#you losers shouldn’t be around kids point blank

[yetdevout]

something that disturbs me the most about all of this is that most of you freaks are older than me. i’m very much a legal minor, and you all that find caelum sexually or romantically appealing are well above that. so tell me - what the fuck is so attractive about caelum?

no, because let’s actually talk about it, like what are you seeing that i’m not? what is it? because every single character who is NOT caelum that exists on the channel are explicitly adults, and you losers decide to choose caelum? HIM? so no, what is it?? we have this conversation every other month and no one has provided any answer, so what the fuck is it?

[whitexwingedxdoves]

you want me         [request]

Pairing: Negan x Younger Reader Pronouns: She/Her Warnings: Language Era: Pre- Apocalypse Summary: Falling for your dad’s friend, you do everything in your power to make him yours, only problem being you’re far to young for him.... for now! A/N: thank you @jinxeee​ for trusting me with this request and for being my MUSE <3 I hope you love it just as much as I loved writing it <3 ITS IN TWO PARTS BECAUSE I GOT FAR TOO ENGROSSED WITH THIS! 

You hated your parents stupid parties they insisted on throwing almost every month, you’d watch as your mother would scramble around the house like headless chickens making sure everything was perfect. Your father would keep himself busy with trips to the store to get whatever food or drinks were on his list. There was only one thing that made the night worth making small talk with your parents, co-workers and friends, Negan, oh god even his name sent your stomach into a whirl. Negan had been friends with your dad for a while now and became a regular face at your home, it was almost love at first sight for you, the way he held himself with so much confidence and talked to you like an adult. You’d find yourself thinking about him during class, when you’re out with your friends... hell you’d even dream about him.

Your parents didn’t realise that you’d actually put effort into your appearance now, they probably just thought it was some teenage hormone thing. You stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching your mum run over the wooden flooring with the vacuum for the 5th time today. Your thumbs pulled at the hem of your skirt, hoping your parents wouldn’t notice how high it rested on your thighs. They weren't, of course, far too occupied with the lay out of party food on the counter of the kitchen. Your mum however did comment on how nice your hair looked curled and how you should do it more often. You listened to the same lecture they gave you every time someone was coming over, how to behave and all that patronising crap.

As people came spilling in, you knew not to get your hopes up just yet, Negan was always the last one to swagger through the door so you just sat on the sofa, twirling one of your curls between your fingers. Without warning, a large hand grabbed a hold of your shoulder, your eyes immediately finding who the hand belonged to. The butterflies in your stomach became more and more aware of the gaze that sat on you. “Hey kid! Shouldn’t you be asleep... isn’t it a school night” your eyes rolled at his teasing words but on the inside you became instantly weak at the tone of his voice.

“I'm not a kid!” you retorted pulling yourself up from the sofa. You followed the man into the kitchen presumably looking for your dad. You managed to get ahead of him, your walk changing almost instantly attempting your best sexy walk but to any onlooker it was just plain awkward. You peered around at him, catching his confused gaze which only made your teen heart throb much more aggressively. “What? You don’t like my outfit?” the teasing tone of your voice made the older man shudder a little as he reached the counter, placing down a bottle of gin he brought along with him. You leaned against the counter directly opposite him, your fingers finding your curls again, your lip taking the brunt of your teeth as you naturally eyed up the tall man.

Negan kept his eye on you, watching your actions with caution as he unscrewed the lid from the bottle. Once his mind had come to a conclusion as to what you were playing at, his muscles relaxed and he allowed a chuckle pass his lips.” What are you doing kid?” His question made you stand up straight almost immediately, catching you completely off guard. “You wanna be some sort of jail bait for one of these losers?” his words felt like daggers going straight through your heart.

“No!” you snapped at the man, pulling at your tight shirt attempting to become a little more modest. He gave you an unsure nod before he met you on your side of the counter island.

“Look, i'm a flattered kid but erm – you not exactly my type” you couldn’t bear to look up at him, the embarrassment was far too much for you to deal with right now “You’re just a kid, far too young for me!” Though he was teasing, he couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. He remembered how strongly girls loved at that age and he couldn’t bear the thought of having to break your heart like this but it had to be done.

You didn’t speak a word to anyone else that night, you took yourself to your room and cried yourself to sleep, well that was the plan anyway but you couldn’t. The rage wouldn't allow it. If he wanted a mature girl, you’d give it to him. You spent most of the night throwing things out of your closet that seemed too adolescent for ‘grown ups’ and watching videos on how to do your makeup to make you look more mature. You had approximately two weeks to get your act together until you saw him again at your dad’s big birthday barbeque.

-

You spent the last two weeks changing almost everything about yourself, all for this day. You sat in your garden watching over the brim of one of the books you stole from your mum, Women are from Venus Men are from Mars. You had no idea what it was about nor did you care to find out, it was all part of your plan to prove to Negan you were in fact a woman. Everyone was in their own little circles talking over cold beers and almost burnt hot dogs, your gaze looking through each and everyone of them before settling at the large gate that allowed access to your garden. You saw it move ever so slightly, causing your heart to stop for a moment... There he was, looking as irresistible as ever, time seemed to slow down as he made his way in allowing you to take in every inch of him. Time came rushing back as soon as you saw his perfectly sculpted hand pulling something in with him. A girl.

Your book dropped from your face, allowing the fluster of red that gathered in your cheeks to show. Who the hell was she!? Why is she here and why the hell is she hanging off his arm like some cheap bracelet. Despite wanting to, you just couldn’t look away as she flaunted her win over you, your breathing became uneven without you even noticing. Negan looked for you in the crowd of people and once he saw you, all flustered and angry he shot you an innocent smile accompanied with a wave to be sure he got your attention. He made you watch as he pulled the women he had dragged in, into a hug. What the fuck was he playing at.

You couldn’t move from your spot, you thought everyone was pointing and laughing at you for even thinking your plan would work. It could have but you never got the chance to try it, not now that miss big tit’s, blonde hair was here. Granted no one was actually even looking your way at all and it wasn’t like you had a ‘I heart Negan’ shirt on but still the situation was far too embarrassing for you to even try to socialise right now. You buried your head in your hands, attempting to cover up your crimson cheeks.

“Y/N, Come here!” The ringing of your dad’s words caused you to groan before you reluctantly pushed yourself away from the deck chair and dragged yourself to his side.

“Y/N, This is Jennifer... Negan’s girlfriend.” Finally you had a name for the bitch, you plastered the best fake smile you could possibly muster at this moment and held out your hand for her to shake, she did of course.

“So nice to meet you, Tiffany!” you smiled, your hand gripping hers a little tighter than you initially planned.

“it’s Jennifer” she finally pulled away making you feel like you already had the upper hand

“Whatever” at the sound of your cheery tone you felt your dad’s arm nudge you slightly, your eyes rolling underneath your sunglasses.

The night was going fine, all things considered. Negan continued to wrap his arms around Jennifer whenever you even looked in his direction but you decided to go the grown up route about it and simply avoid him. The sun had set and the air was getting pretty cool, a few of your fathers friends had already left. Laying back in the swing chair that occupied the back porch, you let your thoughts occupy your mind. Why was he even doing this? Did he really think that getting a girlfriend would prove some sort of point? Like getting Jennifer would prove some sort of point? Your thoughts couldn’t get away with you too much because at that point you were brought back to your dull reality at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Your eyes circled the area before they settled on the exact man you were just thinking about. He stood tall over you, a sinister smirk occupying his face. You snapped up as soon as your thoughts caught up with you, sitting straight now on the chair though at the velocity of your movements, it made it swing slightly.

“What’s wrong, where’s Tiffany?” your question only caused his smirk to grow as you allowed your head to hang slightly.

“Jennifer and she’s waiting at the door for me. We’re heading home” his voice was so deep it sent vibrations through your body. Allowing your gaze to finally meet with him. “Just saying bye!” a small laugh left his lips before you stood up.

“Bye” you answered simply before pushing past the man.

“What, not gonna say bye to Jen?” you stopped dead in your tracks, your face starting to flush again and your hands slightly shaking, taking a moment to process your actions. Finally you turned to him, mimicking his smirk.

“Oh so you did all this to make me jealous?” you teased, stepping a little closer to him. The power you felt as you watched his expression go blank. “You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble, Negan... really!” Finally standing so close to him, you could feel his body heat against your cheeks. Standing up on your tiptoes, you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug allowing your lips to rest against his ear. “You can have me whenever you want” you whispered as seductively as you possibly could, ignoring the swirling of butterflies that swam around your stomach. You couldn’t soak up the feeling of his body against yours for long as he pushed you away as gently as he could. His hands landed on your hips, as he came to your level.

“Never gonna happen kid!” You’ve heard it before but it still stung, not giving you any time to react, the older man made his way past you and out of sight.

Every holiday or party after that he would bring a new Tiffany to the house, flaunting her in front of you at every chance he got but you never backed down, you did everything you could possibly think of to degrade her in front of everyone and at the end of every night you’d hold onto him a little bit too long like a lioness marking her prey. Nothing prepared you for his last minute appearance at Christmas though! Strolling in, in that stupid Santa hat and that stupid bimbo. The audacity of him to ruin my Christmas like that, to corner me like that! What made it worse was the gift he got you, a fucking Barbie. You made some quick retort about how you were too old for Barbie’s and how Tiffany would probably enjoy it more, he’d correct you on her name like usual but the boxed doll was a constant reminder of how he managed to get under your skin every single time

Part Two 

[annabethy]

under the mistletoe, watching the fire glow day 8: merry ex-mas

Character A’s ex will be at the Christmas party A is attending. Character B poses as A’s fiancée,, percabeth

Percy’s heart just about stops the second he sees his ex at the Christmas Party.

He has just walked into the room, prepared for this to be a good night, but then all hope going flying out the window when he catches the red flash of hair that’s painfully familiar. He really shouldn’t be surprised considering all their friends were the same, but he didn’t think they’d both be invited.

It’s been a few years he supposes, but he still can’t bear to face her. It wasn’t like their relationship ended in a hostile manner or anything. She had just dumped him, and he had been heartbroken, and they haven’t spoken since.

That being said, he thinks it’s totally appropriate when he walks right back out the front door of the party and holds himself against the wall. He’s sure the people that pass by him think he’s going insane, but he can’t bring himself to really care because his ex-girlfriend is in there, and if she sees him alone, she’ll no doubt make a jab at him, and that just cannot happen.

Percy doesn’t move for what feels like eternity. He’s thinking of every possible solution, but the only one that comes to mind is flat out leaving. The only problem is that people have already seen him and greeted him, and it would make its way to her that he left, and then she’d know. Percy curses himself for getting into this situation in the first place. There’s no escape at this point, and it kills him. The only way out would be to do something stupid like fake being engaged, or—

Percy starts, standing straighter.

He could fake being engaged.

Honestly, it’s the best chance he has of not being made fun of by his ex. But Percy knows her too well despite it being years. It would bother her to no end to see him with another girl, much less engaged to another girl.

About a million things could go wrong, but he thinks it’s brilliant.

As Percy begins to through the groups for anyone that looked willing to participate in plan fake-engagement, he can’t believe that this is what his life has come to. He should be ashamed of himself.

Oh well.

People walk into the party in groups or pairs, and it makes his life much more difficult. New York in the winter is freezing, and his fingers are becoming painfully numb. He’s about to give up as his body starts involuntarily shivering, but then there’s finally a girl approaching the front door by herself, and this is his only chance.

She looks really pretty, too. She’s wearing a short black dress with a pink wool coat reaching to right below the length of the dress, and her hair falls in blonde ringlets down her back, ruffled in the wind. She would be the perfect fiancée for him.

“Uh – hi,” he says, stepping a bit into her path. It’s admittedly not the best thing to say to a stranger you’re about to propose to, but how else is he supposed to start this conversation?

“Hi,” she answers cautiously. She moves a bit to his side as though she’s about to step around him, but he moves to follow her. The glare she gives him has him jumping back in alarm. “Can you move?”

“Yeah, I will,” he says. “I just have a quick question, if that’ll alright.”

There’s a pause as she doesn’t answer. Her grey eyes trace over his, questioning, and then she says, “Do I know you?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Then I’d appreciate it if you could move so I could, you know, get inside.”

Maybe she isn’t the best fiancée because he can already tell that her patience is thin in the first two seconds that he’s been speaking to her. Still, he’s out of options.

“I need you to marry me.”

She blinks. “I’m sorry?”

“Just for tonight,” he promises.

“Uh, the length of the marriage is not my concern here.”

Percy glances over his shoulder, making sure no one was listening. This didn’t seem like it was going to be ending in his favor, and he did not need an audience for that.

“My ex is in there,” he pleads. “If I go in there, she’s going to have some rich boyfriend on her arms, and I’m going to look like a loser. She likes to insult me, according to my friends, and it would really make her mad if she thought we were engaged.”

She chokes. “Your solution to seeing your ex is to fake an engagement?”

“I never said I was smart.”

“That’s the worst idea I’ve ever head.”

Percy’s moves out of her way, conceding to the fact that she wasn’t going to be of any assistance. Surprisingly, she doesn’t move.

“How do you plan on making it work?” she asks, crossing her arms.

“Are you considering doing it?”

“Oh, no, but I want to see just how badly this is going to go.”

“I’ll be honest. I didn’t think that far.”

She laughs, covering her mouth. “She’s going to know.”

“Not if you help me,” he pleads. “We’d be a cute couple, too…”

She grins, sensing the silent question. “Annabeth.”

“Percy,” he returns. “This is going to come off weird, but you’re super pretty, and she would not like that.”

“She’s the jealous type, huh?” Annabeth shifts on her feet, biting her lower lip. “I do love making people jealous.”

He claps once. “Perfect!”

“And if I do help you, what do I get out of it?” She smirks. “Besides a hot fiancé.”

“I’ll take you to dinner afterwards.”

“Hm. Where?”

Percy’s wallet screams as he says, “Wherever you want.”

“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.” She steps towards him and slides her arm into his. Percy is completely astonished that it worked, and as they step inside, he realizes how natural this feels, which is hilarious considering this is the least natural engagement there is.

There is a wave of warmth that washes over them, and there’s Christmas music playing in the background.

“So,” she starts, locking eyes with him. “Is there a plan?”

“The plan is to not fuck this up.”

“Foolproof.”

They don’t actually end up talking to anyone for a while. It turns out there weren’t as many people there that he knew as he thought there was. His ex is still there with her friends in the corner of the room, and Percy’s sure she’s seen him by now. There are eyes burning holes into the back of his neck.

“Who are we trying to fool?”

“Behind us. The girl with red hair. Her name is Rachel.” Annabeth outright turns on the couch to glance at her, not at all subtle, and Percy nearly shrieks.

“She was looking at you,” Annabeth tells him. “And now she knows we were looking at her,” he mutters. “Thanks for that.”

“What do we do?”

Percy blanks. “I don’t know.”

“Tell me what to do! I’ve never been in a fake relationship before!”

He gawks. “You think I have!?”

“This was your idea,” she accuses, but she slides in closer to him. Her body presses up against him. He tries not to focus on the curves he feels pressing into his body. Percy’s hand automatically goes to wrap around her waist and holds her in place.

It takes a while before they actually have to speak to anyone, and when they do, it’s not at all smooth. Percy’s bright red as he introduces her as his fiancée to a group of kids from his class, and Annabeth doesn’t even hide the laugh that bubbles out of her mouth. She seems to bask in his embarrassment, and it makes Percy feel a little insulted.

(Also a little endeared, for some reason)

“That wasn’t funny,” he says, avoiding eye contact after they leave.

“That was hilarious,” she disagrees.

“Shut up.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“You’re laughing at me.”

“How could you expect me not to.”

Percy glares at her and is about to retort something, but then someone else is standing in front of him, and when he finally tears his eyes away from Annabeth, he is surprised to see Rachel standing right before him, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Percy,” she says, though her eyes are trained to Annabeth. “It’s been a while.”

He shifts uncomfortably. He had thought he wanted to make her jealous, but he had been so deep in conversation with Annabeth that he’s lowkey disappointed to be pulled out of it. “It has been.”

“How are you?” she asks, and Percy can sense the plastic tone of her voice. He hates it, and he hates the way she’s looking at Annabeth as though she’s ever had any right to judge.

Percy’s grip tightens on Annabeth. “It’s going pretty well. The wedding is only in a few months now, so that’s been pretty busy.”

He sees the gears turn in her head. “The wedding?”

Percy mocks a frown. “My fiancée and I are getting married. Haven’t you heard?”

“Of course I have,” she says, “I just didn’t hear anything about a wedding.”

Percy quickly learns that Annabeth is absolutely horrible at masking her emotions as she presses her face into the sleeve of his shirt and snickers. The lie is so obvious considering Percy and Annabeth themselves haven’t even heard of a wedding.

“Invitations were sent out months ago,” he says innocently.

“Oh? I was invited?”

Percy pouts. “Of course not. I just figured you would have heard.” The look on Rachel’s face is priceless. Percy doesn’t think him and Annabeth are convincing in the slightest, but it is pretty fun regardless. “I don’t think you’ve met my fiancée. Rachel, this is Annabeth,” he says, motioning to the girl in his arms. “Annabeth, Rachel.”

“Nice to meet you,” Annabeth says. She doesn’t sound pleased to meet her at all. She’s nothing if not a loyal fake fiancée. “Heard so much about you.”

“All good things I hope,” Rachel says.

Annabeth gives her a sympathetic look. “I wish I could say they were all good things, but you know how it is.”

“I know how Percy is,” she counters.

Annabeth laughs, and Percy feels tiny under her scrutinizing gaze. He didn’t know someone could disarm another person with just once glance, but here he was about to marry that person. He kind of loves it. “Baby, no, you don’t.”

Rachel looks like she’s about to open her mouth to say something else, no doubt a weak jab back at Annabeth, but then Annabeth turns to look at him, a soft smile on her face. “We should probably get going, yeah? We have the meeting with the wedding planner tomorrow.”

Percy decides to play along. “I thought we had the cake tasting in the morning.”

“The meeting is for the cake tasting, silly.” And next thing he knows, she’s pressing a sweet kiss to his lips, leaving him trying his best to not make it overbearingly obvious that his brain is going haywire. “Let’s go, yeah?”

Her face is close to his, and he can feel her breath on his lips. He wants to kiss her again, so he does. For the act, of course. “Let’s go.”

They stand up together, hand in hand, and they barely even glance at Rachel as they walk past. Annabeth calls over her shoulder, “It was nice to match the name to the face,” and they leave trying to maintain what little composure they had left.

The second they make it out of the house, Annabeth breaks down laughing, and Percy follows after her.

“Oh my god,” she wheezes. “That was amazing.”

“There’s no way she believed us,” he breathes out, ducking to rest his hands on his knees. “That was the worst performance of my life, and I was in theatre in high school.”

Annabeth laughs harder, wiping at the corners of her eyes. “Did you see her face?”

“Yes. I didn’t know someone could be so mean. She looked like she was about to cry!”

Annabeth shrugs, still stifling giggles. “Who cares. She’s never going to see me again anyways.”

That does bring Percy back down. It’s been maybe two hours since they met, but he’s loved every second of it. He wants to see her again, but…

“I guess I owe you that dinner now, huh?”

She runs her fingers through her hair. “You don’t have to.”

Percy swallows, looking anywhere except her eyes. “I want to.”

“Oh.”

Percy brings his eyes back to hers now and finds her looking at him with a smirk. “You’re laughing at me again.”

“Only because we’ve been engaged and you still don’t know how to ask me out,” she assures.

Percy brings himself to her. “Annabeth. Would you like to get dinner with me?”

“Depends on where,” she says teasingly.

“Anywhere your heart desires.”

She puts her hands behind his neck and kisses him once. “I’d love to.”

Percy thinks it’s a bit insane how everything has played out. They started with an engagement, and now they’re on a date, and he’s already falling in love. It must be something of a Christmas miracle.

[horansqueen]

New Angel - Chapter 2

story masterlist [x]

chapter 1

NOTES

☆ written from Niall’s pov ☆ i don’t proofread, I never do, I hate it. ☆ AU comedy/fluff/smut/romance ☆ 2.6k ☆ i accept requests and ideas for this story, so message me in my inbox! ☆ if you want to be notified when this story is updated (or be taken off the update list) CLICK HERE

NIALL

I was not okay the next day, like Louis had suggested. In fact, even three weeks later, I was still depressed. I had sent Grace a few text messages but she never answered and I didn't know what else I could do. It was obsessing me to the point where I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything else or almost. I spent all my time in my apartment, dragging my feet from the kitchen to the living room with a few breaks to the bathroom. It was pathetic and I knew it, but I didn't have the strength to do anything else.

"You realize you've watched that movie three times in the past two days?"

I blinked a few times, turning to look at Millie who was bending close to me, slipping her hand between the cushions on the couch, probably searching for her keys.

"I keep falling asleep." I lied, putting my eyes back on the screen.

There was no need to tell her that I actually didn't understand the plot because I kept thinking about my ex girlfriend. I knew it would piss her off and I was not in the mood to hear about her rant about how I need to go out and meet new girls. I didn't want new girls. All I wanted was Grace.

"Where are you going?" I asked, grabbing one of my pillows that was now almost permanently on the couch now to hold it against me.

"Work." she pointed out with a sigh as she started searching more vigourously and quickly. "When's the last time you actually went to work?"

"Can't remember." I mumbled, leaning my head on the back of the couch and closing my eyes.

"You'll get fired." she sighed, shaking her head. "You may have a nice smile and lots of charm, Niall, but it's not going to save you forever."

"My boss loves me."

"She does." Millie agreed as I opened my eyes. She raised her eyebrows and her lips curled on the right. "Because she wants in your pants. Why don't you spend the night with her? Maybe it would make you stop being such a loser."

"She's sixty." I argued with a frown. "And I'm not a loser."

"Nothing beats experience." she paused. "And you've been a loser for the past few weeks."

I simply groaned low and decided not to answer but I turned my head when Millie whispered a few curse words, still trying to find her keys in the couch. I sighed, desperate to be alone again, and shook my head.

"Take mine."

"Okay, where are they?"

I looked around and noticed them on the carpet before pointing them to her. She sent me a frown and bent down to take them in her hand, sighing again.

"You're getting messy. That's bad."

Quickly, she took her phone out of her purse and typed something just as someone knocked at the door. I grabbed the remote and turned the volume up until Millie snatched it out of my hand. I wanted to be pissed at how annoying she was but I didn't have the strength to argue more when she turned the tv off.

"Fine, I'll just go in my room for a nap."

I got up but Millie put her hand on my chest and I let my head fall back on my shoulders slightly. All I wanted was to be alone or get my girlfriend back. Why was it so hard for everyone to understand? Today, it was Millie and when it was not her, it was Louis who would try to spend time with me to make me stop thinking about my failed relationship. I wanted to appreciate what they did for me but I just couldn't.

"First, just go answer the door so you can have an interaction with a human being." she proposed, raising her eyebrows.

"I knew you weren't human." I let out, making her grimace.

She grabbed my shoulders, turned me around and pushed me gently towards the door. I had almost reached it when I heard her behind me.

"Baby steps, Horan!"

"Don't call me that." I muttered, grabbing the knob and opening the door very slowly.

My heart literally stopped in my chest when Grace appeared behind it, and my jaw dropped. She was even more gorgeous than in my memories, and when she pressed her lips together, I wanted to take her in my arms, nuzzle her neck and smell her hair. It was more than just sexual, it was everything she made me feel, from the butterflies to the 'heart skipping beat' thing we hear in movies. How did I live three weeks without her? Wait, I didn't. I barely survived.

I wanted to say something but my mind was blank and I just stared at her until she raised her shoulders up, bringing them near her face. She looked uncomfortable and for some reason, it made me sad.

