#But then he turns right around and is wishy-washy himself!! I get the feeling his frustration stems a bit from relating hahaha | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

saerins · 4 months

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⋆୨ chapter five ୧˚ if not for this love of mine

⋆୨ if not for you (masterlist) ⋆୨ previous: chapter four - behind a box of reasons why <> next: chapter six - redefines in every way what love is ୧˚

⋆୨ synopsis ୧˚ neither of you want this. both you and sae reluctantly agree to this marriage, although sae’s dissatisfaction far outweighs your own. with hidden agendas and old flames, will this ever work out between the two of you, or will your forced spark be doomed to fail?

ೀ series: sae x f!reader | wc 5k | ೀ content warnings: fluff/angst, modern au, arranged marriage, rich!sae and rich!reader, jealousy/paranoia, third parties, manipulation, slightly suggestive | notes: since mirin is everyone’s favourite , i decided to give her a little more screen time ^_< hehehe

It’s a pain. It’s torture.

You’re not sure why you’re like this, but you wish you weren’t. If only you weren’t so wishy washy. If only you could confront Sae like a normal person would then maybe this would all be simpler. But sadly, you don’t do normal—you do stupid and you do idiotic because that night, after you’ve just found out that Mirin of all people had been in your house (because you’d recognise that table anywhere), you don’t ask Sae straight up.

Eggshells. You’re walking on eggshells around the topic, trying to get Sae to cough it up himself.

After all, she didn’t just post that one story apparently. She posted a few more after that, conspicuously typing some white hearts over it, or other things like days like this are the best >>> or just like the old days 🤍 which makes you want to punch her through the phone.

“So, what’d you do today?” You are always genuinely curious about his day, but having a hidden agenda for the question tonight makes you feel a little guilty.

On Sae’s part, he’s generally disinterested in talking about himself, as usual, which is now not quite working in your favour. He shrugs, wiping the countertop since he accidentally spilled some water on it beforehand.

“Nothing much, stayed home, still feel like shit.”

Right, because that morning he’d told you he seemed to have gone down with a cold. To be fair, his nose was running and he had puffy eyes. His nose is still kind of red now but then you wonder if he’d intended to invite Mirin over, then.

“Oh, so… nothing interesting happened?”

Your tone seems a little off, and Sae picks up on it, turning around with his brows furrowed. “Yeah, why do you ask?”

If you were smart, you’d cough it up yourself. But no, you aren’t because you’d been over this—you’re stupid and idiotic and dumb, so dumb. So instead, you force a smile and shake your head.

“Just curious, that’s all,” you brush it off, effectively losing your chance to ask Sae about it anymore (for now).

Nothing really escapes Sae, though, because he knows something is off, but he’s not a mind reader. And maybe it’s because despite getting so much closer recently, neither of you have actually spoken about your actual deep feelings that there’s uncertainty in the air between the two of you.

He takes a seat across from you, dinner already finished, nothing else but the sound of the television playing the news in the background. Sae doesn’t really do anything but look you in the eyes, as though he’s searching for answers to his unspoken question.

“What is it?” You ask, shirking slightly under his innocent stare.

This time, Sae’s the one shaking his head, though he’s still looking into your eyes. “You can tell me anything if you ever need to, okay?”

Sae’s given you permission. He doesn’t know what it is, for sure, but he has. So then you start wondering to yourself: why are you so scared?

“You are so dumb.”

“I know!” You have your head in your hands, groaning as you feel Reo’s deathly judgey stare upon you.

It’s been a week since you found out about Mirin being over at your house, and you still haven’t found the guts to ask Sae about it straight. And thanks to Sumi, you’ll be the first to know if Mirin ever posts about being inside your house again. (So far there’s nothing.)

Reo’s been busy the past week, but now that he’s heard your predicament, he’s cursing himself for not making time. He didn’t think it was this bad. Knowing you, you must’ve been overthinking yourself to sleep, even if Sae is right there beside you.

He sighs, pensive as he watches you spiral. You’re whining incoherently and babbling on about being stupid and hating this Mirin girl. You’re definitely head over heels for Sae by now and there’s a bittersweet feeling building up inside Reo. But he’s nothing if not the best friend ever so he shoves his personal feelings aside.

“But really, if Sae told me that, I’d ‘fess up straight away. I don’t think he’d care if you told him you stalked Mirin’s story,” Reo tells you, hoping it’ll give you the small push you need to just talk to him.

Sighing, you look up at Reo, eyes hidden behind your hair and got you looking straight out of a horror film. Reo would usually tease you for this, but considering your emotions right now, he spares you the agony of having to listen to him poke fun at you.

“I don’t know,” you groan, dragging out the last syllable.

It’s an entire mix of reasons, honestly.

One, you’re too scared to ask him because you’re afraid it’s true. It’s a stupid reason, but you’re beginning to feel like this marriage is hopeful (ironically) and you want this to work so bad that you don’t want anything to ruin this. If you could just make the problem go away silently, wouldn’t it work too? You don’t want to risk having one single argument with Sae that would lead you back to square one.

Two, every instance of communication that you’ve brought up since you were young convinces you otherwise. Nothing you’ve ever raised to your parents has given you the safety that you so sought. All you ever got in return for telling on someone who bullied you or complaining that the tea is too hot and it burns your tongue or confiding in your mum that their business partner seems shady was a tight slap on the cheek or public humiliation. Sae is neither of your parents, but that’s the interesting thing about being raised that way—it’s hard to snap out of it.

There are probably more excuses you can offer, but you’re too tired to think about them. It’s been too many sleepless nights, ending only with you waking up for work like a zombie. Sumi’s been trying her best to keep your energy up, always getting you coffee and perking you up in between tasks but it’s hard to get your mind off it.

Sensing that you’re going off the deep edge, Reo sucks in a deep breath.

“You mentioned that everything was going well with him, right?” Reo asks you, and you nod, albeit like a sad little puppy. “You said that the honeymoon ended in a rocky way, but then in the end, Sae made you feel comfortable, didn’t he? Like you could feel that it could work?”

Those are all things you mentioned to him today during the catch up, yeah.

“What are you getting at, Reo?”

He averts his gaze, hesitant. “Y/N, why’d you ask to meet at my place? Why not our usual hangout?”

You’d planned to keep your lips sealed about that, but looks like it doesn’t escape Reo’s notice. Giving up, you confess.

“Remember the last time we met? Apparently, someone snapped a pic of us in a misleading angle and, well, my parents confronted me about it—I don’t even know how they fucking got it, maybe they have a PI on me or something but urgh,” you say in one breath, sidetracking. “But yeah, anyway, Sae didn’t see the picture and I guess… I just wanted to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Reo listens to you, a full face of seriousness, before leaning back against his chair, facepalming himself. “Oh god the two of you are just two idiots.”

Straightening up, you look at your best friend, wide-eyed. “Okay you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“Okay look, I don’t know what’s going on with this Mirin chick, okay? But what I do know is…” Reo trails off, knowing that he’s absolutely pushing you to Sae, losing his own chance forever. But then again, he’s already lost. “Sae really cares about you.”

You stay silent, wondering what on earth led Reo to that conclusion when he barely knows your husband.

“Remember that night you called when you were in Korea?” Reo asks, and you recall that he was too busy to pick up. Not entirely out of pocket. You nod. “Actually… I was talking to Sae.”

“Huh?”

That was not the information you’d expected, so you can only stare at Reo dumbly, waiting for him to elaborate.

“That night, he called me, saying that you had been acting weird and he thinks you’re upset and especially that night in particular.” You’re not sure why hearing that sounds surreal to you. “He was asking me how best to comfort you.”

There’s a lot of things you want Reo to elaborate on, but all you can keep thinking of is the fact that Sae made that much effort to try and console you, even when he didn’t know what was going on. It’s a far cry from the guy who initially told you you essentially meant nothing to him.

You didn’t even notice it, but Reo’s already shifted himself, sitting beside you, his hands on your shoulders.

“Listen, I don’t know if he’s over his ex or not, I really don’t,” Reo tells you honestly, but his grip is firm on you, “but I really don’t think his feelings for you are fake.”

It sounds funny hearing this from Reo, somehow.

“I just think… maybe you should try to talk to him?” Reo suggests, although you knew that. He only serves to further convince you. “Otherwise, are you sure you want to send this marriage to its end like this?”

Reo’s words sit with you the whole ride home.

The worst part is he’s right. If you don’t talk to Sae, then you’ll just end up gradually drifting apart from him. Then where would the marriage go? You doubt Sae would’ve ever thought that you saw Mirin’s story and started acting cold because of it.

Besides, if you’re letting yourself be hopeful, maybe Sae didn’t tell you about it because it was insignificant. (You know it’s a stupid excuse especially when your husband invited his ex over to the house but you’re trying to hold on to hope.)

Relenting to fate, you text Reo.

you’re right, i’ll try talking to him…

You immediately get a text back.

you can do it! lmk if you need anything ok?

You just give his message a thumbs up because you’re too nervous to form any more sentences. At the very least, there’s comfort in knowing that your best friend will always be here for you.

Judging by the time, half past eight at night, you’re sure Sae’s already home, probably flipping through the channels because there never seems to be anything that he wants to watch. It’s just the way he is; you like the intimacy of knowing that. That means you need to figure out what to say before you even get there. Preparation is key—because you don’t want to space out when it’s time to talk to him.

So that’s exactly what you do.

By the time you reach your front door, you’ve rehearsed your opening line a hundred times, and your heart’s pounding out of your chest.

But of course, none of that means anything when you open the door and still space out because now, guess what’s the only thing you can think about?

Why the fuck did you open the door to see Mirin at your bedroom entrance?

There it is—the blank. It’s creating a gaping hole in your head. Because not only is Mirin here in the flesh, dressed head to toe in designer labels and looking like a model out of a magazine, she’s noticed you too now, and she’s looking at you without an ounce of guilt. All she’s doing right now is staring back at you, her listless face forming into a smile.

That’s not the worst thing, though. You notice her lips: smudged mauve lipstick in the corners, looking heavily like she just made out with someone.

“Oh hi! You must be Y/N, right?” She greets, holding out her hand that you really just want to slap away but you don’t—best not to fuck with the iceberg, or tip the boat or whatever that phrase is because you can’t think properly at all right now. “I’m Seto Mirin,” she introduces as you shake her hand.

You can’t even say hi before you hear the familiar click open of your bathroom doors, inside the master bedroom where Mirin has just been waiting outside of.

Out comes Sae, as though he’d been rushing, his collar a mess and his hair slightly wet. Has he been washing his face? When he comes face to face with you, you nearly scoff because he’s missed a spot: on his neck. Because he’s slightly taller than her. It checks out.

His usual nonchalance is replaced with perplexity, like he’s unsure what to say to you. It’s fine though, because you’re not sure if you can take what he wants to tell you.

“Should we go, babe?” Mirin asks Sae, and all you see is red. Sae turns to her to speak but she cuts him off, turning her attention to you. “It’s nice meeting you!” Her fingers wrap around Sae’s wrist, pulling him with her to the door before either of you know it.

You’re stuck staring into your bedroom at nothing, too stunned to even speak. Is this really happening right now? Just when you resolve to speak to Sae about it, the problem shows up right underneath your nose. It sucks even more that just looking at her face makes you think back to all those photos he kept of the two of them, kept safe wherever it is now because evidently, he’s moved it away from its original hiding place since he asked you to sleep in the same room with him.

A hand on the back of your neck brings you back to the present, and you realise that he’s here, looking at you apologetically that you’re halfway expecting him to say sorry and that he’s leaving you.

He doesn’t.

What he does do is look you in the eyes, and you’re not even sure you recognise those teal hues of his anymore. Maybe you don’t want to.

“Hey it’s nothing okay, this is nothing, so wait for me to come back?” Sae is genuinely asking because for the first time since you met him, you can feel the worry and tension in his voice. As if he sort of expects you to already think of running.

When you don’t say anything, Sae’s grip on you loosens, and he asks, softly, like a whisper, “do you trust me?”

Part of you would like to scream at him, to ask him how dare he ask you that when all of this is happening right now. When he’s never once given you any sort of warning about Mirin? When, if you’d never happened to see that little black box in the first place that you’d be caught completely off guard right now?

“I don’t know, Sae. Can I?”

Sae swallows the lump in his throat. For once, you’re the one who sounds cold. But he supposes that he deserves that. “Look, I’ll explain everything when I get back later okay? Please, just- I know I haven’t earned it after today, but just trust me, okay?”

You don’t offer any assurance or answers. You don’t move at all. Not until Sae hesitantly leaves, the ding of the elevator all you hear until it closes, and their pair of footsteps disappear and that’s when you get to the closet, grab a bag full of essentials and don your leather coat, turn off your phone and then leave.

This is all way too much for one day.

You should really count your blessings that you have money handy. The amount in your joint account is untouched, because you don’t want Sae figuring out where you are. At least you have your own credit card.

What you need now is time. Some time to yourself to figure all of this out; what exactly is left for you here, whether you can circumnavigate out of the sticky situation with your parents if you do end up calling this off.

As you toss your bag onto the bed, you look out at the expensive view below you. It’s not so beautiful when you’re in a bad mood.

There’s a knock on your door, and you find a dark-haired man dressed in a tailor-made suit at your door.

