#while our department had no other work (usually we do even if the department ''closes'' at 7 we have stuff to do to prep for tomorrow it was

[texas-gothic]

Dracula Daily Prep: Gather Your Paprikash!

It's that time of year again. Even as we speak, Jonathan Harker has departed for Transylvania, and the unhallowed halls of Castle Dracula. And as he makes his way towards that foreboding country, he will encounter a singular, most enticing of dishes: Paprika Hendl, or as we might know it better, Chicken Paprikash!

This traditional Central European dish explodes in popularity each May as we all gather around our virtual mess hall to enjoy the spirit of this most influential of gothic novels. Perhaps you yourself are considering throwing together a pot this year? Well, if you are, let this be your guide.

So, first, let's discuss the most important of the ingredients here: authentic hungarian paprika. Now, the recipe I first used last year called only for Sweet Paprika, but I personally found that version to be a little bland. I'm remedying this by adding some Hot Paprika as well. However, this is just my personal experimentation. Hungarian Hot Paprika can in fact be very hot, so if you're not comfortable with anything too spicy, feel free to opt only for the Sweet Paprika.

(Both of these I had to order online.)

Next, is another very important addition. As youre gathering your basic cornerstones of cooking (namely yellow onion, roma tomato, and garlic for this recipe) you may find yourself passing up on something that could vastly improve your dish. I'm talking, of course, about Hungarian Wax Peppers. These peppers range in heat, from meak and mild to slightly hotter than you'd average jalapeño. As per instruction, you should only use one. But on my end, I found the single pepper to be a little underwhelming, and I had trouble picking out it's flavor. So, this year, I'll be using two of them.

I got these from Central Market, an upmarket gorcer on Westheimer. They're a cousin of HEB, and you can find one or two in every major city in Texas. If you're elsewhere, try an alternative like Whole Foods, or try to find a European or International food market in your area.

Next, let's talk chicken. You can't have Chicken Paprkiash without the chicken, after all.

You're going to want to go with dark meat cuts for this. Traditionally the dish would use a mix of legs and thighs. Personally, I suggest using only the thighs, which you'll want to get bone-in and skin-on. The thigh provides a flater surface for browning than the leg, as well as more meat.

(A note on food safety, raw chicken will usually only last 2-3 days in the fridge. So you'll want to grab that fairly close to the day you're actually cooking this. If not, you can do what I'll be doing, and sticking it in the freezer until about 24 hours before I start cooking.)

So, as you gather your meat, produce, and spice you're probably asking yourself, "what on Earth am I going to be eating this with?" And the answer to that is spaetzle! A popular dumpling present in lots of Central European cooking, this is exactly what you need to tie this all together.

Now, while you should be able to find some in the international isle of most major grocers, you might also have to visit an international food store, or perhaps something more upmarket. If none of these options work, then there are a variety of other side dishes that work just as well. Egg noodles are a very popular choice, and in my very American attempt last year, I found that mashed potatoes work especially well.

Now that you've got all these things together, you're very nearly done. All that's left is the thickener. Paprikash is thickened using a blend of flour, heavy whipping cream, and sour cream. We'll get onto preparing this mixture in my post on actually cooking the paprikash, but until then, acquiring them should be a cake walk at any place food items are sold.

Now that will conclude the actual grocery list for just the Paprikash itself, but I do have one more pointer on how to really liven up this meal. Now, if you're under 21 or if perhaps you take after our dear, depraved, beloathed Count

Then you can skip this next bit. As a wine professional myself, I find that a well paired glass can add a tremendous flare to nearly any already great dinner. In the case of something like Chicken Paprkiash, and keeping with the Central European theme, I could hardly think of a better match than a good German Pinot Noir, also known as a Spatburgunder. Pinot from Germany typically has a very light body and a refreshing acidity that plays very well with the rich and creamy sauce of Chicken Paprikash. The palate of earth and red fruit should always pair nicely with the smoke of the paprika, as well as being a general good partner for any chicken. I myself am going with this 2020 Rheingau from August Kesseler.

And with that, we are done! Hit those checkout isles and make sure to get home before dark. Terrible things have sway over the world once the sun has gone down. So if the crowd does keep you locked up until nightfall, make sure to graciously accept any crucifixes given to you by kindly, elderly grandmothers and inn keepers. But whatever you do, make sure to pop in on Friday, when I'll be sharing a step by step guide on taking these ingredients and turning them into a dinner that will make our good friend Jonathan go red as a fire truck!

Happy Dracula Week everybody!

[bpdalfonse]

man. so many of the managers where i work do jack shit all day meanwhile the second you try to take a breath they’ll get on you for not working. guess being busy only applies to us lowly employees and not you huh

[jo-harrington]

Standard Operating Procedures 1.05 (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: It's a normal Sunday night. You're just going over to have dinner, smoke, and listen to music. It's not a date. What could possibly go wrong?

Previous Part: Standard Operating Procedures 1.04

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. Reader works at the Claire's at StarCourt. Eddie works at TapeWorld. Mutual pining, alcohol and drug use (wine, beer, and weed), R has a minor panic attack while high, fluff, lighthearted smut (petting/groping/dry humping), minor angst, misunderstandings and miscommunication, driving probably a little under the influence, slight anachronism (slapping the bag)

Note: Big note for this one if you've read the most recent installations of SMVerse that I've posted...this is NOT in chronological order. SM and Eddie are not together in this one, we are rewinding back before Closing Time. This chapter and the next one are both a little longer and have been lingering in my head for quite a long time. Almost a year. So without further ado, please enjoy SOP 1.05.

You can find my masterlist here for more featuring our resident Store Manager and all of my other writing.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

Sundays were your favorite days, hands down.

They sort of always had been, even before moving to Hawkins. Now, though, you had an extra special reason why they were your favorite.

Sundays meant that you could be yourself after you clocked out. They meant standing in the mirror and wiping away the layers of glitter eyeshadow and scented nail polish off. They meant shedding the overly sparkly jewelry from work and the trendy clothes from the JCPenney or Madigan's Juniors department that were definitely cut for a teenage body.

No matter how young you still were, you just weren't sixteen anymore.

You could finally breathe a little easier.

No more Dress to Impress, no more preppy popular girl, no more customer service voice.

Sundays meant freedom.

Lately, part of that freedom meant walking out of the store, taking the most freeing breath you could, and walking right up to your crush best friend so you could spend those last few dying hours of the weekend together.

Shooting the breeze, laughing, and getting to know one another. Getting to really see one another.

Tonight, though, there was just this cloud hanging over you as you stood in the store's bathroom after hours and shucked off the plaid vest and fashionably unmatched skirt you'd chosen for the day in favor of a t-shirt and comfy stirrup pants.

Summer was over, school was back in session, and you hadn't gotten to see Eddie as much as you normally did.

Which, in the grander scheme of things, a lot of things changed with the new school year starting: a bunch of your associate's schedules changed, a few of them even left town for college, and business started to slow a little during the week for the first time since the store opened.

Still, you missed him.

It felt weird from practically seeing him every day to only seeing him in passing or on the weekends.

What if he didn't want to be friends anymore?

Well, that was just silly. Some remnant of fear about the fickleness of your friends memories in childhood. Besides, the first shift after school started back up, he immediately came running to your store and talked your ear off about the new kids that he forced to join Hellfire.

"God, they're such losers," he reminisced with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his lips. "They have so much potential. I can't wait for you to meet them."

Tonight though...

Tonight was like any normal night; you were getting together after the mall closed and picking up pizza.

However, instead of any of your usual haunts or shenanigans in and around Hawkins, Eddie insisted you come over to his place. Totally normal.

"And we can smoke," he added as an afterthought.

"You know I don't smoke Eddie," you reminded him. "My grandpa and his crackly lungs? I've taken him to enough doctor's appointments."

"Doesn't stop you from sucking up the air around me when I'm having a cigarette on break. No. I mean smoke. Reefer. Weed. Jesus, don't act ignorant Miss Goody Two Shoes."

"Excuse me," you choked. "How am I Miss Goody Two Shoes?"

"Because," he began with dramatic emphasis. "For all of your stories about garage beers and parties that your work friends dragged you to, you've never mentioned partaking in any sort of illicit substances. You're being obtuse on purpose or you're afraid."

You were caught like a deer in the headlights.

"I...I'm not."

And you weren't; it wasn't fear. It was just...inexperience.

Back home you were always careful, even when you hung around friends from school or work; with your overprotective father and uptight mother and two brothers who wouldn't hesitate to rat you out if they found out you broke some kind of rule? It would be over.

So you never got too wild at parties. Disheveled clothes could be straightened, and you could pretend that swollen lips were just a side effect of getting a little sick. You never drank more beer than whatever made you feel a little floaty if you weren't sleeping over at a friends. And you never smoked weed.

Ok so it was fear, in a way; residual fear. Just not the way Eddie thought.

"Hey, don't worry," Eddie said in the most understanding way he could. "You just tell me and I'll drop it, if you're afraid."

You wanted to tell him, wanted to explain it, but in a moment of reflection and wanting to assuage his worries, defiance got the better of you and you told him that you weren't afraid and it would all be fine.

You were going to be with him; you never needed to be afraid when you were with him.

Now though, staring at yourself in the mirror as you got ready to go and meet Eddie you realized you might have made a mistake.

Hanging out with your crush friend alone at his place? Fine. Sitting close on the couch as you ate pizza and listened to music? Cool. Drinking and smoking together, knowing that you got a little bit chatty when you loosened up a little bit under the influence? Uhm.

What could possibly go wrong?

---

The spread that you and Eddie had created was impressive.

Pizza and a six pack and red vines and...and...and...

Eddie was usually very thorough when it came to providing snacks or planning outings where you could get a nice little treat together. Tonight it was partially your fault.

You'd originally planned just to drive to his place after work and the pizza would be delivered, but he said that when he'd called to place the order at Lou's--large pepperoni and a box of cannoli--they told him that the delivery driver was out. Takeout only.

But then he also forgot to stop at Bradley's for soda.

So you offered to go to Bradley's while he picked up the pizza, and you might have gone overboard.

Soda and a box of wine and peanut m&m's and...and...and...

"And you say that I'm bad," Eddie scoffed as you walked in, arms laden with shopping bags.

"Excuse me, this is the once in a blue moon you let me pay for anything, I'm gonna take advantage of it."

Wayne was still home getting ready for his shift when you got there and he simply shook his head at your bickering with a fond smile, then pilfered a little of everything for his own dinner before leaving you both to it.

Once he was gone, the festivities began.

You were both overzealous, talking a mile a minute over each other about your days as you set up for the night. Eddie divvied out food--creating a plate that reminded you of the Peanuts' Thanksgiving feast, overflowing with multicolored candies and popcorn and pizza slices--as you took care of the drinks.

You were a little smug that you got to teach Eddie something during these little Sunday night not-dates for once.

"Where did you learn this?" he asked skeptically as you ripped into the cardboard box. "What even is Franzia? Sounds fancy."

"It is the least fancy thing you can get," you grinned maniacally and freed the floppy plastic bag full of pink liquid from its confines. "Honestly I should have thrown it in the fridge but it's fine. You can put it with some coke; it'd probably taste better anyway."

He made a face.

"I'll just have a beer."

"Oh my--Eddie! Live a little." You settled the bag on the coffee table and gestured to it. "You don't have to drink it...chug a beer, I don't care...but you need to slap it."

He huffed and shuffled across the carpet on his knees to settle beside you.

"Is this a Claire's thing?" he asked, he looked up at you through his bangs.

"No it's not a--well...no. It doesn't matter! My old store manager, Jen, made us do it whenever we went to parties and hung out at her place. It's fun."

"Why does this feel like a lie?"

You reached out and smacked your hand against the plastic, listened to the liquid slosh inside. He let out a long suffering sigh but gestured for you to go ahead and he settled on the floor as you squealed with glee.

Eddie popped the little tab on the spout and the cheap wine poured freely into his mouth; he maintained eye contact with you the whole time, even as he choked on the unfamiliar taste of the pink zinfandel.

When you'd hung out with Jen and your coworkers and friends, it was just...a silly thing. Now, though, it was just you and Eddie; you stood over him with the bag gently held in your hands over his mouth and his hand rested on your calf as he drank. It was tense and intimate and as you started feeling a little hot under the collar, you wondered if this was a mistake.

Regardless, when he'd had his fill, he shut the spout and raised his hand and slapped the bag so hard it soared out of your grasp and across the living room.

You both burst out laughing as it swished and sloshed with a pronounced glorp on impact with the floor, and Eddie collapsed against your legs as the giddiness got the better of him.

"Ok, that's better than a keg stand." He looked up at you and wiped a hand over his mouth. "Blagh...probably gonna need that coke if I have any more though. Your turn, sweetheart."

Then the tables were turned, but unlike Eddie, you stood toe to toe with him as he held the bag for you.

To avoid the tense eye contact, you kept yours closed as you pulled mouthful after mouthful from the bag. You almost felt a little smug; you'd always been good at this, despite how awful the wine burps were gonna get after. You knew Eddie's competitive nature--always seeing who could finish a blizzard from DQ first and giving himself a brain freeze in the process--so you were hoping to last a little longer, hit the bag a little harder, and get him to concede.

You counted down in your head and finally when you couldn't take the heartburn the wine caused any longer, you shut the spout and released it, ready for victory.

Of course, opening your eyes provided nothing of the sort.

Eddie stood there, inches away from you; his pupils were blown and he was breathing a little heavily and for a split second you thought to ask if he was ok.

Until he leaned a little closer.

Close enough where you could smell the laundry detergent and the general amalgamation of mall scents coming off of him.

Then you noticed that his eyes were locked onto…your lips?

Was he gonna kiss you?

You already thought…well…and in the van the other week? When he licked frosting off your hand? You'd thought...

Except that was the thing, you always thought, you never acted. Too stuck in your head weighing and judging the options and if you could just do something about it. If you could just lean forward a little, you could stop worrying and have your answer right?

And if it wasn't meant to be and things were weird? If he didn't actually mean to try and kiss you? You worked retail; you could bullshit with the best of them if worse came to worse.

Then you'd just pretend that your heart didn't ache from rejection for the duration of your friendship. You were already familiar with disappointment; this would be no different.

Alright, that's it, you weren't gonna chance it anymore. All the worrying you did back at the store was enough. You were just gonna kiss him. Just lean forward; just go. Just go. One, two...two and a half...

Eddie's eyelids fluttered a little bit, and your heart clenched in hope, until he leaned away and cleared his throat.

The wine bag was tossed onto the coffee table and Eddie gestured to the plates he'd prepared.

"So, pizza?"

---

Music was the next event of the night.

And the weed.

Funny how all of your anxiety over smoking flew out the window when you were anxious about something else.

Because you just couldn't get your feelings out of your head after Eddie walked away from a kiss like that.

Was it even going to be a kiss? Or was it just the awkwardness of your positions in that situation? Were you overthinking the overthinking?

On and on those thoughts spiraled.

Until Eddie said he was going to get his stereo to start your comprehensive education of metal.

"We really don't have all night Eddie," you said and threw a balled up napkin at him as he fiddled with his tapes.

"Ok, maybe not fully comprehensive," he held his hands up in surrender. "Nothing sounds better than vinyl and I have all of that at Rick's. And my mom's records. You wanna talk about classics? We've gotta spend a whole weekend there."

He put a tape into the slot and hit play and the room was immediately filled with guitar riffs and singing and shouting; he turned the volume down immediately.

"I've gotta give you the whole history sweetheart," he explained. "So you've gotta hear me too. This song's not so important...I'll turn it up when we get to the good part."

Of course, Eddie's music history lesson...started with him.

"Picture this," he said, arms waving as he walked over to his school things that had been haphazardly thrown in a corner of the room: a wilted canvas backpack, a black binder, and a dented metal lunchbox. "11-year old me, fresh after my mom's funeral and everyone she knew was coming up to us but I refused to talk. Wayne kept making excuse after excuse. But Rick, bless him, said 'gotta make him cry.'"

And on he went as he spilled the contents of the dented lunchbox on the coffee table and began the fine work of rolling a joint.

"Took me to the record store, let me pick out whatever I wanted. Of course I chose Sad Wings of Destiny because the art was cool. Little did I know that would change the course of my life forever."

You didn’t know what to focus on and that made you spiral a little bit further. The words, the music, his lips and his fingers as he followed steps that he seemed to know but didn't feel the need to elaborate on were all very appealing targets; the music and his story was what was important here though and you made the attempt.

He told his story in a way that only Eddie Munson knew how to—arms flailing, minute details, expressions and voices and everything you loved admired about him. He took a moment to swap cassettes and crank up the volume before he fell onto the couch beside you in a mess of cushions and limbs and hair.

"I would say ladies first," he began as he presented the joint to you. He then stuck it between his lips and continued talking around it. "But I'm nothing if not a gentleman and I need to teach you how to do this. It's a little different than cigarettes."

It was a comprehensive lesson and you'd gotten the hang of it quickly, but the proximity did nothing to help calm your nerves; Eddie's knee touching yours, his face and hands so close to yours as he held the joint to your lips, then one hand your shoulder as he soothed the cough that escaped you after your first hit, and finally the way he inhaled along with you as you took another.

Want burned in your lungs along with the smoke, but it didn't leave you when you finally exhaled.

You were very much looking forward to the light and mellow feeling that Eddie promised once the weed hit your system.

"Until then," he grinned and took another hit himself before dropping the smoldering stick into a nearby ashtray. "We just dive into the mind of the great Ronnie James Dio."

You rested back against the cushions and turned your head to really watch him; it was strange just...observing him. You had never done it like this before, close and quiet at this distance. Your time together was always spent with conversation and laughter, your observations and mental notes about him done in little snapshots as he moved through life like a blur.

Now you got to experience the simplicity of his presence in private and the addictive frequency that he emitted.

It was nice.

You watched the way his lashes brushed against his skin as he melted into the sofa beside you and closed his eyes. The way his plush lips pursed and then stretched as he hummed along to the music. You closed your own eyes for a second as he matched the sharpness of the lyrics with his voice, hushed and then shrill, and then hushed again.

And when you opened them back up to watch him some more, he was watching you and practically vibrating.

Your heart skipped a beat...

"Sweetheart," he reached out and touched your wrist. "You ok?"

Wait...he wasn't vibrating.

You were.

Then you noticed that your heart skipped many beats, then the beats suddenly tripled, and then it all slowed again, pounding harder and faster in your chest than you believed to be possible.

Did your chest hurt? Or were you imagining it?

It felt like the few times you ran the mile back in high school, but you hadn't run.

Had you?

Your legs felt like jelly. Your arms too.

So you must have run...but when?

No wait, you were forgetting something. Your chest, your heart, your lungs. You had to focus on them first, you needed them to live.

You tried to fix it all by taking a great gulp of air in--if you felt like you'd just run the mile, surely catching your breath would fix it--but you found that it didn't fix anything. In fact, you seemed to lose even more control of your body. You floundered, breathing heavily over and over, quicker and quicker to try and get a hold of yourself.

And the panic set in, unlike anything you'd ever experienced before in your life.

Your consciousness became untethered from your body and you sank deep within yourself. Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Only instead of a rabbit hole, the you that existed in your mind fell away from your eyes and deeper into your skull then out the back of it and into the so-soft cushions of the couch.

But this wasn't sinking, this wasn't melting. This was being buried alive.

You remembered Eddie’s taunting before, about being afraid of smoking. Why hadn’t you told him that you didn’t want to do this? Why hadn’t you told him you were afraid? You were a stubborn idiot and now you’d die here, buried amongst pilling fabric and lost change and lint and a few cheerios that were stuck between the cushions.

You would die here on Eddie's couch...

"Eddie!" you practically sobbed and reached out for him, remembering suddenly that he was there with you. Why wasn't he doing anything to keep you from sinking? "Help!"

"It's ok hey!" He grabbed your hands now and pulled you back from the void, hooked the tether back onto you and saved you from the depths. "It's ok, breathe. No, not like that. Slowly, deep breaths with me. In and hold it and out. Whoooooo."

You focused on the whooshing sound of the air that escaped his lips and you tried to make the same sound yourself. Over and over, slowly as he guided you.

"That's it," he smiled. "Good girl."

You slowly grounded yourself through Eddie, escaping whatever horrible clutches had just grasped at you. You began to feel better, lighter; more centered within yourself but…nicer?

Had that awful feeling been the high? Or was this?

Maybe everyone got caught by a demon when they smoked and then if they escaped they felt a nice light flutter and instead of a heavy beating heart that threatened to burst out of their chests, they felt...silly. Happy. Bubbly.

Like you did whenever you were around Eddie.

Only now it was better, and it was all getting better as he spoke to you and smiled and wiped at the few tears that had escaped your eyes.

Breathe in, breathe out. Good girl.

You kept breathing and staring at his lips.

Breathe in.

Lips.

Breathe out.

Eddie's lips.

Good girl.

You thought about earlier...minutes or hours you couldn't tell for sure...about the way Eddie leaned close to you and almost kissed you. All the worry you'd had about not being able to make a move because you were thinking so much you couldn't act. Here you were now, thinking again. When his lips were right there and you could do something about it.

With one last shaky breath, bubbly infatuation flooded your body; you smiled and said one final farewell to your nervous thoughts, and you surged forward. Your hands shook his away and grabbed at his face, as your lips slid clumsily against his.

Your noses bumped and teeth clacked painfully but it didn't quite matter because the sparks that emanated from your joined lips shot through your limbs and made you both feel tingly and pleasant. At least, you assumed they did for Eddie because he let out a sound that was somewhere in between a giggle and a moan.

But he didn't push you away; in fact, his hands clapped over yours and smushed them further into his cheeks.

He wanted you to kiss him. He wanted to kiss you. He...liked you.

It was a euphoric moment of joy and realization, but your need to put your lips on him outweighed that. So you tried again. Gentler this time.

Eddie followed your lead for a little while as you pulled him towards you; one of his hands found your waist as the other arm rounded your shoulders, and he became your anchor to prevent you from being buried by the sofa again. As thanks for his chivalry, you gifted him with soft caresses, quick pecks, and sharp little nips.

Your fingers developed a mind of their own, and seemed to love his cheekbones and getting tangled in his hair, although they couldn't quite decide which they loved more so back and forth they went.

The rest of you, though--mind and body--just basked in the kissing.

You were good at kissing; you liked kissing. And you liked kissing Eddie, more than you ever thought you would. Kissing under the light, buzzy influence of a beer or two was nice, and it might have been the weed or it could have just been Eddie himself, but this was nicer. Floaty and tingly and transcendent.

The music itself had stopped, but Eddie himself continued to provide the soundtrack to the night. Instead of guitars and vocals and pounding drums, it was a symphony of soft hums and sweet sighs.

Eddie, who often pilfered bites and nibbles off your plate and cited that he was a "growing boy," seemed to prove that his hunger was greater than yours the way he bit and nibbled at you too, appetite growing the longer you kissed. The pace you set no longer fed him the way he wanted and he started to feast a little more; that was a side-effect of being high, right? Hunger. Insatiable hunger?

His mouth pulled away from yours and started to explore your jaw, the column of your neck, the junction between your neck and shoulder. You let yourself get lost in the feeling of his attention, of his lips and hands as he gave and took, of the floaty feeling that settled comfortably in your limbs now, all the nerves of the day forgotten.

Before you knew it, your own hunger grew as well. You wanted him closer, needed more of him now that you had him.

You let yourself drift back along the pillows until you were laying comfortably and pulled Eddie along with you; one hand still lingered in his hair as the other fisted the collar of his shirt and got him right where you needed him to be.

Of course, you couldn't just take without giving as well, and as he settled onto you, your hips bucked up into him. You both moaned--savoring the proximity and delicious friction that his jeans and your leggings provided--and then giggled together as he collapsed on top of you, unprepared for the sudden surge of delight.

His breath fanned across your neck and jaw as he laughed breathlessly, and your hands caressed his head and shoulders fondly as you mirrored him.

He strained his neck a little to look you in the eye; his grin accentuated all the lines in his face, and for a second he struggled to form words. His mouth opened and closed silently and then he licked his lips to compose himself. The next thing you knew, his hand was coming up and squeezing one of your breasts with an exaggerated "honk" as he fell back against the other one and pressed his mouth to the swell over your shirt.

Back into the throes of unadulterated giggles you both went as he continued to honk and kiss and suck at exposed skin.

One of the highlights of the whole night was when he blew a raspberry against your neck; the feeling of goosebumps that erupted along your body and the spittle that sprayed across your skin would be a sensation you would remember and cherish forever.

"No fair," you whined and shifted against him again, both to protest the fact that you currently couldn't return the favor of all the attention he was giving you. Nevertheless, you treated him to the attention that you could, and you bucked your hips up again, only to be met with the feeling of him grinding down onto you.

Giggles began to mingle with desperate pants as he began to shift against you and settled into the cradle of your thighs; he grew harder and ground and rutted against the covered softness of you, faster and sharper, and your body eagerly responded, wanting to be as close to him as you could. As close as either of you could honestly fathom at this point, feeling too good like this to consider that there was more pleasure to be had if time went on and clothes came off.