"Hey, Niall."

The sound of her voice made something stir in my stomach and it reminded me of all the videos of her that Louis had deleted the day she broke up with me. I felt a hole inside me suddenly and swallowed hard.

"I know I shouldn't be here but, I..." she shook her head and licked her lips, avoiding my gaze. "Can I come in?"

It took me a few seconds to react but I finally nodded and moved on the side to let her in. Her perfume reached my nose as she walked in and I felt myself tear up. I followed her to the living room but only got out of my thoughts when I realized she came face to face with Millie. My friend's face changed and she sighed exaggeratedly.

"Grace. Really?"

"Hey Millie."

"Grace, you can't do that."

Weirdly, Millie's voice was low but I could hear how mad she was. She was staring at my ex girlfriend and it made me frown slightly.

"I know, I just really need my passport and I'm pretty sure I left it here."

My friend sighed and passed her hand on her face before shaking her head again. My gaze moved from her to my ex girlfriend and I cleared my throat, frowning slightly.

"Okay, what's happening here?"

Millie took a step closer and shrugged a shoulder. "Grace came to the library to tell me that she forgot a few things here and, I told her it was a bad idea to come when you were there because you... had a hard time getting over this relationship."

I frowned more and my lips parted. It took a few seconds for the confusion in my brain to dissipate and I finally understood, pushing the air out of my lungs quickly.

"Millie, you can't just get in my business like that."

"Niall, it's not Millie's fault, it's mine." Grace admitted, tilting her head and shaking it lightly at the same time. "I got your text messages and, I didn't want to give you wrong hopes if I messaged you again, or called."

My eyes roamed on her face and my heart broke again in my chest. It felt like she was breaking up with me for a second time, and I had no idea how I'd be able to go through that again.

"I just need my passport."

I remembered that I put it with mine in one of my folders the last time we came back from a trip and swallowed hard when I realized she was going to use it without me.

"You're leaving?"

Her eyes moved to my friend and she cleared her throat, looking down but glancing up at me for half a second. "Yea, me and a few friends are just going to... you know, on a girls trip."

"Did you already replace me?"

A silence took place between the three of us but this time, Grace looked up at me and blinked a few times, sending me a sincere smile. I missed her every second of every day but now that she was so close, I missed her even more, and I didn't even know it was possible.

"No, Niall." she replied gently. "I didn't replace you."

We remained silent again but this time it wasn't as heavy and after a few seconds, I simply nodded. I could ask beg her to give me an other chance, or tell her I would change, but I knew it was useless. She already knew everything I was ready to do for her from the few text messages I had sent and I was slowly realizing that nothing would change her mind. I was resigned to accept my fate, or getting close to it.

"I'll get your passport."

I walked quickly to my room and found it exactly where I had left it before going back to the living room. Both girls stopped talking when I walked back in but I decided not to mention it, even if I knew it meant they were talking about me. I handed her passport to Grace who thanked me and cleared her throat shyly.

"I think I'll just... leave, now." she let out, sending me a sad smile. "Bye Niall."

I stayed there, standing up motionless and waiting to hear the door behind her, inhaling deeply when she was gone and making me realized I had stopped breathing completely. My heart was telling me to turn on my heels and run to her but my head was fighting it. There were no reason for me to do that, it wouldn't change anything.

"It's over." I whispered before Millie took a step closer to me.

"Okay, you need food, come on."

I didn't move or even looked at her and she just placed herself behind me, her hands on my shoulders, leading me to the kitchen and pushing me gently. I let myself fall on a chair but it took me a few minutes to realize what she was doing.

"Mill, you can't cook for shite."

"I can make pancakes." she argued as I shook my head.

"No, you can't." I blinked a few times and sighed. "Besides, you'll be late for work."

I must have looked very sad for Millie to actually take care of me like that. Our personalities clashed most of the time but at that exact moment, I was grateful to have a friend like her. Even when we were kids, we would tease each other all the time, and banter with each other, so it wasn't new, and if I wanted to be honest, I had never felt really close with her. Louis and her were best friends, I knew that, and now they were clearly more than that. Louis was also my best friend, and somehow, I felt like he was the only link between Millie and I.

"No worries, I texted Louis, he's coming back and he'll take care of you so I can go to work."

"So now I need a babysitter." I pointed out, raising my eyebrows. I was not really mad. In fact, I felt relieved, especially now that it was finally hitting me that it was totally over with Grace.

"Baby steps, babysitter." Millie joked with a grin, turning to glance at me. "Don't want you tripping and falling on your face."

It took about 15 minutes for Louis to get home. He walked in and went straight to the kitchen, getting next to Millie and hitting her hip with his. It made her laugh and she turned around, sending him a smile. Her traits softened when her eyes met his and I was suddenly jealous of what they had, no matter what it was. Maybe it would make me feel better to have someone too, someone I could spend time with, without having to label what we had.

I was obviously not ready for a relationship but staying alone seemed just as bad. Besides, I had spent the last three weeks pretty much alone, and it had to change, or I would go crazy. I watched Louis send her a smile and she tilted her chin up. I was expecting them to kiss but instead, Louis turned to me and smiled more.

"What's the plan for today, Neil?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me. "How about tennis?"

I frowned and shook my head, knowing that Louis must have been desperate for me to get out of the house if he was ready to play tennis with me.

"I'm thinking about watching the integrality of netflix." I just replied with a shrug, crossing my arms over my chest. "And maybe start amazon prime if I have time."

Millie chuckled next to him and it made my lips curl more. I really appreciated how my friends took care of me but I didn't know how to tell them. I was never really good with expressing my feelings and I just cleared my throat.

"Thank you, both of you."

I watched Millie bring a plate of pancakes on the table and raised my eyebrows, staring at them. They were a nice golden color, they smelled amazing and suddenly, I was hungry.

"When's the last time you had a proper meal, Niall?" Louis asked when we all heard my stomach growl.

"Yesterday?"

Louis chuckled and shook his head, amused. "Chips don't count as a meal."

I shrugged and started eating but when Millie moved closer to Louis, I looked up at them, pushing big pieces of pancakes in my mouth. I knew they had been close like that for a while but their dynamics still made me curious. Sometimes, they acted like a couple and some other times, you could barely tell they were best friends.

"You've got flour on your nose." Louis whispered, bringing his hand up to wipe it and making her shake her head as she smiled slightly.

"I'm fine, I have to go." she replied, moving his hand away gently. "I'm already late." She turned to me and smiled more when she noticed I was almost done with the meal she prepared. "We're going out tonight. You need to let loose."

If I hadn't seen Grace half an hour before, I would probably have argued and ended up locked in my room. I was still sad but Millie was right, I needed a distraction. It was useless to wait for Grace to come back, now. She wouldn't.

"Are you ever going to make it official with her?" I asked, leaning against my chair, feeling slightly nauseous because of how fast I ate.

"Naa, we're not gonna talk about Millie and I." Louis shrugged, sitting in front of me.

"Why are you avoiding it?" I argued, raising my eyebrows. "You're both so good when it comes to getting involved in my relationships but as soon as I mention yours, you act like it's none of my business."

Louis raised his nose up in a grimace, looking down at his hands and shaking his head. "It's not a romantic relationship it's just..." he paused and shrugged a shoulder, making me frown. "It's complicated."

I was about to ask him more but he looked up and sent me a big smile. Louis was never the kind of person who liked confiding and if I wanted to be honest, I wasn't either. The difference was that I respected his choice to keep things to himself, but he always insisted to help me. It came from a good place, I knew it, but I felt like the sharing part was unfair.

"I know where we're going tonight." he finally let out, slapping the table enough to make me jump. "And I promise you're gonna get laid."

[betterthebest]

Here We Go Again | An MJF Fanfic Part 4

Status: *Not requested*

Description: Bella was a teen wrestler working in the Indy circuit until an injury cost her her short career. She and MJF were friends turned lovers, turned strangers and friends again. What happens when she joins AEW to lead a faction with her ex? Will their history jeopardize their rekindled friendship?

A/N: This is an alternate universe (no covid :p) where MJF didn’t earn a spot in the inner circle. Hope you all enjoy my original story!

See also: (Part 1) (Part 2)

“Is it possible for me to kiss you?” James’ voice was shaking. We parked up in front of Britt’s after our date. We had a great time at a bar in downtown Jacksonville. I liked talking to him. He’s very down to earth and mature. I’ve dated guys his age before and they weren’t mature when they were supposed to be. We got along great and the three hours we spent together felt like no time at all. We listened to music and talked about life and what we wanted out of it. The talks were never shallow which I appreciated. I looked at him with a smile. “It’s possible.” He smiled back and leaned in. I leaned over the consol. He placed his hand on my cheek and pulled me in softly. In one swift motion his lips connected with mine. It was slow and sweet. He was a good kisser but I couldn’t help but compare him to Max. They were both soft and tender. It was different though, there was love behind my kisses with Max, even last week. I had to figure what I wanted from him. Am I able to move on? Maybe it’s not with James, but maybe it’s not with anyone.  We pulled away, smiling. “Sweet,” he said.  I giggled, “you’re good.” He laughed, “thank you, so are you.” We talked a little bit more before saying goodnight. He waited for Britt to open the door for me before pulling off. Britt hugged me when I walked in. “What the...?” “How was it?” She grinned.  “It was fun.” “And did he kiss you?” She grinned.  “Were you watching?” Britt closed her lips together, looking around the room. “Nooo?” I shook my head, laughing. “He did.” “Was it good?” “He was good.” I put on my best smile. Britt of course didn’t buy into my giddiness. “What happened? Did he say something douchy? I’ll kill him. You think you know a guy,” she shook her head.  “No, Britt. He’s great. It’s just...Max slipped into my mind.” I sat on the couch in defeat. “He wasn’t on my mind before that kiss.” Britt sat next to me. “Oh Bell, what are you going to do about Max?” “I don’t know. All I know is this was a bad idea.” “No, stop it’s not. You’re just confused.” “How can I get over it?” I dropped my head to my hands. Britt rubbed my back to comfort me. “I don’t know babes, I don’t know.” I heard footsteps behind us. I sat up and looked back at Austin. “What’s going on?” He placed his hands on his hips. “She’s having a moment,” Britt said with a sigh. Austin nodded his head. “Are you okay kiddo?” “Max,” was all I could say.  “My name isn’t Max, but...” “It’s about Max you dip,” Britt rolled her eyes. “I know that babe, I’m trying to make her smile.” “Well you failed,” Britt said, causing me to chuckle. She looked at me, “I won.” “Britt won,” I said softly. Austin shook his head, “seriously. What happened?” Austin walked in front of us.  “How do I get over this comparing guys to Max?” “Get under him,” he shrugged.  “Tried that. Made things worse.” Austin looked at me then at Britt with wide eyes. “I um shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t want to know.” “She’s not a child anymore babe.” “But she’s like my sister.” He turned his attention back to me. “You need guy advice, don’t you?” “Duh, Jenkins.” I said and Britt laughed. “Seriously, what should I do?” I sat, laying my head on the couch backing. “Talk to him about it. you two will be working close together for a while. The tension might be great for tv, but you need peace of mind.” “I had a feeling you’d say to talk to him,” I sighed.  He chuckled, “you have to be an adult about it.” He’s completely right. As much as I hated it, Austin is usually right when I get advice from him. Austin left for bed while Britt and I talked about my night. I needed to get Max off my mind, at least for the night. I was going to see him in the morning. I’ll have to rip the band-aid off and that’s just what I was going to do.

The next day Britt drove me to the airport. I made my way through TSA and met up with Max. He was sitting at a coffee shop, phone in hand. An announcement came over the speakers saying flights to New York will be delayed. I approached him and sat in the chair across from him. He looked  up at his phone and smiled at me. “Hey, you.” “Hey, how’s it going?” “Eh, pissed that our flight will be another hour.” He looked at the board next to us with all the flights and times they will leave and arrive somewhere. “Well that sucks.” We made small talk. I couldn’t bring myself to talk to him just yet. We talked about next week. I didn’t want to bring down the conversation by telling him what’s on my mind. It started to irritate me to the point where I just had to tell him. “Max? Can I... I need to tell you something.” “Yeah what’s up? You look nervous.” He placed his hand on mine and gave it a quick squeeze. My palms were sweating and my mouth went dry. I needed that to be the other way around. I just came out and spewed word vomit at him. “James asked me out so we went out and he kissed me. When he did kiss me I thought about you and now I’m a mess because I’m thinking about you.” I took a deep breath. Max had a blank expression on his face. We sat in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes. “So you went out with James?” I nodded. “And you kissed him?” I nodded again. “And you thought of me?” “Max I just told you.” “Do you still love me? And don’t say you’ll always love me, you know what I mean.”  “I don’t know Max and that’s the problem.” “How did you feel about me when we fucked?” His tone got more aggressive. I didn’t answer. He pulled his chair closer to mine. “How did you feel about me when we fucked?” He whispered in the same tone. His face was only inches from mine. “Look at me.”  “It felt amazing. I missed you and being in your arms,” I said softly. Our eyes connected. He reached out and cupped my cheek with his hand. “Then be mine again,” he ran his thumb across my cheek bone.  “Max I-I don’t know.” He dropped his hand and stood up. “Well when you know, come talk to me.” He took his luggage and walked away. I watched as we walked towards the gate. My head started pounding and my heart sunk. We can’t even be friends. I didn’t want to ruin things, but here we are. He doesn’t even want to be my friend and that’s what hurts the most. I got a text from James asking how I was. I lied to avoid conversation. He told me to have a safe flight and we left it at that.  Max and I sat in different rows. He didn’t even look at me I felt like a huge pile of crap. My throat tightened, I couldn’t help but let tears flow. All of a sudden a memory came back from when we were 16. 

                                              .     .     .    .     .     .  

I took the train from school to the training facility. It was only a half hour ride. Davey picked me up from the station and had another kid in the passenger’s seat. He looked about my age, dark hair and dark deep set eyes. He had an air of confidence about him, almost to the point of cockiness. He looked kind of small so maybe he was trying put on a façade. He would look at me every once in a while through the rearview mirror. It wasn’t anything creepy, more of trying to figure me out. Even though I had my school uniform on I still looked like I was fixing to fight someone. I always put on my own hard exterior even though deep down I’m a sweet person. I kept my head down to keep from an awkward stare. He talked to Davey about how excited he was to start training. I found out that Max was being trained by the main trainer at the school. Davey just started as a trainer last year when I began here. When I was 13 I went to a wrestling school just for fun. It was something I ended up really enjoying. I wasn’t serious about it though until I realized I could actually be successful. At 13 I did both dance and wrestling, but I chose the latter not only because it was more enjoyable, but it became my dream turned reality. Focusing on wrestling was the best decision I made.  Once we got to the school I went to the restroom and got dressed in my sweatpants. I tied my hair up and made my way to the main room. All the trainers would get together and set up matches for all the students. There were three people assigned to a trainer with five trainers in total. The females would go against each other and the males will. Sometimes we’ll have intergender matches if we begged for it. All the trainers introduced a new member to their team. The boy from the car’s name was Maxwell Friedman. He clearly looked like the youngest, but he carried himself as if he was older than he actually is. I on the other hand always seemed younger in the way I presented myself. I don’t have the best posture and radiated timid young girl vibes. He scanned everyone and rested his gaze on me. I looked away quickly. Boys never really looked in my direction before, at least I didn’t notice them looking at me. Going to an all girls Catholic school didn’t help the cause. We all gathered around the ring and had matches one by one. I was the fourth match and went up against a girl named Fiona. She was a few inches taller than me and had slightly bigger arms. I could lift half my body weight, but I didn’t do that enough to see major results. I didn’t want big arms, I just wanted to be strong. Davey coached me while her trainer coached her. There was no winners or losers in these matches. It was more to build up our endurance and skill. We all got 10 minutes for each match. After my match it was time for a dinner break. We all sat around to eat and talk. I ended up sitting next to Max. We started to talk since everyone else was scarce. He started talking first. “So, how old are you?” “16,” I nodded. The corners of his lips turned into a smile. “So am I. What month were you born?” “September, you?” “I’m older. March,” he said proudly. I let out a chuckle. He continued talking, “you’re a good wrestler.” I smiled. It was the highest compliment for me. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing your skill.” “I have plenty,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and laughed. “You’ll see.” And that I did. He wrestled the next time we had class. On Tuesday’s and on Friday’s is a training class with our individual trainers. One Saturday a month the whole school would put on a show for friends and family. When the next Tuesday rolled around I became brave and started a conversation with Max. We decided to ask our trainers if we could have a match together. They agreed and let us do it. We were coached through and found out that we had a lot of chemistry in the ring. Every move I made was natural and didn’t have much thought behind it. 

[dcomicsficrecs]

Do you have any fics with Jason just being a Bro™️? Or any with him rejoining the family after UTRH?

For the sake of this post not being too long, I am going to rec only one fic or series from an author, but all of these authors are great writers so I recommend checking their other works as well. Hope you will enjoy this fics as much as I do!

1. Jason and Damian being bros

1.1 Bet on it by Lysical  

Even Damian could admit that his older siblings occasionally had their uses. __

"I need your assistance," Damian said, voice low and tense.

"No," Jason replied, and hung up.

Short but adorable story of Jason helping out Damian to hide something from their father, just like big brothers out to do.

1.2 Cracked Foundation by Cdelphiki    

The last thing Damian expected to happen when he ran away from home was to spend a day crammed into a small space with Jason Todd.  His father's second son was a black sheep.  An outcast.  An angry, insanity driven criminal who enjoyed screwing with the batfamily in every way he could. At least, that's what Damian thought.  Maybe he was wrong about Todd.

Perfect hurt/comfort with a lot of family feels and Damian and Jason bodning. Bonus points: Jason actually apologizing for shooting him; exploration of Bruce’s relationships with them both too.

1.3   Good Grief by lysiabeth                

“I know who you are, you know. I got my degree at GCU.” The girl says, eyes boring into Jason’s chest as if the red bat were still plastered on it, and Jason’s back stiffens.

“Right.” Jason’s teeth click together as he closes his mouth. He’s eighteen-hundred miles out from Gotham, and of all the Goddamn vet centres he could have broken into it’s probably the only one around that knows anything about his city.

WIP with 8K words so far but worth early reading and bookmarking/subscribing. Case fic, plus Damian and Jason bonding as siblings through Talia? Leviathan also plays a part in this story? Hell yeah.

1.4 Jason and the Three Terrors by Cdelphiki                

One moment, Jason was peacefully sleeping, perfectly content with his life with the League of Assassins.  Okay, so maybe not content content, but he wasn't unhappy, either.  Then Talia woke him up at 2 am, threw three children at him, and told him to get them to America and far away from Ra's al Ghul.

What the fuck.

The last thing he wanted was to see Bruce. But with three brats relying on him and no Talia, there weren't many options for sanctuary. He just didn't expect the kids to grow on him so much in two short weeks.

A superb AU where Jason helps Damian escape League of the Assassin (against his wishes and with two unwanted additions to boot, which is half the pleausure). They aren’t brothers, stictly speaking, at the start of the fic, but become them as the story progresses.

It’s a WIP but it has 50K already and it will be so much more. I am excited with every update and I’m sure you’re gonna be, too.

2. Jason being a brother to Cassandra

2.1 Nests and Cages series by LanternWisp, Lysical starting with Needles or Pins  

Jason Todd's journey back to the Batfamily. Takes place in the Frankenstein's monster of a canon I've stitched together. Each plot is rather self-contained, but the fics do flow into one another

Jay and Cass are bio siblings, and Jason’s slow return to the fold. I love this series, and I think it’s one of the greatest take on Lady Shiva being Jason’s mother too.

2.2 Didymous  by   Hinn_Raven

Didymous: adjective: growing in pairs or twins.

Cassandra and Jason are born twins, raised by their father to be killers. Two heads are better than one.

It’s a great AU with Jay and Cass being biological siblings.

2.3 the patron saint of the lost causes series by evanescent

Pre-Flashpoint AU based on canon what-if Lady Shiva was not only Cassandra's biological mother, but Jason's, too. Mostly focuses on Cass and Jason's relationship, and how that fact changes the dynamics in Batfamily.

It is also a great series with Cass and Jay being biological siblings and I recommend reading every fic of this series.

2.4 Rebirth by Ionaperidot                

"The boy is clearly ill, and while she’s almost certain that he is, impossibly, Jason Todd, almost is not good enough. She can’t drop heartbreak on her beloved’s doorstep, and she can’t run the necessary tests when Damian is vulnerable to her father’s wrath. There’s no way around it. He’ll have to come home with her."

Unexpectedly in charge of a second son, Talia struggles to raise her children without unwanted attention from the Demon's Head.

An AU where Talia is the one who unites Cass and Jason. It also contains Damian, and he’s a little brother to them both.

3. Jason and Duke being bros

3.1 Bats are Dorks by   Reah22                

Duke hadn’t meant to literally trip and fall on to Jason. He really hadn’t. For the record, he blamed Steph. It was probably one of her old pranks that she forgot to take down. That, or she deliberately left it up for someone to trip over in the dark.

Just Duke and Jason, hanging out. Super nice.

3.2 oh, where do i begin? by LazuliQuetzal

“No, no, nothing’s wrong,” Jason says. “We’re a-okay. Just peachy. Good times.”

“Oh,” Duke says, lamely, working himself out of crisis mode. There’s an awkward silence for a moment before he speaks up again. “Why did you call?”

“Right, right," Jason mumbles, which seemed a little out of character to Duke. His sort-of wayward brother was generally intimidating, even when he wasn't trying to be. "Uh, Dick said that you had a guinea pig when you were younger. How do you take care of a guinea pig?” _____

AKA, not-exactly accidental guinea pig acquisition

Absolutely adorable short story about Jason going to his little brother for advice.

3.3 rockstar au series by addiebey starting with disconnect:

jason and duke bond. dick just doesn't get it, but what's new?

Another great no-capes AU. Only two fics from the series, both under 1k, are focused on Duke and Jason, but they are so great. The whole series is, actually, though it’s not finished. I am just grateful even this much exists, but I am definitely bookmarking and subscribing it in case there will be more. Please give this series the attention and praise it deserves.

There are, alas, not many Duke and Jason-centered fics. Though there is another one I wanted to recommend, about Jason training Duke, but I can’t find it for some reason. It was short and funny, and if anyone recognizes this description, I would be glad if you told me.

4. Jason and Dick being bros

4.1 i was naive and hopeful and lost by heroics (figure8)

Clark and Bruce take in a troubled teen.

The The Fosters AU no one asked for.

It’s a part of the series which is one of the best no-capes AU I’ve read, if not the best, and it’s a great family-focused fic with a good parent Bruce. The road for Jason to become Dick’s and the rest of the kids’ brother is slow but greatly written.

4.2 To Reconcile by CasualDanger      

“Babs slapped me at your funeral.”  Jason goes to laugh, but it’s just a cough and his mouth barely even twitches up.  “She hated me in that moment.  I mean, really, really hated me, like I did Talia after I found out Damian had died.  And I wondered,” his voice cracks, eyes glassy now, “did you hate anyone when I was gone?  Because I was gone?”

Short and emotional fic where Dick and Jason open up to each other during pressing circumstances.

4.3  Five Times Dick Grayson Read about Jason Todd in the Newspaper by Engineerd              

If Dick hadn’t been special ordering the Gotham City Gazette, he wouldn’t have found out for - well. Years, at this rate.

Short and very full of emotion story. I love the exploration of Dick’s almost unchanging attitude toward Jason - well, unchanging right before the last time he would read about him (or almost the last time). They’re not really close here, and won’t grow closer, but sometimes siblinghood is like that.

