#what happened to all the conversations where you promised you understood how important this is to me

[statisticalcats2]

Mom before: "I completely understand how much you want access to public transportation so you can finally be able to go out by yourself and I'm sorry the last multiple moves we haven't been able to do that for you, I promise next move will be different, that will be top of our list."

Mom now, as we're starting another move search: "Transportation's gonna be the same it is here."

[astaroth1357]

Flipping the Script: Leviathan Progression (Human World AU)

Previously: After a baggage mishap at the airport, you and your cosplay group found the perfect replacement for your Lord of Shadows! Rejoice, as now a demon has your number! (Not that you know that)

Contents: Second person (you), fluff, MC is an otaku, MC is down bad, mutual pining between idiots

Part One, Part Two (You are here), Part Three (Coming Soon)...

~♡♡♡~

Levi met up with you and your team for the photoshoot that day, and it couldn’t have gone better!

As promised, you spent your first visit to the vendors room with him as part of his compensation for helping you out. What you hadn’t expected was for him to be quite so funny during your time together.

He had an infectious energy about him… Especially when talking about the shows and hobbies that he liked to indulge in. Coincidently, they happened to line up with a lot of your interests as well, so there was a nearly endless conversations between you two.

By the time the rest of your team tracked you down to do a scheduled fan signing, you and Levi had already gotten lunch at a themed café and exchanged online handles to play games together back at the hotel. Then they had to sit and suffer through you rambling about just how sweet and hilarious he was...

Even after the convention, the two of you kept up a very steady contact. Weekly game nights were an absolute must and he occasionally would join chats with you if you decided to stream. Leviachan, as you'd happily begun to call him, became a fast regular in your DMs and on your chat history.

You were surprised that for all of Levi's skill, he didn’t have the same kind of social media presence that you had to share his cosplay. You offered multiple times to bring him in for collabs together, but…

Well, Levi was always super cagey with you about just WHERE he lives or even where he was born in! When you first asked, he said it was, “J-just a small place somewhere out there! Nowhere important.”

To some extent, you understood his desire for privacy, so you've never really pried, but it still felt so odd that he wouldn’t even give you a country… Not even a time zone! Whenever you wanted to call him, he’d always just “up.” Did he ever sleep??

What information you could gain from him was mainly family-related. He had six brothers, no Mom, and an estranged Dad. The one you saw on the day you met him, Malcolm, was the second oldest and their relationship seemed… complicated.

It wasn’t until you both decided to do a video call to play a game he sent you that you got to first meet the others...

You had your computer booting up the copy of Demonlands 2 that Levi sent for you to play while the window for your video call rang for him to pick up. It was another typical Friday game night for you, though you decided not to stream in favor of having a chill night of fun with Levi. He had been talking up this as one of his comfort games for a long while, though you had never heard of it yourself, so when he offered to give you copy you sprang for it! Over the months you’d gotten to know the shy otaku, you’d learned to put paramount trust in his recommendations. He really knew his stuff, anime AND game-wise, so listening to him was like having your own personal guru.

You slid your headphones on and got comfortable in your chair right as Levi’s end picked up and the corner of your monitor displayed the smiling face of the man who'd quickly grown to become your best friend. The ambient blue light of his room tinged the violet in his hair a shade of indigo, but left the sunset shade of his eyes more or less intact. You'd already expressed some jealousy to Levi over his sweet setup... what parts of it he's been willing to show you anyway. He'd given you the digital tour of his figurines, manga, and games collections, as well as showing you little Henry. You had no idea someone would commit to an aquatic aesthetic so hard that they’d actually sleep in a bathtub, but at the same time it felt so very… Levi. Nothing in his bedroom was like anything you'd ever seen before, like, who actually sleeps next to an aquarium tank?? Maybe his family were the eccentric type…

“Hey, Y/n! Sorry that I'm picking up late.”

“No, it’s fine! I was grabbing a snack earlier. Did something happen?”

“No, nothing important.”

You watched Levi start checking over his monitor through the screen while mindlessly twisting the black wire of your headphones between your fingertips. When you first started to play games together, these little silences between you would feel awkward and Levi would scramble to get find anything he could to fill them. To alleviate the tension, you’d play a shared playlist of your favorite otacore or ani-songs to make him more comfortable, but for the last month or so he hadn’t needed it as much. The silences were now… pleasant. You could take your time with each other like real friends could and it felt pretty nice.

Most of your offline friends knew how embarrassingly down bad you'd become for this guy. You hoped your cosplay audience hadn't picked up on it yet, but there would always be those comments that point out how you gush about him whenever he offered you a new accessory for your outfits… If you guys had a ship name, you didn’t know it'd be yet.

…

Not that you had any ideas about it or anything. You? Ship yourself with your best friend?? Absolutely not! Like, who would actually do that-?

“Y/n?”

“Huh??”

Levi's voice interjected itself into your thoughts, making you fumble with the headphone wire as you recovered.

“Hey, are you alright? You were just staring off there…”

Now back in reality, you stuttered out an embarrassed apology to your confused friend and try to smile it off.

“Oh yeah, Levi, I'm alright. It's just a long week, so I'm ready for some gaming!”

You prayed that the bubbly feeling in your chest wasn't also showing on your face when you watched his expression light up. That determined smile was more than half of the reason you agreed to these game nights of yours when he first brought up the idea. He took to giving you a good time as passionately as a great DM runs their campaign and you appreciated the hell out of him for it... Having a life on social media and being in the public eye could absolutely drain a person, but with Levi you could just relax and recharge with the stuff you loved…

“Okay, Y/n, do you have everything running?”

“Yep! Got it all installed last night.”

“Great! Go ahead and open the co-op menu and-"

His voice got cut off in your headphones by the sound of a sharp knock coming from behind him. Levi's eyes briefly grew to the size of saucers as they darted over his shoulder then back at your image onscreen.

“Levi...? What's wrong?”

“Nothing! Uh… J-just a second!”

You watched him lurch over his desk and fumble with his mouse until eventually the camera feed cut to black. You were definitely getting concerned, since Levi had almost never reacted that way to an outside noise before, but soon your worry morphed into curiosity. A sing-song voice called out through your headphones, one you had never heard before, and after checking the chat window you realized that, yep…

Levi forgot to mute the call.

“Oh Levi~! What made you think we're done talking? Is that your little friend in there??”

The man's voice was at a higher pitch than Levi's and he sounded pretty… annoyed. Or at least insistent about something. You heard the sound of door hinges swinging open, followed by Levi's much more exasperated tone.

“Go away, Asmo-gak! Why are all of you here!?”

A new voice joined the fray, this one was much softer than the other two. They spoke at a languid pace, slow like honey pouring from a bottle. Did he just wake up or something...?

“We thought you've been talking to a computer this whole time, but Mammon says that they're a real person…”

“Yeah, I’ve seen'em too! Tell'em Levi!”

That one you knew had to be Malcolm! There was no mistaking the energetic punch to his words, but who the heck was Mammon?? You didn’t recall meeting him too…

“Ugh, yes! They're real, but no you can’t all see them! We just started a new game, so go away!!”

“Uhm, Levi?”

Your question must have come through the speakers because, for moment, the sudden silence on the other end was deafening… then all hell broke loose at once.

Another voice spoke up now, one that sounded a lot deeper and almost velvety coming through your headphones.

“Was that them just now?”

Another responds, also deep, but muffled? As if they're trying to speak past a mouthful of marshmallows…

“Mmnph-‘ink so-mmmgh…”

The higher voice chimed in well over them both.

“Oh, we should go say hi!! What do you think, Levi? You can't keep teasing us like this!”

The blank screen on your monitor was starting to kill you seemingly as much as it was them… You desperately wanted some kind of explanation, but more importantly…!

“Levi, who's over there? Are those your brothers?!”

Your ears perked from the a collective gasp you heard on the other end, then the excitable one spoke again.

“They know about us???”

“NO!! N-not everything! Please leave-!!”

You'd be lying if you said that Levi's shout hadn't hurt you right then… It felt like a little crack went tink right on your heart! Had he been keeping you a secret from them this whole time? Was he embarrassed? Or did he not trust you to know too much about himself…? Was it your platform that he was scared of??? You had never broadcasted anything he hadn’t given permission about ahead if time… You wouldn't dare to dox him!! Though you could understand if that was his reasoning, the secrecy still kind of hurt…

“W-wait, Levi, I’ve always wanted to see more of your family...! Why not let them in? Please? We can still play right afterwards!”

“Huh?? But Y/n-!!”

“You heard'em, Levi! Let us through!”

A mass of shuffling filled your headphones while you waited with baited breath. You had even leaned in so close to your monitor that when the window flashed back on, you were briefly blinded by all of the colors at once! It took a few moments for you to make out all five pairs of eyes staring back through the screen. Each boy seemed to be crammed up against Levi's computer desk like lab students all forced to share the same microscope... To your surprise, not a single one of them looked like Levi or even like each other! You probably should have guessed, considering Malcom (who was seated center stage, having stole Levi's gamer chair for himself) looked nothing like him before, but you wouldn’t have guessed all 5 would differ quite as drastically… Would the sixth look that different as well?

“Uhm… hi?”

You tried to smile again to make a good impression, but it was hard to do while feeling like a living petri-dish. You were used to having eyes on you, but this was another level. Perhaps it was the added pressure of not wanting to look bad in front of a good friend's family, but it also could have also been the sheer intensity of their gaze… Levi could get this way too sometimes and it always felt like his orange-hued irises could almost see right through you... Especially if he just lost a game. In those times, his intimidating edge gave you a bit of a thrill. It'd feel like you just bested a dangerous beast in combat, but against ten eyes it was overwhelming… Each one bore right through you as if to examine your very soul…

“Huh,” a blonde one peering over Malcom's right shoulder was the first to speak up. His eyebrows were raised practically off of his forehead in surprise. “So they are real, then.”

The shortest boy, squished up against Malcom as if trying to steal center frame, clasped his hands over his heart and cooed back towards the doorway.

“Aww, Levi, look at that! You actually have a friend now!! And a real cutie, too~ Hello, hun!”

“Yeah, but why do they look like a human…?”

You watched guys instantly stiffen up as all eyes shifted towards a dark-haired boy clutching a spotted pillow just barely in view. It was hard for you to see his face, since it was only half on screen and even then some of it was behind his pillow, yet you could detect something… cold in it. He sounded annoyed, but you couldn’t place why… Was he seriously expecting you to be an AI or something?

To your surprise, the pillow guy was swiftly yanked out of frame and replaced by Levi, though you couldn’t see much of his face either. Only that he was holding onto the pillow guy's sleeved arm rather tightly as he spoke.

“Of course they're human! Not a 2D person or just a computer, but human like the rest of us… Right?”

You'd never heard such a dark edge come over Levi’s tone before. Not even in jest! It must have been rare for his brothers to hear as well, because most stared at him with equally shocked expressions. The arm in Levi's grasp yanked itself away and you heard footsteps head towards the door… but the other brothers stayed where they were. Another long silence flooded in, somethibg that felt far more uncomfortable than any you had experienced with Levi before, until a (frankly) massive dude chewing on a huge slab of jerky spoke up behind Malcolm.

“If they're nice to Levi, that's enough for me.” He inhaled the rest of the jerky into his mouth (which you didn’t quite detect him chewing) before he was already smiling at you with the kind of warmth that you'd see saved up only for the sappiest of shojo scenes. “Hello, thank you for being Levi's friend.”

The rest of the boys all exchanged glances with each other, then a similar kindness took over their faces too. Gone were the piercing stares of just a moment ago, and instead you only felt a welcoming energy radiating out from your monitor. As if sensing the change too, Levi finally came into view of the camera. He leaned down by Malcolm in the spot the pillow guy left open, grinning at you in that way only he really could.

“Y/n... These are my brothers.”

[tmntartblock]

TMNT LEOSAGI AU

FIND ME IN THE FUTURE

Chapter 4: Failed experiment

previous chapter |

There it was, one possibility. Leo tried to fight against the idea, as it was a long shot but it was the last glimpse of hope. He swept aggressively the tears that had formed up after thinking about Usagi and their last some-what happy conversation. Usagi had gave the crystals for a reason. It had to be. He knew something was gonna happen.

We are here for you.

Leo decided it was time to face Donnie.

Of course Donnie was still awake at 3 am. Leo had always nagged him about it even though he did exactly the same thing. 

“Leo! What are you doing up?” Donnie said, not even pretending to hide his half-done gadget. 

Leo was hesitant for a second. What if Donnie couldn’t help him? The hope was holding him together and he was afraid what would happen if he had to let go.

“Donnie. I need a dimension portal.”

“What now?”

“I need it as fast as possible.”

“Do you think they grow on trees?”

“Well, probably they grow in crops if I’ve understood Usagi correctly but that’s not important right now. I need a dimension portal.”

So this was the moment his brother had completely lost himself, Donnie thought. But he couldn’t lie to himself – a dimension portal sounded so freaking cool.

“It would take a long time, Leo. I need to find… well, first of all, some scientific proof that multiverse exists and then a to find a fuel source-”

Leo opened a little bag with turquoise stones and threw them on the table.

“These are how Usagi travelled to here. At least I think so. You can start from this.”

“Where did you-”

Leo looked at the floor, fists clenching the bag.

“I got them from Usagi.”

Donnie took one of them carefully in his hands. 

“They look like the material from his necklace.”

Leo’s heart was pounding in his chest.

“He… He said that they are what the Realm is protecting. He said they cultivated blue crystals when he was a kid. Could it… could they be to used for teleportation?” Leo asked, full of hope and fear. Please. Please, please, please.

Donnie put the crystal back on the table and gave Leo a pitiful look. He sighed.

“I… It could. It might. He never told you?”

“I guess I never asked.”

“You never asked how he got here?” Donnie couldn’t believe his brother. How he could not ask about it? Donnie had to always come up with an impossible project to keep his mind occupied every time Usagi came to visit just not to ask him about his realm.

“It was irrelevant to me.” Leo felt like an idiot. But back then it didn’t matter. Usagi came from a blue portal and that’s it. “Why didn’t you ask? You are the geek.”

“You specifically asked me not to ask invasive questions about his home planet or himself because you thought he would feel uncomfortable.”

“And you actually never did? Even when I wasn’t around?”

“Of course not. I promised.”

“Thanks”, Leo said, feeling gratitude to his brother. Even though this one time it would have helped not to listen to him.

Donnie stared at the crystals intensely.

“I will look into them but I won’t promise anything. These crystals could be just for decoration.”

“I know you can figure it out.”

“Thanks for the pressure.”

When Donnie got the portal machine running after a couple of months, Leo could not think straight. It had been so long that who knew what had happened to Usagi. He could’ve been killed for all he knew.

“We should do couple of test runs”, Donnie said when they all stood next to the brand new machine.