Sunday nights together were truly gleeful and hedonistic, and tonight was no different. However, instead of snacks and arguments accentuated by the sounds of light-hearted talk and laughter, it was your writhing bodies and mingled breaths that took center stage; the two of you never stopped, only paused for your lips to smack wetly against one another, for your nails to rake through his hair and scratch against his scalp, and for him to grasp at your hips to pull you closer and closer as he drove you higher and higher.

"Eddie, I'm--" you broke away from him and keened, and he responded with a husky "uh-huh" and pressed his forehead against yours. Both of your eyes closed as you felt the pleasure building between the two of you, as he moaned and your toes curled...

As keys jingled in the lock of the front door of the trailer.

...and suddenly it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over the both of you and you froze, all thought of completion forgotten.

Your eyes shot open and you stared into Eddie's panic-filled, pleasure-blown pupils. He shifted sharply and then paused, almost like a glitch, and then he was off you, across to the other side of the couch in the blink of an eye. You watched, dumbstruck, as he panted heavily to control his breathing, and he held his head in shaking hands.

"No, no," he muttered. "Shit. Shit."

You reacted quickly as the door started to squeak open--throwing your legs over the edge of the sofa to sit upright as your hands clumsily fixed your disheveled clothes--and Wayne walked in. You took the extra second as he grumbled at the threshold and fiddled with his keys to look at Eddie, hoping for some kind of...secret conspiratorial smile or...or heated gaze...just something but he refused to look at you.

Suddenly, all of the good feelings that had flooded you since the moment that Eddie had chased your panic away...they vanished. The sweet giggles and shared pleasure were gone; even the love bites you were sure Eddie had left behind stung instead of blissfully buzzed.

And in their place, an acute clarity of what the two of you had just done.

"You wouldn't believe the mess I walked into tonight," Wayne chuckled with disbelief as he finally shut the door.

No kidding Wayne, you thought bitterly.

"Some of the machines were down when I got there and it took a few hours to figure out the problem. Some rusted old part..." On and on he chattered as you spiraled, stuck in your thoughts once again.

You and Eddie, Eddie and you. You and your secret crush...had just...on his couch. You and your best friend, your only friend in town...got high and kissed and canoodled and now he refused to even look at you.

You didn't know if it was the weed again or if it was just you, but you could see stars in the corners of your eyes and you felt lightheaded as the panic settled back in. And it only got worse the longer you sat there and tried to get some kind of sign from Eddie, only to be left with nothing. Such a stark contrast from just moments ago where you were giving and taking and responding to one another so freely.

Giving and taking...was that really what it was? Or did you just...do this to him? Do this to the both of you? Effectively tank your friendship the way you'd worried about since the first time you'd hung out and Eddie had specifically said it wasn't a date?

You abruptly got to your feet and Wayne stopped his chatter and looked at you questioningly.

"I..." you felt your throat closing up with emotion. "I just forgot I have a really important call first thing tomorrow. I...need to go!"

Eddie finally looked at you with wide, shocked eyes.

Were those tears? Oh god...

"I...it was nice to see you Wayne, sorry..." you scrambled to grab your bag from where you'd tossed it by the door and then looked back at both Munsons. Back and forth at Wayne's curious expression...and Eddie's devastated one. "I'm...sorry."

And you bolted out the door, into your car, and back across town to the lonely confines of your apartment, where you would wish for a second chance at Sunday all over again.

Because until tonight, Sundays had always been your favorite days.

Next Part: Leave of Absence

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for insisting on an apology?

☆I'M SO SORRY THIS GOT WAY TOO LONG☆

(Ok tbh I feel like I already know the answer, but I'd like some other opinions just in case. Also, I kinda need to vent, sorry)

(ALSO- I tried to post this on reddit AITA and holy shit are they picky about submissions- this story got deleted because "no interpersonal relationship problems allowed". WHAT possible conflict situation would not be interpersonal? Can you even have a AITA submission that isn't interpersonal?)

My mom is a premium member of a casino and she found out that the casino was having a BBQ for the premium members and their guests. So she wanted us to go.

Except she didn't find out about this BBQ until the day before it would happen and I had work that day and since my shift had long ended, I would not get a chance to talk to anyone at work about switching shifts and I don't have anyone's number to ask. So my mom decided for me that I should just call out.

Now here's where I might be TA (but I feel like what happened after could earn me back some points)

I was pissed off at the fact that she didn't even ask if I wanted to go or if I was ok with calling out or if I even COULD get someone to cover. She just automatically told me to call out, like I have to listen to her. (I'm over 18. I am an adult) I didn't appreciate that she just decided this for me like I was a child and told her so. This lead to a big fight where I cussed at her and called her a bitch and told her to go fuck herself (not my best moment) and told her to go to this stupid BBQ alone. (I genuinely meant that part about going alone- at least somebody should enjoy it. Also, she's my ride, so I was willing to be stranded with no way of getting anywhere if it would enable her to enjoy her party.)

After I calmed down, I told her I'd be willing to call out if she absolutely insisted. She said no, it was fine and I ended up going to work as usual.

Almost.

About an hour before my shift ends, she shows up AT MY JOB and tells me to ask my manager if I could leave.

No! It doesn't work that way! I work retail. As far as I know, no retail job will let you leave early unless it's an emergency. She worked retail, she knows the drill. So I tell her to think of a legitimate reason why I'd have to leave and I'd tell my lead that. (Luckily I had a lead I was pretty chill with that day and she was like why is your mom here? And when I explained the situation, she was like "yeah I don't really care if you leave, but I need you to make up a legitimate excuse for when [our boss] asks why you left.")

She couldn't think of a reason, and after humiliating me at my job, she left without me noticing and I finished my shift. (It was a very busy and stressful day, even without my mom pulling that shit)

She surprisingly picked me up when my shift was over and we went to the dinner and were able to make it in time and had a nice dinner, so all of her stunts were wholly unnecessary.

She had sent me several long and vicious texts while I was at work that I didn't see until much later in the night. I will quote some of the more vicious ones (text message will have 《》 around them my personal thoughts on the text will be after with *) omitting personal info:

《You are a 26 year old loser [my name] stuck at a dead-end job that you've been doing for almost 5 years. A little bit of a rush shouldn't phase you like it does and you should be able to ask to leave a few minutes early- why can't you?》

*Name-calling is unnecessary and rude. She is constantly putting me down and calling me a loser and insulting my job, like she doesn't also work retail. So it's no wonder why I hesitate to jeopardize my job to please her.

[Context- one of the reasons I couldn't leave, other than the fact that retail Doesn't Work That Way is that I had a huge rush of customers and had to straighten up my department that I was working alone. I was closing and it would be extremely obvious who had left the department a mess and I would get in trouble for it.]

《Who left you with that mess? I overheard them [my leads] talking and they didn't sound like they thought you were being left with anything. They thought you should've handled it and can't do your job if that was a problem.》

*This one really got me and I was VERY glad I didn't see this text while at work, because I probably would've had some kind of meltdown. I honestly do not know how long she's been doing this (probably my whole life) but recently I've been noticing that she keeps trying to plant seeds of doubt and paranoia in me. Mostly by telling me that people are talking about me behind my back and/or judging me. Or telling me that my friends don't actually like me. Another example that I caught recently was her telling me that when I go to retail stores as a customer, she notices other customers and the employees staring at me, judging my hair/outfit/whatever. I immediately thought this was total bullshit, but just in case I was wrong, I paid extra, EXTRA attention to everyone around me when I was out in public to see if anyone was pointing, whispering, looking at me, doing anything to suggest judgement and I honestly did not see a single person even glance at me. I have unnaturally colored hair, so I expected at least one glance, but I got nothing. Side note rant over.*

I'm not going to quote the last text, as it doesn't have any specific quotes that provide any context. She just demanded that if I am not out of work by 5:01 (exactly 1 minute after my shift ends) then she is leaving me stranded and that I need to get my friend to pick me up.

*which....I live in her car. If I hadn't been out on time, I would've been completely stranded at night, with nowhere to go and no way to get there, which as a female, is unbelievably dangerous. It is also incredibly rude to demand that my friend, who doesn't work with me and has his own life, should drop everything and come pick me up and....what? Take me where? I'd probably end up having to stay at his house, which is very rude to basically guilt him into letting me stay at his house for the night*

SO after the dinner, I read all these texts and I was furious and insisted that she apologize to me for 1. Causing a scene at my work 2. All of that nasty shit she said to me in the texts and 3. For blaming me for ruining her plans when even after I went to my shift, we were still able to go to the dinner, so all of the stunts she pulled were entirely unnecessary.

She literally laughed in my face and called me delusional (for...wanting a verbal apology....) and when I doubled down on demanding an apology, she called me a delusional cunt and I still have never received an apology to this day.

What are these acronyms?

[voidszoro]

-> Just a Bit Jealous

characters: zoro (one piece), reader insert

warnings: sfw, lil angst, lil fluff

wc: 1,579

(reblogs welcomed)

You laughed at your crew mate, Sanji's, joke whilst you both worked together to clean the dishes. The rest of the crew eventually making their way out of the kitchen after dinner and back to their own tasks. Sanji washed the plates and silverware and you dried them, forming a small assembly line.

"And he just stormed out of the kitchen?!" You laugh in between your sentence.

"Yep," Sanji replies, laughing as well. "He was pretty worked up over my dish being far better than his." Sanji rarely ever told stories about his time at the Baratie or even his life before the restaurant, but whenever you would offer him help with cleaning up he would tell funny little stories just to hear you laugh.

After all the dishes were properly cleaned and put away you decided to get some fresh air on the deck and see what the rest of the crew was doing. The first thing you spotted was Chopper, Usopp, and Brook making faces at one another and sticking chopsticks up their noses. Typical. Luffy, the beloved captain of the Strawhat Pirates, was right where he usually was this time of day: lying on the head of the Sunny. Nami was probably in her workroom mapping out the island we just departed from this morning. Robin, reading in the library, and Franky was most likely in his shop tinkering with new gadgets for the Sunny. Everyone had their own routine and things they liked to do.

The breeze was slow and cool tonight and you could hear the sounds of the sails waving as they guided the ship onwards to our next destination. Looking up at the sky you see the warm colors mixed in the clouds as the sun performs its final act of the day before the moon takes its place. It's arguably the most beautiful time of day, and definitely your favorite. Your attention diverts to the crows nest above the ship and your mind wonders to a certain swordsman.

You and the moss-headed pirate were always close, you both being very strong members of the crew. While he was a swordsman, you were shinobi. These two groups don't typically work together, but on the battlefield you and Zoro maintain an incredible synergy and there is no denying that you both enjoy fighting together. You keep each other safe. Off the battlefield you two occasionally train together during the day and he's usually the person you go to if you have something really deep to get off your chest. You could say you two are the closest out of all the other crew members.

You subconsciously climb to the top of the crows nest and let yourself in through the hatch. Zoro is staring out the window, bottle of sake in his hand. You weren't sneaking in so he senses your presence immediately, taking a long drink.

"Thought you would be hanging out with that shitty cook still?" He wipes off the sake that dribbled on his chin.

"Was just helping him with the dishes is all," you say. The room stays silent as you sit on the couch near Zoro.

The man sips his drinks a few more times before he mutters, "sure." Your brows furrow.

"Zoro, is something bothering you?" He sets the bottle down.

"You know he's just trying to get in your pants." Zoro's always had beef with the cook, but this was a little out of pocket and out of character for him to say.

"What?" You look at him but his attention never wavers from the window. "What are you talking about?"

"Curly brows. He's flirting with you. The way he always looks at you. I could hear you two laughing."

"What does Sanji telling a funny story have to do with him wanting to 'be in my pants'," you retort. "And we all know Sanji's a flirt, what's the big deal? It's not like it means anything." Zoro doesn't speak up, only picks his bottle back up to finish it off. He then opens the hatch and heads down the ladder. "Zoro! Hey, where are you going?" He reached the deck floor and all you can do is watch as he walks into the hall, hand running through his mossy hair.

It wasn't your turn on watch tonight so you opted to stay in your room for the remainder of the night. It had gotten pretty late and you couldn't fall asleep at all, your brain replaying the interaction with Zoro earlier that night. The two of you never get into any sort of argument with each other, the two of you get along very well, so tonight was very strange and it left you feeling really upset. Especially with the words he said. With every hour that passed by of you laying in your bed, not able to sleep, you got more and more restless and agitated. 'What did he mean by all of that.' Eventually, your stomach growled and you decided it would be best to step outside for a snack and some fresh air.

The kitchen was dark as you quietly navigated through the room. Your skills as a shinobi were not only useful for battle, but when you needed to sneak in and grab a snack without alerting the rest of the crew all the training really pays off. You had just put the code into the refrigerator lock when the lights flicked on.

"Luffy you know-" in the doorway stood the tall swordsman, a tired expression coating his face. "Y/n, what are you doing here?"

"Please don't tell Sanji," your voice staying quiet as if you were still trying not to get caught. "I just got hungry and wanted a snack!"

"Oh, okay." And with that he flicks the lights back off and leaves the room with a silent shut of the door. You reach into the fridge and grab something small to eat and make your way to the deck.

Staring out into the water you wonder what type of island you'll be landing on next. The weather hasn't changed yet to hint at whether it's a winter or summer island yet, but you're hoping it's somewhere warm and inviting. Perhaps with a village and some places to shop for new clothes. Nami has been wanting to take you shopping for some new "cuter" outfits. Your thoughts are interrupted by a presence to your right, leaning off the rails and mirroring the way you admire the sea.

"You're up late," you don't need to turn to know it's Zoro leaning next to you.

"Couldn't sleep. Wanted a snack and some fresh air." You could feel the tension in the air as the two of you stayed silent. The minutes go by as you both just stare into darkness of the water. It's Zoro who is the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. In the crows nest, I mean." His apology takes you by surprise, Zoro not having a record of saying 'sorry'.

"What did you mean by all of that? You know Sanji and I are just friends."

"He just gets so close to you," he says. You feel him stiffen and you start to realize what he's saying.

"It bothers you?"

"Yea, it does," he whispers. You are still facing him when he turns to looks at you, a pink flush barely visible on his face. Zoro, a man who can cut through almost any beast, is blushing because of you? Your eyes both linger on each others faces for another moment before Zoro quickly turns away, embarrassed. Lifting your hand, you reach out to place it on his shoulder. No words needed to be exchanged, you both were used to understanding each other without a single sound. He stiffened under your touch for a moment but quickly relaxed, feeling comforted by your hand.

"I don't like him, if that's what you're so worked up about." A small laugh escapes your lips. It catches his attention enough to where he turns back to face you.

"I'm sorry, y/n. I don't mean to get so jealous," he says in almost a whisper. "It's just..." You move your hand down to his own and your fingers interlock. "I really like you." The smile in your face feels as if it could spread through your whole body. Never in a thousand years would you picture yourself standing on the deck holding hands with Roronoa Zoro, soon to be greatest swordsman in the world, as he confesses his feelings for you.

And never in a thousand years would you think you would say, "I really like you too," because, while the man was on your mind quite frequently, you never realized the reason why he was on your mind. You always admired his strength and his loyalty. You always found him quite attractive, sneaking glances at him from time to time without his notice. And you always enjoyed his presence around, even if you had absolutely nothing to do. As long as you were by his side, you were happy.

So when the words fell right out of your mouth and you found yourself being pulled in close by the marimo, you did nothing to stop him because you've realized that this is what you've wanted the whole time. And as he leans down to kiss your lips ever so passionately, you kiss him back.

[callsign-dexter]

Love Conquers All

Request: Hiiii Sweetheart! 😍 I'm really really sorry for another Antonio imagine and I'd understand if you don't want to do it. I had the idea of being his girl (not a cop tho) and you both love each other with all your heart. But his ex wife comes to the precinct just as you also visit him and she's terrible to you, making you feel not good enough for him. Antonio of course stands up for you but he can't prevent you from leaving, feeling more than terrible. He searches you and finds you at the water and he tells you how much you mean to him and it's just pure love and fluff ❤️

Pairings: Antonio Dawson x Reader

Warnings: fluff, angst, swearing

A/N: so sorry it took forever to get out!!!!

The sound of Antonio’s alarm had woken you up with a start. You opened your eyes just as he was reach back to grab his phone to turn it off. Once it was off and silence was the only thing heard you turned in his arms and looked at him with a smile. “Good morning, handsome.” You said and he smiled back at you.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He replied back and reached down to kiss you.

“Do we have to get up?” You asked him and he sighed and nodded.

“Sadly, we do.” He said and you groaned and that made him chuckle “Come on sleepy head.” He said and started to get up but you grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“5 more minutes.” You said already closing your eyes and falling back to sleep and he chuckled and began moving again.

“No can do, sweetheart. I can’t be late or Voight will have my head.” He said and got up the warmth leaving you. You watched him as he got ready to leave and you sat up on your elbows.

“Traitor.” You said and he let out a laugh that made you smile. He walked over to you and kissed you while sitting on the bed.

“Hey, enjoy your day off. You’ve been working too hard lately.” He said and you rolled your eyes but knew it was true.

“Hmpf, fine. I’m staying by the precinct to see you and Jay later on.” You said and he smiled and nodded.

“Sounds wonderful.” He said

“I may even stop by that bakery place that everyone loves so much.” You said and he kissed you once again.

“You know the way to our hearts.” He said as he pulled back from kissing you. “Now I got to go.” He said and stood and then you huffed and laid back down “I love you.” He said and you looked at him.

“I love you too.” You replied and he was out of the room and out the door heading off to the precinct.

It was really a coincidence on how you met him. You met him when you showed up to drop something off to Jay, Jay was your twin brother which made Will your older brother, that he had left at home and begged you to get and bring it to him. You worked for the police department but you worked for the NSA, National Security Agency. Your brothers didn’t like this but they really didn’t have a say in it you were going to do what you wanted to do. You are really respected on the team to the point where you were running some of the cases. You had been on a case that Intelligence was on and it got a little out of hand with some of them, Jay and Antonio, but you and your team got them out safely and when Jay gave you hell for doing something reckless, he finally introduced you to Antonio and the rest was history. 

When you heard the door shut, you sighed and got up. You were already awake and there was no way your body was going to let you sleep in any longer. You usually ran in the morning wanting to keep in top physical condition since you could have a very demanding job so you got changed into your running clothes and walked out and put on your shoes. You grabbed your armband and put your phone in it but not without connecting your Bluetooth headphones to it and starting your workout playlist. You walked out making sure the apartment was locked and took a deep breath and stretched some and then started your run. You didn’t run very long and before you knew it you were back home, you walked in after unlocking the door and got you something to drink. Once you were cooled down then you went and took a hot shower, one that made your worries melt away. After you got out you looked at your phone and noticed that it was already noon and you had decided to go and see your brother and boyfriend. As you got dressed you headed into the kitchen and grabbed something to eat while you looked for your keys and then when you found them you were out the door and getting into your car. You started to all too familiar drive to the precinct. When you got there you found a spot between Jay’s truck and Antonio’s truck. You parked and killed the engine and then got out and started to walk in. When you got to the door and opened it and were about to step in, a female voice called out to you “Hold the door!” it said and you did so since you were raised to do so by your mother. You turned around and looked at who it was and your heart dropped, it was Antonio’s ex-wife, Laura Dawson. You smiled at her but when she saw you, she made a look of disgust “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?” She asked.

“I’m here to see my brother, Jay Halstead, and Antonio.” You said you were already feeling yourself go in on yourself, you had some pretty bad relationships and a lot of them talked down to you and made you feel worthless. 

“Well, I’m here to see Antonio too.” She said with a smile like she had won something.

“Oh? What for?” You asked not liking having this conversation with her.

“That is none of your business but if you must know, I’m going to see if he has any plans this evening.” She said and you nodded.

“Well, we do have plans this evening.” You said and she again made a face.

“I can’t believe he left me and then got together with you.” She said and that made your stomach churn. You looked everywhere but her and when you locked eyes with Trudy, she gave you a look saying ‘I don’t like this situation’. 

“Good afternoon, Agent Halstead and Laura.” She said you smiled at her and she buzzed you up “Jay and Antonio will be happy to see you Y/N.” She said purposely leaving out Laura and that made her eyes roll. You opened the gate and you both ascended upstairs. When you got to the top everyone was still there and when they saw they smiled but it slipped when they saw Laura.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Jay asked coming over to you and hugging you and you returned the hug. 

“Hey, bro. I came to see you and Antonio.” You said and released him.

“Antonio is taking care of something with Voight but will be in here soon.” Jay said and then he looked over at Laura and nodded then looked at you as you both had a silent conversation just then Antonio walked out and lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Y/N.” He said and walked over and kissed you and Jay faked gagging but you flipped him off.

“Hey, Babe.” You said almost forgetting Laura was there until she cleared her throat. You both looked at her and she had a grimace on her face.

“Laura, what are you doing here?” Antonio asked

“I wanted to see if you were free tonight.” She said overly sweetly and Antonio sighed.

“No and I never will be for you. I’m with Y/N and we have something already planned out for tonight.” He spoke 

“What made you choose her anyways?” She asked, “She has nothing to offer.” She said and you shrunk back to where Jay was who was trying to comfort you and not get angry but it was not working.

“That is no way to talk to my girlfriend.” Antonio said

“That is no way to talk to my sister.” Jay said at the same time as Antonio spoke. Laura scuffed and rolled her eyes.

“She has everything to offer and she is actually there for me.” Antonio said and she scuffed again and then looked you up and down.

“She’s not even that pretty. You should be with me and not her.” She said and you were sick by this point and just wanted to get at.

“I have to go. Work is calling me.” You lied with ease but everyone knew the reason why. You hugged Jay and then hugged and kissed Antonio. 

“Are we still on for tonight?” He asked and you hesitated.

“No, I think I just want to stay in.” You said and then left without giving him a kiss or saying that you loved him. As you were walking down you could hear Antonio going off and when you got down the stairs Trudy looked at you.

“He loves you.” She said and you looked at her “You’re the only one he wants to be with. Don’t let her get into your mind.” She added and you nodded and then you were quickly walking to your car but quickly by passing it just wanting to get out of there, a spot where Antonio and you had your first date. You don’t know how long you were sitting on the bench with your knees up and letting silent tears fall while looking at the little pond. You had felt your phone vibrating and pulled it out to see who was calling and it was Antonio but you declined it then you saw 5 missed calls from him, 4 from Jay, 2-3 from Hailey and Kim, 4 from Will, 4 from Connor, 4 from Kevin and Adam, 1 from Voight and multiple messages from all of them but you didn’t care. You put your phone away and resumed your position looking at the water.

“Is this seat taken?” A familiar voice, that you knew as Antonio’s, asked but you didn’t say anything “Baby, you have nothing to worry about.” He said but again you didn’t say anything “I love you and only you.” He said and you sniffled.

“You must’ve loved her because you married her.” You said not looking at him.

“But then we divorced and then I found you. My person.” He said and you slowly turned to look at him, seeing him smile softly.

“You really mean that?” You asked in a small voice and he smiled.

“Of course. Now come here.” He said and opened his arms and you undid your position and curled into him as you looked up at him. He wiped your tears away and kissed your forehead and you melted into it. “I’m sorry for the way she talked to you and made you feel, she had no right. You missed me going off on her and her storming off.” He said as you laid her head on your shoulder.

“I heard you going off but I just needed to get out of there.” You said and he nodded.

“We got worried when you weren’t answering our calls. We even roped Will and Connor into calling you.” He said and you smiled. Connor was a good friend of yours, you had actually met before he started working at Med and you considered him a really good friend.

“Sorry.” You said and he chuckled and shook his head.

“I knew where you were.” He said 

“You always know where I am.” You said with a chuckle and a true smile.

“There’s my girl.” He said and kissed your forehead “That just means we’re perfect for each other.” He said “Now are we still on for tonight?” He asked and you nodded.

“Of course, Baby. I never wanted to cancel, she just got to me.” You said 

“You have nothing to worry about. She won’t be bothering either of us anymore.” He said

“What did you do?” You asked looking up at him.

“Nothing serious. Just threatened her with a restraining order.” He said it like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Tonio.” You said and he chuckled.

“What? I’m not going to let her talk to my girl like that.” He said 

“I love you, Tonio.” You said 

“I love you too. How about you let your brothers know you’re safe and then you and I are going out for lunch.” He said

“Don’t you have to work?” You asked 

“Voight gave me some time to find you. So, I have time.” He said you chuckled and then he got up and offered you a hand which you took and you two started towards his truck since you left your car at the precinct. You followed him while you sent everyone a message and then you got into his truck and started off to your favorite place. As he was driving you looked over at him wondering how lucky you got with him. You knew that he wasn't going to go anywhere and he wasn’t going to let you go anytime soon. Why? Because he loved you too much and you loved him too and that is the strongest bond one could ask for. You two are it for each other.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

@angenu01-blog

@talesofreading

[coffeeadict61]

Humans Are Weird: Women's Intuition

Report #286

Topic: Gaze detection: in females

Gaze detection: the human phenomenon of becoming aware when another being is staring consistently/intensely at oneself.