“Is there anything I can offer you, ma’am? Perhaps a glass of wine or anything from our restaurant?”

He looks familiar but you see a lot of faces everyday so you don’t even bother. You shake your head. “No that’s fine, I’d just like to be left alone tonight, so.”

Seemingly understanding, he nods curtly. “Very well, have a good night, Mrs Itoshi.”

Mrs Itoshi. You’re not even sure why it’s become a habit to sign off as Mrs Itoshi. Considering the projectile at which your marriage is at danger of crumbling down from, you really need to kick the habit.

Sighing, you plop yourself down on the bed, looking around at the suite you booked for yourself. It’s petty of you, you know that, to book yourself the most expensive suite available at the last minute, at one of the most expensive hotels in all of Japan. But you’re heartbroken, so you give yourself a pass.

At the very least, you’d thought that being alone tonight would give you some peace of mind, but all it does is make your head swim with thoughts about what Sae and Mirin must be up to. Are they kissing each other right now? Because that must’ve been interrupted earlier when you waltzed back into your own home right? Or maybe they’re just like you, in an expensive suite somewhere else, getting ready to do—

You shake your head, irritated at yourself and your inability to stop thinking about Sae. Fuck, maybe a walk around the park downstairs would take your mind off it. You’ve always liked nice sceneries, especially up close—maybe that’ll work.

And it does, to a certain extent.

With the chilly air blowing in your face, the cold of the night somehow so much more inviting than the warmth of the empty hotel room. All you could think about in there was the fact that the last time you’d been to a hotel was during your little honeymoon trip.

It’s a nice park right outside the hotel, one of the most touristy areas in the city, where couples like to take pictures together against the backdrop of the giant heart in the middle of the vicinity, or where schoolgirls like to frequent after school armed with their cup noodles and their girlfriends.

An hour later, maybe two, you find yourself sitting on one of the benches facing the river, enjoying your time thinking about nothing at all. It’s the most peaceful your mind’s been in a while. In a long time, actually. Maybe comparable to before the news of having to get married was ever broken to you.

You miss it, somehow. The absence of problems. Especially ones that relate to a third party. Sure, you had your parents to deal with, but you always had that problem. Come to think of it, you don’t think you’ve ever had anyone stand up to them for you like Sae did. Not even Reo, only because he thought it would just make matters worse if he did. Still, Sae’s exceeded your expectations many times.

It all seems like such a waste now.

You stare at your lifeless phone. You can’t even switch it on even if you wanted to because it’s properly dead. Not that it’s any use anyway. You don’t want to speak to anyone. Not even Reo. But you wonder if Sae even bothers enough to check in with you while he’s out doing god knows what with you know who.

There is something you feel like you urgently need to do, though.

So you borrow a phone from a nice stranger, seems like a couple who’s on vacation from Hokkaido. You dial the number you’d been trained since a kid to remember.

“Mr Ishiro? This is Y/N.”

Mr Ishiro, your ever trusty family lawyer who would be able to get you out of any sticky situation you ever needed. God knows what went through your parents’ minds when they asked you to memorise his number. Did they think you would somehow do some illegal shit in the future that needed some bailing out of?

“I know this isn’t typically what you do, but um, I need help with some divorce papers and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell my parents yet—”

“Do you mean your parents—”

“Haven’t approved of it? No, of course not,” you cut him off, just wanting his agreement to it more than anything. Everything else can be discussed once he has it drafted.

“Y/N, I don’t know—”

“Please, I just need those divorce papers drafted—”

But the phone is swiftly taken from you, and you’re about to apologise for taking too long, except you realise the one who took it from you isn’t even the owner but your husband.

Your husband. Itoshi Sae. Right in front of you, face red and panting as though he’s been running in the cold.

He hands the phone back to the kind strangers, thanking them and waiting for them to go before he turns back to you, his face utterly devoid of emotions. You’re not sure why he’s here, and you’re not sure why it seems like he’s been running all the way over here to find you.

“Divorce?” He asks, and there’s a smidget of incredulity in his tone.

It doesn’t make you back down.

“You don’t have to explain anything. I’ll get my lawyer to draft out the papers and—”

“He’s not going to draft out anything,” Sae interjects, keeping his voice down. At this time of night, there are still lots of people around, and you guess he wants to spare both of you the humiliation of being caught in a public argument.

You have to avoid looking him in the eyes; if you catch even a sliver of concern in them then you might waver and that’s the opposite of your desired effect.

“Look, I’m sorry but you’re going to have to work it out with your parents or something because I’m not cut out for this, okay?”

Sae doesn’t move, and he doesn’t speak too soon. He lets your words sink in before asking, “not cut out for what, exactly?”

You think it’s cruel how he wants to make you spell it out.

This time, you look him in the eyes. He’s inching closer to you, and his cold facade is breaking. He still looks very much like the person you fell in love with.

“I just think that…” God, it hurts to say it out. “I get that neither of us wanted this. That we both had no other options. But… I can’t just go about everyday pretending I’m fine if my on-paper husband is out everyday dating his ex that he can’t get over.”

Sae’s brows furrow for a second before he heaves a deep sigh, moving towards you, one of his hands extending to the top of your head, gently placing it there before he pulls you in for a hug.

“I’m sorry,” he says, softly, relief easing his shoulders when you don’t pull away in retaliation.

While there’s no more anger left in you, something that’s much too easily seeped away with his mere hug, what’s left is confusion. Confusion, because you’re not sure what he’s apologising for.

“I’m sorry but you’re stuck with me.”

Still. Only. Confusion.

Is this Sae’s way of refusing you? Is this his way of being a tyrant?

You pull yourself away, pushing him back in the process.

“So what? You wanna continue this charade? Fool our parents and have me cover for you while you keep a mistress on the down-low?” Sae’s mouth opens but you don’t give him the time of day to speak. “Look, I get I’ll never be her but that’s too much, Sae. It’s too much to ask of me.”

There are no words to describe how you feel; it’s everything all at once. Disappointment, confusion, surprise, and worst of all is that there’s still that little speck of optimism inside you that wants to wish for the best. But you know best that all that is is an excuse for disappointment to work its way back around again.

That’s why you don’t even let him finish calling out your name before you run back towards the hotel, where you came from. Yeah, that should be a good plan—just run back, get to your suite and lock the doors. Maybe on a little television to drown out your thoughts.

Behind you, you hear the sound of boots clacking against the cobblestone path, and you know that it’s Sae because… you just know. You’d know him by any sound and any scent—you’ve fallen hopelessly for Sae and you were an idiot to think that he could’ve possibly felt it too because this is the real world, the world outside your head, and in this world, Itoshi Sae is in love with someone else who’s infinitely prettier, probably smarter too, and who’s had so much history with him that you can never even dream of replacing.

A thousand more winters with Sae would probably never replace his youth with her.

And just when you think your night can’t get any worse, you’re barely back at the hotel entrance when you spot the familiar wavy hair, the familiar pair of eyes that haunt you whenever you remember their pictures together.

But there’s something that renders you speechless, a sight you never expected to see—there are tears in her eyes.

Mirin is in front of you, just a few steps away, puffy red eyes and contorted facial expression, yoghourt in hand, half open and nothing makes sense to you right now, because the next thing you know, she’s flung the pack of half-eaten yoghurt at you, the whites staining your coat.

“You… you bitch!”

It reflects so much of what you’re thinking that you nearly thought you were the one saying it. But it’s Mirin. And she’s angry and upset and crying and you’re utterly, completely confused.

“Wait, what are—”

The next thing you know, Mirin is storming towards you, her hands grabbing your coat collar, yanking at it while she’s hurling profanities at you.

“It’s all your fucking fault, I wish you’d just disappear already!” Mirin’s crying and sobbing between her words and usually you’d feel bad for someone who’s in this state but you’re not. Not when she’s painting you a bitch, a whore, a slut and whatever else she’s calling you.

Sae stands in front of you when he gets there, and you recall him telling you about how he got hurt and there’s a little bit of guilt there. He pushes Mirin away from you, his first course of action being to assess whether you’re hurt.

“Hey, are you okay?”

This all hurts, though not in the way that he’s looking at.

You just nod. Your head’s in a mess, you don’t really know what else to do.

As everyone around you stares at the scene, the hotel manager from earlier strolls out, hands in his pockets, an unbothered aura surrounding him. He merely bows and apologises to everyone, urging them to move on and that this is just a small disturbance, nothing worth their time.

Before you can even thank him, he gives Sae a look that seemingly says yikes before turning to Mirin, opening his mouth before realising that she’s still glaring at you, and then deciding to avert his initial plan to speak to her. This time, he chooses to look at you next. The calmer of the two.

“Hey Mrs Itoshi, you alright?”

“She’s fine, Karasu,” Sae answers for you, holding you close, even if some of the yoghurt is getting on his coat.

Karasu shoots you a grin—this must be why Sae’s here. He must’ve tipped him off. And now you finally remember where you’ve seen him, among Oliver’s instagram pictures as the nameless friend you’d yet to meet.

Sae only needs to nod at him for him to understand what he needs to do, namely, be a distraction for Mirin or to take her away—either way, it’s to leave the two of you alone with each other.

Once Karasu forcefully drags Mirin away, Sae fully turns to you, putting his own coat around your own.

“It’s fine, the hotel’s right there so I can—”

“Don’t leave,” Sae blurts out, and you don’t think you’ve ever heard him be so gentle, so genuine. You think he probably means not to leave him, but you don’t want to get ahead of yourself.

“Sae, what’s going on?” You ask, sighing, your head pounding after an inconceivable few hours.

He hesitates for a while before ultimately proposing a compromise. “If I tell you everything you want to know, could you reconsider the whole divorce thing?”

It’s not that hard for you to agree to this time, because there’s so much more that you want answers to than you initially thought, and besides—Sae said to reconsider, not that you still couldn't flat out do it anyway. It’s a win-win, at least for you.

But just when you think you have your emotions under control, all it takes is a simple kiss on your temple and the words that Sae whispers in your ear to catch you off guard.

“Good, because I’m in love with my wife, and I don’t want her to leave me.”

taglist: @kimvmarvel @mxplesyrvp @yuzurins @futuristicxie @kiopanxp @k0z3me @y-sabell-a @sae1toshilover @xoxojisu @karmatiz @sagejin @minnieminnie00-got7 @hearts4heidi @shiinobu-x @n1uh @prepchuu @leeyzhuo @shidouryusm @tsukishiro-yue2402 @kaiserkisser @pookiebearcave @dcvilxswish @saeskiss @whtflrr @arminseas @raphsimp @saharei @danibxe @lectris00 @comet-kun @ishitam67 @gskill @sweet2wthsblog @astruoise @scaraslover @beaniedoodz @bersuadikotatua @idk-bro-gay @etoiile @sanzu-sanzu-sanzu @yourstrulyharu @noimnotttt @tinyfurytaco @bxddiebloss @biaonww **bolded: means i can’t tag you guys because of your settings >_<

#okay this is scheduled so !! shorter chapter for this week :)#bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #sae x reader #itoshi sae x reader #bllk x you #bllk x y/n #sae x y/n #itoshi sae #sae x you #itoshi sae x y/n #sae imagines #sae itoshi x reader #sae itoshi #bllk sae x reader #૪ aeri’s fics !

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fourtyfourcatss · 6 months

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-> for @kamesama !

TWST…. - FLOYD LEECH 🗝️

❰❰ someone who does not dwell on things so easily, someone who does not hurt so easily, someone who can persist on you, someone who can hold you high. someone who can love you. it’s floyd.

❰❰ floyd is not good with reading between the lines. that’s why he loves talking with you. you’re honest, you wouldn’t mince your words around him, there’s no need for jade to worry about him when it’s with you, who has a good head on your shoulders and a harsh yet good heart. the road starts off very bumpy, since you do not sugarcoat your thoughts and neither does he. this is an extremely slow sort of love that flows like a calm river, but is still walking forward. only when you’re made if far and looked back can you truly understand the progressed that had been made between the two of you.

❰❰ not only so, the two of each other open one another up. with how tall he is, he’s the perfect form for embracing you as you turn vulnerable or emotional. he’s surprisingly good at comforting in a very specific way, giving you another, optimistic but realistic angle to chew at anything you were pondering over. his emotional iq isnt so bad, and with years of being with such a man like jade, he can articulate his words with the proper weight of messages he wants to convey. that doesn’t mean he walks on eggshells around you, but he knows what to say so it doesn’t trigger any uncomfortable feelings around you while getting the message across.

❰❰ he finds himself giggly at your touch and attention — doing things for him is great, yes — but he’d rather wrap his arms around you and sink to the ocean floor with you slowly. he’ll catch a whiff of coffee around you occasionally, and starts to associate that scent with you. how he asks you out in the first place is with a coffee he paid for you in the lounge, winking at you from a distance. i get the vibe that you’re hard to impress, so it takes a while before you accept, but he’s going to pamper you to no end when you do get together! you need some pampering i think. to be honest, he pampers you even before getting together.

❰❰ his nickname for you is probably something in the lines of sealy.

❰❰ he can perfectly recall everything you like and said word for word (the latter is restricted to two days at most though). not only that, he’ll remember it for a long time too. in the future while the two of you are out, he’ll mention something you’ve said like 5 years in the past, and you’re looking at him like 🤨 “you remember that?”

❰❰ very partial to kisses from you, since its you. like, on the cheek, on the temple, on the lips. give him some as motivation in between classes, and he’s definitely going to melt. many times, azul and jade has to ask you to seek him for things since its only available if you’re the one asking. and people being put off by you? less competition 😼 all said and done, he’s definitely ready to squeeze the insecurities out of you. do you know how interesting you are? the fact that he of all people stayed with you is tantamount to how amazing you are as a person, though you seem to have a life tinted with a bit of melancholy.

❰❰ your drive and determination is especially attractive to him, compared to how easily he lazes around and gives up. its an inspiring sight to see, seeing you stand so firm, seeing how you choose a stance and properly stand next to it instead of being one of those wishy washy cowards people who change so easily. seeing them switching up so fast after just a few mere threats is too, too boring.

❰❰ introduce him to the things you love. he’s absolutely enthusiastic about that. especially horse-riding. of course, he’s rode some seahorses in the past, but the ones are land are so different… ride with him, won’t you? you’ll have to ride on the back since he’s new to this, but it’s definitely not an attempt for physical contact right floyd?… anyways! he loves nuzzling you too. he’ll definitely sneak over whenever you’re doing something and try to catch you off guard. maybe if you’re reading or drawing something you dont want to show him, he’ll tease you by hovering over your shoulder (the first few times open eyed, and afterwards with closed eyes so he doesnt see lol). while he does respect your boundaries, he’s also nosy. make sure to properly articulate everything you want and dont want him to do, since he’ll definitely listen, but he’s also very curious of everything you’re doing! if you tell him beforehand, he’ll be less likely to give into that impulse.

❰❰ the two if you joke around a lot, with a lot of inside jokes. its like whenever the two of you meet, a switch flips. i would say this is definitely a slightly reluctant acquaintances -> hella good friends -> lovers kind of situation. you guys make eye contact from across the cafeteria and you have to physically fight the urge to laugh type of relationship. it’s definitely a love with vibrant warmth and laughter, where it feels like its an endless summer day where the weather isnt too sweltering, at the perfect temperature, with a breeze running across.

[a/n] hope you enjoyed this! i hope this is a pleasant surprise. i have amazing sense of compatibility so you can take this as 80% accurate at the very least, trust 😼

#twst matchup #twisted wonderland matchup #floyd leech #twst floyd #twst wonderland #twisted wonderland #floyd leech x reader

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herofics · 2 years

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denki x reader comfort where she feels like an awful person and keeps imagining scenarios where she hurts herself or does sewerslide bc she doesn't feel like she deserves to live? and it's wishy washy too, like at one point in the day she can feel fine but then at night all the bad thoughts saying she's manipulative and lazy and doesn't deserve anything or anyone good just like rush to her head and she feels like shit and her head is just a mess? and her mom called her manipulative some days ago and she feels like she's right and just... everything feels like a mess (sorry if this is all over the place or hard to understand)

You can check out this post for some more comfort with Kaminari, and there are more in the masterlist, which you can find in the pinned post. This ended up a bit of a mess but oh well

“Why? Why? Why?” you muttered to yourself and smacked the edge of the sink a couple times.

You hated this, your mood could be fine one minute and after a few hours you would feel like crap for no particular reason.

“Maybe it would be better if I just died, then I wouldn’t have to deal with this and no one would have to deal with me” you sighed and walked out of the bathroom, trying to keep up the facade that everything was fine and like you weren’t standing on the edge of a cliff.

It was the weekend, but it was a quiet evening in the dorms. Some of your classmates were watching TV and some were eating something in the kitchen before going to turn in for the night. You decided to go get yourself some cereal, before going back to your dorm room and going to sleep.

“Hey babe” Kaminari greeted and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek as he passed you on his way to the fridge.

“Hey” you said a bit dismissively.

Kaminari noticed the tone of your voice being a bit off, but he decided not to mention it in front of the others. He knew you didn’t like sharing your troubles, but he made a mental note to ask you about it later.

You grabbed your bowl of cereal and walked to your room, you didn’t feel like eating with the others. You closed your door, but you stumbled on a shirt that you had left on the floor, and the cereal bowl went flying onto your carpet, spilling everywhere.

You sunk to the floor and hit the carpet, tears welling up in your eyes. You started cleaning up the mess while sobbing quietly. The bowl was laying upside down on the carpet, so you turned it back upright and started scooping the cereal back into it with your hands. A part of your carpet had been soaked with milk.

“Fuck” you sobbed and sat down next to the cereal bowl, leaning against the wall.

You pulled your knees to your chest, trying to keep your voice down while you sobbed. Suddenly, there was a knock on your door, and a familiar voice asked: “Hey (Name)? Can I come in?”

“Go-go away Denki” you said just loud enough for him to hear.

Kaminari wasn’t about to leave after hearing that, he just told you he was coming in and opened the door. He saw you sitting on the floor, crying, and quickly shut the door before rushing to you. Kaminari knelt down in front of you, hovering his hands near yours, not sure if he should touch you.

“What’s wrong? Babe, talk to me” he pleaded.

“I can’t deal with this anymore Denki, not with any of it” you cried.

Kaminari moved to sit down next to you and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, which you promptly shook off.

“Okay, okay. Just tell me what’s wrong” Kaminari said.

“I don’t-I don’t even deserve to be alive, I’m horrible person and-and I don’t deserve anything or anyone good in my life”

“That’s not true. I know you feel bad, but you have to know you’re not a bad person, not at all”

“Why am I like this then? What did I do to deserve all this crap then? If I was a good person this wouldn’t be happening to me” you said desperately, digging your nails deep into your arm.

“Stop!” Kaminari exclaimed and grabbed your hands, prying them off your arm.

Kaminari put you in a bit of a lock. He moved himself behind you so you sat between his legs on the floor and pinned your arms down to your sides.

“It’s gonna be okay babe. You just need to calm down” Kaminari said, trying to convince himself as well as you.

You kept crying, but stopped struggling against his grip. You just sobbed loudly and leaned your head back on his chest.

You hated being like this. Why? Why did you have to be such a goddamn mess? Why couldn’t you just die? It would be so much easier than dealing with all of this.

“I don’t want to be here anymore, I just don’t” you muttered after you had calmed down a bit and were feeling tired.

Kaminari was about to cry himself. He felt so useless, so helpless. He hated seeing you in so much pain and he felt like there was nothing he could do to help you. Kaminari released your arms and you wrapped them around yourself, along with Kaminari’s arms.

“I’m so sorry you’re feeling like this, just tell me what I can do to help” he said.

“Just… leave me alone, I don’t deserve you anyway. I’m just a manipulative bitch who doesn’t deserve anything good” you mumbled tiredly

“Babe…” Kaminari said quietly.

“I don’t want you to hate me, Denki” you said before your eyes closed slowly.

“I could never hate you” he said, sadness evident in his voice.

You fell asleep or passed out, Kaminari wasn’t really sure which, but he lifted you to your bed and just looked at you for a while. His hand was on the side of your face and he was brushing his thumb over your cheek.

“I wish you weren’t in so much pain and I wish I could help you, but I don’t know how” Kaminari said quietly, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. He just wanted to help, that’s all he ever wanted to do.

#bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #kaminari denki #mha scenarios #bnha scenarios #mha angst #bnha angst #comfort #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #suicidal tw

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bthump · 2 years

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I go back and forth on whether Guts and Casca were going to be together by the end, but what makes me doubt it is the line about the power to protect someone being different than the power to be with them. What stops me from really getting on the gutsca train is, while I have no doubt Guts loves her, he never seems to be present or fulfilled with *just* Casca. It's a theme with Guts of not seeing what he has in the present but when it keeps happening over and over again even after supposedly

learning your lesson, is it really meant to be? When you need the people around you to keep scolding you into prioritizing your girlfriend? Guts can protect Casca but does he have the ability to focus only on her? The beast certainly had some doubts. We already know Guts was still planning on chasing after Griffith again after Casca was healed.

Ayyy I actually wrote a post on that line, if you're interested and haven't read it. Though I did kind of end it on a wishy-washy note because I put it in the main Berserk tag lol, fair warning.

So yeah I totally agree with you. Guts never really prioritizes Casca - even when he decides to put his revenge quest on hold to take her to Elfhelm, he has to be left with virtually no choice, and he only makes that choice after moping about how NeoGriffith has "deserted" him lol.

And throughout the Millenium Falcon arc Farnese is pointedly painted as a better alternative for Casca than Guts, someone who can actually be with her in a way Guts can't, partially because Casca is scared of him, but also because again, Guts just doesn't prioritize her the same way. You're right, he still intends for the Casca sidequest to be an interlude in his revenge quest, not an actual destination. His focus is always on fighting monsters first, protecting Casca second even when the narrative is calling him ~protector of the branded girl~ lol.

Even at the docks, when he makes his decision to get on a boat instead of fighting Zodd, motivated apparently in part by Casca’s scared baby noises, to make that decision he has to a) be on the verge of collapse b) be outnumbered about a hundred to one, and c) have Serpico step between him and Zodd to remind him not to be a suicidal idiot. Casca barely figures in.

At most I think you could argue that he might hope restoring Casca's mind and returning a piece of his idylic past to himself will assuage his own bloodlust and turn him into the kind of person who can "be with" Casca, but we see that that's definitely not the case when Casca's still afraid of him and he's back swinging his sword and feeling restless again, wondering what he's going to do now.

#other ppl's meta #thanks for the ask!#anonymous #ask #a #b #theme: speculation #character: guts #ship: gtsca #theme: revenge

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joonsytip · 1 year

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first of all i love ur pfp and tsd and PHEW- selfish indeed! Your writing is amazing so i hope you dont take this as a critique of that bc it's just the Characters i wanna gossip abt heheh. I'm the anon from waaaay back who was team dk and now ive decided....im team OC. maybe in the future when reader has a chance to properly look at dk then yes but hannie is NOT it for her oh my gooooood like i felt like i was rlly watching a drama like, jeonghan 😭 how did you make this poor girl suffer for 2 years bc of ur own complex. Reader wasn't faultless bc she did keep approaching and shoulve put her foot down sooner but tbh jh was too wishy washy with his actions and made it seem like he purposly was trying to go out of his way to hurt her and then oh a week later, he's in love???. I like the cheol part when he gave advice like cheol and jihoon were the MVPs along w chae but srsly. The cheol part gave us more insight into jeonghans side but bro just bc u have some deep hidden repressed feelings doesnt mean u get to treat oc like that thinking its cute. Tsundere is cute, straight up rudeness isn't. Cheol was so right when he put things from reader's perspective like how are u gonna treat reader like a bug for 2 years then turn around and say u love her. Noooooope, its a no from me 😭. I respect what jihoon said the most like reader can be persistent as much as jh wants to get his redemption. Reader hit the nail on the head when she said he doesnt love her, he only loved being pined after, because thats exactly what it is from her perspective because jeonghan seriouslyyyyy fucked up instead of being honest to his feelings or aware. At this point im so pissed off w jh (the fictional one hehe) and i just want reader to be happy. The friendship dynamics in this are the absolute fucking best !!!!!! Seriously the office culture and dynamics in this MADE the story and i lived for it. I just want reader to transfer and live her hot girl life while jeonghan pines and lives in a puddle of regret. He's gonna need to show a lot more sincerity. Right now he's just trying to prove himself, as jihoon said he's just trying to redeem himself by doing all these flashy things that are just making reader question him more and make her feel like shes being mocked. As cheol said, he needs to put himself in her shoes like the underdeveloped eq jh has in this 💀. Goes from i hate you to i love you in a week and wonders why his sincerity didn't reach. i sweaaaaar he frustrates me like nobody else ughhhh the way you made his flawed character was so good like u had me feeling so much anger over a fanfiction 😆. It balanced out so nicely like the cluesless jh and cheol who sees the bigger picture and wants his friends happiness and then reader who is passionate in her love and jihoon who is really mellow but sees everything for what it is. Then we got the trouble makers and office clows along with the dependable friends and bff hao. Hsjsjs soooo many good character, this was such a good cast!!!

I like healing loves and loves that complete you, jh feels more like a puppy crush that makes ur heart race, the kind love that breaks ur heart and u have to learn from- and thats ok! For example, she has a great attraction to jeonghan and went crazy when he wore the red top (goddamn i would too, that chic office wear????) Like jh excited her but a love like dk feels more like home, you know? What i would tell reader if i could is that life is sooo much more than that boy you think is ur first and last love. Sometimes what u really need is ur friends and to enjoy your youth bc this aint it and in my humble opinion jeonghan is not it for her. I know they'll end up together bc its a x jeonghan and this is a fictional world but i took this way too seriously bc i got invested LMAO. Felt like i was in the damn office with soonyoung fighting the copy machine and texting boo seungkwan from the rival office next door about all the drama just to hear his hot takes 😂 I wanna have a sad bitch party with reader and chae and just blast 'you're not sorry' by taylor and then bust her out in a hot outfit for a revenge type plot LMAOOOO the way im sucked into this fanfic you would not believe hahahha. Like reader shows up at the og office after her transfer looking like jeonghans dream girl and she gives him the same treatment he first gave her 😤 the reversallll!! Oh my god and she brought her new coworker, hottie kim mingyu who anyone can see from a mile away is a literal 😍 around her like theyre giving puppy gf x puppy bf and jeonghan is feeling the heat hehehe. As u can see im fucking delusional and ive continued this scenario like its my own life in my head for so many different scenarios LOL.

Thank u for writing and listening to my ramble<333

Gosh. First of all, ANON WE SERIOUSLY NEED TO TALK???? I really loved how you laid out your perspective about the storyline and the character, specially the protagonists.

I do get where your thoughts are coming from and tbh it's a real tough deal to make Jeonghan get his redemption arc coz redem. arcs have always been difficult.

And the way you continued the storyline after the part 2, it's so satisfying actually???

Thanks for dropping by and please keep rambling on me from time to time, I love it! 😂🫶

#the selfish dilemma #joonsytip ask

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electrasev5nwrites · 1 year

Text

Ninja Daily: Vapors 31

A lesser man would have been panicking. As it was, Yakushi Kabuto would have preferred a less stressful situation, but he was able to keep any traces of unease hidden. This had not gone as expected at all.

His message to Sasori, given using the same techniques that the puppet master thought meant Kabuto was under his control, had been sent as usual. The missive he'd received in place had requested a meeting in person, but that wasn't so unusual that he had been alarmed. He was certain that he would bluff his way through and acquire the backing he needed to run his fledgling village.

He was now alarmed.

"And who, pray tell, are you?" Kabuto bluffed calmness that he did not feel. He was a formidable foe himself, but it was easy enough to see that the masked man who had come to meet him in lieu of Sasori was out of Kabuto's league entirely.

"That's not important," rumbled out from behind a swirled mask. The effect was disorienting and Kabuto had to suppress a shudder and the desire to make a tactical retreat. How had he missed a large player like this? What had happened to Sasori- was he dead, or had the message been intercepted at the start?

"What is important, Yakushi Kabuto, is that you work for me now." The mask came down, and the world turned red.

When Kabuto returned to the Sound hideout in Grass, he impassively countermanded his earlier orders about patrolling the borders and collecting taxes (and new medical subjects from those who declined to pay taxes) from their new citizens. Tayuya scoffed at his wishy-washy behavior, but didn't care much what the little prick did. She'd rather have a real fight than babysit whinging babies anyway.

Takigakure, huh? She didn't know shit about it other than that it was one of the minor villages, but that was fine. She was good at killing strangers.

Good at killing people she knew, too. She let a smirk slip onto her face as she jerkily bowed to her 'kage' and left the room. What he didn't know would definitely hurt him.

"Ready?"

Sasuke might have rolled his eyes in another situation. Of course he was ready. He was only watching the surgery. He didn't quite understand why Tsunade and Shizune thought it was such a major step—he would be providing the bulk of the medical chakra that Shizune actually manipulated for this surgery. She didn't need the help, of course. It was the only way to introduce how it really felt to manipulate internal organs of living beings without the sink-or-swim method, which tended to end up in a lot of dead patients and unconfident surgeons (and that was not done in Konoha anymore, unlike in pretty much every other shinobi village).

The surgery went off without a single hiccup, as he had completely expected. Shizune-senpai was a professional, and it was not an especially complicated task. Medical mask and gloves discarded, he abandoned his senpai and went back to the administration tower to report the results back to Tsunade after Shizune had filed the paperwork for the poor overworked hospital director himself. ("I'm too old for this shit," he'd muttered rather rebelliously. Shizune had given a nervous laugh and carefully not mentioned that it had been her idea to put the hospital director on the advisory council).

The place was bustling, much more so than Sasuke would have expected for the afternoon. He turned right back around and went to go get precious caffeine. Few people could tolerate a shit storm like that without something to soothe their nerves, and he knew the secretary was on holiday with her family. Tsunade would be on her last nerve, if not actually punching holes in walls. Sasuke hated putting up drywall. This was just easier. Spotting Ibiki and two Chuunin he knew worked in codes waiting in the lobby when he returned gave him a clue as to what was going on, but it wasn't until he'd managed to hand Tsunade a gigantic latte that he got any sense at to this urgency of the situation at all.

"Have I ever told you that you're my best apprentice?" She ignored the red-faced man who had been babbling about something and took a long drink. "Ah. That hits the spot. You can go now." Tsunade waved dismissively, getting out of her chair and all but shoving him out of her office so that she could leave as well. "You coming?"

Sasuke followed, slightly amused and also slightly annoyed at being treated like a dog. Sit, stay, follow, re-connect metatarsals, and then roll over, why don't you? Nonetheless, he remained silent as the Hokage strode purposefully down to the mission office and put her hands on her hips. "All of you, go home for the day. I am. I will be taking this new information into consideration and you can expect new orders tomorrow. Now get the hell out."

They scattered obediently. Sasuke smirked. At least it wasn't just him.

"Get Shizune and meet me at my house, would you?" Tsunade tossed over her shoulder. "We'll call this a test and see if anything I've taught you got through that thick head of yours."

"Whatever you say, hag," he muttered slightly below what his mentor could understand. Hopefully. While she whipped around to glare at him suspiciously, he turned around and strode back down the hallway to an open window. Shizune was doubtlessly still in her office at the hospital with those damn toxicology reports.

When they were all gathered in Tsunade's living room, Sasuke finally allowed himself to feel curiosity about the situation. Whatever it was must be bad—Tsunade had dug out a pint of ice cream for each of them and gravely handed out spoons at the door.

He also felt a little superior—he would never eat on the couches in his own home. Granted, Tsunade had strange tastes and decidedly non-traditional aesthetic in her home. Perhaps the teal couches and the enormous yellow rug they all sat on would be easier to launder than his tatami mats.

"Are you going to explain, or do we have to ask?" Shizune scraped her spoon around in search of fudge and chocolate bits, wiggling slightly to keep the tub away from Tonton's snuffling nose.

Tsunade leaned back onto the side of her couch, propping her bare toes up on the other side and shrugging languidly. "Funny thing. Turns out the political shithole of Mist is straightening up."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. 'What?' He knew that they had theorized that their Mizukage was dead- someone named Yagura- but his disappearance had hardly been the event that threw Mist into chaos. Arguably, disappearing was the best thing that lunatic had done for his country.

"Is there a new Mizukage, then?" Shizune queried, actually looking interested. "I'm afraid I don't know of many big names left in the village."

"One Terumi Mei sends us an invitation to meet and greet, one Kage to another," Tsunade said dryly. "In other words, she wants us to court her for favor and alliance. It's almost certainly not in our favor to do so, of course. Mist is going to be a mess for a long time—something like half their forces deserted or went rouge, and she's probably maintaining order through force."

"But if you snub her now…" Sasuke trailed off, implication obvious. Tsunade sneered.

"Got it in one. Good thing I got rid of the old coots when I did, they'd be pushing to insure that I stay in the village and that this meeting falls through. Not that they wouldn't have a point."

"It would be awfully dangerous," Shizune mused. "So much could go wrong. You can't go, you can't snub her, and you can't afford to get caught cleaning up her mess."

"But if we help her now," Sasuke interjected lazily, "we could have an alliance of three out of the five major villages. We are never going to mend the rift with Rock and Lightning."

Those wounds were too fresh, on both sides, and both were still highly militant. Konoha had a tentative alliance with other villages like Grass, for example, but there was an enormous difference between the five major villages and even the respectably mid-tiered ones like Grass. At the moment, Rock and Lightning were probably the two most stable villages, and had a long-standing alliance. If they decided that now was an excellent time for war, no one or two villages could stand against them.

Tsunade looked amused, popping a cleanly-licked spoon out of her mouth and angling a scolding look at his own untouched portion. Sasuke grimaced down at his melting ice cream and reluctantly put a spoonful in his mouth. It was a bit undignified, but he really did like green tea ice cream. His mentor nodded in approval.

"Good point, Sasuke-chan. And that's why I'm sending you and Shizune to meet with her and make nice. It's the next best thing to going myself- entrusting her with both my apprentices is a huge show of trust." Then she rolled her eyes. "But I don't trust her at all, of course, which is why I'm also sending your scruffy ex-sensei."

Shizune groaned.

Surprised, Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. 'What's so wrong with Kakashi-sensei?'

Then he realized that was the wrong question. Many things were wrong with Kakashi, of course. He amended the thought.

'What specific problem would Shizune have with him?'

She flushed, waving her free hand frantically and inadvertently let Tonton get his face into her treat. "It's nothing! Really. But Tsunade-sama, do you really think that just Hatake-san will be enough?"

"I'm not sending your boytoy, if that's what you're asking," she taunted with a cruel little smile. Sasuke had no idea what she was alluding to, but it didn't matter. Shizune actually looked relieved, so it was probably a bad joke.

"Who will be filling out the team, then?"

Tsunade snorted ungracefully. "Well, Hatake's brat apprentice for one. I'd need a goddamn crow-bar and chakra proof cell to stop that from happening. And then probably one of his old teammates from ANBU."

"That's it?" That was a strange configuration. Either Shizune and Sasuke were diplomats or they were part of the team—if they were solely diplomats, Tsunade should send a four man team with them. If they were part of the team, then it would just be Kakashi and Aiko.

Tsunade cracked her neck. "That's all I have to add, in a way. Danzo stopped by to helpfully offer a suggestion to fill the last space." The sarcasm was palpable. She shrugged. "I'd be disturbed that he was the only one who knew what I would decide to do so quickly, but he has never been stupid. Many things, but not stupid." She eyed Sasuke pointedly. "This will almost certainly be one of his private ANBU. They'd fill out the combat requirements nicely, if I know Danzo at all, but they will also be invaluable for our purposes."

Sasuke nodded ever so slightly. It made sense. He was going to either gather information from this person or try to subvert them.

Then he frowned. "Aren't I probably the least qualified person in the village to emotionally manipulate this person?" He asked a bit dryly, ignoring Shizune's muttered 'Not so, there's always Hatake'. Tsunade actually burst out laughing, snatching up Tonton when he wandered too close and petting his belly. He snuffled happily, completely unaware of the fate of a country being decided above him. It must be nice to be a pig.

"You've never met one of these Root operatives before, have you? There's a reason Danzo keeps them out of the normal forces—whatever the hell he does to them makes it very hard for them to blend in." She shrugged. "Even you aren't that obtuse. If this teammate is a Root operative, you'll know it. Besides, you'll have your nosy little girlfriend to help you make nice. I'm starting to think that there's a hidden Uzumaki bloodline where their complete lack of self-preservation and crippling social retardation somehow combines to form reality warping charisma."

There was probably an argument to be made against that, but for the life of him Sasuke didn't know how to go about defending his teammates or even if he wanted to. He'd had to bang his head against the wall out of frustration when he heard that Aiko had apparently befriended the Suna jinchuuriki who had genuinely tried to kill her not so long ago. Sasuke understood that she might have sympathy for his situation (now that he'd finally been told about Naruto's condition) but that didn't have to extend to actually allowing the creep to spend time around her. Her nonchalance about the affair was shocking.

It was downright unnerving, bordering on a hint that she had a frightening predisposition to forgive abusers. He was going to keep an eye on her, since she wasn't willing to do it herself. Kakashi was probably similarly alarmed, if he'd managed to lift his head from a book long enough to hear about that idiotic decision and parse through the nuances of human interaction.

"Now, as for what I want you two to be willing to accept and negotiate with. First of all, you can thank Hatake for having the presence of mind to seal up Zabuza's sword and bring it back after you brats killed him, because that'll make an acceptable good faith offering. It doesn't do us a damn bit of good without knowing how to use it, but it's an important part of Mist's cultural heritage. In other words, they'll want it back even if they don't have anyone who can use it."

Shizune snorted rudely. "It's also a way to shove in their face that one of our genin teams killed their strongest missing nin." She gave Tsunade an unimpressed look. "Don't you think that sending three out of the five members of that group will be a bit obvious?"

"I like to make my points very clearly," Tsunade responded primly. "I don't know this Terumi woman well at all. She could be a total incompetent."

"Hello. I am called Sai. Please take care of me." Dark hair slipped over his face when he gave a small bow to the group eying him for the first time. Most of the office was thoroughly unimpressed, but not all.

'Hot damn,' Aiko thought. 'Why are all the men I know ridiculously good-looking? This isn't even funny anymore.'

Really, it wasn't. It was easy on her eyes, though. And Sai was slightly older than her physical age- just old enough that she didn't feel like a total creep for checking him out. (She knew Sasuke was beautiful, but hell if he didn't look like a child to her. Maybe in a couple of years she would be willing to tap that, but right now Yamato was her best eye candy).

Sasuke grunted, and for one horrid moment she thought he had spontaneously developed telepathy and heard her unprofessional thoughts. Luckily, he seemed to be ignorant so far. She had carefully kept any hints of the perverted side that Yamato was now far too familiar with for his comfort and that Kakashi-shishou was amused by from Sasuke. That was mostly because she had the benefit of knowing that appearing to have a romantic interest in him was the fastest way to drive Sasuke off. If she wanted him to respect her, she had to be professional.

She'd somehow managed to trick him into respecting her just a little bit, and she wasn't about to ruin it now.

That was another reason this mission was going to be a total drag, she knew. Her displeased thoughts didn't cross her face during the mission briefing and she somehow managed to pay attention to what little she was allowed to know. (Mist? Why the hell were they going on a diplomatic mission with Mist? She thought that they were isolationist and universally hostile). But the situation was still a total bummer. Yamato had been included on the team for some stupid reason, and he was going to think that she had either given up on taunting him or (much worse) actually figure out that Sasuke and Kakashi-shishou were good shields against her perversion. (She definitely curbed her enthusiasm around shishou. He didn't seem ready to see her as an adult yet, and probably with good reason. Her body was thirteen, after all.)

The worst part was that she didn't even dislike Yamato. He was talented, handsome, and seemed to have an easy going personality… when he wasn't paying attention to her. She was almost a little hurt that he seemed to single her out as an object of dislike. She hadn't done a damn thing to him.

Despite her lack of personal enmity for the guy, she couldn't let his pointed silences and little snipes at her slide. It was probably a character flaw, but she always had to have the last word. Most people didn't challenge her (people just sort of let her do whatever she wanted, with the exception of the few people she deferred to without question or attitude), and so this was disconcerting. He didn't fit in her hierarchical understanding of relationships.

'Sai might, though,' she mused. That was going to be a strange fit. They could be equal comrades with differing specializations who deferred to the other when appropriate, perhaps? He didn't seem like he would be overly aggressive, unless one counted the insulting names that had been his trademark in canon. Her personal theory was that those things stemmed from his lack of socialization and not an actual cruel personality, so she wasn't going to let them bother her if they happened.

The answer to the question of nicknames was answered soon after they left the building, accompanied by Shizune. Kakashi-shishou had left in a flicker of light, but the others were all there when Sai turned a painfully fake smile on the rest of them and tilted his head like a bird. "I have read that it is considered friendly to give nicknames to companions based upon their notable attributes."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, the question, 'Is this guy for real' written all over his features.

Sai was socially awkward, not blind. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly at the snub, and then his grin widened to bare perfectly white teeth. "I will call you Dickless."

'What,' Sasuke thought flatly. 'What.' That didn't even compute. Why… who would say such a thing, in public or otherwise? This mission was doomed to failure, because Sasuke was going to kill the moron and hide the body in a lake as soon as they were out of Konoha. This could not stand.

Aiko actually choked. Apparently that nickname had more to do with Sai than Naruto. Or maybe there was a commonality between the two boys that they would doubtlessly not fess up to.

He turned that unnerving gaze on her while Sasuke whitened to an unhealthy shade and became dangerously still with rage, like a cat about to pounce. "And you…" he tilted his head the other way, as if to take her in. She felt Yamato practically begin vibrating with anticipation, clearly interested in the conversation. "I think that you will be washboard. You're rather flat, aren't you."

'Okay, maybe he is testing the waters by intentionally being insulting,' she acknowledged in her head. 'Either that or he's using some logic I don't yet see to assign names.' She was far from flat-chested, especially for an athlete. 'Maybe that means Sasuke is hung like a horse.'

Alas, speculations were useless at the moment, and there would be no opportunities for field investigation.

Her companions seemed to agree that the nickname was inappropriate. Sasuke looked like he wanted to attack Sai, and she might have been worried if he'd already possessed Tsunade's super strength. On the other hand, Yamato looked highly amused at what he probably perceived to be a situation that would embarrass her. Shizune was wheezing with laughter.

Canon had made clear that getting angry at Sai would solve nothing- either he simply didn't understand what he had done wrong or he intentionally pushed back against aggression. So telling him to fuck off was right out. She wasn't even that insulted, really. She knew she wasn't flat, and if she had been, it wouldn't have mattered anyways. Her job wasn't to be pretty, it was to be good at killing people. And she was.

So she took it in stride, looking down pointedly and cupping herself with both hands. "I'm not that flat," she said mildly, giving a generous squeeze. If she'd seen Sasuke's expression at that moment, she might not have continued. "I'm almost a C." She wanted to see Yamato's face –was he smug now, huh?!- but had to look casually back at Sai. "What about him?" She jerked her head towards Yamato.

Sai turned his head to the suddenly still man. "I thought that was the kunoichi of the team," he said mildly.

"An honest mistake," Aiko agreed, despite the fact that Yamato was a hunk of manly man. Said manly man looked a bit stricken. Oh god, she was going to love having this kid around. She gave him a genuinely amused smile. "Well, when you think of one, tell us. I'm sure I'll enjoy it. You have a knack."

He seemed pleased. Perhaps he wasn't intentionally provoking them after all.

'It's just me she hates,' Yamato realized numbly. He felt oddly miffed. That was unfair—this boy had been far ruder than he had. Was she really going to hold a few minutes of dismissal the first time they'd met against him forever? He'd been certain that Aiko was going to join the Uchiha boy in murdering their new teammate and forget about him altogether.

Was this what it was like to have someone you disliked on a personal level? Yamato had never had an enemy like that before.

He didn't like it much.

"Okay gaki," Jiraiya half-pouted. He did feel a little guilty that his apprentice thought he was being neglected so much that he invented a new technique to impress him. So it was time to teach him something really cool. He'd had to pay more attention to what was going on in that last village than his apprentice—something was very wrong among his contacts. The man he had come to meet- the one who had been sending him dull, regular reports for the last few years- had apparently been dead for half a year. Yes. Something was very wrong, and it had been a bad place to bring his nearly defenseless apprentice.

At least it was a nice day for travel. The sky was clear and the sun beating down cheerfully in a way that could have convinced him he was still within Fire Country if he didn't know better.

He stiffened, bringing his hands up and clapping, tapping his wooden geta on the cobblestone surface of the road that hadn't quite yet faded into the dirt that characterized country roads. "The great Jiraiya, the gallant toad sage, will be teaching you his specialty, starting today!" He grinned down at his apprentice.

Naruto looked spectacularly unimpressed. "You already taught me toad summoning, and I don't want to learn how to be a gigantic pervert and get beat up outside hot springs."

'Is that all the kid thinks of me?'

Jiraiya tabled that troubling thought and moved on to pretending to be hurt. "Come on kid, do you really think that summoning is all I can do? I'm internationally renowned because I am a seal master, a rare and difficult specialty."

"What, like the thing the creepy guy put on Sasuke with his hickey of doom?"

That made no sense, so Jiraiya decided to ignore it. That was his general policy whenever his apprentice started to say things that were arranged in perfectly good sentences but still incomprehensible.

"Sealing is an incredibly versatile art," he boasted, posed heroically with his fists on his hips and hair ruffling dramatically in a wind that did not exist. A couple of young girls traveling down the same road passed them, giving Jiraiya strange looks. They were clearly making an effort not to catch attention and edging along the other side of the path. Naruto shrugged helplessly and tried to apologize with his eyes.

'He's not paying attention,' Jiraiya noted. 'I'd better get louder.' He wasn't going to put up with the sheer hypocrisy of his obnoxious apprentice being embarrassed by him. Jiraiya broke social convention because he liked to. Naruto barreled through propriety with all the elegance of a drunken cow.

"Behold!" He whipped out a prepared seal and activated it with chakra. It fizzled and sparked with electricity, charring the ground where it landed. "Fuinjutsu can be used to fundamentally alter the nature of laws of dimension and space, to do things like store chakra, solid materials, bend space, or even time! You can use seals to make explosives, contracts with summon clans, spy, detect intruders, or even utilize powerful attacks of other chakra natures!"

"Big deal, my sister can do that stuff." Naruto turned his nose up. "Boring! I want something cool, like maybe a sword that channels chakra like that Ino's sensei has."

Jiraiya was genuinely insulted. He was far cooler than Sarutobi Asuma, that diapered brat. And besides, "Your sister can't have mastered fuinjutsu. It takes years!"

Naruto snorted. "Maybe for you. She had to learn it for the Chuunin exams."

"That's not a Chuunin skill."

The blonde gave him a 'Are you stupid' look, which Jiraiya resented more than just a bit. "Not her exams, mine. She was working with Anko on the second exam. She made the summoning scrolls that brought Chuunin to meet teams that opened them at the tower."

Jiraiya face-palmed. 'Minato, you put the Kyuubi in the wrong kid,' he groused. 'One of them has prodigal sealing talent, and it's the wrong one. What is Sarutobi-sensei thinking? I can understand testing her to see if she had any of her parents' ability, but why wouldn't he tell me so I could direct it?'

It had to have been a test. No one would honestly expect a Chuunin to master an entirely new skill set like that in a few months at absolute most. Anko wouldn't actually be a bad supervisor for that. Sarutobi sensei had taught all three of his students advanced sealing. Even though Jiraiya was the only one who had gone a conventional route with it, being apprenticed to Orochimaru would have exposed the girl to plenty of fuinjutsu.

He had been a sealing prodigy himself once he got past the initial barriers of learning a new language, of course, but fuinjutsu ran in Uzumaki veins as much as blood did. He'd met a few in his time, and they were positively uncanny, often understanding and executing concepts they hadn't been taught and couldn't verbalize. Naruto had a bit of that quality himself, but it seemed to be directed to understanding jutsu instead. Maybe he had more of Minato in him than Kushina in that regard—Minato had pushed himself to become a sealing expert precisely because he found it difficult and intellectually engaging, not because it was intuitive. He and his red-haired wife had been a fearsome duo indeed with their combined abilities and wildly varying approaches. If they'd lived, they would have revolutionized everything. He was sure of it.

But that ship had sailed, and this was what he was left with. Jiraiya would do his best to pound some introductory level fuinjutsu concepts into Naruto's head to see if it would spark intellectual curiosity. If not… well.

Jiraiya heaved a sigh.

He'd just have to teach the brat to hit things really hard. Depressing.

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction

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boombambaby · 5 months

Text

Drabble; Haunted

He’s startled awake by silence, his mouth falling open on a wordless scream as his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room around him. Panting as he struggles to push himself upright, Kuzco fights momentarily with the woolen covers before he’s able to fling them off of his legs and turn out of the bed. “Th- the guards! What happened to the guards?!”

In all of the excitement with what happened, Kuzco had completely forgotten about the guards who fell to their death from the aqueduct in animal form while trying to capture him for ‘trespassing’.

Yzma had completely disregarded them, ordering them after him without a care for the consequences. Kuzco and Pacha were helpless to watch as they fell, screaming into the fog concealing the watery depths below. Who could ever be so heartless? To just send those men to their deaths? His primary goal at that point had been recovering the potion, and he hadn’t exactly been in a position to do anything for the guards regardless. But— he just. . . forgot. In all of the excitement surrounding his return to humanity, and his return to the throne— he’d completely forgotten those men who had fell to their death in front of him. “Sire?! Sire! What’s wrong!” The raised voice of the royal records keeper near bursting through his door startles him out of his thoughts, and Kuzco grabs his chest as he hauls his legs back up in the bed in defense. He doesn’t scream again so much as . . . exclaims his surprise. Loudly. “Don’t DO that!” He orders, taking a few measured breaths to (hopefully) calm his heart before it beats right out of his chest. “I was uh. . . “ He pauses then, considering. If anyone would know about the fate of those guards, or what had been done for their families— it’s the royal record keeper. “The— the guards. There were five of them. Who were helping Yzma. . . do you know what happened to them?” The little man pauses for a moment, seemingly thinking as his gaze drifts across the room. “Well, they died.” He tells him, not unkindly. Blunt as always. “Right, right. I know that, Huapa. I meant— has anyone contacted their families?” It must shock the records keeper as much as asking for his name did all those weeks ago. It’s still uncanny for the staff here at the palace, when Kuzco deigns to show any form of concern for them now. It’s a constant reminder of how much he has to make up for, and it’s humbling every time he notices their look of surprise. Speaking of which; Huapa’s jaw drops in silent surprise, his expression momentarily stunned before he’s able to school his features into something much more solemn. “Um, no sir. The council was more invested in reinstating you to your proper title and cleaning up Yzma’s, uh— ‘creative touches’ to the palace.” Suddenly, the room feels too small. Like it’s closing in on him— and if he doesn’t get some fresh air right now, he never will. Kuzco pushes himself out of bed and reaches for his robe, aggressively tying it around his waist. “I see.” In a few quick strides he’s at the window, taking a deep breath as he surveys the city below. It’s quiet this time of night, with only a few people meandering through the streets with their carts. “First thing in the morning; I want you to arrange a meeting. Find out the names of each of the guards, and send a summons to their families to come to the palace.” Another deep breath, and the weight on his shoulders feels a little less daunting. “If we’re going to do this, we do it right. No more wishy-washy, under the carpet. . . things.” Kuzco can’t see from his place in front of the window, but Huapa allows a small smile to curl his lips; proud for once of the Emperor making an effort to do the right thing. “Very well, your highn— “ “Huapa, we’ve been over this. Kuzco. You can call me Kuzco. . . I’m in my pajamas.” A casual clearing of his throat. “Very well, Kuzco. Get some sleep.” It’s not until long after he hears the click of the door close behind Huapa, and the final lantern of a traveling peasant flickers out of his line of sight that Kuzco returns to his bed. It’s not much, but it’s a start.

#kuzco #roleplayer #the emperors new groove #fanfiction #drabble #disneyrp #MENTIONS:#yzma

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floraesky-a · 9 months

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angst prompts | @tokushuei asked: 'save it. i don't want to hear it.' geiz to sougo

The words tossed his way instantly have an arm moving to reach out for the other but it stops, falls helplessly back at his side as lips that normally hold a happy smile instead take on a hurt frown. Geiz can be very wishy washy with him sometimes, seemingly warmer sometimes and back to cold other times. Sougo gets mixed signals from the other too much, yet he's also able to understand the others ways at times better than Geiz might realize. Geiz has every right to not want to hear him out on things for the very reason of being someone that knew of the kind of person that Sougo became in a future ( the kind of person Sougo actively works against becoming and a future he's changing ). Sougo does not grow angry or even upset with Geiz, instead he approaches the situation with understanding and unending kindness, so much so that he knows to back off and give him space and time to come around.

" Okay. " Any other words he had been about to utter before had died on his lips at the others own words, instead he is quietly uttering a small response, accepting the fact that Geiz doesn't want to hear him out right now and that's absolutely fine. He doesn't throw a tantrum, he doesn't argue to be heard, he doesn't snap off and he doesn't run his mouth ( he simply accepts it because he cares about the others feelings on things ). There's a smile, meant to be understanding and reassuring as he makes his way to exit the room, not before stopping and looking at Geiz one more time. " I'll get out of your hair for now then. " Does he want to leave without fully clearing this up? Not really no, but he cares enough about the other males feelings on the things at hand, the matters at hand and everything that could be bothering him that he feels it best to step back and let Geiz breathe.

" Geiz . . . I'm sorry. " And it's an apology for so many things, things that he hasn't even done to upset Geiz but a version of him has from a time he hasn't even lived has. It probably wasn't what Geiz wanted to hear but Sougo wanted to say it at least once before he left the other alone. He's not sure if his apology would mean a lot or if it'd probably mean nothing to Geiz for it wasn't this version of himself that needed to apologize but at the same time he still felt he needed to, someone needed to. It's complicated, it always is, he accepts that too. Life is not lived without some complications, life is actually rather full of them but the choices you make, the things you do can either make the complications ten times worse or ten times better. He hopes he's making the right choices, he's trying to ( not for himself but for Geiz and even Tsukuyomi too ). He turns to fully leave now though, feeling heavy but the heaviness is not found in that of his limbs, the heaviness seems to be found somewhere in his heart instead.

#tokushuei #// where the fuck am i going with this what is this even about why is it so complicated why is sougo thinking so hard #// ANY FUCKING WAYS #// i said anyways angst might as well full send it into something that i have no idea what it's about but shakes it #// sougo: apologizes regardless if it is wanted to be heard or not KSDJFHGJKFSLDKDJKFSLD #// i could've like taken this another way tbh but i was like yeah let's see what the brain cooks up #// instead i feel like i cooked up a fucking mess of Sougo's thoughts and far less words spoken KDSFJGDKFSLD #// sougo just: geiz #// i will never not be emo about how he is just like: okay #// because he cares he just KDSJHFGJKFSDFDJGFKSD DOESN'T WANNA UPSET HIM SDFJDGKFLSD #// iDK GEM #// my brain is small and tired i was trying #// i just wanna be normal about the sougo muse i have in my head KSDJHFGJKFLSDKFJKFDS #// anyways throws myself off the dash sorry if this makes absolutely no sense i said dial up brain #⸻ ❛ 𝐢𝐜 » tokiwa sougo.

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13eyond13 · 2 years

Note

weird q but how do you picture death note boys (light, L, mello, near) in a relationship? do you think they'll have a softer side for their loved ones or they'll act as they usually do with them as well? more affectionate maybe?

LIGHT: He'd hate insecure clinginess and people acting overly familiar and emotional and possessive with him the most, probably. He's very used to having people chase him around and vie for his affection and time, and I think it's a big turn-off for Light to see somebody as desperate for him. He probably would enjoy the relationship being sort of secretive in one way or another, as well. He's definitely not socially anxious or shy, but I do think he is normally a pretty introverted person who likes his privacy and alone time when he's not just doing a bunch of social obligations to fit in. I think he would both kinda like smugly showing off a bit in public with whoever he was with, and also want to keep a lot of things about the relationship private as well. He probably really gets a kick out of sneaking around, even when he doesn't necessarily have to be secretive about what he's up to. A good sign that Light genuinely likes somebody is that he gets a lot more playful and strange and goofy around them and forgets about being unimpressed and aloof all the time, I think. He seems to reserve that mischievous weirdo side for people who are actually entertaining and interesting to him in some way. And I think that if he really did like somebody he'd be prone to secretly being pretty devoted to and romanticizing of them in a surprisingly loyal way, as well

L: I think he'd both be extremely obsessive and one-track minded and nosy in a relationship, but also really aloof and difficult to read and non-clingy at the same time as well. He'd probably be prone to spoiling and coddling his partner and also kind of neglecting his partner at different turns, just depending on where his attention is currently fixated and how he's feeling at the time. Much of what he actually thinks about his partner would be kept to himself or wrapped up in dry humour or cryptic/sassy remarks, and much of what he thinks about them will also be incredibly bluntly shared without warning. So they'd have to be someone who prefers a bit of mystery and distant/ironic teasing humour, and who can also dish it right back to him sometimes, too. And I think that even though he'd be kind of obsessive over his partner he'd also want to maintain quite a bit of independence from them in order to spend time on his own interests, so he'd prefer it if they had a life of their own and other hobbies and interests as well. But that if he did actually find the sort of person he'd want to be in a romantic relationship with that they'd probably be his favourite person ever, and the only one he really cares about hanging out with and talking to 99% of the time, too

MELLO: I think he'd definitely want somebody he could always be real with and feel like he could trust. I think he prides himself on being independent and self-reliant, so somebody laid-back and supportive who'd give him space when he needs it and doesn't try to make him choose between their relationship and his other dreams and goals. I think he always wants to even out the balance with people if they do him a favour of some kind, so not anybody he'd ever feel inferior to or indebted to, either. I feel like he'd be pretty good at telling people exactly how he feels about them without getting embarrassed about it, too. I think he really hates murky ambiguity and indecisiveness and nonconfrontational behaviour in other people. Probably does his best to avoid being around it, and to never be the kind of person who exhibits that sort of wishy-washiness himself

NEAR: he'd also be pretty good at being forthright with his partner about his feelings for them, I think. He wouldn't want to play any mind games with them so much as just have a genuine connection with them and keep things pretty supportive and straight-forward and sincere. I think he'd both be really affectionate and kind of stand-offish too all at once, because I think he needs to have his own autonomy and space a lot of the time too. So somebody who understood that and didn't get offended by him needing to be alone and not wanting to do some of the same things they want to do at times. His idea of being close to them would probably be talking to them frequently about deeper subjects that have been plaguing his mind lately, giving them thoughtful presents, working together with them on things that they're both interested in, and just chilling together in the same room doing their own things separately, too.

#in conclusion all of the death note geniuses are cats not dogs #light yagami #l lawliet #mello #near #ask #anon #p #headcanon #myhc

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sfb123 · 3 years

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I just read your drunk Liam fic and I just HAD to send you some prompts!!! From the prompt list you hyperlinked 9, 16, and 17 maybe? (Preferably liamxriley) pretty plz?* insert puppy dog eyes🥺*

Well… since you inserted puppy dog eyes…

I wanted to try to incorporate all three of these into one story, which actually worked out really well. Then, the issue came of how to make that apply to Liam and Riley. Luckily, my current binge obsession is the 90′s sitcom Mad About You, and there was an episode the other night that set a lightbulb off in my head, so this fic is loosely based on that episode.

Prompts:

“We should grab coffee together sometime.”

“I’ll walk you home.”

“You need a lift?”

(Prompt pulled from this list. Feel free to send me more!)

Word Count: 1,431

Warnings: Adult language, mild innuendo

A/N: Thank you @phoenixrising308 for pre-reading. Your kindness and support are unparalleled, and I love you dearly.

Also a thank you to @txemrn for dealing with my unnecessary back and forth about this moodboard. I ended up going with it, even though we were both so wishy washy about it.

A/N 2: This is my third prompt story this week, I’m going to take a break and quietly write by myself for a while. I’ll continue to work on the asks I have received, and please please feel free to send more. I’m having so much fun! I just don’t want to bombard you all, so I’m going to start pacing my posting. When I finish a piece, I just get so excited when I finish something that I want to show you all so badly!

***

Liam and Riley sat across from each other at the table, sharing the piece of cake that sat between them. They were in New York visiting Riley’s family for a few days, and her mother had insisted that Eleanor spend the night, so the royal couple was taking full advantage of their child-free night, wrapping up the evening with dinner at one of Riley’s favorite restaurants.

“Hey, check that out.” Riley tipped her head toward the bar, where a man was approaching a woman who was sitting alone at the bar. “He’s going to shoot his shot and try to pick her up.”

“How do you know?” Liam asked, watching as the woman nodded, the man immediately sitting down beside her.

“I worked in a bar long enough, I can read the body language and tell you exactly what’s going to happen.”

He turned to his wife, a skeptical expression on his face. “Prove it.”

“Wow, you don’t even believe your own wife. I’m wounded.” She placed her hand over her heart in mock devastation. “Fine, I hope you saved room after that cake, because you’re about to eat your words.”

Riley went on to explain what each was saying to the other, and accurately predicted each move that was made. Liam was so impressed that part of him felt like she may have hired these people specifically to act out this scene.

“Now watch, he’s going to pull out his phone and try to get her to put her number in.” She said, as the man reached into his back pocket.

“Is he going to get it?” Liam couldn’t help but be invested in the story that his wife was narrating for him.

“She’s going to give him a number, but see how she’s already almost standing up?” Liam nodded, waiting with baited breath for her to continue, “She’s going to give him a fake number, and then leave immediately. She doesn’t want to reject him to his face.”

“That’s cold.”

“It’s life, we’ve all done it.” Riley replied nonchalantly.

Liam’s gaze snapped to face her. “You’ve given men fake numbers before?”

She nodded and shrugged. “Lucky for you. You never know, I could have ended up suckered into marrying one of those creeps. Or like locked in their basement or something.”

He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “I consider myself very lucky for that.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

“Oh oh, here we go, look!” Riley brought his attention back to the bar where the woman was shaking the man’s hand. “Ooooh, not even a courtesy hug. Game over, dude.” They watched the woman exit the restaurant, as the man started typing on his phone. “He’s sending a text to the number she gave. It either won’t be delivered, or he’ll get a reply from someone who is most definitely not that woman.”

“That poor man. He just wanted to find love.”

Riley sighed, shaking her head. “Ahh my sweet, romantic king, your naiveté is so heartwarming. That man is just looking to get laid.” She laughed, “For all the normal experiences you missed out on, aren’t you glad that you never had to pick up women at bars?” She paused for a second. “Present company excluded, of course.”

Liam laughed, his expression quickly turning serious. “Actually, I kind of wish I could have had the opportunity. I think I would have been good at it.” Riley arched a brow at him. “I mean it, I got you to quit your life and fly all the way to Europe because of one night, didn’t I?”

“Touché.” She drummed her fingers against the table in a brief moment of thought, “But can lightning strike twice?”

“What do you mean?”

“Pick me up. I’ll go sit at the bar, you come over and shoot your shot. No social season, no friends, no boxy work uniform. Just a regular guy picking up a regular girl.”

Liam smirked at the proposition. “You’re on.”

Riley left the table and took a seat at the far end of the bar. Once she was seated he put down some money to cover their dinner, and made his way to the bar. “Excuse me miss, is this seat taken?”

She looked up, smiling politely and shaking her head, motioning with her hand for him to have a seat.

“I’m Liam.” He extended his hand.

“Riley. Nice to meet you Liam.” She placed her hand in his, and he brought it to his lips. “A hand kiss instead of a shake, bold move. You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No, I actually just moved to the states from Europe.”

The bartender approached and took their orders. Liam instructed him to open a tab to cover himself and Riley. He took Liam’s card and stepped away to make their drinks.

“So, why is a beautiful woman like yourself sitting here all alone?” He asked once they were alone again.

Riley tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at the bar, playing up her role. “You’re sweet. I uh… I was supposed to be meeting someone, but I think they stood me up.”

“Well, their loss is my gain.” As the bartender set down their drinks, Liam lifted his glass in Riley’s direction. “A toast,” He waited for Riley to raise her glass before he continued, “To the missteps of old friends, which allow the opportunity to make new ones.”

“So we’re friends now?” Riley asked as she tapped her glass against Liam’s. “That’s awfully presumptuous.”

“Well, we’ve only just met. I’m hoping that perhaps we could get to know each other and see where the evening takes us.”

Riley agreed, and they began with some small talk. Riley stuck to her pre-Cordonia life, while Liam had done a pretty good job of coming up with a non-Royal backstory. They sat there talking, and drinking and ‘getting to know’ each other. Riley was impressed with Liam’s subtle flirting skills and decided that he was right, he would have been pretty good at this had he been given the chance.

The lights came up, and Liam’s bill was dropped on the bar in front of him. “It looks like they’re closing up.” He said as he reviewed the receipt, signing his name at the bottom. “This was a lot of fun Riley, I would like to see you again. We should grab coffee together sometime.”

“I actually don’t drink coffee, I think it’s gross.”

“Oh.” Riley smiled to herself at the disappointment in his voice.

“I would like to see you again, though.” She reassured him.

He looked up at her and smiled. “Could I take you to dinner, maybe?”

“Dinner would be nice.”

“Great!” He noticed the annoyed expression on the bartender's face, they were officially the last customers in the bar. “We should probably go. I’ll walk you home.”

“I actually have a car waiting for me outside.” He dropped his head, again disappointed by the rejection. “You need a lift?”

He smiled widely, standing from his seat. “I’d like nothing more.”

He offered his arm, she slid off the stool and linked hers through his. They exited the restaurant, and were greeted by Bastien, standing in front of their SUV. Before the guard could reach the door handle, Liam released Riley’s arm and jogged ahead, opening Riley’s door for her.

“Such a gentleman.” She smiled coyly as she slid into the backseat. He smiled and got in after her.

“Back to the hotel, your majesties?” Bastien asked as he entered the driver’s side.

“Yes please.” Riley answered.

Liam looked at her curiously. “Assuming I’m going to come home with you, bold move.”

She laughed. “You don’t have to come, but I promise you’ll have fun if you do.” Riley said in a sultry tone, closing the distance between the two of them.

“Riley…” Liam’s voice was just above a whisper as she leaned in, finally pressing her lips to his. They pulled back breathless from their kiss, their eyes remained closed as they rested their foreheads together. “I guess lighting can strike twice.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the second time I picked you up in a bar, and the second time you kissed me first.” He grinned triumphantly.

Riley leaned back, laughing as her eyes met Liam’s. “I guess that means you win?”

“Great, let’s go back to the hotel so I can collect my prize.” He brought his hand to her cheek and pulled her in, kissing her again.

Permatag:

@anjanettexcordonia @athena-penrose @bbrandy2002 @chemist-ana @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @emersynwrites @emkay512 @gabesmommie1130 @gkittylove99 @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @kingliam2019 @lucy-268 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @mile9213 @mom2000aggie @nestledonthaveone @phoenixrising308 @pixie88 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @queenrileyrose @secretaryunpaid @shewillreadyou @sincerelyella @sweatyrysconnoisseur @tessa-liam @theroyalheirshadowhunter @twinkleallnight @txemrn

Liam x Riley:

@jared2612 @neotericthemis

Liam:

@amandablink @ao719 @yourmajesty09

One Shots:

@bebepac @darley1101

#choices the royal romance #choices the royal heir #choices the royal finale #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #trr #trh #trf #play choices #choices stories you play #liam x mc #liam x riley #trr fanfic #trr fandom #trh fanfic #trh fandom

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lady-star-strings · 3 years

Text

To everyone on the timeline saying wedding!Dream didn't do anything wrong... He got flowers on the SMP saying George would love them, implying that they were meant for him originally. When he was caught by Fundy and questioned about it, Dream said he "misspoke" and gifted them to Fundy instead. After that, however, he then turned around to get another bouquet in secret and told Niki not to tell Fundy.

The bouquet he had in the pictures showing off his dress meant infidelity, and he was looking in George's direction repeatedly during the wedding. When it comes to exes or past crushes, love can be messy and sometimes it's hard figuring things out, but Dream's biggest downfall with that was not being firm in his choices.

Personally, I think Dream still loved George and had wanted to be with him, but when his affections weren't originally returned, he moved on with Fundy. George then realized he messed up and wanted Dream back, but the wedding was already happening, so he objected and tried to show Dream he was serious about them now. But what the hell was Dream supposed to do with that - the objection, the kiss, the "It was what I had to do." - out of the blue and in the middle of his wedding to another man no less?

Yeah maybe part of him still wanted to be with George yet, but he had missed his chance, and now Fundy was in the equation showing him all the love he wanted... But did Dream really want to marry him because he loved him, or was he just looking for a way not to be lonely like he hinted at being during the date?

Of course Dream ran away in the end, he was probably confused as all hell as to what he was going to do with his heart being pulled every which way. And to be put on the spot about his absolute mess of feelings about the situation in front of everyone too? Runaway bride Dream was practically a given in that scenario.

After all, what other choice did he have until he could clear his head and properly explain both to himself and everyone else what was going on?

TLDR: Dream was a victim in his own right during the wedding by being humiliated for not knowing and fully understanding his feelings and being put on the spot about them. However, he also kinda brought it on himself by being wishy-washy on who he was choosing and it resulted in him being put in that position again. Love is messy and complicated sometimes.

#don't sleep won't sleep #sleep is for the living #dream smp #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #dreamnotfound #fundywastaken #dnf #fwt #the wedding #wedding!dream #fwt wedding

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thewritetofreespeech · 3 years

Note

oh oh! those knb headcanons were very nice!! thank you for writing themm can I please have something similar but them being bfs 🥺💖

Sure thing! Sorry in advance if I used the wrong pronouns. It was just easier to us “girlfriend” than be more gender neutral this time.

KnB Boyfriend Type HC

Kuroko

Good boyfriend

Possibly met because #2 ran up to you and yipped at your ankles til you picked him up

Animals can always spot good people

Difficulty in expressing himself fully and how much he cares about you

It’s hard to express how much you like someone if you don’t use your words. But tried really hard to be more vocal

On the flipside, in not being very expressive, Testu-kun is very blunt. As we all know from him roasting people unintentionally

Would be very up front if people went “Awww! Is that your girlfriend~!”….”Yes this is my girlfriend [Y/N].”

No shame. No hesitation in the lad, which throws people off.

Makes a point to have you involved in Serin or GOM activities. Doesn’t want you to feel left out.

Loves to pet your head. Totally gets why people do it to him all the time.

Favorite activity: reading quietly together. Sometimes the same book so you can discuss. Often times separate books just sitting together on the couch.

Akashi

Torn between Akashi wanting someone hyper type A like he is to keep up with him or someone just incredibly sugar sweet.

The boy needs some mothering in his life. Not in a creepy way you pervs!

Want to see him with an adorable ball of sunshine who’s always happy and tries to make him smile

Lots of soft Akashi smile. Gah! My knees!

All free time not dedicated to studying or basketball is dedicated to you

When you have his time, you have it. His attention is only focused on you when you’re together

Respects your need for privacy and alone time if you ask for it.

Weird ultra first world dating problems. “My family is going to our private beach for 2 weeks in the summer. Do you want to come? We fly out Thursday.”

Above is very rare though. Much more prefers “commoner” dating plans like going to the park or window shopping.

Yes I made an Ouran reference in a KnB Headcanon post. Sue me.

Favorite activity: gardening. Likes to watch things grow and create things with his own hands, and you. Finds it extremely peaceful to be out with the flowers on sunny days.

Aomine

I love Aomine to death, and I say this with all the love in the world: he’d be a terrible boyfriend

At first anyway

Really has no concept of others outside of himself at times & is extremely selfish

Also has the emotional capacity of a moody 5-year-old

It will take a lot of work for him to change

And, more importantly, the right person

Any man is willing to change for the right person in their lives

Once he works over some of his hurdles, he can be a really good boyfriend

Extremely protective. Don’t even look at his baby wrong or you’re gonna get molly-whopped on sight

Always proud to show you things. Like a new dunk. Passing grade on one of his assignment. This really big crayfish he found

Praised all his life for basketball, but literally nothing else. Has a super praise kink.

Favorite activity: taking naps and cuddling with you. Very octopus-y with his limbs. Hope you went to the bathroom before you laid down!

Midorima

Good boyfriend. Maybe tries a little too hard.

Super focused on his studies and planning. But not super good with expressing emotions. Accept annoyance

Also you can’t plan falling in love

Would super try though

Probably reads ever shoujo manga Momoi has to research on how to be a good boyfriend & what girls like. With disastrous results.

Much better boyfriend when he starts being himself

Your superstitious love nerd keeps track of your horoscope as well, to let you know everyday what to look out for

Possibly a ploy just to talk to you everyday

Also checks in to make sure you’re eating properly

Brings you your own lucky item on particularly “ominous” days according to the Oha Asa

Favorite activity: study dates. Likes the quiet, collaborative spirit of you both working and learning together. Also possibly so he can help you; and show you how smart he is.

Kise

You know what this shirt is made out of? Boyfriend material

Probably a line he used on you when you were first going out

Most experienced with dating out of the bunch

Kise is the ultimate cliché, rom-com boyfriend

Some of it is an act. Most of it is genuinely his personality

Love it when he let’s a little of his real personality shine through, and turns the “show” off for a while

Remembers every birthday, holiday, anniversary, and mini-anniversary and makes a celebration out of it

Likes to bring you to his model shoots because “look at how popular I am! be proud of me! also did everyone see how cute my girlfriend is!”

Same with the above if you come to his games

Hella gentleman. You don’t touch a doorknob while Kise is around for the first year of you dating

Favorite activity: dates around the city walking around. Maybe go see a movie. Or split a crepe by some fountain in the park. Real A level cliché stuff.

Murasakibara

Kind of hard dating a 7ft toddler. But you make it work

Murasakibara is really sweet though

He might not get it all the time, but does have a genuine desire to make you happy and be happy with you

Misses you a lot when he’s at school. I feel like I read somewhere that Yosen was an all-boys school, but could find no proof of that. Rolling with it though.

Texts you a lot during the day at school. Mostly to complain that he’s bored or wants to get cake after school

Brings extra snacks for you on outings. If you don’t eat them he will, so win-win.

Would share one single potato chip with you if you asked. Which is a big accomplishment

Would totally give you his beloved hair tie if you need it.

Gets teased a lot by his older siblings when you come over

Like standing in a field of purple headed giants when you’re at his house

Seriously, what are their parents feeding these kids??

Favorite activity: blanket forts and movies night, with lots of snack & fizzy drinks. No scary movies please.

Kagami

Totally not in love with you until the moment he is

And you’re gonna hear about it that moment too

Being wishy-washy with your feelings is the same thing as being afraid. And Kagami Taiga isn’t afraid of anything!

Except dogs. But he’s working on that.

Way to a man’s heart is through his stomach

Make him some food or a bento and he’s yours forever.

Loves it when you come to his practices and games

He gets super fired up

10x more likely to play harder and win when you’re around

Also 10x more likely to break shit because he really is just a big puppy bundle of testosterone and enthusiasm.

Always needs to be near you when you’re around. Whether it’s hugging, holding hands, or standing right beside you, he always wants you to be by his side.

Favorite activity: eating meals together. Particularly at home. Loves when you cook for him, or if you make something together. Likes to sit at the dinner table and talk about each other’s day, what you want to do that weekend, really anything.

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all-about-seggs · 3 years

Text

False Love-

Rating: ❌ 18+, Explicit ❌

Pairing- Timeskip! Yandere Oikawa Tooru x fem reader

Word count- 1.8 K

Warnings- Aphrodisiacs, fingering, dub-con, vaginal sex, Oikawa is delusional and sad.

A/n: This is my fic for the Valentine's day Collab that @ultimate-astridwriting hosted. I hope I was able to live up to their expectations (ᗒᗩᗕ).

Roaming around the busy streets of Palermo, ginormous heart shaped props occupying the narrow lane paints Oikawa's vision in scarlet. Love is in the air, as they say, was quite literally true for the beautiful city of Argentina.

In the midst of giggling couples and warm twinkling lights, the annoyed click of his tongue gets drowned out; Unnoticed ;making him recognise his own solitude.

Normally he'd have hoards of girls vying for his attention, trying to take him to their place but maybe it was because of his age, or the mountain of experience with the momentary flings that made him want to search for something deeper.

He used to be fine with superficiality of his relationships, the repeated cycle of getting himself off of any faceless women who came onto him then forgetting her existence the next day was fulfilling in itself. Afterall, his career has always taken priority.

Though the last remaining brain cells of his body tries to rationalise the situation he is getting himself in, Oikawa had already decided what kind of connection he wanted and and was just going to let himself have that. Selfishness is not something he ever disliked anyway.

He felt no need to hide his disdain, Oikawa wasn't one to be subtle about his pettiness either, that's why the contrasting emotions of his own, clashing with the jubilant ones of his surrounding annoyed him to no end.

The chocolates wrapped up neatly in his hand felt heavy, causing his fingers to tremble slightly. It wasn't the weight of the box but what he intended to do with the said item that made his insides twist with excitement.

Yes. It was excitement. Happiness and pure bliss that he felt when he rang the doorbell of your modest appartment in the costal side of the city. Despite having the sea right next to your place, the cold February air still made you shiver as you opened the door to see Oikawa standing at your doorsteps, all smiles with a dash of extra in his typical 'hand on the hip' pose.

Surprised wouldn't even being to describe your current state of shock. You spend the next few seconds just starting at his ever confident form before his voice brings you back to your senses.

" Yooohooo~ babe, I'm sure I don't look 'that' good. I just finished with practice so my hair's probably a mess right now", he continued on with his cheery tone,

" Come on, It's not like you have anyone else to spend Valentine's with, so why not just let me in already and look", dangling the expensive looking bag in front of your eyes, his expression took on a slightly sinister turn in their features, the kind that went away as soon as they appeared not leaving any trace of its original condescending vibes.

" I made these chocolates for you", emphasizing on the made part he stares right into your eyes, as if waiting for his well earned praise. Heaving a sigh of defeat you release the door know you didn't knew you had in a death grip, opening the door completely in a gesture to usher him inside.

Oikawa quickly makes himself at home, plopping down on your couch with his long legs stretched.

This was the first time you had seen him after the rejection of the high in demand position of his girlfriend. The face he made when you turned him down was of utter disbelief so much so that you almost reconsidered your decision. But you weren't that wishy washy in your opinions and his was a type you made sure to ignore.

You were aware of his salty personality and the habit of holding grudges, so you thought after that fateful day he'd ignore you like the plague, but for all his arrogance Oikawa's face was the epitome of gleeful.

" Soooo", starting off with an awkward note you casually try to sit on the furthest arm chair from the couch Oikawa was currently occupying and tried to ask what exactly was he expecting out of his current visit but he quickly cut you off by his own booming voice.

" Before all that, why don't you try these?", Pointing to the chocolates he starts unwrapping them, as he pulls the decorative ribbon, two rows of brown, heart shaped delicacies appeared.

"Don't be shy, I made these for you afterall", he remarked, pushing the box on your side of the table.

You didn't think much of it, afterall, 'making' chocolates just means buying store bought ones and just melting them into different shapes right?

Popping one small cube in your mouth you let it dissolve, your taste buds filling up with the sweetness of the treat. Just as it finished you heard Oikawa speak again.

"You probably know why I'm here, but I'll tell you again", readjusting his posture, he sits straight, both the look in his eyes and tone taking a more serious turn.

" I thought about why turned me down that day and I finally realised......You were just scared weren't you?", rather than upset he sounded relieved as he continued with self assuredness ,

" Of commitment? Or because of my job? Either way I can already assure you that I was already prepared to put you above everything else if the situation calls for it".

You were just sitting, listening to his outrageous conclusions when you felt your heartbeat increase. The sweaty palms of your hand to the moistness in your core, your entire body started reacting in ways you'd never experience before.

"You thought that I'd keep our relationship on the back burner and only focus on my career? You were just lonely weren't you?", With every passing second his delusional words seemed to work with more and more intensity that didn't helped your hyperventilating state at all.

"And you rejected me because you didn't wanted to have an absent boyfriend right? So in reality-", by the time he finished he was already in front of you, the fire in the depths of your core made your mind hazy and eyes unfocused. You wanted to ask what was happening or what he put in those chocolates but forming any coherent words was a feat on its own in your current condition.

He smoothly takes one of your burning hand in his cool ones, the contact making you instantly lean onto him for more. You're sitting in a daze when he pulls you up from the arm chair and places you on his lap back on the longer couch.

In your already aroused state, the soft strokes of Oikawa's fingers on your scalp made you succumb further into the need for release as you sit on his lap with your head resting against his shoulder. The room was now quite safe for his soothing voice that came from right about your head.

"You love me right?", the words that come out of his mouth in the heated moment betrayed all his attempts at feigned composure. He may have spiked the chocolates with some sort of aphrodisiacs but the way your heart hurted after hearing this made it seem more like a love potion.

With his barely audible voice they sounded almost like a plea, another desperate measure to get what he wanted.

Before you could even notice, your vision tilts and you find yourself pinned to the couch, with Oikawa hovering right above you. His hands on your sweatpants, lowering them all the way to your ankles. And the weirdest thing?

You didn't wanted him to stop.

Not when he spread you out completely in front of him. Not when he was shamelessly staring at your naked pussy with a maniacal glint in his eyes and definitely not when he shoved two of his thick digits up your leaking pussy that covered his entire palm in your slick at the slightest of contact.

Your soft walls clenching around his fingers was all he needed before he stared unzipping his own pants. He gazed at your panting body while he pulled his cock out, flipping you on your stomach with your ass up and face shoved down.

You barely cared about anything but getting fucked good at this point when you heard some rumbling behind you, as soon as Oikawa was done putting on a condom he lined himself up against your entrance.

Not wasting any more time he slips past your folds until he is buried to the hilt. The feeling of being stretched out and filled to the brim coaxed out a few lewd moans from your mouth.

Your slick was enough to make Oikawa pick up a hard and fast pace, your entire body shook with every thrust of his. He kept his hands on your waist, pushing himself as deep as he can before pulling out until only the tip remains. Your own orgasm started building up with his every action.

His member throbbed against your insides and the moans that slipped past his gritted teeth indicated he already came but his cock showed no signs of softening as he kept going with his brutal pace.

You bury your head sideways, tongue lolling out and covering the fabric beneath it in your drool as Oikawa lodges his cock further into your pussy from behind. He moves in and out of you with ease, the slick from both your pussy and his previous release was more than enough to keep his memeber going.

Gripping your ass cheek in one hand, he trails his other one in between your thighs. Quickly his digits grazes your clit, the pressure they added along with the heavy thrusts pulled you closer to the edge. The anticipation of your impending release was all your lust laden head could think about the feeling of ecstasy that you desperately needed.

The intensity of your orgasm made your eyes roll back, and if it wasn't him holding you firmly in place, you probably would've fell down the couch. With your entire body shaking your panted heavily from your mouth to calm yourself.

Oikawa doesn't make any attempt to pull out or move and even after your breathing becomes even his member is still lodged deep inside you. He gently starts gyrating his hips against your pussy again and it becomes obvious that you weren't the only one under the effects of aphrodisiacs.

As cum trickles down your inner thighs, all you could decipher was the overwhelming bolts of pleasure Oikawa's cock provided and the sounds of your skin smacking against eachother's.

With his hands on both of your sides, he lowers himself down until your back was flush against his toned chest, his raspy voice rumbled through your ear as he spoke in a dark possessive tone,

"Don't forget..... we are in love"

#haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyu #haikyu x reader #Oikawa #oikawa toru x reader #Oikawa Tooru #haikyuu oikawa #Haikyuu Smut #smut #Oikawa Tooru x reader #Oikawa smut #my writing #valentine's day collaboration #tw: yandere #tw: dub con

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hobipaint · 3 years

Text

Graffiti and Chalk- two

summary: You thought you knew him. You thought him gone. Kim Taehyung was part of you that you had carefully suppressed, keeping his memories to one box near the wall of your mind. That was your fault, though - empty walls demand for art. And who other than your own neighbourhood vandal?

↳ pairing: ex police student turned vandal! taehyung x officer! female reader

↳ genres: angst, fluff

↳ word count: 9.6K

↳ disclaimers: pg15!, vandalism, police officers, criminal past and heavy discussion of it, mentions of character deaths.

one | two

a/n: FINALLY AFTER A MONTH IT'S HERE! This took me really long to write but I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out : it's my longest work yet, and I feel like it would be among my best as well hehe. a massive thank you to @kookiestarlight because i swear i completed this in the first place because of tasha, @swcetnight who pointed out exactly where I need to elaborate stuff and places in which I was loosing parts of the plot because did I forget the whole storyline while writing this 🤡, @vaekth because this bby is absolutely amazing. she's supported me throughout the process of writing this, thank you so much!! thank you to @taecup-fics for beta reading this at the last minute and pointing out a bunch of grammatical errors because otherwise this would be a mess to read 😭 to everyone who has waited - I'm so sorry that it came this late, I suddenly had a bunch of exams that were announced and had to focus on those. Hopefully this lives up to your expectations!! Enjoy reading :)

Morning often dawns with a feeling of hope. With wistful sights of sunrise. Flowers open up to the golden haze that thaws the frost of the night. Birds roam the skies that had been but mysterious domains in the dark. People wake up with groans about the impending day, hopeful for it to end soon. You hoped for your mornings to always be similar to this- some constants were needed in places where you had cases as bewildering as missing pumpkin plushies piling up in your office.

Your morning today, though, was much different. Much to your annoyance.

You held the coffee you had brewed for yourself - another espresso, the universe knows you needed it - and handed one to Taehyung just as the cuckoo perching on the clock shrilly announced that it was eight in the morning.

"Do you still have no answers for me, Y/N?" Taehyung looked at you. His eyes were sullen - no signs of the cheekiness that had peeked at you last night. Scattered rays fell across his body, highlighting the sunken cheeks, brooding eyes and tight smiles you could now see better in the daylight.

You sighed- probably for the millionth time this night. "I do not understand your question, Taehyung."

"You remember it. I've asked you thrice since I saw you again, Y/N. Do you not remember anymore? Do you not care for me? Was our idea of us nothing for you?" He looked at you with a myriad of emotions written all over his face- you looked away, not wanting to see them.

Sighing, you gathered your thoughts the best you could. "Like I said, Taehyung." You looked at him- looking at the person you once fell in love with. The feeling you felt today, though, was much different. There was a feeling of running towards him, taking him in your arms and remembering who he was to you all over again, but it was overwhelmed by the confusion you felt - should you prioritize a past that wanted answers, or a future that was unsure? For now, you chose none pushing the time to make that decision further ahead. "We were an 'us' for only a few hours. Until you stood me up."

He rolled his eyes."That wasn't intentional, Y/N."

"And how was I supposed to know that, Taehyung? I thought it was, since you had never told me anything beforehand."

Taehyung's eyebrows bunched together, as if coming to hear the stories that his eyes longed to tell- stories of events that you had never seen and never known. "Would you not hear me out, even once? For the sake of our old love?"

You bristled. "What love, Taehyung?" You got up to stretch your legs out, looking at the patchwork blanket that was stuffed in the corner. You had taken that for your first date with Taehyung, planning to cuddle with him and watch the stars - a date that never happened. "What love? A love where you don't speak to me for weeks, and then vanish for some crime? We were young then, and I got hurt then as it is. There's no need to go over this right now."

"That was not my fault, Y/N. You know that." Taehyung seemingly sunk back into his chair, eyes downcast. "I had said I loved you. Before I ever went out with you."

"Like that matters,” you scoffed, “what's the point in reminiscing promises from an old love?"

"At least, hear me out?" He looked up at you with hope sprinkled in the abyss of his eyes. "I don't want you to forget me."

You turned back to your chair, tearing your eyes away from the blanket that was now a pale blue in the sunlight - a few shades lighter than the cerulean colour it would be in the afternoon. "Not now, Taehyung."

Taehyung sighed, looking at the floor, tension exhaled into the room. He sat silently for a few seconds, the ticking clock announcing each moment clearly to you. "That's fair. It's just.." He looked back at you. "I'm used to thinking of you as the person I loved." He nervously let his eyes pan around the windows, gazing at the sunshine that streamed through the window, before turning back towards your gaze. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I'm just really grateful for your presence-"

"Taehyung." You sharply interrupted him. "Two years ago, when your case was reopened for investigation. Who did that?"

"They told me that it was a well wisher in the neighbourhood. Another jailor said it was for good behaviour." He shrugged.

You scoffed aloud, more loudly than you would have liked him to hear.

He frowned, lips drawn in a tight line in annoyance. "Don't believe me? I'll have you know, Y/N, I was among the most well behaved at prison. Absolutely no tantrums. I even ate the salt-less, disgusting food they'd give there. No crying. Nothing. I can show you later on if you want, I think I have a report stuffed somewhere here," He got up, shuffled towards his bag and checked the last zip, hunting for a report you had never heard of.

"It was me."

Taehyung whirled around to face you, unruly hair swinging like the seats of a carousel at a carnival, and raised an eyebrow. "What were you?"

"I was the one who insisted on opening the case for reinvestigation, the case of your stepfather's assault. Went around collecting evidence, searching for people who knew about your family better, getting their voices recorded, finding about the whole deal to frame you and stuff. Nearly got fired." You shrugged, sipping your espresso and wincing- too bitter. "You're welcome, by the way. The coffee is getting cold."

"I don't care about the coffee." He moved the cup aside - nearly spilling the liquid, roughly settling back into the seat he had been occupying for the last few hours. "You were the one who asked for re-opening the case?"

"Just said that."

He slumped back in his seat, and your eyes took in how he spread himself out on the chair, tiredness lacing his figure. "I didn't know that."

"Now you do." You said, sipping your coffee and watching Taehyung do the same.

Taehyung stared blankly at you, and you couldn't fathom what was swirling in those ebony orbs of his. "Why did you do that, Y/N?"

"Honestly," you smile softly at him, "I was expecting a thank you."

"You should have expected questions, Y/N. Why did you help me?" Taehyung's blank expression made way for a confused one, eyebrows furrowing and lips pouting.

"I did what I had to do as a-" You paused here, unsure of what to say. "As a friend, Taehyung, nothing more. I knew you were innocent-"

"How were you so assured?" He pressed on."I could be a complete 180 from the man I met you as. I could be fake. I could be an impostor. I could-"

"You could do a bunch of things, Taehyung." You stared him straight in the eye, trying to keep your emotions at bay. "But you could never tell a lie."

Taehyung scoffed. "You sound like one of the wishy-washy pick-me kind of girls in the movie. No, I don't lie, but I could."

You sighed. As much as you cared for Taehyung, you had never really cared for his argumentative attitude. "I went with the assumption that you were the same person I knew, Taehyung. The one whom I respected and trusted. I acted on that feeling."

"That wasn't trust, