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chuluoyi · 4 months

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HAPPY MARRIAGE

- nanami kento x reader

“you don't deserve to be unhappy. and i don’t want to be unhappy, either.” you have always wondered where did you and kento go wrong. in the wake of your divorce, as you both returned to single lives, you and kento would come to realize what constitutes a happy marriage is... and it takes more than just love

genre: post-divorce angst, crack, misunderstandings, arguments, hurt/comfort, bestfriend!gojo is going to help your love life, and fluff in the end!

note: this fic... goes through a major change overnight after i was struck with a wholly different plot *sobs* and then i went through a major writing block for at least a week before i know what words i'm going to write :') anyways, this isn't really proofread so please forgive any typos to the anon who requested this and others, i do hope you'll enjoy it! tagging @tiredkitten as per request <3

listen to: today more than yesterday - kim jong kook

a part of 1K MILESTONE EVENT

series masterlist | oneshot masterlist

No divorce ever comes easy.

When couples enter into marriage, they do so with the dream of a lifelong bond filled with love and compassion. You too did once. And even until now, you still want that for yourself.

When you married Nanami Kento three years ago, you thought it was for eternity. He was your dream man, the only man you could see yourself with. He embodied everything that was just and righteous, and he was also kind man, who would always put you first, shielding you from any sort of harm.

Even if the source of that ‘harm’ turned out to be himself.

“You don't deserve to be unhappy. and I don’t want to be unhappy, either.”

Strangely, you didn't resent Kento that much, in the end. At that time, both of you had come to terms with it and you couldn't blame anyone. But now, six months later, as you sat in this shabby bar, downing shots of gin with your thoughts swirling in an alcohol-induced haze, your emotions were all over the place, and moreover, the presence of a certain clown before you was just particularly irksome, and you knew that he was someone you could blame—

“Gojo, you prick!”

Gojo raised one righteous eyebrow. "Who, me? Sorry, but I'm not your ex-husband?"

Gojo Satoru was the witness to several milestone in your life. Insufferable as he was, somehow you clicked with him ever since your early days as a jujutsu sorcerer. You remembered sending him your handpicked wedding invitation, having him celebrating your promotions, and then coming to him with tears running down your face in the middle of the night, telling him, “We are getting a divorce.”

"You!" you snapped, slamming down your glass of gin, whipping your head around to face the blindfolded idiot that was your longtime friend. Your index finger accusingly aimed at him. "This is all your fault!"

"Wha—"

"Because of you!"

"Okay, now it's clear that you're just too far gone—"

You hiccupped, your tone laced with fiery emotion. "If it weren't for you—if you hadn't been so adamant about setting us up back then—!"

Gojo grimaced. Ah, so this was the so-called drunken musings. While it was amusing to see his friend of 7 years in this state, even he couldn't deny how a tad bit pitiful you were.

"...then maybe," you started to deflate, eyes watering and lips trembling, sniffling. "I-I won't have to go through this..."

Correction, you were so pitiful you had no idea. But still, as a longtime associate, he couldn't bring himself to abandon you there, wallowing in your sorrows all alone.

He sighed and patted your back. "There, there... what about I introduce you to other guys, hmm? See if it'll lessen the pain away?"

You shot him a look so hateful despite your bleary vision. "No! Last time you did, it ended in a divorce for me! I refuse to let you turn me into a two-time divorcee!"

"I'm pretty sure your marriage is far from my business, I'm just your kind-hearted, handsome broker—"

"Bah! You— tasteless prick!"

You burped loudly afterwards and Gojo winced, and then you suddenly (and theatrically, he might add) slumped face-down onto the table with a thud, passed out in all your drunken glory.

And Gojo could only stare at you in somewhat disbelief.

. . .

He thought then, that you were definitely going to owe him one after this.

More often than not, throughout the past six months, Nanami also found himself thinking about you too.

Despite his calm exterior, separation with you didn't come easy for him. There was a reason he married you in the first place—he had loved you, and he too wanted it to last. You used to be the reason he went home on time each and everyday, the reason he eagerly anticipated spending his weekends with.

Everything had fallen apart before either of you realized it. Some disagreements suddenly spiraled into lonely nights, no updates during longer missions, your tears, and then ended with both of you filing the papers in the city hall to end it all.

Six months ago, he thought he was final with his decision. He thought it was the best as he was faced with the sight of your tear-streaked face.

“Kento, I’m not asking m-much, am I?” you asked between sobs, wiping your tears harshly. “Aren’t w-we family? Shouldn’t we be doing a lot of things—together?”

Recalling that moment now, it tugged at his heartstrings anew. Yet, despite everything...

“I’m telling you, I know my limits—”

“Is that all you have to say? Don’t you know how sick with worry I am?” you ended up shouting at him, voice quivering. “Put yourself in my shoes and think: how can I possibly sleep at night, constantly fearing that my husband might—” your voice broke, fresh tears flowing freely. “—might not come back?!”

He was the one who backed away first, who made you lose all hope, and ultimately, placed the sentence upon you.

“If you don't have it in you to... then, perhaps it's for the best that we... just get a divorce.”

"Nanami-san, you okay?"

He looked up from the sizzling barbeque grill pan to his junior, Ino Takuma, who looked concerned as he flipped the meat. "You have been staring into space for a while..."

"I'm fine, Ino-kun." He looked down and grabbed the tongs, flipping his side of beef.

Ino let out a sympathetic sigh. "Honestly, lately, you seem down."

Words he was holding back were "ever since your divorce", but Ino was pretty sure his senior understood the implicaton.

Nanami hummed. "Sometimes life just doesn't go as swimmingly... I'm fine."

Ino never really knew you that well and was curious. In fact, he was so very curious. When it comes to Nanami Kento, everything he does and has done is always with justified and sound reason, but he might be biased because the 7:3 sorcerer was his role model.

It might verge on invading his privacy, but—

"They said... Gojo-san was your matchmaker back then?" he went through with the question anyway, testing the waters. "I don't mean to pry, but I just thought it's cute."

To Ino's surprise, Nanami's lips curled into a small smile. "It's fine, Ino-kun. I think it has become common knowledge by now. Yeah... he was."

"For you to have fallen for someone who was Gojo's acquaintance... it speaks volumes about how charming Y/N is."

"Mmm," he nodded slightly as he indulged in the grilled meat. "She is."

"Nanami-san." Okay, Ino was starting to think that he wouldn't be getting his point across if he went the roundabout way. He would shoot it straight then. "I don't mean to patronize you... but if you're really that miserable, then I think you should go back to her and talk things out, no?"

Nanami put down his chopsticks and let out a soft sigh, making Ino to immediately regret his blatant suggestion.

"Before arriving at such a difficult decision, of course we did try to discuss some things," he explained, his gaze meeting his calmly. "I don't take matters like divorce lightly, Ino-kun."

"But still... now—"

To drove the point home, Nanami chose to vocalize the conclusion that still left a bitter taste in his mouth to this day:

"She is unhappy with the way things are, and I have to come to terms with the fact that I can't provide what she needs."

Ino's gaze fell in dejection. "Nanami-san..."

Nanami chuckled fondly. “I appreciate your concern, Ino-kun. Thank you.”

In front of his junior, he could maintain composure and narrated the collapse of his own marriage as if he were a mere spectator. But in his heart of hearts, Nanami Kento wasn’t at all the stoic man he made everyone believed he was—the fact that he had failed to give you the life of happiness he promised on the day he proposed to you still stung him to this day.

It hurt him, but echoing your words, he couldn't subject you to a marriage that felt like a dull cohabitation with little understanding.

“We never really talk anymore, do we...? We never really work on our problems too. Kento, lately, I feel like... things have changed.”

Suppose what he had to do was letting you go now.

It was easier said than done, because when Nanami saw you the next day at the school—this being the first time in several weeks—he almost couldn’t keep his cool.

"Ichiji, don't be too stiff!" you slapped the poor guy in the back with a giggle. "It's just me, it's been a while!"

You didn't look much different than the last he saw you—still the chirpy self he unwittingly fell in love with, staying on top of the latest fashion trends and all. Yet, there was definitely something different about you, something he just couldn't quite identify...

And then those cheerfulness deflated when your gaze met his, eyes widening as you tried to get your bearings. "Oh—h-hi, Kento."

That's too forced. It was so unnatural that made him almost wince.

"Hello." But the tremble in his voice, too, betrayed him. "Have you been well?"

You shifted your gaze away from him, and right before you answered, you let out a cough, and that was when he spotted it: you looked kind of pale.

"I'm fine."

"Oh, that's good then."

Silence. This was the absolute worst.

Nanami exhaled. It was you he was talking to, his ex-wife. He knew you inside out—or at least, he used to. He knew you didn't like this dryness as much as he did. He had to say something.

He braved himself. "Are you here for a mission?"

You looked at him in slight surprise. "Oh... yeah."

Darn it. Another dry reply.

"There... is a cursed totem in North Tokyo," you elaborated, not really looking at him. "Gojo's out from tomorrow until next week. I'm substituting for him to assist the first years."

"Are you sure you're up for that?" Nanami found himself asking before he could stop. "I mean no disrespect, but you look a bit pale."

"I am," you snapped, leaving him surprised. It was as though he had unintentionally struck a nerve, quickly turning your mood sour. "I'm fully capable of handling this, Kento."

"Please, I don't mean to upset you. I'm just..."

Worried about you. Somehow his throat closed in, it didn't really feel right to say that now.

"—I know how rash you can be." He regretted his words as soon as they were out.

It was clearly a bad choice of words as you took offense, your expression quickly turned into one of disdain.

"How rich... that it's coming from you," you scowled.

Memories of your failed marriage flooded your mind's eye. The long nights your ex-husband didn't bother to leave you a message. How he would return home with wounds and blood staining his clothes. And now... he had the nerve to insinuate that you were the reckless one?

"I can take care of myse—"

"That's a whole load of bullshit!"

Good grief. Why must Gojo pick this exact scene to show up?

The blindfold took big strides and halted between the two of you, pointing one finger in your face.

“Last night, she got wasted. Like totally wasted! She could barely walk straight afterwards and then she had the audacity to blame me! Me! For all her mess! Goodness, I’m just a very chivalrous friend and yet—”

"Shut up!" you were horrified, face flushed with embarrassment. "Gojo, you complete jerk!"

Nanami wouldn't admit it, but there was always something between you and Gojo Satoru that made him a bit uncomfortable, even way back when the two of you were still married. Perhaps the closeness, the candidness you shared. He knew you wouldn't harbor anything for someone as elusive as Gojo Satoru, but still, it remained an uncomfortable sight for him.

Like there was nothing pleasant about knowing Gojo Satoru was the one taking care of you in your drunken stupor. You shouldn't have in the first place. If it were him, he wouldn't let you hurt yourself. If he were still the one by your side—

Despite himself, thoughts like that swirled in his mind far often than he would've liked.

Suddenly, the air felt stifling. Nanami didn't like this at all, and even as you two were still harmlessly bickering, he chose to leave.

"Oiii, Nanami!"

He had barely left the room when the person he disliked the most emerged from the door, following closely behind him. Gojo evidently knew what his thoughts were. As irritating as he was, the bloke was smart, he wasn't the strongest for nothing.

"Na-na-mi! You can't just leave like that! We're going to have lunch together—"

"Gojo-san," Nanami stopped in his tracks and let out an exasperated sigh, throwing the white-haired idiot a glare so hard it would curse him if only glares could. "Please stop bothering me."

“How cold-hearted,” the blindfold replied in a mocking scoff. “No matter how, she was once your wife. How could you not care one bit?”

“We have gone on our separate ways, and if she is good with the way things are, then so am I.”

What a lie. He still couldn't help but to care. If you ever needed his help in whatever way even now, he would still move heavens for you.

“And that’s where you’re wrong, Nanami,” Gojo suddenly interjected in a less playful manner. “She is really missing you, you know.”

But you had your best friend by your side, didn't you? Someone perfect, without equal. Surely, you wouldn't need him anymore.

Gojo raised an eyebrow. "How are you so sure that she's good with the way things are?"

"What exactly is she not good with?"

"Everything? You never ask her."

This was getting irritating, and before Nanami really lost control over himself, he finally drew a line.

"Gojo-san, I'm tired of people assuming things about our current relationship," he said, leveling a piercing look at him. "We are both adults. We reached the decision to separate because we both know why. If this is your way of showing concern, then thank you—but I'd prefer if you didn't interfere any further. We're handling this just fine, and by all means, I think people should stop associating us anymore."

With that, he left. Even when he wanted to stay longer with you, even when, in his wildest dreams, he wanted to rebuild everything with you again—

He knew you were there, hearing all of this.

Gojo clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. "Grr... You're so stubborn..."

. . .

There was a reason why you went to the school. Yaga's sudden request and of course, the chance to see Nanami again.

But when your conversation ended in a bitter note and he walked away, a part of you plunged into instant panic, compelling you to eavesdrop on his conversation with Gojo.

But as expected from you cool ex-husband, he was all rationale and logic.

By all means, I think people should stop associating us anymore.

Nanami would think so, wouldn't he? And he wouldn't be bothered either.

You shouldn't have expected more. This was no television drama in which the couple would get back together that easily. You were living in the harsh reality of jujutsu world, which basically, was the cause of your divorce in the first place.

At one point, you found it all to be exhausting, but upon reflection, it was more painful to acknowledge that he never truly fought to keep you by his side.

Tears welled up in your eyes unbidden, and you walked away quickly, brushing them away.

This is it. There is no use hoping anymore.

If you weren't on missions, then you'd likely be drinking. This had been the undeniable truth over the past few weeks.

Gojo found both you and Nanami to be irritating. The way both of you would evade each other was just plain stupid by this point, since it was clear to anyone with eyes that you were still not over each other.

"Nanami! Why don't you join us for dinner tonight!"

And since you were such an irritable drunk, he chose to keep poking the easier target.

Nanami shot him a scathing look, definitely done. "I have a prior appointment. Goodbye."

"Hoh?! But! They'll have free drinks!"

For the life of him, Nanami just wanted to go back home. He had minus interest in free drinks and even less in Gojo himself, and he would make his points clear.

"For the last time, I'm telling you, I don't want any part in your—"

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Ooh, wait a minute, Nanamin! I got a call!"

Nanami gritted his teeth in pure annoyance. He truly didn't care about his call and seized the chance to walk away quickly, eager to flee.

Until—

"Hello? Yes. Yes... what? Huh— Y/N is rushed to hospital?"

...and that caused him to halt abruptly. Suddenly, his entire body went rigid, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

You're hurt?

"I mean why—the hell? Severe bleeding?!" Gojo's voice dramatically rose, seemingly in surprise. "Whoa, uh, traffic accident?!"

Within seconds, everything as he knew it came to an end. He spun around, yanking the phone from Gojo's grasp, indifferent to whether it caught the latter off guard or not.

"Which hospital is this?" he demanded from the person on the other end, his voice rough and harsh. Suddenly, the fog in his mind dissipated, and he was consumed by panic.