4.4 The View From Jade by lowflyingfruit                

Being transported to the past is not the sort of thing one normally expects. But this having happened, and with no easy way back, Jason's determined to make the most of it. Though the Bat still stalks Gotham's streets, the city's crime is run by the mobs instead of the rogues. There's no Joker yet.

There's no Robin.

Maybe there shouldn't be.

Time Travel Jason&Dick focused AU! One of the best time travel fics where they actually change stuff even if it doesn’t transit to their universe - for exception of their more strong brotherly relationships.

5. Jason and Stephanie being bros

5.1 this time, the loser wins by parkerstorms

They were two sides of the same coin.  They understood each other.  It was nice.  It was a downright relief.  She’d never had a big brother before.

There’s not a lot of Jason and Steph being bros stories I have not mentioned before, but this one is one of them, and a great one too.

6. Jason and Tim being bros

6.1 Bonding Habits of Robins by  GoAwayOlivia                

Giving each other shit is how the bat brothers show they care. Jason and Tim do it particularly well.

It’s a funny and nice fic with exactly what’s said in the summary.

There’s a lot of fics with Jason and Tim being bros but my memorie went blank when I tried to recall. Which is not a statement about their relationships or quality of fics that depict them, it’s just sometimes my memory doesn’t work properly. This is the case with the Jason and Steph, too. As soon as I remember or discover new fics about their relationships, I am going to update this post or maybe create a new one just for the three of them. We’ll see!

7. Batfam Jason-featured sibling relationships

7.1 If the Sky Comes Falling Down (For You)  by  lurkinglurkerwholurks

or, 5 times Jason Todd saved his siblings... and one time they saved him.

It was only by luck that Jason was still there when the bodies came crashing down the street. Bad luck, he would argue. He could hear them long before he could see them, their bodies preceded by the thunderous pounding of boots of asphalt and shouted curses. Three or four figures flashed by his little alleyway, a tight mob followed by a lone, slender figure in a streaming cape.

Summary speaks for itself. It’s a gradual description of Jason slowly coming back to the family after UtRH and starting feeling like their brother.

7.2  this is a long drive (for three robins who don't agree on much) by   drakefeathers

(Bad Robins road trip AU!) Steph’s trip home to Gotham takes a huge detour thanks to Jason and Damian’s conflicts with airport security. She’s stuck driving the two brothers cross-country to reach Tim’s wedding in time.

Damian, Jason & Steph bonding road trip AU that warms your heart. Seriously, if you like any of these characters, you read this.

7.3 on a thin chain of moments and something like faith series  by irnan

Jason really oughta know better than to talk to Bats.

Jason bonding with both Steph and Cass! Love it. It’s fluff and angst, which is hard to pull off together, but it works here. It also, in places, incredibly funny. I love re-reading it from time to time.

7.4   Tremor by  LueurdeLaube              

Nobody can tell Jason Todd that joking about his own death is not a valid coping mechanism.

Not about Jason being a bro per se but about Batfam and Jason so I hope it counts!

7.5. the lost sidekick society by  redtruthed                

The batkids make a group chat.

Chaos ensues.

One of the best groupchat AU for Batfam.

[thelittlebirdthattoldyou]

for the songfic drabble: iwaoi and girls by The 1975? also hope youre having a great day!!

ty anon! i hope you are as well <3

girls - the 1975

pairing: iwaizumi hajime/oikawa tooru

content: slight angst (with a happy ending), getting together, high school, clubbing?

tw: underage drinking/drug mention

wc: 926

-

It’s practically Seijoh tradition. The last night of their training camp in Tokyo, the third years sneak out of their rooms and take the metro downtown to let loose. Maybe the coaches know about it or maybe they don’t, but they turn a blind eye as long as everyone makes it onto the bus the next day.

Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and, naturally, Oikawa were all for the idea, to the point of packing club outfits alongside their gym clothes. They’re only at their first nightclub, and all three of them have already disappeared onto the dance floor. Iwaizumi scowls down at his untouched beer. A drop of condensation trickles down the side of the glass.

It’s tradition, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it.

A heavy arm drapes itself around Iwaizumi’s shoulders and he tenses, turning to tell the person off. He stops when he realizes that it’s Oikawa, almost unrecognizable under the neon lights. His hair is a mess, his pupils dilated. There’s alcohol on his breath, a hint of something fruity, and Iwaizumi recoils. “What happened to you?”

Oikawa giggles, plopping down next to him. His face is too close; his body is too close, radiating heat, and Iwaizumi is going to burn up under his sheer radiance. “Someone offered me a blunt,” Oikawa slurs. “Isn’t that wild, Iwa-chan?”

A sick feeling coils in Iwaizumi’s stomach. “Are you shitting me, Oikawa? You took something a stranger gave you? Do you know how dangerous -”

Oikawa shakes his head, pouting, shuffling closer until he can rest his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “I didn’t take it, Iwa-chan, ‘m not dumb. Was just saying.”

Iwaizumi relaxes, barely. “We really shouldn’t have come out here.”

“But Iwa-channn,” Oikawa whines. “I’m having fun.”

“Are you?” Iwaizumi looks at him. Beyond the superficial signs of enjoyment - the rumpled clothes, the flushed face - there’s nothing. His smile is fake.

Oikawa rolls his eyes. “Maybe I would be having more fun if you would dance with me,” he deflects.

“I don’t dance,” Iwaizumi says. He eyes his beer. Maybe Oikawa would be easier to deal with if he got drunk. “And I’m definitely not going to dance with you.”

Apparently he’s said something wrong because Oikawa deflates. He’s silent for a string of heartbeats, breath hot against Iwaizumi’s neck. Iwaizumi gives in, grabs his beer and takes a sip, making a face immediately and setting it back down.

Oikawa retracts his arm, and Iwaizumi catches himself before he can start missing the warmth. He turns to look at his best friend.

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says, clasping his hands together. “Do you think... maybe just for tonight…”

He trails off, biting his lip. Iwaizumi cocks his head. “Spit it out, Shittykawa.”

“Do you ever think,” Oikawa restarts, “about kissing me, maybe?”

Iwaizumi almost stops breathing.

Has he thought about kissing Oikawa? More than he’ll ever admit. He’s thought about them kissing on the walk home after school or after a game-winning spike or in one of their rooms on a hazy afternoon. Never in a place like this.

“Because,” Oikawa says, meeting Iwaizumi’s eyes, “I think about kissing you. A lot. And - and not just kissing.”

The blaring EDM fades away as Iwaizumi looks at Oikawa, really looks at him. He notices that there’s glitter streaked across his cheek. Some of it is caught in his eyelashes, and it makes his eyes shine.

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa presses when Iwaizumi doesn’t answer. His lips twist into a bitter smile. “I know you didn’t expect me to - I know I’m not what you need, but if you let me - we can forget about it tomorrow morning.”

“Not what I need?” Iwaizumi parrots. That’s ridiculous. He needs Oikawa more than he needs air.

Frustrated, Oikawa takes matters into his own hands, grabbing Iwaizumi’s bicep and leaning in. Iwaizumi plants a hand on his chest, pushing him away. “Wait, Oikawa,” he says. His own voice rings in his head. Impossible: Oikawa Tooru, infamous for breaking the hearts of high school girls all over Miyagi in his relentless pursuit of volleyball, wants him.

Now Oikawa’s lip wobbles for just a second before settling into a careful, blank line. “Kidding, kidding,” he says, all fake cheer. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you’re not that type.”

Well, he’s right about one thing. “Oikawa, stop,” Iwaizumi says. He can already feel Oikawa starting to pull away. “If I’m going to kiss you, it’s going to be because you’re sober and because I’ve been in love with you for ages. Not because you want to mess around or whatever the fuck this is.”

Oikawa freezes. His eyes go wide. “You love me?” he breathes.

Iwaizumi sighs. “Where did those other two losers run off to? We’d better go back.”

“No, no, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says. “You’ll kiss me? Tomorrow morning if I asked again, would you kiss me?”

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi says, like his heart’s not about to beat through his ribs.

“And if I told you I loved you too, would you date me? And hold my hand?”

Iwaizumi can’t help but smile. “Yeah,” he says.

“Oh, god,” Oikawa says. “Oh my god. Where are Makki and Mattsun? We need to leave now. Oh my god.”

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes as he’s pulled up and out of his seat. He almost wants to go back on his promise and kiss Oikawa right here, beautiful as he is, practically glowing in the dark.

But they have tomorrow. And the sooner they get back to the hotel and crash, the sooner it will come.

[angelamazing]

Love Hurts 2.

Pairing : Changkyun x Reader

Genre : IDK to be honest.

A day and a half later after your encounter with Changkyun, you sat in your room watching some sappy dramas stuffing your face with popcorn and ice cream, hoping it would help ease the pain that your now asshole ex boyfriend had given you but it seems like it just had given you more reason to cry your eyes out as you remembered that you two always do the same thing whenever you were both stressed from School.

Sniffling continously, you wiped the tears that kept flowing and stabbing the tub of ice cream with a spoon.

“Why do you have to be so fucking idiot Y/N” you murmured to yourself “You should’ve listened to what they said” you cried horribly loud that the neighbors would probably think that there's a dying goat somewhere.

You were so immersed on what you were doing that you didn’t notice a presence lingering on the doorway staring questioningly at you.

Kihyun had just come home from tutoring one of his classmates when he heard a loud cry inside his shared apartment with you, thinking you were being murdered, he frantically opened the door of the apartment only to see you in the living room, mess scattering around you with a tub of ice cream in your hand.

“What the fuck is this?” Kihyun squeaked gesturing wildly around the living room.

You turned around giving him a blank stare and returning to what you were just doing.

He furrowed his brows when he noticed your tears streaked face.

“oh my what happened to you?” Kihyun asked grabbing your face turning it towards him “you look like shit” he said with a frown on his face.

You just stared at Kihyun for a minute and after a whole minute of staring at each other, You sobbed loudly gripping his hoodie face planting on his chest.

“He doesn’t love meeeee.... He just played me” you sobbed words muffling from Kihyun’s hoodie.

“I can’t understand you Y/N”

“CHANGKYUN!!” you shouted making Kihyun flinch at your tone.

“okay okay, you don’t have to shout. I'm not deaf”

Fiddling with your hands you sniffled and let out a sigh a deep one this time.

“Changkyun, I heard them yesterday, apparently, I was just a bet” you said lips quivering at the memory from yesterday

“What?” to say Kihyun was dumbfounded was an understatement “i swear that kid, If I see him anywhere i’m going to beat the shit out of him”

“you’re seriously going to do that?”

“no... You were supposed to tell me not to?”

“but.. I want him to get beaten up” you whispered eyes wide staring at Kihyun.

“okay... I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why won’t you defend me? I’m your sister”

“and I'm your brother? Do you seriously want me to get injured too? I mean have you seen his friend? That Wonho guy? He could choke me to death with his arms”

“ooh. Kinky”

“Y/N!!! You were supposed to be crying not saying things like that” he babbled.

“i already cried enough that my tears won’t come out now my eyes are already dry” you sighed slumping down on the couch.

There was a moment of silence.

When Kihyun’s voice cut through the silence surrounding around you.

“You should sleep now, we still have class tomorrow” Kihyun said standing from the couch.

“i don’t really want to go to school tomorrow” you groaned burying yourself further on the hoodie you were wearing.

“listen here Missy. Just because you found out that Changkyun just dated you for a bet, doesn’t mean you don’t have to show up to school anymore, why don’t you just walk to school tomorrow dolled up and probably Changkyun would regret what he has done to you because you became Beautiful”

“are you saying I'm ugly?”

“No! Of course not I meant more beautiful, he'd probably look at you and see what he’s been missing” he blabbered waving his hands wildly in the air.

“pfffttt. Whatever Ki. I'm still not going to school tomorrow”

“look Y/N, just a brotherly advice, I know you’re more than just what you are and I know you wouldn’t go as far as missing School just to avoid some guy who probably lack some brains-”

“Changkyun’s a top student”

“I- that’s not the point here, what i’m saying is show him that you’re not affected-”

“But I am”

“Can you stop cutting me off?. So what I'm saying is, pretend you don’t care, pretend that what he’s done isn’t affecting or hurting your ego just go with the flow, you know? Just ignore him! act like he’s invisible that’s it” Kihyun finished almost panting from saying such long and deep words.

“okay fine”

“Good, Now go to sleep, you’ll have a long day tomorrow!” Kihyun said patting your head “ Goodnight Sissy” he shouted before entering and hearing the door to his room shut.

“pffftt... Loser” you mumbled collecting your pillows and blankets before making your way to your room.

You trudged in the crowded hallways of the school feeling kinda like a zombie from staying up all night mourning from your lost relationship who probably didn’t even exist in the first place.

You sighed deeply approaching your locker, seeing a familiar figures standing beside it.

“Yooo dude, you look like shit”

“who stole your cupcake this time? Why do you look like you’ve fought a lot of people just to get revenge for your cupcake”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny guys” You deadpanned collecting your books, shutting your locker and walked away.

Jooheon and Hyungwon looked at each other not actually having any idea on what happened to you, after a few seconds of watching you, the two guys immediately followed you and stood on each of your side.

“What happened?” Jooheon asked looking down at you.

“Nothing” you mumbled not looking back at him.

“i’d say, you’re just having your monthly visit but clearly that's not the issue” Hyungwon added.

“I’m fine guys *sighs*” you said mumbling the last following sentence “atleast if I don’t see him, i’ll be fine”

The two guys furrowed their eyebrows at your statement processing your words, Mind probably short circuiting on thinking “Who’s Him?”

Jooheon and Hyungwon halted on their steps when they saw you stop in the middle of the hallway staring at something..... Or rather someone.

Following your line of sight, that’s when they saw Changkyun who they knew, was your Boyfriend flirting with another girl on the hallways.

Jooheon’s eyes squinted at the scene looking at Changkyun’s figure then back at you and so on and so forth.

“Don’t tell me-” before Hyungwon could even finish his sentence.

A figure came barreling on Changkyun and squared him up on the jaw.

“Holy shit”

Your eyes widened in shock as you came to realise that the figure squaring up Changkyun was none other than your Brother. Kihyun.

Jooheon who’s still processing the scene unfolding infront of him snapped out of his trance when he noticed you ran towards Kihyun.

“That’s for hurting my sister and this-” came another punch “is for replacing my sister with... A gremlin like that” Kihyun added staring at the girl from head to foot.

“EXCUSE ME???” the girl beside Changkyun shrieked but had totally been ignored.

“Ki- Let’s just go” you pulled on Kihyun’s arm.

“wait, wait wait, i’m lost? What’s going on actually?” Jooheon asked.

“Nothing-”

“Well apparently. This guy here just made a bet with his dumbass friends and thinking they could get away by playing my sister” Kihyun spat glaring at each one of Changkyun’s friends.

“WHAT!?” Hyungwon and Jooheon both shouted.

You just sighed in annoyance watching them transform into Protective Best friend mode.

“You’re in a lot of shit kid” Jooheon said cracking his fingers.

“Yah, just because a lot of people likes you, you think you can play with a person’s feelings ? Huh?” Hyungwon added staring down at Changkyun.

You expected Changkyun to spat back but what happened next definitely left you completely speechless.

“I’m Sorry” Changkyun mumbled looking down.

“wha-?”

“I’m sorry if I played you Y/N, actually, I was waiting for you today, so we can talk”

“Yeah right, like she’d even talk to you” Kihyun responded.

“I know, what I did, was completely unacceptable, and I understand if you don’t want to talk to me, but please, just give me a chance”

“Nice Try, but I think what you did was enough” Jooheon spat.

Changkyun was about to utter out a response when the Bell Rang signaling for class.

“Just think about what I said Y/N. Please” you heard Changkyun said before you completely disappeared from his sight.

Later on, Lunch came, you were seated on the cafeteria with your Friend Mina.

“I saw what happened earlier” she mumbled taking a bite at her sandwich.

You poked at your food clearly not in the mood to eat ever since what happened earlier.

You were still thinking about what Changkyun said earlier and you were wondering why would he explain himself if he did those things intentionally to you, and why does he sound so desperate .... Does it mean he actually liked you??. No no. He wouldn’t have done those things if he actually liked you.

“Y/N?... hello??? Earth to Y/N! Are you there??”

You snapped out of your reverie shaking your head.

“what are you thinking about?”Mina asked chewing absentmindedly on the straw of her banana milk.

“Nothing, just some stuff”

“is the stuff you’re thinking.... Including the guy walking through the door of the cafeteria?”she raised her eyebrow at you.

You turned just to see Changkyun with his Friends being abnoxiously loud.

Before you could turn back around, you caught a glimpse of Changkyun looking at you.

“You know, not to be nosy or something, I think Changkyun has a actually taken a liking to you for real”

“you mean like to play with? Yeah right” you scoffed

“i may not know anything on what happened, when those things between you occured and... I don’t want to meddle with anything but I thought I heard them talk about something.... Something along the words of “make her hate you”” Mina quoted with a thinking face.

“what does that even mean?”

“aish I don’t know, seriously” she sighed

Checking your watch, you realized that it would be your next class in 10 minutes.

Collecting your trash, you stood up and went on the nearest garbage bin putting away your trash before making your way back to Mina.

“are you coming with me?” you asked her as you lifted your bag off the chair slinging it on your shoulder.

“yeah, just a moment.... Let’s go”

As you walk out of the cafeteria you couldn’t help but look over to where Changkyun and his friends are sitting, only to make eye contact with him making your face beet red.

Ruffling your hair in annoyance, you aggressively stuffed your books back in your locker shutting it close only to jump in surprise.

“i swear, you get so scared easily” Jooheon muttered with an amused smile on his face.

“can you quit doing that?”

“i will, if you tell me what happened back at the cafeteria”

“what do you mean? I just ate there? Do I still have to tell you that?”

“how about, when you walk out of the cafeteria, when you looked over to where that Changkyun guy is and you turned red when you saw him looking at you as well” he said crossing his arms on his chest.

“you saw that?”

“ofcourse, my eyes may be small, but It can see everything”

You were about to respond when you suddenly halted at the very familiar figure standing on the entryway of the School.

“Holy shit- is that-?”

With your mouth wide open, both you and Jooheon approached the figure tackling it in a huge hug.

“Nice to see you too both of you”

“Hey, Y/N long time no see” another figure piped up that had your eyes wide open.

Why do people keep on surprising you like this?

AN: I’ll just stop here for now, I ran out of ideas and responses for this one, but hopefully i could get to the point of the story on the next part. And as you can see there’s another two characters added on the story, you’ll get to know them on the next part xoxo.

[stereotvpes]

class fight.

summary: jason dean is a complication for heather chandler. a nuisance. a problem. she cannot lose veronica to him. she needs to regain control.

but plans can always backfire.

warnings: graphic violence, major character death

A/N: hi!! this is my first fic, i hope everyone enjoys it!

Hanging out with the Heathers was never Veronica’s favourite thing to do.

Sure, they were her friends, but she didn’t really like them all that much. When she walked with them, it was like putting on a different skin. Veronica could never fully be herself: she’d run the risk of being Heather Chandler’s verbal punching bag for the week. Chandler was fierce and predatory, like a hawk, or a lion. She had sharp, watchful eyes that seemed to criticize her every move, never afraid to bite. God forbid Veronica befriended anyone outside of Chandler’s little circle.

But with JD, it was different, like a teenager rebelling against a parent. With JD, Veronica could push aside the petty things in life, like what skirt Nancy Stevens was wearing or how there was another college party next week. He gave her the courage to do things she’d never had the guts to. She had deep conversations with him, talking about the stars and what the future would look like until she fell asleep in his arms, his coat smelling like cigarettes and gunpowder.

 When Heather Chandler began to notice that Veronica was slowly drifting away from her group, a wave of fury washed over her. What did Veronica see in that loser, anyway?

Chandler couldn’t really explain why she was so upset at the fact. Maybe it was because Veronica said she had sworn off high school boys, and that was a lie. Or maybe it was something deeper— Veronica’s complete indifference of what the school thought of her, how Chandler felt almost jealous that she could never be Veronica Sawyer. Chandler had spent ages trying to impress Veronica, but to no avail. So how come this little twerp managed to catch her eye in a day?

 She had to put it to an end.

It started off with simple daydreams— poisoning Jason Dean and hiding his body where he’d never be found, Veronica crawling back to her looking to be comforted. Or maybe burning him alive in one of his father’s abandoned construction sites, and being a shoulder for Ronnie to cry on.

Then, one day, when she came back from school, she grabbed the address book from the top of her dresser and flipped through it casually, as if she planned to visit an old friend. His address was easy enough to find— who didn’t know Big Bud Dean’s Construction? Her parents weren’t home, which was expected, so Chandler headed out again after printing out the address carefully in her swirly handwriting on a piece of red stationary. 

When she knocked at the door it swung open almost immediately, JD standing at the door with a smug look on his face and motor oil smeared on his shirt.

“Well, well, well,” he said, giving a half-bow. “Didn’t expect to see you here, Heather... Duke, is it?”

“Chandler, thank you very much,” Heather sniffed, only slightly offended. She suspected he got her name wrong on purpose. There wasn’t a person at school who didn’t know who she was. “Can I come in?”

“Why, of course,” said JD, unusually courteous. He opened the door wider and walked her into the living room, where a TV spoke in muted tones and a motorcycle wheel covered in motor oil sat on the coffee table. “What brings the occasion?”

Shit. Shit! What was she doing? She had no plan, not even a weapon! Chandler could feel herself breaking into a cold sweat.

Regaining her composure, she said, “It’s about Veronica. We... need to talk.”

“Ronnie, huh? What’s the problem? Is she spending a little too much time away from the kingdom?”

So he was mocking her! Hearing Veronica’s nickname come from his mouth made the anger bubble up inside her. She started to narrow her eyes— then stopped, and smiled sweetly at him.

“Actually... could I get a glass of water? It’s been so dry out, I can almost feel myself being fossilized.”

“Sure, the glasses are in the kitchen, second cupboard to the left.” JD turned away from her, focusing on the motorcycle wheel again.

Chandler ventured through the living room to the kitchen, trying to ignore a picture of a young JD and his parents on a nearby shelf. She filled a glass with water, gulped it down, and took a deep breath. This was it. She was going to be rid of him once and for all.

She quietly pulled open drawers until she found what she was really looking for: a kitchen knife. Holding it behind her back, she called, “Hey, JD, do you think you could give me a hand? I can’t seem to find the glasses anywhere... and you’re the host, I mean— shouldn’t you be getting me water?”

Chandler could hear JD give a huff of annoyance, tools clanking as he set them down on the coffee table. He walked in, wiping his hands on his shirt, seeing the glass on the kitchen counter. He stopped, raising his eyebrows at Chandler with irritation.

“Looks to me like you found them just f-“

Chandler lunged at him with the knife, aiming for his stomach. JD’s eyes widened in surprise, but his demeanor hardened again when he caught her arm just in time. She struggled against it, desperately trying to nick him or at least scare him bad enough that he would leave Veronica alone.

No such luck. JD was a lot stronger than someone who looked so lanky would seem. They were caught in a silent gridlock. As one arm held hers with the knife, something cold pressed against her temple. Chandler looked up in horror to see the same pistol that JD had used a few days ago in the cafeteria against her forehead. Even if it was filled with blanks last time, she wasn’t taking any risks.

As she relaxed, so did JD— only slightly. Instead of looking angry, he had an emotion on his face that made him look much scarier: exhilaration.

“Alright,” he panted, stepping away, still pointing the gun at her. “This isn’t about Veronica, is it?”

“Yes, it is,” Chandler insisted through gritted teeth, still gripping the handle of the knife tightly and pointing it at him. “I want you to break up with her. If you’re even dating her at all. She doesn’t belong with someone like you.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“She said it herself before you got here,” Chandler spat venomously. “That she’d given up on high school boys. She should be at college keggers with me, not going on long walks at the beach with you.”

