someone in the neighborhood jumping the gun on Nochebuena. The sound blends with laughter, the shuffle of feet in the hallway, and the low notes of Juan Gabriel playing on the stereo.

She leans down and kisses his forehead, lingering there as he closes his eyes. “Then you’re stuck with me.”

Daniel opens his eyes again, smirking. “That was kind of the plan.”

Solana smiles and sinks back into the couch, letting the warmth and joy of the night settle over them. And for once, there’s no press, no pressure, no ghosts whispering in the background.

Just tamales, tangled limbs, and the kind of love that tastes like cinnamon and mole.

January 1st – 2016 Begins

The first dawn of the new year spills soft pinks and golds across the sky, painting the quiet Monaco harbor in watercolor light.

Solana sits curled on the balcony of her apartment—their apartment now—legs tucked under her, wrapped in one of Daniel’s sweatshirts that hangs loose around her frame. The coffee in her hands is still steaming, the scent of cinnamon lingering from the pot he made just before sunrise. Below them, the sea is still, barely touched by wind, the boats rocking gently like they too are easing into the new year.

Daniel sits beside her, barefoot and rumpled from sleep, one hand holding his own chipped mug, the other laced with hers. There’s no need to speak yet. Just the hush of morning. The breath of a world catching up to them.

Her new Ferrari helmet she had kept stored since the Mexico Grand Prix rests on her lap—white, trimmed in glinting gold, with her mother’s roses etched across the top in delicate crimson and green. On top the visor, #JB17. The design had been her idea. But Daniel had been the one to sneak it to the paint shop, surprising her after Mexico.

He looks at her now, eyes still soft from sleep, smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Will you race forever?” he asks, voice low, like he’s asking the sunrise to keep glowing just a little longer.

Solana takes a long moment, watching the horizon. Her thumb brushes over the curved edge of the helmet.

“No,” she says finally, honest and unafraid. “But I’ll never stop belonging to this. Even when I’m not behind the wheel. It’s part of me. The fire, the grief, the pride. It made me who I am.”

Daniel nods, leaning his head gently against hers. “It shows. Every time you get in that car. Every time you speak. Every time you carry those who came before.”

She closes her eyes, breathing him in, warm, familiar, the scent of clean cotton and black coffee and something steady. “Then let’s keep building something worth remembering,” she murmurs. “On and off the track.”

Inside, the soft clatter of their dog’s paws, rescued in the off-season, already spoiled, echoes against the floorboards. Their coats hang together by the door. Their lives, stitched now in the ordinary and the extraordinary.

They sit in silence, watching the sky lighten, watching the sea stretch toward tomorrow.

And for the first time, the new year doesn’t feel like a finish line or a deadline.

It feels like home.

Somewhere in Italy…

A thin veil of fog clings to the hills just outside Maranello. The private test circuit is slick with morning frost, the winter sun still hiding behind the gray.

A red car slices through the cold.

A junior driver—still lanky with youth but hardened by grief—runs lap after lap, pushing harder each time. His tires scream through every chicane. His visor fogs with breath. His hands ache from the cold seeping through his gloves.

But he doesn’t stop.

His lungs burn. His muscles shake. But he keeps going. Because the stopwatch is watching. Because the silence between corners still speaks.

Because she once told him he could.

“You don’t need to be anyone’s shadow,” Solana had said to him. “Jules didn’t raise ghosts. He raised fire.”

And Jules—years before—had told her something just like it. On a night when she’d doubted herself. When the world seemed too heavy. He had looked at her with that crooked smile and said, “You don’t need permission to be great, just the courage to stay when it gets hard.”

Now Charles Leclerc floors the throttle out of the final corner.

Because she believed in him. Because Jules believed in her. Because legacies don’t rest.

They’re carried. Pushed. Driven.

And today, he drives for both of them.

Por siempre means forever.

And legends like hers don’t fade.

They evolve.