"I'm sorry, sir, that's not—oh, it's Tokyo General Hospital—"

"Thank you." Nanami shoved the phone back to Gojo and broke into a sprint, in search of taxi.

At this moment, everything was a plethora of chaos—his surroundings melded into a blur, the constant honking of nearby vehicles echoed in his ears, and the relentless pounding in his chest threatened to overwhelm him. Nothing else held any significance. Nothing, except you.

Why did you get hurt? How did you even get into a traffic accident?

This was maddening. His world was falling apart hard and fast. The beginnings of heartbreak, stirring and churning in the depths of his stomach, once again threatened to drown him whole—

To others it may seem laughable that he was this shaken over an ex-wife, but precisely because you were his ex-wife was why he was running through the streets of Shibuya, opting not to take the cab as the traffic jam was at its peak.

Oh, how Nanami regretted it. He regretted a multitude of things; those long nights, silent treatments, your tears, divorcing you. If he could turn back the time, he'd do anything in his power to prevent that divorce from ever happening. He'd treasure you better, he'd make time for you more—

Because what if, now you were really slipping away from him for good? What if, he would never see you ever again?

Within minutes, he arrived at the said hospital, haggard, spooking the nurses, demanding your room number.

Thank heavens that the visiting hour wasn't over yet. He marched towards the said room, all of his logic and rationale flying out of window as he threw open the door.

And then he saw the pristine bed, IV drip, and you—

Sitting upright on the bed, turning a page of a magazine, your eyes widening and blinking at him in complete confusion—

Huh, what?

The last thing you would expect after waking up in the hospital was your ex-husband barging in unannounced, looking as though he'd just survived a whirlwind.

"Kento...?" you almost squeaked, taken aback at the sight.

His hair was a sweaty mess, his usually immaculate suit was crinkled and his tie was loosened, but it was the look in his eyes that grabbed your attention—as if expecting the worst.

“Are you alright?” he grounded out, approaching you in deliberately slow steps. “How long has it since you woke up?”

“Um... yes? Since about an hour or so.” You frowned. “Kento, what are you doing here?”

“They said you have severe bleeding, involved in an accident—”

“What! No! Did the hospital reach out to you?” you felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought. “I was sure I have removed you from my emergency contacts—”

“Gojo did—”

Suddenly, understanding dawned on him, and he cursed under his breath. “That rotten bastard!”

You blinked, unsure of what he meant at all. To his credit, Nanami didn’t dwell long on his thoughts and faced you once again with another fresh batch of confusion. “Wait, Gojo is your emergency contact? Why?”

“Should anything happen to me and a payment is required to settle it, he can handle the bills first?”

If Nanami didn’t look exasperated before then he sure did now. “Y/N… you…”

He released the deepest sigh imaginable before settling onto the sofa, further tousling his hair and removing his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.

“Did you know I ran to get here because I thought something bad happened to you?” Nanami stated in a strained voice.

Why did your heart skip a beat? Why was Nanami suddenly playing the part of a concerned husband when the time for it has long passed?

Feeling suddenly irritated, you rolled your eyes. “I just passed out due to high blood pressure. It’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” his eyes squared on you, quiet anger behind them. “In what sense does you passing out ever ‘not a big deal’? What have you been doing?”

"Why does that even matter to you still?" you contested. "You were the one who said everyone should stop linking us together by now."

"Y/N, you're missing the—"

"You divorced me!" you screamed, tears threatening to spill from your eyes as the urge to cry threatened to consume you. "You... h-have divorced me, Nanami Kento!"

Nanami felt as if a blade had pierced and twisted his chest at the sight of you—your quivering form, the stifled sobs. He had never wished to see you in such despair again.

"So why!" you finally broke down and sobbed. "Why did you play the caring husband now? Why not before? Why do you keep toying with my feelings...?"

"I'm not." Nanami grunted, getting up and approaching your bed. "I never meant to. That was never my intention. I never—"

"Then what!? What are you doing? Why did you throw me out just like that and why now—"

"Believe me when I said that I never want you to be miserable!"

You halted mid-rant, eyes wide as you gazed at him. Blinking, you felt a tear roll down your cheek. It was the first time Nanami had ever raised his voice at you. Even in the past, he never had.

But suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through your abdomen, causing you to instinctively clutch it. You whimpered, a nearly involuntary squeak escaping you, feeling the intense burn inside.

Nanami immediately got a hold of your hunched form, alarmed. "What is it? What hurts?" When all you could manage were pained sniffles in response, he swiftly hit the nurses' button and enveloped you in his embrace.

"Hold on," he comforted, placing a hand over where you clutched your abdomen, trying to offer some relief in any way. "They'll be here soon, don't pass out!"

"Mmngh," you gripped his hand in response, squeezing it as you slumped into his chest. For the first time in six months, you were enveloped in his warmth once again, and despite everything that had transpired, you were deeply moved by his gesture.

It took seeing you in such distress to dispel any doubts Nanami may have had. You were so petite against him, so delicate as you squirmed amidst your tears.

Had you experienced pain like this in the past six months? The thought made his heart lurch. Did no one comfort you at all?

. . .

And that was when he decided it.

He never, ever wants to see you in any sort of pain, ever again. And should it happen, then he'll be the one staying by your side, just like this.

Alcoholic gastritis. You consumed so much alcohol that it irritated your ulcer and causes a really painful tummy ache.

You could feel Nanami's judging gaze on you as your attending doctor explained your predicament. Truth to be told, you were quite ashamed. Your unhealthy lifestyle were laid bare before your ex-husband and it made you feel like a kid being scolded for misbehaving.

After the doctor left, Nanami sighed and pulled out a chair next to your bed. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah..." you mumbled, avoiding his eyes. "Sorry, that... you have to see that."

But thankfully, he was unflappable as ever. "Nothing to be sorry about. It's fine."

You were kind of embarrassed of your outburst earlier too. While you didn't regret expressing your feelings, you pondered if could've done it in a less confrontational way.

At this point, you'd accept anything. Even if Nanami told you off after this—

"Let me continue from what I was saying earlier," he suddenly began, catching your attention. You perked up, and looked at him expectantly.

Nanami released a deep sigh, and the words he spoke next were ones you never thought you'd hear from him again.

"Did you remember what I said when I proposed our divorce?" he asked, somewhat rhetorically. You wordlessly nodded, because it was one of the lines that made you unable to hate him completely.

"I said, you don't deserve to be unhappy." Nanami looked you right in the eyes, undaunted. "And that still stands until now."

Now fully engrossed in his words, the rhythm of your heart intensified, echoing in your chest.

"It wasn't a decision I blurted out lightly. I know you're hurt, because I am too. I married you with a reason. I have loved you. and if you were to ask me now, my answer would be the same—I am still in love with you."

Why did it feel like your vision was beginning to blur once more?

"But," Nanami's face contorted into a frown, gazing hard at you. "If staying with me is what makes you miserable—if waiting nights after nights, hoping I can make it each time haunts you so much—then I'm more than willing to release you from that burden. I don't want to subject you to that life."

Warm tears slid down your cheeks. Sniffling, you averted your gaze, looking downwards.

"Look, I make you cry again," he sighed, a mix of fondness and sadness in his voice, as a bitter smile graced his lips. One of his thumbs gently lifted your jaw, while the other tenderly wiped away your tears.

"Kento, I—" you quickly looked up, swallowing the lump in your throat. You had made up your mind. "I don't want you to leav—"

"I know," he cut in, his voice solemn, as he stroked your tear-streaked cheeks. "I know, and that's exactly why I'm going to say what I'm about to say next."

And with his next words, your heart burst into complete, utter warmth—

"Let's start over." Nanami Kento's voice was your lifeline, anchoring you and keeping you afloat. "We can take our time. There's no rush—we can return to how things were in the beginning. And when you're ready, then and only then... will I ask you to marry me again."

The one person who has your heart in his grasp, someone whom you are willing to care way more than yourself... You were openly sobbing now and yet a radiant smile broke through your tears.

There was only one answer you had in mind.

Five years later

"Yes! Yes! Yay!"

Today was sunny, just like the day of your wedding. Memories flooded back as you glanced at the grand wedding portrait in the foyer, a snapshot of yourself and your husband in blissful celebration.

A smile tugged at your lips as you stared at the gentle smile on Kento's face amidst his typically stiff posture. You remembered his vows to you.

The one person who I will look for the rest of my life... is you. I have never met someone so important and precious to me that it hurts.

The sound of a car pulling up snapped you out of your reverie. Oh, he's home.

As you opened the door, your smile grew even broader, until a small figure darted past you at such speed that you were left gawking.

"Daddy!" your daughter's voice rang out with pure delight, leaping into your husband's arms the moment he swung the car door open, catching him off guard.

"Oh my, why are you so sweaty?" Kento inquired, scrutinizing your daughter with a puzzled frown, yet holding her close. "I thought we're going to the playground after this?"

"She's so excited for it that she keeps running and jumping around all the while," you chimed in with a gentle sigh, affectionately ruffling your daughter's hair as she beamed up at both of you.

Before long, the three of you set off to the playground, fulfilling the promise you had made to your daughter. As she entertained herself with the slides, Kento's low chuckle drew your attention. "What's so funny?"

"She takes after you a lot, you know," he remarked, a fond smile on his face. "The way she is just full of energy."

"Really? But sometimes she'll get this wrinkly little scowl on her face when she's annoyed—she looks like you then."

"Wrinkly...? No, surely I don't have that many wrinkles yet..."

Your laughter filled the air, a testament to the joy found in these simple, everyday moments.

Unexpected moments of joy, the comfort of family, and a love that had grown and evolved, stronger and more resilient with time...

And this, is what you'd call a happy marriage.

2K notes · View notes

o-pandora-o · 3 months

Text

Modern AU with the WHB Kings

In a world wherein the Kings weren't devils, and that you weren't the great granddaughter/grandson of Solomon, how would they meet you?

Warnings: harassing man on Beelzebub's, unhinged woman and knife on Leviathan's part, cursing/profanity. Gender-neutral pronouns were used. Reader is of legal age and working. Yes, I'm sorry if I have favoritism on Beel's.

a/n: I don't usually post WHB in a scheduled manner so I'm really sorry to those who wait for me. Requests are open tho! But I would like to warn that I can't post early T.T

Satan

🩸He was a gym owner and coach near your area. He always wears a white jumpsuit that compliments his eyes.

🩸You noticed that you were gaining a bit of weight and wanted to try out the gym near your area.

🩸When you entered and paid the fee, the gym was empty the time you came. The gym was well maintained, there were also lockers and shower area.

🩸You were looking around the gym equipment, and you decided to try one but... You didn't know how to, but you tried to use it still. "You're not supposed to use it that way, you're supposed to hold the cord then pull" A long haired guy (did i mention fluffy hair) with a white tracksuit said. "I- uh... Sorry thanks" you sheepishly said "I'd rather appreciate it if you ask for help rather than destroying my equipment" he chuckled. "By the way, the name is Satan, and you are?" Satan extended a hand for a handshake. "Y/n" you shaked hands with Satan. "Sorry about that... I'm new to these things... Is it alright if you teach me with these equipment?" You shyly asked. "No" he said with a grin. "W-wha?! But you sai-" "Hah, I'm kidding, alright where do you wanna start? I'm also a coach btw. I train and have sessions every other day. Wanna sign up?" "Not yet, I just wanna familiarize myself first with the equipment and the atmosphere." "Alright, just don't go breaking my shit alright" "I-i said I'm sorry!" you playfully smacked him. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

🩸You realized how good Satan was in becoming the owner and coach. He had several rules over the gym.

🩸He often got pissed whenever people were flirting in the gym epecially to you. You sometimes hear his teeth gnash.

🩸People love him, even children and elderly! Who knew his gym would be filled with various people.

Mammon

🪙You were a fresh graduate applying to one of the biggest companies specializing in technology; Tartaros.

🪙You were in the Lobby of Tartaros, and asked the receptionist where the Human Resource Department was for your interview.

🪙When the receptionist told you the directions, you hurried towards the elevator and somehow bumped into something...no... Someone.

🪙You bumped into a tall buff guy with black hair and gold eyes. His eyes were really mesmerizing enough for you to stare instead of apologizing.

🪙When you realized you were staring, you bowed your head and apologized. "It's alright, I apologize also" he said and you somehow hear the warmth through his deep voice.

🪙You noticed that he dropped his wallet, and you wanted to return it so you followed him.

🪙He went to the elevator, you went to another elevator. He walked towards one of the hallways, you also walked. You were trying to get his attention by saying "Sir!" but your voice wasn't loud enough for him to hear you.

🪙He stopped in front of an office and went in. You saw him go in another room inside the office room. You were trying to catch his attention and ran to him but one of his attendants with a stingy face stopped you. "What business do you have with Mr. Mammon?" The guy with the stingy face said. "Wha- who? I was just going to return his wallet since it fell!" You explained "Yeah that's right, I heard that excuse many times. Off you go, you just want a promotion do you?" He shooed you off but his co-worker stopped him. "Sorry to break it to you, Bimet, but I don't think they're an employee" the guy with a gold hair with eye patch said. "Sorry about that, you said you wanted to return Mr. Mammon's wallet?" The guy faced you and asked you. "I don't know his name but... The guy with black hair and a bit buff and yeah i think he went there!" you pointed at the room Mammon went. The guy with gold hair chuckled, "I'll accompany you to Mr. Mammon's office." The guy knocked on the office and said "Mr. Mammon, someone is here to talk to you", you looked at him and he whispered "it's better if you return it to him personally, he's a nice guy don't worry". The other person replied "Ah Valefor, please do let them in".

🪙The guy, Valefor, opened the door for you and you went inside. It was only you and Mammon. "Oh you..." "Um... You dropped your wallet when I bumped into you. I was trying to gain your attention but you didn't hear me many times. I'm just going to return it." You said "Oh, thanks. You can have what's inside." Mammon said. "What?" You exclaimed "You can have what's inside" "No, I cannot. I don't want to" "But you were nice enough to return it." "Yes, but I can't accept it." "Really? You don't want it?" "I'd rather earn the money by hard work. Thank you for being nice though. But I cannot accept this" you returned the wallet and bowed to him. "May I have your name, at least and the department?" "Y/n, oh and I don't work here. Oh drat! I forgot my interview!! This was nice and all but I have to go, thank you Mr.?" "Mammon, call me Mammon." "Thank you Mr. Mammon!" You returned the wallet.

🪙When Mammon checked the contents of the wallet, he did see that there were no finger prints inside and the money and cards were intact. He was really sure to reward you. He made a call to the HR department, telling them to hire you. "Hi! Sorry I'm late for the interv-" "Are you y/n?" "Y-yes I am" "You're hired." "What. Wait what about the interview?" "You should thank Mr. Mammon" "Uhm. I hate to ask but... Who is exactly Mr. Mammon?" "Oh he's the CEO of Tartaros" "HUH?"

🪙You thanked Mammon again and now you're working for him. His company was really nice and non-toxic (well except for the Money grabbing attendant of Mr. Mammon).

🪙You were seeing him every now and then and you'd wish to experience more dealings with him in the future.