“Test runs? You said it’s working, right?” Leo said.

“Yeah, it works but-”

“We can test it to go to Usagi’s realm”, Leo said. “We have wasted enough time.”

Donnie didn’t want to argue longer. Leo had been a pain in everyone’s butt for months and Donnie was getting tired of it. Leo didn’t listen to anyone when he had the attitude.

Donnie gave everyone a little square machine with the little turquoise stone.

“These are portal devices to create portals”, Donnie said and gave everyone one. “They each have a portal stone that is charged by the big machine over here. You can do few jumps from one place to another with these without them needing to be charged but I still haven’t tested how many exacted.”

“I have the one that’s connected to the rest of them so we can do simultaneous teleportation together. One crystal is meant for one person to use and it does not hold the portal for that long so that’s why everyone has their own. So don’t test them. I don’t want any of us to end up in any random realm.”

Donnie gave Leo a long look.

“I can do this by myself”, Leo said and crossed his arms. He was going to do this now, no matter Donnie said.

“We promised to help”, Mikey said. “So that’s what we’re doing.”

Donnie set the coordinates and the portal machine started to glow. They stepped on the machine and the glittering light covered them. When it disappeared, they had appeared in the middle of a blood covered battlefield.

They had ended up somewhere dark, where the only source of light came from the bright blue nebula above. The ground was covered in gray dust that made the lungs hurt. 

They were surrounded by different kind of mammals standing on two feet, fighting with katanas, knives and bos against what Leo could only describe as straight from a horror film. The shadowy creatures did not have a clear shape, they moved through the air, slashing their opponents, leaving them screaming on the ground. Leo felt uneasy looking at them. 

Fuck.

“What happened?” Leo yelled and drew his katanas.

“I- I don’t know”, Donnie yelled and dodged an arrow. “I- I need to recalibrate. Shield me.”

Neither side cared if they were a foe or a friend. The turtles were attacked immediately. Leo kept his stand to protect Donnie but Mikey and Raph were getting pulled further away to fight.

“We are on some kind of crossroad section”, Donnie yelled, trying to make the numbers on his little carry-on machine to make sense. “There’s a lot of the same energy in here as these crystals so maybe that’s what confused the machine. We are not that far off tho. I think some of these people here might be from Usagi’s realm…”

“For fucks sake Donnie”, Leo couldn’t hold his frustration in as he kicked a leopard to the ground. The leopard in blue-red costume got back up and attacked again, forcing Leo further away from Donnie who looked at him, very much insulted. 

“You blaming me?” Donnie’s cheeks started to burn red. “What the fuck. I said we needed to calibrate.”

“Well I thought you meant that we would end up few miles off but not in an entirely wrong fuckin planet!” Leo yelled as he dodged the leopard’s attack and hit them on the head, so it passed out on the ground.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were so stupid to not understand that”, Donnie spitted. “I’m sick of your nonsense, Leo. Get a hold of yourself.”

Leo was ready strike back but he felt a push and something cold touched his shoulder. He turned around and faced the shadowy creature, standing in front of him, staring with its white bottomless eyes. Leo couldn’t breath.

The heavy feeling from his heart poured to every inch of his body. The failure, the fear that had kept piling on for months. He would lose. Everything. He would never find Usagi. He had brought his brothers to their grave. They couldn’t get out of there alive and it was all because of him. 

He would never find peace.

Lightning struck the air, covering everything in blue light. The force of the strike made Leo fall to the ground and he couldn’t believe what he saw. It had struck Donatello. Leo felt weak, powerless, he almost couldn’t get back up.

“Don!” Leo cried. He heard his brothers yelling from the distance. Donatello’s body was laying on the ground, smoke lingering from his body. No, no, no, no. Leo ran as fast as he could, using his sword on everything that was in his way. 

“Don, Don, please be alive, please”, Leo was afraid to touch his brother, who was covered in wounds. But he was breathing. For now.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t worry”, Leo said, trying to calm his racing head. “We will get you home.”

Blood, so much blood. Leo could smell the burn.

“Raph! Mikey!” Leo yelled. “We have to go!” He couldn’t see them, but he heard them agreeing. “O-okay Donnie, what do we do? How- how we get home?”

Leo felt the tears forming. Fuck. How could he let this happen? Donnie had not explained how to get back home. 

Mikey and Raph had reached them finally, covered in blood and bruises. They couldn’t do anything but try to fight off the people attacking them.

Leo took the portal device from Donnie and looked at it. There was an extra button with a home symbol on it. Leo felt a sense of relief.

Thank god Donnie knew they were a bunch of idiots.

They got home, everything was loud, rushed. Master Splinter took care of Donnie with Mikey and April. Leo wanted to go inside but Raph stopped him.

“I don’t think it’s good for you to be there right now.”

Leo wanted to argue with him but there was no point. It was still hard to think straight. His mind was on the battlefield. 

Leo sat down on the ground, his heart pounding heavy like he was still running. Raph stood next to him. The tension was insufferable.

Raph opened his mouth.

“You know master Splinter has always been worried about Usagi.”

“What?”

“Is that big of a surprise for you? Well, I guess he hid it pretty well from you since you would have not listened in the first place.”

“Why are you telling this now?”

“Because I want you to stop this shit. Master Splinter is right. Usagi comes from a world we don’t know. He is a trained soldier. You have to stop this nonsense before one of us dies. We don’t know him.”

“I know him.”

“Do you? Do you really or are you just that delusional?”

“Shut up already.”

“No I fuckin’ won’t before you get it in your thick head. If you really knew him and he could be trusted, he would’ve told about that betrayal plan. He knew you would’ve helped him but he did what he fuckin’ did. ”

The anger was burning through Leo but he couldn’t get up. It hurt to hear what everybody really thought about Usagi.

“You have nothin’ to say?” Raph spitted.

“Not to you.”

After so many painful hours waiting, April finally came to announce that Donnie was going to live. 

“He’s just now unconscious and highly medicated. He’s gonna be in pain for a long time. And who knows what that amount of electricity did to his nervous system.”

Leo went inside the room and took a look at Donatello, covered in bandages and all kind of tubes. The worst had not happened. Not yet. 

Master Splinter was sitting next to him, looking at Don with a concern. He turned his head only when Leo started to talk.

“I need to talk to you, master Splinter”, Leo said. The initial anger had already faded and he started to feel numb from all the emotions. Master Splinter got up to his shaky legs.

“You are right, my son. But not here, we need to let Donatello rest. Let’s go to my meditation room.”

“So, what did you want to talk about?” master Splinter said calmly as they sat down. 

“Is it true that you hate Usagi?”

Master Splinter was not shaken by the question. It was like he knew it was coming.

“Hate is a strong word, my son and I would use it more carefully. I never hated him but also, I never truly trusted him. First, not because of his character: he was as innocent boy as you were. But the environment he was raised in shaped what kind of man he grew up to be. The realm is not something to take slightly. It is a strict military society and the citizens are known to be loyal to their realm.”

“Usagi is different. He always said he hated being there.”

“People there are told from a very young age that they need to protect their realm and die for it. Even the most determined mind can fold under enough pressure, my son. He may have realized how strong and dangerous you had become and that the best for his realm was to eliminate you and the rest of us. He may have not be able to kill you yourself but he put his feelings aside to make somebody else kill you. Only a person with a heart of ice could do that.”

“You don’t know that. I have to save him.”

“I order you to stay.”

Leo looked at him, shocked.

“I know what you want to do. But you’re going down your old path, my son”, Master Splinter’s words cut like the blade. Leo could barely look at his father’s disappointed face.

“You are not to order me anymore. You’ve made it clear enough for years now that I’m the one taking the responsibility of everyone. I am the head of this house. I make the calls.”

“I may have miscalculated the level of responsibility you were ready to take on, my son. I thought encounters with Shredder had thought you enough. You are doing horrible decisions and not thinking about the consequences for your family.”

Leo stared at his father. It was like every word coming from his mouth was meant to break the last pieces of his soul. But he did not feel anger. He did not feel sadness. There was just the unpleasant truth in front of him.  

“Usagi is my family”, Leo said as he stood up, looking down on his father. He walked away, went to his room and packed rushly the few items he thought he might need. He needed nothing. He deserved nothing.

He went to the portal machine and avoided Raph and Mikey. They would try to stop him. No matter how much they hated him, they wouldn’t let him leave to a whole other realm alone. He could not stand to see Mikey even though he would’ve needed that one last hug from him. But he couldn’t bare anything else happen to them, not because of him.

The machine wasn’t hard to set up. Donnie had left some manuals laying around. Leo tried to find the other crystals to take them with him but couldn’t find them. Others probably still had them on. Leo packed the manuals in his backpack so at least Raph and Mikey couldn’t immediately follow him.

He took a last look on the door and imagined his brothers in the living room. They would manage.

He had to keep everyone he loved safe. That’s what he had to do. That was his purpose. To save everyone. Alone.

Goodbye, Earth. 

THE END OF ISSUE 1

I hope you enjoyed the first 4 chapters :) Let's see how Leo will manage to survive in the realm in the next issue!

[thatsdemko]

first timer - c.pulisic

masterlist

requested: n

pairing: Christian pulisic x fem!reader

prompt: just lie back and let me take care of you.

warnings: nsfw + not intended for minors + mentions of nudity + mentions of oral + hints of a part two(?)

a/n: this had me smiling writing this 🫣

《 the following content is not intended for minors. 》

you’ve never been intimate with anyone before you met Christian. he was physical with his love, and he never pushed your boundaries, but it was starting to get ridiculous how much you stopped him from going too far.

your friends nagged you constantly for not being able to put out, ever. they were always telling you he would get bored and find somebody else worth his time. but the truth was Christian didn’t mind the wait, he wanted to do whatever you wanted whenever you were ready. it amazed you that there was a man out there who truly wasn’t just trying to get in your pants and then leave you.

when you first had the conversation, it made Christian smile at how innocent you were. of course, he understood how important it was to a woman to find the perfect guy to do it with, so he offered to be that guy whenever you wanted, and tonight you were finally taking up that offer.

you had gained a lot of courage to ask him that evening—even though him being your boyfriend and all it shouldn’t have—but there you lie watching him undress and slip on a condom.

“you can back out whenever, okay? just say stop and I will.” he climbed onto the bed where your naked body lay exposed. this was the first time he ever saw all of you, and he couldn’t believe how breathtaking you were under all those clothes. he wished for this to have happened a lot sooner than allowing his imagination to take control.

“is there anything you need from me?” you asked nervously playing with the necklace around your neck watching him get in position. you could feel the anxiety and adrenaline bubbling in your stomach, you were unsure what to feel.

“just lie back and let me take care of you.” was all he said before his lips crashed against yours receiving a hard passionate kiss. your hands wrapped around the nape of his neck, moving down to his back your finger nails gently dug into his skin.

“I need you to open your legs for me.” his demand was gentle, but still firm and you did what he asked. his hands ran up and down your thighs before grabbing your legs and yanking your body closer to his.

“this might hurt, but I promise it won’t be long.” you lie there nodding your head having no idea what to expect, until you felt the tip of his cock enter in your entrance and a gasp escaped your lips at the pain. you weren’t sure how people could find pleasure in this.

“ssh, I know.” he whispered, beginning with a couple of short quick strokes to help you get used to the feeling of him, before deciding to go a little bit further. he saw how your face scrunched and relaxed each time he went a little further, he loved the little moans and gasps he was receiving from you.

“feel okay?” he asked, watching you open your eyes and nod your head. you could hardly breathe because you were met with pleasure and pain. you weren’t sure how much longer you were going to make it until he found your clit and his tip flicked it just right letting cum meet the plastic around his cock.

“good girl.” he hummed, pressing a kiss to your neck before finally pulling out and deciding he had one more trick up his sleeve before calling it a night. his lips moved down your body until he got to your thighs where the nibbling began. you could feel the prickles of his facial hair against your warm wet skin allowing a moan to escape your lips. he felt so good against you.

his tongue lapped your folds hearing you moan his name tugging on his curls. he made sure to clean up the cum that was left down there, he couldn’t believe how sweet you tasted.

the sensation and chills running down your body felt good. you couldn’t believe how much more pleasurable this act was. it had you screaming for more and he listened to those demands.

your legs weren’t the only thing shaking, your breath was uneasy and your heart was pounding out of its cavity. you were ready to come a second time, but you weren’t sure Christian would want that, “can I?” you asked, the words barely escaping your mouth trying hard to not let it out.

“go ahead, baby.” his mouth was there to catch most of it before he decided to get up and grab a towel he placed on your nightstand.

“good job, you feel better?” he asked pressing a soft kiss to your forehead watching your shaking body grow comfortable against the bed again. all you could do was nod in response, there were no words to describe how thankful you were for him.

“next time, I’ll teach you how to make me cum.”

[sweetkpopmusings]

long for you (act three) | h. hyunjin <3

a/n: and just like that, i present to you the last installment of long for you ! i hope you enjoy the ending (i promise it's a happy one) <3 thank you so much for reading this fic :,-) pics not mine <3

♡ find all parts here ♡

content: fluff, romance, fake dating, angst, a happy ending | wc: 4.2k | warnings: none really! | pairing: nonbinary!painter!hyunjin x gn!writer!reader | requests: open

synopsis: y/n is a writer with a long-awaited, well-deserved career opportunity. despite the excitement, there’s one major problem: the publisher expects a modern love story, equally romcom-like and authentic, but y/n lacks the inspiration to write something worth reading. through a chance meeting with mutual friends, y/n and hyunjin bond over upcoming deadlines and creative blocks. before the conversation ends, they discover that the ridiculous plot of fake dating might just work to solve their inspirational dry spell.

act three: here, with you

jeongin, running back and forth from one corner of the exhibition to another, barely registers the door opening. it isn’t until he hears seungmin’s classic, hey! yang jeongin! that he breaks away from the artwork surrounding him.

“care to tell me why you’re interrupting my very important work?”

seungmin shrugs, “you have five days until opening night. there’s plenty of time. besides,” seungmin flashes his friend a golden retriever grin, “you can always make time for your favorite person in the world!”

“i…i don’t even know where to begin with unpacking that.”

“then don’t,” seungmin sets his bag down on a table near the entrance, pulls out a large stack of papers, and strides towards jeongin, “i wanted to lend you this.”

jeongin’s brow furrows, trying to make sense of whatever seungmin dropped on the worktable in front of him, “what’s here, with you and what does it have to do with me?”

“it has nothing to do with you,” seungmin laughs, “but when i was reading through it, it reminded me of your friend hyunjin and their relationship drama, which, given how much you’ve told me, i’m quite invested in.”

the gears turn in jeongin’s head as he thumbs through the manuscript in front of him. seungmin waits somewhat patiently, reminding himself that jeongin’s brain is probably too preoccupied with the art show logistics to make the connection in a timely manner.