They etch themselves into the asphalt and the silence between gear shifts. They linger in the smell of fuel, in the way young drivers grip the wheel tighter when her name is spoken.

They shift. They rise. They pass the torch.

Her legacy isn’t just podiums or champagne or the thunder of tifosi. It’s in the girls lining up in karting suits three sizes too big. In the engineers who now listen when a woman speaks with authority. In the boy she once mentored, who now carries both her fire and Jules’ memory like armor.

They live on—in stories, in circuits, in the roar of the engine, and the stillness before the lights go out.

Because the race may end.

But she never will.

She became the apex.

And the world never stopped chasing her shadow. 

Previous

Tag list: @rawr-123s-stuff , @torihester , @justasagittarius, @chaoticmessneutralplease , @caren05 , @yukioni02 , @jinx53 , @angelicawasnthere , @sporadicreviewdream , @awkawardcow , @katgirl140898 , @string-of-constellations , @kate-blu33 , @ttuwzi , @holidaysnoopy , @thenightwemet02 , @babyvoidthing, @anedpev , @monsterslivinginadream

[littleplantfreak]

Wait for the tone, you know what to do~

Pairing: Umemiya Hajime x reader

Tags: SFW and no cws I think!

Word count: About 1.0k

So it's a songfic! I listened to Austin by Blake Shelton and knew if anyone would wait for you even after a year, it'd be him. I followed the song pretty much to a T

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

It had been a year since you left him. The feelings from back then still haunt you, but you thought they would've been long gone by now. You were an idiot, to be clear. You got so scared of how hard you fell for him and how good he was for you that you ran a few towns away without so much as an apology.

Since you'd left, though, the bed feels cold and hollow, or maybe that's just you and you're not sure if it's a good idea, but you decided to call him. If he changed his number, you wouldn't blame him in the least. This was your fault after all. He was so in love with you back then, he looked at you as if you'd brought the sun out every day, and put it to sleep every night. You fiddle with the necklace he gave you on your first anniversary, the one you still haven't brought yourself to take off, even on the few dates you've tried to go on. If he answers, great; if he doesn't...you're not sure what to say.

The phone rings three times, and you hold your breath as you hear the sound of his voice mail.

"Hey! If it's Hiragi, I'm teaching the kids to swim over at the gym down the street," and you can't help but puff out a laugh. Of course, he is. "It was a last minute thing since the regular teacher got sick, so meet me there if you wanna grab a drink tonight! Oh, but if it's Sakura, I'm still having that barbecue tomorrow night, and yes, you and your girlfriend are invited and then some. Bring as many plus ones as you want! It's gonna be an amazing night. If it's anyone else, just leave me a message." You hear a slight pause before you almost press the button to hang up. "...If it's ___, I still love you." and your breathing stops at the way he sounds. His voice is still so full of affection; it sounds the same as the day you left, and you drop your phone by accident. The screen is shattered, but you can tell it hung up. The spidery cracks of the glass in your heart stabbing and slicing at the wound you'd tried so desperately to close, reopen it from only seven words. Seriously, this guy...who even says that?! Who knows how long and how many times he'd changed his recording and still kept that in there.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

It takes three days for you to get a new phone and get it activated and synced up. You can't just text him. That is in no way a text conversation, you tell yourself. Let's try this again. Three rings, just like before. Okay, here we go; you brace yourself, wondering if it'll be the same one from a few days ago.

"If it's about the fundraiser at the library, donations go to Kusumi or you can drop them off at the cafe. If it's Saturday, we're going to the beach for the weekend! I'm trying to 'unplug' a bit, so unless it's an emergency, I'll get back to you Monday! Have a great weekend. P.s., if this is ___, I do still love you!" The tone is different this time. A little more chipper, and it may be due to the beach trip. He always did love dragging you there for the day. He'd wake you up at 6 AM, lifting you out of the bed, blankets and all, to hold you to him and whisper that he's kidnapping you for the day if that's alright, and he'd never fail to mumble the last part since he knew you'd have to call off work for it. It didn't matter; you'd call off work a thousand times if it meant you'd get to hold his hand on the train again.

You leave your number. That's it. He should know your voice, right? You feel the cowardly part of yourself that you hate so much rear up only for you to shove it back down. No more running. If he's waited for you this long, he deserves the best version of you that you can give right now, not the same one that turned tail at the first sign you'd wanted to spend your whole life with him. So you'll wait for Monday.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

Umemiya knows that voice anywhere. You didn't leave your name, but it has to be you, right? His hands shake a bit as he hits redial, and he curses himself for going to the beach now. He needed it given how stressed he's been lately, but of all times to miss your call. What would you have said? What would he have said? Are you going to answer? The phone is ringing, and for the first time in a while, he's speechless.

"If you're calling about my heart, it's still yours. I should've listened to it a little more. Then it wouldn't have taken me so long to know where I belong." Oh, it is you. He should've known immediately; he was just afraid to get his hopes up. Your old number called the first time, and he nearly had a heart attack rereading the numbers over and over to make sure, but you didn't leave a message, so it could've been accidental. He didn't want to push you further away than you already were. The last time, the number you gave was new. He wondered what that was about, but he has the chance to ask you now that he's sure you reached out first. "Not sure if you're still there..." your voice trails off in a nervous chuckle, while he's silently panicking that he hadn't given any response, "...but if you are, I still love you too."

"No I do! I am...You too- I mean I still love you too- also-," He's never been so unable to articulate the thousands of things he's wanted to tell you and say to you, and he might just get choked up if he's not careful.

"Thank you, Hajime," You say, and this time you're going to run straight for him, no looking back.

[scribblestatic]

Part 3 of Centaur!Izuku because why not. That also means, in a few days or so, I'll put together the masterpost.

"in a few days or so," I say, doing it immediately

Prev Masterpost Next

(Warning: Maladaptive Abuse Coping, Recovery, and mentions of Trafficking)

--

"Hey, great work on the trafficking case, Nemu-chan."

"Mmm."

Yamada knew something was off about her, but her lackluster response is even more confirmation. She was chilling out over at his place, but she'd been mildly distracted by her phone the entire time.

"What's wrong? I thought it went well! Nedzu seemed pretty happy, anyway." He lets out a wry laugh as he leans over the back of his couch.

The chimera principal of U.A. had been chuckling off and on throughout the day each time the successful infiltration mission was mentioned. He also just seemed to chuckle in general, sipping his tea quite happily. Of course, this one was a case rather close to his heart, so of course he was very, very pleased with the positive results.

Her lips purse in contemplation, a frown scrunching her brows.

"No, it went alright. We didn't get to go to the base, but we were able to find it anyway after interrogating some of the members. It's just... I'm waiting on a bit of feedback."

"On what?"

"Well, I just have a hunch. Call it women's intuition."

"Yeah... Though, I guess I'm curious if it's not confidential. What kinds of quirks did the animals have?"

"Hmm? Ah, well, it's rare for animals to have quirks in the first place, so it was less that they knew what quirks they had and more that they were trying to find out. Though, I know there was a cat that could walk through walls."

"Don't they kinda do that already? As long as their head fits—"

"No, it walked through solid walls. Brick, steel, glass, the works. The only thing it couldn't walk through was 100% pure iron. They dubbed it the 'feycat'."

"Huh...I'm pretty sure Shouta would adopt the feykitty if allowed to."

"He can't even if he wanted to, though. It and all the other animals are under jurisdiction of the Hero Public Safety Commission. Except...there's one I'm not sure about."

"Not sure about..." Yamada trails off. "What do you mean?"

"They said it had a humanization quirk. I don't know."

"Oh... Oh. Jesus Christ." He moves from the back of the couch to sit beside her, his gaze serious. "You think it's actually human?"

"It's just... It...he was unconscious when we arrived back. My quirk doesn't usually knock someone out for that long unless their body really needed the sleep. He looked exhausted back then. But, the whole place was full of animals. He was processed in like any other animal with with a quirk. For the others, that was fine. But for him... It felt so uncomfortable."

"What did he look like?"

She sighs deeply, pushing up her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose.

"...I've never seen anything like it. The quirk, I mean. Or, well..." She pauses, frowning. "Actually, I have. Several times. Where animal parts replace other parts we expect on humans. But it's different. He's mostly like a human from the head to his waist, but after that...

"From the waist down, he's got the body of what looks to be a horse or reindeer or...something. I don't personally know of any quirks that change humans from being at least mostly bipedal on a permanent basis. If I'm right, then he's a novel case, but he's a human."

Yamada hums, thinking. Yes, he's met a few people with heteromorphic quirks. As an English teacher in training at U.A., he's met teacher heroes like Cementoss and Hound Dog. He's met more than a few students with animalistic or heteromorphic qualities as well.

Though, he could admit, none of them had more than two legs. Having several legs was a newer phenomenon, perhaps one occurring from the strengthening power of quirks.

"I asked for a favor from one of the guys working at the HPSC. He should've taken a bit of his blood while he was unconscious for DNA testing. They were taking blood from every creature they picked up, but that's to log them in their system."

"You asked him to do DNA diagnostics."

"See if he's in the system anywhere, yeah. Humans usually have around 46 chromosomes. If he has a similar amount, we can generally guess that he's human. They'll also look for other DNA markers. It'll take some time."

"Eugh, yeah. DNA testing always takes a few days."

"But I'd rather be thorough—"

Suddenly, her phone pings. Opening the message, her frown turns into a scowl as she reads.

"...Fuck."

She jumps to her feet, quickly heading over to the shoe rack at the door.

"Eh? What? What happened? Who was that?"

"The favor I called in."

"What? But that's way too soon! Didn't they just start a few days ago?"

"Yeah. It usually takes longer." She zips up one of her heels, grabbing at her other one. "But his DNA 99.9% matched that of an Amber-4 file."

--

The Hero Public Safety Commission has various holding cells for heroes and villains alike, just in case they needed to be kept in one place in private for a while. The implications of that were daunting, but that wasn't the point at the moment.

Instead, the point is that one such rooms, one of the larger ones meant for bigger people, holds a nervous, antsy boy Kayama rescued from being sold at the farm. The white lights shine brightly above him, a large bed placed in the corner of the room, along with other amenities. However, he just stands in the middle of the room, shifting his weight anxiously from hoof to hoof as he scratches absentmindedly at the work scars on his tanned fingers.

His human part is dressed in a medical gown, his horse(?) part left bare. That's how Nemuri can see the way his skin twitches with the phantom sensation of insects landing on him, tail lashing nervously.

"Midoriya Izuku. Last seen at 5 years old. He was diagnosed as quirkless at age 4, but went to the hospital for an uncontrolled fever a little after turning 5. He stayed for two weeks before being discharged, after which his whereabouts are relatively unknown.

"A few weeks later, Bakugou Mitsuki reported her friend, Midoriya Inko, missing. Her son's added to the missing person's report after police realize they can't find him, either. She's not yet been found, but here he is, at least."

Aizawa looks up from the notes he'd gathered after Kayama called him, his usually bored expression marred with a glare as he continues. At his side, Kayama and Yamada wear suits in contrast with his usual hero attire, Nedzu smiling tightly from his position on Yamada's shoulder.

"Reports from the Musutafu General state that Midoriya Izuku went through initial quirk activation in their hospital, which they reported at the time of the investigation. Since Midoriya Inko didn't report her son's updated quirk within the allotted time, and since it happened in their hospital, by law, the surgeon at the time made the report herself.

"Quirk name: Centaurus. Known attributes: causes a irrevocable change in human anatomical structure, turning the user's lower half to become like that of an ungulate, most closely associated in appearance with a horse."

The president of the HPSC stands across from the heroes and U.A. staff, gazing through the one-sided glass at the boy as he shivers and shifts on his hooves again.

"I'm well aware that the HPSC has been dealing with an understaffing issue, so I won't blame you all for not noticing that a human child is not an animal," Nedzu cheers sharply. "Though, I'll admit that knowing he was caged in an animal's holding cell until we called is quite a bit disconcerting."

"Yes, that was most definitely an oversight by our staff," the president replies easily, closing her eyes as she bows slightly. The guards with her also bow, though their eyes remain open and attentive. "We sincerely apologize and are thankful to you all for updating us."

"I thought the Watchdog Protocol was supposed to reduce the chances of this happening," Kayama murmurs, eyes lidded in thinly veiled disgust.

"Part of the understaffing issue, I'm guessing," Yamada adds, his characteristic grin absent.

"I think it's a little hard to miss a horse-bodied child, though. Weren't there tabloids attempting to report about him?"

"From what I saw, it looks like there were. Wonder why no one followed up on those."

"Brushed under the rug by someone?"

"Aside from the update you've thankfully given us about the child we believe is Midoriya Izuku, is there any other reason for your visit?" the president interrupts, her gaze firm and undaunted.

"Yes, actually! As someone in regular charge of caring for and ensuring the wellbeing of human children, I felt quite concerned for his mental, physical, and emotional health. While the holding cells here are certainly accommodating, perhaps he would fare better in a more open and specifically catered environment."

"As I recall, Principal Nedzu, you run a high school. If this child is indeed Midoriya Izuku, then he is, at most, 12 years old. A bit early for high school."

"I recognize that, yes. However, we have the accommodations, funds, and security measures capable of caring for the young Midoriya's delicate situation. We were already in the works of adding a child psychologist and therapist to our staff to assist our students in their mental wellbeing, so ensuring that they can cater their knowledge to children ages 12 and up should work well.

"Otherwise, we can always assign a therapist specifically for him and his unique situation. Moreover, we are, currently, unaware of where he is developmentally, and I feel a school would at least be more capable of evaluating this. As it stands, I don't see a particular reason he must remain in HPSC custody."

"You're not wrong about that. It's not as though he must remain with us. However, as his mother's whereabouts are currently unknown, his care is the responsibility of the government. We've already failed him once—"

—"Twice," Yamada griped under his breath—

"—and we've no intent to fail him again. So, with all due respect, our housing prospects have not included U.A."

"Well, certainly, that's expected. However, we also have a proposal that may better comfort him at this time."

"And that is?"

"Although not a usual member of our staff, Kayama Nemuri has graciously volunteered to participate in his care."

"Miss Kayama."

"Yes."

Although her eyes remain lidded, the president's eyebrows rise up.

"The R-18 Hero, Midnight."

Both Nedzu and Kayama smile without a single twitch.

"Yes! You see, victims of abuse tend to attach quite strongly to the ones who rescue them. We suspect that he hasn't had many positive relationships with adult figures in his life. However, he seems to have reacted at least somewhat positively to Midnight—"

One of the guards snorts a little. Everyone goes quiet, staring at him until he sweats, clearing his throat.

"...due to her calming nature and impeccable work with victims of violence and dehumanization. If he still looks kindly upon her, it may be better for him to stay at U.A. instead of a care facility. Moreover, as mentioned, we have a substantial land, which someone with his type of quirk may require for healthy living. As I'm sure you've noticed, he needs more space than the typical 12-year-old."

"...That could be a promising offer. Very well."

With a nod from those in charge, Kayama left the room, following the guards to the door to the child's pale, blank enclosure.

"I really am quite curious, Madam President. What would you have liked to do if he stayed in your care?"

"Of course, we would be working with the goal of helping him reintegrate into society. But, your assertion does have some appeal. While various care facilities exist, there are few that specialize in a situation quite as unique as his."

"I suppose our proposition has come at the perfect time, then."

"That's yet to be seen...but for this boy's sake, I'm hoping so."

"Hmm. What has he told you about how he's lived?" Yamada asks.

"Nothing."

"Avoiding the topic?"

"Rather, he hasn't spoken at all. We're unsure if he can speak."

Inside the room, the boy has started pacing a bit, walking in a tight circle, as though he's too afraid to touch or knock anything over. His ears pin to the sides of his head as he squeezes his own fingers.

He promptly stiffens when the lock on the door clicks, but he doesn't look toward the doorway, opting to stare increasingly wide-eyed at what he seems to think is a wall. One of his front legs starts pawing at the ground. He doesn't move to acknowledge anyone when the door opens.

Then, they watch as his nose twitches.

He blinks, slightly cocking his head, his left ear cautiously starting to turn.

In the doorway, Kayama, in her black suit jacket dress, smiles kindly.

"Hey there, sweetheart."

His reaction is immediate.

The boy's head turns, ears up and attentive. He then visibly relaxes as he turns around and approaches her slowly, his hooves clicking against the floor.

"I'm so happy to see you again! Are you doing alright?"

A little smile wobbles its way onto his face, and he nods. Even still, he holds his own hands, squeezing them. He gets closer, so it's easy to see the height difference between them. Despite not being fully grown, he was already nearly a whole head taller than her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. But, while I've been working to help you out, I discovered something. Just to be sure I have it right, what's your name?"

"...Izuku."

Kayama's smile widens, and she holds her hands out. He hesitates for a moment, but he stops squeezing his own hands to hold lightly onto hers.

"Izuku, huh? What a lovely name. Do you know what I am?"

"...A hero?"

"Yup. You can call me Midnight."

"...Okay. Uhm. Thank you...for saving me."

"Of course! It's in my job description—"

"Can I leave here?" he suddenly blurts out.

She pauses, surprised by his sudden question. The boy gazes back at her with tired eyes. But she sees the light of hope in them, though it darkens as he starts mumbling.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to interrupt. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Izuku. I understand. It's a bit stressful being here, I'm guessing?"

"Uhm... It's okay. It's just a bit...bright. But I understand. It's to be clean. I won't make it messy."

She tries not to let her sadness color her face too much. "Don't worry. You really could've wreaked havoc on this room and no one would have the right to scold you."

"It's not... It's not polite. But. Mm... Yes. Okay, I understand. Uhm. Can... Can we go on a walk, please?"

"Mm, feeling a bit stir-crazy?" She glances over at one of the guards, evaluating them sharply. "I would think you would've been allowed some time outside."

"Uhm. I haven't been outside yet. So..."

"You've been stuck in this room since you changed over to it?"

Izuku pauses, glancing warily at the guards, but a light squeeze to his hands brings his attention back to her. She nods slightly, letting him know she's listening.

His lips purse briefly before he looks down and to the side, nodding in reply.

"Do you know how long ago that was?"

He hesitates, but then shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I, uhm, don't... I don't know what time it is."

There's no windows to the outside, only the lights above him. In the pale white room, she imagines this experience was more like putting him in solitary confinement than it was liberating him from an animal's cage.

Of course, that wasn't how it was meant to be. After all, there is an analog clock on his wall.

He doesn't bother taking a look at it... Right.

Cause an analog clock is useless if you can't tell time.

"Well, I don't think there should be a problem taking a stroll." Kayama turns toward a guard, her smile pinched. "Do you?"

He looks taken aback for a moment before pressing the com against his ear. There's a beat of silence, then he replies.

"...Permission granted within authorized areas."

"Good enough for now! Come on, sweetie. Let's stretch those legs, hm?"

He brightens up before nodding quickly, his hands holding onto hers tighter as she leads him out of the room.

----

Two notes.

One, Amber-# files are just like Amber alerts, but with rankings of severity based on a few factors. It started up during periods of greater societal unrest due to meta abilities. Children would often go missing, so the ranking system was started to indicate which cases should take more precedence.

The list goes from Amber-1 to Amber-5, with the fifth being the most severe. Amber-1 indicates an older child between 15 to 18 has gone missing. Amber-2 indicates a child 10 to 14 is missing. Amber-3, children 6 to 9 or older children with physical or mental disabilities. Amber-4, children between 3 and 5, which is the most common age range for children to have developed their quirks. Amber-5, children 3 years and under, or children of prominent political/social figures.

While ranking a child's importance can seem heartless, this was a time of severe unrest. Though, maybe it's a bit telling that the system hasn't been rewritten.

Two, Nemuri's outfit as Midnight is more like this, but with her usual glasses, thin underlying material, and lack of gloves. I just wanted her to have some form of tit support.

Though, the civvy suit she's wearing right now is like this:

No matter the time or day, Kayama Nemuri is out to serve. ✨💅🏾

[smallnico]

song of rest

felt like doodling out esper's tent. trivia and guide under the cut!

the tent is a plain dark colour, very unflashy, fairly low to the ground. it provides shelter to sleep under, but doesn't close -- esper is a bit claustrophobic, especially when alone, so they don't tend to sit inside unless they're sleeping, and they prefer to sleep in the others' tents if they're allowed to.

wind chimes! their magic moves the chimes around slightly, so they like to play along to them. if it's too windy they don't set up the chimes. the magic itself isn't a particular spell (could be song of rest, but they're just tuning into the weave, really) but they usually have spell slots left at the end of the day, so they use any residual magic to vibe. more on that in 8.

a lantern that's basically an empty wine bottle that's been faerie fired. esper sets up pretty far away from the campfire -- they like the dark, but they do find comfort in the little motes of light.

the much-abused training dummy. this thing has been decapitated and run through so many times it's not funny. part of why esper sets up so far away from the center of camp is because they sometimes imitate death noises when they destroy this thing (for fun & enrichment), and they're a little too accurate for comfort.

barrel of swords. esper takes the weapons from enemies that they respect and sometimes polishes or sharpens those weapons, even if they don't use them.

just a huge pile of pillows and hide blankets and discarded armour. esper sleeps on the equivalent of a dirty laundry pile with a pillow. they will tidy up a little if they have company, but they are a slob on their own. anything that isn't a weapon or research is extremely disorganized.

pile of collected journals and notebooks. most of the books they pick up through their adventures esper will give to gale or astarion or halsin, or whoever wants them, but they keep notes that give them an eerie feeling -- notes that Might be about their mysterious past. some nights they will take out their own notebook and try to put the pieces together until their headache gets too bad and they have to stop.

esper bangin out the tunes. they're playing the spider's lyre. not any particular song, mind you, just a series of notes and a rambling improvised melody charged with magic. esper tunes into the vibrations of the surrounding area (birds, wind, rustling leaves, tremors in the ground, etc.) and harmonizes with them so they can sense if anything around the camp is weird. they're meditating and calming their own emotions when they do this, but they're also stretching out their senses for nearby threats or weird energies in camp.

this is probably tea or just hot water. it might be soup. esper will drink about anything but they rarely make it for themself -- someone wandered over there and poured a liquid in there and they've just been sipping it since. esper isn't a heavy alcohol drinker -- their tolerance is really low, and they don't like having their judgement or control compromised.

these are weapons from enemies esper Doesn't particularly respect, or just daggers that are shit and cheap and not worth using. i'll be real, this is mostly for the aesthetic, but when you have bad knives, sometimes you want to punish them by burying them in the ground and using them to hold up your tent.