In previous reports the topic of gaze detection has been covered but I have more specific information. While it has been observed in both male and female humans, it appears to be more heightened in the female variety. The reason for this, after talking with both parties, could possibly stem from two places:

1. A evolutionary need to better protect themselves in the female variety from predatory counterparts

2. A social or cultural pressure for the male species to suppress their emotions that trigger this "sixth sense".

The "female intuition" was demonstrated for me yesterday.

Lucy, or "Luce" if you know her well enough, is our first human crew mate of the female variety to be assigned to electrical. I was put in charge of walking her through her schedule. While doing so I observed many of the "men" glancing at her. Most watched with curiosity but after an hour or two of Lucy working along side her crew mates, I noticed that she had begun to avoid one of them. Cory Mattinson, a strongly built man around 30 human yrs of age. Lucy chose to work in the area furthest away from his, attempting to stay out of his line of sight, and sitting at a different table in the cafeteria even though he invited her to join him and his companions. While she was polite, I would use the human term "wary" to describe her behavior. I sat with her and the "women" from other departments during lunch break so that I could inquire what her strange actions inferred.

She seemed uncomfortable with my question but answered me directly. "He just gives me a bad feeling." A few of the others nodded in agreement. "What feeling?" I asked. "Just…like he was stalking me. He kept staring and I don't trust him." She explained. A woman named Rebecca elaborated a little. "It's our gut feeling. We can tell when someone is watching us or following us. We get a bad vibe." I tried my best to imagine this guttural feeling but I had more questions.

"Do you have this feeling around all men?"

Lucy ripped of a chunk of her "sandwich" (a common lunch time appetizer). "No, just the ones our instinct tell us are predatory. Creepy men with ill intent."

"This is instinctual?"

"Yeah, men have it too but it's more for suspicious stuff. Fight or flight is kinda similar, I guess."

"Do you all have the same "bad vibe" about the same person."

"Usually, but if there was a predator in our lives before, we will get that gut feeling around people who look, act, or talk like them where others don't." Rebecca answered. "I thought Cory was creepy too."

I was stunned. There survival instincts appear to learn and evolve out of life experience and trauma. I believe it should be closely studied in both the female and male gender.

I am also inserting a request to relocate electrician Cory Mattinson to another station or release him from his contract. His behaviors are threatening to our female staff and is a possible security risk.

Human Observer #5743

[sophiria]

Interlude

Pairing: timeskip!Kuroo x fem!Reader

A/N: this ficlet is the sequel to If only I could turn back the time and look at you again, but it can be read as a stand-alone. :) It's also not the last part of the story.

Tags: conflicted and potentially ambiguous feelings, mentions of possible sugar daddy-baby dynamics

Words: 1k

"Sweet and salty rice dumplings for you," Kuroo announced, a soft smirk on the corners of his lips as he handed you a plate filled with your favorite food. "They're from the usual place you enjoy."

You placed the paperwork on the desk before accepting the treats. "Thank you," you replied, tilting your head towards his position to give him a tiny smile. "You don't have to bring them to me every day."

His eyes softened. "I like buying them for you," Kuroo admitted. "Doesn't it remind you of when we were in college and high school?"

Yes, it did. Still, the traces of that thoughtful Kuroo disappeared quite some time ago, only for him to mysteriously return in the last couple of weeks.

"Yeah, it does," you settled on replying. "But I thought you no longer liked to uphold our old traditions."

His features hardened slightly. "That's nonsense. Of course I do," Kuroo argued before the seemingly impassive expression on his face morphed back into something mellow. "I've just been busy. I didn't mean to neglect you or our friendship."

You gazed into his eyes. "I see," you murmured before your attention returned to the dish you were holding. "It's nice to know you still care about all of that."

Kuroo glanced at your side profile. "I have to go to Kobe next week to attend a meeting. Do you want to join me? We've never gone on a work trip together."

You paused before anchoring your gaze on his face. "That is a tempting offer, but I'm not in your department, and..." you faltered at the frustrated look in his eyes. It was subtle, but you could tell he was withholding something. "Hey, are you okay?"

Kuroo stared at you, and his mouth opened and closed a few times before speaking up. "Alisa and I called off the engagement a week after the party. We're on an indefinite break."

You blinked owlishly. "What?!" Out of all the things you expected him to say to you, that thought hadn't even crossed your mind. "Why? What happened?"

Your best friend briefly looked down and away. "We had a fight. Calling off the engagement was the only outcome we agreed on."

An uncomfortable warmth spread through your body, and you took a deep breath before speaking up. "I'm sorry."

(You had been pining after him for so long that adding something else felt disingenuous.

Unbeknownst to you, Kuroo felt grateful that you didn't say anything else.)

His eyes returned to yours. "Are you and Iwaizumi together?"

Your lips parted in surprise at the question. "No? I mean..." You trailed off, warily hesitating as his intense gaze bore into yours. "We're in touch and see each other more often than before, but he's not my boyfriend."

He nodded, and you didn't miss the way his posture relaxed at your words. "Then it shouldn't be a problem for you to come with me," Kuroo pointed out, taking a step closer so that his chest brushed against your shoulder. "I know how much you love to travel."

You swallowed hard. "Tetsurou..." You placed a hand on his chest as if to put some distance between your bodies, and he took a step back. "What are you doing?"

Any trace of conflicting emotions disappeared behind a playful glint in his eyes. "Can't I just spoil one of my two best friends?" Kuroo gave you a crooked smile before slipping a hand inside his suit jacket. "And actually, about that..." He picked up a small package, and your eyes grew wide as you realized it was a jewelry gift box. "I recently bought something for you in Shibuya while I was there with Kenma."

Your face heated up, and you lightly shook your head. "Tetsurou..."

Kuroo smiled and motioned for you to turn around and face the mirror. Goosebumps rose on your skin as his fingers brushed against your neck before revealing a necklace with a small gemstone pendant. Your breath caught in your throat as he gently encircled your neck with the precious jewel, and you couldn't look away from the reflection of his hands resting on your collarbone.

"I think the stone's color suits you," Kuroo said. "And I know it just so happens to be your favorite."

Your skin warmed up under his touch. "I feel like I'm Hinata when Kenma buys him things," you mused as you tried to calm down your fluttering heart. "Kenma gets embarrassed anytime Hinata jokes about him being his sugar daddy."

You thought Kuroo had a teasing comeback ready, but the sudden silence made you catch his gaze in the mirror. He was staring back at you, but there was no trace of amusement on his face.

"Would that be a bad thing?" He asked you after a pregnant pause. "Being a sugar daddy, I mean."

Your brows furrowed. "No? I mean..." you shrugged. "It's an agreement. If you're into that sort of thing, why not."

Kuroo hummed at your words. "Would you allow me to be yours? "

You raised your eyebrows. "What?" You let out a small chuckle, then heaved a sigh. You waited for one of his ironic follow-ups, but it never came.

You froze as you noticed his stern expression, and your heart started racing. "Tetsurou...." you breathed out. "Are you being serious right now?"

He took a step forward, and his chest nudged your back. "I know you don't like this job," Kuroo said, his hands leaving the pendant around your neck. "I can tell you're feeling miserable, and I don't like seeing that."

You stared at him with wide eyes. "What does it have to do with you being a sugar daddy? We're best friends. How would that even..."

(How would that even work?

You weren't strangers.

There were feelings involved, yours especially.

Kuroo was still reeling from his breakup, so was that the main cause of his outlandish thoughts?)

Yet nothing could have prepared you for the words that left his lips.

"I just want to give you everything you desire," Kuroo murmured, resting his forehead on the crown of your head. "Please, just let me make you happy."

[double-0h-no]

Order's Up

Prompt fill from the collab table for @meadowcastiel Thank you so much, and you've brought this onto yourself, and I love you, and all that.

on ao3

The local coffee shop closing down for renovation might be the biggest crisis the admin office has faced of yet.

Eve Moneypenny was late.

Not that he was bothered by her tardiness, not at all. It just stood out in comparison to her usual punctuality, and maybe he worried a bit about her even if she was only two minutes running behind.

At four minutes past eight, she entered his office without knocking and an apologetic expression on her face.

"Good morning. Pardon my delay, I already had to deal with a major inconvenience this morning that might immobilise at least half of admin," she said, a tone of sardonic foreboding in her voice, and he raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Our usual coffee place is closed for two weeks due to renovation."

Mallory, fortunately and unfortunately, was a practical man. So when he heard "this place is closed down for a while" he heard "we have to get our coffee from a different spot". He also knew how very habit-driven and opinionated some of his staff was.

"That does indeed sound concerning. Does that mean no coffee this morning?"

She grimaced somewhat apologetically. "I couldn't go quite that far, but..."

With something akin to embarrassment, she produced two Starbucks paper cups.

"I see the dilemma."

"It's the only other place to get coffee on the block. It's... not the best solution." He nodded in deep consideration.

"Do you think the department will make it through two weeks?"

Eve shrugged. "Either that, or they'll have to start bringing their coffee from home or another place on their way in to work. Will you survive?"

If he was honest, he didn't have a lot of standards concerning his coffee. He'd like to blame it on his time with the military, but he knew enough people who'd come from the same tracks and turned into right snobs after all. And yet...

"Go get your tablet, Eve, and I'll give you my opinion after we went over our daily schedule."

She nodded, put down the two paper cups, and returned just a minute later with her usual assortment of files, notebook, and tablet.

After the meeting he didn't much remember the taste of the coffee anymore, but it was empty, which was good enough for him. Eve looked decidedly less than happy.

"You could pick it up at a different spot. Or only get one for yourself, I'll make do with the canteen coffee for a week."

Her expression turned grim at his fighting words. "Nobody should ever go through two weeks of canteen coffee, not even Anna." Which said a lot, actually. Eve was not shy to wish the bubonic plague on her counterpart in accounting. "There's only a Costa on my way here, apart from that, and I'd rather have my coffee hot than pick it up at the beginning of the road. Costa's not much better than Starbucks."

Mallory gave her a faint smile. "Well, it's all on us, really."

"Sir?"

"We probably financed their renovation." At that, Eve had to grin, too, and at least left his office with a warm smile. And nothing was more important than to keep his secretary in a good mood.

He only noticed it two days later, when he was stuck in a horrible meeting online that stretched way longer than it should. In his boredom, he had moved on to reading the label on his paper cup, when something struck him as... faintly concerning. It was the entered name printed on the label taped to his cup. It simply read 'M'.

It struck him as ludicrous. For one, his designation was meant exactly for that - to keep his name hidden in operations - but a trip to Starbucks could hardly be called that. And Eve wouldn't just give it away on a whim, either. If she was asked for his name, she either gave a random one, or his last name. It wasn't as if it was a mystery. He dealt with too many people to only be known under his designated letter, had shaken too many hands to not be known by the time he'd become M. It was more of an honorary thing for him, really.

And now it was printed on his Starbucks paper cup.

Curious.

The mention of his name called his attention back to his screen and he did his best to forget about the incident altogether for the rest of the day.

When he inspected his paper cup the next day, the name only said "-", and that was that.

The following day, they were back to M. The day after, too. On Friday, he investigated Moneypenny's cup, too, and found an M printed on it as well as on his.

Could it be that they used her initial letter? Moneypenny  was a rather long name to spell out, after all, and maybe - Well, maybe he was just being paranoid. The most likely solution, actually. Then again, while nobody had yet died of being too cautious, the opposite certainly rang true.

"Something wrong with the coffee, sir? Apart from the obvious, I mean."

"I was just wondering about the label," he admitted, then trashed the empty cup.

"The label?"

"The name section always either says nothing, or there's a single M in it. It surprised me a bit when I first saw it, but I assume it's just a shortcut for your name."

Now, Eve furrowed her brows, too. "I never give my name. They almost know my order by heart now, and I'm the only person in there in the mornings who orders for her entire office. Rather memorable on its own."

It was an odd comfort, to see that she was immediately as suspicious as he'd been. If it was unhealthy paranoia, at least he wasn't sinking with that ship all on his own.

"I'm sure it's nothing," he now tried to reassure her. "Was there anything else you need signed for that grant?"

And back to business it was.

The next morning, Eve came into his room, broad smile on her face and two cups of Starbucks coffee in her hands, and enthusiastically took a seat in front of his desk, presenting him with his customary cup.

"I've figured it out."

He raised his eyebrows expectantly. "With the good mood you're in, I thought we were back to our usual coffee."

"No, but it's Friday, so this is the last concoction of that variety the both of us have to endure. And I solved the mystery of the M on our orders. It's a typo."

How could a single letter be a typo? Apparently, his expression already spoke volumes, because Eve continued triumphantly: "On the keyboard of their system, the M is right next to the dash. Usually, they don’t enter a name for the customer in the system, so they fill in the spot with a dash, because it has to be filled somehow. Now, if you rush through the process because things are busy and digital systems always take too long to process anyway, you occasionally hit the key next to the dash. With a frightening regularity, I might say.

"And that's how we all ended up with orders for M." A smug smile decorated her face while Mallory still couldn't fully comprehend the banality of it all.

"How did you figure it out?"

Eve shrugged nonchalantly. "I asked. Said that both my and my boss's name started with an M and it creeps us out a bit. Cashier started laughing and explained it to me while making our drinks. So no big conspiracy, for once. And from Monday on we'll be back to our usual order."

With a broad smile on her face, she left his office again and he could hear her greet Tanner before the door closed.

A typo. If all government mysteries could be solved that easily.

[winterchimez]

Love Me Right | Ju Haknyeon

summary: perhaps you and your best friend Haknyeon were destined to be lovers after all

pairing: best friend Haknyeon x f!reader

genre: best friends to lovers, fluff, slight angst & suggestive (only in the beginning)

warnings: bad breakup & arguing (with ex), lust (slightly)

word count: 3,530

a/n: me? writing fluff? unheard of 🤪 jokes i'm usually much better at writing angst/crime fics, but our precious boy hakkie deserves a sweet fluff fic 🥺 i love him sm he's literally my fav comfort person ever, and yes he is my bias wrecker alongside hyunjae lmao 🤧 hope you guys enjoyed this! 🫶🏻🩵

buzz buzz!

The alarm on your smartwatch goes off, giving you the signal that indicates the end of your shift. 

It has already been 14 hours, and you stood up from your chair and did a stretch as you submitted the final report of one of the patients you had to deal with throughout the night.

You originally would’ve ended your shift 2 hours ago, if only one of the ER nurses didn’t call in sick this morning. You shrugged, it happens almost every fortnightly in your department, always being understaffed that is. 

Packing up your belongings, you waved goodbye to all of your co-workers where some were just finishing up as you were while the others had just clocked in for the day and headed straight to your car. 

To make matters worse, it was snowing pretty heavily as you made your way to your vehicle. You had to use your handy-dandy ice scraper to get rid of the snow that formed on the windshield and the sides of your car doors. With that, the first 10 minutes right after your shift ended were gone in the blink of an eye. You hopped into your car real quick and gave yourself a heavy sigh, hoping at least the car ride home wouldn’t be too bad.

Stepping onto your front porch, you dug into your backpack for the keys to your apartment. You wasted no time trying to unlock the door and quickly kicked your boots off as you closed the door behind you. 

Making your way into the living room, you spotted the familiar figure laying down on the couch.

Your boyfriend, Daniel. 

At the beginning of your relationship, the two of you would gladly wait for each other to arrive back home and chat away about how the day’s been for both parties. Now, getting a “welcome home” from your partner is already better than nothing. 

However, tonight was different as you muttered those two words to your boyfriend laying down on the couch. Instead of responding, he stood up with his back facing you and muttered a deep “we need to talk” right back at you.

Already exhausted from your shift, you so badly wanted to ask him to save it till morning when both of you are in much better shape, but that won’t happen tonight as he wasted no time trying to make his way to you.

“I can’t do this anymore, Y/N. This relationship we’ve been having? I don’t see the spark nor commitment no more.” 

“Please Daniel, what are you trying to imply here-” 

“You work for 12 hours straight each day, God. Sometimes even more than that. I’m off to work while you’re asleep, and you're only back in the house during the wee hours of midnight. What happened to us spending quality time as a couple?”

Your boyfriend certainly had a point there. It has been months since the both of you truly had a good bonding time with one another. As work started piling up for you, you had to always sadly turn down the multiple ideas of your boyfriend’s well-planned dates and vacations. 

Of course, he’d be frustrated and sad. But it was also his responsibility to understand your situation here. You’re a nurse gosh darn it, and he should know damn well how whenever duty calls, you can never say no. That is what he agreed with when you both started your relationship 3 years ago. 

But apparently, the spark that the two of you have been sharing for the several years you both had up till now, has been completely burnt out. 

“Let’s end this, Y/N.” 

To say that you were in tears would be an understatement. 

Hell, you have been bawling your eyes out for the past 2 hours and breaking down in your living room as your boyfriend left your shared apartment after a heated argument. 

You kept blaming yourself, for how much you have ruined this once so-called perfect relationship you have built with your now current ex. Everyone around you said that you both were perfect for one another, that you both were a match made in heaven and the wedding invitations are bound to arrive at your friends and relatives' doorstep in another 2 to 3 years' time.

Including your best friend, Ju Haknyeon. 

Feeling weak and vulnerable, you desperately needed a warm embrace, and to hear some comforting words from someone who cares about you deeply. 

It was now 3 in the morning, and there was only one place you know that you’ll be accepted in. 

You stood right outside of the door that reads Apartment 309. 

You knew this apartment from the back of your mind. The drive route from your apartment, even up to the passcode or where the extra pair of keys are hidden on the front porch.

Instead of trying to open the door on your own, the owner of the apartment has already been expecting your arrival and they were the ones welcoming you at the front door instead.

The brunette male, wearing a white t-shirt with black sweatpants, opened up the door for you. His eyes widen as he examines your red swollen eyes, puffy cheeks, and a wet soaked nurse uniform you were still wearing. 

Before he could ask you what happened, you were pushing the male into the apartment while slamming the door shut with your leg. Guiding him all the way to his bedroom and pinning him down on his bed. You climbed over him and were about to kiss him right on the lips. 

What was going on in your mind? Has the break-up made you feel a sudden surge of lust towards your best friend? Desperately wanting a hug and a kiss to see if it could make you feel better or at least forget about your ex. 

But the male was clearly stronger than you were and he turned the tables over within seconds, and now you’re the one who’s being pinned down on the bed instead.

“Y/N, what is this all about?”

With that one sentence, you then broke down into tears again, leading the male to pull you up and hold you tight against his embrace. 

It’s been a while since Haknyeon has witnessed you in such a fragile state, the last time probably being in college when you and your ex were going through some tremulous times to fight against all odds in order to be together. 

And he hated it. Hated how vulnerable you were at that moment. He hated seeing you cry the most. 

Especially when he still had feelings for you after all these years. 

After calming down for a bit, you finally fill Haknyeon in with all that has happened the past few hours prior. You can’t help but to sob and sniffle from time to time and Haknyeon manages to wipe away your tears and calm you down each time. 

Without having much thought, you blurted out “Haknyeon, be my boyfriend” right there and then. 

Deep down you know very well that this was your best friend’s dream for the longest time, and he would definitely be delighted to accept the offer.

Or will he?

What you didn’t expect was the straight rejection he gave you right after you said that.

“Why not Haknyeon? You’ve had your eyes on me and loved me since day one of high school. Isn’t it always your dream to date me?”

“Y/N. I love you with all my heart. Hell, I would give up anything if it’s for you and to make you the happiest girl alive. But not like this.”

Haknyeon then lets you out of his embrace and cups both of his hands on your cheeks, staring deep into your eyes. 

“I want you to love me when you’re at your best. I want you to truly see the man that I am, and how much I’ve grown. I want you to truly make up your mind because I will not let you go when you’ve decided to begin a relationship with me. I want you to love me right.” 

You have been crashing at Haknyeon’s apartment most weekends for the past two months, and he couldn’t be happier if it makes you feel better. 

During the weekdays though, Haknyeon would make the effort to come to visit you instead while bringing you the best take-out meals from all of his favourite restaurants in town. Your best friend clearly does not mess with food. 

Knowing how messed up your eating schedule was, he has even taken the initiative to plan out your diet.

No consuming those nasty junk food when you’re already low on sleep.

You’d constantly be reminded of your bestie’s words every single time you’re about to head to the drive-thru at Mcdonald's at two in the morning after your shift at the hospital. 

Tonight was different though as your manager informs you that you get to finish your shift way earlier than your usual post, as your department is getting a handful of transferred nurses from the capital. That was good news especially how your hospital has been understaffed for like two to three years now. 

And that 2 - 3 years had to be the time when you were with your ex. 

You shook off the negative thoughts you had in mind and quickly got out your phone to text Haknyeon about you coming home early for the night. 

You were certain he was definitely on his phone when you sent the message because it took him less than a minute to give you a reply. 

Hakkie 🐷: sweets!! I’ve had a big night planned ahead of us, can’t wait to see you at home 😊

You can’t help but smile at the message, thinking about how cute he was at times when he was all giddy and excited, which makes you wonder if you both are really the same age at all. 

Your co-worker noticed your excitement and how a big sincere smile was plastered all across your face. It has been a while since you’ve been this jovial anyways. 

“You got a date tonight?” She nudges your shoulder while giving you a wink. 

Smiling back at your co-worker, you looked back down at your phone staring right at the newly changed picture your friend has chosen for his iMessage profile. 

“I guess you can say that.” 

“Woah Haknyeon, what on earth have you done with your apartment?”

You were astounded by what your best friend has done. The entire living room has been cleared out and Haknyeon took the largest blanket he owned and turned it into a fort. A comfy throw was laid out nicely on the floor with pillows scattered above it. As a finishing touch, fairy lights were hung around the blanket to give it that true cosy movie night experience. 

“You sure are an ambitious young man.” You replied. 

“Since when have you ever gotten off work this early Y/N, I’d say this calls for a celebration, and of course thank heavens that tomorrow is the weekend!!”

“Okay okay, kiddo. What are we watching tonight?”

“Big Mouth, the infamous K-drama everyone’s been talking about recently.”

“And why is that?”

“Well, both you and I are huge fans of crime shows, and we love Im Yoon-ah, so I’d say it’s a win-win situation!”

“More like you are the one who’s obviously obsessed with her.” You protested. 

You couldn’t help but laugh at your bestie's enthusiastic comment. Eventually, you gave in and decided to make yourself comfy. Haknyeon went ahead and made some warm honey butter tteokbokki in his so-called best portable pot that he owned. Of course, a comfy night movie wouldn’t be complete without a warm mug of cinnamon latte according to the food master himself.  

You never expected to have enjoyed the drama this much as it’s been such a long time since you've been to the cinemas, let alone watched a tv series or show at home. You missed this feeling of excitement as you engross yourself in the show’s plot, and of course, having someone to share the same experience with you in the same room. 

As the show progressed, you can’t help but have tears well up in your eyes whenever a sad or frustrating scene appears on the screen. Haknyeon notices your demeanour and quietly puts an arm around your shoulder. Naturally, you decided to lay your head down on his shoulder. None of you said anything but just enjoyed this little comforting moment you both were having. 

Haknyeon truly was your best friend, you definitely didn’t deserve a fine young gentleman like him. 

“So where are we off to this time Mr Ju?”

It was another rare occasion where you’ve gotten a day off from work as your manager has seen all of the extra hours you’ve accumulated over the past several months. 

Since the hospital wasn’t understaffed anymore, your manager has even managed to free up your Sundays from now on. It definitely has improved your physical and mental health as compared to your previous self when you were working 14-hour shifts straight for 7 days a week. 

Your best friend was beyond ecstatic to find out that you’re free for the day, and he wasted no time coming to pick you up early in the morning, insisting on bringing you on a day trip.

So now you are sitting in Haknyeon’s car, and god knows where he’s bringing you to because he wouldn’t tell you what the itinerary even was for the day ahead. 

It was now the beginning of summer, and Haknyeon clearly was taking you somewhere away from the city. Both of you passed all of the highways and eventually ended up on a riverside road just a little outside of Seoul. 

It was kind of a long drive, around 4 and a half hours to be exact. Many times you’ve offered to take over the wheel, but the male insisted that he was fine and you deserve to be in the passenger seat instead. 

“Rude Haknyeon, I’ll show you that I’m just as good as a driver like Sangyeon and Jacob oppa.” You pouted and crossed your arms. 

“Yeah, rather convincing, Y/N. Remember how you were desperately calling for me in the middle of the night back during your first year in college when your car swerved right into a tree because you got too nervous to drive on your own? And oh, may I add, you were also crying over the phone and it took me a good minute to try and figure out whatever you were trying to tell me.” 

“Shut up. We don’t talk about that.” 

Haknyeon was clearly winning this whole debate, and he begin singing his lungs out on his so-called victory song, Young Tak’s Jjin-iya. You on the other hand, were sulking and decided to turn your head towards the window, trying your best to ignore the ever-so-slightly annoying song that was getting on your nerves while taking in the scenery in front of you. 

After 10 more debate topics and bickering (because your friend is a tease like that), you both eventually arrived at your destination. Your friend has brought you to Haeundae, one of the famous beaches in Busan. As you both stepped out of the car, Haknyeon immediately went to the boot of his car and brought out a huge basket filled with whatever items he brought for the day.

He quickly grabbed hold of your wrist and brought you to the beach. There were quite a number of people here today, reasonable as most families and couples would’ve come to spend the good weather out at the beach. But Haknyeon manages to find a quiet spot where the both of you could truly enjoy the peaceful time today.

Haknyeon wasted no time in taking out the first item from the basket, a huge blue beach cloth and laying it down on the sand. Slowly, he took out all of the remaining items from the basket, most of them being food, to be honest.

What surprised you was that he picked out all of your favourite food and snacks that you literally consume whenever you wanna have a cheat or fulfilling day. Japanese fruit sandwiches, onigiris, chips, you name it he has got them. Oh, and yes he brought along his handy-dandy trustworthy Bluetooth speaker he’s been using for years that he loves and swears by it. 

“Since when have you become a chef, Mr Ju Haknyeon. I thought you were a business consultant, not a restaurant owner.” 

“Anything for my bestie, am I right?”. He gives you his signature cheeky smile, and you have to mentally ask your heart to stop beating so quickly. 

Stop being so cute for the love of God. 

With every bite you had, you couldn’t help but constantly give out this mmmmm pleasure sound, indicating how delicious every single meal was, and your friend couldn’t be much happier as it felt like he had gotten a trophy from a race or something. 

You both enjoyed the meal and had a good chat about every single topic that comes to mind. You both reminisce back on the good old high school and college days, where multiple times Haknyeon has saved your ass from being called to detention for being late to class to almost missing your graduation day in college because you somehow lost the high heels that you planned to wear with your matching dress that day. 

It was hilarious catching up with all of the crazy adventures you both had throughout the years, and Haknyeon with his bright and gagman persona made it a lot more memorable.

“I’m so glad you were with me from the beginning, Haknyeon. Never would I have thought to have gone through heaven and hell if I was alone.”

“Likewise, Y/N. I couldn’t have had a better bestie than you.”

You smiled and gave your best friend the biggest hug. “I just wish for us to be together for as long as we can.” 

With that, Haknyeon breaks off the hug and grabs hold of your shoulders, looking deep into your eyes. He hesitated for a few moments, before deciding that it was the right time for him to speak about that certain topic that he has been desperately wanting to for the past couple of weeks now. 

“Y/N. I know you’re probably sick of hearing this from me, but still, I want to make it clear to you. I still love you, even after all these years. I’ve never once given up hope on you.” 

“And?” 

He swallowed. “A-and. I mean, y’know we’ve been getting a lot closer for the past few months, crashing into each other’s place throughout the weeks, having tons of fun and cute movie and date nights at the restaurants in town. I just… wanna let this thing that has been bothering me for weeks now. I don’t mind if you don’t give me an answer, but just hear me out. I-I just… I want-” 

“I’ll be your girlfriend.” 

“Wa-wait what?”

You chuckled. “Oh my god, Haknyeon. I swear I’m gonna be dosing off to sleep waiting for you to blurt those words out. I know you still love me since the first day we met back in high school in the science laboratory. I gotta say I admire your persistence, young lad. Even what I was still with the ex who shall not be named.” 

A burden was taken off of Haknyeon’s shoulders, and he immediately jumped right back into your embrace while rubbing his cheeks against yours. He was like a puppy who has just gotten their biggest treat yet. 

“Thank you, Y/N. Thank you thank you thank you!!!” 

The hug lasted for a good few minutes, both of you taking in each other’s scent while resting both of your heads on each other’s shoulders. 

That was until Haknyeon broke off the hug for the second time now, as he moved his fingers right onto your plump lips. 

“May I?”. 

“About damn time, Ju.”

No words were needed. He lowered his head and crashed his lips onto yours. It’s like you both have been waiting for eternity for this to happen, how long you both have waited for this day to come. He wasted no time in exploring your lips, kissing you deeper as he tilted his head, and you did the same. 

Breaking off the kiss, he eventually scooped you up bridal style and brought you straight into the waters. As the sun starts to set, you both spend the rest of the remaining time kicking and splashing each other with water at the shore. By the end of the day, you both were soaking wet, but no regrets were made.

Haknyeon then lifts you up in his arms once again, giving you another kiss on the lips as you lean down and wrap your legs around him, both resting your foreheads with one another.

“I love you, Y/N. More than you could ever imagine.”

a/n: yes there will be a part 2 😌

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @flwoie @hokupi @kyusqult @tinkerbell460 (join my permanent taglist here!)

[navire190413]

haha i got drunk and wrote like 2,000 words about my experience with learning japanese. read it sober and just sat in front of my computer like 😐

you know when old people talk a lot and sometimes its hard to tell if they’re trying to pass on wisdom or are just kind of full of themselves and want to talk about themselves? what i wrote was definitely the latter. i’m just an おじいさん who wants to drink and smoke and talk about myself and my hard work lol

one of my favorite 居酒屋 to visit on my way home from work is closing for good this weekend. its open 24/7 so it was always great for stopping by after drinking at the bar until morning. their squid and shrimp 串カツ are soooo good. i’m actually here now typing this on my phone. this izakaya is in a basement so i don’t have signal. i just end up scrolling through my photos or blogging in my notes while sitting here alone for an hour until my favorite bar opens at 7.

the last time i came here a server ive become acquainted with hit on me, and i didn’t pick up on it at all, so my reaction was kind of dull. i only realized he was hitting on me when he turned around and all the other servers were laughing at him bc they were all eavesdropping. he probably mentioned he was gonna do it beforehand haha. i’m so sorry. i would be totally down to grab drinks if i realized sooner 😂

he always makes me turn around and show him my backpiece when im wearing tanktops and croptops. and hes always basically yelling カッコいい！！its cute how not normal tattoos are here. i would never get these reactions in america but sometimes it can be annoying. yes yes i have a lot of tattoos. yes. expensive. yes painful. and then they find out about my scarification, which honestly most people in the states have also never seen, so then its a weird balance of explaining my love for body modification and not self mutilation.

money has gotten TIGHT lately. im literally courting my ex and bringing him to izakayas and nice restaurants every week and im going broke from it so i gotta stop hahaha. we did have a really good time last night, though. and hes always really grateful and respectful when im paying. he also initiated a lot of kisses and kept kissing my cheeks last night which was weird and not like him at all. im not gonna think about it anymore tho.

i am super excited about where we’re going on saturday. its an 青森県 restaurant and i guess they get fish delivered daily from there, so i hope its super fresh and tasty 😤. i unfortunately booked too late and couldnt get a private room, but i think sitting at the counter will be nice since we’re doing the all-you-can-drink course and itll be faster to get our drinks if we’re not in a secluded room.

my go-to drink for the past 2 years living here has always been highballs, but lately theyre way too strong for me. ive become obsessed with lemon sours, but because its not whiskey in them like highballs i become drunk super super fast. good for cost performance purposes but dangerous since im used to my highball drinking pace. i usually dont black out if i only drink for 2-3 hours on a work night but the other day i drank my usual amount, just this time they were lemon sours and not highballs. i was on the verge of blacking out returning home at only 9pm on a monday 😂

i can’t stop thinking about the guy who asked me to be his girlfriend two weeks ago. he’s american and he’s nice enough, but he’s been living in japan for over a year and cant even say すみません to get a server’s attention. he also doesnt eat meat, so i cant introduce him to yakiniku and yakitori which are my go-to. everytime we hungout i had to translate everything and guide him around tokyo. i brought him to an izakaya for his first time and had to teach him the words for squid and octopus. which he promptly forgot 2 minutes later. its literally taco and ika!!! we got lost in a department store one time and i had to ask for directions while he just stood there. it always felt like i was with a child who knew nothing when we were together. as friends, im more than happy to introduce tokyo and translate. but as someone who was obviously trying to be appealing to me, it was honestly a massive ick. i have no preference when it comes to what ethnicity or cultural background someone is, but i cant date someone who knows less about japan than me. it was a good realization actually! i always say i dont have a type, but i think im slowly starting to realize my type. he doesnt have friends so he would always say “lets go out and explore tokyo together!”dude i have been experiencing tokyo for 2 years. i have my favourite spots and my favourite neighborhoods and i know how to find good restaurants and i regularly go out and just do shit by myself because i can navigate it by myself. he also was expecting me to teach him japanese which was just soooo….

when you get to a level where you’ve lived somewhere long enough and can speak the language a lot of people expect you to be a free tour guide. when it comes to strictly friends with no expectation of me, im more than happy to plan a day of sightseeing and introductions but sometimes when i make friends with foreigners it feels like that’s all they want out of me. i mean it goes both ways. a lot of japanese men just view me as a fetish object. omg a white girl who i can actually speak to!!! maybe she can teach me english!!! ive never fucked a 6 foot tall white girl with tattoos!!!

for my established friends, i happily translate stuff for them and give them english lessons but man it feels like theres a lot of expectations of me meeting people here. from foreigners and native japanese people.

i have a lot of foreign friends who have lived here longer than me and dont speak a lick of japanese and dont have any plans on learning. i dont really feel one way or the other about it. theyve been here long enough and know they can get around and have fun without knowing the language. i cant imagine how tough that is sometimes so more power to them. but its always the people complaining they want to learn and want to understand and communicate but still for some reason just dont sit down and study or make an effort to make japanese friends so they can atleast pick up conversational japanese that i dont understand. why are you not studying???? sure its hard but just do it??? you dont even have to use textbooks. apps kind of suck once you get past the basics but its at least something you can do while riding the train and then atleast i wouldnt have to order for you at the bar after youve been living here for several months!!!

im a princess and a brat and am obsessive so studying is super easy for me. i studying during my lunch breaks and anytime im riding the train. i understand thats not the case for everyone, so i try to take the time to teach my friends who want to learn japanese important phrases for day to day life. maybe textbooks and studying isnt their thing, which is fine. okay i’ll teach you as we go. but even then they dont retain anything 😂 dont complain to me about not being able to speak japanese if you’re not going to put in a little bit of effort to atleast order a beer by yourself!!!! and if youre over thinking the difference between ください and お願いします before you can even say [名前]と申します, youre thinking too much!!!!! japanese is hard. theres a lot of info. if you start getting into super specific japanese before you can do self introductions, its gonna be a long long road. so im super happy i learned japanese in america where i went textbook step by step instead of being surrounded by confusing japanese all day long. when i try to teach my friends japanese they always somehow ask me about n2 grammar. and its just like. stop. ignore that. that does NOT have anything to do with you at this time. i was N2 before N3 grammar even made sense to me (i did get full points on n3 test despite none of it making sense to me though 😂) because i finally had context for it and could make the connections. without those building blocks and going step by step id be lost. and thats why you should study the language before coming to a foreign country.

god im judgmental.

[thescribeoflostmemories]

At your service, my Harbinger

( requests: closed)

(Oiran/Geisha/Maiko! Reader x Fatui Harbingers) {Yandere is available)

Note: did some liberties to at least make it some sense why or how you’ll get promoted to Oiran if anyone asks for it. This ain’t accurate. Also, do note that this is for people at least 16 of age or above if it gets too serious. To request, please refer to my pinned post or the service menu that would be at the bottom of this post.

The first meeting

" Are you nervous, my lady?" You tried to help and get your master ready for her procession this evening. Tying her Obi to the front of her body, arranging her headpiece like an artist being too conscious of which sides fit the best. You are but a high ranking Maiko who will soon be a low ranking Geisha.

“Goodness gracious, ____. I thought I told you: you didn’t have to do this. We have the other girls to help.” Mada Fuuka, the Tayū who took you in at a tender age of nine (9) years old. You tried to plead to teach you more so you could help around the establishment but got rejected.

House Wong, a Liyue lineage, moved to Inazuma to branch out connections. It appears to be working as the family began to adopt the culture of the nation as if they were no strangers. From brewery to inns, the heart of their blood and silver would be this very building you work in. Soon you and a few others would have to pick up your guest before nightfall.

“I know, but you need to be dressed the most, Mada.” You wanted her to look as perfect as it is, she is the star of the show not a lowly worker like you. If anything the competition for the top ranking is rather stiff and toxic within the Entertainment hierarchy. Witnessing many backed out once at a coming age, bought and or ended themselves of their misery. It is not exclusive to yours but to rival establishments as well. 

“Call me Fuuka when we're alone together, hú dié.” Doing her makeup as well. She has been a parental figure to you, not allowing you to get pushed around within the work circle. You had a small circle of fans for yourself, thankfully the nicer ones than the others. Shuddering at the thought of them being so intimate.

"Yes, Fuuka." She hums at your answer while you try and perfected her hefty wig.

"Shingo won't be alone this time. So the parade would be bigger, befitting at least eight people." You looked up at him, you knew Shingo is wealthy but not to accommodate all of them including himself. Whoever is he trying to please, is certainly a big shot. Which pushes you further to perfect your walk to them.

To spend even a night or two hours of our time with all of them would roughly bill them a few weeks later, more than a million nothing less than that. All to show off their connections and wealth. If you weren't working here, you'd think this is all a waste of time.

Fuuka helped you get dressed too, painting your face with a cold white foundation, applying red lipstick on you. "So adorable." She smiled at the blooming child, clothed in bright and colorful patterns. Hair left in a natural state, though combed and placed hair ornaments well.

"Let us depart, Fuuka." A servant came in to notify us. And so the show begins.

In the streets, the progression of the parade is a slow process. One or two hours prior is needed to arrive on time, depending on distance. Last time it took five hours of walk time to even get there. With every step you take, your shoes make an endearing chime from the small bells inside of it. The sun beating down on the group as people gather around to see the top Tayū and her servants walk so elegantly, it is also good for business. To be shown off as one of the ideal ladies in Inazuma.

There Shingo and his company are, each person unique from each other. Now it makes sense why Mada had chosen an open space instead of the usual indoors. You have heard about these people, each more sinister than the last.

“Lord Shingo. Greetings.” Fuuka let go of the hachi monji’s shoulder to bow so elegantly, that too followed by the apprentices, geishas/maikos, servants and of course, you. Being very familiar with people gawking, but with the Harbingers is very suffocating. You pray that you won’t end up messing up with who you’re servicing with.

With the introduction made, you all went to the pavilion. Mada Fuuka, Shingo and what you assumed is the first Harbinger talking while the rest talked amongst themselves while waiting for dinner to be served. Looking at Mada Fuuka who gave you a wordless gesture to entertain at least one of them. But who? Whoever it is, you’d best pick fast or else your master would lose face if you’re too slow.

Guest Available:

Shingo

Pierro

Dottore

Columbina

Capitano

Pulcinella (*Platonic)

Scaramouche

La Signora (?)

Arlecchino 

Pantalone

Sandrone

Tartaglia

Services available:

"Flower set"- Pouring drinks, sing, dance, talk, play games, tea cer.

Pour drinks

Dance and sing (solo) / (Group)

talk

Tea ceremony

Noh theater

Familiarize customer- Not available right now, rank still Maiko. Reach higher rank (Oiran) and earn at least 3 visits from customer.

Add ons service (+18)

Lovelorn set

Flower:

Giselle's calla Lily

Circlet:

Burning passion.

Plume:

Giselle's Pinion

Sand:

Wedding bells

Goblet:

To be or not to be

Weapon: Kudoku (there's no going back)

"Any additional services, questions and or modifications will be talked through pm, comment and or askbox, possibilities of combining all is possible but difficult. Though, you all know me, bubbles. I do my best. We will wait patiently for your orders." - Scribe

Ps. Not sure if I should add La Signora to this since she’s dead.

How to order

hú dié - Butterfly

Navigation:

Love? (Yan!Pantalone x Geisha) {Pudding}

All I want is to be loved! (Yan Capitano x Geisha! Reader x Yan! Pantalone) {Pudding}

One hand, one heartbeat (Scaramouche x maiko reader) {Mild dessert}

Star-Crossed Lovers (Pierro x Geisha reader)

tag: @youyue , @mellowwillowy

[my-own-walker]

Someone You've Never Seen Before

A Kyle Spencer Fan Fiction

frat!kyle AU, fem!main character, sexual themes, mature language, use of drugs and alcohol, frat boy antics

12.

"One, two, three!" Lily shouted, counting off before slamming her red solo cup on the table and raising it to her lips, taking in its contents swiftly. 

I did the same, as well as a few other girls. Tequila slid down my throat, bringing with it a slight burn and warmth that spread through my chest. I shivered and squealed, a bit of energy surging through my body all at once. 

The kitchen was packed solid with bodies. It was a small space that seemed to be bulging at the seams with people. We nestled into the crook of the counter right next to the fridge. As soon as we settled, we had to move multiple times for droves of people getting drinks. The spot was a hub, and we were in the way.

We didn't care, though, because we needed a surface to do shots. We landed in that area after realizing the party was so full, that it would be impossible to enjoy it sober. Lily's sorority sister Sarah brought a bottle of cheap tequila, so we went to work.

Lily tapped my shoulder, knocking me out of my own little world, and pointed her finger in the direction of what I could only assume was the bathroom while saying something I couldn't make out over the buzz of the room. 

She and Sarah disappeared into the throngs of people. I turned back to the counter and poured another shot, took it, and then mixed yet another shot with soda. I swirled the liquid in my cup with my finger and departed from our spot. I knew Lily was not likely to return. I was sure she didn't care anymore. She was too faded already.

I relocated to what I guessed was the living room. There were couches occupied with individuals drinking and making out, and there was a TV in the corner with music coming from it. I winced each time someone got too close to the expensive electronic device, fearing it may tipple over from the actions of one too-drunk person. A free spot on the wall opened up, so I made a beeline for it. 

Leaning against the wall, I pulled out my phone. I saw a few notifications, including a text from Kyle. Where are you? it read. I lifted my head and scanned the room, looking for the one person I wanted to see most.

As if on cue, I locked eyes with the most enchanting pair of brown eyes. A familiar sight, as of late. His lips curled into a soft smile. I mustered one back. I was actually so flustered, which caught me by surprise.

At that moment, I took stock of my appearance, suddenly all too sure I looked bad. Possibly the worst I'd ever looked. It was busy, I was drunk, and I turned red when I was hot and drunk. It simply wasn't fair that I was in the presence of him. He looked stunning. His blonde hair was slightly messier than usual. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with loose-fitting jeans. His skin had a glow, while mine was covered in sweat.

I stood, transfixed on him, disgusted with myself for feeling inferior, for even a moment, to Kyle Spencer. The internal war waged on.

"Hey," he started.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Hi," I breathed.

He stooped down, putting his mouth right on my ear. "I don't think we've met," he whispered. His breath hit my skin, causing goosebumps to cover my skin in an instant. He stood straight again and smiled at me.

"No, I'm sure we haven't," I replied with a wink, laughing at his advance. 

"You look so good," he shouted, loud enough so I could hear it over "m.A.A.d city" by Kendrick Lamar. I blushed.

"So do you," I returned. I lifted my hand to touch him, then stopped, rethinking my decision. He noticed and laughed.

"You know, it's really loud in here..." he smirked, his left hand reaching back to scratch the back of his head. He looked around slyly as if to say, Let's go somewhere more private.

He stuck out his right hand and motioned for me to grab it. I shoved my phone into my jean jacket's pocket and switched the hand my drink was in. Then, I grabbed his palm with a sly smile and began to follow him.

The crowd seemed to part for him. Typical Kyle Spencer shit. He led me through the sea of people further back into the house. Down a small hallway was a set of stairs. There were bodies on the stairs, all engaged in various...activities. Kyle led me upward, dodging couples as we went.  Once we were upstairs we traversed down the hall, stopping at the second door on the left. It was an unoccupied bathroom. 

"Now, where were we?" he asked, beaming his 5-star smile once again. 

I wasted no time, grabbing his face and kissing him passionately, sickeningly hungry for his touch. He wrapped his arms around my waist, squeezing tightly. We both breathed heavily, huffing into each other's mouths between kisses. I pulled at his shirt, he took a handful of my hair.

Our kisses got deeper, and the space between us disappeared. We became one. I heard the doorknob turn behind us, then, I heard the door swing open. I didn't even have a second to turn my head before I heard him.

"Holy shit, Kyle," Archie laughed. Both of us scrambled apart, turning to see Archie Brener occupying the doorway. "Kyle Spencer, you dog."

"Archie, stop," Kyle warned, in a tone I didn't expect. It was less shocked, less caught-in-the-act than I expected. It was more of a knowing tone. He didn't seem at all embarrassed.

"At a party? Dang, do you actually like her, or something?" the obnoxiously drunk frat guy asked. "I guess I owe you when we get back home." He slurred his words, but I heard him loud and clear. 

"Owe?" I asked, voice small, glancing at both of them. The panic in my body paralyzed me.

"Please, not here-" Kyle began, interrupted swiftly by Archie.

"You work quick," he announced. "The way you were on her was so convincing. You won the bet, dude."

The room went silent. All of the air left, sucked up by the vacuous words that had just left his lips. I glanced over at Kyle, whose head was down, gaze firmly locked on his shoes. I couldn't breathe. My lip trembled slightly, tears threatening behind my eyes.

"What bet?" I mustered, voice cracking, my eyes fixed firmly on Kyle, who hadn't moved a muscle in what felt like hours.

"Kyle and I-" Archie started from the doorway.

"No," I interrupted, shooting a look over at him before returning my stare to Kyle, "I want him to tell me."

Archie shifted his weight uncomfortably before taking a step back, further away from the bathroom. I could hear him walk away as I surveyed the boy I thought I knew just seconds prior. The boy whose silence took up so much space, it had no choice but to enter my chest, wrapping around my heart, squeezing it so tightly I thought I would die.

"Hannah," he croaked, eyes still trained on the floor.

"Kyle," I returned.

He turned to face me, his brows knitted, eyes glazed. "He was just being stupid," he murmured.

"Why don't I believe that?" I replied, voicelessly, tears holding any sound hostage. "Tell me the truth."

"I- I just," he stammered.

"Tell me the truth," demanded, finally producing some noise.

He rubbed his face with both of his hands and dropped them down heavily to his sides. "It was a bet...a bet between Archie and me," he muttered, "a-about you and, and uh, Lily."

A tight knot formed in my stomach. It lurched as if the roller coaster I was on took me on a steep drop. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes.

"It was, it was that night at TKE. When you, uh, got defensive about Lily," he continued quietly. "We made a bet to see which one of us could, uh, date one of you, um, first."

"Why?" My voice shook. He shook his head, letting a few tears slip down his cheeks. The show of emotion disgusted me. 

I turned on my heel and rushed out of the room storming down the stairs and through the party. It was unavoidable. I crashed into a few unfortunate party-goers as I tried to leave as quickly as I could. The room blurred, lights and colors becoming a twisted amalgamation of each other, like the messiest, most awful watercolor painting in the world. 

The cool air of September nighttime was as welcome as a warm embrace in a snowstorm. The fresh air filled my lungs in stark contrast to the stifling air inside the house. I walked as fast as I could for as far as I could, traveling as far from the party as I could. I needed to get away so no one could see me break down.

I got down the street and turned the corner before collapsing in a heap on the sidewalk. I sobbed loudly into the sleeve of my jacket, not even stopping to take a breath.

Given his history, I should have known better. Part of me resisted falling for him, and I kicked myself for not listening to it. The part of my brain that was screaming for me to run, begging me to be rational, pleading for me to stick to my frat-hating guns. I was sick to my stomach with anger and sadness and the most unforgivable feeling of betrayal.

"Hannah!" I heard, alongside running footsteps. It was the last voice I wanted to hear. I looked up and saw Kyle jogging toward me.

I don't know what came over me. I stood immediately and rounded on him as he came upon me. "What? You're here to add insult to injury?" I shouted. "What are you going to say, huh?"

"That I-"

"What, that you really liked me?" I laughed, darkly. "You are a sick person, you know that?"

His expression changed, switching from concern to shame.

"You and your fucking brothers have a fetish for making people like me look dumb. You insist upon trying to paint me as a fool," I cried. "Since I started here, people like you called me a lesbian, or a hard-ass or made me feel bad for not being able to take a joke. Well, guess what? You're not fucking funny. None of you are! You're just fucking mean. You're evil."

"Hannah," he muttered despair in his expression. He stepped toward me.

"No. Get the fuck away from me. Stay the fuck away from me," I warned. "I'm not your friend. I never was. I don't want to see you again."

Previous Part | Next Part

[acefaun]

Yandere Huedhaut

Synopsis: Huedhaut is probably the least suspecting yandere—as should be from the smartest man in the Heavens. He plans and he plots, but no one would ever suspect him to be a puppet master, cleverly pulling all the strings.

🩸Yandere Masterlist🩸 Female Goldfish! Warnings: Gore, Minor Character Death, manipulation, etc.