“how would this even…oh wait, is y/n your new writer?!” 

though jeongin’s jaw has dropped from shock, seungmin calmly nods, “yeah, and this is probably illegal, so only share it with hyunjin. i don’t care too much about them reading it because i think they could…benefit from the novel’s perspective. plus, i want to know the resultant ‘tea,’ as it were.”

“how is it that none of my friends can use slang without sounding like the elderly?” jeongin sighs, putting his hand on the title page, “but understood. i’ll guard it with my life and tell hyunjin that their access must remain top-secret. do you want us to shred it after he’s finished reading it?”

seungmin shoots jeongin a why is that the first thing you thought of? look and replies, “just text me and i’ll come pick it up.”

“oh, yeah, that makes sense. well, thanks!”

“yeah, yeah,” seungmin goes to collect his bag at the front, “be sure to let me know what happens after. i’ll see you later!”

jeongin waves to his friend and pulls out his phone to text hyunjin. typically he doesn’t like to meddle in his friends’ business, but he can’t deny the excitement bubbling inside him at the thought of this book changing the course of hyunjin’s relationship with you. not to mention the bragging rights he’d have if he played a part in you two getting back together.

jeongin returns his focus to the gallery setup, keeping an ear out for the door this time, so as not to miss hyunjin’s fateful arrival.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

every time hyunjin comes back to their apartment, his eyes land on the manuscript, which sits unassumingly on the coffee table. given that meticulously selected art books are displayed on the coffee table, if one wasn’t looking for the manuscript specifically, it would remain unnoticed, merely an afterthought. 

hyunjin is always looking for the manuscript, though. try as they might to ignore it, they unconsciously glance at it every time it’s near, ensuring that it hasn’t been lost. ensuring that it’s still there, waiting for him. 

jeongin wouldn’t have passed it along if it were going to hurt him, right? hyunjin can’t think of any real reason not to read it. they don’t care about any publishing rules, and they’re not worried about jeongin telling anyone else about it. and yet, hyunjin can’t get past the title page. they long to know what truths are hidden in that stack of pages, but they fear that they’ll be hanging on to every word, unable to return to a world that isn’t filled with you. then, thoughts of his mistake swarm his mind, leaving hyunjin spiraling into regret, self-criticism, and anxiety. who knew it would be so difficult to read a book written by someone you admire?

hyunjin counts down the days to the exhibition’s opening night. they haven’t asked whether you’ll be there. jeongin could know from the rsvp list, or changbin could know through felix. he wonders if you’ll show up. he understands why you wouldn’t; hyunjin of all people could understand why you wouldn’t want to be there at all, especially on opening night. sure, they would be heartbroken–even more than they already are–if they didn’t see your face in the crowd. again, though, they can’t blame you for your absence, if that’s what you choose. plain and simple, hyunjin just misses you. they’re not sure if they have the right to reach back out to you, but he plays out scenarios in his head of what could happen at the gallery, if only you walked through the door.

“hyunjin!” changbin chirps on the phone as soon as hyunjin accepts the call, “are you excited for tomorrow?”

hyunjin smiles, “yeah, it’ll be great.”

“great doesn’t even begin to describe it! it’s only an exhibition featuring work by the most talented, most gorgeous artist in the city!”

they laugh at changbin’s enthusiasm, a slight pang in their chest emerging when they think of how you’d roll your eyes at his friend’s endless flirting, “as always, thank you for your undying support.”

“of course! now, i actually wasn’t just calling because i missed your voice. we–me, jeongin, and minho–were thinking it’d be fun to go out for a late dinner after the grand opening. you in?”

“i don’t know…” hyunjin sighs, “i’m not sure if i’ll feel up to it afterward.”

“no worries!” changbin’s smile is audible, “you can let us know tomorrow night what you feel up to. we can always celebrate you on a different day!”

“sounds great, thank you,” hyunjin replies with as much excitement as they can muster.

“well my dear, sweet, beautiful, charming, brilliant artist friend, i should let you go. i’m sure you’ve got a whole lot of prep left, and you need to get your beauty sleep! i’ll see you tomorrow night?”

“you can count on it. thanks changbin.”

“any time. i love you!”

hyunjin laughs at changbin’s extra sweet tone for i love you and his subsequent giggles, “love you too.”

changbin squeals, which prompts hyunjin to hang up before their eardrums are irrevocably damaged. 

after the phone call, hyunjin wanders around their apartment, jumping from task to task in order to take their mind off the next night’s possibilities. soon, but not soon enough, it is a reasonable time for them to go to bed. he finishes his nighttime routine, hoping slumber will come as soon as he is under the covers. unfortunately, as luck would have it, the hours pass while hyunjin lies awake, thinking of you.

they groan and climb out of bed, walking to the kitchen to make some tea. once again, even in the dark, their eyes find the manuscript. this time, however, they think if i can’t get them out of my head, i might as well read it, regardless of how much more i’ll miss them after.

with a sigh, hyunjin sinks into their couch and pulls the manuscript into their lap. they stare at the title page, saddened by the fact your name isn’t beneath the title. when they get the courage to read the first line, they smile. your voice comes through with each word, and it’s as though you’re having a conversation in his living room. hyunjin finds comfort in this, even if you’re not here with him.

after a couple of chapters, it’s apparent why jeongin gave hyunjin the manuscript. while the characters don’t follow the exact same plot as you two, their dynamic is all too familiar. the story grips hyunjin, and he craves everything it has to offer, soaking up every detail as though their life depends on it. 

much to hyunjin’s surprise, dawn is breaking when they start the last chapter. perhaps it’d be more responsible to sleep, but hyunjin can’t fathom putting your book down. if he gets the chance to look you in the eyes again, he thinks it’s only fair to do so when he can confidently express how beautiful your story is. so they charge on, desperate to know what the end is for these lovers.

as soon as hyunjin flips the last page over, they sit back into the couch cushions and take a deep breath. hyunjin smiles, proudly thinking i can’t believe they managed to make something so perfect out of something so…human. a yawn cuts the early morning stillness, so hyunjin returns his empty mug to the kitchen and shuffles into bed. spending the night with your voice, your written presence, relieves his body of all the stress it was carrying. the second his eyelids flutter shut, he slips into a peaceful slumber.

the peace is broken hours later when his alarm chimes, more aggressively than they would prefer. hyunjin checks the time, bolting out of bed when they realize they have slept through at least 30 minutes of snoozed alarms. 

frantically, they text jeongin about their potential delayed arrival, stumbling their way to the closet. hyunjin has never been more relieved by the fact that he picked out his outfit the day before.

by some miracle, hyunjin is dressed and made up with two minutes to spare. they rush to the front door, struggling to put their boots on while they simultaneously gather everything into their bag.

“oh, wait!” they exclaim to the empty apartment, kicking off their shoes.

hyunjin runs to the coffee table, flips to a page in the manuscript, snaps a picture, and hurries back toward the apartment’s entryway. in a flash, they are out the door, confident they now have everything they need to get through whatever tonight has in store.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

felix grins as he hands you a drink, “here you go!”

“thank you!” you grin back, unable to resist his cheeriness and the joy of free refreshments.

“can you believe how many people there are here?”

you follow felix’s gaze as it rakes over the crowd. you know jeongin’s gallery isn’t small by any means, but you’re still surprised this many people can fit here without breaking any fire codes. 

“i guess i can. hyunjin’s pretty well-known.”

he nods, not unaware of the way your smile falters when you say their name. 

felix lets a few beats pass, so as not to make his conversational distraction too obvious, “so, you were telling me about how you ran into chan the other day?”

“yeah,” your smile returns, “he was in town interviewing for a new job. i called him afterward, and it looks like he’s getting the offer. if it comes through, he’ll be moving here.”

“wow! that’s a bit of a plot twist,” felix chuckles, “how do you feel about him moving back here?”

“good. it’d be nice to reconnect with him after being apart for so long. while we had our obvious reasons for keeping a distance, both of us admitted that we missed being in each other’s lives. chan even said,” you bite your lip, preparing yourself for felix’s reaction, “he wants to give us another chance if he moves here.”

your friend’s jaw drops, and you can’t help the giggle that falls from your lips when you see how wide his eyes have gotten. 

“whoa! now that’s a plot twist!”

you laugh again, and felix continues, “do you want to get back together with him?”

you take a sip of your drink, pausing to find the right words, “i’ve been thinking about it a lot since he brought it up. nothing’s certain yet because he doesn’t know whether he’ll be moving here anyway. but i can’t deny that the prospect of being with chan again is appealing. i’ll always love him, and we’ve grown up now, so things could be different. of course, i realize that it’s not enough to build a relationship solely on good memories and lost potential. i guess what i’m trying to say is that–”

“hi everyone!” jeongin lightly shouts to get the attention of the crowd, “thank you all so much for coming here tonight. i always appreciate people taking the time, though i’m sure you’re here for the free food as much as you’re here for the art.”

the crowd laughs, and felix leans over to you, “tell me the rest of the chan stuff later?”

“you know it,” you whisper back, quick to turn your attention back to where jeongin stands.

“it is no secret that tonight’s artist is a friend of mine. i’ve been championing their work for years, but i have to say this collection is one of their best. while the paintings speak for themselves, please welcome hwang hyunjin for a few words on their newest series, long for you!”

you clap with the rest of the gallery visitors, trying to ignore the shaking in your hands. the nerves aren’t surprising, but they still overwhelm you. your heart pounds, unsure where he’ll appear from. it must’ve only been five seconds, but it feels as though an eternity has passed between jeongin saying his name and hyunjin stepping in front of the crowd, beautiful as ever.

you shuffle slightly behind felix, hoping this will decrease the possibility of you and hyunjin making eye contact. thankfully, it works, as hyunjin begins their speech without any sign he has noticed your presence. the second their voice spreads throughout the silent gallery, you are mesmerized, praying your face won’t give you and your lingering feelings away.

“thank you, jeongin, for the introduction and the opportunity to showcase my work,” hyunjin nods toward their friend, “this series is very special to me for a couple of reasons. when jeongin asked me to create work inspired by ‘yearning,’ i was completely at a loss. i don’t think i’ve ever experienced such a lack of inspiration before. it felt impossible, like i was staring down the first failure in my artistic career. i actually was about to back out of the agreement, but, by a stroke of luck, maybe even fate, i met someone that changed everything.”

breath hitching in your throat, you grasp onto your drink with both of your trembling hands. felix glances at you, and you nod, signaling that you’re okay. for now, at least.

“they taught me so much about art and about love,” hyunjin pauses, searching the crowd until, much to their surprise and relief, their eyes land on you, “and, after making a foolish and immature mistake, their absence taught me hard lessons about yearning. these pieces are as much about the desire you feel towards someone special as they are about the ache you feel when that person is gone. i cherish each painting because i cherish the subject, the person portrayed here, the most. in making this series, i realized that yearning is quite a selfish thing when you’re the one that created the distance in the first place. believe me when i say that i have never yearned more, nor felt more sorry, in my life.”

hyunjin’s words hang in the air, and, try as you might to keep your composure, you cannot tear your eyes from theirs. though they are across the room, the way his eyes are locked with yours yields the kind of intimacy you feel only when you are inches away from your lover. heart pounding, throat closing, eyes glistening, you hold hyunjin’s gaze because you don’t know what else to do. then, just as you feel you are being completely unraveled, they look away from you and toward the rest of the crowd.

“thank you all for bearing witness to this part of my heart. before i send you on your way to examine my latest creations, i would like to leave you with a quote from my favorite writer,” hyunjin inhales slowly, deliberately forming each word with the utmost care, “in an upcoming work, they write, ‘after all that had happened to us, and in spite of whatever would come, the center of everything was this: i have longed for you since the moment i met you; therefore, i will always love you,’” hyunjin pauses again to ensure the crowd absorbs every precious word, “i hope you all find the one you long for most, and i hope you never let them go. thank you.”

with a small bow, hyunjin ends their speech and steps away from the center of the room to the sound of applause. 

“whoa, that last part sounded like something you would write. that’s crazy!” felix faces you, shocked smile faltering when he sees your frozen state.

“yeah…” you attempt to smile when you nod in agreement, “actually, i wrote that.”

felix’s jaw drops, “oh, wow. wow. that was beautiful! you really are a force to be reckoned with. those words cut straight to the heart, y/n.”

“thank you,” your voice comes out barely as a whisper, “i’m going to get some fresh air.”

understanding your body language, felix asks, “do you want some company?”

“no, it’s okay. i’ll be right back. you stay and enjoy the art!”

felix smiles at you reassuringly, promising to be right where you left him whenever you return. much to your chagrin, in your efforts to sneak out of the gallery, you pass by hyunjin talking with a group of people. you desperately hope that he did not see you as you push through the gallery doors and step out into the fresh night.

before you can take enough deep breaths to untangle your twisted stomach, you hear footsteps behind you.

“are you okay?”

hyunjin’s voice floats through the air and envelops you. despite the anxiety and exhilaration coursing through your body at their proximity, the sound of hyunjin’s voice still manages to relax you. 

“yeah, i’m fine,” you lie, “don’t worry about me. it looked like you were in the middle of an important conversation, so you should go back before they miss you.”

hyunjin shrugs, stepping closer to you, “they’re not the ones i care about.”

“oh, i see.”

you wish you could kick yourself for such a lackluster reply, but you settle for looking away from hyunjin. there are few cars on the street, making it difficult for you to pretend you’re paying attention to anything other than the person beside you.

“i’m really sorry if it was inappropriate for me to quote you at the end of my speech without giving you credit. i was able to read your manuscript–i swear i got it through official channels–and it was so captivating and touching that i thought i could pay homage to you by mentioning it. i wasn’t thinking about the implications though, so i’m sorry.”

against your better judgment, you glance at them and smile softly, reassuringly, “no, it’s fine. i mean, it probably is a violation of confidentiality, but that’s not…i’m not upset because of that.”

“oh, so it’s the other selfish thing i did then? i do owe you an apology for that. a real one, not just one i say in a room full of other people.”

you chuckle at their delivery, unable to resist their charm. thankfully, they don’t leave you with the responsibility of responding.

“from the bottom of my heart and with everything i have, i am so sorry. i was an idiot. i…i got scared because i wanted our fake dating to turn into real dating. i didn’t know what i was doing, so i ran away. i ended our relationship because i couldn’t, wouldn’t find the courage to ask you for what i truly wanted. i hurt you, and that’s the worst thing i could have done. i’m sorry,” they pause, hoping their rambling doesn’t dilute their message, “and i don’t expect you to forgive me. i just…i owe it to you to be honest. you deserved better than what i did.”

hyunjin stares at you, kind smile coupled with a serious, tender look in their eyes. you’re stunned at how genuine their apology is, how generous they are with their true feelings. for the first time in weeks, your heart doesn’t feel so heavy.

“you ended things because you wanted…more?”

though your voice is soft, hyunjin hears you with complete clarity, “yes. in truth, i fell for you, y/n,” hyunjin chuckles, “i guess i took the fake dating trope and turned it into a fake dating to lovers storyline.”

you grin, “i can’t say i’m surprised that you’d commit that much to the bit. you’ve certainly got the romantic tendencies of an artist.”

you join their laughter this time, waves of relief washing over you. even after everything, the cold night transforms into something much more comforting when hyunjin is here with you.

“though i don’t deserve it, i would like to be with you. i want to be your partner again, but a real one, if you’d let me.”

“hyunjin…” you face them fully, absorbing the tenderness of the moment, feeling your stomach fill with butterflies and your heart fill with longing.

all the questions, uncertainties, and anxieties that have filled your days since hyunjin walked out of that restaurant come back to you. at the same time, all the hopes you had when you were getting to know hyunjin hit you full force. though you were working to be okay with a future that didn’t include hyunjin, you can’t deny that there remains a part of you that wants everything you had with them. those two months filled with hyunjin felt so right. it wasn’t just the fact that they inspired you and played an instrumental role in the completion of your first novel. no, it was just as jisung had pointed out: hyunjin changed your outlook on love, for the better, by being the kind of person you could love and be loved by. 

“it’s okay if you don’t feel the same,” hyunjin smiles, “you deserve to know that someone out there feels this way about you. you deserve to know that you touched me profoundly, and i’m forever changed for the better because i met you.”

tears prick the corners of your eyes, feeling pure happiness for the first time in weeks, “i feel the same. i…” 

you sigh, at a loss for the right words that could capture everything you’re thinking. they don’t pressure you into responding quickly, but, not wanting to leave them in suspense, you settle for the simplest expression of your heart.

“i want to be with you too, hyunjin. if you’d let me, of course.”

you swear you’ve never seen someone smile so brightly before. instinctively, you reflect their joy, savoring the moment that rewrote your story from one of heartbreak to one of hope. this, you think, is the kind of thing you wouldn’t have thought was realistic before you met hyunjin.

“you know, i was almost late for the show tonight,” hyunjin chuckles, a little sheepishly, “i overslept and had to rush out of my apartment to get here in time. normally i would never dream of getting ready so quickly, but i managed to make it here with a few minutes to spare. even jeongin was surprised.”

hyunjin laughs, and you tease, “i’m surprised too. it’s pretty out of character for you to rush to do anything,” you giggle at hyunjin’s pout, “what was so different this time?”

though your tone was playful, hyunjin looks at you sweetly and replies in a voice full of sincerity.

“i guess,” they reach out and intertwine your hands, “deep down i knew i was rushing my way back to you.”

oh.

you smile down at your hands, flushing pink from the warmth of hyunjin’s touch. you feel their eyes on you, but you take your time before meeting their gaze again, wanting to convince yourself that this moment is, in fact, real.

“i guess i need to call chan and tell him that i just want to be friends.”

“wait!” hyunjin frowns, “who’s chan?”

you laugh at their childish expression, endeared as always by his flair for the dramatic, “don’t worry. changbin flirts with you waaaaaay more than chan ever would with me.”

hyunjin cackles at this, jealousy subsiding into pure joy at the fact that you’re choosing him over someone, anyone else. they too have to convince themself that this dream has really come true.

hyunjin points their head toward the door, “shall we go back inside?”

you nod, “i’m sure people are wondering where the guest of honor is hiding.”

hyunjin laughs, leading you back towards the gallery full of art enthusiasts and paintings apparently inspired by you, “i think it’s time i introduce everybody to my muse.”

you smile, falling into step beside hyunjin without a second thought. as you two leave the cold night and weeks of longing for one another behind you, you think that maybe, just maybe, it’s not only fictional lovers that get the happy endings they deserve. 

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

tag list: @velvetmoonlght @tirena1 (<333 tysm)

[marymary-diva17]

Dance with me

The festivals are always the fun time while living on pandora as singing, dancing, and games will take place with many other activities and wonderful foods and drinks. When it came to dancing it was always an event where alot of people in the clan will take place in dancing by themselves or with people very close to them.Asking someone to dance with you was always something very special.

Tonight a festival was being held to celebrate a new year, and everyone was having fun. You were with your father tsu'tey and your brother spider along with your guys friends the sully family. The whole festival was fun and amazing everyone dressed for the celebration.

Y/n " the festival seems to be very wonderful this year"

neteyam " well yes not that we added humans stuff to this festival it seems to become more"

lo'ak " well I enjoy all the good food we have" everyone laugh at lo'ak comment while going back to eating and talking.

mo'at " will any of your kids be dancing tonight or will you be watching from the sidelines"

y/n " I plan on dancing if anyone cares to join me"

tuk " i want to dance"

kiri " I in for a good dance it will be fun what do you say spider"

spider " I will come it will be fun"

lo'ak " I will come it will be fun and how bad can it be"

y/n " what about you neteyam will you be dancing"

neteyam " I will watch from here as I need to keep an eye out for everyone I promised my dad"

mo'at " my grandson I will deal with you father and be a teen for tonight"

Neteyam " are you sure grandmother"

mo'at " yes I'm sure" soon music for dancing had started and everyone had smiled as the kids and tees of the clan seem to ready to dance.

y/n " dance with me neteyam"

neteyam " sure" you soon dragged Neteyam dance circle making the boy laugh and smile, as the other soon followed behind. You and neteyam were together having a good time dancing with each other, while the rest of the group were together or were with other kids.

Y/n “ see dancing is not that bad your grandmother was right” you and neteyam were dancing together and having a good time, the both of you seem to be in sync with each other.

neteyam “ you are right” it seems like the who if you were in your own little world, as when you moved neteyam will move to follow your movement. It soon become like you two were dancing like a couple then more then friends.

with the parents

neytiri “ they are so cute together they act like they are a pair”

Jake “ our son seem to be happy with you daughter Tsu'tey hey I’m surprised you are allowing this to happen”

Tsu’tey “ well I have respect for the boy and my daughter may or might not have a crush on your son”

neytiri “ aww that sweet they have always been close together”

Jake “ I don’t think those two even care if the clan sees them dancing together but it will be, on everyone lips tomorrow”

neytiri “ then I will tell them to mind their own business I won’t have any one ruining this for them anyone, I’m understood”

Jake and Tsu’tey “ understood”

Tuk “ mama come dance with me”neytiri soon laugh as she went to join, Tuk on the dance floor. The two father stood there having a private conversation about something and soon shaking their hands on something, as they soon went to join in the festivities that were happening that night.

later that night

y/n “ thank you for walking me home neteyam”

neteyam “ you are very important to me I couldn’t allow you to walk home alone, and thank your asking me to dance you really show me a good time”

y/n “ thank you for being an good dance partner maybe we should dance more often together”

Neteyam “ yes we should goodnight y/n “

y/n “ good night teyam” you soon walked into the home and we to bed, you did have a fine night with neteyam. As he had made this celebration fun and your crush on him was growing more and more over time. You soon had fallen asleep with a smile on your face thinking about the wonderful night you had.

[lovebillyhargrove]

A short continuation of Pretty Boy Help Me

where it starts with the camaro having powers and killing a couple of people in Hawkins, then going after Steve. But Steve has understood a lot of things. He repairs the car. They bond. One evening Steve comes outside to find this on the camaro's windshield

***

Steve knows now, Billy is alive. He is somewhere, but where?? There's no Hopper to ask for help. The Byers have moved away.

Steve needs help locating him.

***

His hands are shaking.

He's pressing the button on the walkie talkie

Max, I need to talk to you!

Oh shit, he forgot to say "over"

Max, over!

His voice is vibrating with excitement. Billy is fucking alive. He is alive, and he asked Steve for help.

Max is not answering.

Mike, come through, Mike? This is Steve! Are you there? Over.

No-one is answering!

They haven't used these walkie-talkies for a while now, is it absolutely not a thing anymore?

He hears static noise and the walkie starts talking, fucking finally

Steve, this is Dustin. What is going on? Over.

Heey, hey buddie. I uh .. do you happen to know El's phone number in California?

...

You gotta say over. Over.

I need El's phone number in California.

Silence

OVER.

Yeah, man, I don't know. You gotta ask Mike or Max. They'll know. Over.

I tired but they aren't answering this stupid thing! Over.

I can call them on the phone. I'll get back to you. Over.

***

Seven minutes later the phone rings.

Dustin?

Yep that's me. Here's the number .. Why do you need it all of a sudden?

Uh.. nothing important. I just want to ask El a couple of questions.

About? ..

California. I'm thinking of going there on vacation in spring!

Really?.. Okay, man. Cool.

Thanks.

No problem.

Okay, bye!

Hey, Ste..

It's late. Also, maybe there's like .. time difference and shit, but Steve doesn't have time to figure it out.

He calls the number straight away.

***

El is happy to hear him. She's okay there, but she misses Hopper and she misses Mike. She's also been having weird dreams about Hopper, and about Billy. So she's happy Steve has called her because she needs this conversation. And Steve needs help.

El promises to do her thing. To go into the void, try to contact Billy.

Next day she calls Steve and tells him that she couldn't find Billy but it is very very possible, Billy's trapped in the upside down. Has been trapped there for months. How he manages to survive there, god only knows.

Steve wants to go to the other dimension. But how? He needs a portal.

El goes on the search again. Turns out, there is a small gate between the worlds. It's where the ruins of Starcourt are.

Steve goes to the abandoned mall. It's half demolished and it's creepy and it brings all the terrifying memories back.

He drives there in the camaro and talks to it on the way. Tells it everything, although he has a feeling the car knows at least half of it.

Leaves it near the ghost of a building. He has his bat with, his bandana and goggles. His lighter and a can of gasoline, just in case.

Oh, and a bottle of water and some sandwiches he's made while planning the whole thing.

He didn't plan shit. He even didn't tell any of the kids. Only El knows, and she's so far away she won't be able to come to the rescue, if the upside down trip goes sideways.

The camaro stands still and watches Steve disappear through the wall. The portal wasn't easy to find in all the debris, but it's there. Steve slips through the slime and finds himself on the dark side of Hawkins.

***

Billy could be in several places actually. The Upside down, a government secret lab getting experimented on, or just a government secret hospital, unconscious/conscious and healing. A Russian prison is a possibility, but an unlikely one, he wasn't down there in the Russian base, so how could Russians pick up his body from above especially if they were in a hurry to get away

Let it be the UD this time

Next chapter

[mrylin]

Flaws and All (Tana/ Reader)

Hello!

Enjoy this tana x reader story!

Summary: After losing the only person who was next to her every day, Tana is instructed by her cousin to join a grieving group where she meets you.

“You should do it,” Lainey said. Tana bit the nail of her finger on the hand that was holding the phone and fixed her gaze on the floor, taking a deep breath.

She knew that her cousin was right and that maybe joining the grieving group she had researched could be good – even if she was not very inclined to accept the conversation. “Where’s the address again?”

In the same moment she stepped inside the house, she thought about turning back and pretending she was never there. But she would go to the end, since she had promised Lainey that she would attend a first meeting to have an experience and opinion about what was best for her.

In the first few minutes, she wanted to hide anywhere to avoid questions and introductions, especially when they needed to say why they were there. The rehearsed lines of apology and the looks of pity were too much, so she decided to skip her turn and just said her name. The circle continued until it reached the last person.

“Y/n, it’s your turn to speak.”

You bit the inside of your cheek and your eyes never left your hands. Tana, just like everyone who was there, stared at you waiting for you to talk. But she was a little too focused, noticing how your throat seemed to tighten and your hands shook. “I already did it when I arrived here.”

The woman sitting in the chair in the middle took off her glasses and looked at you softly. “I know, but it’s important that we talk about what happened to us so the others know that it’s okay to talk about what happened to them too.”

“I don’t see why.” You raised your head for the first time since the attention turned to you. “What happened to me doesn’t have to influence anyone here.”

She understood your anger and pain at that moment, and later, she understood even more. You had lost everything you loved at once and blamed yourself for what had happened. There wasn’t how you know about what would come next, but the guilt still swept you away — and Tana truly understood.

When the meeting was over, she returned home and told Lainey what had happened. The day hadn’t been the best, but even so she decided that she would go to the next one. She felt that she needed to go, that something good could come out of it. So she went.

Even when you seemed to hate being there, you were always in every meeting, never missing one second. Tana sat on the other side, as far away from you as she could, but her eyes were always focused on you and you alone. And she thought that being discreet was part of all this staring thing she had, but she counted with her luck more than she should have.

The realization that what she was doing was far from being hidden came in the middle a meeting, when the focus was on one of the participants who was neither of you.

You were with your head down, not looking for nobody in the room, just like every other day. Tana changed her eyes between you and those who spoke, squeezing her lips every time she saw some small change in you. At some point between these exchanges, she found your eyes, staring back at her.

Tana felt her heart stop for a few seconds.

You never, in all the times she went to that place, looked at her. She was someone invisible on your eyes, – but everyone seemed to be invisible to you either. She didn’t exist and for a time this was the best thing for her. However, in that very first moment, she was someone.

She didn’t looked at you for the rest of the time and was the first to get up and walk away, going to the kitchen were drinks and food was disposed. And you went in right after. “Hey,”

She swallowed the water hard, feeling it burn her throat. “Hi,” Came out in a choke. Tana cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly at you.

“You seem to be very interested on me in all of these meetings.” You started, and she watched as you took one of the candy’s in the counter. “I always wondered why.”

Even when she felt the shame raising through her body, she didn’t took her eyes off of you. “I- uhm”She started. “I don’t know. You’re just… an interesting person.”

And for the first time, she saw a smile on your face. It was weak and not really the most bigger one, but it was one. “My anger explosions and bad behavior are interesting?” Again, the smile. “Weird think about it this way.”

“Not the way you handle it but, the way you’re always here even when you don’t want to.” She drank the water, trying to put her nervousness down. “You are a great listener even when doesn’t seemed like it.”

Your eyes went for hers and you went silent for a seconds. “If you tell this in that circle people would actually laugh on you.” You bit the inside of your cheek, and she could see the slightest amount of fun in you.

Tana shrugged. “It will only show that they can’t see anything but themselves.”

And then you laughed, and she couldn’t stop herself of doing the same. You didn’t said anything after that little interaction, just left with a last look. Tana stayed for a few more moments, then went home.

She didn’t know that talking with you at that moment would gave her a special place in your life, only figuring it out when she arrived at the meeting and saw the girl who always sat next to you now sitting in her place. It was in that day that something she would call friendship was born.

“And how do you feel about this? About her?” Lainey asked. After getting home just like all the other days in the last couple of months, she called her cousin to talk about everything that was happening. And you became a very known subject.

Tana thought about the question, really trying to look inside herself to answer her in the best way possible. “She is someone I never want to lose,” Came in a whisper.

Lainey sighed on the other side of the line and Tana started biting her nails, waiting for what she would say. “Go after her then. To try. You deserve it, she deserve it.”

“Y/n would never want this. Me and a relationship, I mean.” She pulled one chair and sat, feeling that their conversation would last more than planned. Her head fell against the wall and she stared at the ceiling.

She heard a babbling of children and laughter, before a door went shut. “How do you know this? How do you know that she would never want? She said it?”

Tana’s shoulder went to cover her ear. “I know, Lainey. I’m having this talk-but-never-talking with her and I can see that she doesn’t want this.”

“You told me that she had lost her wife not long before you went to the meeting, it must be fresh, the feelings and the pain.” She said. “But you can’t be around someone you wish without having sure they don’t wish you back.”

Back on biting her nails. “I’ll think about it.” A hum of doubt came from her cousin. “I promise, Lainey.”

And she did, but never said when she would do something.

The type of friendship you had kept the way it was for a long time, but her thoughts never stoped spinning around her talk with Lainey. You were slowly being more and more comfortable around her, letting the hesitation go away little by little. For her, it was good. You talked to her about your life, never too much, but enough for her to get to know you better.

You liked her. She was the first person you talked to after everything. Tana was sweet, a great friend who never judged and was always there. When she came, you could feel yourself getting better. There were days when your loss overwhelmed you, but you were no longer angry all the time.

That’s why you decided to invite her to your house.

Tana hesitated at first, too worried about everything going wrong when she got there, but she accepted anyways. If she wanted to know you better, she would need to do more than sitting by your side at the grieving group and talking at the end of each meeting. Lainey was bothering her every single day for something, and getting close to you would give her this something.

Everything was you. Your house had told her, since she arrived there, that it was yours. Each corner had a piece of you and she felt comfortable there. “It’s beautiful.” She said as soon as you and her sit on the couch, face to face.

You talked to her like every other day, but this time it seemed different, it was different actually. You were on your comfort zone and even not being clear, she knew that you trusted her more for her to be there, then she letted all the hesitation behind and made more questions. She wanted to know and always kept her focus on you, trying to see where too much was too much.

And you were more comfortable than you expected. After inviting her, you thought if you weren’t taking a step bigger than your leg. But Tana was… her. She knew when and how say things, and for some reason you wanted to be around her more, maybe have her as a closer friend. So you were doing it, even when the guilt ate you alive.

She was the first person to be around you after everything, the only who never ran and never asked why you were so angry. She just stood there, understanding what you were going through without really knowing it.

She liked you for you, not for what you showed you were. You didn’t know how she saw more just watching you between boring talks, but you do knew that it was a real feeling.

She liked you with your flaws and all.

and part two is in the works!

i wrote a cam x reader but it just didn’t seem right to me so i deleted it.

i hope you like these just like i liked it!!

[mimisempai]

I can't do it without you.

Summary

Crowley and Aziraphale argue about helping Gabriel. 

Aziraphale wants to understand the reasons for Crowley's anger.

Notes

Absolutely spoiler-free, based only on the sneak peek with Crowley and Aziraphale arguing.

On AO3

Rating G -  741 words

"I don't care if he's lost his memory or if he's not the same! I've already told you! I know what he is! I know what he's done! I don't want him anywhere near us!"

Crowley walked to the window and stood in front of it, arms crossed, the picture of anger.

Aziraphale sighed. They'd had this conversation at least three times since Gabriel had popped into their lives. He understood the demon, but he couldn't go against his urge to help Gabriel. Whatever harm the Archangel had done him in the past.

Crowley mumbled something Aziraphale didn't understand.

So he asked, "What did you say?"

Crowley turned and said, with a little less anger in his voice, "Why do you always have to help everyone?"

"Crow --"

The demon, as if he had not heard the angel, continued, "Why is it this quality that both annoys me and draws me to you?"

Aziraphale approached, but Crowley, lost in thought, continued, "You get hurt, again and again, but you keep on loving? How do you do that?"

Aziraphale continued to approach until he placed his hand on the demon's forearm and replied softly, "I don't know. How do you do it?"

Crowley suddenly lifted his head and asked abruptly, "What do you mean?"

Aziraphale continued gently, "Well, I've hurt you many times, but that doesn't stop you from coming back to me and continuing to love me. From helping me. From sticking with me even when I make a bad choice." 

Aziraphale's hand moved along the demon's arm until it caught his hand, intertwining their fingers, and he continued softly, "What I'm wondering is, why does this time seem different than the other times? Why does it affect you so much this time?"

Crowley's mask of anger changed to something more sorrowful as he replied, "Because I know the pain he has caused you. The damage he could have done to you. I... I can't forgive him. Don't ask me to forgive him, to pretend it never happened!"

Aziraphale didn't answer, just took Crowley's face between his hands and kissed him long and tenderly. When he pulled away, his hand still on Crowley's cheek, he said softly, "Crowley, my dear, I'm not asking you to forgive him. I'm not even asking you to be nice to him. I'm just asking you to help me take him back to where he came from, to uncover the mystery behind all of this. Just be... with me and not against me. I can't do it if you're against me."

Croxley stared stubbornly forward for a few seconds, but knew deep down that he had lost.

He exhaled before muttering, "Okay... okay, I'll help you. But the slightest misdeed on his part, I warn you, I will have no mercy."

Aziraphale nodded, his lips still close to the demon's, and Crowley continued, "You're the most important to me, Angel. Always. As long as I can remember, Angel. If you're in the slightest danger, I'll do anything to save you. Even go back to h-"

"Shut up!"

Aziraphale looked at him sharply as she continued, "Don't talk about it. Don't even think about it. Because if you go to hell, I'm coming to get you by the scruff of your neck, I swear, Crowley. So promise me you won't do anything stupid, even if you think I'm in danger. That's what being together is all about."

Crowley murmured, "Angel, I can't--"

Aziraphale insisted, "Crowley, promise me."

Crowley sighed, "I --"

Aziraphale interrupted, "No wait, swear to me on your Bentley!"

Crowley couldn't hold back a half smile and sighed as he raised his hand, "I swear it on my Bentley."

Aziraphale continued, "Because, Crowley, you are also the most important to me. Even if I care about others, you're still the most important to me. Believe me."

Crowley harrumphed and muttered, "Okay, okay, but just one little incident. Just one wrong look in your direction..."

Aziraphale chuckled, put a finger to the demon's lips, and said quietly, "I get it.

He grabbed Crowley's hand and said softly, "Come on, let's at least get him some decent clothes."

Crowley's eyes lit up before he could hide them behind his glasses and he jumped up and asked, "Can I pick out some clothes for him?!"

Aziraphale shook his head, "Out of the question."

Crowley replied sulkily, "Boring."

They continued to bicker until they reached Gabriel.

Everything seemed almost normal.

Almost.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here

[unchained-hound-dog]

Jack and the reader get into an argument because their schedules haven’t lined up in a while.

Sorry I've been so slow in posting this, been a busy week! Hope you like it anon!

You were both busy people, Jack had been consumed with promo interviews for his upcoming album and you'd been hit with a huge deadline at work, meaning the only time you'd see each other was when you were both laying next to each other in bed, a tired 'i love you' shared between you both before you took the time to rest. There had been a couple of occasions where you'd both had an evening free, but any plans made were ruined by either you needing to be at your laptop or Jack needing to finalise some stuff for the album.

You'd both agreed to clear your schedules one Saturday, agreeing to put work to one side for a day and just focus on each other. You'd set up an out-of-office on your emails and Jack had told his team that his phone was off for the day.

Waking up that morning you couldn't wait to start the day with Jack, breakfast in bed followed by watching movies and just enjoying each others company. Reaching over, your hand was met with cold sheets, Jack's body being long gone. The clock on your phone said it was 10:30 and so you assumed he was downstairs making breakfast. You quickly took care of yourself in the bathroom before throwing on some slippers and heading downstairs. You found the kitchen empty, no signs of Jack or breakfast. You made your way through the house, scanning each room before heading back upstairs. Your ears picked up on Jack's voice in his office, your stomach dropping at the thought of work becoming a priority on the one day you'd both taken for yourselves. You pushed open the heavy door and found Jack sat at his desk, glasses resting on his nose, phone pressed to his ear in one hand and the other running through his hair. His nostrils were flared and his eyes shut as his head leant back against the chair he was sat on, the laptop in front of his lit up his face as he sat in the mostly darkened room.

Watching his for a moment, you could feel the anger building inside of you. He'd gone against his word of turning his phone off and ignoring work calls. Jack's eyes opened again as he went to speak, his head tilting down and catching your figure standing at the door, your pyjamas wrinkled from your sleep.

'I'm sorry' he mouthed to you, shooting you a sad expression and resumed his conversation.

You shut the door, standing alone in the hallway as you heard him rant at whoever was on the other line. A sign left your lips as you made yourway downstairs and into the kitchen, cooking yourself breakfast for one along with a coffee.

It had been 4 hours, lunch time had come and gone and you were sitting in front of the TV in your living room with a cup of hot tea, watching a series you'd wanted to start with Jack for a long time. As you sat, you heard the door to the office open, footsteps coming down the stairs before Jack's figure appeared in the doorway. You didn't look at him, you were so upset and you wanted him to know that.

'Babe I'm so sorry. Neelam kept calling my phone i forgot to turn it off last night. Someone tried leaking the album and-'

'As annoying as that is, I'm too upset to talk about it right now Jack'

'Excuse me?' his demeanor changed instantly, his posture straightening up.

'We had this day booked off all week, no work calls we promised each other. Clearly your work is more important than I am.'

You understood how annoying and frustrating it is for the album to be leaked so close to the release date, and you wanted nothing more than to know the ins and outs of what had happened, but you were also upset. You didn't have any time off for another month now and by then Jack would be going on tour.

'The thing I've spent the last year working my ass off on just almost got released before I wanted it to and your more concerned about a few hours of me being on a call trying to fix it?' Jack was offended, you could tell and you didn't blame him one bit.

'It's not the point, surely your team could have dealt with it without involving you. You told them about today, right? Couldn't they have dealt with it and then told you about it tomorrow?'

'I can't believe you're actually saying this. I thought you'd understand. It's only 3pm we have all evening to do something!'

'just forget about it Jack' you turned away from him, you knew it was petty but you didn't care in that moment.

'whatever' he turned and left the room, you heard him head upstairs and slam a door shut.

Another hour passed, Jack in your shared bedroom and you in the living room. You began feeling guilty, you felt for Jack but you'd let your upset and anger take over the situation when you realised now you should of been more understanding.

Walking upstairs you prayed Jack was in a forgiving mood. You shuffled your way into the bedroom, the room was everything you'd pictured it to be when you'd both bought the home. The bed sat in the middle of the room, bedside tables either side with everything you both needed in and on them. A large dresser sat across from it with doors either side, one to a large bathroom and the other to a walk-in closet. The wall on your side of the bed was floor to ceiling windows.

Jack was angry, more so at the hacker that had tried to leak his album, but also at the entire situation. He thought you'd understand but he also recognised that you'd both needed this day together more than anything. After some time checking everything was okay with his team, he got to running a hot bath, adding all your favourite soaps and salts and lighting candles.

That's how you found him, flicking the lighter on the last candle and placing it back on the bath. He turned to leave the room, finding you stood there and sent you a soft smile.

'I'm sorry' you both said at the same time, a short 'don't appologise' coming from both of you before you broke into laughter.

'I thought I'd make it up to you' he gestured to the bath behind him 'and ordered us some food, should be here in about an hour'

'Jack, I'm the one who should be doing this for you, I was so selfish to think the album being put out wasn't as important as a morning together. I'm sorry'

You both shared a soft kiss before getting into the bath together, Jack telling you all about the hacker before you both agreed no more work talk for the night.

[midorisudachi]

Several months ago I was feeling nostalgic & played Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age II again, about a decade after I had first played them. A few weeks I posted my fan art of my OC & Alistair. Now it's time for my Hawke OC & her love interest!

When I had first played DAII, I made Anders my love interest. This time around, I decided to change things up & make my character go for the broody Fenris. It took a lot to get him to slightly warm up to my character (whom I named "Chevaune Hawke), but then there was that sexy scene where Fenris couldn't help himself and he kissed Hawke, and then she returned the kiss by pushing him against the wall. (I never knew she had it in her! Lol!) But after they got intimate, darned Fenris was already getting dressed, so Hawke asked, "Was it that bad?" To which Fenris replied, "I'm sorry. It's not...it was fine. No...that is insufficient. It was better than anything I could have dreamed." I got why he was afraid to get close to somebody, so Chevaune & Fenris remained "just friends" (no intimacy" for a few years, but I made my character loyal to him.

Eventually, this conversation happened:

Fenris – “We have never discussed what happened between us three years ago.”

Hawke – “You didn’t want to talk about it.”

Fenris – “I felt like a fool. I thought it better if you hated me. I deserve no less. But it isn’t better. That night… I remember your touch as if it were yesterday. I should have asked your forgiveness long ago. I hope you can forgive me know.”

Hawke – “I need to understand why you left, Fenris.”

Fenris – “I’ve thought about the answer a thousand times. The pain, the memories it brought up, it was too much. I was a coward. If I could go back, I’d stay. Tell you how I felt.”

Hawke – “What would you have said?”

Fenris – “Nothing could be worse than the thought of living without you. ”

Hawke – “I understand. I always understood.”

Fenris – “If there is a future to be had, I will walk gladly into it at your side.”

Then they kissed. Awwwww. Ha ha. They had such a complicated relationship but I'm glad my Chevaune Hawke got his heart & affections. Especially at the end, before the final battle...Fenris said, "“I…may not get the chance to say this again. Meeting you was the most important thing that ever happened to me, Hawke. Promise me you won’t die. I can’t bear the thought of living without you.” Notice how I drew him wearing the Hawke logo at his hip? He eventually wears that in the game after a while.

At one point during the game (before all the final battle/ending stuff), Anders questioned Chevaune, stating that he did get what she saw in Fenris & hinted that she be better with him instead! In fact, all my companions questioned my relationship with Fenris! LOL! Varric once stated, "I haven't told anybody about you and that angsty Trevinter elf." Ha ha! Even Chevaune's grumpy arse uncle (Gamlen) said (in a snarky tone), "So you're into elves now? It takes all kinds of people." Oh, shut up. Ha ha. There was a lot more bantering & conversations, but I'm not going to type them here, because it would take up a lot of space! As it is, I already wrote too much! *Grins*

Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens, then coloured in with a mix of Copic Markers & Ohuhu Markers.

Fan artwork © Jacqueline E. McNeese

Dragon Age II/Fenris/Hawke © Electronic Arts/Bioware

[ipsen]

Blank Canvas 17

Read on AO3. Summary: Sen Takatsuki. Words: 5459 Chapter 16 Chapter 18 Master Post

Today started like any other.

Papa left early in the morning, but while she was usually too sleepy to catch him at the door, she didn’t this time. Though it seemed like a normal day, it was actually quite special, and she was determined to make sure he remembered. She latched onto him just as he was about to step through, grinning.

Fortunately, he knew before she even said anything. “Happy birthday, Sen.” He smiled and ruffled her head. “We’ll open your present when I get back, okay?”

She nodded excitedly, relishing the sound of her new name. As an aspiring author, Papa had suggested she get a pseudonym to protect herself, and the kanji— half of ‘hot spring’— was one of her favorites. So much so, he promised to plan a trip when they had enough money.

“Thirteen years old… Time flies.” He gently pulled her off of him. “I’ll see you tonight, then we can open your present. Okay?”

Sen gave a thumbs up. “Okay!”

Once she saw him turn the corner, she gathered her things— a box of pencils, some notebooks, and a patchy backpack— and jogged the handful of blocks down to the library. That was her routine: while Papa was at work, she was going to ‘school’ at the library— otherwise known as hunting for kanji she didn’t understand. Whenever she encountered one, she would make note of it in her notebooks, along with all of its readings and the appropriate strokes.

The librarian— a nice old lady named Erina— was always happy to help Sen identify and define words she couldn’t understand. It was nice having someone besides Papa who didn’t judge her for her, admittedly, odd taste in literature. Even though she did occasionally dip herself into a romance or adventure novel now and then, she always found herself coming back to horror and mystery. The idea of peeling back someone’s facade and seeing what was truly beneath fascinated her.

The book she was reading right now was one of her new favorites: a translated version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, considered by many to be the original science fiction novel. An arrogant scientist, Frankenstein, believing himself to be equal or even above God, stepping into His domain by creating life— there was something about that premise that Sen found fascinating. Not only that, but the plight of the creature, where it is forced to become what people perceived it as, was just as, if not more, interesting.

Sen was usually a fast reader, but she took her time with this one, reading and rereading chapters until she fully understood what had happened.

In the evening, Papa came to pick her up, her present in hand. “I imagined you would be far too excited to wait until home,” he explained.

And he was right— as soon as he held out the wrapped box, Sen snatched it and tore it open. Printer paper and tape drifted to the floor as she beheld the object beneath.

It was another notebook, just like last year and the year before. Ever since she took an interest in creating her own stories, Papa had taken it upon himself to give her at least one every year; that way, she could fill them front to back with the plenty of ideas bursting from her head.

However, when Sen thumbed through all of the pages at once, they were filled. At first, she thought it might have been Papa’s, but on a closer look, he didn’t write so… formally, nor so neatly.

“It belonged to your mother.” He answered the question writ plain on her face. “She was a writer, like you.”

Sen’s smile threatened to split her cheeks open. “She was?”

He nodded with a smile, but it was his reserved one, which he used whenever he was hiding something. “She was a journalist, and these were her most important findings. It’s very dense, but… she talks about your father starting with the bookmark.”

Her father. The man who was still alive and gave her away to Papa. She didn’t know how to feel about that, but— “If I read this, I’ll understand?”

The conversation about her adoption had been a difficult one, but she still loved Papa, and she knew that sometimes, things didn’t— or rather, they couldn’t— work out.

He nodded. “You will.”

—

Papa could be a bad judge of character sometimes.

Even after she pored over the text from front to back three times a day, she didn’t understand. Not really.

Her mother, under the name Ukina, was a young, if sickly, journalist looking into what Sen would eventually learn was V. Through her findings, she met Papa and, eventually, Sen’s father, Kuzen. It was the greatest mistake they’d ever made.

At first, Ukina’s findings were purely professional. Detailed records, strange coincidences, and the bloody trail of money left in V’s wake. To Sen, who had only a vague understanding of such things, it seemed like a mystery novel starring her family.

As Ukina seemingly spent more time with Kuzen, her emotions, once fully suppressed in favor of her reports, began to crop up like blooming flowers. Not only that, but her findings eventually took a backseat to Kuzen after a fashion.

Then, she was pregnant, and Ukina, while frightened, was rather excited. She was ready for a life with Kuzen, a life with the child.

It never happened.

That was where it should have ended. Sen would have lamented the loss of a mother and a father, destroyed and separated by death, but eventually she would have returned to life with Papa. Eventually, the only normal that she had ever known would take over again.

But the 8th ward happened. Kasuka Mado happened. The Washuu Task Force happened. Her raging, foolish fear happened.

The world happened.

———

Sen stormed up the stairs in her apartment complex, focused only on reaching her destination. Her neighbor— a guy named Rio— raised his hand in an awkward greeting, but she shoved past him and slammed her apartment door behind her.

The impact made the nearest pile of books collapse in a heap at her feet. Rather than pick it up, she just kicked them out of the way, throwing her coat on the floor with it.

What the fuck was that? How was Kuzen so fucking clueless, so fucking self-centered, that he thought he could show up like that? Even if she hadn’t called him out (as he deserved to be and more), what sort of obtuse perception of himself did he have to think, “Yes, I shall go to this gathering, which is held to help distract from Nashiro Yasuhisa, who I effectively killed as the employer of the Torso. I will not tell anyone that I did this, and there is nothing wrong with that. I am so smart and wonderful and my favorite taste is the taste of leather and human ass because I am a bootlicker and a brown-noser. Bon appétit, I say!”

She found another pile of books, completely unorganized, and shoved it over. One of them had the gall to land squarely on her toe, and she yelped.

Curled up against the wall, nursing the wound, she hoped to herself that Kurona had killed Kuzen. That would be a good consolation prize. How old was he, anyway? Eighty? ninety? Either way, he basically had one foot in the grave; a little push would do everyone wonders. Plus, it’d make this whole thing worth it since Haise was never gonna talk to her again.

She grabbed the offending book and flung it at the couch. It slapped against a pillow with an unsatisfying thump. It just made her angrier. More piles toppled over, and she threw books against books against books, bruising the covers and roughing up the pages until the entire room was painted with the ugliness inside her.

Sen’s time in the orphanage was spent obsessing over her mother’s— over Ukina’s notebook.

What Sen initially thought were Ukina’s thoughts shifting from her job to her lover became a bright, but ultimately naive, journalist being misled and preyed on by a man twice her age. The findings after Ukina met Kuzen were shallow at best, like a pinprick on your thumb, and anything worse was a dead end. Kuzen was slowly encroaching on her work like a parasite, throwing the veil over her eyes and making her believe she could still see.

“Kids! Lunch!” called the lady running the orphanage.

Sen was slow to answer the call, waiting for the pitter-patter of the other kids to fade away before getting up herself. She found that food had lost its luster since she was escorted out of her cell. Even if it hadn’t, it was such a chore to fill her belly. There were more important things to do, like read Ukina’s journal for the thirtieth time or scribbling in her notebook.

Those scribbles were especially important; they would be her ticket out of here.

It wasn’t like she wasn’t bullied at the orphanage— far from it. She was mostly ignored, actually, like a harmless ghost stalking the premises. A more presumptuous and haughty child would have hated it, but she actually preferred it; the other kids were either too bubbly, too selfish, or too young. Sometimes all three. Were she to strike up a conversation with one of them, it quickly became apparent that there were no grounds for a friendship. Not a lasting one, at least.

Besides, none of them could read— or rather, none of them could read at Sen’s level. The likes of Dazai, Kafka, Poe, and Murakami were beyond any of their wildest imaginings, and that was probably why she felt so, so— stuck.

She arrived at the mess hall and sat on the furthest edge of the few tables available. A quick scan of the room revealed everyone had gotten their fair share of food, so she picked out whatever was left over. Plate filled, she ate swiftly and efficiently before returning to her room without a word.

She found her notebook, stashed in a box locked with a key slotted in her prized copy of Frankenstein, given to her by Erina as a parting gift. Inside its pages were the senseless ramblings that would become Dear Kafka, a lengthy letter/story/poem to the titular author. Kafka also had a complicated relationship with his parents, and it bled into his writing like ink on a page. The Metamorphosis particularly spoke to Sen; the idea of being abandoned by a selfish and ignorant family was an unfortunate possibility for herself.

The pitter-patter of the other kids passed by Sen’s door again, this time in the opposite direction, and this time with chatter about what they were going to do next. Playing, shopping, whiling the time away with each other, and more.

All things Sen wished she understood.

—

The year flew by. She got Dear Kafka published. Shiono adopted her and, along with it, she met Kuzen for the first time.

A part of her had clung to the hope that Kuzen was simply another victim of V, like her and Papa were. That part had spun a tale that he was trapped in their cycle, that he had protected her by giving her a life away from all of that. After all, V liked to employ the poor and gullible; her father had simply grown wise to it, a heroic exception to the rules.

However, when the real deal walked through those doors, dressed in high quality leathers, a golden wristwatch, and the smell of a full belly, that silly fantasy fell apart. Sen realized it then and there: He chose to leave her. He chose V over her.

It seemed there were worse things than just being alone.

———

Her rage was unquenchable, even as she toppled pile after pile, kicked shelf after wall after shelf. Nothing was satisfying enough, and all she was doing was getting tired.

Fine.

Shoving fallen books out of her way with her foot, she made it to the fridge, where she found a six-pack of canned beer. She dragged it with her to the couch, plopped down on what little space remained, and cracked open a can. In her recklessness, it exploded in her face and all over her clothes.

She screwed her eyes shut. That’s just fucking great, isn’t it? She slowly wiped the bubbles off and slapped the new stains on her coat. Amazing.

Whatever. Nothing a proper fucking wash couldn’t fix— if she even got around to it. When had she even done her laundry last? When had she even cared about that? Especially now, when she found she couldn’t give a fuck about anything?

She downed half the can in one go, ignoring how her head quickly began to swim in the liquid. The taste was still disgusting, but at least her belly felt warm with alcohol and not shame. She grabbed the nearest thing to read— a notebook— and nearly tore the cover off to read it.

Seemed she’d grabbed one of her old notebooks, judging by the messy scrawls and the absolute refusal to cross anything out (“It might be valuable!” she always said to Shiono). There didn’t seem to be anything of value the more she read: idle observations, extrapolation based on nothing, and worse. She almost gave up and tried to find something else, until she turned the page:

“Eyes, like tainted diamonds, cross the expanse. They pierce inky tendrils of hair, reaching out for something they will never have. Grasp, miss, grasp. Like children swiping at the ceiling.

“Delicate fingers dig into their master’s scalp, and they fabricate a mockery of reality with the blood. A third option to escape memories and reality both. ‘Foolish,’ they all think. ‘Meaningless. Worthless.’

“Yet they do not stop. They reach out and fabricate and dream. Spilling wine can still be beautiful.”

It was then that Sen recognized the notebook: it was the one she’d brought to Kazuichi Public Park. A fresh buy at the time, she’d gotten it to mark her first day working with Haise Sasaki, the mystery artist whose work nestled up to her like nothing else before.

She remembered being confused at first. The blubbering, anxious mess napping in the coffee shop was him? The niche artist with a small following, whose works captured the innate horror that society could be, was that inexperienced, introverted mess?

But, as the interview continued, the pieces began to fit together. His chin rubs to indicate his lies, his lack of confidence in going to art school, his expert deciphering of her work, unlike anyone she’d met before, and then, his most incredible work yet— those never-before-seen masterpieces— sitting in his portfolio. For her, of all people.

He was hiding behind a mask, just like she was. Where she pushed herself to the front and hid in plain sight, he faded into those backgrounds he hated to draw so much. Different methods, same result.

And then, in the park, she watched him get to work and succumb to the passion he kept in check far too often. His pencil, which once quivered in his grasp, glided effortlessly across the page, and when she caught him looking at her out the corner of her eye, it was like a day’s worth of appreciation was condensed in a single second.

For a brief moment, Sen had seen the real Haise Sasaki: focused, calm, and above all, beautiful.

And tonight, she had punched him for something that wasn’t even his fault. Way to go.

She doubted he’d come back now— as if someone like her was worth choosing over whatever the hell Kuzen had done for him. That old geezer’s years of experience pacifying the likes of the Devil Apes and Black Dobers, all while V stole their turf right under their noses, had to have sunken their roots in deep.

Unlike the Bins, Miza and Naki, and Tatara, Haise had something to lose if he went against V. She was stupid to think she could put herself above those things in a few short months, much as she wished she could. He was the type to pay people back for their kindness, giving more than he had taken. It was his best and worst trait, and because of it, he would pay back Anteiku a thousand times over before her.

The worst part was that Sen couldn’t blame him.

Downing the rest of her beer can, she tossed the notebook away. Better to just focus on something else. It plopped harmlessly on the floor, and the sound stung more than all the others.

She cracked open a second can.

———

Some months after Arima bailed on her, Sen managed to put herself back together with Shiono’s help. A book signing for her most recent release, Industrial, was held to get her back into public thought.

That signing was the first time she met the Bins.

“Name?” she asked, a small smile on her face.

She was faced with a large man, what seemed like his wiry brother, and then who she assumed was their little sister, who couldn’t be over eight or nine. The man nudged his brother forward encouragingly.

“Er… Bin,” he said. “Just Bin.”

“Bin, hm?” She clicked her pen a few times. “Like ‘bottle’?”

He nodded. “Y-Yeah, heheh…”

She scribbled the single kanji down, followed by her own signature. The man spoke up then. “We wanted to thank you personally, by the way, for your donation.”

Sen paused, then looked up. “Donation?” Shiono had assured her that it was anonymous…

The man suddenly looked embarrassed. “O-Oh, uh… Heh, was it? Weird… Sorry about that, then; musta gotten you mixed up with someone else!”

She raised a brow.

The girl then spoke up. “Big Bro, I thought we were here ‘cause you found out it was her, didn’t you?”

“Yumitsu!” the middle brother, the one with the book, hissed.

Sen suddenly laughed. “Looks like I’ve been caught red-handed! How’d you figure it out?”

The man scratched his head. “Big fan of computers, I guess?”

“You go to college for that stuff?”

“Nah; dropout. Couldn’t afford it. We’re holed up in that shelter for a reason.”

She nodded slowly, tracing a circle on the table with her finger. The donation in question was to keep the shelter from being closed down, and keep all its residents from being relocated. The reason it was about to shut down was the Souzu Foundation, which had a keen interest in developing houses on some nearby land. A homeless shelter was just so terrible for marketing, apparently.

She wondered how many other places were under threat. How many other places could she save if she just knew about them?

She glanced up at the man. If she just had someone like this on her side, then—

“You’ll have to tell me more sometime,” she said, slipping her card between the pages. “And thank you for coming!”

———

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

With a groan, Sen stirred at the sound of her phone. Ugh, everything hurt. It was like she’d been crushed by her entire collection last night. As feeling coursed through her body once again— which included a pounding headache— she looked down at herself.

Beer cans and stains across her clothes, and the familiar square weight of books on her chest and stomach. So she was right. In a way. Whatever, close enough. She grabbed her phone and checked who texted her.

From: Shiono hey kiddo im outside

Oh, please be fucking joking.

Ding, dong.

“Goddammit…” she muttered, forcing herself up and sending books and cans toppling to the floor. Oh, how awesome.

She tripped every other step getting to the door; she swore to God, if Shiono really was on the other side, his ass was not getting in—

One look through the peephole confirmed her worst fears. Carefully and begrudgingly, she cracked open the door.

“Hey…” she managed, trying to blink away her headache.

Shiono took one look at her, then sighed. “You’ve been drinking.”

“So?” Sen nursed the back of her head. “I can make my own decisions.”

“And why did you make this decision?” He put his hand on the door.

“Doesn’t matter. Why’re you here?”

He raised a brow. “What, can’t a dad show up for his daughter?”

She scrutinized him, waiting for his tell for when he lied. It didn’t come. “Ugh, fine. Come on in…”

“Thanks, kiddo.” He happily showed himself in.

He didn’t comment on the state of the place until he made them some tea (Sen would have clambered to take his place, but her hangover had other plans). “You’ve been busy,” he said, the real question tucked inside.

She sat down and rested her head on the counter. “Just— ugh— just thought some redecorating was in order.”

“You’re being dodgy too. What happened last night?” He gestured to her cup. “And drink; it’ll help.”

With some effort, she took a sip. Why was he so good at brewing tea? That wasn’t fair. “It was fine.”

He didn’t believe her for a second. How irritating. “And yet you have a hangover.”

“It’s a hangover; that doesn’t mean anything.” She turned her head so that she couldn’t see him. “Sometimes you drink shittily.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, I can’t make you.” Shiono touched her shoulder. “Do you want me to get you anything?”

She scowled, but relented. “Headache medicine.”

He chuckled. “Anything else?”

The selfish little brat inside her brain, the one that wanted to be coddled day in and day out, seized control. “Warm water, and a blanket. Also—”

—

After a slow, warm bath, a fresh change of clothes, and Shiono shoveling books to the edges of the floor, Sen talked. Slowly, but she talked, and Shiono was a patient man. She talked about Kuzen, about Kurona, about the Torso, and about Haise.

She sat on the couch, while he stood behind her and braided her hair. “So,” he said, “what’ll you do now?”

Sen scoffed. “I thought you’d have more to say.”

“You’re one of the smartest people I know.” He fished out a hair tie “I think you already know what I’d say.”

Her mouth twisted into a frown; she hated when he used that against her. “Ugh, fine. You want me to try to apologize to Yasuhisa, and you think that it’ll ultimately make me feel better.”

“And?”

“And that while my anger is justified, my actions were not,” she grumbled. “There was a better, safer way.”

A pause. He finished the tie. “And?”

“And—?!” She whirled on him, almost slapping him in the face. “What the fuck else is there?!”

He held up the notebook from last night. “Who else do you need to apologize to?”

She snatched the book away with a glare. “He won’t accept it,” she said.

“You sure?”

“Shiono, I punched him. Pretty sure that’s good grounds for a no.”

“You won’t know until you try,” he said. “You’ve got work tomorrow, right? Maybe he’ll show up.”

“Yeah, okay.” She rolled her eyes, drinking her tea with more ferocity.

“I think you’ll be surprised.” Shiono leaned a bit closer. “I know you two’ve been dating for a while, but he was head-over-heels for you long before the resort.”

“That—!” Sen felt her face flush and tried to maintain some semblance of dignity. “Shut up…”

Ugh, she should have known he was in on it when he showed up. He’d been scouting out Haise as a partner, the nosy bastard.

Shiono, meanwhile, kept smiling. “C’mon, Sen. I think you should give yourself a chance. You’re a lot more charming than you think you are.”

She made a face, all traces of budding appreciation gone. “I don’t want to hear that kinda stuff from my dad, thanks.”

He burst into laughter. She allowed him a few peals alone before joining in.

———

Call it luck, call it fate. Nineteen-year old Sen was glad either way.

“Drink up, boys!!” a young Naki cried out, tears streaking down his face. “This’s th’ last party we’ll have as the White Suits of Tokyo!!! Enjoy it!! All-you-can-eat stuffing session!!!”

Those around him weren’t faring much better; all were drinking themselves into a stupor, crying, or both. Sen watched the scene with her mouth hung open, hovering somewhere between shock and amusement.

For the past week, she’d been trying to find the owner of the White Suits, ever since their property was bought out by Ihei Inc. in an attempt to flush out flowering small businesses. Now, lo and behold, with no work on her end, there he was! And with his staff, too! Now, all she had to do was—

“Are you Sen Takatsuki?”

Fuck. Sen slowly turned around to the source of the voice.

It was a young woman with jet black hair and piercing red eyes. She was sitting at a table with three others: a very small woman and two men with white hair, but the same eyes as the first woman.

“I’m so sorry,” the black-haired woman said. “I just— I wanted to make sure, in case you actually were and not just, y’know.”

“Fei,” the second woman said, “don’t bother her, please.”

Sen shook her head, plastering a smile on her face. “No, it’s fine.” She brushed some hair out of her face; honestly, she should be more surprised this didn’t happen sooner. “Are you a fan?”

“My brother Xin is!” The woman, apparently named Fei, grinned. “Right, Xin?”

Of the two men at the table, the smaller one with a face mask, probably Xin, tensed. He couldn’t be older than Sen was. Was he sick? She would’ve stayed home, personally; any excuse to not make the trek to Shoeisha was a good excuse.

The older man nudged him. “Go on.”

Xin huffed through his mask. “I’m sorry about this. You seem busy,” he said, then looked at the other man. “And we’re pretty busy too, right? Mr. Houji’s gonna be here any second now.”

Sen blinked. “You could argue I’m always busy. And—” Her gaze landed on the tiny woman at the table, who was picking at her food and not listening. “Wait, are you— Are you Miza Kusakari?”

Miza looked up, confused. “I am, but—”

Sen practically slid across the table to grab Miza’s hands. “Did you sell your property?! Tell me you didn’t.”

Miza reeled backwards at the sudden familiarity. “Er, no, not yet, but— Wait, how do you know about that?”

“Details can wait.” Big Bin and his new partner— a hacker and independent reporter named Chie— worked pretty well together. “Did you sell your building to Ihei Inc.?”

“No, that’s supposed to be classified. How’d you figure it out?”

Stubborn woman; Sen was trying to help! “I have a business opportunity for you, and it involves that gaggle of guys right over there.” She pointed to the table with the White Suits, who were grappling each other in a pile of hugs. “They were duped by Ihei too, and you’re gonna get duped too.”

Miza pursed her lips. “Even so, I can’t just— I don’t have the funds to pay the property tax.”

“Let me take care of that.” Sen grinned, sliding into an open spot next to Fei.

“We were just discussing that,” the older man said. “Hands off, Takatsuki.”

“Yan,” Xin said, glancing at Sen. “She’s Sen Takatsuki. She has a lot of pull here in Japan, far more than us. If Ihei Inc. catches wind that she’s part of this, then maybe—”

“Oh, familiar?” This was going much better than she thought it would. Both White Suits and Triple Blades under the same roof, along with whoever these three were— it was like hitting the jackpot.

Yan’s eyes narrowed. “Familiar how?”

She rested her chin in her hands. “You could say I have some business with friends of the Ihei.”

Miza just looked confused. “Okay, I guess I’m missing something here. What?”

Sen grinned again. “I think you’ll like this one.”

———

If only she could laugh or smile now.

She shouldn’t be nervous. This was Haise, the nicest guy in the world. The same guy who turned into a sweaty mess whenever he touched her fucking bra strap. The same guy who had embraced her scars without a second thought. The same guy who was able to peel back the mask stuck to her face and stare at— even admire— the skinless thing behind it. Sen could apologize to someone like that, no problem.

And yet: her grip on the train pole was like iron.

She hated the idea of sucking up to someone, even if that someone was the one of the few people she’d be semi-okay with. It still made her feel weak and vulnerable, things she still was getting used to being. Such a stupid feeling, she thought— one she ought to crush in her hands like an extra shitty draft. She was an adult; this was nothing.

When her phone rang, however, she jumped. She brought it out to check, hoping to see Haise’s name, but it was an unfamiliar number instead. Still, she answered.

“Uh, hello?”

“Ms. Takatsuki?” a familiar voice said on the other side. “It’s, um, it’s me, Hinami…”

“Oh.” This’d be fun. “Uh, hi…”

She’d forgotten she’d given Hina her business card. They’d really hit it off at the gathering, and Sen simply assumed that whatever goodwill she’d built up during that time was completely gone. Apparently not; she wasn’t sure why, but it was a pleasant surprise. If Hina could forgive her, then why couldn’t Haise?

“I-I’m sorry, is this a bad time? I just— I wanted to— I’m sorry; I’m just—”

“No, no!” Sen cleared her throat. “No, it’s good to hear from you… I was just heading into work, was all, and, well, you know how it’s been.” She shook off the nerves. “Anyway, what’d you need?”

Hina seemed to hesitate. “W-Well, um… I wanted to know: is Haise with you right now?”

Sen bit her lip and switched hands. The train slowed as it approached its next stop. “No… We separated after I left the party.”

“Oh…” The girl sounded nervous. “I’m sorry, then. I guess I thought— Well, Hide said he never came back after he followed you, so I assumed that— I-I’m sorry.”

Sen blinked. That couldn’t be right. “Wait, he isn’t— he wasn’t with you or Hide? What about Touka?”

Touka was also an absolute delight to be around. Surprisingly, minus their exact opposite taste in books (Touka was a hell of a lot more cutesy than Sen would have thought her to be), they had a lot in common. Orphanage, no parents, headstrong— it was  actually pretty funny. Maybe that was why Haise wasn’t so taken aback by Sen’s aggressiveness; Touka was, arguably, used to be worse.

“Not her, either…” Sen heard Hina shuffle around. “Do you know anywhere else he might have gone?”

She thought of a few places— the Kazuichi Public Park, the cafe where they first met— but none were a good fit to sleep in. “Have you texted him already?”

“Yeah, Hide has… No response.” Hina’s voice was shaking as Sen got off the train. “So if you haven’t seen him, then—”

“Hina, Hina. I need you to relax. Breathe,” Sen said, though her own pace quickened. “I know Haise. We know Haise. He wouldn’t disappear on a whim like that; there’s no precedent for it.”

He was sensitive, not suicidal, she told herself. Maybe at one point he might have been the other, but not today. He was… different now. Better. Well, better than he used to be. Sen didn’t need to know him for a long time to know that.

She reached Shoeisha, and just before she could enter, she saw Ami speaking to someone. By itself, it wasn’t unusual, but Sen froze when she glanced at their attire.

A long black trenchcoat, slacks, and shoes, with a fedora placed neatly on their head.

Her stomach dropped out of her abdomen and hit the floor.

“Um, Ms. Takatsuki?” Hina’s voice served to help her out of her trance. “Are you still there?”

“Where are you right now, Hina?” Sen asked, immediately turning back toward the station.

“What’s wrong?”

She cut Hina off. “Where are you right now?”

Hina verbally flinched. “A-At Haise and Hide’s apartment! But, um—”

Sen sprinted down the street, shoving past anyone in her way. “Who’s with you?”

“Touka and Ayato… Hide’s gonna come back too, so—”

Hide would be there. Good. “Alright, don’t move; I’m heading over right now.”

“Wait, what are you—”

She jabbed her finger into the screen, ending the call.

[bastetwastaken]

monarchship with 37? :-) !

Hi!

Sorry it took me so long to get to this, work continues to kick me in the balls and I'm just so busy but have a sweet lil AU thing about these two idiots in love.

I'm sorry, it's a bit on the short side but it's sweet, I promise!

37- “Hey, have you seen the..? Oh.”

.....................

Atem sighed as he rummaged through the wardrobe again, he loved Yami, but he could never find anything once the other had tidied up. 

For some reason, Yami would put things in places which made complete sense to him at the time but Atem never seemed to grasp his reasoning for rearranging their clothes every other week. 

The shirt he wanted to find wasn’t even that important, but he wanted to wear it. It was his favourite, and he wanted to look nice for their date night tonight. 

Yami had been working such long hours this last week they’d hardly had time to spend together outside of short conversations between their respective work days. Tonight though, they were going out, and it was going to be amazing to spend time together. 

He sighed again in defeat. He’d have to go ask Yami where things were, or they’d never get out of their home. He walked into the living room to find his boyfriend. 

“Hey, have you seen the…? Oh.” He stopped himself when he spotted Yami on the sofa. 

His earlier frustrations were all but forgotten as he looked at him, a fond smile graced his lips as he moved to lean against the door frame. 

Yami always looked so cute when he slept. 

If someone would have told him he’d be here right now a year ago, he wouldn’t have believed them, but this past year had been the best of his life so far. Yami was everything he’d ever wanted and never known he needed. 

They’d met by chance, it had been a complete coincidence that they’d both been in the same place at the same time, but remembering that day still made him smile. 

He’d been in a hurry to get to work, he ran late more often than he should do, and he’d taken a short cut which he didn’t usually bother with that had led him past an office building he never really saw and right into a very confused Yami who was only trying to get to his own job when Atem barrelled into him. 

It had been the epitome of awkward meetings.

Something out of a cliche romance novel, but as he laid there on the pavement, looking up into deep purple eyes so full of concern he’d finally understood how people fell in love at first sight. 

Yami had been so apologetic, as if it was his fault Atem hadn’t been looking where he was going, and Atem had been speechless for so long Yami was ready to call an ambulance for him. 

When he’d finally remembered how conversation worked, he’d reassured Yami that he was fine, that it was his fault and he’d apologised more than was necessary. 

Through all his rambling and trying to explain why he’d just almost tackled a complete stranger to the ground in his hurry to get to work Yami had smiled sweetly at him, amusement so clear in his beautiful eyes. 

In a moment of complete madness Atem had offered to take Yami for a drink to apologise for what had happened and in that same moment Yami had agreed. 

One drink turned into several, one evening out together turned into many more and before Atem knew it, he was seeing Yami every other night and speaking to him every day on the phone. 

He hadn’t expected Yami to be so damn perfect, or to fall so hard and so fast for the other. At the time, he was nervous about expressing his feelings, but now he was so glad that he’d taken the chance and told Yami everything. 

Yami had come across as confident from the start, but after Atems' less than eloquent confession fuelled by the alcohol they’d been drinking one night, he’d admitted that he’d felt the same but hadn’t been able to bring himself to take the plunge so he was grateful Atem had. 

They’d shared their first kiss under a flickering lamp post outside the bar they’d spent the evening in and despite the cold Autumn wind and the woman throwing up in the gutter next to them, it had been the most perfect moment in Atems life.  

He smiled to himself and walked slowly across the room, trying to be as quiet as he could. He dropped silently to his knees next to the sofa, reaching out to run a hand through Yamis messy hair. 

His boyfriend sighed and pressed his face further into the cushion under him. Atems heart skipped a beat. 

He leaned forward, placing a soft kiss to Yami's head, then several to his cheek, moving down toward his lips. He felt more than heard Yami laugh as he woke. 

“Hi.” He said softly, kissing Yami's cheek again. 

All he got was a hum in response. He laughed and tried to move away, only to have Yami stop him with a hand on the back of his head. Before he could say anything else his boyfriend's lips were against his. 

He sighed happily when Yami deepened the kiss, his stomach filling with butterflies. Yami moved away, opening his eyes and smiling at him. 

“How long till we have to go out?” Yami asked him, his voice sleepy. 

“You know… I don’t think I want to go out.” He said. 

“Really?” Yami frowned. “Why?” 

“You look so comfy, I’d rather crawl onto the sofa with you and cuddle.” He said. “We can watch a movie, nap, do other things…if you like.” 

Yami laughed and nodded, turning on his side and shuffling as far back as he could, making enough space for Atem on their small sofa. He smiled as he pushed himself off the floor and into the space Yami had made for him, wrapping his arms around Yamis waist and tucking his head under his chin. 

“Okay, yeah.” Yami said with a sigh, his arms wrapped tightly around him and pulled him closer. “This is much better than going out.”

[mxltifangxrl]

So This Is Love

Pairing: teddy bear!Ari Levinson x f!Reader

Summary: Ari has never known true love and you’re the one to show him that.

Warnings: teddy bear Ari is the only one :)

“Darling?” You call out when the front door to your shared home closes.

“I’m home.” You hear him call out tiredly.

Ari never had the best relationships which resulted in him messing them up in one way or another. Though he wanted this one to work, he knew it would inevitably crash and burn just like the rest.

You always treated him well. He was your first relationship because you had high standards in a man and Ari ticked all the boxes. Sure, he had his moments but you knew that’s all they were. Moments. Ari was terrified but would never tell you. When you hadn’t called him during this trip, he worried you were done yet here you were in the kitchen preparing dinner.

You excitedly went to greet him only to see the deep wrinkles on his forehead and the bags under his eyes. “Ari, my love. What’s the matter? Did something happen?” You asked, cupping his face gently.

He carefully removed your hands from his face which broke your heart. “Why didn’t you call?” He asked, the hurt in his voice evident.

“Oh, Ari… I didn’t call because before you left you said this was a very important trip that required your attention and would keep you away for a while. I didn’t want to call and disturb you. I’m so sorry.” You told him, upset with yourself for not calling.

His expression relaxed as he realized you only did what you thought was best for him. “I’m sorry. I thought you were done with me.” He admitted, finally opening up to you.

“Honey, where’s this coming from?” You carefully lead him to the couch where he adjusted you both so that he could lay his head on you lap and be as close as possible.

“I’ve always been worried I was going to screw this relationship up with you. I’m scared that this relationship was too good to be true and end up just like all the rest. I’m sorry.” He told you, laying out all his pent up worries.

“Ari. This relationship is ours and only ours okay? No one is going to ruin it and nothing will get in the way of us if I’m able to do anything about it. I promise you. I’ve grown to know the real Ari Levinson. Not the one everyone thinks you are. I’m in this relationship for the long haul. If you were to drop to your knee right now and ask for my hand in marriage, we’d be married tomorrow at the courthouse.” You assured him.

He looked up at you, eyes watering. You knew it was serious given you've never seen him cry. It broke you to see how effected he was by this. You ran your fingers through his hair, gently wiping a tear that fell.

"Since you have a few months back home, we can spend all of our time together. Just let me know what you wanna do and I'm right here with you, okay? I love you more than anything Ari. Till death do us part." You told him comfortingly only for him to sit up and kiss you passionately.

"You have no clue how crazy for you I am. I don't know what would happen if you weren't here." He said, relaxing finally.

"You wouldn't survive a day without me." You teased making him laugh.

"Isn't that the truth...I'm so in love with you it's not even funny." He replied, kissing you once again.

You both spent the rest of the night cuddling and eating a nice homemade dinner while watching your favorite shows. It made you both feel better having that conversation as you now understood how he had been feeling and he now understood that you were permanently in his life no matter what.

[s0ulsniper]

BUCKY BARNES X READER

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Warning: No warning, mild fighting and angst, mostly will be fluff. Mild cursing.

Summary: After Sam got y/n to agree meeting Bucky, strictly on mission terms, things start to get personal.

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.

One thing you didn't want to do on your day off, was get your house blown up or something. Of course being called at 8 in the morning was a close second.

I grab my phone as I try to adjust my eyes to lighting change.

I click accept, not even bothering to read the name.

"...hello?" I ask groggily. I'm sure I sound like I just drunk a gallon of sand.

"hey y/n."

I jump suddenly and sit up, I could smell colors and see perfectly.

"Sam? What the hell happened? What's wrong?" I ask suddenly.

I hear a faint laugh at the other end of the phone and my body relaxes and I roll my eyes.

"You whore." I complain.

"What? Can I not call you?" He continues the laughter dying down.

"Well when you call me at-" I glance at my phone. "8:13 in the morning sounding like you just fought of a militia, one would think something's wrong."

He pauses for a second then continues to tell me why he called.

"Well nothing's first hand wrong, but we do need your help."

My face scrunches in confusion.

"We?"

I hear a sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Bucky and I, we need your help."

"Sam you know-"

"I know y/n, but this is urgent. You know deep down how good we all work together."

I internally curse the universe out and then I come to a conclusion.

"Fine, but it better be important."

"It is, I promise. I'm glad to see you again." My phone dings. "I texted you the address, get here as soon as possible."

"Alright I'm getting ready now." I answer getting up.

"Okay see you then, love you."

"love you." The phone clicks and I make my way to my closet, grabbing clothes and turning the shower on.

After I finish getting ready I grab my keys and gear, throwing it in my bag.

I slide my converse on and walk out of my apartment, locking my door.

After I walk 20 hours down the stairs and outside I get in my car and pull up the GPS.

"Good morning miss y/n, where to?" I hear AXL say as my car turns on.

"Goodmorning AXL, bring me to the location Sam sent me please."

"Understood." He answers and starts the directions.

It took about 25 minutes to get to the location, almost in the middle of no where in the suburbs.

I pull into a driveway, a one story house that's pretty wide in size.

"You have arrived." AXL says.

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yes." He speaks from the radios. "It is the exact copy from the text."

"Alright thank you AXL." I say grabbing my bag from the passenger seat.

"My pleasure, stay safe." My A.I. announces as I opening the door.

I cautiously walk up the driveway and to the front door.

I look around before knocking.

"Coming!" I hear yelled, and suddenly my stomach churns.

I basically forgot the whole time coming here that Bucky would also be here.

Before I could process it the door unlocks and opens revealing Bucky.

"...y/n?" His eyes widen.

"yes, that is my name." I answer walking in patting his shoulder. "Where's Sam?"

Before he could answer I hear Sam yell from a room to the left.

I walk into a living room and kitchen and see Sam get up from the couch.

"Yo, Donnie!" He basically yells and walks up to me.

"Still, that's not my name." I protest put still accept a hug.

"It always has been." He jokes as we pull away. "See, you still even look like it."

I look down at my clothes and back up to him.

"It's just a colo-"

"He is right, you do look like the turtle." I hear a voice say.

I turn around to glare at Bucky as he walks in and sits on the couch.

"And you have the smarts and skills." Sam continues.

I don't even protest anymore and I walk in the kitchen.

"You could at least admit you missed me." I hear Bucky say behind me while I dig through the fridge for any sort of drink.

I turn around to see Bucky holding my favorite drink up.

"Asshole." I smirk and take the bottle. "I missed you a little."

He smiled and opens the cabinet for two glasses.

Sam walks in the kitchen and raises an eyebrow seeing Bucky and I sit at the island drinking together.

"Don't." I warn as I take another drink and Bucky laughs.

"So." San starts and leans against the counter. "We have a problem, and it involves super soldier serum."

I perk up at this.

"What?" I question.

"A teenager name Karli Morgenthau and a group she is in- or made. The group stole around half a liter of serum. They're on the run and we need to catch them before something goes wrong. And not to mention, somehow she is a super soldier herself. And we have reason to believe some of her little friends are too." He explains.

I breathe out suddenly realizing I was holding my breath.

"Well fuck." I mumble. "I'll be right back."

I get up from my seat and put my glass down going down the hallway trying to find the bathroom.

Luckily, there was a door wide open showing the bathroom.

I walk in and crack the door.

Wow, it's a pretty big bathroom. Could be a bedroom if you wanted to.

I sit on the side of the bathtub and put my head in my hands sighing.

Why today, and why now. It's 9 in the morning and I could be asleep right now.

Suddenly I hear a knock on the door.

"y/n?" I hear faintly from the door and I don't even bother to look up.

"Come in." I answer and the door opens further.

I hear them walk in and shut the door.

"Are you alright?" They ask and I realise it's Bucky.

I look up and shrug.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

He looks at me as if he doesn't believe a word I just said and sits next to me on the tub.

"You know, you can tell me whats bothering you right?"

I look at him and realise that the room suddenly seems super small.

I look back down and feel the blood rush to my face. Hopefully not enough to notice.

"I'm sorry." I admit.

"For what?" He asks and I scoff looking up.

"I mean I'm sort of a bitch to you sometimes." I answer.

"I mean, I am to you too."

"Yeah, so say sorry." I tell him and he chuckles.

I laugh too with him and we just sit there.

"Have I ever told you I love your laugh?" He mumbles and I definitely redden enough to notice.

"What?... Really?" I ask.

He nods and smiles.

"Of course doll, even when you say you hate it." He admits grabbing my hands in his.

He definitely knew what he was doing, but I didn't mind.

"See you aren't really that tough on the inside are you?" He asks and I roll my eyes.

"Of course I am, I just know when to let it down."

As if in an instant, he grabs my face with his other hand and kisses me.

My hand in his, and my other resting in his thigh, we stay there for eternity it feels like.

He bits my bottom lip asking for permission and I let him, opening my mouth letting him as he sticks his tongue in my mouth.

Eventually, we pull away and I pull him in the tightest hug, pulling me into his lap.

"I knew you had a soft spot for me."

"Of course I do."

Maybe this mission wouldn't be as dreadful as I thought.

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[kareenvorbarra]

☔ for the meme if I'm not too late!

you are not too late, i just got distracted and then forgot about this dsjhfkjghfg sorry!

Is there a fic concept you have that you’d like to just explain and share because you’re not sure you’ll ever write it? If so, what is it?

i have a couple of weird queen's thief AUs that i've thought a lot about but may not ever be motivated to write, just because they're pretty long and very niche. my favorite of these (and the one i have planned out the most) is the AU where Nahuseresh takes one of the dancing girls (Hurik) with him when he goes to Attolia.

i picked Hurik for a couple of reasons. first, she's from Roa, which borders Attolia, so it made sense to headcanon that the Roan language is related to the language spoken in the Little Peninsula, which would make it easier for Hurik to learn the language. on the other hand, it might be kind of weird and alienatining for her to be in a place with some cultural similarities to her homeland after she's lived in the empire for so long. second, her backstory is very similar to Kamet's, so the idea of them being in close quarters and having to get to know each other better was interesting to me.

the gist of the AU is:

Hurik is very lonely and isolated at first, because she doesn't have much to do during the day and she can't communicate very well with anyone in the palace besides Kamet and Nahuseresh, who are busy all the time and who she can't really confide. at some point, she breaks down and asks Kamet to help her learn Attolian - she can understand some of it because of its similarities to Roan, but she has a lot of trouble making herself understood (i'm imagining something like the difference between Spanish and Portuguese).

Kamet agrees, and they start having conversation practice whenever they're alone in Nahuseresh's rooms and Kamet can spare the time. they start getting to know each other better and gradually become friends.

when Hurik's Attolian improves, Kamet introduces her to some of the other palace servants (including a disguised Gen, who Kamet ropes into helping her with her conversation practice), and she is able to take over the more basic chores and errands for Nahuseresh, leaving Kamet more time for his actual job.

i have assorted scenes in mind about Kamet and Hurik's relationship, but it feels like too much to go into here...i do imagine that Hurik develops kind of a crush on him, and at some point she says something that makes him figure it out and they have an awkward conversation about it. (i genuinely ended up shipping them via this AU but i don't think it actually happens - Kamet would never risk it and they're living in such close quarters with Nahuseresh that it would be basically impossible to keep that secret.)

i came up with two possible endings for the AU. in both versions Nahuseresh brings her with him to Ephrata, and she and Kamet are in the same place when they find out that the queen has imprisoned Nahuseresh in his rooms. they both hide, and Kamet decides to try and break Nahuseresh out; he thinks it will be easier for him to get there unseen by himself, so he tells Hurik to wait for him and promises to come back for her.

in one ending, Kamet and Nahuseresh return for Hurik, and all three of them escape together. luckily Hurik, who grew up on the Roan coast and spent a lot of time on and around the water, does know how to swim. she helps Nahuseresh get Kamet to the ship and makes it back to the empire with them.

in the other ending, Nahuseresh thinks it's too risky to spend time going back for Hurik and decides to leave her behind (it's not as if she knows anything important, after all). Kamet feels terrible about it, but doesn't question Nahuseresh's decision. eventually someone finds Hurik and she's imprisoned at Ephrata. she assumes that Kamet got caught and that she'll be taken to wherever he and Nahuseresh are locked up, but eventually someone comes and tells her that they both got away, and she realizes that she's been abandoned, and is terrified of what the Attolians will do to her.

the second ending is the more complicated and depressing one, but it turns out okay in the end. basically, Irene has Relius question Hurik (though i doubt they bother with torture) and determines that the girl knows nothing useful. not knowing what else to do with Nahuseresh's cast-off slave, Irene sends her to work in the palace, somewhere out of the way where she doesn't have to see her (Irene would be kind of freaked out by Hurik's very presence, i think, given her connection to Nahuseresh).

Hurik is super relieved to be alive and unharmed, but once that wears off a little she's miserable - she's still a slave, but her life now is a lot less comfortable and she's been separated from everyone she cared about. eventually Gen figures out that she's still in the palace and goes to see her; Hurik is obviously shocked to find out that Kamet's friend from the kitchens is now the king of Attolia. Gen arranges for her to be freed and finds her something to do that she doesn't hate, and Hurik basically just hangs around the palace for a while. i don't have any specific ideas after this, except that the events of Thick as Thieves happen and Kamet and Hurik have an emotional reunion when he comes back to Attolia.