Beelzebub

🕶️You were referred as a bartender in a club by your friend Naberius. You were working there for about a month now and met wonderful co-workers and even customers.

🕶️You met the Chief and Acting Owner Bael who taught you with the drinks, rules, and policies. Amon, one of the chill security. Surprisingly, your friend Naberius was the chief security and receptionist of the VIP area. Lastly, Stolas, one of the security who was easily mad but is cute.

🕶️In the Avisos Club, there were two areas. First is the common area, where folks drink alcohol, mingle with people, dance a little and even flirt. Then there was also a VIP area that also works as a 5 star S&M hotel. Getting in the VIP area was really hard, but VIPs will have their own room and they can do anything in that room (using their money ofc). Most guests use it as an intimate or S&M area (yes toys are also for sale there). Some also use it as a high stake gambling area.

🕶️You mostly work at the common area to avoid weird requests, but you also share a fair share of chaotic situations in the common area.

🕶️Oh boy, today is not going to be your day. One guy kept flirting with you while making his bloody mary, how you wished to make his head a bloody mary. "*Whistles* Oh baby you look hot today, why don't I take you out today and drink some of yours; I take both males and females if that's your concern" "Nope sorry. Just drink this bloody mary instead." You were trying to keep it together. "Awww but I wanna have fun with you." he insisted "Rule Number 6 in Avisos Club, when a person says no, it means No." You replied while cleaning your work area. "Rules are made to be broken~ Come on, just a drink with me please~" He somehow grabbed your shoulder, and you were on the other side of the bar. "Sir, I respectfully ask you to remove your hand and leave me alone, or I will call security" "Yeah as if security will stop me, come on just one drink with me" "Three" "Two" "That won't work on me, you cant threaten me bab-" He noticed someone grabbed his shoulder "Hmm if I remember correctly, customers aren't allowed to harass, let alone to a bartender, no?" A guy with light blonde hair with yellow and green eyes said, he looked pretty but his smile looked so deadly. "Fuck off, can't you see I'm flirting with this guy/girl. And you're not my ty-" the guy grabbed him by the collar and removed him from you and made him sit on his seat. "What the, what's the big dea-"

🕶️The timing made you press the red button under the bar, signaling the security. Security will come in a few minutes.

🕶️The guy put a hand over the mouth of the person harassing you and looked at you instead "Oh! You're quite new here aren't you? My my, now I understand why this jackass was forcing you, you look handsome/beautiful!" the guy with the light blonde hair said. "Thank you I guess? Oh and you're correct, I just started this job a month ago" "Oho, Bael did a good job hiring you, I heard you also make good drinks and food, by the way the name is Beelzebub" "I'm y/n, thank you for helping me btw, and ah.. well I like making drinks and cooking so uh.. hehe I really like this job so I make sure I do my best!" you sheepishly said "Aww, I can see that, keep it up!" he said.

🕶️Security came and somehow the guy harassing you had a handkerchief on his mouth and his hands were tied. Huh did beel do that?

🕶️When you talked to the security about the guy, you told them what he did and beelzebub did. "Oh yeah also this guy, Beelzebub, he helped me wi-" Naberius cut you off "DID YOU SAY BEELZEBUB?" "huh? Yeah he's right here...oh he's gone..." you noticed there was a note under the glass he drank. "You make drinks that are unlike any other! Oh and that grilled cheese was delightful! I'll make sure Bael knows about this... But not today though! Try to keep this a secret okay? :3" You mentally facepalmed why saying sorry in your mind. "Uhm.. Naberius... Not to be dumb but... Who is Beelzebub?" "HE'S THE OWNER OF AVISOS BAR! HE WAS HERE?!" You noticed how this was making a scene, not to mention Amon and stolas as well as Bael was coming towards you "I... Yeah? Very light blonde short hair on the front, with green and yellow eyes, and pretty? Yeah? Oh with long earrings and necklace too?? Oh he's the owner..." You were shocked "He always wanders off and let's me do all the job here... He'll pay for this!!!" Bael said "He said you did a good job hiring me and... He liked the drinks and food" "Oh. Looks like you're going to be promoted soon. Keep it up then. As for him... That demonic person... When I get my hands on him he'll pay tenfold!!!" Everyone was devastated that they missed Beelzebub.

🕶️You kept seeing Beelzebub in the club every now and then. Both of you shared stories and you can see that he's really fond of you.

🕶️He always wants you to keep it a secret whenever he's there tho.

Leviathan

⚰️You were an office worker with an 8 to 5 job. Your co-workers invited you to a club after the anniversary of your company. Somehow the name of the bar was quite familiar to you, but you couldn't remember the significance.

⚰️The club wasn't really your thing, some of your office mates mingled, some drank and you were sitting with your phone in your hands. You somehow had an uncomfortable, eerie feeling that someone was watching you.

⚰️You tried to brush off that feeling and went to the bar. You sat beside a guy with light colored hair, you noticed that he was looking pretty.

⚰️You didn't notice that you were staring at him for too long and he looked back at you. "Didn't you mother taught you that it's rude to stare?" He said while glaring at you. You apologized and sheepishly looked away.

⚰️You ordered your drink and somehow you still feel that someone was staring. Until one lady approached you and started flirting with you. "Hey sweetie? You alone? I've been looking at you for quite some time now. How about I accompany you, hmm?" She was being a bit touchy, she put her hand in yours and you retracted. "Ah no, I've got some friends there, I don't need accompanying thank you" you politely declined as she was making you uncomfortable. "Now now sweetie, I know you need company, don't resist now" "Um. Sorry I'll politely refuse." "I said you need company. Don't refuse me sweetie" you were looking at her weirdly. "No. Sorry..." "I said, YOU DO NEED COMPANY" that's when the unhinged woman threatened you with a knife. "Heard of the phrase 'no means no'?" the pretty light haired guy beside you spoke. "Hah who cares about what other people think, what is important is what I think, and that's why shut up!" she was becoming deranged. "Who told you that you can talk to me, huh? 'Fuck off'? How about you fuck off." it was all too fast, the light haired guy pinned the deranged woman in the bar table. He showed his badge which says 'F.B.I.' "The name's Leviathan, undercover agent of the FBI. Thank you for being useful and luring this deranged woman into showing her true self. She has already killed 60 innocent lives. She often goes to this club but she always use her money to make the owners shut up" he said as he handcuffed the woman. "If you ever become stupid enough and get lured and need help, call this in the future." He gave you his business card and you accepted.

⚰️Thank Heavens you did, because apparently you were a magnet for trouble. You often call his number every now and then. "Who knew a person like you would be wanted by many criminals that I kept track of." "What does that suppose to mean?!" "Nothing. I'll treat you today for making my life easier than it is." "I- well fine! I won't hold back with the food!"

⚰️You someone noticed how Leviathan was pretty but really serious. He also says what he thinks in his head which made you so irritated.

⚰️Needless to say your interactions become more frequent as he was a FBI agent and you're a magnet for trouble.

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cringe-but-proud · 5 months

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Hello! I Hope You’re having a wonderful day/night. I was wondering if you can do a Wonka (2023) x reader where the reader is a show girl and is in love with Willy Wonka. And the reader works as a showgirl for slugworth (to Yk promote his chocolates). But reader and Willy falls for each other and it’s a whole forbidden love type thing since readers boss hates wonka.

Hello! Thanks so much for the request!! Gotta love the forbidden lovers trope (probably one of my favs tbh).

Willy Wonka x Showgirl!Reader (Wonka 2023)

Warnings!!!: Fem!reader, cursing (literally once, I'm pretty sure)

A/n: Baby's first request + Baby's first time posting fanfiction (AJGSHSHEJJXHDJDJ) Hope it's not awful.

Sometimes you wondered why you ever agreed to this job.

Being a showgirl wasn't as easy as a lot of people seemed to think it was.

Every other weekend, you performed at the local theatre to promote Mr. Slugworth's infamous chocolate. Two shows on Friday, two shows on Saturday.

Sounds easy enough. But, Mr. Slugworth insisted that no two shows could be the same.

Which meant that everyday you weren't performing, you were learning a new song and new choreography for your next performance. Which got very tiring very quickly.

Tonight was a particularly bad night. You were barely halfway through your show and already wanted to just collapse in the middle of the stage and sleep. Your costume felt tight, there was hardly anyone in the crowd, and your face hurt from how much you were smiling.

You had just finished your third number when the theatre doors opened. A young man walked through the doors. You recognized him from an incident in which he made your boss float through the air.

You briefly looked at him before going into your fourth number.

To your surprise, the man chose to sit right in the middle of the first row. Right in front of you. Now that he was closer you could see that he was actually pretty handsome. Dark brown curls that framed his face well and beautiful eyes that seemed to watch you in utter amazement...

You had to look away.

At the end of your performance, the man cheered loudly. Full on cheered, despite everyone else in the theatre simply clapping quietly.

He interested you with his sparkly eyes and bright smile. But, you knew you couldn't be interested. Your boss absolutely despised this guy. So, he wasn't cute and you weren't interested. That was that.

You were leaving the building through the back exit, happy to finally be out of your costume and headed home, when-

"Hi, there!"

"Ah!" You were startled by the sudden and enthusiastic greeting of... The guy you definitely didn't think was cute.

You sighed, regaining your composure after he had frightened you. "Hello." You said back simply.

"Sorry if I startled you there! I just wanted to compliment you." He said with a smile that for sure didn't make you want to swoon. "You are the most incredible singer that I've ever heard."

You couldn't help but feel flattered. "Thank y-"

"And you're an amazing dancer."

"Tha-"

"How do you even manage to dance in those tall, fancy heels?"

"I-"

"And isn't it strange to be taller than you usually are when you wear heels? Does that bother you at all?

You paused, making sure he was done talking before speaking again. "I guess being taller than usual would be strange at first. But, I'm used to wearing heels. So, being tall isn't weird for me."

"Like a giraffe." He said.

"Wha-"

"I'm Willy. Willy Wonka." He stuck his hand out.

You paused for a moment. Mr. Slugworth definitely wouldn't like the fact that you were talking to him... But, he wasn't here right now.

"I'm Y/n."

These little post-show conversations became something you looked forward to.

It was every Saturday, after your last performance of the night. He'd always be right outside the back exit waiting for you. Talking to him was always thrilling. Your heart beat a little faster whenever you were around him, breaking the rules... And maybe it was also because you thought he was cute.

You couldn't lie, over time, you'd grown to like him. And based on all of the lingering gazes and soft smiles he'd given you, you were pretty sure he liked you as well.

One day, you were backstage, looking into the mirror as you put on your makeup. You glanced up and in the reflection of the mirror was your boss, Mr. Slugworth.

This couldn't be good.

You turned around to face him. "Hello, Sir." You forced a polite smile.

"Yes, hello." He said with narrowed eyes. There was a brief moment of silence which you decided to fill.

"Did you want to talk to me about something?" You said, hoping the innocent head tilt you gave him was convincing.

"I know what you're doing." He said, ignoring your previous question.

Shit.

"One of my associates told me that they saw you and Mr. Wonka meeting behind this theatre every night."

You stayed silent. You knew you were guilty and you knew you probably couldn't talk your way out of this.

Mr. Slugworth continued. "I don't want an explanation or excuse from you. I just want you to agree to never speak with him again."

"What?!" You were shocked. He couldn't do this! He couldn't just tell you to stop talking to someone outside of work! He didn't have that power!...

Except, he kind of did. You knew how Mr. Slugworth was and you knew he wouldn't hesitate to fire you over something like this.

And that's why you agreed.

That night you left the theatre through the back exit like you always did. But, tonight you walked right past Willy.

"You were incredible tonight! I- Where are you going?"

You ignored him and kept walking. To your surprise, he began to follow you.

"You look sort of down.. Is something wrong? You can talk to me about it. I'm sure I can make you feel better!" He said as he continued to follow you.

He continued to try talking to you, and you continued to ignore him. He ended up following you all the way to your doorstep.

"Y/n? If it's something I did to upset you, I'm really sorry."

You took a deep breath and turned around, looking around to make sure no one was watching before you grabbed him and yanked him into your house.

As soon as he was in your house he looked around. "I like your curtains." He said.

"I'm not mad at you." You told him.

He smiled. "That's good to hear. I was already thinking of an apology chocolate recipe for you and it would've been-"

"Willy." He went quiet when you said his name. "Mr. Slugworth doesn't want me talking to you ever again."

"Oh?" He thought for a moment. "Well, that doesn't seem fair."

"Yeah. It isn't fair."

"Well, then don't listen to him." He made everything sound so simple. So easy. You wish you could see the world how he saw it.

"I can't just not listen to him. He's my boss." You looked at the ground. "And I need this job..."

Willy crossed his arms. He furrowed his brows in thought for a moment. "Huh."

...

"Huh." He looked back to you.

"What?"

"Why don't you just work for me?" He suggested with a smile. You were about to protest, but decided to hear him out. "Yeah! You can quit working for Slugworth, then you and I can update your act, and you can start promoting Wonka's Chocolate!" He said, excitedly pacing your small living area.

You thought over the plan. "Huh." You chuckled. "That's... Do you think that could work?"

He walked over to stand right in front of you, looking into your eyes. "I know it could work."

You shook your head with a smile. You were probably gonna regret this. "Let's do it."

"Yes!" Willy clapped and then stuck out his hand so that the two of you could shake on it. Instead of shaking his hand, you sort of let your emotions take control.

You grabbed his face and kissed him. After a moment you pulled away, a bit shocked at your own actions. You searched his face for any signs of discomfort and were met with a smile.

"That was better than a handshake." He said with a chuckle before leaning forward to capture your lips in a soft kiss.

Ok, you probably weren't gonna regret this.

#wonka x reader #willy wonka x reader #x reader #fanfiction #I'M SCARED

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ccattre · 2 months

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WHA HOO MY JAK AND DAXTER OC TIME!!! It's my turn now, I still have 2 more other peoples characters im going to be drawing, though ^w^

So I've been trying to get this drawing right for months, and I'm finally happy with the results. So this is Blair. She's based on an old oc I had when I was young, but I completely changed her LOL.

So Blairs thing is using eco crystals and building holders for them that allow the user to harness the crystals' power like a chanaler could.

She was born in Main town and always had a fascination with utilizing eco crystals with old technology. Her main goal was to bring eco back into the hands of the people. She excelled in school, and her studies in college got some attention. She was invited to join the citys scientist in exchange for resources for her research.

She researched what she wanted in the beginning, but as her skills and knowledge were shown, she was slowly forced to do more tasks that started to dwell from her perfered research. Eventually, she was promoted to a special team lead by the Barron that didn't reveal its goals.

The work she preferred involved tinkering with precursor metals and combinding them with the eco crystals, creating tools. The work for this new team involved extracting eco crystals into moldable liquids to sent out in viles for the Barrons project's.

It didn't take too long for Blair to see the fucked up shit that was going on around town, but when she tried to stand down from her position she was threatened. She worked as a Haven scientist for around 4 years, until one day an accident happened that Blair used as a ploy to escape Haven and fake her death.

The accident resulted when Blair was fiddling with a yellow eco crystal, and a unintentional crack caused the crystal to explode, sending a layer of active yellow eco flying, starting a fire in the lab, but also coating the left side of her body from her face to her stomach. (why you wear protective glasses)

She left Haven with the last of the money she had and wondered the wastelands. She eventually stumbled upon a group of female marauders who took her in, and she became the groups medic (shes not too qualified but can handle eco better than the rest of them). She continued her original research and successfully began a line of eco crystal jewelry and armor that can be used as weapons and tools. And the drawing above is showing how she looks like during this phase in her life.

-------

AND THATS WHAT I HAVE FOR NOW!! Ima draw a proper character sheet soon with all her stuff on it, but im just happy to finally post this. :D

#jak and daxter #jnd #jak 2 #jak 3 #jnd oc #my art #my oc #Blair

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drunkenbagel · 1 year

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Enchanted to meet you - Part 3

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Spanish f!reader Contents: overall fluff, descriptions of panic attack, angst with comfort a/n: i'm so so sorry for being away so long, i somehow lost access to the account and couldn't post anything!! also have been on a kind of writer's block, so i'm sorry for that too lol. for this part i added some media, let me know if you like it :D Word count: 5,5k Disclaimer: none of the photos used are mine and therefore i do not own them, i just edited them.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Your side of the video call stayed silent for a moment, while you were trying to process what Pedro just said.

“y/n? Did I lost you?” he asked, and groaned. “Maldita cobertura de LA” (Damned LA reception.)

“Wha- What did you just say?” you questioned again. “Are you kidding me right now? Because if you are, no te lo perdonaré nunca.” (I'll never forgive you)

”What? I just-” he started another sentence, but he was interrupted by someone asking to take a picture with him. You quickly silenced your mic and turned off your camera, not wanting to be seen by the people he was with. They would probably get the wrong idea, getting him in trouble. Not to mention the controversy and the incessant hate train that the situation would create. You knew Pedro was sensitive when it came to hurt and pain, even if it didn't seem that way just because he brushed it off with goofiness and some jokes. So, you tried your best to avoid any kind of problem that seeing someone like you with him could cause. After a few minutes, he focused his phone on his face again.

“Hey, sorry about that, darlin'” he said with a side smile. “Some people asked- Are you still there?”

You connected your mic and camera again. “Yeah, sorry. Didn't want to disturb you.”

He frowned. “Don't say that. You don't.”

You felt a small pang on your chest, but you brushed it off by jumping again to the previous topic.

“So, what is that thing you were telling me? You're inviting me where?”

“Oh, yeah! I was thinking if you'd like to come with me to Los Angeles. I've got some long filming ahead and was wondering if you'd like to visit me. I'm going to stay at my house here, and of course, as my best friend, you have a designated room” he said laughing. “I could show you around and stuff. You know, to see the beautiful places here.”

“I mean... I'd sure as hell would love it, don't get me wrong or anything” you said, letting out a nervous chuckle. “But, uhm...”

You didn't know how to tell him that you were dying to see Los Angeles since you moved to the United States, but that you were afraid to be outside with him and the consequences that it could bring. You two had been basically best friends for almost two and a half years now, but he was still a celebrity, for fuck's sake. And you were... Average. You always tried to be really careful when going outside with him. Wasn't he afraid of being seen with you? It was easier to blend in the few times you two went out in New York, especially since you preferred to go out mostly at night-time or just hang out at his house.

“Then it's settled! I'll be back there in like a week, and after a few days we can come back here for as long as you like. I think it'll be so fun being here with you, you'll love this! I'll show you so many things here. Oh, I also could show you around the studios, maybe you'll see someone from those crime shows you're obsessed with.”

“Hey! Why the cute rant and then you attack me? Not fair” you said cracking a small smile. “I appreciate your invite, really, but... I don't know, I have my job, my rent...”

“y/n, since your promotion you practically work from home. You don't go to the office anymore. And about your apartment, you always complain about the landlord, the sink, the place itself. Si no es esto, es lo otro. Why don't you move out and look for anything else?” (If it's not this, it's that.)

“I-” you tried to think of any excuses, but he was right. You had been looking for apartments, but it was very difficult to find anything decent in New York with an average paycheck. You sighed, defeated. “Look, I know you're right, but what do you want me to do? Just magically find something?”

He hummed, and brought his hand to his chin, thinking. You almost laughed. It looked like he was thinking so hard. After a few moments, he snapped his fingers.

“Here's the deal. I know this filming is going to be at least three months, so how about you stay with me here, and then you can stay at mine in New York? You know you have a room at my place anyways.”

“What? That is not-” You felt your cheeks heat up. How could he be so calm about this? “So that is your solution? You want me to move in with you?”

“I wouldn't say that, it's more like... A temporary solution until you find a place for yourself. You know you practically spend all your time in my house when I'm there! Also, you could stop paying rent for that shithole while staying with me, so I only see positive points here. Am I wrong?”

He smiled at the camera while you ran a hand through your hair, stressed. He had a very valid point, of course, but he said it so casually that it left you a bit dumbfounded. So did this mean that he didn't care to be seen with you? His New York apartment was in a multiple housing building, so it was always easier for you to go in unnoticed. But Los Angeles? You didn't know if that was possible. People there were more used to seeing celebrities, of course, but the anxious thoughts were not leaving you alone.

“Hey, I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable or anything. You know you can always say no” he said with a worried tone.

“I know, I know. I was just thinking...” you sighed. “You're right. But are you sure you don't mind me being there with you? Or anywhere close for that matter? Are you sure it's okay? Because I wouldn't-”

“Y'think I would have said it if I didn't mean it? You're offending me!” he said laughing. “Now, seriously. I'd love to have you around more. You know I miss you when we're apart.”

“Aw, mi Pedrito se enterneció. ¡Te he ablandado! How did you live without me?” you joked. (My little Pedro got soft. I have softened you!)

His could feel his cheeks getting red, but he tried to brush it off. “Anda, cállate. Do you accept my deal or not? The offer is now for limited time.” (C'mon, shut up.)

“Okay, okay! I do accept” you said laughing. “But I'll need help with moving if I have to leave everything at your apartment before going to LA. You help me or the deal is off.”

“You got it” he said with a wide smile. The way his eyes wrinkled while he was smiling or laughing made your heart skip a beat. It was too cute for your heart to handle, you loved it. The way he grasped onto anyone around him while he let out the cutest belly laugh, or how contagious they were.

Little did you know he was thinking the same thing about you. Pedro loved your laugh, especially when it was shared with him. Oh, how his heart started to beat faster every time you sent him a message. Or how that one time you were video chatting him and you felt so comfortable that you fell asleep still in the call. He ended up just watching you sleep soundly before falling asleep ‘beside you’. And now he was going to have you under the same roof? He felt like he was the happiest man in the world when you accepted. He couldn't believe you did. He had been thinking about asking you since you always complained about how awful your landlord was, or how he refused to fix anything. Truth be told, he wanted to punch that guy more than anything sometimes.

He tried to keep his silly crush for himself, especially since you were much younger than him. The last thing he wanted was to make you uncomfortable, so he tried to keep it away from his thoughts. But it was so damn difficult. You were so kind, so caring, and so sweet. He wanted you all for himself, but whenever he thought about it, he always ended up in the conclusion that you didn't seem to show any interest beyond your friendship. That's why he forced himself to act as he was, just your ‘older’ best friend. Who casually just invited you to live with him.

Cool, cool. Totally normal.

As the days went by, you put your leave notice to your landlord and started packing everything. Pedro helped you with all, just as he promised, even using his own car to move the boxes back and forth between apartments. Luckily, you didn't have that much stuff since your apartment was quite small. Time seemed to pass very slowly but so fast at the same time, leaving your stomach to be a flustered mess of nervousness. Soon enough, you both were waiting into the airline row to enter the plane.

“Oh my god. I can't believe I'm doing this!”

“It's hitting you now?” Pedro answered laughing. “Actually, it's making me feel weird too. But the good kind. I like it when I have you around.”

“Aw” you said pouting. “You like it, but not enough to pay for us to sit together?”

“Are you kidding me? I'm not going to pay 50 extra dollars for a seat. I'm already going to see you all the time when we land, don't give me a hard time with it! Plus, we're only a seat apart, eres una exagerada.” (You're exaggerating.)

“Whatever. I'll remember this betrayal.”

“Ugh” he said smiling while he rolled his eyes. “C'mon, we're next.”

The six hour flight went by faster than you expected it to be, especially since you slept for most of it. The chatty old lady that sat in between you two was kind enough to switch places with Pedro halfway on the flight when she saw the way he looked at you uncomfortably sleeping against the plane window, so he put the armrest back and carefully pulled you to his side so you could sleep on him.

You looked so beautiful like this. Softly moving your hair away from your face, he pushed the stray hairs behind your ear, and you sighed contently. He couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips.

“How long have you been dating, dear?”

Pedro turned his head to his right, confused. “What?”

“Oh, I'm sorry. Are you married perhaps? It's just that I didn't see your rings so I guessed you didn't pop the question yet. Don't tell me this trip is for that! Oh my, congratulations!”

“What? No! No, no” he said while moving his free hand on the air. He could feel his cheeks getting hot and he looked at you quickly in case you had heard the lady, but you were soundly asleep. Then he looked at her again. “It's not like that. We- Uh, we're just friends. She's my best friend. Just that.”

“‘M sorry then, dear. It's just that I heard you two talkin’ about living together, saw you actin’ like you were, and I just assumed. But let me tell ya’, honey, friends don't look at each other like that” she said, briefly patting his thigh while smiling. “My dear Stevie, may he rest in peace, was always lookin’ at me the same. I didn't realize I was in love with him until I was with somebody else, for the love of god! I just assumed he was a good friend and never saw me as nothin’ else. He even helped me with this guy just ‘cause I seemed happy. But you see, honey, he just wanted the best for me as long as I was happy, even if that meant sacrificing his own happiness. I almost lost my dearest because I thought helpin’ me to find joy in another meant that he wasn't interested. I can see how you look at her. Don't let that happen to you, honey. Believe me, not worth the time you lose while y’know that you two are just playin’ pretend.”

Pedro only looked at the woman with his lips briefly parted, his heart heavy on his chest. He didn't want that happening, but he could also not risk ruining the relationship he already had with you. He would never do that. Also, he noticed how you always avoided going to crowded spaces or where paparazzi could spot you two together. How could he not? He knew that you didn't like the attention that kind of things attracted, so he respected your decisions over where to meet. Pedro preferred staying with you watching TV or playing games rather than cameras following him everywhere anyways. In fact, he knew moving to Los Angeles was a huge step for you, since it was nearly impossible to go out and not be spotted by paparazzis. That was mainly why he was feeling so nervous about this whole thing, but he hoped that after all the time that you two had been friends for, maybe you wouldn't be too bashful about going out with him, and would let him recognise you publicly as his friend.

He spent the hour and a half that was left of the flight sleeping with his head on top of yours, only waking up when the lady beside him shook his arm gently to let him know that you were landing. He then did the same with you, and couldn't hold back a smile while he watched you rub your eyes and yawn. After getting off the plane you two went for your baggages, and after you managed to put everything in one big stroller, you started walking outside.

“I'm impressed” he said, watching you push the thing by yourself. “I thought you were going to bring your whole house over here. Is this really everything?”

“Well, no” you said as if it was obvious. “Did you think I was going to bring my scarfs, jackets and big sweaters to LA? I'm not-”

You stopped talking when you saw a man with a camera in the distance. He was taking pictures of you. You gulped and tried to laugh, but an uncomfortable chuckle came out.

“y/n? Are you alright?” asked Pedro, a little worried by your change of demeanour. He moved his eyes in the direction you were looking, and then he saw it. A couple of men with cameras, and they were getting closer. “Hey, look at me.” You linked your eyes with his, and he had a soft look on them. “You'll be alright. C'mon, let's take a taxi and get home.”

You nodded and tried to ignore the sound of clicking cameras getting closer. Taking the stroller, Pedro quickly made his way to a taxi and started packing everything up while you got inside. When the men reached the car you heard him say something before he got to the back of it with you and gave the address to the driver. You nervously took his hand with yours and he squeezed it twice, which was his silent way of asking if you were feeling okay. You squeezed it back once. Yeah, just anxious. You two came up with this method after Pedro realized that you sometimes went non-verbal when you were in situations that made you feel anxious, and he wanted to know how he could help. You rest your head on his shoulder, and he left a kiss on your hair while rubbing his thumb over yours. After a few minutes in silence, he spoke up.

“I'm thinking you won't have much enthusiasm of going out. I understand if you wanna spend the day at home. We can watch a film or something, then order food. Sounds good?”

“Yeah” you answered in a whisper. “I'm sorry.”

“Why? You didn't do anything wrong. I know you're not used to this, and I love you for coming with me to the other side of the country despite knowing the situations that you may have to face. I should be the one apologizing” he said, and kissed your forehead. “I know this will be hard at first, but I want to be able to call you my friend. To talk about you in interviews, or when people ask me about funny stories. And I'm not trying to give you an ultimatum or anything since I understand that you want your privacy, I do too, but with my kind of life, you always have to give something. I don't want you being followed, but at least I want to be able to not hide my amazing best friend to the world.”

“I understand, and I'm okay with it. I didn't just accept moving with you lightly, I knew what I was getting into. And I understand that it may have been difficult not to say anything about me, but I just- I wasn't ready. It's not easy being a celebrity's best friend” you said with a chuckle. “But I also get your point. You have been my best friend for a long time now, and I don't want to hide anymore. I know it's going to be hard, so I need you to be patient with me. More than you have already been, which I'm incredibly thankful for. But it's not going to be something I magically get used to. Don't you think I might also be dying to share you with the world? I'd love to! But I was trying to wrap my head around it. And I did, and I'm ready. So expect me posting about you and your shitty habits everywhere on my Instagram and Twitter from now on.”

He couldn't hold back a wide grin while he took you into a tight hug, and you giggled. “Thank you. Thank you so much for doing this, y/n. Ugh, you're the best. How did I ever bag this good of a friend?”

“I believe you stalked me for weeks, forced Ernesto to tell you things about my schedule, then waited for me in the café every time like a puppy and called it ‘a coincidence’, right?”

“You're saying it like I'm some creep or something! I just liked how normal you treated me, okay? Shut up.”

After arriving to the house and setting your things on your room, Pedro gave you a small tour of the house. You loved it. Especially the views from the amazing balcony that led to a beautiful view of the city. You two opened a bottle of wine while waiting for the takeout to arrive, and you braced yourself to finally face the challenge: going through socials. You were sure that the photos from this morning were all over the internet already, and when you entered Twitter, you confirmed it. The paparazzi pictures where everywhere, and everyone was speculating on how were you related to him. When the food arrived and he was about to dig into it, you spoke.

“Pedro?”

“Yeah?”

“I think it's time to post it” you said while taking a long sip of the glass.

“That fast?” he asked incredulously. You nodded and showed him your phone. “Okay then, one sec.”

He took out his phone and typed something. A few moments later, your phone chimed, and you stared at the Instagram post you were tagged in.

“You bitch! You could have picked another photo” you said while laughing.

“I know, but that's the funniest one” he said chuckling too.

—•—

It had been a bit more than a month since the photo was posted, and people were taking it a lot better than you had expected. Some were even asking you to post ‘unseen’ Pedro content. There were also people that insulted you and told you ugly things, but you decided to ignore and block them. Your social media follower count had exploded, and you had a lot of new people interacting with your normal content, but you got more or less used to it.

You had been out together a couple of times, mostly to get groceries and stuff before Pedro began his filming. He made you copies for every key in the house, and also gave you the spare one for his car in case you ever needed it. But since then, he spent a lot of hours out in the studios, so you mostly saw each other at early mornings or nights.

“Hey, I'm free today so I was thinking of going to the beach or something. I know it's not the best weather, but maybe we could take the car and then rent some bikes and go for a ride over there? What do you think?” Pedro asked you one afternoon while eating lunch.

You yawned while nodding. You had tried not to sleep in the Los Angeles daylight, but you were still kind of used to the New York timezone. Jet lag was no joke, and your shitty sleep schedule didn't help either.

“Sure. But I might be a little out of practice, so you better not laugh at me.”

“But that would be the best part!” he said laughing. “Okay then, I'll go for the car. This way I can show you around a bit more than these past weeks.”

He seemed very happy since he made you two public, and it made your heart go soft at the thought that sharing you with the world had that kind of reaction for him. Sometimes you thought that the people would find your friendship weird because of the age difference, but to your luck, it seemed like most people understood the situation a little. Of course, there were the ones that thought it was weird, or that you two were dating but didn't want to tell, but luckily it wasn't that many people.

When you got dressed Pedro drove to Santa Monica beach, then rented the bikes, and it was then when your small tour began. He showed you Venice beach, his favourite places to eat, drink and you even saw a museum from the outside. When the sun was starting to set, you rode back to the bike renting shop and sat in the sand to watch the sunset.

After it got a little dark, Pedro drove you to a local Mexican restaurant not too far to have dinner. You ordered some tacos and enchiladas, and while eating them both of you talked about how filming was going. He was so excited about it, and he wanted to invite you to set. You told him you would think about it beacuse you too had a job, but you ended up promising you would soon since you could do yours from anywhere and your schedule was more flexible. Pedro had a small desk on the living room so you used it as a makeshift little office.

Unaware for both of you, some people had spotted Pedro at the restaurant and posted it on the internet, which led the paparazzi to the location. They were waiting outside, and when you two realised it, it was too late, since there were already a small swarm of them. Your stomach began to ache with anxiety. This was the first time that you encountered that many together.

“I can ask the staff to let us out from the back” Pedro said after seeing your reaction to the small crowd.

“No, no. I don't want to inconvenience them or anything. We'll just... Go out, and then walk to the car and go back home. I'll be fine” you said, but worry was lingering in your voice.

After getting your leftovers in a small container, paying and gathering your things, you got up and headed to the exit. When Pedro got his hand on the handle of the cristal door, the flashes of the cameras had already began clicking around you. You had to cover your eyes and stop in your tracks for a second, which Pedro used to take your hand and lead you to where the car was a few meters away. Everyone was pushing around and shouting, trying to get his attention.

“Why did you hide her?”

“Did she move in with you?”

“Are you two dating?”

You reached the car, but they were too close. One of them was blocking the passenger door, so you couldn't really get into it. Pedro was already on the driver's side of the car, waiting for you to get in.

“Please move, you're in the middle” you heard Pedro say to them.

The photographers didn't listen and kept shouting while flashing their cameras. They were so close, too close, you felt like your air was slowly getting kicked out of your lungs. But they didn't back off, they just kept moving closer and pushing their way into you to get the best angles.

“Why are you even with her? You can do so much better!”

Pedro turned around to yell at the guy who said that, but he was just in front of you, and while he flinched backwards trying to get away from him thinking Pedro was maybe going to push him, his camera hit your face. It hit you right in the cheek, breaking the skin ever so slightly but enough to make you bleed. You gasped and your head moved down from the impact. You heard Pedro yell your name as he ran to your side, and you could swear the small crowd went silent for an instant before resuming the flashing of the cameras.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Pedro screamed at the guy. He took your face softly in between his hands as he was inspecting the spot which you had been hit on.

“She was in the middle, it's not my fault!”

“It's not your fault?” he said tearing his eyes from you to the man, and felt the worry for you shift into rage inside of him. “If you had even a little bit of a brain you wouldn't have to push anyone, you fucking asshole!”

You couldn't hear anything. Everything sounded like it was muffled. Panic was starting to build rapidly into you, making your limbs shake. Your breath was becoming irregular and your hands were sweating. No, no, no. Not here. Not now. You turned your back to the photographers, facing the car and putting your hands against it in an attempt to ground yourself. Tears started forming in your eyes, and you tried not to spill them. You didn't want to cry, not here, not where you could embarrass Pedro. That was the last thing you wanted. You tried to open the car door with shaky hands, and after what felt like an eternity, you got into the car. You crouched down and took your head between your hands trying to stop your head from pounding. Pedro was so fucking angry at the guy. How could he treat you like that? He had no right to do it. He was almost going to punch him but stopped in his tracks when he saw you get into the car and double over. His stomach sank at the sight. He knew what that position meant for you, and without any other word he got into the car and drove away without caring if he ran over one of those ungrateful men.

“Breathe, baby. We're out, I'm taking you home. We're almost there. Steady breaths.”

He kept talking to you in an effort to ground you, but silent tears were already streaming down your face as you hyperventilated. You hated this, you hated messing up everything. As soon as you were home, Pedro got out of the car and ran to your side. After opening the door, he carefully took you in his arms as you clinged to him, still with uneven breaths. He took you to the living room and lowered both of you to the ground.

“y/n, let's breathe together, okay? Look” he said while taking your hands into his and clutching them into his chest. He breathed in and out slowly a couple of times, and you tried to imitate him, but it was very hard for you, which only got you more frustrated and anxious. “It's alright, don't push it. Slowly. There's no rush, I'm here with you. Now, I'm going to leave your side for a second” he said softly, and you let out a small whine. “It'll be just a moment, and I'll be right back, okay? It's alright, I promise.”

You slightly nodded, still shaking and breathing harshly. Pedro quickly got up and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, making his way back to you. He then sat in front of you and put it into your hands, holding them to your chest. Cold always helped you calm down.

“Meanwhile... Let's do 5-to-1, alright? Tell me 5 things you can see.”

After a small pause, you nodded and started looking around. “P-photos” you answered with a small shaky voice. “TV. Kitchen. F-fan. Bal- balcony. Shoes.”

“Good. Very good, baby. You're doing amazing” he said with a smile. “Now 4 things you can touch.”

You looked around and with a trembling hand you touched the rug. Then your pants. Then the sofa. And lastly the small coffee table that was in front of the sofa.

“That's good. Very good” he reassured you again. Positive responses helped you feel like you were a bit more in control. “Now three things you can hear.”

You breathed in and out shakily again, and closed your eyes for a moment. You could hear some faint music from the street, playing not too far away. “M- music.” Moving your head slowly, you heard the kitchen clock ticking. “Clock.” Pedro nodded and gave your hands a small squeeze. A breeze made the trees outside crunch. “Wind.”

“Perfect. That's very good, baby. You're doing great. Now can two things you can smell?”

You looked around again, trying to find anything that came into your ratio. You sniffed the air, and saw the abandoned leftover box in the middle of the room.

“F-food.” Pedro smiled at you and nodded. You looked at him with teary eyes, inhaled and then clutched his shirt. “You. Your- cologne.”

He couldn't stop his face softening or the loving look he gave you. He knew you were just saying it because he was the closest thing you could smell, but he couldn't help his heart from beating faster.

“Very good. Now the last one, something you can taste.”

You had calmed down a little, but after a few moments of looking around, your breath became hitched again. You couldn't find anything. Nothing. Not even a mint or some candy. Pedro saw how your thoughts started racing again, and his smile faded completely, panic briefly washing over him too.

“Okay, okay. Remember, slow breaths. Deep and slow, please.”

Your eyes didn't meet his, frantically looking for something that would complete the exercise. You had to complete it. It wasn't right. Pedro thought of every possible solution, but nothing came to mind. Until it did. But he didn't want to do it. It felt wrong, but he saw you start trembling again, he couldn't just leave you to suffer. He knew how important this cycle was to you.

“Oh, fuck this. I- I'm sorry” Pedro muttered while tenderly taking your face in his hands and bringing his lips to meet yours. Your entire body stopped shaking in shock as your eyes widened. You could taste his minty toothpaste along with your shared dinner. Without you noticing, your breath had become slower because of the air shortage. But Pedro noticed that, and he gently pulled back from the kiss. He slowly opened his eyes to meet your still widened ones. For what felt the longest time you two didn't say anything, and his thoughts were the ones that started to race now.

Fuck. I fucked up everything. Why did I even do that? Shit. I ruined it. Now she's going to leave and-

You left the ice pack on the floor, and leaning into him, you snuggled into his lap and put your head on his chest, hugging his waist with your arms. He did the same and held your head with one of his hands, resting his lips on top of it. Pedro was now the one with wide eyes.

What was he supposed to do now? What the hell did this even mean?

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x y/n #pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascal x you #fanfiction

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a-d-nox · 10 months

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hi! i love your posts about the matrix of destiny, its a really interesting topic and you explain it so well! could you please tell us a bit about the center number and the ones that are beside the heart? thank ypu very much, hope this finds you well ♡

web of wyrd: the relationship number

the number we are focusing on today is based on the TERTIARY KARMIC LESSON NUMBER AND THE FLOW NUMBER (ex: my relationship number is 8: 9 + 17 = 26 -> 2 + 6 = 8 (recall that numbers must be summed a second time if they total 23 (i.e. 2 + 3 = 5) and above)). for some reason this is a calculation error in my astro-calc chart - my monetary number and relationship numbers are swapped (don't be afraid to question your numbers and check the math of websites).

but what does this number mean?

this number represents your romantic partners in this lifetime. all partners that you had / have / will have tend to follow a trend - it can be looks, attitude, their life situation, etc. something about this number indicates the romances you will have. with this number you can see the ideal and the toxic side of your partnerships.

so let's talk about some examples:

8 - strength

click here for the card description of strength found in a prior wyrd web post.

ideal 8 partners are strong and dependable. they are there for you at your lowest point and stay with you despite all things. they help you the best that they can (they often go beyond what you assume they can) given their power and the situation. they will fight for you no matter what is in the way - internal issue (feeling a lack of security or reassurance, etc.) or external ones (physical distance, etc.). they encourage you to do what you want without making you question your capabilities. they make you feel confident about yourself. you won't feel nervous being vulnerable with this partner. your partners are likely to have leo placements.

toxic 8 partners are likely to be flighty - they don't tend to be consistent or dependable. they likely don't comfort you when something is wrong in the connection. they might just abandon you. they might be the type of person to fight you, instead of alongside you. they easily give up in the connection. they might put you down or shame you. they could make you feel apprehensive to leave the connection. they may make you feel weak and uncomfortable with vulnerability.

12 - the hanged man

click here for the card description of the hanged man found in a prior wyrd web post.

ideal 12 partners are open minded. they are patient and willing to see things from your perspective even though they may initially disagree with you. they are curious individuals who usually enjoy doing research and thinking about things very carefully. they are willing to explore things that are outside of their comfort zone and often they are open to mindfully exploring the things you believe in. your partners often have a neptune heavy chart.

toxic 12 partners are constantly complaining about their life circumstances. they often try to go backwards in time or they rush into a future. they might not be the most respectful of your boundaries - they could push you when you aren't ready. they could also lack the ability to stay calm or quiet in any given moment. they could be abrasive and dismiss your thoughts and ideas without much care.

21 - the world

click here for the card description of the world found in a prior wyrd web post.

ideal 21 partners are always ready for the next chapter in life with you. you want to move in - they are ready, and they have options of where you guys can/should live. you want to travel to a new country - they are in. you want to get married - "when? i need to get you a ring and take off from work." they want to be with you, and they will do whatever it takes to make it happen. they celebrate everything you do - you get a promotion, and they are going to take you out for a special dinner. they don't forget your birthday or holidays that are important to you; they do what makes you feel special. they are often very mature and successful. often your partners have a saturn heavy chart, or you meet them later in life.

toxic 21 partners are stagnate in life they aren't go-getters. they are often not ready when it comes to your relationship - they likely will never be if they are stuck in the past or too focused on their future and not the relationship's future. they could also be the type to be in denial that you are done with the relationship; they might continually come back and try to be "friends," or try to convince you that you are both still meant to be together. they also tend to be forgetful about the things that matter most to you.

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my "suggest a post topic." button if you want to see a specific pac/pile next! if you'd like my input on how i read a specific card or what i like to ask my deck, feel free to use the ask button for that as well.

click here for the masterlist

click here for more web of wyrd related posts

want a personal reading? click here to check out my reading options and prices!

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witchhat-updates · 11 months

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Hello and welcome!!

I'm also WitchHatUpdates on Twitter! I'm still running the Twitter but I've also wanted to promote Shirahama's other works for a long time, so expect to see more Shirahama stuff on here since there's no word limit on this site! You may mute future tags with 'not-wha' if you do not want to see non-WHA posts

As usual -> New Witch Hat Atelier chapter releases every 4th Thursday of each month, please support it from official sources if you can!

You can purchase JP raws from Comic Days and Magapoke. An English simultaneous publication (simulpub) has also been recently announced on K Manga, but it's limited to residents in US for now. Using a VPN works but I've heard that KM does not accept some (?) debit cards as they require a US-based billing address. Let's hope that KM expands internationally soon!

If you’d like to ask me anything, my ask box is open!

#first post #admin uses they/them so be nice #witch hat atelier

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mashed4077 · 1 year

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frank goes to maine jokes are funny and all but hear me out: hawkeye goes to indiana.

picture this. it's only been like six or eight months since the war ended and hawk's doing rock-bottom awful. he can't form new attachments and the war haunts his every moment, so he's grown rlly dependent on keeping in contact with everyone, bc they're the only ones who get it. he's already been down to boston to see trapper and to bother charles, he's even impulsively made his way to iowa and missouri to see radar and potter (and showed up on their doorsteps out of nowhere). he tried to visit henry's widow and kids on his way back through illinois, but he couldn't bring himself to. he calls margaret & bj routinely, and he maintains correspondence with mulcahy & klinger over in korea (im ignoring aftermash. or maybe it's just too soon, neither is back in the US yet). he's even managed to remember the names of a few stand-out patients he had and done his best to reach out to them.

at some point, he fixates on the fact that he's managed to keep up with everyone important but frank. nobody knows what happened to him. margaret hasn't heard from him, and she won't contact him. he could be dead for all they know. something about it rubs him wrong, about the gap, the missing piece - the lack of control. it's been really bothering him that he patched up a thousand soldiers in korea and he'll never see any of them again, and in his head it makes sense if he can at least hold on to fifteen or twenty of the people he met over there, that might be enough. and he knows frank's name and where he's from and that he has a practice, which means he can find him. another person he can hold onto, because the idea of letting go and moving on is terrifying, and feels completely unattainable

so what does hawkeye do. he makes his way to fort wayne. he finds a phone book. he asks around.

what does he find? the only thing i know for sure is that frank and louise definitely divorced, and he lost most of his assets. is he living in a depressing Divorced Guy apartment? is his clinic gone? did he actually get promoted to lieutenant colonel or was he lying? did he get put on meds? did they transfer him from a korean army hospital to a civilian hospital in indiana (as a patient)? is he still there, or did they release him? how well is he functioning? did he bounce back or is he still a wreck? is he healthier or worse? did he mature, grow, and gain insight at all? is he a little more self aware? if he's doing better, does he know what to do with himself or is he at a crossroads in his life?

either way, hawkeye realizes frank's the only one doing just as bad as he is / who's just as unsure where to go next as he is. and he's certainly the only one who's as alone as he feels.

maybe it's platonic. maybe he decides if he helps frank get his shit together, it'll help him figure out how to deal with things and move on too. and frank's the only one he can latch onto like that. everyone else, he can't just inject himself into their life while he sorts through his own shit. he can't burden any of them when they're busy with their families and careers. but frank - he has nothing. and he's doing worse than hawkeye, so hawk figures it's nicer that way, that it's not just about him, that they can help each other. and maybe, maybe frank finally gets a little redemption. finally gets the chance to grow a little.

maybe it's romantic. maybe one of the things frank's coming to terms with post-divorce is his attraction to men. maybe hawkeye's the first person he really talks about it candidly with, and for the first time, hawk's exhausted enough and feels bad enough that he doesn't answer with jokes when frank opens up. he takes him seriously. they reach that level, where frank's doing too bad to be a miserable snotty wretch and hawkeye's too fucked up to be a smart-mouth and to mock him, and that mutual exhaustion accidentally allows for trust and a sense of camaraderie.

either way... what if they helped each other to heal again? frank's always been fucked up, but much too deluded to admit it or try to grow. but i think his experiences in korea broke him, and i think there's an opportunity, there, for him to be remade into a better and healthier person. and hawkeye was ok before, but the war broke him, and he just needs to find a way to get back to himself. maybe they could help each other do that.

and if you're thinking, well, frank's a bigot, he doesn't deserve redemption or happiness - frank just absorbs whatever makes him feel safe and secure. his attitudes are things he was conditioned to believe, and he's stuck by them because they give him guidelines and a sense of order in a senseless, confusing, and frightening world. and you know what else? he believes those things because he thinks he's supposed to. frank latches onto authorities or individuals that he can base his life around, and in that way he's very moldable. this is why frank & margaret's relationship was far from a traditional conservative heterosexual one, like they both claim to believe in the sanctity of. the amusing hypocrisy out of them crops up partially because frank seems to be capable of disregarding an authority (like, say, the bible, particularly the seventh commandment) and his belief in "what should be" in favor of a person he's emotionally invested in. and, ofc, if it serves his own needs.

this is to say, within the context of the circumstances im describing, i think hawkeye could rlly help frank 180. it'd take a minute, but i believe if he began to value making sure hawkeye approved of him, a lot of his problematic beliefs would no longer get callously spouted, and he might even get better about thinking them in the first place. and hawkeye would love trying to educate someone who's not stupidly arguing nonsense points in favor of fascism, who's instead listening intently because why should he continue to follow the beliefs passed onto him by a family that spent his early years hurting and hating him? isn't it better to listen to the man speaking to him patiently and kindly, if a little irritatedly (bc everything hes saying should be common knowledge) - the first person who's ever really made an effort to care for him?

maybe one could argue that wouldn't be genuine, but im not sure how capable frank is of genuineness. i think he can grow in a lot of other ways, but his propensity to manipulate will take a while to unlearn, bc it's a survival tactic and he's never had a healthy relationship where he didnt feel a need to do that to ensure his security. of course, who knows if this post-war, shared-trauma-bonded relationship would be any semblance of healthy? but i think it sure would be fascinating

it's in the way frank's not even fully a person. he's a bunch of books on how to be a successful all-american man in a trenchcoat, just emulation and regurgitation, and yet he's genuinely incapable of actually embodying it. he's always failed at that. he just doesnt have it in him. and i think hawkeye, who's always rejected all the things frank's aspired to be, who failed on purpose and created himself in his own image.. would be capable of and would love the challenge of helping frank become his own person. and you know what else? hawkeye's not capable of the ol picket fence marriage. idk if hes capable of day in day out domesticity. with a man or a woman. i think surrendering into smth thats soft and loving would drive him a little crazy. but i think whatever the hell bizarre disaster relationship he developed with frank .. i think it might be enough for him

#mine #txt #hawnk #frank burns #hawkeye pierce #AM I PUTTING MY FRANK BULLSHIT IN THE MAIN TAGS? YES I AM #frank #hawkeye #meta #lil bit

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triviareads · 7 months

Note

have you seen this article? Figures netflix and shondaland wouldn't care when Ruby was going through mental health issues.

https://deadline.com/2023/10/bridgerton-ruby-barker-calls-out-netflix-shondaland-psychotic-breaks-1235587834/

I've attached the link below for anyone who wants to read. I had not seen this; obviously I'd been following along when Ruby talked about her mental health issues stemming from the show and not being on season 3 but I feel like this confirms a lot of what I was wondering, namely, Ruby connects the circumstances her character Marina goes through (she says Marina is "very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances" which.... yeah, who the hell thought this was a good idea in terms of plot or sensitivity?) to her own mental health struggles and says she was deteriorating as a result. I think it's horrific that despite this, no one from Shondaland or Netflix reached out and checked in on her when she suffered two psychotic breaks, and Ruby was put in the shitty position of having to keep quiet about the entire situation to avoid losing out on future jobs or interfere with Bridgerton promotion.

Honestly... between what we know of the people in charge of this show and this fandom which heaped loads of abuse on Ruby and other people of color (the number of blithe posts I STILL see on this website about waiting for Marina to kill herself... is insane, and the comments sections in the couple articles I read about this were similarly brutal; like, just because a workplace isn't "legally obligated" to reach out to someone struggling with mental health issues, it doesn't mean they shouldn't, and instead of people going "if I didn't get support, neither should you", we should be all be asking for better support), I'm not surprised in the least, and that just feels disappointing because three years ago there was so much hope for this show being the "new frontier" in racially diverse casting and bringing historical romances on television but all that's basically shot to pieces now.

#bridgerton #ruby barker

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homomenhommes · 2 months

Text

STORY: Serve and Protect

This story features law enforcement, woodland scenes, and conversations about the urban renewal of post-industrial towns, so it's obviously intended for mature readers and those of a sensitive nature should stay away. But the rest of us ordinary folk who like gay porn, and of course any hypno-addled post-people who feel a deep calling to inhuman servitude, should enjoy it just fine.

Written under the direction, and in the service, of hungkinkbot2024.

***

"Yeah Frank, you wanted to see me?" Tony's head craned in through the door, a tired grin on his 35 year-old face.

"Sit down," Frank motioned. "I have an assignment for you, undercover stuff. Lots of overtime, definite promotion if it goes right."

Dropping heavily into the chair opposite Frank's desk, Tony smiled. "I haven't heard anything I don't like yet."

"We're getting to that."

"You know that new place on Kimbolton Street?"

"Wha, the fag place?" Tony's lip curled with disgust.

"Yes, the gay bar."

"Oh fuck Frank--"

"Hear me out before you run out of here screaming. We have it straight from the mayor's office he wants the place closed, and preferably bulldozed for a car wash or self-storage by the end of the year. When it first opened last year, everyone assumed it would close quickly. The area just doesn't have a gay population, particularly that kind of gay population, to support a business like that. But the crowds have been building, steadily. Two months ago, the owners approached the company that owns the defunct department store across the street about using their lot for overflow parking on the weekends. Rumor is, they're thinking about expanding. But the worst is, Sally at the real estate office is saying there's been inquiries--"

"Inquiries?"

"Some of the bar's clientele is looking to buy homes in the neighborhood."

"Like, couples?"

"Not in the sense that you and I think of couples, no. And best we leave it at that. But the consensus is, things are at a tipping point. Either we act now, or pretty soon the character of our town is going to start to change beyond our control. We've already tried the drug angle, and the liquor license angle, but the owners of this place seem to be able to catch whatever it is we throw at them. And they know all the officers we've sent their way. But you're new, and you've been on homicide, so we're thinking a fresh face might catch them off guard."

"So what do you want me to--"

"Go there. Find something illegal. Hell, make something up if it's halfway plausible to a jury picked from the Baptist Church. Try to get evidence if you can, and if you can't we'll work with what we have."

"So you're asking me to--"

"Don't say it, but you get the idea. If that bar's closed by summer you're a hero and the mayor will probably do for you whatever's going on in the men's room there--"

Tony's jaw fell in shock. "So how far do I go with this?"

"How far should I know? We don't expect you to get your cherry popped. And like I say, come up with the right story, and this may not take very long at all."

"Can't I just stay on homicide?" Tony pleaded.

"Sadly there's a shortage of people killing each other in this town, and you have to earn your supper, so, off to the fag bar with you."

"Fuck," and with that Tony let off a low sigh.

"Do yourself a favor and hit the gym a few times before you go out there. And get yourself some cologne and some underwear your mother didn't buy for you. This isn't for that slut you've been seeing who works at the Hallmark Store who drinks a thousand calories a day in cosmos."

The new bar was in, like most everything else in this faded factory town, a building repurposed from its original use. First the ground floor had been a feed and seed, with the upper stories devoted to the owner's residence. Then, a florist, then a tailor's, the second and third floors sitting empty until finally the whole building fell into decrepitude.

When carpenters first showed up to restore the building, the locals were actually excited. Even when the black windows went up, and the sign in the strange lettering saying simply CODE, the neighborhood was on balance positive and curious. It was only opening night weekend that optimism turned to horror.

The clientele's gear had sent the town's ministers and grandmothers rushing to consult the state criminal code. But sadly, peaked caps, chaps with jeans underneath, and leather vests violated no laws. Still, a good number of the local community were looking into it.

At 10pm on a Friday, Tony was hanging back from the door, watching the people enter. Some of the outfits were pretty wild. He was worried what he might do if a man made a pass at him. Or what he might do if he ran into someone he knew. But then, whoever he ran into would have as much to explain as he did.

Time to be a cop, he told himself, and barreled in, showing his driver's license at the door before filing into a line for the bar. Though he had a few extra pounds on him, he immediately felt eyes on him in the place. It made his skin scrawl. The music was some driving, grinding techno nonsense. He quickly realized his discomfort was showing.

A drink would help. He found a narrow space at the crowded bar. Frank had a point, he realized: where were all these fags coming from? There had to be more gays in this place than the nearest five counties combined.

"First time?" With a start, Tony realized the bartender was talking to him.

"Ah," he panicked, "I'll have a gin and tonic."

"Sure thing buddy. And nice shirt. I didn't realize the International Male catalog was still a thing."

Tony didn't see what was wrong with his shirt, and didn't say anything as he put his money down and collected his drink. Relaxing a bit, he figured he would explore. Someone would have to be doing something illegal somewhere in this dump.

He was no further than five steps past the bar when he heard a voice to his left: "You seem tense."

A thin handsome man, maybe ten years older, grinned at him. Tony returned it, best he could: "Ah, work stuff."

"What do you do?" the man asked, drink in hand. Only now did Tony realize he wore a gray leather uniform shirt and breeches.

"I'm a financial advisor," he lied, horribly. He realized he had no idea what he would say if this guy asked him anything about stocks. What did ETF stand for again?

"Oh, that's wild, you look like a cop to me," the man replied. Which, coming from this guy in his police-state outfit seemed outrageously funny.

Tony just blushed. And the man laughed: "Oh, got it in one try, didn't I? It's okay, everyone has to have a master somehow."

"Well it's okay Mr. Cop, nobody is going to bust your secret to your friends back at the station. I mean, though there are antidiscrimination laws this day and age, this is a pretty conservative town. It might not go down too well."

"No, it wouldn't," Tony laughed, but then almost immediately his face fell.

"So," the man kept at him, "why do you look so stressed? Didn't meet your traffic ticket quota?"

"Ah," Tony fumbled. "I've never been to a place like this before." That much was true.

"Then you definitely need to relax."

"So what's your name?" Tony tried, gamely.

"Just call me sir."

"Really?" Tony chuckled.

"Really."

Tony waited for something more, but sir said nothing else about it.

Finally, sir asked, "so what's your name?"

"Jared," Tony lied.

"That's a nice name Jared," sir cooed back, as if he was not fooled for a moment. "So are you always this stressed?"

"I'm fine, really," Tony answered with a nervous jerk of the head.

"No, let's get you relaxed," sir countered, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder and squeezing.

Finally Tony got it. This might be his ticket. "Uh, sure. What do you have?" Suddenly Tony was aware why he had never been chosen for undercover work before. Great white sharks biting at chum were more subtle.

"There's a patio area out back. It's a bit chilly, but there's a nice fire pit and it's much less noisy and crowded. Follow me." With that, sir turned and went, not even waiting for Tony's answer.

Startled, Tony sprung into action and followed sir out the rooms that obviously had held the previous businesses' storage and inventory.

Finally they were outside on the clear, chilly night. The large fire pit roared. Deep couches were arranged around it. Tony saw one couple talking, the elder man leaning in to the younger's ear, his hand on his knee. Two other guys were stting out there by themselves, watching the flames, oddly quiet. Tony assumed they were off their heads on drugs of some kind.

He was definitely getting somewhere.

"So, what do you have?" He asked again, once again bringing to his own mind the great white.

Sir chuckled as he sat down on the only completely unoccupied couch, which looked thick and comfortable. "Just this," he said, pulling out two ear buds from his shirt pocket and holding them out in his hands.

"So, music?" Tony laughed, sitting down next to sir.

"Yeah, music. If you choose to see it that way." Tony didn't know what to make of that turn of phrase.

Sir handed the ear buds to Tony to put in. Tony looked at him disapprovingly. "These are clean, right?"

Sir's face soured a bit. "I promise."

Tony obediently stuffed one into each ear. "Is it more of that techno stuff? Because that really isn't for me."

A long intake of breath from the cold night air was the next thing he felt. The outdoor lights at the bar had been turned on, people were filing out and leaving. Some of the solitary men who had been out there when Tony and sir walked outside were being rousted too.

"Dude, you awake?" the kid with the broom in his hand was standing over where he was sitting on the deep couch. "You can't stay here. The bar's closed. You have a place to go, right?"

Shocked, Tony shook himself to. "Yeah yeah yeah, I'm going." And with that he stood up. The sir guy was nowhere to be seen.

Only then did he look down and see, crumpled in his fist, a sheet of paper. He could just barely read it in the floodlights outside the bar. "You seemed to need sleep so badly I didn't want to wake you. I'm having people over Thursday at 7. Feel free to come." And at the bottom, an address barely four blocks away.

Not bad, Tony thought, for a first night's effort. And with that he stuffed the note in his pocket and walked out.

The next few days Tony tried to figure out what being gay entailed, apart from the obvious. He streamed some HBO shows that seemed authoritative on the matter and realized how badly off his closet was to the purpose. He discovered new words like Grindr, Tumblr and Onlyfans. He learned about tops and bottoms, doms and subs, and why the people at the bar all dressed like they were in the Hell's Angels when he was willing to bet they were actors and florists in real life. And he found it all kind of distasteful, but at least he wasn't handling dead bodies like work usually required of him.

Then on Tuesday he came in from lunch to check his office email. There was one from an outside address with an unfamiliar personal name. Curious as to how it made it past the filters, Tony clicked on it.

boy-

I hope work is less stressful for you today than it was the other night. Sometimes we need others to take the burden of responsibility for us. It's alright for you to do so. Below is a link to a relaxation game that will help.

Sir

Tony rage-typed three responses, each one angrily asking how sir got his work email, and why he thought it would be appropriate writing him there. But each time Tony realized if he did so, he would lose his connection into this subculture. At the same time, his curiosity about the link grew.

Eventually he clicked on it, albeit with the sound off. It was harmless enough. Just patterns, words and colors. A clock in the corner counted down to ten minutes and then it spontaneously closed, leaving Tony disappointed. He realized in passing he had been massaging himself through his uniform pants for a good while, but then shook to and got back to work.

He clicked the link at home two or three more times that evening. He ignored Izzy's—his girlfriend's—messages about coming over. He knew she would ask him about work, and either he would have to lie or it would be this whole big thing with her.

Instead, at the end of the night, he wrote back:

Dear Sir,

Thanks for the link. All the same, I'd appreciate it if we kept our communications off my work account. I saw your note about Thursday, and I'll see you then. Looking forward to it!

Then he hesitated. His first instinct was to write the name he had given him the first night, Jared. But if sir had written the work email, he knew his real name was Tony and that he had lied. He was at a loss. So in the end, he just signed it boy, which he knew Sir would like anyway.

Exhausted from his new gym regimen, Tony unlocked his door and stepped in. What he saw was so surprising he let the bag of groceries fall to the floor. He heard the eggs break in the carton.

"I talked your super into letting me in."

Sir was sitting there in his living room, in his favorite chair, no less. By his feet was a large duffle bag.

Tony was not about to hide his surprise or anger. "Well I'm going to have a fucking word with him. What the fuck is this?"

"I just thought I'd come over and we'd have a talk."

"Isn't Thursday a good enough time to talk?"

"Perhaps," sir said, holding a framed picture of Tony and Izzy she had given him for his birthday. "But there's no time like the present, really."

"Fuck," Tony steamed, "do you have any idea how inappropriate this is?"

Sir gave him a sly smile. "Well, you can always call the cops if you like."

"So what is this about?"

"First, have you been enjoying the relaxation exercises at the link I sent?"

Immediately, Tony felt his anger start to deflate. "Well, yeah."

"And are you?"

Tony let a petulant breath out, "Yeah."

"Alright then. Clean up your mess and we'll begin some that you'll like more."

"No way," Tony answered as he went to get a dish towel and started wiping away stray bits of egg and shell that had escaped the bag, and putting his vegetables and other groceries in the sink to be washed. "I had plans tonight."

"You were right. You had plans. And now you're doing this."

"But I don't want to."

Sir gestured to the living room couch. "Sit or lay down, whichever is your favorite."

Tony put the eggy dish towel in his washing machine, then came into the living room.

"Why don't you leave, instead?"

"When we're done."

"I can't believe this."

"Well," Sir added, "while you're not believing, take off your clothes."

"Fuck that," Tony snarled, as he removed his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt. "You really do think I'll just do anything you say!" Sliding out of his button up, he took the t-shirt beneath.

All Sir could do was quietly chuckle.

Then Tony unbuttoned his pants and kicked them away.

"Underwear too."

"Goddamn it!" He stepped out of his underwear, the new briefs he had bought, and kicked them away too.

"I hate to edit out your hostility, because it really is darling, but you do understand from now on some semblance of proper courtesy and deference is going to be expected, correct?"

"I have no fucking idea what you're talking about?"

Sir laughed again. "We'll work on that."

Then sir zipped open the duffle and pulled out this long canvas thing Tony didn't recognize. "Hold out your arms."

"What is that?"

"Hold out your arms."

"No," Tony cried, and held out his arms while sir slid the straitjacket up them. "No, no, no!"

Sir pulled the jacket around his shoulders, then started fastening the buckles in the back. "This can't be happening."

"Fine, then it isn't happening if that's what you want to tell yourself."And with that he pulled the last strap into place, fastening it between Tony's legs. Then sir secured the arms at Tony's sides.

"Very nice." Then he walked back over to his duffle bag, and pulled out a VR headset. "This is going to be a guided exercise. You'll have the benefit of the visual stimulus like you have in the videos, but I'm going to be here helping you, directing you, and maybe asking a few questions along the way."

"No, no, no!" Tony was ranting now. Though he noticed he didn't struggle, and didn't pull away, though he had a full thirty pounds on sir.

Sir stepped behind Tony, pulled the headset into place, and quietly informed him, "when I tell you to look, you will look."

"No," Tony mewled, pitifully.

"Look," sir insisted. Then, holding his hands at Tony's shoulders, he sat Tony down on the couch.

For a few minutes there was nothing. Images flashed on the screen. Tony could not say what they were, but his cock got only more erect. Sir said some things, but he could not say what they were, either.

"Are we relaxed now?" Sir asked.

"Yes?" Tony answered.

"Then let's begin. What were your sergeant's instructions to you regarding Code?"

Frank sighed, and leaned back in his chair. "So, nothing. Nothing at all we can hang on this place. Nothing to so much as justify a visit from the fire marshal?"

Tony bit his lip, apologetic: "I mean, I ran into the same basic issue everyone else did. They have cameras up everywhere in that place. They record everything, and it's all uploaded to an off-premises server. So they have a record of them not breaking the law. Moreover, if I were to create an issue—plant something, provoke a fight, engineer a situation—they would have that on camera too. And the cameras are out of reach. Those old buildings have high ceilings."

"Okay, I'm going to have to think more about this. We have to come up with something. The mayor wants to get this situation resolved soon. Apparently, the hotel out on the interstate is getting a lot of new late-night business from this place. Basically the problem is snow-balling."

"So what should I do?" Tony asked, worried. "I mean, I can try to force things, but if we're caught making something happen on our side, it'll just leave the department open to legal action--"

"No, no, you're right. We have to be careful," Frank added, smoothing back his jet-black hair. "Keep trying to find something. Be vigilant. Moreover, be on the lookout for opportunities, a way in which if the right people said the right things, we could close the place for good and send some of these fuckers to jail. Think dissatisfied employees, angry drunks willing to make up a story, that sort of thing."

Tony nodded. "Sure thing."

"And I hate to tell you," Frank added, "but if we can't find something, I'm going to have to send you back to homicide."

"I understand."

"Okay, well, it's late enough as it is. You go ahead and get out of here," and with that Frank forced a smile.

"Okay." Tony stood, and walked to the door to leave.

"Oh one thing. Tony, have you lost weight?"

"Gotta look the part, Sarge!"

"Ha ha ha, that's the spirit." And with that, Frank shooed Tony out the door.

As soon as Tony was out the door it felt relieved. It pulled its phone out of its slacks pocket, stopped the recording it had made of the meeting with Frank, and sent it to sir via text.

Within seconds a text came back from sir. Its eyes passed over it but did not register consciously what it said. Its thumbs typed out a message but it had no idea what it said.

More and more, there were things it had no access to. Things it heard, things it saw, even things it said, that it was not allowed to know or to understand. These things were filtered, or blocked by its own consciousness, which was now essentially a tool of sir inside its skull.

It made it hot to think about the betrayal of it by its own mind, its reduction from him to it, its descent into being a mere automaton with a perpetual hard-on and a vacant stare.

It would have to ask one of the hypboys to help shave its asshole. Tonight it would be on stage, it would wear the latex skin with the latex sheathe in the ass that went all the way inside, and it would spear itself with the dildo in front of all those men, the drones, the hardcore perverts, the hypnocurious, the suburban dads trying to figure out how to make their wives like that. It would wear a featureless hood, of course, but they all knew who it was. It was the thing that used to be a police officer but now only pretended to be. It was their guardian snitch, their own inside man, who was not a man any more at all.

It remembered the first time it had been on that stage, driving the dildos up its ass, squatting so low, demonstrating its abasement, watched by a ring of men, some in leather uniforms, some in catsuits,some in blue jeans worn straight from work at the tractor dealership, all leering, some with mouths agape, while they were serviced by catsuited anonymous drones, the backs of shining black heads rising and falling in rhythm against the men's crotches.

It adjusted itself inside the chastity cage it wore all the time now, which itself was concealed inside the latex singlet he wore to work, the bare arms and legs a concession to the possibility somehow they might become visible. But sir had already drilled it with the story: if its latex trueskin was revealed at work it would just tell its fellow police that as part of the undercover it was rushing a fetish club, that they expected the chastity and fetish gear to be worn all the time, and it didn't know when it might run into one of them.

Its cock pushed against the cage it was locked inside. It pinched. That made it harder. It was horny all the time now, and so needy, and so submissive, and so stupid, and it all seemed like a spiral that would go on forever. Tony came up on his desk. Sitting directly across from its desk was Jimmy, forehead cradled in his hand, poring over paperwork from the day's arrests, baldspot clearly visible.

The words, which were sir's, just came to it and forced their way out its lips. The thing formerly Tony had no choice in the matter, it just transmitted as instructed, with no thought or reservation. "Hey, Jimmy. You seem stressed. You wanna try something cool?"

"Get the fuck up!"

Tony shook itself to, and blinked its eyes open. Its brother was standing there in its bedroom.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" It cried out, as if it were human.

"What the fuck am I doing here? What the fuck am I supposed to do? You haven't answered a text in three weeks! You missed Estelle's birthday party yesterday afternoon, without so much as a call or an explanation as to why. I called Izzy last night to check up on you, only to find out you had dumped her over the goddamned phone!"

"I'm sorry, Louis. Work's been--" Tony started.

"Work's been shit! You can't put on some kind of act like it's "Special Victims Unit" or some bullshit when we all know there's not been a crime problem in town since Dad died!"

"Look," Tony struggled, "I've just been going through some--"

"You're pale as fuck and look as if you've lost weight. Is it drugs? You swore to me when you joined the force you weren't going to be that kind of cop!" Louis was thundering, shaking, almost in tears.

"No, it's not drugs. I promise."

"Then fucking what!" Louis screamed.

"Can you just dial it down some?" Tony pleaded. "I'll tell you what. I'll come over this afternoon, see Estelle, make it up to her, we'll have a good time, maybe grill some steaks. And then if you still want, we can talk about things."

"Like I don't know when you're fucking stalling."

"Just let me get up, get a shower, make some coffee, and then we'll talk, okay? Please." With that, Tony reached for its phone, eager to see if there was a message from sir, and just as eager to see if sir might have an idea for how to deal with this situation.

"We'll fucking talk now!" And with that Louis yanked the covers off the bed. "Well Jesus fuck."

There, in front of him on the bed was Tony's naked body, metal cage encasing his cock, attached to a ring behind his ball sack, the steel base of a plug clearly visible in his asshole.

"What is this? What is all this?"

"I told you I had been going through some shit, man." Now it was Tony's turn to choke back tears.

"So, are you gay now?" The passion had drained out of Louis's voice.

"It's complicated." Tony didn't actually know the answer to the question. Homosexuality was an orientation that belonged to a subset of humans. If it was no longer human, it could no longer lay claim to such human descriptives.

"Do you have someone? You know, in charge of you?"

Tony was certain it was not supposed to betray its relationship with sir to anyone, certainly not its emotionally distraught brother. "I really need to ask you to leave."

"And I need to know if someone fucking owns my brother!" He howled.

"Just please, go."

And with that, Louis stomped out. Tony heard the front door slam hard behind him. Finally alone, it realized after a while it was softly crying.

Tony was stomping through the forest alone, in the fading light of day. The duffle it carried was heavy, but it knew that the destination was just over the next rise. It had been listening to one of sir's less demanding programming scripts, perfect for time by itself while it was performing some activity.

More and more, it thought of itself as unoccupied and bored if it didn't have the scripts going in the background while it performed some task or other. Work, devoid of the scripts for eight or nine whole hours at a time, was becoming more and more painful.

But Tony also understood there were drawbacks to constantly listening to sir's scripts. For instance, it distracted it from ambient noise in the physical environment that it would be better to pay close attention to. Tony keenly understood this when his ears finally picked out the sloshing of feet through deep leaves that were not its own, but were some mere paces behind it.

Alarmed, Tony swung around. There, maybe thirty feet behind it in the failing light, was Louis.

"You're following me?"

Louis acted calm, though it was plain he had been crying. "I want to see where you're going. I want to make sure you're safe."

"You can't come with me," Tony begged. "This isn't a place for you." Tony, as deep within sir's programming as it was, winced at the thought of this pollution finding its way to its brother, a family man, happily married. Sir wouldn't think twice about converting Louis into another drone. And though it knew it eventually would inform sir of Louis's discovery of the whole situation, it wanted as much as its programming to permit to warn Louis off, save him, and save his family. "Just please take my word for it. You need to go home now. Forget what you saw at my house this morning. Forget everything."

"How long have you had these feelings?" Louis gulped. "To be hurt, dominated?"

"Just go home, Louis. This isn't for you."

"Just, no bullshit, tell me where you're going. Right now." Louis was calm, but still adamant.

"There's an abandoned veterinary hospital out by the old highway. It has everything we need. Examination tables. Hoses, Pens. We park on the other side of the woods on private property where it's not visible from the road."

"And the bar in town?"

"Is the decoy. Nothing real happens there."

"So what happens if I go with you to this place you and your new friends have out here. Am I going to find myself in one of those pens?"

"Maybe," Tony answered, stone-faced. Almost certainly, it thought to itself.

"Only one way to find out," and with that Louis started walking. He strode calmly past Tony and kept going. "Well come on," he called back behind him.

"Don't," Tony squeaked.

"Well if they're too awful for me, why aren't they too bad for you?" Louis's tone was accusatory. "Here's what I don't get. When we grew up, pretty much all we had was each other. And I thought we shared with each other everything."

Louis turned and walked up to Tony. It was dark now. "So," Louis continued, "why couldn't you tell me this? Why couldn't you share this with me?"

What Tony wanted to say was that it didn't have these feelings until a few short weeks ago, when the programming made him into it. But that same programming wouldn't let him answer.

"Goddamn it, tell me!" Louis yelled.

"I--" Tony started, then stopped.

But Louis grabbed Tony by the bare arms, as it only wore a t-shirt in the slight chill, and started walking it over to a tall, straight pine tree.

"What are you doing?" Tony tried to pull away, but the programming that had made it so deferential kept it from resisting at all.

Reaching the other side of the tree, Louis yanked Tony's arms forward so that each one was on opposite sides of the tree and his chest was pressed close against it. Then he pulled from his coat pocket a bungee, which he wrapped tight around Tony's wrists, binding him against the tree. Louis tied off the bungee in a knot that Tony was finding distressingly secure.

"What's this about?"

Louis then approached him, unbuckled Tony's belt, unbuttoned the front of his jeans, and slid them down his ass almost to his knees. Then he pulled the belt out of the loops of the jeans and began to fold it in his hand.

"Do you have any idea," Tony croaked out. "If I had known you were like this--"

Tony's arm went all the way back, and the first strike of the belt on Tony's bare ass made it yelp in pain. "If I had known, you were like this," he repeated.

The belt struck his ass again, and even for all the programming on welcoming pain, Tony flinched and mewled and started to cry. "If I had known you were like this I wouldn't have wasted all these years!"

The belt struck again, a third, a fourth, a fifth time. "Fuck," Louis howled. "What have I been doing with my life?"

"I asked before," Louis snarled, bringing the folded belt up to the wincing Tony's face. "Do you have someone whose in charge of you? That you serve? No lies!" Then the folded belt made its sixth, seventh, and eighth strikes.

"Yes," finally, Tony conceded, as the programming raged against its violation of the protocols in divulging its secrets.

"But he doesn't own you, does he?" Louis howled in rage, administering the ninth, the tenth and eleventh strikes. Tony had no idea what to say to any of this.

"Because the only man in his world that can own you, little brother, is me."

Finally, in the dark of the woods, Tony could hear Louis shift his feet, and his arm fall to his side. There would be at least a break before the belt would fall again on its bare ass. But then he heard Louis's belt buckle, his zipper, and spit from pursed lips landing on his palm.

At some point in the belting the plug in Tony's ass had shaken itself out. In passing, Tony felt the necessity to find it and retrieve it before leaving wherever they were, a ridiculous concern to have in the moment. But now he felt his brother's cock pressing against the trapdoor of his hole.

"This?" Louis leaned forward, and whispered in his ear. "Is mine, and it always will be."

And with that the long thrusts started. Tony had always known its brother was not a slight man, and the plugs and dildos had only been so much preparation. It winced, and quaked, and squealed. and tried to arch its back to take the cock better.

Louis slapped Tony hard on the ass as he rammed his brother, so newly meek and dispassionate. He had never desired a woman like he wanted Tony right now. The thrusts were all the way from the bare tip to his full and heavy balls.

Whatever behavior restraints had been controlling Tony were lost now, Louis thought, as he heard his brother moan and curse uncontrollably at the motion of the cock through him.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Louis reached the vinegar strokes, and with a series of wild spasms came inside his brother. Limp now, he pulled his cock out. Tony felt semen run down its inner thigh.

Louis went to the other side of the tree to untie Tony's wrists from the bungee. "So, I want you to go ahead and take your pants the rest of the way off. Your new friends, in their rotten veterinary hospital, I want them to see what I did. I want them to know what I am to you. And I want them to understand that whatever they did to you, however you got to be this way, sweet little brother, your pussy is mine."

"Yes," Tony nodded, mind reeling.

Louis packed his filthy cock back in his underwear, slicked back his hair, tucked his shirt tail in and buttoned his pants. "You know, I think this could be a turning point in our relationship. We really don't spend enough time together. My wife's family has a really nice fishing cabin. It gets used only maybe like twice a year. We could go up there, you know. Have some man-time, if you like."

"Yes," Tony said again, numb.

Louis sighed, and in the dark Tony could imagine there was happiness in his voice. "So, we better get on with it. I need to meet your new friends and have a friendly conversation with them. But first, lay on the ground face up, and open your mouth."

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barananduen-blog · 3 months

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🎐"Bell Ringing" short drama now online! 🎐 - [Trailer #1 source]

Modern/ancient pastoral fantasy romance ⭐: Li Daikun (his voice, too, lol), Song Fangyuan 🔢: 12 eps (free, 20-29min each); + 3 extras (PPV, ~3min ea) 📺: MangoTV - website, app, and YouTube (good subtitles!) 📺: CCTV and Hunan Satellite TV 📅: MGTV: Feb 22-Mar 3 (end date for VIPs); 4x/week (Thurs-Sun) 📅: CCTV-6 & Hunan TV: Mar 5-Mar 10; 2eps/night, every night

Update Mar 5, 2024: The drama did so well online that it's now on CCTV and satellite TV!🎉🎊

Under the cut: Plot & drama info, more promo images, Trailer #2 with translation, teaser video, shirtless pics (CW: fake wound)

"Tulips mean... I like you!" 🌷🌷

🌷INFO POST #1

Plot, filming, boot and wrap ceremonies, pics:

🌷NEWER PROMOTIONAL IMAGES AND POSTERS

🚨 SPOILER WARNING! 🚨

In true c-drama fashion, the following trailer and teaser video and (especially) their translations are spoilerfic. Basically, you'd know the whole story after watching/reading. The promo images below this point also include spoilers. If you don't want spoilers, stop scrolling now!

🌷TRAILER AND TEASER VIDEO

🌼Trailer #2

Trailer #2 via [LDK_Korea on Twitter]

Machine translation: I don't understand Mandarin. Used Google and Yandex image translators + my edits to try to make it make more sense.

Shen Qi: Is your name Chi Ye? Have we met before? [The bonds of past and present lives] SQ: My name is Shen Qi; Nice to meet you Chi Ye: I've been waiting for you [Waiting for 500 years just to meet again at this place] He who obtains immortality, If he comes in contact with a loved one, The more emotionally invested he becomes, The more his heart will be in pain. [We meet again but I can't fall in love] SQ: Why do I feel like he is avoiding me? (seeing someone in the distance) … It must be him! CY: Do you absolutely need an answer? SQ: Yes, because I like you SQ: You always say you don't like me, but, secretly, do all kinds of things that confuse me. What should I do about you? CY: Can you feel the pain here? SQ: I just feel … an excited heartbeat SQ: Chi Ye, what's wrong with you? Chi Ye! Every time the island guardian touches you, he will be in more and more pain. CY: Xiao Qi… Is there no way you can accept me without physical contact? SQ: I can't. I want to fully be with my other half… to hold hands without restraint, to kiss, to hug! CY: I can give you more. Your words hurt 10,000 times more than the pain in my heart. CY: Xiao Qi… I will never let those regrets from 500 years ago happen again

🌼Teaser Video:

Teaser video via [LDK_Korea on Twitter]

Machine translation: I don't understand Mandarin. Used Google and Yandex image translators + my edits to try to make it make more sense. (Disclaimer bears repeating.)

There are 10,000 ways for the person who loves you to return to your world. A girl on an isolated island falls in love with a man who steals the island's secrets. Shen Qi: Please, don't hurt my people! A girl died under a man's sword to protect her tribe. Five hundred years later, the two meet again. SQ: Is your name Chi Ye? A man saves a girl and they develop a crush on each other. Man confesses to girl Chi Ye: I like you The two get along sweetly. Then, the girl discovers information about her past in a hidden room, and inquires about the man's name. SQ: Then what's your name? Thinking about dying by the man's sword. SQ: Did I die? Unless she makes him fall in love with her. [Note: unsure about this line] Girl remembers her mission from her last life. When his sword points at your people, you must die by his sword. Ridden with guilt, the man melts the island's magical bell and reforges it into a nail to drive it into his own chest. When the wind blows but the bells hanging from the island's bell tree stop ringing, his beloved will wake up again. He waits for her for 500 years... SQ: At what cost? The two of them will never be able to love each other again. Regardless of the spell's prophesy, the two fall in love again in this life. But they can no longer hold each other's hand… Can't help the other up if one falls… They kiss with a pane of glass between them… But that's not all of the punishment. If someone breaks the terms of the contract of fate, lives that were originally spared will be lost. Could people really be such fools? SQ: I have … experienced it myself.

🌷MORE PICS

CW: Big a$$ fake wound

#🔊turn sound on for music🔊#Bell Ringing #Li Daikun #Song Fangyuan #Li Dai Kun #Amber Song #cdrama #chinese drama #original post

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fanfixes · 2 years

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I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT BAD PRESS & THE POSSIBLE PITFALLS OF BRIDGERTON (IN GENERAL)

I’ve held it in for long enough. This is a rant.

I didn’t become a fan of Bridgerton until Season 2. Sure I watched it, because I was interested in Luke Thompson’s Benedict, I read a couple of the books before the series was released and so, yeah - I was interested BUT I wasn’t hooked.

I, just like many others, fell in love with it SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE of Kate Sharma. Simone Ashley’s performance was beautiful, engaging, enlightening, riveting. SHE made me want to tune into what the show has in store for later seasons, when Season 1 didn’t cut it for me.

I could feel her characters burdens, the unfairness lodged on her shoulders, the loneliness of having to control the chaos around you and the overall injustice of dealing with a spoilt sister in a spoilt society.

All the actors in Season 2 did a great job, but Simone Ashley was the main actress. Yet, she wasn’t treated as such.

LOOKING BACK AT HOW THEY HANDLED HER INTRODUCTION TO SOCIETY, IT WAS PLAINLY BAD PRESS.

She didn’t have enough interviews with Jonathan Bailey alone. They paired them along with Charithra Chandran / Nicola Coughlan. Which didn’t make sense.

So, fans started making reels, cropping Charithra out because their focus was on #Kanthony (which, might I add, made me feel bad for Charithra).

There were promotional posters / pictures / interviews of the casts WITHOUT Simone Ashley. The focus was on Edwina, Eloise, Penelope, Colin. If you want to include them, great, BUT WHERE ARE YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS?

Alluding to my post on Rings of Power, I get that interviews and cast appearances cost money, so its understandable that Netflix couldn’t afford as many as ROP did BUT given the notion, shouldn’t they have arranged the pairings wisely?

Many fans, like me, depend on these interactions. I’d say that they are an investment to the show as a whole. Failing to know which pairings should have focus and more press is simply just... bad management.

WHICH DIDN’T MAKE ME SUSPICIOUS OF THE SHOW’S TRUE NATURE AND COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR THE THINGS THEY (ALLEGEDLY) STAND FOR, UNTIL THE EXECS STARTED BREAKING THE FORTH WALL AND DISHED OUT THEIR RECKLESS OPINIONS.

Shonda’s favourite couple on Bridgerton is King George and Queen Charlotte. They are not even a pairing in the books. I get that she wrote the first episode of the spin-off, but that answer is so dense. Fans know, when anyone asks you which is your favourite Bridgerton couple, you go for the main 8 love stories, not the side characters.

The Execs don’t know how to play their audience. If you’ve come this far, you already know how disrespectful the execs have been to Jane Austen, Simone Ashley and to canon Bridgerton arcs. They are reckless with their opinions, offensive, dismissive, rude and arrogant about the shows short lived success. I say short lived, because the more these execs speaks, the more I become sceptical about how they’re going to treat S3 and subsequent seasons.

SHONDA CALLED SIMONE’S PORTRAYAL OF KATE RIDING A HORSE WHORE-ISH. This is the most recent exchange and reckless comment the exec dished. It also spurred me on to write this post. This is shocking coming from a woman whose platform is diversity - I hope it isn’t telling us what production really views their first female lead of colour.

The show is losing its take on diversity which they made their selling point and banged on endlessly in interviews. With the unnecessary character additions, who are mostly white (in a season where the leads are white), will eventually water down the whole mission they set out to achieve. Sure, your BG actors, one or two of the grandchildren (who won’t have lines) would be POCs, but DIVERSITY means these POC characters do more than serve ornamental roles. Otherwise, how are you different from any other show?

I AM AFRAID THAT THE SHOW IS LOSING ITS VISION (or worse, that I was deceived about it from the start)

Too many side plots - Season 2 implicitly sets up Penelope’s family, not her story (mind you) because whatever happened to them in S2 can be easily made irrelevant in S3 (or already is). It was that whole charade with the Featherington’s that made the pace of the show choppy and reduced the amount of time we had to uncover Kate’s story. Kate isn’t just a wife to another Bridgerton, she will be the Viscountess Bridgerton, taking over for her mother-in-law. It is a vital maternal role in the family. Nothing about her past is showcased. In fact, I’d say, with the presence of Lady Mary and her parents, Edwina had more story than Kate.

Skipping Benedict’s Season will ruin and mess-up timelines / storylines / main character arcs, the family dynamics... I can’t even. I mean, Eloise is supposed to be close to Sophie before she meets Phillip. She runs away after Pen get’s married. With Pen marrying first, and Sophie no where to be found, how is the story going to flow? (and this is just one of the many examples).

Irrelevant, unneeded, character additions to the Bridger-verse - It happened with Sienna, Theo and will happen with all the NEW characters announced to be in S3. Look I get it, book-to-series adaptations need more character fillers, BUT this isn’t a normal book to movie adaptation. It sorta works as a limited series BECAUSE the leads change every season. When this happens, what happens to these additional characters is, they could very well disappear. And that story left unaired or incomplete becomes a waste of emotions and screen time. It could also, unfortunately, cause audiences to lose interest in the programme.

ON THAT NOTE, THE STORY IS ABOUT THE BRIDGERTONS and THEY SHOULD’VE FOCUSED ON THAT! They have a wealth of material to explore the individual Bridgertons personalities. Instead of keeping them as background characters until “their love story climaxes” (to quote Luke Newton) why not draw them out now?! The actors claim that they’re not BG characters / not waiting in the wings before their season, which I agree, but there isn’t enough about them that we know off for audiences (specially those who haven’t read the books) to be invested in. Not everyone does character studies, not everyone is going to obsessively rewind their scenes to notice their subtle character notes.

In fact, fans love the family interactions. ABC, Ben and Eloise, Anthony with Gregory/Hyacinth. CMON!

This brings me back to the point that the show-runners have no idea what works or what the fans want because THEY ARE NOT LISTENING.

If they focused more on all the other Bridgertons, they’ll realise that viewers have someone to root for, to enjoy before their season as leads come, and they’ll be more invested knowing that its worth investing into.

Netflix has been going on a cancellation spree, and while I doubt Bridgerton will be one to be cancelled soon, I fear it might stop at Season 4, REGARDLESS of all of Shonda’s promises or desires to have 8 seasons. To me those promises have become empty. Which is so sad, seeing that the show has so much potential to be one of a kind.

The wrong people are running it, as seen more and more by the audacity and lack of understanding the execs, whom the cast and crew have done nothing but been respectful to in their interviews, have shown.

Keep in mind, that regardless of how good a show is, if people don’t like the execs, it can be a cause for a show’s failure. Rings of Power is a good example to go by. Don’t worry Darling, which had a lot of negative press during its promotion caused the movie to fail, even when it wasn’t that bad of a movie, to be fair.

Why is it, that execs, after reaching a certain level of power and influence fail to guard their callousness?

!!!Pride is the bane of their existence, and funnily enough, the object of their all their desire!!!

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