Chandler couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. This kid had a gun pointed at her, and she was the one making demands. She almost laughed at the absurdity of it all.

“You’re... jealous?” JD raised an eyebrow, half amused and half suspicious.

“I’m not jealous— I’m doing what’s best for her. Which is getting rid of you.”

JD chuckled lightly, no mirth in his eyes.

“Sure, okay. Look, why don’t we make a deal?” His hand was steady on his gun, as if he’d done this a million times before.

“Like what?” Chandler’s voice shook slightly.

“I’ll pretend that all this never happened, and let you leave, but only on two conditions: if you continue to let Veronica spend time with me, and you forget all this happened, too. Hell, I’ll even make sure she still has lunch with your little clique. Deal?”

There was no doubt in JD’s voice that he was going to get what he wanted, deal or not. Chandler lowered the knife a slight increment.

“Deal,” she said, feeling as if she had just sold her soul to the Devil himself.

And just like that, JD looked normal again. Almost.

“Great!” he said. “I’ll show you out now.” He guided her out of the house with the pistol pointed at her. “And you can leave the knife on the counter— unless you plan on making some lunch.” He grinned at his own joke. “Goodbye, Heather Chandler,” he said, shutting the door in her face.

Chandler walked home stunned, sure he would keep his promise, but unsure of what was to come.

As soon as he shut the door, JD began to pace around the room. He couldn’t fathom what possibly could’ve driven that girl to try to murder him. It wasn’t friendship, that was for sure. Unless... unless.

Unless she felt the same way about Veronica as he did.

The realization hit him fast, disgust balling up his fists. Stupid. Stupid! He didn’t want another body on his hands, but he knew he should’ve killed her right then in his kitchen. There was no way he and Chandler would be able to coexist in peace if she felt the same way about her that he did.

 He was going to have to break their deal.

 The weeks went by smoothly as JD created his plan, with Chandler truly seeming to have forgotten their unusual meeting and Veronica completely oblivious. He was much more prepared than Chandler. All he had to do was wait for an opportunity to jump.

It finally came the morning after one of Veronica’s rendezvous at a college party. JD had seen the lights on in her room and crawled in through the window, listening to her rave about how she wanted Heather Chandler out of her life.

It felt like it was too good to be true to JD, as if it was a sign from God that his plan was ready to be put in action.

So, the morning after, he tagged along with Veronica to check up on Chandler.

 When Chandler heard footsteps inside her house, fear rocketed through her. Was JD finally here to finish her off? She had had more than a few sleepless nights, with nightmares of Jason Dean breaking into her house and strangling her or shooting her through the forehead (with her corpse looking like a mess!). But she heard Veronica’s voice laughing at his, so she relaxed and feigned sleep. He wouldn’t try anything with her around.

So when JD brought the cup into the room, she assumed that it was that awful concoction of milk and orange juice they were giggling at in her kitchen. When she saw it was blue, she rolled her eyes, thinking they found some food dye to mess with her. She wasn’t going to let JD make a fool out of her again, especially in front of Veronica, so in one last attempt to prove herself to Veronica, she downed the cup in one go.

Immediately after she swallowed a gulp, bitterness stung and burned her throat. She felt like her throat was closing up on her, and she dropped the cup, grabbing at her throat frantically and trying to say something, anything. This is it, she thought. This is when I die.

Struggling to breathe, she choked out, “Corn... nuts,” and blacked out, falling onto the glass table as the darkness engulfed her.

Veronica stood in silent shock, hands going over her mouth. “I just killed my best friend,” she said shakily.

“And your worst enemy,” JD added.

As they slowly pieced together what to do, with JD feigning surprise and shock, she forged the note and turned to leave the house. JD had already left, waiting impatiently for her in the car. But right before she left, something on Chandler’s vanity dresser caught her eye. It was a crumpled-up note, the stationary the same as the one Veronica used to write Chandler’s suicide note with. She unfolded it, smoothing out the creases.

JD’s address was printed on the first line of the paper in Chandler’s discernible flowery handwriting. Veronica frowned in confusion. She looked at JD, out of his line of sight from the car, and pocketed the note.

She never mentioned it to JD, or anyone else, after that day.

Veronica turned to look at Heather Chandler’s lifeless body on the shag carpet. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and fled out of the house.

[random-mha-thoughts]

Chains (Shinsou X Reader)

Pairing: Shinsou x Reader, side!Kirishima

For anon

Genre: Angst to fluff

Word count: 2,576

Tags:  @yuki-osaki​ @liviitehe​ @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog​

a/n: Who am I to resist a request? Or even a little angst ;) Take care of your mental health kids, don’t end up like me Thanks for being the first request anon!  I hope I did a good job fulfilling your wishes!

When I started writing, I was scrolling through TikToks (bc I’m a loser) and I found one that helped me tweak the climax scene and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.  It’s almost twice as long as my previous posts because I wanted to stuff as much into it.  Enjoy!

(Also ICYMI I wrote a Todoroki Birthday Special!)

"Are you excited for the Sports Festival?" I swings my legs on the bench, sipping my carton of juice.

Shinsou crosses his leg over the other, leaning his arms on the back of the bench.  "Yeah, can't wait to face off with that loud-mouth idiot."  He scoffs.  "Who does he think he is?  His head's stuck far up his ass.  I can't believe you're friends with him."

I roll my eyes.  "We're not really friends, Kirishima's attached to him at the hip, they're a package deal."

His dark purple eyes glance over me for a moment.  "I see."

The expression on his face is unreadable.  Not that it's out of the ordinary since he's the quiet type, but it makes me uneasy.  Lately, our relationship has become distant ever since both of us made it to UA.  I was accepted into 1-A and Shinsou didn't.  Though he tells me he supports me wholeheartedly and assures me otherwise, I know he's hurt about it.  And it doesn't help that I've had to split my time between him and my classmates after school.

I scoot closer to him, grip his large hands, and lean my head on his shoulder.  "You're stressed, aren't you?  I really want you to do well so you can transfer into my class.  You deserve it."

Shinsou's head rests on mine in response.  "I hope I can make it in."

"Hey," I call softly, a faint nagging creeping into my mind.  "We're keeping competition between us friendly, right?"

"Afraid you're gonna lose, sweetheart?" he chuckles.  I can't hear the smirk on his face.

I shove his shoulder with mine.  "Shut up."

Red flag, my mind immediately thinks as I stand there dumbfounded by what he's just said.  "You want to what?"

Shinsou crosses his arms over his chest.  "I need full control over everyone on my team, that includes you."

My body grows cold and my knees start shaking.  He's not joking.  There's not a hint of lighthearted joking or teasing in his cold eyes.  He's never even joked about it before because he was afraid of what I would think of him if he ever used his quirk on me; he would never forgive himself if he did.

I look down at my shoes.  I trust his strategic mind to lead us, but it hurts to think he doesn't trust me enough to help him without control.  He just wants to win like you do, I rationalize.  But is that enough to relinquish total control to him?

A hand on my shoulder scatters my thoughts and I stare up into Shinsou's concerned gaze.  "I know I promised before, but these are different circumstances, I'm sorry.  I promise you, we can make it to the next round if you trust me."

Though I still feel torn, I sigh in surrender.  "Okay."

He removes his hand, eyes blank.  "Are you ready?"

A hint of hesitation persuades me to reconsider, but the thought of letting him down and pushing him away overtakes me.  "Yes."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, my breath hitches and my mind goes blank.  All stiffness leaves my limbs but I can't move, a numbing cold sensation takes over.

It feels strange, having no control over your body; it moves though you don't will it to, and all you can do is watch.  It's almost like you're playing a 4D game, but you're the character and you can still feel everything, but you can't react.  Your quirk almost feels fake for a moment until you realize it's your body.  As Shinsou maneuvers our entire team to stealthily steal the other teams' headbands with the help of my chain-creation quirk, I feel out of place in my own body.

But I made this choice to trust him, and I will.  I just hope I don't have to feel this again.

When I saw our names lined up for the first match, I thought it was some cruel joke my eyes were playing on me.  But it wasn't.  Shinsou stands across from me in the ring, hands casually stuffed in his pockets like this is the most normal thing, like I'm his enemy.

"So much for keeping competition friendly," he smirks, looking down his nose at me.

I try to match his attitude to mask my uneasy nerves.  "Yeah, like you can hurt me more than I can hurt you."

I breathe, thinking of a strategy to beat him.  Fortunately, my quirk is pretty offensive while his isn't.  I just have to close the distance between us, grab him with my chains, and throw him out of the ring without responding to anything he says.  Simple.

"AND START!!!!" Present Mic's voice booms throughout the stadium.

I run to start closing the distance between us.  Admittedly, I can't make very long chains that reach all the way to him very quickly, so I have to get closer to my target.

Shinsou knows this, retreating the other way.  "I guess you haven't trained enough to extend your quirk."  When I don't answer, he continues, "It seems they don't teach you much in that Hero class."

The urge for me to yell at him to shut up is on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it back.  If he catches me, it's game over.

"I guess the only thing that class is good for is nurturing hot-heads and stealing your time from people who're supposed to matter."

I slow down a little, my breath heaving.  His words have a dark undertone to them.  I understand taunting me with petty, good-natured quips, but is he digging deep?

The smirk on his face wavers a bit.  "If I knew being a hero means abandoning the people you care about, then maybe some of us good guys aren't cut out for such a job."

Are you implying I'm a bad guy then? I want to taunt back, but I know I can't.

"But I guess you got into the hero course because you have a heroic quirk," he goes on.  "Too bad you can't use it to its full potential yet."

He knows how frustrated I get about my quirk.  Which is why he's using it as canon fire against you, I remind myself, picking up the pace again.  Damnit!  Just slow down already!  When did you get so athletic?

"But it's fine, as long as you have fun with your new friends, right?"  He suddenly comes to a stop, his back to me.

Though I'm confused and my first instinct is to stop, I rush forward, chains growing out of my palms in preparation.

"Well, I guess you always had the more heroic and useful quirk."

The pain in his voice stops me dead.  What-

He turns around, hurt, pain, and anger mixed into his expression.  "You must've realized the difference between our quirks, right?  That I'm more suited to being a villain?"  His eyebrows furrow into more anger.  "I knew this day would come, I knew you never really cared about my feelings and you would eventually leave me alone like everyone else!"

Shinsou shouldn’t be like this. The way he’s trained with his quirk naturally made him more blunt and willing to share his opinion, but he's not like this usually. Getting the brunt of that bluntness doesn’t make me feel that great.  My silence became less about me staying quiet to avoid his quirk and more me being appalled and dumbstruck by the accusations he’s throwing at me.   I know he's only saying things to get me to respond, but when did he cross that line between playful chiding just to win and an actual fight between us?  I don't even know how to feel about his words.

"You know, I never fully trusted you," he points a finger at me.  "Especially when you were chosen for the Hero class and not me.  I knew you would eventually shut me out of your life and avoid me because I don't fit in with your 'hero' friends.  You're just like everyone else!"

My mouth gapes open, the words not coming.  His apparent pain and frustration urges me to comfort him somehow, but how do I respond?  Where do I even start?

Shinsou bites his lip, his features softening up into melancholy.  "If you're sick of me, just leave me for Shark Teeth already, okay?  Don't string me on like this!"

My chest feels heavy with guilt and I want nothing more than to run to him and throw my arms around him.  "Hitoshi-"

The numbness grips me before I can register Shinsou's face relax from agony into a smirk of victory.  No...

"OH MY GOD!! SHINSOU WAS FAKING A LOVER'S QUARREL TO TRAP HIS OPPONENT WITH HIS BRAINWASHING!! HOW WILL THIS END?!" Present Mic screams through the speakers.

He was faking.  My heart sinks, overcome with varying degrees of fury and self-loathing.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this."  Funnily enough, he doesn't sound very apologetic.  "But now that I've got you, we can end this.  Go walk out of bounds and lose for me."

At this point, I don't even care about losing, or that I'm walking against my will out of this stupid ring.  Shinsou said all those things to hurt me intentionally, and when he realized I can ignore his taunts, he took advantage of my feelings.  And everything he said, he had to have meant them somehow.  I know he's bottled up all those complaints and used them against me now.

Midnight declares Shinsou the winner of the match after I take my final step out of the ring and the feeling returns to my body.  When I turn around, he's grinning for his triumphant win, but it falters when he sees me.  I'm not in the mood to be a good sport or even offer a smile, I just walk off and let him have his moment.

I walk up to where the rest of Class 1-A is sitting, fists still clenched into white knuckles.

"Nice job, Extra," Bakugou scowls at me, leaning back in his seat.  "You got beat  by that General Studies loser."

"Shut the hell up, Pomeranian asshat, I'm not in the mood."  I slump down a few rows up.  I just want to be alone to think.  There's the fear in my mind that I didn't show off my quirk enough and I might get replaced because I was eliminated so early and that I'm still weak at my quirk, but those are the least of my worries.  How am I supposed to confront Shinsou?  A part of me wants to be angry and beat him into next week, but I can't bring myself to.

Kirishima slides into the seat next to me.  "Hey, don't be so upset.  You tried your best."

I sigh.  "Thanks, Kiri.  I don't care about losing though."

He puts a hand on my shoulder sympathetically.  "That was a pretty nasty fight out there.  Is everything okay between you guys?"

"I thought it was!" I burst out, almost laughing at my misfortune.  "Apparently I was wrong and oblivious to everything!"  I bury my face in my hands.  "I just... How did it get to this, Kiri? I thought I knew him enough to know when something's wrong.  Instead I let him deal with all those pent up emotions alone.  God, I'm so stupid!"

Kirishima takes in my clearly disgruntled state and rubs the back of his neck, appearing uncomfortable.  "If I'll be honest, Shinsou would be an idiot to do that to you intentionally, and he's probably kicking himself for what he did.  I know he really cares about you, he was just caught in the moment."

I turn my body to face my best friend.  "Kiri, I know you're resisting the urge to beat his ass, you don't have to defend him."

"Of course I wanna beat him up!  He made you sit here all upset, that's not manly!"  He punches his fists together, suddenly fired up before he relaxes.  "And at the same time, it wouldn't be manly of me to come between you guys."

I offer him a sad smile.  I already know about Kiri's crush on me, he told me a few weeks ago after class when he didn't know I was already taken.  Thankfully, he never made anything awkward after that and we've stayed best friends.

"Which is why I should help you guys patch thing up instead!"  He flashes a shark-tooth grin.  "You guys should really talk it over, clear the air once and for all!  I think he would really appreciate it if you gave him a chance to explain his feelings."

I nod to myself.  "Yeah, it wouldn't do us any good to let this blow up."  Swinging an arm over his shoulder, I ruffle his gelled hair.  "You would make a great boyfriend, Kiri, giving great advice like this."

"Hey hey!  Don't mess up my hair!"  The red-head struggles in my grip.  "Don't you have any idea how long it took me to do this morning?!"

I stretch out my sore muscles as I walk out of the changing room, ready to go home after a long day.  In the distance, Shinsou's waiting near a bench, hands in his pockets as usual.

"Hey," I greet him with a neutral tone.

He's surprised to see me approach him first.  "Hey..."

To avoid too long of an awkward pause, I say, "I'm sorry you didn't win.  I guess Midoriya found a way to overcome your quirk."

"Yeah, that was shocking to me."  He avoids my gaze, rubbing the back his neck awkwardly.

I swallow, gathering my wits.  I've rehearsed what I wanted to say while I was sitting around idle during the day and I'm ready to let it all out.  "I-"

"I'm really sorry for everything I said."  Shinsou beats me to the punch.  "I want to take it back and say none of it was true, but my feelings are still there."  He shuffles his feet together.  "I know you were still trying to make time for me, I was just selfish that you were spending time with Ashido and Kirishima and...their friends.  My own insecurities got in the way."  His hand lands on my head, a sign of his affection.  "You made it into the Hero class by your own merit.  And I do trust that you wouldn't leave me.  You're the best thing that's happened to me and I almost screwed this up.  And if you're still mad, I understand-"

I cut him off by enveloping him in a hug, squeezing him with my arms around him as I bury my face in his chest.  "It's my fault too.  I should've been more aware of your feelings and addressed them."

His arms timidly wrap around my frame.  "So, you're not mad?"

"I mean, I still want to slap you for using your quirk on me twice when you promised you'd never do it."

His body rumbles as he laughs at me, petting my head.  "I'm sorry for that too.  I won't do it again."

"You better not," I threaten, though I know it's empty.  "It really didn't feel good.  If you do it again, as soon as I'm out, I'm whipping you with my chains."

He's silent for a moment.  "Should I be excited or scared?"  A girlish scream escapes his lips when metal collides with his back.

I had to I’m sorry :)

So the full anon ask (in case you were wondering) was: i absolutely love your writing! the shinso one is amazing! Idk if you write angst (to fluff) but if you do can you write: shinso and reader dating but the sports festival came up and they are against each other. shinso ends up saying negative things about the reader / relationship to try to get her to talk back. Reader ends up upset and wonders if he went too far. asks her best friend Kiri (who has a crush on her) for advice. And the rest is up to you :)

Thanks again anon for being my first request :)

[just-some-random-blogger]

So... Haha... I Like You...

DAY6 Park Jaehyung x Reader Summary: Jae was that nice guy that owed you big time; you didn't mean to catch feelings for him. Word Count: 2k+ Warnings: Fake Boyfriend AU, College AU, lying, cheating, pining, fluff, angst, etc.

A/N: sooooooooo this happened and then I made this edit and now i just have to write gosh i love jae so much. THE EDIT IS MINE AND SORRY ABOUT THE TYPOS I HAVE AMMSKSKSKM

I had exactly 28 polaroid pictures of him.

Twenty eight.

20 + 8

I mean to take five pictures of him, and yet things got so out of hand.

I really, really didn't mean to...

And you're probably rolling your eyes, because how in the world could I say this? How in the world was I planning to get out of this alive?

"Your socks are down again," a voice jolts me out of my running locomotive thoughts. My shoulders jolt suddenly at the readmission to reality. I tilt my head up and find Jae, giving me a blank look as a candy stick sticks out of the corner of his mouth. His lips are unnaturally red because of this strongly strawberry scented lolly, and though he does nothing but look at me, I feel my pulse in my chest and my palms begin to sweat.

I turn down to my feet and find my left leg has a loose sock unlatched on my calf, sitting by my ankles. I bend down quickly and pull it up.

He clicks his tongue, "we could go sock shopping today. If you're still to stingy to buy those socks you wanted, I'll buy them for you because I feel physical pain when I see your ugly bacon socks that can't even do one job."

My eyes flick back up to his face. Jae's stupidly adorable face that I shouldn't think is remotely cute, come on!

I part my lips and begin to think of something to say-- something like he was a stupid boy for making his lips sugary and shiny like that.

I suppose I give a disgruntled look because he furrows his brows and makes my heart race faster.

"You good, sweetie?" he says purely out of mastery, and not because he thinks I'm his sweetie.

I pull a sour face and gulp roughly. I look away and ruffle my hair, "shut up, we're going to be late."

This crowded hallways was the perfect place to lose this hiccup.

I slam my locker door and clench my binder on hand. I pull on my backpack string and storm off into the crowd.

Jae doesn't get it and stands there with a incredulous and confused face. He pulls out the lollipop from his mouth and guesses it's probably the distance the other has in hardened sugar again. He chucks it into a can and calls, "wait up!"

Jae is too quick, and too damn long-legged, my gosh. He is also a slinky skinny boy and goes through the crowd and gets to me no biggie. A lil out of breath but no biggie.

He releases a sigh and catches my gaze.

"I threw the lollipop away," he says, as if it solved the theory of time travel and takes my hand.

My beating pulse is in my clammy hand, and this moron takes it into his large one. He does it because it's what he's been doing for me. He thinks absolutely nothing of it, but right now in this moment, it hits hard. It brings calamity to my mind, and I can't decide if I am more giddy that he is holding my hand or hurt because he can do it because it's nothing.

He looks around, off to his side to dodge people. Jae again thinks nothing of his actions as he tightens his grip and leads me off to our next subject.

This damned subject is the reason for this all. Had he not had a hard time in his homework, had he not slipped out of the passing rate so bad, had physics not been the bane of his existence, then maybe I wouldn't have had to tutor him, maybe he wouldn't have been so desperate to ask the "smartest kid in class" for tutoring lessons, and maybe he wouldn't have even talked to me that day I had the crummiest time of my life.

And sure, I guess maybe had that not happened, I would still be a train wreck too preoccupied in my jerk ex Younghyun.

Maybe I wouldn't have found someone else to vent to about my stupid, trivial, fickle, cliché sob story.

But ultimately, I guess it's all his fault!

Had that stupid brat not hooked up with my best friend- ex stupid best friend,

then--

Jae tugs me close as me go through a thick crowd of people. His grip on my hand is tight and firm, but it isn't strangling, it doesn't hurt. It feels secure. It feels... safe.

I look at our joined hands.

... I don't really wish to be stuck with friends and boyfriends who'd think of doing that.

Jae makes a panicked sound, "gAh! I saw mister Kim walk towards our classroom!"

He and I begin to make it through and down the left hallway. His long legs cut back to keep in pace with me as we jog up to our room. We both release a breath, and Jae finally lets go of me to open the door. My hand feels cold.

I don't know why he has to smile when he opens the door for me. I give him no reaction and immediately tread off to hide from his hot eyes.

I don't particularly know where my feet are taking me, but apparently it's to the wrong side of the room because Jae pulls me back by my backpack, causing me to crash into his chest.

I grunt and feel heat trickle up my neck and ears. He isn't looking at me when I look up at him. Jae airily says, "not there," and straightens me up.

My face burns when he shoves me under his arm. My nose is intoxicated by his stupid candy scent and cologne. My stomach begins to dance like a washing machine.

Because of my preoccupation to my own bodily reactions, if goes unbeknownst to me where exactly Jae is looking, or glaring exactly.

I do notice his jaw clench, but I do not know it's because of the putrid sight he sees.

Younghyun watches a few rows away. Jae and he give each other looks. The later clenches his jaw and tries to make eye contact another. Jae is too protective and keeps everything under his arm. He makes sure to show full distaste and turns to give what he's protecting a kiss.

A kiss.

I said he kissed my head.

I turn to him and feel like a tomato. Jae smiles at me and leads me to the other corner of the room.

I can't do this.

Mr. Kim does his lesson.

He talks about theorems and angles.

He removes his coat halfway because he was getting into his discussion.

And even though all I could to is watch, or barely look at the professor in front of the class, blabbering on and on about equations, I was unable to actually listen or register any information, because, dammit, Jae was looking at me.

He had his right cheek in his hand, and his elbow on his desk and he was looking at me.

It was not intense.

It was bored.

He kept pointlessly bothering me, as in he found it boring to even annoy me.

But I was cut into a statue because of it.

All I knew was Mr. Kim was opening and closing his mouth, and Jae had his hands extremely near my face as he fiddled with the tips of my hair.

"I'm hungry," he mutters.

"Go eat something then," I reply, too snippy, too fast.

He takes a moment to reply and I make the grave mistake of thinking that I've upset him. He is fine. Jae is simply looking at the hair he was fiddling with as he thought of an answer.

The moment we made eye contact and I felt my stomach drop, I knew.

I couldn't do any of this anymore.

"I kinda want a burger and some fries."

I turn away from him and reply, "then go get some."

He drops my hair and props both of his elbows on the desk, bored, "okay."

I turn to the direction opposite to Jae and feel the sunshine through the window telling me to jump out while I can.

I don't.

The bell rings.

Jae takes my hand again once I have all my things tidied up. He takes my binder from me and begins to lead me out of the door. He makes sure I walk in front of him as we do so.

He wraps his arms around me fron behind and rests his chin in my head, "I'm sorry you have to deal with that."

Deal with what?

What is he talking about?!

Does he mean the hair fiddling?

Why would he apologize?

"My offer to break his teeth still stands, you know."

Wait. He's going to break teeth?

Break who's teeth?

Hold on.

Does he mean Younghyun?

"Who else would I be talking about?" he scoffs out from above me.

"pssh, I didn't know the loser was here."

.... and I'm speaking to myself aloud now.

We make it out of our building and the sun is just spotlighting the tree's leaves just right.

Jae's holding my hand again.

I'm dragging my feet.

Why doesn't he mind that I'm basically being such dead weight to him? I look out and see a girl coo at the sight if him.

Jae catches it and smiles because he hears the part were she says they looks so cute.

Suddenly, he remembers.

"Oh hey," Jae stops and pulls out something from his bag. I look at the hand he held as he then hands me something. "I figured since we used up a lot of your films, you'd need some more."

I take the small paper box from him and stare at it like oblivion.

Jae chuckles, "don't need to thank me for being such a good sugar daddy when I took up most of the pictures you have anyway."

My cheeks burn at the fact he called himself a sugar daddy.

It is in my silence and lack of teasing or mocking banter Jae knits his brows. He straightens up and fixes his own bag, "hey are you okay? You've been uncharacteristically meek today."

I release a breath as I turn to my feet.

Jae is really concerned at this point.

I fake a smile and turn to him, "yeah, no, I'm good. Mr. Kim's new discussion really got me."

"... but he did a recap of last week's discussion."

I am caught off guard. I chuckle nervously. I scratch the back of my head and rack my brain for an excuse. I think of nothing and play it off weakly.

Jae straightens up. He is about to speak but I beat him to it, "actually Jae, there's been something bugging me lately."

He knits his brows and crosses his arms seriously.

My breath hitches.

I gulp, "I think we can finally call it even."

There is a moment of silence

Jae blinks and shakes his head slowly. "Uhm, I'm... I'm not following."

I chuckle nervously, "well," I snap my fingers, "as you showed just a while ago, you're actually understanding the physics lessons by yourself now, and, like, Younghyun doesn't contact me at all anymore-- hell I don't even think fo the bastard anymore--" I grumble quickly. I turn from afar back to Jae and feel heavy underneath his gaze.

I give a pinched smile and conclude, "yeah, eh, we don't have to pretend to be girlfriend-boyfriend anymore."

I wait for a response.

A laugh.

A sigh of relief.

Something.

But there is none.

Jae just looks at me, perplexed.

"I'm just thinking," I point to my temple and motion, "I keep playing it in my head that you have to keep putting up with me. And like- and like- you spend money on me that even I don't want to spend on myself, and I don't think it's fair to you."

Jae shifts from where he stands and speaks, "well if that's what you're worried about. Don't. I really don't mind." Ask me why.

I sigh and chew on my bottom lip.

Jae catches on and knows it is a sign of agitation.

"Well, actually there's more."

Am I really going to be saying this?

I clear my throat and go back and forth the palms of my feet, "I actually just think--"

No. I am not going to do it.

"--that we should just go back to how things were."

Jae is mortified with what it could mean.

I catch in and immediately clarify, "I just mean! That... I haven't hung out with my friends in a while. And, like, Dowoon has been looking for me for a long time now..."

False. Dowoon could give a rat's ass about me and would most definitely kill me if he ever finds out I used him as an excuse to get out of a dreaded confrontation about my one-sided, undeserving like to Jae, which according to him is not one-sided at all, which is extremely preposterous as it is.

Jae feels himself deflate, key words: my friends. Wasn't already there a friendship between him and Dowoon?

"I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I'm glad that you don't need me anymore."

Jae wants to scoff at what he just heard, who in the world said that?

"I think it's best for all of us that we get out of each other's hair..." I explain.

I swear I saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes, but it's just my wishful thinking because Jae breaks into a warm chuckle, "well, you are pretty annoying."

"Ha ha," I reply, rubbing my shoulder.

Jae, who felt so good when he woke up, feels like burrowing underground. He pushes the though of it away though, because he sees the genuine smile in front of him. That genuine smile that got him the moment he saw it.

I gave him the most sincere statement I could muster up at this point, "thank you for everything, Jae."

He smiles back, softer, and waves me off, "we're even."

I nod, "even Steven."

He nods.

We stand in an awkward silence.

I realize the box of polaroids he gave me is still in my hand. I turn to it and turn to him.

He beats me to it, "consider it a parting gift."

I look at him and somehow feel hurt, hurt that he's making it as if we don't have physics class together anymore, or literature or home economics.

I pull myself back however and remind myself of the truth.

Dowoon's an idiot and Jae deserves way better that some girl who cried for months about a jerk.

I shake my head and purse my lips, "okay."

There is a breeze cutting in between us, begging us to go our separate ways.

Jae shoves his hands in his pockets and musters up the lamest, "guess I'll eat alone then."

He regrets saying that.

My heart breaks.

He takes a step back, waves off and promptly dissmises me with one last, "bye."

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[scatterednova]

Summary: Asmodeus and Clara discover the truth behind Iruma's parents and decide that it's their responsibility to make up for the love and affection he missed out on growing up. But they somehow miss the fact that Iruma is doing just fine without his previous family, and he's enjoying his new one very much.

-

    “Whoah, Azz-kun! Your bloodline magic is so cool!” Iruma gushed. He had roped himself into helping the janitors clear the cherry blossoms again, but thankfully Azz-kun was there to burn them to a crisp. 

    “Thank you, Iruma-sama! But my magic pales into comparison to yours!” Azz-kun puffed up in pride with a literal sparkle in his eyes. But that quickly morphed to anger as Clara slammed into his side.

    “Iruma-chi! Are you done yet? I wanna play!” she whined as Azz-kun tried to pry her off. Iruma rubbed her head and laughed.

    “Yeah, just finished thanks to Azz-kun. What do you want to do?” Clara launched herself off of Azz-kun to latch onto Iruma. 

    “I wanna play with the fire!” she cheered and lunged for the small traces of soot that Azz-kun’s fire had left behind. She slammed her hands in the ash and spun around. “Look! It’s like chalk! I bet we can draw with it!”

    “You idiot! You’re going to get our uniforms dirty!” Azz-kun growled as he hoised Clara up to keep her from touching anything. That backfired, and Clara latched onto the sleeve of Azz-kun’ all-white uniform. He dropped her and started rubbing his sleeve. “See what I mean! You’re lucky class is already over!”

    “Don’t worry Azz-azz! I can make another one!” She pulled a nearly identical copy of Azz-kun’ uniform, but in a glaring shade of hot pink and sparkling like a disco ball.

    “I’m not wearing that thing!” Azz-kun yelled back. Iruma was left in the background to watch with an awkward smile. He knew that if he let them keep at it they would never get around to leaving.

    “Clara! How about we play as we walk home?” He interjected into their little squabble. By this point, Clara had climbed on top of Azz-kun’s head and was cackling madly while waving the uniform around. They both turned to face him at the same time, which looked a little creepy. Clara launched herself off once again, causing Azz-kun to squawk about his hair, and landed next to Iruma. 

    “Can we play tag?” Clara started bouncing in place while flashing Iruma puppy-dog eyes. 

    “Sure thing, that sounds like fun!” Iruma gave her another pat to the head and started leading her out the gates. He trusted Azz-kun to follow, and by the time they got to the gate he had reclaimed his usual position by Iruma’s side. Clara started skipping ahead of the pair before screeching to a halt right outside the gate.

    “Alright! If you don’t have a ribbon you’re not it!” Clara yelled as she produced two ribbons patterned with some creature that Iruma didn’t recognize. She shoved one in Iruma’s hands before sprinting off. Iruma fumbled with it for another moment before following suit.

    “Hey! We didn’t agree on who it would be! Why am I stuck with it!”

--

    Iruma sprawled out across his bed, idly watching Clara build an entire fort out of materials she pulled from her pockets. Azz-kun was yelling at her about ‘disrespecting the sanctity of Iruma-sama’s room!’. Iruma was content to stay there and watch them. He was still unused to having so many people around him, especially people who seemed to have an interest in his happiness. And his friends were so powerful, it still blew his mind whenever he saw them pull off some powerful feat of magic.

    “Clara! That’s amazing!” Speaking of magic, Clara had just finished her elaborate three-story fort, complete with a ball pit and balcony. It was easily one of the coolest things Iruma had seen that week, and Clara had just assembled it before his very eyes. “Both of you have the coolest bloodline magic.”

    “Iruma-sama, you honor us! But your bloodline magic is surely far superior….” Azz-kun gushed, only to be cut off by Clara.

    “Iruma-chi, what’s your bloodline magic?” She jumped up next to him and leaned in until their noses were almost touching.

    “Valac! If he wanted us to know he would have let us know by now!” Azz-kun started to scold her in the background, but Iruma laughed.

    “Oh, I don’t know either.” Technically, he didn’t have any bloodline magic. But he had Grandpa’s magic, so that might have ended up in his ring as well. But Grandpa had never mentioned it, and Iruma had never thought about it before. 

    That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as both his friends were giving him weird looks.

    “How do you not know?” Clara cocked her head and gave him a puzzled look.

    “Well, I haven’t spoken to my parents in ages, and Grandpa never mentions it. So I just never figured it out,” Iruma tried to laugh it off, but he just got even weirder looks. 

    “Valac! You shouldn’t pry! You could be messing with very painful memories!”Azz-kun was fuming in the background and tried to yank Clara away.

    “Don’t worry, I’m over it. They didn’t want anything to do with me, and I’ve accepted that.” Iruma had spent hours thinking it over, and it had taken a while for him to realize that he no longer felt an affection for the people who had tossed him aside after he spent his entire life trying to please them. He even felt comfortable enough to open up about it, as he was doing now.

    “Iruma-chi…” For once in her life, Clara was shocked speechless. Azz-kun was in a similar boat, but he looked more offended than shocked. “Your parents...just left you?” 

    “Yeah, but now I live with Grandpa. I’m happier than I’ve ever been!” Iruma tried to appease his friends, but they still looked disturbed. Clara was plastered to his side, and Azz-kun was hovering around the edges of the bed. “Really guys, It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m happier here than I ever was there with them. You don’t need to worry.”

    Clara and Azz-kun still seemed deeply disturbed, but they seemed to be willing to drop it. The rest of the afternoon had a tense current to it despite that.

--

    “Do you remember what Iruma-chi said earlier?” Clara would usually use the walk home to mess with Alice, but today she quietly trailed behind him. She’d tried to brush off Iruma’s words when she was playing with him, but it stuck with her. 

    “About his parents? Vividly,” Alice, on the other hand, was trying not to combust until they were out of Iruma’s line of sight. “Iruma-sama is the pinnacle of ability and compassion! Any respectable demon would kill to have him as an heir, and those idiots just throw him away!” 

    “I can’t even think about my mom doing that to me.” Clara moped as she thought about her own family. Whenever she tried to think of her mom doing that to her, her mind just blanked. 

    “I don’t exactly see eye to eye with my mother, but to think that she didn’t even care about me…” Alice had gone from fuming to staring at the ground. Similarly to Clara, he simply couldn’t imagine his parents turning on him. “His grandfather really seems to care about him, though.”

    “Yeah! Iruma-chi doesn’t need those losers! He has everything he needs right here!” Clara declared. She was starting to get pumped up. “We can be all the family he needs!” 

    “Valac, you’re on to something! Iruma-sama seems to be doing fine, but it’s our duty as friends to make sure that he has the love and support he needs in life!” Alice yelled. He was blazing with determination, and in his haste, he forgot that Iruma had clearly told them that he was fine with the whole thing.

--

    “Clara, is something going on?” Iruma was getting a little suspicious. Azz-kun and Clara had seemingly been on the same page all day, which was weird in of itself. But now Clara was dragging him off on an ‘adventure’, and Azz-kun hadn’t yelled at her about it. As a matter of fact, he seemed to be as excited as Clara was about all this. 

    “Don’t worry Iruma-chi! We’re gonna have fun!” That didn’t calm Iruma down in the slightest, but if Azz-kun seemed okay with it he probably wouldn’t die. He shrugged and let himself be dragged away. Grandpa wasn’t expecting him home for a while, so he could text him once they got to their mystery destination. 

“Yes, Iruma-sama! You have nothing to fear?” Well, that sealed it. Iruma was just going to roll with it. 

--

    Alice regretted every decision that led him to this personal torture. He should have remembered the festival, but he got swept up in Valac’s enthusiasm and forgot that Valac’s entire family were carbon copies of her. 

    “Azz-kun, are you okay? You’re looking a little pale,” Iruma asked. 

    “I am quite alright, Iruma-sama!” Alice gripped his cup tighter as one of the boys plastered his uniform with a supply of stickers that he hadn’t been holding a minute ago. His hair had been yanked into braids and tied with bows. Iruma had half a flower garden in his, and a new manicure that was so blinding it gave him a migraine every time he looked at it.

    “If you’re sure, Azz-kun.” Iruma-same gave him a blinding smile and Alice felt better about the whole thing.

    “Dinner’s ready! Everyone gather around!” Valac’s mother swooped in with an entire feast. Iruma-sama’s eyes lit up, and he and Valac shared a look across the table. It appeared that Operation: Home Cooked Meal was a success. Mrs. Valac, who had been informed of their plan, seemed to take great pleasure in lovingly piling more on Iruma-sama’s plate. Time for the next phase!

--

    “Alright, kiddos! Have fun while I’m out! Take care of yourselves!” Valac’s mother gave all the kids one last pat on the head before breezing out the door. 

    “Bye-bye!” The Valac children waved after their mother as she made her way to do whatever it was she was doing. Clara spun around and grabbed Iruma-sama by the sleeves while her siblings attached themselves to his legs. “Iruma-chi! Do you want to play now?” 

    “Of course! What do you guys usually play when you’re home?” Iruma-sama gave them another beaming smile.

    “It’s a surprise!” Iruma-sama was dragged over to one of the many piles of pillows in a corner of the room. Alice trailed behind them while suppressing the urge to lecture them on their treatment of Iruma-sama. But this part of the operation required authentic sibling bonding, so it would be counterproductive to intervene. But he still made sure to nab the cushion next to Iruma-sama. For all he knew, those little demons had more stickers stuck up their sleeves.

    “Behold! The ultimate sibling experience!” The boys shouted in unison as they raised what looked like an ordinary board game in the air. Iruma-same clapped his hands together.

    “That looks like a lot of fun! How do you play?” Iruma-sama gushed as he praised the little ones. 

    “Last one to turn pink wins!” Alice should have been concerned about the helmets that were being passed around, but this was just a board game, right? Surely Clara didn’t really need all those balloons filled with a mystery liquid. 

--

    The matriarch of the Valac family sighed and put her head in her hands. She wished she could join in on the fun back home, but it was important for kids to have space to express themselves. And it was her duty as a mother to give the kids the enrichment they need! Her heart went out for that poor Iruma boy, but he seemed to be doing just fine. He had some very caring friends and a home to go back to. But it wouldn’t hurt if she ‘accidentally’ made too much food in the morning and sent Clara to school with an extra bento.

--

    Iruma staggered home, covered in paint and glitter but loving it at the same time. He’d always wondered what having siblings would be like, be he never imagined something so explosive. Though, Clara’s family was probably a special case. The only thing that could top it was spending an evening with his new family. 

    “Opera-san? Are you here?” He called out as he stepped through the doors of his home. The cat demon in question appeared at his side and gave him a critical look-over. Her tail twitched, the only sign of her slight displeasure at his appearance. “Sorry I got the uniform dirty.” He gave her a sheepish look as he took his shoes off.

    “Who did this? Do I need to handle them?” She got a slightly dangerous look on her face. “I will inform Lord Sullivan of this if I need to.”

    “Oh no, it’s not like that. I just went to Clara’s house to play and it got a little out of hand. It wasn’t a prank or anything.” Iruma waved his hands in front of his face as he tried to calm her down. “And sorry again about the uniform.”

    “You don’t need to apologize for something like that. I’ll draw a bath for you. Try and brush some of the glitter off in the meantime,” Opera-san reassured him. Her face was still blank, but her tail had stopped lashing around. He took that as a good sign and followed her upstairs. 

    “Is grandpa around?” 

    “He had some business at the school, but he’ll be home shortly. I believe that he has a surprise for you afterward. “ Iruma cringed slightly. Surprises from Grandpa were always a big deal, but they had a tendency to go overboard. Like his entire first day here, for example. And nearly every day after that.

    “Well, I’m still looking forward to it.”

--

    “Iruma! My precious grandson!” Iruma found himself in a familiar set of arms. 

    “Grandpa! How was your day?” He returned the hug with a warm smile.

    “Ahh! You get cuter every time I see you!” Sullivan cooed as he squeezed Iruma tighter. 

    “If you’re done, you have something to tell him.” He could always trust Opera-san to be the voice of reason in this household. His grandpa started sparkling at the reminder and he finally released Iruma from his embrace. 

    “Your beloved Grandpa has set up a playdate for you! I’ve spoken with their parents and both of your friends are coming over for dinner tomorrow!” Grandpa straightened up and spun around. 

    “Wow! Azz-kun and Clara are coming over? I’m so excited!” Iruma gushed and got caught in another hug. Even Opera-kun looked pleased with the situation. His friends had been over to his house before, but they had always just kinda ended up here. The few planned social events were usually class-wide, and while he loved his other friends he looked forward to hanging out with Clara and Azz-kun. 

    “My grandson is so cute!”

    “Sir, please let go of Iruma-san so he can eat.”

--

    “Iruma-chi!” Clara sprung forward the instant the door was opened and plastered herself against Iruma’s side. He laughed and patted her head.

    ‘I’m glad you’re here! Have you seen Azz-kun yet?” Iruma looked back out the door and into the woods, trying to spot a flash of pink and white. He saw him a second later when he came barreling into view.

    “Valac! Don’t go running off like that!” He growled at Clara, who was hanging off of Iruma’s arm like a monkey. Clara laughed and ran off farther into Iruma’s house. Azz-kun scowled after her. He bowed deeply. “Iruma-sama, I apologize for her manners. To think that she would disrupt the sanctity of your home,” he growled softly. 

    “Don’t worry about it! You know how she is.” Iruma waved his hands in front of his face while he assured his friend. Azz-kun raised himself with a sparkle in his eyes.

    “Iruma-sama is so gracious!” Azz-kun gushed. Iruma felt the urge to slam his face into his hands in embarrassment, but he’d gotten better at handling Azz-kun and had developed something of an immunity.

    “Come on, Azz-kun. The food will get cold.” He shot him a grin while leading his friend down the hall. He was followed by Azz-kun’s fervent compliments.

--

    “Iruma-sama! I will avenge your honor!” Azz-kun shouted as he mashed the buttons on the controller. Clara was perched on the back of the couch like the gremlin she was, and Iruma was enjoying the sight. He’d been knocked out by the boss, so he had a minute or two before he respawned. He took the time to enjoy the atmosphere. Opera-san occasionally popped in with snacks and advice, and Grandpa was lurking in the corner with a camera. 

    “This blasted creature!” Azz-kun threw his controller down after his character took a fireball to the face and died. 

    “Don’t worry, Azz-kun! The longer you play the easier it gets.” Iruma comforted his friend while he prepared himself to rejoin the game again. 

    “You are truly an admirable person to master this blasted device.” And Azz-kun was back to complimenting him. He shot him a quick smile before joining the game again. 

    “Well, I play them a lot. Opera-san plays with me every day. It’s not as chaotic as Clara’s games, but it’s nice to just hang out with my family.” Iruma was fully focused on the game at this point, so he missed Azz-kun’s revelation. 

--

    “I think we miscalculated,” Alice hissed as soon as he and Valac were out of earshot. He had made sure to properly say goodbye to Iruma-sama and his family, but he had to admit that he rushed a bit. He needed to talk this over with Valac. 

    “About Iruma-chi’s family?” Valac had gone quiet, and the whole situation was very reminiscent of the conversation that had started this whole thing. “I felt bad for him because his parents suck, but he seems to be doing alright.” 

    “Opera-san and Lord Sullivan gave him everything we thought he was missing,” Alice mussed. Valac latched onto his arm and gave him a look that he assumed was her version of being thoughtful. 

    “I guess we don’t need to do anything else,” Valac declared as she danced ahead on the path. Alice instinctively lunged forward to grab her. 

    “Well, that’s obvious! Now stop running around!”

[moonlightwinterdxxix]

The same anon here again but now with a tumblr acc seperate from my main for confidently leaving lil' asks around! 😎 (Hats off to you if you can figure out what my username means-) I have another request idea that I thought would be fun! You know how Jyushimatsu has his own Jyushimatsu boy, Eitarou? What if everyone has one too? (Maybe they're all Eitarou's new friends??) Cue to the Sexuplets not knowing how to feel or deal with being a kid's role model?? xD

Hey hey hey! I managed to finish this one, my friend!! 💛💛💛 Let me tell you this: this was a hard one to conceptualize because I never thought of seeing the sextuplets (other than Jyushimatsu, of course) have a little follower like Eitarou was to Jyushi. So this was a bit of a challenge for me 😲🤤😂 Hopefully you still like it! I tried my best to make it fun, but I guess Jyushi’s good attitude was just too strong to get shrugged off. The ending redeemed the story though.

(P.S, I used Detect Language for your username: It’s detected from Chinese and translated into Y I Matsuno???)

~~~

Jyushimatsu was prepared to address the elephant in the room.

But he didn’t, and so he continued to cut. He kept his focus on his scissors as their blades snipped through the sides of the picture, trimming the sight of grass and leaving the yellowish texture of the man’s baseball uniform. He followed the curve of his muscles as he cut, careful around his biceps and fingers as he reached that spot. When he finished this athlete, Jyushimatsu grabbed the glue and flipped the cutout around.

The glue hovered over the picture. But as he heard the silent tapping of thumbs against the phone screen, the elephant had grown too big for him to bear, and he spun around. “Ichimatsu-niisan, you don’t have to do that.”

Sucking in a breath, Ichimatsu shuddered. Then with his face crumpling, he broke into a frail whimper as he rested his forehead helplessly on the table. The phone in his hand chimed with a new notification.

Jyushimatsu faced the rest of the room, showing zero signs of discomfort on his face save for a single drop of sweat sliding from his temple. “Uh, niisan, I think it’ll be a good idea if we talk about it now.” This was a message he sent to the entire room, and all at once, his brothers shuddered in their own misery.

This was their misery: Ichimatsu was on Todomatsu’s phone, which was the worst type of curse someone with social anxiety could have—his whimpering was understandable. Todomatsu, on the other hand, had nearly puked fifteen separate times in the last hour, all because he had to stare at himself at Karamatsu’s desk mirror as he sported the painful glams of Karamatsu’s personalized fashion. That meant a black v-neck under a leather jacket, sparkling pants, strong cologne, and flashy sunglasses. Todomatsu looked ready to pass out.

His back to them, Karamatsu was lying at the edge of the room with his sleeves rolled down, one hand carrying the weight of his head as the other hovered right above his pants line. Beside him lay a wallet with nothing more than a coin—he groaned over the loss of his funds. Osomatsu sat next to him, openly weeping as he scoured through the pages of a list of job offerings that scattered around Akatsuka Ward. And Choromatsu sat by the wall, expression blank and frozen as his hand rubbed the back of a nonexistent cat (there had been a cat earlier, but it had scurried away after Choromatsu had tried playing with it).

For the last few days, this was the behavior of them that Jyushimatsu was quick to notice. Constant trips from a regular routine for Jyushimatsu always had the same results, with his brothers in petrified balls on the floor with muttered reassurances to themselves. Fake smiles saturated the atmosphere that it was no longer pleasant to Jyushimatsu, but he had let it pass for a while if it meant prying on their personal space. But over time it had become too hot to handle, and Jyushimatsu had vaguely managed to gather them up in this room at this very moment, waiting for the right opportunity to break the ice.

And waiting was forever. It was like a fever: the longer it wasn’t treated, the worse it got. He noticed this with all five identical siblings in the room.

That was their misery. And thus, how hard was it to ignore the elephant in the room?

“Please tell me what’s wrong,” Jyushimatsu said to them all.

His response was still the chirping birds from outside and the faint whimpering coming from their eldest brother.

Jyushimatsu knitted his eyebrows. “Oi, Osomatsu-niisan, please tell me what’s wrong. Ichimatsu-niisan, Choromatsu-niisan, Karamatsu-niisan, Totty!”

“Ugh! I can’t take this anymore!” Todomatsu finally exclaimed, yanking Karamatsu’s glasses from his nose and slamming it against the table. Karamatsu didn’t do so much as flinch as a reaction. “This is all your fault, Jyushimatsu-niisan! I will never forgive you for this!”

“Eh?!” Jyushimatsu screeched, the outburst catching him completely off-guard. “W-What did I do?!”

“It’s your stupid influence!” Ichimatsu bellowed, following Todomatsu’s example and smacking the phone against the same table. But unlike Karamatsu who let the status of his shades pass, Todomatsu was quick to react as he roared in horror, ready to tackle Ichimatsu as he tried containing himself while Ichimatsu resumed his raging. “It’s your darn, stupid influence this even happened in the first place, you pice of crap!”

“What influence?!” Jyushimatsu asked, entirely lost.

“Eitarō! That’s what!” Ichimatsu blabbered madly, standing from the table as he leaned down and got to his younger brother’s face. Their noses were a nudge away from each other. “If it weren’t for you being such an idiot when it came to stupid children none of this would’ve happened!”

“Why? What happened? I don’t understand what’s going on!” Jyushimatsu protested, slightly inching the scissors into hiding before any of his brothers could take it and use it for purposes outside snipping crafts. “What happened with Eitarō-kun? He and his mother had moved away again a few months ago already!”

“All of you, keep your voices down!” Choromatsu instructed, then added, “Jyushimatsu, take a peek outside, won’t you?”

“Eh? Um, alright?” Jyushimatsu picked himself off the table and brought himself to the window, and when looking outside, he was met with a very familiar sight. Five little boys of similar age ranges, all wearing different hoodies similar to that of the five brothers with Jyushimatsu in the room. All five were yelling at each other playfully, calling to each other the same way the one in their corresponding brother would address his brother.

Meaning, the one in green was slamming the head of the one in red. The one in red was laughing carelessly. The one in purple was trying to choke the one in blue while the one in pink tried to untangle himself from their chaos.

With the relief that none of them had noticed Jyushimatsu, he retreated inside the room again, where Ichimatsu and Todomatsu were both bowed down on the table with matching, glum postures.

Karamatsu sighed, his first time turning towards them. “Jyushimatsu,” he said calmly, “as you can see, it has nothing to do with Eitarō himself, my brother. But if you may have noticed...” He sighed again, getting up from the floor and pocketing his wallet. “Jyushimatsu. Your influence over Eitarō might’ve spread to so much more than him alone. He had a school for a moment, did he not?”

Jyushimatsu nodded.

Another sigh. “Jyushimatsu. The friends your little Jyushimatsu boy has ma—”

“Cod, you’re taking way too long!” Choromatsu interrupted, clicking his tongue in irritation. “Jyushimatsu, Eitarō’s friends learned about the rest of us after Eitarō befriended them in school. And now they’re treating us the same way that Eitarō was treating you. That’s all he needs to say.”

Karamatsu snapped his fingers, but it was not a little bit enthusiastic with his Karamatsu flair. “Bingo.”

“Eh?! Then what’s so wrong about that?!” Jyushimatsu exclaimed, a part of him happy for his brothers’ apparent attention and a part of him concerned over how that was affecting their demeanors. And maybe a part of him was envious too, that they were lucky in that department, and that he had graduated from it long ago after Eitarō moved away again. Even if the boy was fortunate in his romantic life compared to him.

“Isn’t that what you all want? Attention? To be looked-up on? How is this anything bad for any of you?” Jyushimatsu continued.

“I hate it,” Ichimatsu seethed, tone grinding. “I want a girlfriend or something, not someone young to look up to trash like me.”

Jyushimatsu faced him. “You’re not trash, Ichimatsu-niisan.”

“Whatever. I hate the attention. It’s too much pressure for me.” The notification beep from Todomatsu’s phone alarmed again, and Ichimatsu let out a screeching yelp as he pounced backwards like a startled feline.

Jyushimatsu shook his head, letting that pass for now. “How about you, Karamatsu-niisan? Choromatsu-niisan? Osomatsu-niisan? Don’t you feel honored?”

“I do,” Choromatsu answered, falling quite melancholic. “But I’m far from a good role model. Being a NEET is being a disappointment to a parent, and for someone to like being one makes me feel terrible for the pair that raised them. If they wanted a role model, they shouldn’t pick someone who gets too lazy when it comes to responsibilities and self-containment. They shouldn’t pick me.” He lowered his eyes to his lap, and for a moment it was as if he had the first realization that there wasn’t a cat there the entire time. “I’m a fapping loser that goes to idol concerts, scolding his brothers for their misdeeds. I shouldn’t be anything to him.”

His rising was strong for this one, Jyushimatsu pondered to himself.

“Choromatsu’s point is one with its sincerity,” Karamatsu agreed with solemnity tracing his sentence. “And I say that it too serves as my excuse. B-But, just...Tch...” Karamatsu crossed his arms, expression wrinkling. “You all call me painful, don’t you? If someone ever looks up to me, tries to copy me, then doesn’t that mean that they will become painful too? I don’t have any friends because of who I am, Jyushimatsu! Literally everyone I know hates me! I can’t have a little boy copy that example and end up in a place similar to me! Do you think I’m that heartless to want the world to flow in my currents? No! That’s selfish bullhooey!” He collapsed on the table and openly began to cry.

Jyushimatsu averted his attention. “And what’s your excuse, Osomatsu-niisan?”

“Oh, the kid thing is fine, no prob,” Osomatsu stated, voice muffled with his plugged nose. “I like having a follower—I’ve always ever been the god to an empty domain, and I don’t give a crap if the kid becomes a gambling NEET in his future. The other reason I’m actually doing this is because the kid’s got a sweet older sister with sexy-as-hell curves and a giant chest. But, uh...” He sniveled, dropping his face in his hands. “She got pissed because I lost in Pachinko—chicks dig winners but now she rejected me because of my debt in its four-digit amount!” He exploded into sobs.

“Cod, you’re the absolute worst, Osomatsu-niisan,” Choromatsu spat.

“So why are you all acting like this?” Jyushimatsu asked, indicatively flipping his palm. “What does switching activities have to do with anything?”

“We’re trying to throw the kids off,” Todomatsu responded, popping the collar of the leather jacket. He nearly hurled again before he swallowed it down professionally. “You know, kinda stir them enough that we’re gonna piss ‘em off. So they could leave us in peace and harmony.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s working. You’re all failing miserably.”

“For now, perhaps that might be the case,” Ichimatsu stated, returning to nonchalance. “But give it a little time. It might work out better than we expected.” He blanched at the phone screen. “Oh, Cod...! Totty, why is Yanagita on your freaking contacts...?!”

Jyushimatsu eyed them skeptically. “Are you sure?”

“We don’t know, honestly,” Choromatsu stated, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them. Mimicking Ichimatsu. “But this is our problem. Don’t bother yourself with it, Jyushimatsu. Just enjoy yourself all you want.”

He wasn’t buying it. “Are you sure?” Jyushimatsu repeated.

“Yeah, we are,” Karamatsu replied, lounging himself lazily on the floor again. “Give it a week or so, Jyushimatsu. You judge then.”

~~~

Jyushimatsu gave it a week. And in that week, things got worse. Worse for his brothers, to be exact, since Jyushimatsu was still living his life filled with sunshine and little Jyushimatsu’s treating rainbows like playground slides. Trips to the park for a run and a swim were fluid with fun, stretching his muscles as brimmed with power as they did on any other day. Jyushimatsu was the only one that was fine. The others were not.

As afternoon met its peak and dusk had been welcomed into the city, Jyushimatsu marched home with his bat slung over his shoulder, vocally shouting out a melody with lyrics he made on the spot:

“Happy, home-run king! I like your joy because it’s jolly! You make happiness go-go-go! Muscle, muscle! Hustle, hustle!”

Only stopping when he saw the five children outside the house gate again. But unlike the first time when they were beating each other up with the role play of their personal ‘masters’, this time they were all waiting there outside with sad expectations. Jyushimatsu found himself unable to approach them as he stood there with the next lyric hanging on his lips, the bat still on his shoulder.

The boy in pink turned around, noticing him. “Oi, it’s Jyushimatsu-san!” he announced.

The remaining four turned to face him, and with the attention that was drawn to him, Jyushimatsu was in no position to escape. And he didn’t think he could, because judging by the kids’ hopeful expressions and dejected eyes, he was certain that both his mind and heart will demand him to stay. For once, he was in charge of what his brothers couldn’t handle, which told a lot about them as people and the situations the Matsuno family could face. And he was willing to do his tasks for today, to learn more.

It was part of Jyushimatsu’s own concept.

Spinning the brim of his cap around, Jyushimatsu gave the children a wide smile. “Yup! It’s me, Jyushimatsu! How can I help you kids?”

But was that the right question to ask, he thought. Because the more appropriate one was: how long have you been waiting here?

“We’re, uh, waiting for your brothers,” the boy in red responded sheepishly, tapping his index fingers together as he bashfully trailed his gaze to the sidewalk. “If you’re going inside the house, can you tell them that we’re waiting for them? We were all supposed to play today.”

“Ah.” Jyushimatsu wanted so much to be in charge of that playing, but he held back on his invitation and nodded instead. He let his boots take him towards the gateway, entering the boundaries that the children had refused entering themselves. At least they still had the respect for privacy that his brothers (and himself, at times) lacked. “I’ll see what I can do,” he told them cheerily. “But if no one goes outside in the next fifteen minutes, you go home. I wouldn’t want you to waste your time on someone who might not come out.”

Because they had been already, since the moment Jyushimatsu’s backside had first faced their house that fateful morning.

“Alright, we promise,” said the boy in purple, and all the others nodded their approval.

“Good kids,” Jyushimatsu complimented, then went towards their house with no more delay. He slammed the door open with all his enthusiasm, and calling out an, “I’M HOME-MUSCLE!!!” he let himself in, whooping as he tossed off his bat and began untying his shoes. He intentionally left the door open so the children may monitor his progress.

“Welcome home, my dear brother Jyushimatsu!”

Jyushimatsu halted his progress, lifting his chin towards the empty corridor. For it was not the deep, theatrical vowels that made Karamatsu’s cadence that returned his warm greeting, but Todomatsu’s exaggerated jovial pipe. With a glance he sent to his behind, the children were just as befuddled by the situation as he was.

“Totty? Was that you? Can you come out?” He was sure to make his voice louder than any of Akatsuka Ward’s flows of nature.

“Ah, my big brother! I’d rather remain where I am! Thank you though, for offering.”

Jyushimatsu gulped. He positioned his boots with the rest of their shoes and let himself in, this time deciding to shut the door before the children receive broken hearts created by their very own masters. He was straight away peering into the living room, where the week’s earlier conundrum was transformed from cringing individuals into absolute clones. It was both fascinating and terrifying all at once, and Jyushimatsu was the one at a loss for words as he continued to view them.

Ichimatsu was happily handling Todomatsu’s phone like it was made of love instead of hellfire. He was smiling the same way he did when they were third-years, with his hair only slightly ruffled, his voice far from its baritone. With the complete absence of nausea, Todomatsu was admiring his reflection in the mirror again, mimicking Karamatsu’s speaking patterns as he carefully adjusted his bangs, looking at himself through the blue world formed by Karamatsu’s sunglasses.

Karamatsu was on his stomach, legs swinging, nose bleeding. He chuckled giddily to himself as he flipped through the pages of one of the mangas they had stored in the house, where plastered on the pages were an unhealthy amount of naked men and women with interacting skin. Osomatsu sat next to him, grumbling and shaking his own head at his annoyance over Karamatsu’s behavior, a notebook in his hand. And Choromatsu was at the corner of the room facing the wall, lying down without a breath in sight. He looked almost dead.

And all of it looked fake.

Jyushimatsu deflated. “Don’t be like this, please,” he said to them, smile dipping entirely. “This isn’t going to help you at all.”

“Eh? What do you mean, Jyushimatsu?” Ichimatsu asked, sounding painfully too similar to how he spoke back when they were eighteen. “Why would you think that help is something we need at all?” The phone chimed, and Ichimatsu excitedly looked through it.

Unfazed, Jyushimatsu narrowed his eyes at him. “C’mon. You know exactly what I mean, Ichimatsu-niisan.”

“And you see that it’s working, right?” Karamatsu grinned, rubbing a finger under his bloody nose. “One week indoors, and everything’s turning out fine and dandy.”

“No it’s not!” Jyushimatsu contradicted, spreading his hands. “You’re letting down the hopes of little children by completely ignoring them! You’re crushing their dreams! You never know—the reason they’re so happy is because they’ve never learned how it was to be truly happy before!”

“That’s not possible,” Choromatsu deadpanned, barely moving. “None of us would make anyone feel happy. Well, except you, Jyushimatsu. You’ve made a small boy happy once and a girl too. The rest of us are human trash.”

“That’s not true,” Jyushimatsu countered, taking his cap off and squeezing it apprehensively. “All of you managed to make someone happy before. You might not know it, but with the number of people here in Akatsuka Ward, there’s at least one person you’ve given joy. And to be able to do that, to offer happiness like that, I bet that’s what those children want to learn from you.”

The room’s atmosphere shifted, the personas drawn up dwindling slightly.

“Name one person any of us had ever made happy, Jyushimatsu,” Osomatsu challenged, breaking the tension brimming the air.

“Aside from each other? Well then.” Jyushimatsu cleared his throat as he sat himself at the table, right between Ichimatsu and Todomatsu. The former didn’t look invested in his messaging as the latter had stopped admiring himself and was staring at the surface of the table.

“Osomatsu-niisan,” Jyushimatsu began, “when we were kids, you gave equal relief to both Iyami and Kemunpas when you took the caterpillar off Iyami and brought Kemunpas to a nice set of trees in the park. But gratitude was more evident for Kemunpas since he had been very hungry that day, and for you to be so nice as to give him a lot of food is something that made him feel better. You made him happy. And for a while, you gave Iyami relief as well because the earth knows how scared he is of insects. So there. That’s one, Osomatsu-niisan.”

Osomatsu dipped his head, shaking it slightly.

“Karamatsu-niisan, remember that week after you and that ugly flower girl almost got married?” Jyushimatsu continued. “When we went to visit Chibita at the oden stand, and still that week we all noticed how salty the oden was? Well, after the rest of us decided to go ahead home, you chose to stay a little longer to talk to Chibita and ask if he was alright. Of course since none of the rest of us were there, I couldn’t say that I know what happened. But for sure the following evening all the oden tasted better than before, and Chibita was filled with new life.” He darted his eyes over the two oldest sons. “That’s two.”

Karamatsu exhaled through his nose, folding his arms.

“When you were out to get kerosene, Choromatsu-niisan, you met the tribe girl,” Jyushimatsu resumed. “As happy as she and her people were giving you your needs, you returned the joy to her. There was a reason the two of you almost got married, right? That’s because you wanted to be together for a long time. And if we hadn’t crashed the celebration, you might’ve still been together today. But for the time being, you made her happy just the way she did for you. It’s one of the first romances in our family that nearly worked out.” He held up three fingers. “That’s three.”

Choromatsu hid his face in the corner of the wall.

“As for you, Ichimatsu-niisan, do you remember ESP Kitty? That experience speaks for itself. Actually, the situation kind of reminded me of the situation of Chibita and Gonta, if you remember that. It involved an argument between owner and feline, but it was because of the feeling of self-loathing and selfishness. But despite that, Ichimatsu-niisan, you always managed to offer cats with the kindness they never received because of their lack of ownership. ESP Kitty is the same. And now he’s the family pet! He loves you so much, Ichimatsu-niisan. He really missed you when you were apart.” Jyushimatsu smiled. “That makes four.”

Ichimatsu lowered the phone, and his head.

“Totty, you made Totoko-Chan very happy recently,” Jyushimatsu said. “Or, at least more understanding. But if it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have given Kin-chan a chance. After Osomatsu-niisan exposed her during dinner, you were the one that followed to approach her, and as a whole we explained to her the status of our relationship with Kin-chan. When she needed to return, we were all surprised to see Totoko-chan arrive with a giant fish souvenir for Kin-chan to take home! And it was because of your initiative, Totty! You started it like a ripple, and so everything worked out in the end! Won’t that make five?”

Todomatsu took off the sunglasses and placed them on the table.

“See? You’ve made loads of people happy before! And I bet it's that simple influence those children want from every single one of you.” Jyushimatsu put a hand over Ichimatsu’s shoulder, another hand clasping Todomatsu’s hand. “But I don’t think it’s only about making others happy, niisan, Totty. I think they just admire how happy we are in general. We don’t let the world bother us, and when it tries to we always try to find a way around it instead of just plainly laughing it off. There are so many people who give in to failure so easily, but we don’t! So maybe that’s what they want!”

The room was all silence. It was Todomatsu who broke it, chuckling lowly, before saying, “Why didn’t we mention all this stuff when we were being judged for hell?”

“Um, slipped my mind?” Jyushimatsu offered, grinning nervously and sheepishly.

“That’s a shame,” Karamatsu chuckled, wiping off the red on his nose. “We could’ve been bathed with the kisses of angels might you have thought this roster sooner, Jyushimatsu.”

Jyushimatsu laughed, getting up. “Well, either way, it’s the truth. I don’t think it’ll be healthy if you go out to talk to those kids now, so just get yourselves together. I’m gonna send them home or something first, because it’s getting late. Then we can all have Mom’s dinner together! Okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Osomatsu agreed, genuinely satisfied. “Tell them to give us one more week to think a little or something. Then we’ll accommodate them.”

“Okie-dokie!”

So he did.

~~~

After that one week, Jyushimatsu returned back to the house to find it empty. No sign of his brothers nor any children anywhere. His shoes were the only one present by their entrance, and their mother was hyperventilating in relief to find one of her sons actually returning home. She revealed that she was worried for even someone as self-isolated as Ichimatsu to be absent meant that they might’ve been in trouble. Jyushimatsu shared his worry, and had agreed to go out to try searching for them.

And setting out of the house for his second run that day, he saw them one by one.

First, it was Karamatsu at the park, clapping like a proud mother in her child’s talent show as the little trainee of his modeled off some Karamatsu-esque fashion near the slide. Though a few passersby were shooting them with pointed looks and horrified glares, neither of the two seemed to mind as they continued their little fashion show in their own joy. Jyushimatsu caught Karamatsu’s eye for a bit, and they gave each other thumbs ups before Jyushimatsu moved on.

Todomatsu was at Sutabaa with the kid, conversing with him in their own dessert-dinner. Though Aida and Sachiko often opted to make conversation with the youngest Matsuno, Todomatsu always kindly dismissed them and returned to showing his specific kid a few videos from the new popular trending app called MatsuTok. The kid was invested in each activity as he munched over the cheesecake prepared in front of him and the ice-blended drink at his side. Both he and Todomatsu were beaming.

Then at the alleyway, Jyushimatsu saw Ichimatsu with his own kid, tending to a few stray cats by giving them dinner. Ichimatsu was the one who poured some of the cat food in the bowls, and it was the child’s duty to give the bowls to the cats. The two of them had an entire kingdom gathered around them, and both smiled down at the sight as if they were the king and prince. Both of them were very happy, judging by the straight spine of Ichimatsu that he so seldom wore. And his light...Ichimatsu rarely had light in his eyes. For so long, they were always dead.

And at the book fair, Choromatsu was with his little boy, both of them looking through intermediate-age books specifically. Choromatsu had a pushcart as he gleefully watched the boy look through the collections of novels spread out on the tables and shelves, looking through titles involving wizards and witches, demigods and immortals, and a lot more. The cart was nearly filled with books, and it was a wonder how on earth they were going to pay for that, but it looked as if there was no issue whatsoever with the calm demeanors of Choromatsu and the boy.

Sighing, Jyushimatsu decided to retreat, maybe tell their mother that the rest of them were fine and could handle themselves. It was nice, he mused, to see all his brothers realize more about their happiness not only for themselves but to others as well. Goodness continued to spread, and it was a miracle that any of the Matsuno brothers managed to offer those sorts of kind miracles.

So as he spun his heels and began jogging off, the last thing he expected was to hear his name slicing through the winds like a warning sent from both heaven and hell, stopping him in his tracks before someone’s hand yanked his arm and dragged him off in a hurry.

“O-Osomatsu-niisan?!” Jyushimatsu yelled, managing himself and running alongside his eldest brother as they scurried through the city’s streets.

“Jyushimatsu, we’ve gotta hide! Now!” Osomatsu ordered, clearly distressed. His respective kid was nowhere in sight.

“E-Eh?! What’s going on? Where’s your kid?” Jyushimatsu scanned their surroundings as they ran.

“Yeah, about that,” Osomatsu began, turning green. “So, here’s the thing: we lied. We all lied. Or it was partially the truth, but the real reason why we chose to leave the kids off wasn’t because of the lack of self-appreciation, but because like what I said the other week, because of a hot older sister. So they kinda found us out and want to kill us now, especially me, because I kinda sorta...uh...”

Jyushimatsu’s stomach dropped. “You groped her, didn’t you?”

Osomatsu’s cheeks went cherry. “It’s a...long story,” he admitted.

Mood fouling, Jyushimatsu’s teeth gnashed against each other as he contained himself from strangling that neck in sight. “Osomatsu-niisan, I am literally going to kill you for...! Wait, what do you mean by ‘they’?”

Osomatsu looked ready for the ground to swallow him whole. “Yup, all of those kids have hot older sisters. But none of our other brothers had done anything remotely close to what I did, but with the knowledge of having five lookalike brothers they kinda formed a little mob of sorts and want our heads on plates. So that’s why I’m running for my life, you know? Though I don’t think it’s a bad thing to die when it’s a hot-damn babe that’s in charge of separating my soul from my body.”

Oh, the nerve. True as it may be, that effing liar. “Oh, you are do dead,” Jyushimatsu seethed, frown deepening. “I’ll take care of splitting your soul before any of their sisters could do that.” Jyushimatsu released himself from Osomatsu’s grip, and from behind his back he magically pulled out his nailed baseball bat.

“No, no!” Osomatsu protested, stepping back with his hands raised in surrender. “Please, man, let’s talk. It was a misunderstanding as it was a bit of wordplay. So don’t be mad, baby bro! I’m completely innocent here and I promise that—!”

“THERE THEY ARE!!!”

The two brothers turned. “EH??!!!”

“GET THEM!!!”

“What the—?!” Jyushimatsu and Osomatsu barely had time to react as a crowd of pretty (but mostly fuming) girls pounced over them and formed a dusty war cloud full of angry screaming and weeping protests. The nailed bat of Jyushimatsu got tossed out of the cloud as the screaming resumed, landing next to a set of four discarded unconscious lookalike bodies.

[things2mustdo]

On July 6th 1994, twenty-six year old Troy Kell, inmate and white supremacist gang member at Utah State Prison, killed Lonnie Blackmon, a black inmate, with 67 blows from a prison shank while prison guards videotaped the attack. The deed done, Troy wiped his hands clean of the blood and walked away, proudly yelling:

“Got some white power jumpin’ off around here!”

Later, in an interview with HBO for it’s documentary Gladiator Days : Anatomy Of A Prison Murder (2002), Troy explained his reasoning behind why he killed Blackmon.

TROY

“I went into the situation that I’m gonna hafta kill the guy – I’m not gonna…jus hurt ‘em, I’m not gonna stab him two times and say ‘yeah we’re even’, you know, cause the philosophy in prison is, you know, you stab me I kill you… I just stabbed the shit outta him, you know, until he didn’t move anymore.”

“I’ve seen guys hesitate…on not thinkin’ somethin’ was serious, and it was serious, and they get themselves stabbed up. Or they get themselves fucked off…they get themselves killed.”

A brutal view on life. Yet it’s not surprising to hear from an inmate who had been imprisoned for another murder since he was eighteen. Troy’s first murder was James Kelly [real name James Thiede], a twenty-one year old Canadian man in Troy’s hometown of Las Vegas. Troy, with the assistance of Sandra Shaw (fifteen at the time) and another friend, lured Kelly into the desert and ambushed him, where Troy shot Kelly six times in the face at point blank range.

Who was Troy? Where did he come from? What was the series of events that drove him to commit two murders, both of which placed him on death row?*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL_PlbqyLcI

One of the most startling aspects of Troy, from watching the documentary, is just how intelligent, almost proverbially All American he comes across as. Troy was not some trailer trash kid, doomed for eventual incarceration.

TROY

“I was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, little middle class family. I’m the only child.”

“I think I was probably just an ordinary kid on the block, I wasn’t any different, or anything from anyone else that I noticed.”

“My father’s into horses, and kinda a redneck background, country boy kinda thing, and we had horses and stuff.”

“I was expected…to be successful, you know, my family, you know, they’re not losers.”

His neighbourhood was middle class, his school was middle class. Troy was thoroughly middle class. So why did he, at eighteen, kill James Kelly? For the answer to that, we have to turn to Sandra Shaw.

Sandra was three years younger then Troy. They met quite early, when they were children.

SANDY

“Troy’s been a part of our life, um, ever since I first came to Las Vegas. Um, since I was probably, like, six years old. We lived on one corner of the street and on the opposite street he lived at the other corner. And um, me and a couple of friends, two little girlfriends, were walking down the street and him and his little friends were sitting in front of their house on their bicycles and you know they were watching us googly eyed cause he’s three years older then me. So when we got all the way to the end of the street, towards the desert, you know, we turned around and said somethin’ real sassy and they chased us on their bikes and we ran and he jumped off his back and tackled me into the grass and you know it just became like a plaything. And since then he was like, ‘You’re gonna be my girlfriend’ and I was like, ‘No I don’t even like boys’.”

There was obviously some romantic tension going on between the two of them from a very young age. Though Troy and Sandy both refer to each other in a younger sister older brother dynamic, it’s clear that at least Troy felt a deep attraction to Sandy. Why shouldn’t he? After all, she was the quintessential girl next door whom eagerly spent time with him. Sandy was a cute little girl, and Troy was no slouch himself.

SANDY

“His father was really really strict, and um, I remember one time on his birthday, we were, he was turning thirteen and I believe I was ten and I rode my bike all the way to the mall and I bought him a Nike outfit and he had to sneak out in his back yard and climb up on the brick wall for me give him his gift, because he was on restriction – he was always on restriction – just, for absolutely nothing.”

That’s an almost classical scene of romance, and one wonders how many other secret rendezvous Troy and Sandy had over the years.

In many ways Sandy herself was the counterpart of Troy – the proverbial All American girl; pretty, a cheerleader, precocious and outgoing – though her family was struggling on the line between middle and lower class (Connie Shaw appears to be a single mother). By all counts, Sandy was destined for a typical middle class life herself. Perhaps even with Troy.

SANDY

“When I was thirteen years old I was spending the night at a friend’s house and her step father went into a jealous rage and shot and killed her mother and her mother’s two friends and then killed himself. It changed my life.”

That man was Alex Egyed, a budding computer entrepreneur who may have been a well recognized name today if he hadn’t gone on a rampage and left Sandy covered in blood, huddling in a bathtub with her friend. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only incident Sandy was going to have with extreme violence.

CONNIE

“Another episode happened to her; she’s walkin’ home from school, uh, sees this guy runnin’ up behind her, girl in front of her, sees the guy shoot…the girl, in the back of the head. She’s already gone through this. Now this is two. How many times – I mean, I’m forty-eight years old, I mean, I’ve never seen anyone, in my lifetime, get shot. She’s seen two.”

These episodes left Sandy a broken girl; a girl barely on the cusp of her womanhood.

SANDY

“I detached myself from my emotions, I didn’t have a sense of life or death, it’s all the same to me.”

Yet she was still a significant part of Troy’s life. And Troy really needed love in his life, since his own family had self destructed.

TROY

“My parents got divorced and I kinda bounced back and forth between them. It was kinda a struggle for me for awhile but, it’s nothin’ outta the ordinary… Any other kid goes through it.”

CONNIE

“His father must have been very tough on him, very abusive, I believe, with him. And his mother was never around. I know they were separated. But I don’t think his mother came around too much, I don’t know if it was because of the father…or what, you know, but uh, I guess he looked at me, more like a mother figure you know because he’s always sent me, even till this day, sends me a bouquet of mother’s day flowers.”

Troy and Sandy were both set adrift at a young age, both from broken homes, both experiencing severe forms of trauma – albeit Troy’s were less extreme. Because of his need for love, Troy grew ever closer to Sandy while Sandy threw herself into an abyss. Like many traumatized girls, Sandy began to slip down into degeneracy and self abuse. She began to hang around shady men and casinos while barely being a fully fledged teen, and at the age of fourteen she ran into James Kelly at the Circus Circus casino.

SANDY

“I met Cotton Kelly at Circus Circus eight months prior to this actual tragedy.”

“He ran some type of, um, adult entertainment business. He wanted me to pose nude for him.”

“He had started following me and calling my house constantly, harassing my family… And as a fifteen year old child, I made a very bad decision, a very immature request and I called upon Troy to beat the man up. To have him, leave me alone.”

A normal girl with a strong family could have resolved this situation with ease. A simple, hard talk by a good father with this James Kelly character would have spared everyone a lot of tragedy. Sandy, however, had drifted far away from being a normal girl and with nothing but a weak family at her disposal she allowed this situation to escalate and continue. Perhaps she even began to be sexual with Kelly, though she does not mention the full depth of their relationship.

In the end she turned to the one man she knew she could depend on.

TROY

“Me and a friend of mine from high school agreed to beat this guy up, because he was doin’ some things to some teenaged girls that we knew. She was a friend of mine, she was like a, a sister kind of, to me.”

“This guy, I felt, was takin’ advantage of a friend of mine, and she asked for my help… And…I…went, kinda overboard.”

Eight months. That’s how long Sandy allowed James Kelly to be a part of her life. How many nights did Sandy turn to Troy? How many nights did she cry on Troy’s shoulder, detailing the horrors that James Kelly inflicted on her – and which she allowed to be inflicted on her. How many times did Troy have to hear Connie, a powerless mother, express her grief and frustration over this older man taking advantage of her daughter? Troy loved both these women.

Troy decided to save them. He told Sandy to lure Kelly out to the desert. So one night, in 1986, Sandy did just that. She made Kelly stop the car, claiming that she needed to pee. She went out, came back, pretended to hurt her leg and when Kelly came out to help her Troy put six bullets in Kelly’s head.

TROY

“For a reason that I, uh, can’t really understand, I decided to bring a gun and shoot the man. And killed him.”

“I didn’t go to sleep that night.”

Troy Kell, eighteen, murdered a degenerate man. He did it because he loved the tragic but degenerate Sandy Shaw. Because they bragged about the murder, soon schoolmates were visiting Kelly’s body in the desert.

When asked if he thought about running Troy said; “Yeah, of course.” When asked why he didn’t, “I…I don’t know. I didn’t have anywhere to run too. I couldn’t just keep on runnin’ and runnin’.”

Troy didn’t run because everything he loved lived on the corner one street over from his house. There was nothing else in the world for him.

One of the children who visited the body in the desert told their parents, and soon the police had Troy, his accomplice and Sandy in custody. They would convict Troy.

Surprisingly, Sandy was also tried and convicted. These were the days just before peak feminism so women weren’t the infallible angels that they are treated as today but still, after hearing about her abuse and her tragic past, the jurors sent a fifteen year old girl to jail for over twenty years.

In order to survive in jail, Troy quickly joined up with the white supremacist gangs. Eventually this would lead to the second murderous ambush of his life. Troy and fellow gang member Eric Daniels attacked Lonnie Blackmon with Eric holding his legs and Troy stabbing Blackmon with a shank 67 times. For this second murder Troy himself is currently waiting to face death.

I reiterate once more; by all accounts Troy was a normal kid. There was nothing in his childhood that would have led anyone to believe that Troy one day would end up a murderer of two men while leading a white supremacist gang in prison. If he just had to weather a broken home, as far too many middle class children nowadays do, he may have had a chance to move on and become a man of worth; other men have suffered worse and managed to raise good families and live a good life. Unfortunately Troy had the tragic fate of loving a girl who also came from a broken home, and like most women from such situations Sandy did not have the inner strength struggle for normalcy. She gave herself to degenerates and came to Troy whenever she needed to use his love.

This is a theme all too familiar with young men today. Young men are struggling to find peace in their lives while having to deal with their broken female counterparts. Most men can’t help loving who they love, and far too many men pay too high a price for this once noble emotion. The tragedies surrounding Troy Kell and Sandy Shaw provide an extreme example of this – and in the case of Sandy her despair motivated self destruction is understandable – but the dynamic of good men who need love and the rotten women who use it is one of the great (and unnecessary) social plagues of the modern age. Perhaps it always has been, going back through every society since time immemorial.

It seems nowadays that there is an epidemic of men being destroyed because of single parent upbringings or broken women. Yet Troy was destroyed in 1986. Who knows how many potentially decent men in the past have been destroyed because of similar situations. Who knows how many more in the future we’ll have?

We know the symptoms – it’s time to cure the disease, or we can expect nothing but more and more unnecessary tragedies like Troy Kell’s to occur in the future. Do we really want to grow old and live in a society full of young men like that?

I end with a comment from the video’s youtube page,

Darrylizer1

“Troy Kell is one the one hand a despicable human being, a stone cold killer, a sociopath or near one and a racist. But he’s in some ways he’s likeable, even admirable: he’s articulate, intelligent and is absolutely honest with himself and for the most part unblinded by bullshit. I’m not saying that he should or shouldn’t be put to death. His circumstance is just a very sad waste of human potential.”

*As of this article’s publication, Troy is still awaiting his death sentence. He requested to be shot by a firing squad.

Read More: Sunday In The Park

Although it was written decades ago, Bel Kaufman’s Sunday in the Park remains just as relevant today, if not more so, to what it means to be a man. Her story centers on a family enjoying a Sunday afternoon at the park and is told predominantly from the wife’s perspective. Relaxing on a bench, the wife watched happily as her son Larry played in the sand box before her. Sitting next to her, while reading the ‘Times Magazine section,” was her husband Morton.

Morton. A man as nerdy as his name sounded. Who was, “So city­pale, cooped up all week inside the gray factorylike university.”

As Larry played on, she noticed another boy digging in the sand too. This boy was fatter, more aggressive than Larry. And his father, a grizzly looking man, sat on the opposite side and  “seemed to be taking up the whole bench as he held the Sunday comics close to his face.”

Suddenly the fat boy threw sand at Larry, making him upset. After hesitating a moment, the wife intervened;

‘Don’t do that, little boy,’ she said sharply, leaning forward on the bench. ‘You mustn’t throw sand!’ The man on the bench moved his mouth as if to spit again, but instead let her speak. He did not look at her, but at the boy only. ‘You go right ahead, Joe,’ he said loudly. ‘Throw all you want. This here is a public sandbox.’

She felt a sudden weakness in her knees as she glanced at Morton.

Morton was listening too. But he hid under his magazine. Seeming to hope the matter would solve it self.

It didn’t.

He put his Times down carefully on his lap and turned his fine, lean face toward the man, smiling the shy, apologetic smile he might have offered a student in pointing out an error in his thinking. When he spoke to the man, it was with his usual reasonableness. ‘You’re quite right,’ he said pleasantly, ‘but just because this is a public place….’

The other man cut him off, and an argument ensued until the large man said “Aw, shut up!” They both rose. Morton reluctantly. The wife nervously imagined the coming violence, about what she should do, how she should react.

Until…

Morton adjusted his glasses. He was very pale. ‘This is ridiculous,’ he said unevenly. ‘I must ask you….’

‘Oh, yeah?’ said the man. He stood with his legs spread apart, rocking a little, looking at Morton with utter scorn. ‘You and who else?’

For a moment the two men looked at each other nakedly.

Then Morton backed down.

‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’ He walked awkwardly, almost limping with self-consciousness to pick up his son Larry and left with his wife by his side.

At first she was relieved. There was no violence. No one was hurt. But as they left the park, she began to feel something else, something…

Inescapable. She sensed that it was more than just an unpleasant incident, more than defeat of reason by force. She felt dimly it had something to do with her and Morton, something acutely personal, familiar, and important.

While walking to their car, Morton rambled on and tried to rationalize his defeat. But the more he did, the more distant she became.

Getting pulled further away from the sandbox, Larry’s cries grew worse. But once he started dragging his feet, Morton and his wife finally had enough.

‘If you can’t discipline this child, I will,’ Morton snapped, making a move toward the boy.

But her voice stopped him. She was shocked to hear it, thin and cold and penetrating with contempt. ‘Indeed?’ she heard herself say. ‘You and who else?’

—

At first glance Bel Kaufman’s story seems simple: There’s a stronger male, Morton backs down, he’s a wimp, needs bigger balls, women hate beta males, etc…

We know that already. But there’s another point to her story that’s hidden below the surface. Because Kaufman’s story isn’t just about lacking courage, it’s about what causes that cowardice; namely, apathy.

As a man, your first reaction to the story might be that she’s saying being a big brute pays off more than being a weakling. The big guy might have shown some dominating, alpha characteristics, but to think that way is to miss Kaufman’s point entirely.

The wife didn’t care that Morton was a nerd; that’s probably why she married him. Perhaps she was one too. But it was Morton’s lack of anger, his lack of pride in himself that bothered her. That he never developed the animal-like rage proving that he was the family’s protector in the most critical of moments.

…more than defeat of reason by force. She felt dimly it had something to do with her and Morton, something acutely personal, familiar, and important.

Morton’s cowardice proved to her what she knew deep down all along, that he didn’t love his family enough the way she did.

It is critical to realize that Kaufman never gave the wife a name in the story but did for the husband. By doing this she was trying to show that the wife had given her up identity to the family, and expected Morton do the same by being a man and fulfilling his end of the bargain.

That courage isn’t so much about standing up for yourself as it is about standing up for others. But he didn’t and that was the source of her resentment. So repeating the “You and who else” remark was a way of saying, “How are you going to raise your son to be a man if you’re not even one yourself?”

The great thing about Bel Kaufman is that she came from a time where women encouraged men to be what they are and not what they should be.

[nekojitachan]

Falling

This is one of my owed fics from the aftgremix ‘guess which fic is mine’ challenge - @filteredred asked for a story based on the prompt by  @veronicabuncherites 10.  you’ve been breaking into my car to sleep at night and I’ve let it slide because it’s been cold out but I have a date and I need you to find somewhere else (fine, go in my house/garage, I don’t care, you’re not messing this date up for me)   (found here), for andreil.

I hope I did it justice, of course the mind went in one direction and blew the 1k minimum out of the water. *sighs*

Ah... guess ‘T’ rating - lots of references to Andrew’s childhood in the foster system (nothing graphic, just the whole ‘NOT GOOD’ thing), and dating references. Also, mention of a character being homophobic. This is an AU PSU fic, too.

*******

Andrew internally sighed when he got out to his car and realized that Josten had crashed in it yet again. Normally he tried to overlook it (even though it was his car) because it was cold out, Josten was a fellow former foster kid and the idiot would just sleep outside on a bench or something rather than put up with his asshole roommate – it had absolutely nothing to do with big blue eyes and dark auburn curls which fell into them when not pulled back by atrociously orange bandanas and an impossibly perfect ass.

Absolutely nothing.

Josten was mouthy, temperamental rookie who enjoyed Exy way too much and had been damaged by the same fucked-up system which had spit out Andrew, to the point that Foxes’ favorite bet on the kid (other than him starting fights) was if he was gay or straight. It was almost through the end of the fall semester and Josten showed no sign of helping his teammates settle the bet anytime soon, as he ignored anyone not on the team and even then his relationship with the rest of the Foxes could only be considered ‘platonic’ at best.

Such as him sleeping in someone’s car to avoid dealing with his homophobic, envious, asshole roommate.

Andrew banged on the roof of the GS a couple of times to wake the idiot and avoid a repeat of Neil pulling a knife on him upon being woken up without warning; he’d much rather save the ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours’ for his date later that night.

As expected, there was the sound of muted cursing when Neil jolted awake, followed by movement as Neil scrambled to grab his meager things (and brandish the ever-present weapon) until he realized it was Andrew standing outside. Then he gave Andrew a tentative wave before he put away the knife and opened the nearest back door. “Hi.”

Andrew gave him a cool look until the freshman exited his car. “Again?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.” Josten dumped his ratty backpack on the ground and huddled inside his overlarge second-hand coat, the hood of the sweatshirt worn beneath it pulled over his head; he looked ridiculously young at the moment, looked ridiculously attractive with those blue eyes and sharp cheekbones and full bottom lip, which made something inside of Andrew clench hard when he thought about the kid in the foster system. “It was Seth and Allison last night, seems they’re back on this week.”

Huh, usually Renee gave Andrew some sort of warning when her bitch roommate hung out with the loser so he was prepared to find Josten camping out in the GS. “Well, if they’re back at it tonight, find somewhere else.” At Josten’s curious look, Andrew motioned to his car. “I’ve a date.”

“Oh.” Josten hunched his shoulders at the news then gave a lopsided smile. “That’s fine, it’s not supposed to rain or anything so I’ll be fine.”

The idiot was going to camp outside, Andrew thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The temps were barely above freezing as an unexpected cold front covered the South, and Josten just shrugged at the thought of ‘roughing it’, even if he was supposed to be from Maryland or some other Northern state.

Josten didn’t say much about himself, other than his parents were dead and he’d ended up in the foster system afterwards at a young age, and Wymack was unusually tight-lipped about the kid, too. All the man had told the team was that Josten was damn good at Exy and had ‘anger and trust issues’, and so was a prime candidate for the Foxes. He’d been Wymack’s and Kevin’s first pick for the team, and those ‘issues’ had basically ensured that not many other teams had wanted him.

Andrew found it suspicious that there’d been precious little in the kid’s file when he’d broken into Wymack’s office to check him out.

Upon meeting him, Andrew had taken in the attitude, the spewed insults, the almost desperate ‘don’t fuck with me’ air and the hidden knives, and gone off to his session with Bee to inform her with some satisfaction that she’d definitely be earning her pathetic paycheck that year.

After she met the idiot, she remarked about how nice it was, for the Foxes to have a new player so devoted to the sport – and an attractive player at that, and when Andrew gave her a blank look in return, produced the low hum she always did when she knew she’d scored a point.

So by all rights, Andrew should just walk away… but for some stupid reason he thought about Nicky taking in him and Aaron, about Wymack offering his brother a scholarship as well as him, about Renee and her knives and offer to teach him how to fight with them.

About a stubborn, mouthy redhead sleeping out in the cold.

“Look, Aaron’s going to be off with his girlfriend,” Andrew managed to get the words out without clenching his jaw too much, “and Kevin’s spending the weekend at Coach’s shitty place, so the room will be empty tonight. You can crash in Kevin’s bed, I’m sure he won’t mind.” The Exy addict would probably be pleased that his mini-me was getting a proper night’s sleep for once.

Josten gave him a wary look as he picked up his backpack. “What about you?”

“Hot date, remember? I shouldn’t be back tonight.” If all went well, at least; Andrew and Roland had been circling around each other for a while, and finally were to go out after Roland’s shift at Eden’s ended that night.

Josten gazed at him for a couple of seconds as if debating what to do or if it was a trap of sorts, but for the most part, the two of them got along – Andrew did let the kid crash in his car, after all, and Josten treated him with respect (or what Josten considered ‘respect’ – a bare minimum of antagonism and insults). “Okay, thanks.” He shivered a little as he shoved his bare hands into the pockets of his thrift-store coat. “I mean, it wouldn’t have been too bad, sleeping on the roof….”

“Come to my dorm room at seven-thirty,” Andrew said, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

“Okay,” Josten repeated before flashing him a wide grin and taking off, in the direction of the stadium, of all places. Andrew figured he was headed there to bother Wymack and get some practice in (and avoid his roommate as much as possible); he pushed all thoughts of the rookie striker out of his head (or tried to) as he got into his car and headed out for coffee and donuts.

Aaron was up when he returned to the dorm, eyes bleary and hair still flattened from bed. “Coffee?” he grunted out as soon as he saw Andrew; he’d spent the entire ride back from their game at Madison studying for an exam on Monday, and would head over to the cheerleader’s to resume in a little bit.

“With extra shots of espresso,” Andrew said as he set the drink carrier on the counter, along with the box of donuts. “And the cherry jelly donuts you like.”

His brother made a pleased noise as he shuffled forward to grab at the large cup of coffee. Andrew waited until he had several sips and a donut before he spoke again. “Josten’s going to crash here tonight.”

“Eh? Neil?” Aaron frowned as if trying to make sense out of the words and grabbed another donut. “What, he fighting with the asshole again?”

When wasn’t Josten fighting with Gordon? The upperclassman was an asshole to everyone, and Josten being a better striker than him meant that he was constantly goading the temperamental rookie on, much to most of the Foxes’ annoyance. “Seems that the asshole got back together with Reynolds.”

“Ah. Well, fine with me, I’ll be at Katelyn’s because of the Physio exam.” Aaron gazed at Andrew as if daring him to object.

“And I’ll be staying with Roland after going to Eden’s,” he shot back; they stared at each other before Aaron looked away first so he could have some more coffee.

It wasn’t perfect, their ‘acceptance’ of each other’s ‘dating’ preferences, but Nicky had forced the two of them to sit down and hash out their differences before he’d returned to Germany. Andrew didn’t step in with Aaron’s girlfriends unless there was proof they were using his brother for something (which unfortunately wasn’t the case with Katelyn – at least yet), and Aaron kept his shitty, homophobic comments to himself. To be fair, Aaron did seem to be working on getting better in not being such a bastard in that regard after finding out that Andrew was gay.

“Whose bed is he using?” Aaron asked once he finished another donut.

“Kevin’s.”

Aaron gave him an odd look like that before sipping his coffee, which made Andrew narrow his eyes. “What?”

“Just… the guy’s not bad looking, considering how half the Vixens flirt with him all the time, and you actually let him live after breaking into your car. Would have thought you might have wanted the excuse to get him into your bed.”

Andrew had the last bite of his cream-filled donut then brushed the powdered sugar from his hands as he gave his brother a cold look. “I didn’t kill him because it would have gotten blood all over the car.”

“A car which you still let him sleep in,” Aaron argued. “All the time.”

“Because he doesn’t fuck with it, he just sleeps there.” Why did he have to defend himself like this?

“You don’t let anyone drive that thing, and you nearly took off Kevin’s arm when you thought he scratched it the one time.”

Andrew gave him a look which clearly asked ‘your point’?

“And don’t think that I haven’t noticed the way you stare at his ass during practice,” Aaron added with evident relish. “You like him. You let him sleep in your car without stabbing him and now you’re letting him crash in our room because you like him, the walking disaster he is.” Aaron wrinkled his nose as if mildly disgusted. “So why are you going out with Roland, who’ll sleep with anyone, instead of Neil?”

“Because Roland will sleep with anyone,” Andrew quipped, just to annoy his brother. “And I don’t like Josten.”

“Ew, didn’t need to know that.” Aaron rubbed at his eyes as if trying to erase some awful image from his head. “And I think you’re just too afraid of being turned down. Don’t know why, you’re the only one he doesn’t give shit to all the time.” He seemed to think of something. “You and Renee.”

Yeah, because Josten knew that Renee wasn’t the goody two-shoes she appeared to be, had somehow caught a glimpse of ‘Natalie’ carefully hidden beneath the cross necklace and friendly smiles. Oh, Andrew was so curious about the rookie’s past, about what really had happened to his parents, about the old, faded scars on that runner’s body he thought about much too much….

“Your brains are scrambled from too much caffeine, it’s not looking good for your grades,” Andrew taunted as he grabbed another donut, which earned him a rude gesture from his ‘beloved’ twin. At least Aaron dropped the topic after that, in favor of brewing a pot of coffee then getting ready so he could leave for Katelyn’s.

Kevin finally stumbled out of bed an hour or so later, and perked up when Andrew told him he had to change the sheets of his bed since Josten would be using it later that night. “He’s sleeping here? Good.” He scowled at the coffee pot as if offended that it was only half-full then grabbed it to pour himself a cup. “Dad tried to give him and Seth some time to work things out, but he’s about to give him a key to the stadium so he can crash there rather than keep sleeping in your car or somewhere worse, especially with winter approaching.”

There was that damn clenching feeling inside of Andrew at the thought of not going out to his car on the weekends or even before practice during the week on rare occasions to find Josten asleep in the back, curled up in a small ball with his ridiculous hair a mess and pale blue eyes hooded with sleep, a sheepish smile on his face at being caught out there again.

Dammit, Andrew needed his date with Roland.

Kevin checked his phone while drinking his coffee, and must have gotten a text from Wymack about helping out with a certain Exy-addicted rookie hanging out at court because he cursed beneath his breath and whipped up one of his disgusting smoothies which he gulped down before he jumped in the shower, then asked Andrew for a ride to the stadium. For a moment, Andrew almost said ‘no’, but he figured he could always pick up a few things while out.

“After you change your sheets.”

“Right.” Kevin nearly tripped over his own feet as he ran back to the shared bedroom.

And there he was, the ‘great’ Kevin Day, Exy’s best collegiate striker (well, unless you were a Ravens’ fan), a complete airhead off the court (and outside of a history class).

Andrew couldn’t wait until he got to Eden’s.

He dropped off his roommate and ran a few errands, went back to Fox Tower to take a nap then went up to the roof to have a smoke. While he was there, Renee stopped by to chat.

“Gordon and Reynolds,” Andrew started as she handed him a mug of hot chocolate.

“Yes.” She frowned a little as if thinking of what to say, bundled in an old coat and a long, orange knitted scarf with matching mittens on her hands. “I was tired from the game and went straight to bed last night, and didn’t realize that Allison left at some point to go to Seth’s room – I thought she just got up for an icepack because of her elbow.” She appeared chagrined about that, since Renee usually paid better attention to things, but it had been an exhausting game and she’d taken a rough hit herself from an asshole backliner who’d crossed the goal line which had allowed Kevin to score a penalty point. “I guess it was so bad that Matt and Kelly heard them in the next room, so it’s no wonder that Neil went out to your car. Dan’s not happy with her.”

Andrew scoffed to show what he thought about that, and the effect it would have on either Reynolds or Gordon.

“Yes, I know,” Renee sighed before she had some hot chocolate. “At the least, Neil should have a reprieve in another couple of weeks when the two start fighting again.”

Ah, someone was showing her claws, how rare. “Or Gordon’s grades finally slip enough to get him kicked off the team.” Andrew pulled on a mock innocent expression when Renee gave him a hurt look. “What? One can dream, can’t they?” At the least, he only had to deal with the homophobic loser for another semester.

“I won’t even bother,” Renee said as she shook her head. “Matt feels really bad for Neil, he’s debating offering to switch rooms with him even though Wymack had wanted to give the two a chance to ‘bond’ as strikers.” A sad smile curled her lips when Andrew scoffed again. “It’s a shame that Neil’s too wary to make any friends, even though most of the team is trying with him, and some people in his classes from what I hear.” For some reason she gazed at him with an inscrutable expression while she spoke.

There were two main types of foster kids, in Andrew’s experience – the ones who tried so hard to be liked, who were friendly and outgoing and did their best to please, to make friends wherever they ended up, to fit in, to not be picked on (to be hurt and torn apart and outcast). Sometimes it worked out for them, and sometimes… sometimes it eventually became too much, the system (the abuse). Then there were the ones like Andrew, the ones who kept a low profile, who didn’t try because what good did it ever do them? All it ever did was make them stand out, make them more of a target, made unwanted eyes and unwanted attention (unwanted hands and unwanted touches) be drawn their way, made things worse.

Neil Josten? The boy with the striking (ha) pale blue eyes and tousled dark red hair just begging to be touched (to be grabbed) and too-pretty face? He clearly had learned that it was best to not be friendly, to keep everyone at arm’s length with a sharp tongue at the very least, and sharper objects if possible.

No, Neil Josten didn’t do ‘friends’. Yet he still seemed to trust Andrew enough to sleep in his car, and accept his offer of a safe place to spend the night.

Andrew found himself leaning forward to let the rush of fear as he gazed at the ground four stories below overwhelm that damn clenching sensation in his chest.

Renee remained a little longer while they finished the hot chocolate then left with the empty mugs, and Andrew went back down after another cigarette. He read some before he gave in to the urge to clean, which he put down to the fact that neither Kevin nor Aaron were around to bitch about him throwing out things or moving around their stuff.

It wasn’t that he wanted the place to look good for Josten, not at all.

Once that was done, he got ready for the night, taking the time to shave and style his hair. It wasn’t often he went out on ‘dates’, all things considered. He didn’t often find guys who weren’t interested in anything more than getting off who could follow his rules, who stopped when he said ‘no’ and didn’t cross clearly defined boundaries. Since Geoff had moved to Atlanta, Andrew needed a new fuckbuddy, and Roland appeared more than eager to be it.

It was a couple minutes before seven-thirty when there was a knock on the door, but Andrew didn’t mind since he was bored and had nothing to do. He opened it to find Josten on the other side, a wary expression on his face (one of his defaults, that or the sharp grin he wore when about to verbally tear into someone or step out on a court, or an otherwise blank expression) as he clutched the strap of his orange and white backpack in his hands, dressed in the usual worn jeans and oversized, light grey cotton hooded t-shirt. “Uhm, are you still sure….”

Andrew motioned him inside as he stepped away from the door. “You’re sleeping in Kevin’s bed and there’s a towel for you in the bathroom. Don’t touch anything else.” He thought about that for a moment. “You can have Kevin’s energy bars and drinks.”

“It’s fine, I brought stuff.” Josten tugged on the strap of the backpack. “A couple of Seth’s friends came over, they’re planning on hanging out all night so… thanks.” He gazed at Andrew, seemed to take in his appearance then glanced away quickly.

Andrew told himself that he was imagining the slight flush to those sharp cheekbones.

He left after making sure that Josten knew which bed was Kevin’s (as if the PSU bedspread wasn’t a giveaway) and swore to not leave unless he locked the door behind him, then went on his way.

It was quiet in the car without Aaron in the passenger seat and Kevin in the back, arguing over what music to listen to on the drive or how the Foxes had played that week (more like Kevin bitch about how the Foxes had played). Andrew hated to admit that he’d grown used to their presence, to watching over Kevin almost as much as his brother, to no longer being so alone. He didn’t need anyone near him, was fine eating by himself at Sweeties’ (and picking up some cracker dust to enjoy later that night and to take back to PSU for Aaron, for after his exam), and sitting at the bar at Eden’s instead of the usual table.

Roland smiled at him once the bartender noticed his arrival, and spent a couple of minutes flirting while setting him up with a bottle of water and a couple of shots which Andrew nursed over time, along with a couple of packets of the cracker dust. He enjoyed the slight buzz of the drugs and alcohol while watching the people around him, the looks he garnered for the tight fit of his black t-shirt and armbands, and the occasional remark from Roland or the other staff who knew him from him and Aaron working as barbacks during the summers.

Andrew would check his phone from time to time (message from Kevin about an ‘amazing’ practice and getting on him to join in on the evening sessions next week - which wasn’t going to happen, Aaron asking to be put out of his misery, a couple from Nicky which were the usual rambling updates, a note from Renee that Gordon and his idiot friends were being especially rowdy that night so it was good that Neil had someplace quiet and warm to sleep).

“Oh, it looks serious, whatever it is,” Roland remarked as he set another shot of whiskey on the counter in front of Andrew. “Hot sext? Nice and steamy?”

Andrew gave the bartender a bland look for a couple of seconds before he clicked his tongue. “No.”

The curt answer seemed to affect Roland, since he gave a nervous laugh and took a step back. “Ah, okay. Is everything all right?”

“It’s fine.” Andrew internally winced as he thought about how often Josten said something similar, that the rookie insisted that he was all right even if he’d been knocked on his ass and was barely conscious. He stared at a man who’d been hit on so many times in the last couple hours, who was attractive and outgoing and more than willing to get him off that night and….

Nothing.

Well, not quite nothing. He thought about how Roland’s eyes weren’t an enticing pale blue, how his hair was too dark to be auburn, the short dreadlocks weren’t messy loose curls, the bone structure of his handsome face too strong and broad, just like his build, and… and….

Dammit, he wasn’t Neil Josten. Somewhere along the line, Andrew’s fucked up brain (and hormones) had become fixated on a half-feral, mouthy redheaded Exy-addict who treated him with cautious respect.

He was so screwed.

(Not that night, though.)

Numb with unwelcome realization, he grabbed the shot to down it in one go, set the glass back on the bar then reached for his wallet to pay his tab. “I’m done for the night,” he declared as he stood up and set the cash on the bar.

“Wait, what? But I still have to work ‘til close,” Roland shouted as he gawked at Andrew. “What about later?”

Andrew gave him a two fingered salute and walked away without any true regrets.

It was after midnight when he returned to Fox Tower; he could hear noise from the suite where Josten was supposed to room with Gordon, but it was quiet when he approached his own. Considering yesterday’s away game, sleeping in a car and then practicing all day, Andrew imagined that Josten had to be exhausted and probably was asleep, if he hadn’t left to crash someplace else.

He was quiet as he entered the suite, which was dark with the lights turned off and nothing obvious out of place. Andrew left his keys on his desk and his coat draped over the chair, then headed to the bedroom. He’d stepped into the short hallway which led to that room, along with the bathroom and kitchen, when a shadowy figure appeared in the bedroom doorway.

It was Josten, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, hair even more of a tousled mess than usual, with a knife in his hand. “Oh, it’s you.” He sounded tired and confused.

Andrew clicked his tongue as he leaned against the wall. “Really? I let you stay here and you repay me with blood on the carpet? How rude.”

Josten’s face grew flushed as he glanced at the knife then hid the hand holding it behind his back. “Uhm, I… what are you doing back?”

That wasn’t a denial that he hadn’t planned on stabbing someone, how interesting. “Change of plans.”

“Oh.” Something like disappointment flashed across Josten’s face for a moment and then he summoned up a weak smile. “Give me a minute to get my stuff and I’ll be out of your way,” he said before he turned around to go into the bedroom.

As if acting on its own, Andrew reached out to grab onto the loose sleeve of Josten’s t-shirt; he didn’t know who was more surprised, him for not being stabbed or Josten by the action. “You don’t have to leave,” Andrew said, his voice rough for some reason.

Josten frowned for a moment but didn’t pull away – in fact he remained still but didn’t seem tense or upset about Andrew’s nearness. “But you let me stay here because you’d be elsewhere. Now that you’re here, I’ll go.” That damn lopsided smile appeared as Josten nodded toward the front door. “There’s always your car, right?”

“Stay,” Andrew ordered as he let go. “Kevin changed his sheets, don’t let such a monumental effort be for nothing.”

Josten gave him an intent look as he sheathed the switchblade. “It won’t bother you, me being here?”

Oh, now that was a loaded question. “You snore?”

“No.”

“Then get back to bed.” He met Josten’s searching gaze with a blank one of his own until the rookie finally did as he’d been told.

Feeling drained all of a sudden, Andrew went into the bathroom to get ready for the night, and was pleased to notice that Josten hadn’t left a mess when he’d used it; the towel he’d left out for him had been refolded and placed on the sink, the only sign that someone had been in there. Andrew didn’t waste any time before he went into the bedroom.

Josten was in Kevin’s bed, the duvet pulled up to his nose and his eyes closed, but somehow Andrew doubted that the kid was asleep. He took his time changing into cotton pants and a clean t-shirt for bed, and noticed that the duvet was tugged up even higher when he went to climb into his bed.

Interesting.

It should bother him, having a stranger in the room, but from all appearances, Josten had obeyed the ‘don’t touch anything’ rule since nothing but the towel had been out of place, and had been willing to give up his warm bed for Andrew’s comfort. As much as he hated to admit that Aaron may be the slightest bit right….

Fuck.

Tomorrow, he told himself as he contemplated smothering himself with the pillow. Tomorrow he’d deal with this… whatever with Josten. Neil. With the improbable pipedream faking sleep a couple yards away.

At least his fucked-up hormones knew enough to fall for a pipedream who had good tastes when it came to picking cars to break into, he consoled himself right before falling asleep.

*******

I have WAY TOO MUCH of a backstory built for this, obviously. Nicky never worked at Eden’s, just Aaron and Andrew during summer breaks, so he never got beat up and Andrew put on drugs. That meant he could leave to go back to Germany, but not before he put some extra effort into making the twins get along better (a LITTLE easier to do since Andrew wasn’t on meds). Kevin went to Wymack, not the Nest, when his mother died. There’s still some Moriyama drama going on - Riko gave him grief for not going to E.A. for university, and for recruiting Andrew, which is why Andrew is watching out for Kevin (Riko tried to pull a stunt when Andrew turned down E.A, but Kevin had warned him beforehand that something might happen, so Andrew feels something is owed and refuses to let Riko win).

And of course, Neil ended up in the foster system - Mary and Nathan killed each other one night instead of her running away, and the Feds gave him a new name and put him in the system. While not the horror that Andrew endured... it wasn’t good, especially w/ the Feds shuffling him around all the time.

Uhm, think that’s the main stuff.

Anyway, @filteredred, I hope you liked it!

Three more to go, since this week is probably going to be really busy, I’m going to try to work on them and not Ghost in You (I FINALLY finished ch14), and then get back to that story.

[marcoacesabo]

Hello !! I love your writing and I wanna ask you if it's possible a MAS with an omegaverse theme! Like two alpha for one omega or one alpha for two omega please? (nsfw will be an add but do as you feel) thank you and have a good day

Sabo is an omega. A real shock to everyone that meets him, seeing as he is nothing like a proper omega should be. But then again, he’s not exactly the type of person who follows people's expectations in any other area either.

Despite the fact he dresses like a prince, Sabo would rather be the knight in the heat of battle.

Despite the fact he is fair in hair, Sabo is far from the stereotype dumb blond (which is a dumb stereotype, to begin with)

Despite the fact he is noble, Sabo can often be found in the commoners market scoffing at the rich men’s sensitivities.

 Being an omega wasn’t a big role in his life nor was it something to take much notice in everyday activities. It was just something he was, the same importance as being tall- another thing that made people believe he was an alpha- where someone would point it out only in selected settings.

In the old days, omegas weren’t allowed as many rights as their alphas and betas counterparts seeing as they were seen as the “delicate” and “frail”  sort of people. But times have changed, and nowadays people have come to terms with the fact that their Presenting was not in charge of their worth or roles in society.

Of course, there were some that clung to the old ways, (his parents were a fine example) who had the ideal image of what Presenting class were supposed to be and stereotypes still ran rampage (Which is why people got shocked at Sabo’s) but they weren’t as limiting as before.

With the invention of Scent Suppressers, most of the youth didn’t even know what Presenting class their friends were without one of them saying it themselves.

Sabo, however, can admit to being lonely. He wanted a Beta or Alpha to cuddle up with but not because of his class. He just likes being the big spoon to someone and having a fulfilling romantic relationship.   

Just his luck that only Omegas and the rare not his type Betas flirted with him. The last time he almost screamed when an Omega had attempted to lure him in with a naughty little hint of his scent. The guy had been far too daring but Sabo gave him points for trying.

There were a few he liked, but for some reason, they didn’t like him. Now it was stated that his P class was only pointed out in certain circumstances, and while true, they tended to be mostly in his love life. A real inconvenience if you asked him.

“I just wish someone would stay with me even after finding out my P Class.” He whines to Koala and Law, who was a Beta and Alpha respectively. They were taking a break together at a local cafe as per usual in their work schedules. “Did I tell you the last date I went on ended with a “You shouldn’t trick innocent Betas like myself.” bit? Like hey asshole, you were the one that walked up to me at the bar, not the other way around.” 

Koala snorts into her hand.  “Sounds like you dodged a real loser then.”

Law raised his hot chocolate as if though he was casting a blessing upon the table. “To our amazing dodging skills good lads. And lady.”

“We all know I’m the best lad here” Koala counters easily. “When it comes down to it, you’re both peasants.”

“Isn’t Sabo a literal lord? Or was that a fever dream I had once.”

“It was a fever dream”

“Figured.”

Sabo hated to admit it, but his friends' antics did cause his lips to twitch in amusement. He didn’t want to be cheered up though, he wanted to pout a bit and whine about his bad luck. “Can we please get back on topic? How am I ever going to find love?”

Koala tapped her chin then snapped her fingers. Based on her expression Sabo knew to be on guard. “We could set you up.”

“I rather eat poison.” Sabo quickly shots down the idea. Across from him, his best friends deflates with a pout. 

“I rather you do that then whine about how lonely you are too”  Law tacks on with a nonchalance that the blond envies sometimes. “Besides, what the worst that can happen? You go on a date, it doesn’t work and you keep looking.”

Sabo rubs a hand over his face. “I don’t date a friend’s family or friends. It makes things awkward if they don’t work out.”

Koala blows out a dramatic sigh rolling her eyes at his rules. Which wasn’t fair, Sabo had them for a reason!  “Well, how else are you going to meet someone? Going door to door with a boyfriend application?”

Sabo frowns at her, choosing to take a bite out of his muffin then grace that sarcasm with an answer. At that moment the cafe door is swung open, the little bell at the top announcing the arrival of new customers.

 Law slumps in his seat with a groan when he spots them over the girl’s shoulder.  “Oh great, Strawhat-ya is here and I look like garbage. Again.”

At this both Sabo and Koala perk up. They have been hearing little mentions of the infamous Strawhat for over three months now, ever since Law joined a local art class in which the Alpha meets the bubbling crush of his.

From the various stories- note the various rants and whining- Law has only been able to cross paths with the younger male when he looks his “worse” aka in the early mornings the class started at (A time everyone knows Law looked half-dead) or whenever the other model wasn’t prepared.  

Sabo wanted to point out they were on break between a photoshoot and all three had turn heads down the street but he chooses not to. Despite the fact, Law is a professional model the Alpha still had trouble coming to terms with people thinking him attractive. 

Bullying tended to leave some scars after all.

“Which one is he?” Sabo asks attempting to crane his neck over Koala’s shoulder without making it obvious. She also turns around but unlike Sabo, she doesn’t let her eyes linger before returning her gaze to the fluster Alpha on the blond’s right side.

 Law jabs an elbow into his rib. “Stop it. He’s going to see us! And who do you think I’m talking about when I saw Strawhat-ya in a group of guys with only one of them wearing a straw hat?”

“Sheesh, no need to be mean about it I just-”

“Traffy?” The straw hat-wearing young man says across the cafe. He seems to have barely noticed them but the way his face brights up it seems as if though his favorite holiday came early. Sabo can see the appeal, the kid is as cute as a button.

Not his type, but adorable none the less as the guy practically skips over. He seems to be unaware or uncaring of the stares he’s receiving from the other customers and Sabo likes him that much more.

Behind him, a group of four males follows, all seeming used to their friend running off mid-conversation. 

“Hello, Strawhat-ya.” Law says, cooly. Koala’s pleasant smile she uses on strangers twitch and Sabo tries not to sigh out loud. To any who didn’t know him, Law came off as snobbish and standoff-ish, whenever he became nervous his face twisted to lock down any emotion. 

Right now, with his face perfectly blank, he was probably terrified with nerves. Luckily “Strawhat” took it in stride.  “I didn’t know you liked this place!”

“I visit it on my breaks some times.” Law gestures to the other two people on the table making the big round eyes take them in for the first time.  “By the way, this is Sabo and Koala.”

“Hello.” 

“How do you do?”

Strawhat stares at them with such an intense expression for a few seconds Sabo’s almost sure he’s sizing them up for a fight before it clears away and he happily gestures to his own group. For half a second the blond wonders if he imagined that. “This is Zoro, Ussop, Marco and Ace. Guys this is Traffy.”

Sabo turns his polite smile onto the group, following the hand that points each male out and almost swallows his tongue on the last two. Wow. Now there was certainly his type.

Koala kicks him which alerts Sabo he may have been staring a little too much. Thank the Sea the table cloth is long enough to hide her action otherwise he would have ended up looking like a bigger full.  

Unknown to him, the two males had noticed his stare and had shared a glance with knowing smiles. Koala is quick to invite the group to join them which they all agree to after pushing the tables together.

Strawhat ends up sitting to a very tense Law, and Sabo is somehow moved to sit next to Marco as a result. 

“Luffy tells us you're a model.” Ace starts with a polite smile. 

“I am,” Law says in a cutting tone. Sabo almost winces. 

Not seeming to mind the raven hair grins. “I’m a fashion designer myself. Marco and Luffy are too.”

“That’s nice.”  

There is a short pause where Sabo is trying to think of something, anything, to say when Marco suddenly lends into his side and whisper in his ear. “I don’t mean to be rude but your Scent Suppresser ran out.”

Sabo wonders if he was expecting him to blush or turn wide eyes at him. Some Omegas got embarrassed when that happened but really it was the same as seeing a girl’s bra straps. It didn’t matter. 

“So?” He asks with a raised brow. 

Much to his surprised delight, the other man found this answer amusing. “So nothing I suppose yoi.”

Ace who is sitting on Marco’s other side grins over the taller blond shoulder at Sabo.  “Oh, I like you. I’m an Alpha myself, so is Marco here. We sometimes ditch the suppressers too”

Sabo feels a thrill from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes. He takes another bite of his muffin eyeing the pair that seem to be having a conversation with nothing but gestures and glances. 

Not willing to get his hopes up but liking the possibility he grins. “Then I think we get along just fine gentlemen.”

Meanwhile, Koala, Zoro, and Ussop all gave each other uncomfortable looks seeing as they felt like the rest of the table were in their own little world. 

“So er, you guys like spicy food?” Koala asks as Luffy made gooey eyes at the stone-version of Law and Sabo shamelessly flirted with Ace and Marco.