A/n:  I got suddenly interested in Yandere Huedhaut because of the fact that he'd be so unnoticeably manipulative. And then… I went overboard with a murder mystery and I really wanted to add a wild plot twist(one that I wrote, and then forgot about, and then surprised myself with like half a year later.) I definitely went overboard with Yan Hue. 🫣 Read at your own discretion.  It’s one of my longest one-shots. So I’ll just add a link to the AO3 while I’m here. 

–Word Count: 19,954–

It wasn't entirely fair. Was it? To fall hopelessly in love and then be torn apart by fate. It was insulting and even more infuriating to have reminders of that time. To have the love of your life before you but be unable to have her and be unable to do anything about it. To watch her fawn over every other man that wasn't you.

Life just wasn't fair and I only felt that pain from a distance. Huedhaut never explained to me just what we used to be back when I was a goddess. He always seemed pained in my presence yet he always wanted to be around me when I wasn't working and when he wasn't busy with work from Leon or Karno.

After I was officially safe from the dark king and I had thanked Zyglavis for protecting me, things went back to normal between me and the gods. I was happy with how close I was between the Punishments gods and the Wishes gods, particularly Huedhaut whose company I found soothing. Though, I admit I openly fawned over him and continuously hovered around him simply because I was denying my childish crush on the strong and silent Krioff. But if I had to give Huedhaut any sort of label, I'd definitely call him my best friend. He had been looking out for me since he first laid eyes on me that night those six gods showed up in my apartment.

I hummed happily, my quiet melody the only noise in the hall as I carried my pillow and blanket through the gods’ mansion. I could only imagine how at peace Huedhuat must have been without the racket of the other gods.

“Hey, goldie!” I turned, catching Teorus’ gaze as he caught up with me, matching my pace. “You don’t usually come by this late in the evening. Whatcha doing?”

Walking side by side with the god of Taurus, I guestimated that he was following me to get to his room. I grinned in excitement as I gushed, “I'm staying over with Hue tonight! We're going to be reading books and stuff. It's going to be really fun.”

Teorus tilted his head, but his smile didn't lessen at seeing how happy I was. “I didn't know you liked that kind of thing. I guess I shouldn’t let you keep Hue waiting then if I want to avoid his wrath…” He waved me off as he continued on down the hall to go into his room. “Have fun!”

“Will do! Thanks, Teo!” Mindlessly caught on my conversation with Teorus, I happily slipped into Huedhaut's room, eager for our evening together. It wasn’t like I had to bathe, change into night clothes, or anything since I was already wearing my comfortable pajamas. All I had to do was climb into bed and enjoy a relaxing night with my best friend. “Huuuuue!” 

“One minute.”

I nearly dropped my pillow when I realized he was very naked and just getting out of the pool in his room. My face heated up uncomfortably and I quickly averted my gaze, covering my eyes with my hands. My voice came out shakily as I attempted to scold him, “Y- You could have told me you were... not wearing clothes! Gah! Seriously!”

Faintly, he whispered, “Your reactions are so adorable... I want to be the only one to see you blush like that…” A snap echoed and I cautiously brought my gaze up, finding Huedhaut in his normal Department of Wishes clothes. He greeted me with a smile as if nothing had happened since I carelessly walked into his room. “I’m glad you could come.”

“Y- Yeah!” I quickly shook myself out of my embarrassing thoughts, trying to actively wipe the memory of his shirtless torso out of my mind. “I was super excited to be able to come spend the night. Usually you’re so busy with work.” 

“Of course, I’m always willing to make time for you.” Smiling tenderly, he gestured to his bed. “Get comfortable. I'll grab a book and join you.”

I kicked off my shoes before eagerly climbing onto the bed. Setting my fluffy pillow on top of those that were already there, I pulled back his blankets, plowing into the soft pile of pillows as I made myself comfortable. Cuddling up with my blanket around me to shield me from the cold room, I asked, “Got any interesting suggestions for me?”

Huedhaut smirked as he joined me in bed, pulling me up close beside him as he reclined against the pillows I’d fixed. “I was planning on reading to you tonight. Would you like that?” I nodded eagerly, planting myself on his lap, per his invitation, with his arms wrapped around me and his chin resting atop my head. Things seemed to grow quiet as his hands rested on my sides for just a moment too long and he commented quietly, “I could stay with you like this forever.”

“H- Hue?” What was he saying? Geesh. He didn't have to get all cute like that. What was his deal? Making me blush like that. He was almost as bad as the other gods that liked to tease me. Well, in private, Huedhaut was honestly worse than the other gods sometimes. Curse him and his desire to get reactions out of me for every little thing. 

He nuzzled his nose into my hair as he grabbed the book from beside me. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do with you sometimes.” His breathy chuckle blew my hair into my face, but he brushed it away so I could watch as he opened the book in front of us and began to read with me following along. Again, he acted like he did absolutely nothing as we enjoyed a calm night together.

***

I liked Huedhaut and I was sure he was my best friend for more reasons than simply because we were an ideal couple back when I was a Goddess. His company was different from the other gods. He was always so considerate, even when he was joking around. His sarcasm was on the perfect level to make me smile, even when he was clearly saying something offensive. But he was the smartest man in the Heavens for a reason. He always knew what to say and what to do.

But occasionally he was in the Heavens when I had free time on Earth. Such was the case as I was playing games in the living room with Ichthys, Teorus, and Dui. I jumped in alarm at the rate I was losing to Ichthys. “Hey! That isn’t fair! I’m a human! You gotta take it easy on me!”

Ichthys grinned, waving his cards around in glee. “You just made that rule up because you’re losing and don’t want to do a truth or dare.” Dui nodded in agreement with an amused smile. That wasn’t fair! I was sure Dui was on my side…

“Pfft.” I openly glared at Ichthys, “You act like me picking a dare from you is an option. You’d just make me do something to get Zyglavis angry and I don’t have a death wish.”

Ichthys slammed his winning card on top of mine with a joyous grin. “I win! Now, time to answer the truuuuuth!” Turning to Teorus he whispered in his ear. Teorus seemed to take a moment to think before whispering back. I glared at them with intense skepticism. Even Dui seemed the slightest bit curious over what they were planning on asking me. Their faces told me it was going to be extremely personal. Ichthys then finally turned back to me, both gods holding malicious grins as Ichthys requested, “Tell us who you have a crush on.”

My breath caught in my throat, my eyes briefly flickering to the white haired god that sat only a few feet away on the opposite sofa. Krioff was doing his work but he wasn’t deaf. Immediately, I was left glaring at Ichthys. “You can't be serious! What are you, five?” It might not have been that bad if the source of our conversation weren’t nearby. Sure, he seemed like he wasn't listening, but I knew he heard every single thing that was going on between us. “Absolutely not! Geez!”

“That isn't how you play the game!” Ichthys stuck his tongue out teasingly. He would get me to say it before this round was over.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Teorus reassured with his princely smile. “You can tell us if it’s me. I don’t mind if you love me as much as I love you.”

“Why would she have a crush on you?” Ichthys turned to narrow his eyes on Teorus. “She likes me. She asked me to play this game first.” Turning his attention back to me, he asked, “Are you embarrassed that I'm your crush?”

“That- That isn't it…” I looked away from them, my cheeks feeling uncomfortably hot. I had no doubt Krioff was listening to this whole conversation from where he was sitting and the minute someone mentioned his name he would be onto us. He might’ve been a quiet god, but he was probably just as interested in my answer as any of the other gods. I shut my eyes, but I knew they wouldn’t let me get away with being quiet. The last thing I wanted was to refuse to play by the rules and face their ‘punishment’.

I muttered Krioff’s name quietly as I attempted to avoid getting utterly embarrassed. The three gods only leaned in closer to try and discern my answer. Dui tilted his head and pointed out, “You were so quiet we couldn’t hear you.” Almost groaning to myself, I tugged Dui closer and whispered the name in his ear. His eyes widened in realization. “Kri- mmph!”

I jumped forward and shoved my hands over his mouth in a panic, “Hey! Shut up! Do you want the whole mansion to know?!” 

“That isn’t fair,” Teorus whined, crossing his arms. “We still don’t know who it is!”

But our racket was apparently quite distracting, for Krioff finally looked away from his work to address us, “Do you need help over there?”

I shook my head furiously, my cheeks still quite hot with embarrassment. “No! Nope! Not at all!” Taking a glance at the two gods who were passing through the room, I shot to my feet as I recognized Huedhaut and Karno. My saviour! “Anyway, I’ve gotta go! I’ll get you back some other time, Ikky!” Making a run for it, I caught up with the two wishes gods that were separating further down the hall. “HUUUUE!”

He turned with wide eyes only to have me practically tackle him. Luckily he was balanced enough to catch me in his arms without collapsing to the floor. “What on Earth happened?”

Still feeling embarrassed, I pressed my face into his jacket. The last thing I needed was for him to start teasing me too. “You have no idea how badly you just saved me from an embarrassing situation.” I looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Where are you going? Can I go with you? I need to... get away from Gods.”

Almost as though reading my mind, he smiled in amusement before ruffling my hair with a laugh. “You fell for their trap again and they were teasing you? If only you didn’t give us so many reasons to fluster you.” 

“Et tu, Huedhaut?” I pouted indignantly. “That’s not fair. You can’t make fun of me too! I’ll have no one else to turn to. My very best friend betrayed me.” I whined into his shirt. “Ooooooh, the agony of betrayal. I’m hurt! Really. The pain is too much for me to take. I can’t go on like this. Tis the end!”

“You’re a very dramatic ex-goddess.”

Pausing from my over-dramatic show, I frowned up at him. “You’re a very mean God.” Still, he didn’t lose his smile as he lifted a questioning eyebrow. “Huuuuue, stop smiling like that, you traitor.”

“(Naaaaameeee)!”

I panicked at hearing Teorus calling my name and I paled. Dui probably fed their curiosity and now they wanted to find me. If I didn’t get out of sight soon then I was a goner! Huedhaut laughed at my tortured expression and teased, “A traitor would let you into his room, would he?”

My gaze shot back to Huedhaut and I begged, “Please, please, pleeeease, hide me! I take it back! You’re a really nice god! Pretty please? Bestie? Promise I’ll pay you back! Hue?”

“Fine.” He purposely messed up my hair and snapped his fingers, transporting us to his room. “You can pay me back now.” He leaned closer to me and I backed away with heated cheeks at how sudden the action was. “You really do make the cutest expressions. I want you to tell me what you’re so desperate to hide from.”

I sighed, avoiding his searching eyes as I looked around at his many books, desperate to avoid the question. With his persistent gaze, I groaned. Why did he have to demand answers out of me when I only just escaped one cruel fate? “Fiiiiine. Ichthys started it. We were playing a game and he asked me who I had a crush on and so I told Dui and then you showed up and... I’m really sure he told Ikky and Teo.” I crossed my arms and looked away from him with my blush that was quite obvious to Huedhaut. “Now I’m all embarrassed and don’t want to see them. They’d probably make me do something embarrassing in front of him. I couldn’t even imagine. Ichthys might even tell him!” I rubbed my face, completely stressing out over that last possibility. What would I do if Krioff came to me later? I’d feel really stupid! I mean, I already knew he wouldn’t like me back before I even told Dui his name!

“It’s only fair if you tell me who it is, isn’t it?” I glared at Huedhaut, but he didn't seem to mean any harm in asking. He was my best friend after all. Aside from teasing me, he only ever had good intentions. “I see that look on your face. You want to tell me, don’t you? You already told the three troublemakers. Do you have such little faith in me?” What really was the harm in telling him?

“Don’t laugh... This is super embarrassing.” Not that Krioff was embarrassing… It was simply embarrassing to have a crush on someone who had no chance of liking you back. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes. It was just one name. How hard could it be to say one name? As much as he liked to tease me, I knew Huedhaut was a much better person than that. So, gathering up my strength, I admitted, “I like Krioff…”

Huedhaut’s eyes widened. “Krioff?” This was the same reaction Dui had. Why were they so surprised? I hoped they didn't expect me to have a crush on Zyglavis or something! “You’re talking about the God of Aries?” I nodded my head woefully. “He hardly ever speaks to you. How could you like him more than me?”

His voice turned... cold for a moment. My eyes snapped open at his tone and I noticed he was glaring down at me. What was suddenly on his mind? “Hue?”

Saying his name seemed to have snapped him out of his thoughts. He instantly pulled away, realizing he was gripping my shoulders much too tightly for comfort. “Sorry. I was just surprised.” His cold glare was replaced with an affectionate smile as he led me to his bed and sat me down. Though, I had an uneasy feeling in my gut. “Krioff, huh? I never would have imagined you would have an eye for him. He’s such an entirely solitary god. Why don’t you tell me more?”

“M- More?” After that reaction of his, was he sure he wanted to hear more? But after a strict nod from him, I knew I wasn’t going to be leaving until I opened my heart to him. It wasn’t like he was going to go tell Krioff or anything. He never spilled my secrets before. I could trust Huedhaut. “He’s just attractive in his own way. He cares about people in such a unique way. Despite how hard his past was with his family, he’s so strong. He might not say much, but he’s very sweet and I love how adorable he gets when I bring him ice cream. I just couldn’t possibly put into words how amazing he is.” I sighed, leaning back on the bed. 

Huedhaut watched me quietly for a moment before asking, “What do you think Krioff would feel about this?”

“Krioff?” I hesitated, thinking about it. “He's a god...  so I could never see us together. But... he's always had such a tough time with people. I don't think he’d like me back. He’s probably just a thought that I entertain myself with because I admire his story.”

Passing his cool hand through my hair, Huedhaut asked quietly, “Have you ever told him any of this?”

I gnawed on my bottom lip, shrugging slightly as I admitted, “I accidentally told him he was cute once and he looked very surprised.” I covered my face with my hands trying to erase the mortifying memory. “I couldn’t face him straight for like a week after that.” I groaned, looking up at my best friend with a pathetic expression on my face. “What do you gods do? I mean, do you guys even have solid relationships like that? Some of the gods make it sound like committing to one person isn’t something a God could be interested in.”

Huedhaut furrowed his eyebrows before explaining to the best of his ability, “It’s true some gods think that way. However, some of us do prefer to commit to another. For instance, the only woman I’ve ever considered being attached to is the love of my life. I couldn’t tell you what kind of God Krioff is, but we do understand loyalty and values.”

I perked up at that and immediately turned to Huedhaut. “You love someone too?” He never spoke of anyone else. He always seemed so detached from everyone he didn’t need to bother himself with.

A rueful smile crossed his face as he looked up at the skylight. “I do.” It was quiet for a few minutes between us before he spoke again, “She’s beautiful, both body and soul.” As though hesitating to continue, it took a moment for him to finish, “Her name was Clotho.”

I hummed in curiosity. Did he mention her before? “Gee… She sounds familiar. Have you ever spoken about her before?”

Huedhaut shook his head, and before I could ask any further questions, he explained, “(Name)... you were Clotho.”

My eyes widened at the revelation and I quickly sat up to face him. Did that mean... he loved... me? “B- But, Hue, I-”

“I know.” He stopped me short, pulling my hands into his. “You don’t love me. I don’t mind. But, I still want you to know that no matter what happens to you, I’ll always be here for you. It doesn’t matter what any of the other gods say or do, I’ll be here to take care of you. Just as I always have been. It’s been a miracle to simply have you by my side again after all these years.”

With tears filling my eyes at his affectionate speech, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Hue, you’re the best… I promise I won’t go anywhere again!” Holding him tight, I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me in return. “You’re my favorite god!” 

But being my favorite would never truly be enough for him. No. The God of Aquarius wanted more. He needed more. He couldn’t stand these other gods getting all of my time and attention. I should be with Huedhaut every second I wasn’t working. But what was worse was that they had the nerve to tease me, to talk about who I loved with me. He couldn’t stand that they got to see my blushing face that should belong solely to him. 

So, though he had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, he would set his plan into motion. 

Of course, I had no chance with Krioff. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that Krioff simply wasn’t interested in having a relationship. So, Huedhaut would focus his time and energy on the other gods that were in the picture. Those children were keeping me from him. They were distracting me from realizing that Huedhaut was the man for me. Huedhaut was the one I needed to be seeking love from, not Krioff or any other god. 

Namely, he needed to take care of the three trouble makers of the two departments: Ichthys, Dui, and Teorus. Yes, Teorus was in the same Department as Huedhaut, but that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered until they were out of the picture. Any threat to Huedhaut’s perfect plans just had to be dealt with. 

It annoyed him that he couldn’t just find a way to kill them. That would be the easiest and the best way to go, resulting in me completely and entirely relying on Huedhaut. But the 12 Gods of the Zodiac were necessary for balance in the Heavens. He couldn’t just get rid of them like that. His plans had to be more delicately constructed.

There were better ways of going about this and ensuring I end up in his arms, after all. Reasonably, he was the smartest god in the Heavens.

***

“Duuuuiiii! I made a pie and it’s your favorite.” I grinned widely, knocking on Dui’s door. He was such a big help keeping Ichthys and Teorus from spilling my secret to Krioff. I had to pay him back with his favorite food. “Hey, Dui! It’s me, (Name)!”

“Oh, (Name), what are you doing here?” I turned and found Dui walking toward me, just returning from a Punishments job. But he paused and his eyes lit up as his gaze found the tray I was holding. “Is that what I think it is?”

I nodded and held it up to him so he could get the full glory of what I created. “Cherry pie! Just the thing to repay you for keeping Ikky and Teo silent. I was wondering if you wanted to have some on the roof with me? It’s a really nice day outside and I wanted to get some sun before the clouds took over. Apparently, it’s supposed to rain later.”

“Of course. We should go before the other two come looking for you.” Dui’s smile was really infectious. Sometimes it was nice to just hang out with him on a peaceful day. 

Ichthys was a bit too playful and Teorus was a little too touchy-feely. But just me and Dui like that? We weren’t such a bad combo. I felt relaxed and happy while he was eagerly eating the pie he loved so much. “So, Dui, how’s work been for you since your mark of sin has been gone?”

“It’s been good, thanks to your help.” He stuffed his cheeks once again before he gave a more detailed reply, “I mean, there’s been a few bumps in the road. Some humans can be pretty stubborn and Shadow Dui’s been trying to interfere where he’s not supposed to. But things are great. I’m getting more done without having a restraint on my powers.”

“That’s good!” I shifted in my seat to take a better look at him. Just looking, I wouldn’t be able to tell Shadow was causing any trouble at all. “I knew I only saw a portion of what you guys could do when I was lending my powers so I thought I’d go ahead and ask. I mean, you guys can go freely between Earth and the Heavens now. It sounds like a lot’s happening. I hope Shadow hasn’t been that much trouble for you? He was alright the last time I saw him. You apologized like crazy after he scared my friend from school, but Shadow was okay.”

“It’s not that bad. We enjoy visiting you, (Name).” I was glad he thought so because I really enjoyed hanging out with all of them too. But then he spoke in a sad tone, in a topic that caught me completely off guard. “I’m sorry about our reactions to Krioff. It’s just... I was pretty surprised. Everyone in the Heavens is so afraid of Krioff and then you, a human, falling in love with him… It surprised me. But, I’m happy. Even if Krioff is too afraid to accept you, I’m at least glad he has someone that loves him.”

“Too afraid?” I mean, I expected him to be insecure due to his past but... afraid? He always seemed so calm and collected. I couldn’t help but wonder how much he still carried on his shoulders.

Dui nodded to my quiet question. “He’s been through a lot. I’m sure you’ve heard. I think he avoids getting close to people because he’s afraid he’ll hurt them. I know he wouldn’t want to hurt you. We all care about you a lot. None of us would want to see you hurt.”

It was so hard to keep my heart from beating so horribly fast when he held my hand and looked into my eyes like that. He was just reassuring me, but if it were coming from anyone other than the kind-hearted Dui I might’ve mistaken it for an intimate gesture. 

I flinched at hearing someone clear their throat behind us and I awkwardly looked at the ground the minute we made eye contact. Though, I still tried to greet the newcomer to the roof, “Ah, Hue. Hey. You don't come up here often.”

“I figured it’s where you'd be. It’s about to rain and I’d hate for you to get sick.” Looking back at him, he was as composed as ever, that small smirk on his face telling everyone around him that he knew better. What was on his mind, I didn’t know, but he looked awfully happy about something. 

I returned a shy smile before I grabbed the pie from the table and asked, “Do you want this in your room, Dui?” All it took was a nod and I was following him off of the balcony followed by Huedhaut who closed the doors behind us. “Thanks for coming get us. I’m glad we didn’t get caught up in the rain.”

He nodded and, before leaving, offered, “If you need anything, I’ll be granting wishes with Karno.”

I waved as he left the hall and I quickly bolted past Dui with a challenging smirk. “I’ll race you! No powers! Last one there has to deal with Ichthys’ next prank!”

“No fair! You didn’t warn me!”

I laughed as he tried to catch up without using his God abilities and I swung open his door and ran in before he could get the better of me. “I made it fir- WAH!” Tripping over a soft surface, I instantly crashed to the floor with a groan. At first, I was under the impression I was covered in cherry sauce from the cherry pie, but as I sat up on my knees my eyes widened in fright and I froze. I hadn't landed in cherry sauce at all… I landed in blood.

“(Name), are you okay?! I heard- Oh my god…” Dui stopped talking as his eyes turned wide as saucers.

I wasn't sure what to do or how to react with Dui standing behind me. Did Shadow Dui do this? My best human friend was dead, killed in the most graphic way possible. Their organs weren't even inside them anymore—were those their organs? There had to be a logical explanation but my mind wasn't working right. All I could ask myself was if I was going to be next. Shadow Dui killed his best friend before. Why would I be any different?

“What the hell…” I froze fearfully as I noted the gruff change from Dui to Shadow Dui. “Shit… goldfish-”

“Don’t,” I interrupted him, trying to keep him from approaching. My mind still hadn’t caught up with me yet. Was this really happening? Please, let it be a horrible prank from Ichthys. 

“Hey, I didn’t-”

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed, pulling away from his touch. Anxiously, I scrambled to escape him, only able to go as far as the other side of the room. “Don’t come near me…” The last thing I needed was for him to finish what he started. “Why…?!” My manic state was enough to make him stop approaching, though I was trapped, the door being blocked by him. What did Shadow do? My voice was too caught up in my throat to scream, but I need help. I needed somebody, anybody to come and help me, to bring my best friend back from the cold world of death. 

“What the hell?!” Shadow Dui hissed, resuming his pacing. His frantic state only served to make me more terrified. A frantic murderer was a horrifying murderer. “This is your shitty little Earth friend! I knew it!” He kicked his chair across his room, making me flinch back into the wall. “I knew a stupid little human would only bring Dui more trouble! If I’d have just killed you back then then Dui wouldn’t get blamed for murder again! I didn’t kill this damn human!” 

I wish Shadow wasn't standing between me and the door. I wanted nothing more than to run out and find Huedhaut. Didn’t any of the other gods know what was going on here? 

The minute Shadow approached me, a cry left my lips, “H- HELP!” It wasn’t long before tears were streaming down my cheeks and I was hiding my face behind my arms. Shadow Dui killed my human friend. “HUE!” I needed somebody, anybody to come and help me, to bring my best friend back from the cold world of death. 

“What the hell are you-” The voice that was speaking from the hall suddenly paused. Scorpio was glaring at Shadow Dui from the doorway. The way Shadow was standing over me didn’t paint a pretty picture. “Damn it!”

With my eyes screwed shut, I could only hear the loud shuffling of a fight, but after that I didn’t hear anything as if I were alone in the room. But, alone or not, I was too frightened to move from where I sat. It was only several minutes later when Zyglavis asked, “Where is (Name) (Surname)?”

There was silence for a moment and I shuffled closer to the corner I had isolated myself to. I made sure I was far enough away from the body. I was thoroughly out of sight in the space between the bed and the wall and I wasn’t willing to move.

It was hard to control the shaking that came with my overflowing tears, but the sound of approaching footsteps only made it feel that much worse. “Woman,” Scorpio called, having found my hiding place. “(Name)!”

“(Name) (Surname)." I sniffled, looking up at the familiar voices. Zyglavis was kneeling in front of me, Scorpio was a short distance behind him, his attention split between me and the… Well, Scorpio had already taken care of the scene. "Are you hurt?" Zyglavis’ question brought my attention back to him. I shook my head slowly and he reached out to reassuringly pat my head. “You’ll be okay.”

“(Name)! (Name)!” My head shot up at the voice of Huedhaut. He pushed past Partheno to get into Dui's room. He didn't falter at seeing the blood. He only paused at seeing blood on me. “Are you hurt? You're covered in blood. Come here.” He fell to his knees beside Zyglavis and pulled me into his arms. “(Name)...”

“Hue…” I whimpered his name softly, burrowing myself into him. Why didn’t he come sooner to save me? Why didn’t he stop Shadow Dui from killing my best human friend? Didn’t any of them know that Shadow Dui did this? Did Dui even know before just a moment ago? 

Zyglavis looked at Huedhaut with a serious expression, his brows furrowed. “Take her somewhere quiet. The Department of Punishments will deal with this.”

Huedhaut wasted no time snapping his fingers, transporting us to his room. Still, I didn’t want to release him as he tried to pull away. He smiled gently as he tried to reassure me, “That probably took a toll on you. I promise I won’t leave your side. I’ll never let anyone hurt you. Will you let me bathe you? I imagine you’ll feel better being clean.” I couldn’t find the energy in me to smile back at him, but I nodded in response. Anything was better than how filthy I felt standing there. “You’d be okay if we used the bath in the mansion, right?” I nodded again, not really thinking about his question.

He kept a close eye on me as he walked me down the halls and to the bath. Usually, it was a shared space, but he locked the door to give me as much privacy as I needed. That’s what it would look like, anyway. He just didn’t want anyone else to see my precious body. That sight was purely for him and him alone. But he wouldn’t invade my privacy just yet. He would wait until I loved him in return. It might take time, but he would have patience.

He was gentle and quiet as he helped me into the bath, rinsing my hair with the warm water as he made sure not an inch of me was unclean after my experience. But he paused as he heard a small whimper from me. Was I going to say something? Evidently, the answer was yes as my broken voice reached his ears, “Why... Why would he do that to me? Was he that upset?”

I turned my head to look up at Huedhaut with watery eyes. I couldn’t identify the emotion on his face but he almost looked guilty. 

He did feel guilty, in fact. He did this to me, but it was for a greater purpose. I was in pain for the time being, but he knew it was only a matter of time before I fell into his arms. As soon as I was his, he would end my suffering. He wouldn’t have to hurt me if I would just surrender myself to him completely. But he wasn’t going to tell me that straight out. Eventually, I was going to figure out that Huedhaut held all the answers to my problems. If only I’d realize it sooner, he wouldn’t have to keep torturing me like this.

But, hiding his true nature, he caressed my cheek, answering me softly, “The other gods are going to get answers for you. Please, don’t worry. I’m here with you. Dui’s in the Heaven’s and he isn’t going to be allowed to return to Earth. I am truly sorry about your friend. That must have been horrible to see. I know it was hard for me to watch Clotho sacrifice her life for Earth. To have someone you care about die... it’s not a good feeling.”

A few remaining tears fell from my eyes as I apologized, “I’m sorry, Hue... I didn’t realize what you went through. It- It just hurts so much, but then I can't even imagine that you took your own stars after-” I was feeling the intense loss of someone close to me, but combined with sympathy for what Huedhaut must have felt, my feelings were just too fragile.

He was surprised as I began to cry again at his words. He was using his sad past to emotionally manipulate me into feeling empathy for him, but it was working better than he anticipated. I didn’t even seem to mind that he held me so much closer despite being naked in the bath. After making me feel guilty about my crumbling emotions, he spoke, “Please, don’t apologize. No one was there to comfort me after you left. But I’m here for you now. I’ll always be here. Now, are you sure you want to be holding me like that while you’re naked? I’m trying to keep you modest but you're making it difficult.”

I was in such distress that I hadn’t even realized what I was doing. It was like Huedhaut just lowered my defenses. Sinking back into the water, I looked away from him with a furious blush over my wet cheeks. “I’m sorry... I just... I don’t know how to handle what I’m feeling.”

Huedhaut nodded his head, trying to comfort me though I turned away from him. “I told you you don’t need to apologize. I know you’re not well right now. I’m just here to help you.” Of course I wasn’t well. Huedhaut was making sure of that. But he was going to do his best to make me smile while I was with him. I didn’t have to fear the bad things with him. “Why don’t we get you out of the bath? I can take you back to my room for the night and I can read you a pleasant book.” He was so thoughtful. Bringing tragedy into my life and then getting rid of it with his kind words and caring actions. I was so fortunate to have a god like him…

***

It was tough leaving the mansion without Huedhaut after that—which I hadn't left Huedhaut’s side since the incident. But, eventually, I had to go back to work, and I swear returning to work was the worst. There was no best friend there to make me smile while we joked and waited for our break. The gods had also fixed it to where everyone thought they had died of natural causes, so I had the sympathy of my coworkers. But it didn’t hurt any less to be so alone.

Over the days, Huedhaut tried to help the best he could and his efforts were appreciated. I smiled more with each book he read to me. He even sent me off to work with a packed lunch so I wouldn’t have to suffer that horribly my frist day back. The other gods also tried to cheer me up of course, especially Teorus and Ichthys. I mean... it was their friend Dui who killed my best friend. It was revealed that Shadow Dui killed them out of jealousy; I had a best friend to brag about but he didn't. Though, it was sort of strange that Shadow would target a petty human best friend over Huedhaut, my actual god best friend. Regardless, Dui was stuck doing time in the Heavens, forever banned from returning to Earth with Shadow Dui.

One day, as I was walking into my workplace, I paused to look at a package that was sitting outside. I knelt down and read that it was from Teorus and Ichthys, they hoped it would give me a smile. Attempting a small smile, I picked up the box and brought it in with me, leaving it in the break room for my hour lunch break that I would get. Surely I could use whatever laugh those two came up with by then. It was always my break hour that I would feel at my loneliest and lowest.

Time flew and I was set off doing different tasks. My mind was lost in everything that had happened the past few days. “I had no idea he was so jealous... But... to... do something like... that…” I squeezed my eyes shut, nearly tripping over the broom in my hands. "Ah- damn it..." But my eyes widened in fright as the fire alarms suddenly went off. Perfect. Just perfect. This was the last thing I needed. 

I was in the storage room, but I knew the way to the exit from there. Dropping the broom, I made a dash for the exit, only to jump back at the flames that were licking the outside of the door. “AH!” I couldn’t close the door back, so I backed away from the tall flames with wide eyes. They were so huge. How could they get so big so fast? The alarm only just went off.

Part of me was reminded of Krioff’s flames. But his flames weren’t so out of control! Still, there was nowhere to run as I fled to the back of the room to give myself time to get help. One of the gods would hear me if I called them, I was sure. “Please, please, please,” I coughed, the smoke steadily filling the room. I sat on the floor, trying to breathe slowly. “I wish there was a way out.” I coughed harder. Shelves began to fall as flames ate at their legs. “HELP!” I choked on my wishes and I covered my face, trying to avoid the ash and soot that was quickly spreading the flames. “P- Please... get me out of here!” 

The fire was moving so fast as it devoured everything it touched. I wondered if my other coworkers made it out. I wondered... if I was going to make it out. I was going to die. It was my turn. 

I closed my eyes tightly, but I heard a voice calling me from within the fire. “(NAME)!” Who the hell was searching for me in a mad fire like that? The smoke was hurting my lungs to the point where I almost couldn’t breathe. Was that someone from the fire department looking for me? “(Name)! Answer me!” No. That voice sounded familiar. Did he come to save me? 

I coughed the minute I tried to call out to him, but I managed to wheeze his name, “Hue!” I screamed as something collapsed beside me, kicking up ashes. 

I quickly covered my eyes to prevent any ash from getting in my face, but I felt a large form wrap around me and instantly I knew I’d be safe from the feel of his arms. “(Name)...” A blinding light took my vision for a moment; the clean air was almost too sudden and I found myself choking on it. “It’s okay. Just take in deep breaths for me.” Was he kidding? I had inhaled too much smoke to take even little breaths without feeling overwhelmed. But he seemed to know that as he tried to calm me, “I know, I know, it’s hard. Just trust me. The air in the mansion will clear your lungs, I just need you to take deep breaths for me.” I tried my best to follow his directions without coughing my lungs out. But slowly and surely, his advice proved fruitful. 

I was also surprised that he took me into the living room of the mansion. The Wishes gods were staring at me with wide eyes, obviously hoping for my quick recovery. Huedhaut was most concerned, however, as he was the one who found me suffering in the heat of the fire. But Leon wasn’t looking at me. He was the only god openly glaring at Teorus as he growled, “That prank that you and the Punishments’ problem child came up with almost got several goldfish killed.”

“I- I’m really sorry... It wasn’t supposed to-”

“Teorus,” Leon interrupted the innocent god, his tone fierce and not to be defied, “Go back to the Heavens. We’ll deal with you both later, but you and that fish are no longer permitted to work on Earth. Your actions put many goldfish lives in danger, you put (Name) in danger.”

Karno sighed, but he had to nod in agreement. “This is the last thing she needed after her best friend…” He paused, not wanting to elaborate in front of me. “I’ll go talk with Zyglavis. Teorus, come with me.”

Before he could get pulled away by Karno, Teorus tried to apologize to me with big, sad eyes. “I’m so sorry, (Name)... We really didn’t mean to do that to you…”

But it was too late to apologize. I almost died—or I could have gotten seriously hurt. Huedhuat was the only reason I was still alive and well. I didn’t look at Teorus as he was taken out of the room.

Tauxolouve noticed that I was keeping my gaze far from Teorus and he asked, “How are you feeling now?”

It took me a moment to understand his question, but I realized that I was breathing a lot easier thanks to Huedhaut coaching me to breathe deeper breaths and get all the smoke out of my lungs. I nodded my head in a gesture saying that I at least wasn’t going to die or pass out on them. Huedhaut snapped his fingers and all the soot that covered me and the floor I landed on was gone. “(Name),” he asked quietly, “Would you like me to take you home?”

As much as home sounded like a comfort... I wasn’t sure I wanted that. I certainly didn’t want to be alone after everything I was put through. Karno wasn’t wrong about that side comment. I just lost my best friend and I almost died soon after. Looking at Huedhaut, I asked shyly, “Hue... do you think you could stay with me for a while? Like you did last time?”

He smiled genuinely as ever. “Of course.” He took my hand and pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me as he snapped his fingers, taking us to my apartment. 

It was quiet between us. Though he was kind enough to offer to give me another bath for the time being and I had to admit I loved the way his fingers combed through my hair as he washed it. It was a sense of peace I couldn’t find with anyone but Huedhaut.

Huedhaut smiled to himself as he lathered shampoo in my hair. He got rid of the three idiots quite simply and he had no doubt that the fire shook me to my core, thoroughly breaking my crush on Krioff. Everything worked out perfectly and here I was, relying on him. Still, there was something else he wasn’t satisfied with. Sure, I was relying on him. But he wanted more than that. He wanted me to love him. Why couldn’t I just say the words he wanted to hear? Was I still holding onto something? Did I just need time to adjust after everything that happened? No, he had been patiently waiting. He sent disaster after disaster toward me and I leaned on him, yes. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted me to do more than lean on him. He wanted to have me. How much longer would he have to wait?

Certain he would have to start planning the next tragedy of my life, he was surprised when I finally spoke up and asked him quietly, “Hue... What am I going to do? That place was my life. I don’t have parents to go back to and my best friend is gone... I’m not going to have enough money to pay rent and I’m going to be homeless.” With each word, it was like my world was shattering to bits and I had no control over any of it. That was why I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I thought I was done crying, but I just couldn’t help it as my world crashed down around me. Huedhuat was the only one holding me up. He was the only one keeping me from succumbing to my sorrows. 

Drying his hands, he began to gently wipe away the tears that fell. This was exactly how he wanted me. He wanted me at his mercy. My life was in his hands and I would listen to his every word. “You won’t be alone, (Name). You can stay with me forever. I’ll love you. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll take care of you. Will you let me?” He knew I had to say yes. There were no other options for me to choose from, just as he had planned. I had no one but him. Sure, the other gods were willing to help, but no one was as desperate as he was. He would be the only one to love me truly. He didn’t care who he had to take out of the picture. He didn’t care how many times he had to make me cry, he’d always be the one to dry my tears in the end.

Despite being naked in the tub, I felt like none of that mattered in my moment alone with Huedhaut. This God was offering to take care of me. He was offering me a place with him. I took his hand that gently caressed my cheek and held it tight. “P- Please, take care of me, Huedhaut. I want to stay with you. I-” I paused, looked away from him shyly. It took a while, but he was the only one there for me. I couldn’t believe it took these tragic events to show me who I should have really fallen in love with. He was the only one to actually make me happy after the disasters I’d been through lately. I knew he loved me and I didn’t want to abuse that knowledge, but maybe that was why I kept denying my own feelings. Finally, I decided to tell him what he'd been waiting to hear all along, “I love you, Hue…”

Huedhaut’s eyes widened slightly, not expecting the declaration. Not that he was displeased. If I loved him then that would make things easier. He wouldn’t have to make me sad anymore. I loved him. “I love you too, (Name).” He beamed, tilting his head. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I’m never going to let you go again. I’m honestly so happy. I want to make you the happiest goddess.” He took a deep breath to calm himself; it would do no good to startle me if he got too excited. “Before I get carried away, I should let you get some rest. I know you had a very tiring day and I don’t want to rush you into this relationship with me. I’ll take things as slowly as you need.” Carrying me out of the tub to dry and dress me, he held me close the entire time, proving his love for me by making sure I was comfortable and not touching me any differently than before I declared my feelings. He was true to his word in taking things slow.

I trusted him wholeheartedly. This was perfect. His carefully made plans weren’t for nothing as he had me lovingly dozing in his arms without a clue to the horribly violent thoughts that swirled through his mind. Of course, he’d never lay a hand on his one true love, knowing full well I’d hate him and go to some other God for safety and comfort. He would never become the bad guy in my eyes. He was all I had left, after all. Huedhaut would do anything and everything to keep me with him. He wasn’t the smartest god in the Heaven’s for nothing. Even if I did find out what he had been doing, there was nothing I could do, was there? But Huedhaut was certain he wouldn’t have to worry about that. I was as ignorant as all the others, which was just how Huedhaut wanted it. I’d be his forever, and considering his perfect plans for the two of us, he would never have to worry about me leaving.

***

It was a few weeks later when I was found sitting in the garden, staring intently at a flower as if it had all the answers in the world for me. Huedhaut couldn’t help but smirk in amusement as he called my attention to him with a single sentence. “That flower must be something special to have you so enraptured.”

“Flower?” I hummed in confusion, glancing up at him. When did he join me outside? Finding the mansion was getting too stuffy, I decided to bring a blanket outside and enjoy the windy shifting of the seasons. But what was Huedhaut suddenly talking about a flower for? Had I been looking at one without realizing? Shaking my head, I unsmoothly changed the subject. “I was only thinking. I’ve been a little worried lately.”

“Worried?” His eyes were trained on me for any sign of distress as he moved closer, sitting beside me on the blanket. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I glanced up to see him reach toward me, his fingers gently passing through my hair. It was his usual way of trying to soothe my anxieties and I couldn’t say it didn’t work as I leaned into his touch. “I’ll fix anything that’s troubling you.”

“I didn’t want to make you worried too,” I excused, though, that wasn’t entirely the truth. I stared down at the blade of grass that I had been picking between my fingers. “I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to bring it up or… how I really wanted to ask. But you’ve been making trips to the Heavens, so I was wondering if you knew how Teorus and Ichthys were doing. I… also wondered how Dui was doing with, um… Shadow…”

His face grew deathly serious, his hand pausing as he started, “If any of them have been bothering you-”

“No, no. That’s not it.” I swiftly saved the three of them from Huedhaut’s wrath. Grabbing his still hand, I tried to reassure him. “They haven’t been trying to talk to me or anything.” It wasn’t that Huedhaut was a violent god—he was very kind—but I knew how scary he could be to others when he lost his patience. “I got over the accident from last month—just maybe not the Dui one… But I was just wondering if they were okay. I haven’t heard anything since they were all banned from visiting Earth.”

Studying Huedhaut’s expression didn’t tell me much—he was always so stoic when addressing topics about the other gods. Then again, Huedhaut wasn’t one for idle nonsense like most of the other gods liked to participate in. The way he caressed my fingers in return told me he still had quite a ways to go before he completely lost patience with them. I was glad I could be there to ease Huedhaut’s stress in the same way he was always there to comfort me.

I was releived when he finally decided to indulge my curiosity. “They’ve been monitoring Dui in the Department of Punishments. He’s on, what you would call, house arrest. They’re being maticulous with ensuring further incidents don’t occur. As for the other two, I’m not sure how Zyglavis has been handling Ichthys’ punishment, but Teorus is handling so much work that I’m not sure he’ll be finished until next winter.”

“I get that,” I muttered, a sigh escaping my lips as I stared aimlessly at the grass. “What they did was dangerous… among other things. But, Hue, that’s not what I’m asking. I want to know how they’re really doing. Are they happy, are they sad, are they lonely? Do they still get to see each other? It feels like my favorite boy band broke up or something.”

The concept of a boy band was lost on Huedhaut, but the thought of those three being my favorite anything made Huedhaut grimace. Still, he wouldn’t just ignore me; he’d never do that. He’d simply do something to try and get my attention off of those three. They were truly an annoyance even when they weren’t around. His best option was to reassure and redirect. “They’re fine. It’s not like being punished has ever stopped the punishments’ problem child from his mischievous nature. Teorus is ever obsessed with his milk and still attracting women left and right. Personally, I believe Dui only reverted to his behavior similar to when he first killed that god friend of his… All is proceeding normally in the Heavens.”

It sounded fairly normal for them—well, as normal as they were before their sins were erased. 

“Then…” I hesitated. I wanted to see them for myself to check on how they were doing, but I wasn’t entirely sure it was the best decision. “What do you think I should do? I want to see them again. I want to see with my own two eyes how they’re doing. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just… want to see that they’re okay, you know?”

“I don’t think so,” he answered immediately, leaving me at a loss for words at how fast his answer came out. It was like he didn’t even give it any thought. But before I could ask him about it, he explained, “I don't do this with the intention of hurting you, I have your best interest at heart. I don't personally believe this will help you. Rather… If you saw Dui, I don't believe you would handle it well. It was fairly traumatic what he put you through.”

“That's true…” I hesitantly agreed. But the Heavens was a pretty big place, as far as I was aware. What were the chances of me actually running into Dui when Huedhaut just said he was on house arrest? 

“Don't look so disappointed,” he encouraged, offering me a smile that was enough to settle any doubts in my heart. “Once I'm certain that you're feeling better, then I'll take you to the Heavens to see them.” 

“Promise?”

“Promise.” 

Scooting over on the blanket, I leaned on Huedhaut’s shoulder, a small smile on my face as well. “Thanks, Hue.” At least I had a loving boyfriend to take care of me. If I were all on my own then I was sure I'd make a huge mistake by rushing to the Heavens just because I was feeling antsy. 

***

My eyes darted frantically over the sheet of paper I held in my hands. I’d been staring at it for the past hour, trying to convince myself that it was some kind of trick, but that wasn't the case. If it were a trick then I wouldn't have heard Dui’s voice in my head just prior to the letter appearing in my hands. 

I thought I was panicking, Dui must have been even more distraught. After all… The letter was nothing nice. I recognized Dui’s handwriting immediately as he described the events of the incident. Shadow Dui didn't kill my best friend. He wasn't even on Earth that day prior to meeting up with me. He claimed such, but I had to check with the other gods just to be sure this was accurate.

But my concern wasn't entirely on Shadow Dui. My concern… was that Dui claimed that the god framing him had to be one of the gods in the mansion, another Zodiac god. But why would any of them have a problem with a human? I wasn't even sure any of them had ever met my friend.

If Dui had an idea on who it might have been then I would have had an easier time handling this. But as it was, I couldn't imagine any of the gods that I trusted with my life capable or willing to murder a human. That made it twice as terrifying knowing I couldn't trust anyone. 

I had thought it would be okay to trust Huedhaut, at least. But… with the way things were, he was on Earth that day too. Unfortunately, Huedhaut was also a suspect. Besides, Dui was trusting me with both clearing his name and seeking justice for my friend. If Huedhaut knew I was tracking down a killer then he'd put a stop to it. He was too protective to let me do something like targeting a god who wasn't afraid to kill humans. 

Whoever it was was clever enough to pin it on Dui, who had a history as a god killer. But wasn't that too simple of an answer for anyone to believe? Sure, the evidence lined up, but it was too perfectly set up. Until the time came that the killer was found, I couldn't trust anyone in the mansion. The murderer was one of the 12 Zodiacs and he was hiding amongst us! 

Aggravated, I crumpled the paper in my hands. I'd have to burn it to avoid anyone else getting their hands on it. I didn't need anyone knowing I spoke to Dui. 

“(Name)?” I flinched, spinning around on my heel to catch the god who snuck up behind me. Huedhaut stood in the doorway, his eyes trailing over me. “Is there a reason you're standing in the middle of the room like that?” He tilted his head as his eyes flickered to my hands. “Is something bothering you? What's that?” 

“Nothing,” I immediately responded, shoving the crumpled letter into my pocket. “Just some notes I scribbled down earlier. I… was bored. So, I was thinking about going find you. Are you busy?”

He hummed before nodding his head. “I came to let you know I'll be in the Heavens tonight. Leo’s given me extra work. I'm tempted to believe he's done this in retaliation for how much time I've been spending with you…”

I tilted my head. This… oddly worked out in my favor. If Huedhaut was busy working in the Heavens then it was unlikely he'd be able to catch onto my investigation and stop me. “But when are you coming back?” 

A soft chuckle left his lips, a smirk crossing his face. “You’ll miss me that much? You're the reason Leo’s making me return to the Heavens. I'll try to be back tomorrow at the latest. Who knows, if you go to bed early, I may be by your side when you wake.” 

I glanced away from him, grumbling quietly, “Stop teasing me and go to the Heavens already…”

Huedhaut tilted his head. “You're sending me off without a goodbye kiss? I'm hurt.” 

“You sound like the needy one.” Huffing, I granted his small request. Though, when my lips connected with his, I couldn't help but lean closer to him, craving just a bit more comfort from my boyfriend. I wished he could help me with this… He’d have this solved within a day… But I couldn’t put this information in the hands of gods.

His laughter was nothing more than quiet hums against my lips. When we finally parted, he caressed my cheek. “So? Do you want to repeat that?”

I rolled my eyes, turning away from him as I abandoned his loving touch. “Go to the Heavens. The sooner you leave the sooner you can come back, you know.” 

“Then I'll be back soon,” he reassured, pecking his lips against my head, wrapping his arms around me from behind before taking his leave. 

It hurt me to think that I had to treat Huedhaut as a suspect when he'd been the only one willing to help me through all my hardships. It had to be someone else and I was going to find out who. I was going to clear Dui’s name and I was going to bring this killer to justice.

My first suspect was admittedly the most expected Zodiac god… The former demon and son of the Dark King himself, Partheno. No one else would make a greater killer and then pin it on Dui. The question… was why?

Luckily, the god in question was in the living room and my eyes immediately locked into him as he worked with Krioff. If it was just those two… I could ask them, and if either one of them admitted something then I’d have an extra god present for support. “Excuse me, can I ask you guys some questions?”

They turned their heads toward me and a smile blossomed across Partheno’s face. For a killer, he was awfully carefree. “You're a rare sight. We hardly ever see you out of Huedhaut’s room anymore.” 

“I’ve been healing,” I vaguely answered. The less they knew, the better. “But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to ask about you two. Where were you the day Dui was banned from Earth? Tell me everything you can recall from that day and everyone you saw prior to that afternoon.” 

As surprised as they were with my line of questioning, Krioff assumed it was a method of human coping—I didn’t bother to correct him since that excuse was useful to me. Both Partheno and Krioff had similar stories. They were in the Heavens that day doing work. A useful tip they gave me was that they had seen Dui in the Heavens that morning: once leaving Zyglavis’ room and another time walking through the palace. 

Similar to me, they found this all quite puzzling. That day didn’t make much sense, but Dui’s guilt probably got in the way of him denying anything. He confessed to the murder because he was a murderer.

But along with an explanation from Tauxolouve who joined us, it was easy to put together that Dui had been in the Heavens up until the point of meeting me in front of his room with the cherry pie. In the few hours he was on Earth, he had spent his time solely with me. I was also familiar with the appearance of old blood; that scene was very fresh—I could recall it clearly enough, as much as I prefered not to. Shadow Dui never would have had the time to meticulously kill my best friend in such a manner. 

Thankfully, the gods that I visited were all more than willing to cooperate, all completely under the guise that I was ‘coping’ with the events of that day. As far as I knew, Huedhaut, Aigonorus, Ichthys, and Leon were the only ones who didn’t have any witnesses to vouch for their whereabouts—not that I was able to really talk to Ichthys or Teorus personally.

This entire investigation might’ve been easier if I were able to question Dui himself, but such a feat wasn’t possible. Unless…

“Scorpio?” I apprehensively asked, “Do you think you could take me to the Heavens to see Dui?”

His eyes narrowed, scanning me carefully for an answer as to why. As much as he glared, an answer didn’t come to him and he was only left with his assumptions. “What the hell do you wanna do that for? If you think vengeance is going to-”

“That’s not it,” I quickly defended myself. Though, I knew he’d only continue to get the wrong idea. Holding out my hand to prove my pure intentions, I quietly admitted, “I want to help him. I… Well, you care for Dui too and you didn’t sound suspicious… So, I guess I can tell you. I don’t think he killed my best friend, and I think he’s being framed. But I need to know what he knows. I need to talk to him.”

His face scrunched up into a scowl, turning away from me. “Shadow Dui killed that goldfish. He’s awaiting his sentence from the King. You’ll get into trouble messing with things you shouldn’t.”

“Do you really think Shadow killed my friend?!” I tried again, desperately trying to change his beliefs. Seeing that he wasn’t going to budge, I pressed, “Did the Department of Punishments even investigate this?”

“Dui confessed.”

“But it wasn’t Dui!”

He turned around to face me and we stared evenly at each other. Sighing, Scorpio took this moment to warn me, “If it wasn’t Dui… you’re searching for a god who murdered a human without a clear motive. You sure you wanna risk your life for this?”

My eyes trailed down to the floor, my hand falling back to my side. He wasn’t wrong. Besides, it was hard to imagine any of the gods actually killing a human—even Dui who was known as a god killer. Biting my lip anxiously, I uttered, “There had to be a reason it was my friend that was killed. That coupled with my workplace burning down… the timing was ironic, don’t you think? Isn’t my life already at risk?”

The silence was thick between us as I let him absorb my words. I wasn’t sure what the Department of Punishments was doing, but I knew Huedhaut would catch on if I let this linger too long. But I couldn’t let him shield me like a child when I had a fight to win. 

“Tell me what you want to ask Dui. I’ll help, but I can’t take you to the Heavens.” He paused. “I don’t think your killer would be too happy about you meeting with your framed god.”

My eyes shot up to meet his. At least he was starting to get on the same page as me, even if he made a very valid point. So, I made sure to tell him every detail about the investigation, even my thoughts on who were the most suspicious gods with no valid alibis that I could personally verify. In all, he seemed to take my concerns very seriously before he left to return to the Heavens. We would find the killer…

This back and forth went on for days, and unfortunately, Scorpio had yet to find anything incriminating from the three gods detained in the Heavens. While they had alibis for themselves, it didn’t clear any of the other three suspected gods, nor did it give me any clues as to who it could have been. For all I know, Aigonorus could have been sleeping, Leon could have been avoiding Karno, and Huedhaut could have been doing his work alone as usual. I wanted to deny that it was Aigonorus with how gentle he was as a god, but I also didn’t want Huedhaut to still be under suspicion. 

I grumbled quietly, shoving my face into a pillow. Being a detective was hard with so little clues. What motive would those three have to kill a human, anyway? Well… Leon had a short temper, but he wasn’t as murderous as he always seemed. Still, blaming Leon seemed better than blaming Huedhaut. I needed to figure this out soon.

***

Huedhaut glanced over to me, his eyes trailing over my still body, picking up on the subtle rise and fall of my chest. It had been a while since he had seen me sleep. On the nights when he was able to be on Earth and ‘sleep’ with me, all I seemed to do was toss and turn and sigh every other minute.

He knew for a fact that this had been going on ever since he found me with that piece of paper that one afternoon. If he had been smarter, he should have taken it to see for himself. It only seemed to have made a rift between the two of us.

Huedhaut sighed, knowing he had to figure this out soon, lest I fall ill with whatever was bothering me. So, without addressing me on the matter, he left to find another god that might know more. After all, he wasn't blind. He knew I was speaking to the other gods behind his back. 

His eyebrows furrowed. With that line of thought… Could the rift between us be because I was cheating on him? 

No, impossible. That didn't make sense either. He knew me better than that. Still, it didn’t hurt to make sure… He'd only get answers by asking. Since I was fast asleep in his bed, I wouldn't notice him missing. 

His decision made, he left his room, determined to question the next god he came across. One particular god that he came across, just so happened to be the very god I had been speaking most to. It was time to get answers from Scorpio.

***

This… This was golden. Huedhaut wasn’t a fan of nonsense that got in his way, but after questioning a few gods who had been interrogated by me… he was livid. Though, at the same exact time, he was extremely pleased and head over heels for me. 

Based on all the information he received about my recent whereabouts, he realized what I was doing: I was investigating the murder. He was proud that I was actually succeeding in finding out clues. If he was being honest, it just made him love me even more. I was such a smart goldfish to be following his trail so closely. To have narrowed down the list of suspected gods to only him, Leon, and Aigonorus was quite the feat. He knew I was worthy of having the soul of his goddess.

As proud as he may have been, he was still entirely livid that it had even come to this. He didn’t want me to see him as the bad guy. However, at the same time, he wanted to see if I could actually put all of this information that I was gathering together. He was morbidly curious to test my intellect; and if I did happen to find out it was him behind it all along… Well, that would be troublesome—more so for me rather than him.

Besides, I had questioned almost all the other gods. Why hadn’t I asked him anything about it yet? Or… did I already have my suspicions? That could explain the wedge that made itself between us. Well, if I didn’t speak with him soon, he would have to do the honors and open the conversation himself. 

***

It wasn’t fair… I’d been holding off asking Huedhaut anything about that day; praying that I could find the killer beforehand. Only… I cleared Aigonorus of suspicion. He was visiting his goats that day, so he wasn’t on Earth at all. The only verification was that his goats weren’t bad at communicating even if they didn’t speak English. 

And while none of the other gods saw him during that time, Tauxolouve told me that Aigonorus mentioned going to see his goats that day, which proved to be more useful than he thought since that narrowed it down to two other gods—for the time being, anyway. If all else failed, Aigonorus was alone that day and I had every right to further inspect him and his goats.

Leon, on the other hand, was also found innocent, if his paperwork was anything to go by. He had been doing his work in his room that day, a rare sight, but believable with the actual paper evidence that littered his room. Karno was there to verify just when Leon was given this huge mess to work on. The time frames matched and so Leon was in the Heavens the whole time. 

At this rate… Huehaut was the only god without an excuse… But he was also the only god I never questioned. 

Huedhaut had been taking good care of me since all of this started; I didn't want to associate him with this at all. Besides, as far as motives went, what reason would he have to do this to me? I felt like Leon would have more reason to kill my best friend than Huedhaut who was always calm and composed and loved humans. 

Still, there was no getting around this much-needed conversation. Maybe I could lighten the mood a bit before dumping everything on him. So, later that afternoon, I went to his room—our shared room now—to find him where he was reading on his bed as usual.

His eyes flickered to me as the door cracked open for me to confirm he was in there. And who was to say he wasn't sitting in his room reading that day? He was the one who came to get me and Dui from the balcony before the rain started and I hadn’t noticed anything unusual about him then. His hair was kempt, his clothes and hands were free of blood, and his voice held just as much love and compassion as usual. 

“Something's bothering you,” he spoke, causing me to flinch out of my thoughts. I couldn't be getting distracted around a potential killer and arsonist—I winced, feeling horrible associating Huedhaut with those terms. “(Name), come here. You don't look well.” 

“I'm fine,” I quickly excused, only to shake my head after. There was no point in lying when I'd later tell him the heavy news. “Actually… I have something to ask you, but… it's a little heavy. I was wondering if we could go outside and stargaze; maybe you could bring something to drink to lighten the mood?”

He was surprised by my line of requests, confused that I didn't just outright ask him, my trustworthy boyfriend, if he killed my best friend. Still, he jested, “If you wanted to propose to me, you could have just said it. There's no need to take the roundabout way of asking for my hand in marriage.” 

“H- Hue!” I stuttered, and he smirked, having me exactly as he wanted me. I argued, “That's not- I didn't come here to-” I huffed, turning away from him. “I don't have time for you making fun of me. This is serious!”

“I was also being serious,” he lightly commented, determined to distract my mind from seeing him as a bad guy. “If there's ever a time you're ready to start a family with me, I'll ask you to marry me. I missed my chance with Clotho… But you're in my life, (Name) and I want to have all the best moments with you.”

This caused me to falter. How could someone out to ruin my life go and say all these sweet things? There's no way it was Huedhaut! I wasn't going to accept that as an answer! Still, I had to ask… “I'm sorry, what I'm doing is important right now… I'll meet you on the balcony, ‘kay?” Sending him a terse smile, I retreated from his room. There was one person I had to speak with first… I needed to get my facts straight. 

Trailing back to Scorpio’s room, I gently knocked. As a Punishments member, I was sure he could help me solve this. Though, I was surprised when Zyglavis was the one to open the door for me. My eyes widened and Zyglavis asked in confusion, “(Name) (Surname)?”

“I…” I faltered, “I need to talk to Scorpio…”

Scorpio hummed, glancing over Zyglavis’ shoulder before nodding. “Yeah. Come in. Zyg, you might wanna hear this. This stupid woman has been trying to prove Dui’s innocence by finding the killer of that goldfish. So, let's hear what else you found.”

They were polite enough to offer me a seat as we sat around Scorpio’s desk, but that didn't lessen the tension as I announced, “In the past week, I narrowed the suspects down to three gods, and of those three, two don't have entirely valid alibis. Well… I haven't asked the final one for an alibi yet, but I figured discussing it might narrow my thoughts.”

Zyglavis crossed his legs, requesting, “Let's start with the god with an alibi. What did you find and is it a sound excuse?”

“It's Leon,” I nodded. “That day he was busy working in the Heavens. It wouldn't have checked out, but there was evidence. He wasn't granting wishes, he was taking care of backed up paperwork. As Karno and Vega were managing Leon’s work, they were able to vouch for him. He was in the palace that day.”

Scorpio scoffed, crossing his arms. “I'd say Karno would stick up for him if they were both in on it; we know that rabid lion doesn't like Shadow Dui. But Vega wouldn’t have kept it to herself. Altair would have told us if something wasn't right.”

“Agreed,” Zyglavis nodded. That got Leon off our radar of suspects, much to my disappointment now that we were nearing Huedhaut’s name. Starting again, Zyglavis tried, “Now, who is the god with an alibi that you're uncertain of?” 

“The first one… is Aigonorus. Though, I can't wrap my mind around what the motive would be. Before meeting me, granting wishes of humans was just a job and I'm pretty sure he'd never have associated with us otherwise.” My reasoning was sound, and the two gods had to agree with me. Still, there was his alibi to consider. “No one had seen him that day, but he told me he wasn't around the palace or on Earth; he was visiting his goats. Which, his goats aren't horrible at communicating and verified that he was with them. But it's the same issue as with Leon and Karno. His goats would vouch for him regardless, don't you think?”

Zyglavis nodded to my suspicions. “It is true that Aigonorus has the power to communicate and manipulate animals. It's worthwhile to keep him as a suspect to go back to. At least until you can rule out your final god. So, who is left without an alibi?”

I stared at the floor, too anxious to bring up the name now. Saying it would only make it feel that much more real to me. I didn't want Huedhaut wrapped up in all of this, but it was useless to go around it when he was one of the last suspects.

Scorpio sighed, quietly admonishing, “Stupid… You can't be biased about it. It doesn't matter how you feel about him, you can't protect him like Karno would for Leon or like those goats would do for Aigonorus. Do you think it's Huedhaut?” 

The question itself stung, making my chest ache in pain. I couldn’t cling to my biases forever, and they were both staring at me and waiting for an answer. “I thought about it… But Huedhaut loves humans. What would his motive be…? If he loved me so much, why kill my best friend? He only ever had the best intentions for me.”

Zyglavis’ eyebrows furrowed. “Your affections aside, you haven't addressed him about this, have you? Why is that?”

“Well…” I hesitated. “I knew if I brought it up with him that he'd want to stop me. He's really protective and I knew tracking down a killer would be dangerous. So… I never told him I was doing this. I asked to talk with him later tonight… That’s when I'll ask him about it.”

“You never told him…?” Scorpio’s eyes narrowed. The situation was awfully suspicious as he revealed, “Huedhaut already asked me about it. He knows.” 

“He… knows?” I faltered. Clearly, he couldn’t have been that concerned if he was letting me carry on without mentioning it. But that didn’t make him look good. “He never said anything… He never tried to help either.” He’s the smartest god in the Heavens. I knew he would either stop me or help me if he was aware, but he hadn’t said anything at all regarding what I was doing. Did that mean he didn't care… or that he was hiding the truth?

Zyglavis sighed, offering a word of advice, “I think it’s time you set aside your feelings and focus on the reality you may be facing.”

But… I was too terrified to accept that this could be the truth. “He…  I can’t.” I slouched in my chair, avoiding their pointed gazes. “I can’t. He… I’m too close. Besides, there’s no motive! He loves humans! He loves me!” 

“You’re the motive, then,” Scorpio bluntly figured. “You’re the only one tying any of this together. It wasn’t random—your workplace, the human closest to you.”

Zyglavis nodded in agreement, following Scorpio’s line of thought as he explained, “You would think this string of misfortune would continue regardless of who was with you. However… since you’ve fallen into his arms, all has been well, hasn’t it?”

“He’s going to have an alibi,” I instantly replied. There’s no way he wouldn’t have an excuse, a reason for not being on Earth during the time. 

Scorpio hissed, “Don’t be freaking biased about it. You need to do the right thing if he’s the one. You wanna stay with a killer who backed you into a corner with loving words?”

“N- No…” I stuttered, but I was extremely hesitant to do what had to be done. After all Huedhaut had done for me… did I have what it would take to point him out as the one behind all of this? Well… if that was the case, I wasn’t sure I had the heart to support him for everything he’d done to me. He simultaneously ruined and saved my life all at once. “You’re right. I’ll do my best. If he says anything, I’ll call you for help. I… have to take this seriously. For Dui, for Ichthys, for Teorus, and for all the other gods that were pulled into this mess. I will get to the bottom of this. He hurt a lot of people…”

Zyglavis laid a hand on my shoulder, directing my attention to his serious expression. “We’ll be here for you. You can handle this.”

***

I could handle this; I could handle this. I repeated that thought over and over again in my head as I walked through the doors of the balcony. Just as I suspected, Huedhaut was there waiting for me. There was a cute little table set up with a bottle and two wine glasses. 

Ordinarily, my stomach would have been fluttering with butterflies, but now it was stirring with anxiety. Well, that’s what the alcohol was there for. “Sorry I’m a little late,” I apologized, stealing a seat beside the table. “You know how the other gods like to talk when they catch me.” 

“That’s understandable,” he replied simply, fixing our drinks. “After all, they must be curious as to how your investigation is coming along.”

I froze, my eyes glued to him. He had never mentioned my activities before. His timing was ironically scary. He drank from his glass, only sparing me a glance as I took the filled glass from the table and drank from it. I was too nervous to get any words out, so I waited until I was half way through the glass before I finally commented, “I thought you’d be more concerned about me searching for a killer.”

“I am,” he confirmed. “Though, as I understood, you neglected to tell me about this because you didn’t want me interfering. However, if I thought for a moment that you were in harm's way, I would have stepped in. I’m not sure if you recall, but I can see your future.”

My eyes flickered back to him. How could I forget that little detail? He would have foreseen all of this. “Then tell me,” I requested, “Do you know if I’ll find him?”

His pause was way too long for comfort, but he finally nodded sharply. “You do.” The corners of his lips curled up as he unexpectedly praised me, “You’re so intelligent, I admire that about you. Even up against twelve gods, you don’t dare back down. I don’t think this excitement would have been stirred by yourself, however. So, can you tell me where this all started?”

It was strange how he was talking as if we were having a completely normal conversation when the topic was something that wasn’t exactly light. Still, I answered him, “It started a few weeks ago when Dui warned me that I was in danger. I didn’t think too hard about it… until I realized there was more to the story than what we saw.” I paused. “I checked everything and everyone. They all have alibis. Almost… all of them…” I emptied my glass, filling it with more wine for a second round—all until my cheeks were burning. “I didn’t come to you because I thought I’d find him before it came to this. But you’re the last god… I have to know… where were you that day?”

Finally, the question came out and Huedhaut had a well-rehearsed answer. “I was doing my work until the time came where I went to retrieve you. I knew you’d get sick from the rain if I left you out there. Then I proceeded to leave to meet with Karno.” 

My eyes narrowed as I lightly sipped on my wine. Thankfully, it was already proving to have a calming effect as my anxiety wasn’t rearing its ugly head. His response only left for one question. “Can Karno or anyone else verify that you were doing your work that morning?” 

“I was alone,” he revealed, though being alone wasn't unusual for him. “But you can ask the other gods, I changed the water from the reflection pool that day. The gods using it would have noticed.”

I nodded slowly. “I'll have to ask them.” Hesitantly, I added an apology, “I'm sorry I'm doing this to you. You’re just the only god I haven’t spoken to.”

“You don't have to apologize,” he replied, offering me a soft smile. “Please, don't feel guilty about this. I wouldn't feel so proud of you if you weren't working so hard to free your friend. I'm only worried about you and how you might feel with the answer you find.” 

“I won't be happy,” I muttered onto the rim of my glass. “I haven't found him yet and I'm already heartbroken about it. To think one of the gods I love and trust would ruin my life… I don't want that person to be you.” Pulling the glass from my lips, I stared into the vibrant liquid, swishing it around. “Would you tell me if it was you?” 

“No,” he honestly replied, making my heart break further. “I don't believe any god would admit to wrongdoing—especially to a human.” 

“Even if that god loved me?”

“Especially if that god loved you.”

It was clear that we were both walking around the question. I didn't want to know if he was the bad guy in my life. But I had to find out—not for my sake, but for Dui. “Huedhaut,” I said, and he flinched upon hearing his full name fall from my lips. “I've gone through every single god to get here… And you've been the least forthcoming with what I want to know. Why can't you be honest with me?”

“I've always been honest with you. I've never lied to you,” he sighed, placing his half-empty glass on the table. “I'll give you your answers when you start asking the right questions.”

I pursed my lips together. “What was your motive?” Did he even have one if he was the killer…? This conversation was giving me chills.

“You.” 

So… Scorpio was right on the money, wasn’t he? He did all of this until I was in his arms, just as he seemed to want. Now that I was where he wanted me, all of the bad things suddenly stopped.

For some reason, I didn’t feel as anxious as I should have been in the presence of a killer. If anything, it felt as if we were having an average conversation. Was this because of the alcohol? The gods had some pretty strong stuff and I was thankful for its ability to keep me calm as I pressed him, “Why? Couldn’t you just accept that I didn’t love you at the time? If you would have waited and done things the right way, you wouldn’t be in trouble with Zyglavis and Scorpio right now.”

“If I had waited, you would have ended up with Krioff,” he revealed, making me falter. Everything he did was to ensure I didn’t end up with the man I really loved. He drew me away from my home on Earth as well as the other gods. “Don’t look upset. Aren’t you happy with me? I’ve cared for you after every grievance and I’ve provided everything you’ve needed. Didn’t I bring you a delightful drink and agree to join you tonight? You’ve impressed me.” He smiled fondly. “My smart little goldfish followed a trail that not even the other gods could follow. I’ve rewarded you with all the answers you were looking for. So, what reason could there be for you to look so miserable?”

“Don’t act like this was all a game! You hurt people,” I hissed, glaring at him. “I don’t know what you expected to happen here, but I knew I might find something I wouldn’t like. And… I can’t say I’m sorry, Huedhaut… but I’m telling Zyglavis.” 

“But he already knows, doesn’t he?” Huedhaut asked, tilting his head as if he were actually confused with me. “You told him already. Your frequent meetings with Scorpio means that Zyglavis already knows. So then… we have to wonder why they aren’t already here.” Shrugging his shoulders, he commented, “Maybe you’re the only one concerning yourself over things that gods are frankly indifferent to.”

“That…” I trailed off. He was right, wasn’t he? No, no, no. I shook my head furiously. “They want to prove Dui’s innocence as much as I do. They’re not indifferent to this.”

“Okay, then,” he calmly replied, placing his glass on the table. “You seem to know quite a bit about us gods for only being with us a handfull of years.” 

“I don’t,” I quickly disagreed. Well, he was probably being sarcastic again, but my mind couldn’t keep up with him. Once again, my mind was stuck on the why. “Why’d you blame Dui? Why’d you kill my best friend like that…? Not even the Dark King was ever so cruel…”

His quiet hum hardly met my ears, but he looked entirely unbothered. Well, if he was slightly irritated, he did a good job at hiding it behind a mask of disinterest. “Tell me, could there have been a better choice of god? He’s a god-killer, isn’t he? Besides… I knew if he was framed with a minor crime—like what Ichthys and Teorus had done—you would easily forgive him over time. If seeing his face brought up a rather gruesome memory… I wouldn’t have anything to worry about, would I?”

“That don’t make’ny sense…” I slurred, my eyes narrowing on him. 

The corners of his lips curled up. “Are you already so intoxicated that you can’t think?”

“No,” I hurriedly denied, only serving to make him more amused. “If Krioff was th’only one… why’d you gotta hurt my friends for?”

He tilted his head, his eyes scanning over me. “Do you mean to ask why I didn’t choose to frame Krioff instead?” Following a drunken nod, he pursed his lips, wondering if he should have let me drink so much for such an important conversation. “That would have been a waste. After all, with your attention on me, there was never any time for you to interact with him. He wouldn’t pursue you without you first pursuing him. I did all that was necessary.”

“But…” I paused, my eyebrows furrowing together. “Why… them? Why I’thys an’ Teo an’ D- Dui?” 

“They were the ones keeping you from me, weren’t they?” He inclined his head with a knowing smirk. “It isn’t like they got into any real trouble. Being sent to the Heavens is less than a smack on the wrist. I was merciful enough for you, wasn’t I?”

I suppose the entire situation could have been worse, but aside from the state of those three, he still killed a human and he still manipulated me. “You…” I growled, trying to come up with the right words. “You jus’ a cruel god… horr…ible…” I blinked furiously, trying to keep a clear head. 

For the first time since we’d been together, it was the first time I’d called him a cruel god and meant it. Now I’d done it. He wasn’t so amused when I was taking my intoxicated frustrations out on him. “I think you’re a little drunk. You should get some sleep and we can talk about your new arrangements in the morning.” Knowing I’d refuse his kind advice, he stood, electing to return me to our room himself.

However, as soon as he moved to lift me from my chair, he froze in place, shocked at the warm sting that crossed his cheek. He was too stunned to move before he heard me hiss, “Don’touch me!” His eyes finally flickered back to me, his heart aching at the hatred in my gaze—my gaze that was fighting desperately to stay trained on him. “‘m not goin’ with you! You ruined ‘vryth’ng!” My head drooped, leaning against his torso for a moment before I was able to pull away and hold myself up again. But somewhere in my drunken mind, I knew something was wrong with this situation… “Wha'd you put in it…?” 

“You shouldn't worry so much over things that are only meant to help you,” he replied, his fingers passing through my hair, a soothing gesture. “I knew you'd be in distress, so I gave you something to help you relax. Have I ever done anything that wasn't in your best interest?”

“You killed ‘em…” I slurred, trying to keep my watery eyes open.

Seeing my disoriented state, he lifted me into his arms with ease, to carry me back to his room. I may have been scared of my situation, but at least I could no longer fight or hit him. Still, he didn't wish for me to hate him. “It should soothe your heart to know that I did not have hand in your friend’s death. I merely used them as a plot device and, what you might call, character development.” Sure, I was already half asleep and sniffling back tears, but he continued explaining nonetheless, “Your friend was murdered by humans. The result would have been the same. I simply… thought to use them in a more beneficial manner.”

In other words, regardless of anyone being accused of murder, my friend died for reasons outside of godly influence. Still, I stuttered a second accusation, “You b’rned m’ work…” He was an arsonist no matter how that went. It didn't matter if it was by godly powers, he still almost killed more than a handful of people. 

“Did you forget?” He gazed down at my face that had a few trails of tears. “Ichthys and Teorus managed that. It was their gift that burst into flames, and not by my doing. The only part I played… was in simply putting the idea into Teorus’ head to make you smile again.” And it worked for a time; I seemed so very happy with Huedhaut up until Dui’s intervention. “These gods put useless concerns in your head.” He sighed. “Well, we'll have to fix that.”

“Huedhaut?” Karno called, making Huedhaut pause. Though, Karno’s concerned eyes were glued on me. Eyebrows furrowing, he asked, “Is (Name) alright?”

“She's been distraught,” Huedhaut answered honestly. “It’s understandable; Anyone would be distressed after a failed attempt of proving their friend innocent. You know (Name) was close with Dui. I can't blame her for taking her anger out on me when she's in so much pain.”

A soft sigh left Karno’s lips as he gazed at me with soft eyes. Slowly, his eyes trailed back to Huedhaut. “She's lucky to have you. I can't imagine how she might have taken everything if she'd been alone. But…” He hesitated… “Is she drunk?”

“Ah…” Huedhaut’s gaze flickered aside. “I granted a wish. Though, had I known the conversation would be so heavy, I'd have given her something lighter.” Studying my restless expression, he added, “I'm sure she'll be better in the morning.” 

The corner of Karno’s lips curved up into a soft smile as he watched the two of us; he loved how caring Huedhaut was to his loved ones. “Keep taking care of her, Hue.” 

Giving his friend a nod, Huedhaut happily took me to his room. Likely, he’d have to deal with me having a hangover, but he’d be ready to deal with that when it came. Gazing down at me peacefully sleeping on his bed, a blush coated his cheeks. He was happy that he’d never again have to stress about losing me. As soon as this ‘investigation’ matter was well behind us, we’d be much happier and Huedhaut couldn’t wait for that day to come.

***

My head pounded with the fury of a thousand horses stampeding against my skull… But the rays of light that shone through the windows above certainly didn’t help, despite the beauty with which they illuminated the room. With a quiet groan, I turned over in bed, shoving the pillow over my head to block out the piercing sunlight. 

The sound of shuffling did not escape my notice and shortly after, I heard his voice. “It’s nearly noon. You had a little too much to drink last night, but I made something to help counter that, if you’re willing to come out from hiding.” After a silent moment with neither of us moving, he snapped his fingers and I tensed up. I waited for anything to physically happen to me: for the blanket and pillows to be removed, for me to be dragged out of the bed, or maybe even for the entire bed to just flip on its side and force me off. But… none of those things happened, and after another moment, Huedhaut finally added, “I’ve blocked the windows for the sun. Come out.”

My heart was still racing and my head was still pounding as I hesitantly crawled out from under my comforting place beneath the blankets. Gazing warily at Huedhaut, he presented me with a cup which I gazed at with just as much suspicion. Still sizing each other up, I probed, “Put something in that one too?”

He pursed his lips. “It’s to help your hangover. Unless you’d rather I leave you in pain…” He paused before adding, “I wouldn’t wish to do that.”

“Why?” Tense silence surrounded us as I glared at the floor, my eyebrows scrunched together in mild pain. “You’ve done it before…” 

“I’d never hurt you,” he repeated, trying to convince me. 

Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle him until this headache was gone. Frustrated, I snatched the glass from his hands, gulping down the bitter liquid and praying for it to work quickly. Though he looked pleased with my acceptance, I no later knocked him down a peg, accusing, “You’ve always hurt me, I just didn’t know it. I wanted to be with Krioff, you ruined that. You banished my friends to a place I’m not allowed to go. And the only thing I get from the other gods are looks of pity!” With a wrathful scream, I threw the glass at him, missing by a hair and having it shatter across the floor behind him. “You’re always hurting me!”

“I’ve told you,” he mentioned quietly, not reacting to my rage with rage of his own. He was calm as always. “Everything I’ve done is for your own good. However, I’ve done nothing to harm you. I’ve given you all the answers you desired and still you refuse to understand. Who would you have turned to if you had found out your friend was brutally murdered and the murderer gone unpunished? I took care of everything for you.” 

“Shut up,” I whimpered.

“Your workplace burned, yet no one was injured. How is that?” Huedhaut continued to press. “Had I not been there for each of these instances, you’d hate no one but yourself. I grant all your wishes, only with the hopes that you might acknowledge my efforts. I love you. I’ll do anything for you… but I will not hurt you.”

Staring at the shattered glass, I couldn’t help but ask, “Do you even feel guilty for manipulating me?” Did he hurt as much as I was hurting?

The corners of his lips pulled upward. “I can’t feel guilty when you’re well. I can’t feel guilty knowing I have everything I ever wanted and I now have the opportunity to give you the best life.”

“But you’ll never give me what I want…”

His smile turned rueful in a flash, but he didn’t look remorseful. “I can’t do something that would hurt you. You want the life you had before… but that’s an impossible wish that even a god couldn’t grant. All you can do now is accept what I’m giving you and move on. We were happy before, weren’t we?”

I hated how he was the smartest man in the Heavens. It didn’t matter that I knew everything he’d done, he wasn’t guilty of any kind of sin. He didn’t kill that human and he didn’t set my workplace on fire. He didn’t force me to leave my home to live with him. He simply manipulated all of these elements until everything stood in his favor… until I willingly ran into his arms. 

Never once did he let me suffer alone. Even now, he wasn’t lashing out at me and he wasn’t trapping me in his room. …was he?

Warily gazing at him, I shoved the blankets off of me, crawling from the bed. However, before I could race for the door, his arms wrapped around me and I frantically clawed at his arms so he would release me. “Calm down,” he advised, not budging until I stopped fighting against him. Only once I stopped trying to pull away from him did he remove his hold. “Go the other way. You’ll walk straight into glass and hurt yourself if you go that way. Then you’d be bedridden, wouldn’t you?”

Even now… he was still caring for me and ensuring my safety. But… he wasn’t disabling me from leaving. Carefully trailing around the glass, I finally escaped the suffocation of being around Huedhaut. I blinked, standing alone in the hall. Did he really just let me walk away knowing what I know? He… He had to know something I didn’t know. 

Too anxious to stay put, I wandered straight into the living room where I was desperate to tell Zyglavis everything I knew. Someone had to be able to do something. Only… I was disappointed when Zyglavis finally opened his mouth to comment on my findings: “We can’t do anything.”

“W- What…?” My eyebrows furrowed together. “What do you mean you ‘can’t do anything’? Of course, you can! He confessed!” 

“He confessed to being involved; and yes, it may have been in… less than moral ways… However, he hasn’t committed a sin; there were no heavenly laws broken.” Zyglavis’ eyebrows were also knitted together in frustration. “What’s more is that we have no evidence of these activities, regardless of his admittance. You have also admitted that he isn’t keeping you here against your will, so he is not under any wrongdoing by housing you in the mansion.”

Tense silence followed his explanation until finally, I slowly said, “Then he’s going to get away with everything… and Dui’s still going to be held accountable for killing a human! Can you live with that?”

“No,” Zyglavis said as if it didn’t bother him. Pursing his lips, he explained, “We will address that matter with Huedhaut. Counting on his cooperation, we will find the human responsible for this murder and punish them accordingly. As there was no divine intervention of human life or death, Dui will be proven innocent, though there is nothing we can do about the… unfortunate placement of the human.” Seeing that I was dispirited with his answers, he offered, “Being that Huedhuat is a member of the Department of Wishes, such admonishments should be in the hands of his minister. And, being that this is a serious matter… I advise you to take this issue to that wild lion and hope the consequences are what you desire.”

Slowly, I asked, “Is that the best we can do?” 

Pursing his lips, he nodded firmly. “I apologize. But should you find anything else that might prove him of having sinned, return to me and I’ll do what I can to ensure you get the justice you seek.”

I knew it… If anything, Huedhaut probably looked like nothing but a nice god who was only trying to care for his partner. There was nothing anyone would be able to do.

While I was lost in thought, Leon walked into the living room with a deep frown. Clearly he had overheard the conversation, but all he could do in response to my depression was comment, “I knew he wouldn’t be able to let go of her so easily. But just like her, you fell in love with how caring and clever he is. You’re completely ensnared, aren’t you? You can deny it so fervently, but you can’t even fool yourself.”

He stared at me, but seeing that I didn’t readily have a comeback, he took a seat in the living room, determined to ignore Zyglavis as he relaxed during his time away from Karno and the Heavens. 

I would have immediately left the tension in the living room, but if I was being honest with myself, I no longer had a place to go. Dui, Ichthys, and Teorus were in the Heavens, no one else was there that would willingly take me in, and I would not return to Huedhaut—he didn’t deserve it… I didn’t deserve it.

Leaning back on the sofa, the living room was quiet and peaceful. It was something I thought I could appreciate, until my eyes widened upon finding Huedhaut entering the room. For a moment, I was certain he was there for me. However, he didn’t even glance at me—nor did he give me a wink of attention. My staring didn’t seem to affect him as he spoke calmly with Leon about work. I willingly broke up with him and he was being respectful of my space and wishes.

It was as if he didn’t care that all his efforts to have me went to waste. He wasn’t even remotely bothered by the way things turned out. If I could forget about everything he’d done, then things between the gods felt like they hadn’t changed at all. 

Zyglavis met my gaze as if silently checking on me, but he just as quickly looked away, as if he had seen exactly what Leon was describing a few moments prior.

I wasn’t sure how to take the situation between me and the gods in the living room, so I quickly fled, wanting to leave the mansion if only for a moment. But as I sought out the door, I ran straight into Karno who was quick to catch my outstretched arms. 

“(Name),” he called my name, offering me a concerned smile that made my heart ache. Though, his eyebrows soon furrowed in genuine worry at my lack of reaction. “What’s wrong?”

I stared at him for a moment, silently deciding that if there was any god to stay with, I wanted to stay with Karno… Luckily, he gladly accepted to take me in with the condition that I tell him what was going on between me and Huedhaut. Of course, I explained my situation and earned his ready sympathy. 

His arms were always open to me… and he offered the same warmth and kindness as Huedhaut always did… Only… Karno wasn’t Huedhaut. 

Still, I was grateful for his acceptance and eagerness to help me, even if he could only give a similar solution to Zyglavis and offer to do his best in discussing the issue with Leon.

Karno was the reason my week without Huedhaut went as smoothly as it did. It was peaceful, quiet… Yet… it was, above all else, painful. So many times, the truth was waved so obviously in my face: Karno wasn’t Huedhaut, and Huedhaut could not be replaced. My heart ached every time I walked past Huedhaut in a hall, or saw him working in the living room, or walked past his door. Even looking at a book made the longing grow more painful.

It made it worse with how he never so much as spared me a glance. It was as if… I didn't exist to him anymore. Rightfully, I should have been glad for all of this… but why did it hurt so much? 

I hated how Huedhaut created an irreplacable spot for him in my heart. Or, thinking more deeply on it, maybe that spot had always been there. Maybe, to make myself feel better, I could place the blame on Clotho… After all, this could have been considered her fault. If it weren’t for her love for him, maybe I wouldn’t be so hopelessly attached to the most deviously clever god in the Heavens. 

A couple of weeks later, I was on the verge of a breakdown when I finally gave into my initial urges to see Huedhaut, desperate for the love and affection I'd been neglected—and had been furiously avoiding. Only, Huedhaut wasn’t in the mansion as I had hoped, he was still in the Heavens.

Unfortunately, the minute Leon spotted me trailing through the mansion on a search for something—or rather, someone—he huffed in amusement. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was humored by my desperation to see Huedhaut after such a short time apart. He knew better than to think Huedhaut didn’t have me wrapped around his finger.

Upon returning, the sought-after god was surprised to find me trailing him to his room. He suspected it could have been a coincidence and that I just so happened to have been going in the same direction as him. But he was the only one in the hall when I spoke, “I’m sorry…” His eyebrows furrowed. What was I apologizing for? “You were right…” I paused. “I can’t go back to the way things were before. I- I thought I could go back and start again, but it’s not that easy. And- And Karno tried to help, but it only feels worse because it’s not you. And I’m stuck knowing things I wish I’d never found! I wouldn’t hate you so much if I didn’t know you’d done all this…” I paused for another tense moment, wondering if he was considering my words. He had at least paused to listen. “We were happy before… but I can’t stand you touching me anymore… and I hate hearing your taunting voice, because I can’t do anything.” 

“What did you come here for?” He appears dispassionate, as if he didn’t care for my insulting explanation. “You broke my heart by leaving me for other gods. You’ve hurt me where I’ve never hurt you. Why should I do you a favor?”

“I’m not asking for a favor… I’m apologizing. You- You don’t deserve one. You…” I trailed off. “I don’t want to keep suffering like this. You have no idea how confused I feel!”

“I know,” he simply answered. Of course, he knew. He always knew. “Knowledge is a cursed thing that few can resist—especially curious humans.” That last bit was a jab at your desire for answers. “Fortunately, I can help you,” he offered. Snapping his fingers, a glass ball appeared in his hands and he looked down at it, inquiring, “You wish for me to take your memories? I can put them in here… a safe place to serve as a reminder…”

He didn’t elaborate on what he meant, but I could only gather that, should I wish to suspect him of any wrongdoings in the future, he’d have my horrible memories of these past few months stored away in a bubble. It was smart, as always. He had a clever solution for the problem he was responsible for. 

“Yes… Please,” I begged, finally surrendering in this long game of mental chess. 

A considerate smile crossed his features. “Well, you know what to say.”

Confusion filled my gaze before I finally apologized, “I’m so sorry for hurting you, Hue… But I’m hurting too. Cant’ you help me fix this…?” I trailed off at seeing the look in his eyes. It was a familiar look, a knowing look that said I was missing something.

After a brief moment, he assisted, “You know what you have to say…”

I faltered at how obvious it should have been. Finally, I prayed to him, “Hue… I wish I could forget everything we’ve done so things could go back to the way they used to be.” 

I gazed at him with begging eyes, a sense of relief overcoming me at seeing his pleased smile. “Finally… Everything will finally return to as it should be.” Lifting his hand, he finally snapped his fingers and the world was overtaken by a bright light. 

***

Huedhaut was reading a book some time after having laid me comfortably in his bed. Taking one’s memories isn’t an easy process, but Huedhaut had prepared himself for this very task, and it had gone off without a hitch. 

He was only waiting patiently for me to wake up when he paused, hearing me call out his name softly. His gaze flickering to me, light seemed to fill his eyes once again. “Ah, my love. You’re awake already. I thought you’d sleep longer.”

This, unbeknown to me, was a test. Though, according to the blush that colored my cheeks, Huedhaut was happy. He knew he didn’t usually refer to me as ‘his love’ unprompted. So, he was greatly pleased when my shy response was, “Geez, H- Hue… I love you too. I…” I trailed off, curling further with the blanket around me. “I guess I am pretty tired,” I relented. “But can you come lay down with me? I… I feel like I miss you, for some reason. I had a weird dream that I can’t seem to remember.”

His soft laugh was music to my ears as he joined me in bed. “You needn’t worry, (Name)... I’ll always be by your side, even every single time you miss me. Just let me know if you do remember that dream you had. I’m so curious to know what it was about…” At the end, he added with a love-struck smile, “My love…”

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Pretty cool answers got some more if that’s ok?

1: what is something the duo believes in? Like Bigfoot, mothman, etc…

2: what’s their opinion on cops in general?

3: you mention in a earlier post that Chris accidentally brushed his teeth with Jake’s toothbrush, was there any other gross moments the duo received?

4: you might’ve answer this before I think but what’s something that makes the duo really angry like super-saiyan angry?

5: what bets does the duo regular make? Like sees who’s faster for example?

6: what does the duo like to do with those respective girlfriends? Like hand holding, kisses on the cheek, etc

1) Well given that well….its the DCU where Greek pantheon gods, biblical demons, descendents of the Norse pantheon (New Genesis and Apokolips) and many others are all legit characters, it’s likely those cryptids indeed do exist anyways. Mainly the Duo though would give some attention in saying the Loch Ness Monster and the Congo’s Mokele Mbembe are real. Unlike in our reality, they have some actual evidence

2) Whilr they certainly have very good allies in Dan Turpin, Maggie Sawyer and especially Amy Rohrbach (in addition it of course Jim Gordon, Renee Montoya and even Harvey Bullock), Chris and Jake are overall more cautious around police officers in general and prefer not to overly rely on them as they both are aware of the systemic issues and structural problems many police departments have, the ones that we in the real world would acknowledge. This is especially true for Bludhaven as their police department is stated in being more corrupt than even Gotham’s.

3) Well, there only two incidents they are willing to talk about including the time Jake was dared by one of his classmates to not shower for a few days, hoping to break a record from an urban legend at their school. While he was able to beat said record by one messily minute, by the end of it he’d smelled and I quote from Chris “like if a foot and Brussels sprouts had a baby….who went Number 2 on their diaper.” Once Jake finally beat said record, Mar’i and Chris immediately gathered up some clean clothes, dragged Jake immediately straight to the bathroom and shut the door behind them so he can finally shower.

The other time would be when Chris and Jake love did some volunteer work at the local zoo, especially when it came time for cleaning some of the animal enclosures. Most difficult of all being the chimpanzees given their usual methods of warding off intruders. One of their ‘items’ they threw literally hit a fan (thankfully an air conditioner fan not a person) from across their habitat.

4) Easily hurting their loved ones and best friends like each others real badly and especially right in front of their eyes while gloating/laughing about it. During the brutal duel and beat down against Victor Zsasz on Jake, had he not been restrained by a power dampening anklet with traces of kryptonite in it, Chris for sure would’ve gone absolutely ballistic on the deranged criminal and rightfully so.

Also hurting innocents just to spite them or being careless is another way to get the two real ticked off. Even Chris and Jake have shown amazement on their ability to hold back during the few times Mongul nearly annihilated large swathes of Bludhaven and Metropolis, merely pounding him down rather than outright incinerating him.

5) Along with who can fly and/or run the fastest, they also made bets on Who can Eat Raw Onions without Crying (Chris won that one), Who’s the better poem writer (Jake), Who Can Curl Their Tongue (Jake again), Who can Annoy Hawkman first (Chris) and Who Can handle Spicy Hot Wings (like we’re taking spices including Habenero and Ghost Chili Peppers) with their Powers Shut Off and Without Milk (a Tie since they both made it two Twenty Wings before rushing for the Gallons)

6) Hand Holding, Quick Cheek Kisses, Sitting Close to each other when taking a seat, Paying for Lunches (Chris and Thara often make reservations at a local Big Belly Burger in Metropolis while conversely Jake and Meredith are regulars at a Bomp N Stomp in Bludhaven), Going to the Movies together (Especially Kaiju movies for Meredith of course), and helping each other out with their homework at their nearby libraries; all these are common place for the Duo regarding Thara and Meredith respectively

Thanks for the asks and your compliments @pin-crusher2000 . It’s very appreciated :-D

[eternalchiyo]

𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜 ~𝔻𝔸ℝ𝕂 09~

Summary: Guineapigs and snakes.

Word Count: 1767

“I don’t think this is a good idea!” the girl said.

Shuu for some reason had decided to introduce his new secret friend to the Vampire court. Or rather, he invited Edgar to one of the balls at the Sakamaki castle.

Before, Shuu used to disappear for the whole day, coming back all dirty or out of breath. What was worse, was that he refused to tell her at first; it was only after Reiji had discovered Shuu was playing with a human child, that Shuu was willing to tell her the truth as well. She couldn’t help but feel betrayed to some extent. She thought their bond was special.

Not only did he choose to keep it a secret from her, but it was also a human child of all things! Why would he choose him over her?

The thought filled her with so much anger, she didn’t know what to do with herself. Would he forget about her completely? She didn’t want Reiji to be right!

Chiyo could feel her heartbeat uncomfortably in her chest. Another thing reminding her just how out of place she was here. Her heart beating like the one of a human, not as delicately as the one of a Vampire, her pulse too quick, too loud. It pained her ears.

It felt disgusting. Humans were so disgusting!

“He showed me part of his world as well! I just wanted to do something in return for him. I told you because I thought I would have your support,” Shuu answered.

He seemed upset.

Chiyo pressed her lips into a thin line. “I’m not going to tell on you,” she said, “but I don’t like this. I don’t want to help you get one of them inside the castle.”

People would probably catch on quick. Humans had a distinct smell; she knew from experience. People in the castle hated her smell as well, and there was always someone who had to point it out to her. She was an outsider, no matter where she went. Not human, not quite Vampire as well. Even if lately most of the talking behind her back quieted down, since she started using a special demonic fragrance that her father, who was working closely with King Karlheinz in a place called the pharmaceutical department, provided for her. She assumed this is how he got access to the resources needed for something like that, although he probably did not do it out of his sheer love for her. He himself must have been part of the aristocrats’ gossip. A man with his strange half-blood daughter, human mother long gone from this world.

Despite her protests, Shuu ended up bringing the boy along. He lent him some of his clothes, so he would blend in better. He probably thought most of the guest would assume he was some servant boy.

Chiyo did not dare approach them. She felt really lonely as she observed the two boys from the other end of the ballroom.

“Disgusting, don’t you think?”

Chiyo turned around and to her surprise found Reiji standing next to her. He usually made it a point to ignore her at official events. In private he tried to keep their interactions to a bare minimum. He didn’t hide his dislike of her, so him seeking out a conversation for everyone to see felt strange.

“He always had crazy ideas, but this beats all of them, certainly. Bringing a human to one of our festivities? And mother does not even care,” he said.

Of course, Reiji wouldn’t like it; he disapproved of everything his older brother did while he himself got no recognition for his efforts. Neither did Chiyo though, so who was she to judge in this situation. She might have not liked Reiji, but she had to agree with him on this point. This scenario was crazy.

The girl’s attention shifted back towards Shuu. She saw him clearly looking at her, a look of betrayal on his face. He probably got the wrong idea about her talking to his younger brother, of course he would. And she couldn’t even fault him for that.

“Yeah… I don’t really like this either,” she said carefully, trying not to give Reiji any more things to use against her or Shuu.

“Well, then… don’t you think we should get rid of him?”

Chiyo slept horribly that day. Luckily for her there was no school for them the next day and she was free to lock herself up in her room. Yui would occasionally come up and knock on her door, trying to understand what was wrong, but Chiyo refused to let her in.

Whenever she fell asleep, the cursed scenes from her past resurfaced. They were as vivid as ever; she was actually surprised how well she remembered what had happened.

She put her arm over her eyes and forehead and let out a bitter laugh. If she believed in God, she’d think this was him getting back at her. Like this, it was just really ironic.

Before she knew it, Monday rolled around again and she was forced to attend classes again, or at least pretend to. Chiyo had no intention of attending any lessons, so she took some of the essays that she collected before with her. Since she now tried to avoid the library at any cost, and the music room was basically Shuu’s territory, she had to make do with one of the more secluded staircases. Not ideal but she’d live.

Soon she was immersed in the text before her. A few key words caught her attention: Demon, hybrid beast, Adam’s first wife.

She highlighted them with her pen.

Suddenly, she remembered the strange dream from the day of the car crash.

“Lilith… why did you leave Adam?”

Adam…

The only person that she would ever consider that she actually left would be Shuu. If the strange person from her dream called her Lilith, then would that make Shuu Adam? But why?

This made absolutely no sense at all.

She ran her hand through her hair and groaned in frustration. This was leading nowhere.

“I didn’t know you fancied biblical topics that much.”

There it was again, that uncomfortable cold feeling; Ruki. Chiyo gathered her things and stood from her spot on the stairs, intent on avoiding this man.

“Hold on a second, will you?”

Chiyo stopped in her tracks and rolled her eyes. She hated herself for even listening to him in the first place. Either way, she turned around to face him.

“Don’t run away,” Ruki said, “I don’t have any ill intentions towards you.”

She eyed him suspiciously. However, he did not make a move forward, but simply stood there, leaning against the railing. Looking at her with his steel-grey eyes.

“What do you want from me?” she asked.

Ruki seemed to consider his next words carefully before he spoke up.

“I suppose you could say I am trying to start over? We didn’t really get to know each other on the best of terms.”

“Certainly. You tried to kill me in a back alley, in case you need a memory refresh,” she said.

Ruki made a step towards her, and she made one back. He sighed.

“I suppose you have a reason to distrust me.”

Chiyo’s grip tightened around the pages in her hands. She could not wrap her head around this person. Her life taught her to be wary of everyone that came into her life, but was this really the way to go here? What were his true intentions? Maybe he was genuinely trying to start over.

 “There is nothing else that you want from me? Really?” Chiyo asked.

Ruki came a little closer again, only this time Chiyo did not flinch away. Ruki’s face was still unreadable. He knew how to erase every tell.

“I suppose…” he said and raised his hand slowly to her face. She inhaled and followed his gesture with her eyes. Ruki’s hand went past her cheek and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Chiyo could feel her heartbeat quicken and her face grow hot as her breath hitched in her throat.

Why was he being so gentle suddenly?

“…for every Lilith there is also a snake.”

Chiyo barely registered what he said to her, so mesmerized she was by him. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his.

“Oh my? And what do we have here?”

Chiyo’s head spun around, startled but also grateful in a sense. Who knows what could have happened had Reiji not interrupted them.

Chiyo exhaled. Only now she realized that she was holding her breath all this time.

“So this is how we finally meet, Ruki Mukami,” he said.

Ruki did not step away from Chiyo and it made her uncomfortable being seen like that by Reiji.

“I believe introductions are not needed by now, Reiji Sakamaki. You’re doing an excellent job, having your familiars spy on us already,” Ruki said.

Reiji’s face slipped into a slight frown for a split second, but he quickly regained his composure. He was about to say something when Ruki beat him to it.

“Well, it looks like I have overstayed my welcome here. If you’ll excuse me,” he gave Reiji a curt nod, “Let’s continue our conversation another time, little guineapig,” he said to Chiyo, before leaving her alone with Reiji.

She watched Ruki retreat, elegant as ever, like some sort of demonic black cat.

“Care to tell me what this was supposed to be about? Conspiring with the enemy?” he suddenly asked.

Chiyo had no idea herself. The idea that Ruki could have genuine interest in her felt strange, she wasn’t sure if her own mind was playing tricks on her or if her apprehension was justified anymore. And what did he call her? ‘Little guineapig’?

“I don’t have time to wait for your answer all night,” Reiji said, the annoyance in his voice clearly audible.

Chiyo sighed. “Of course I am not conspiring with anyone, I don’t even want to be here.”

Was Ruki really an enemy? She wondered.

“Did you at least find out anything of importance?” he asked.

Technically she did find out a little bit. Ruki seemed to know more about this whole Lilith charade, but since Chiyo never brought it up in the first place, she might as well know nothing new, so she shook her head no.

“Disappointing, but I am not really surprised by that, “ he said, “In any case, we should make haste and get home, this stench on you is unbearable already.”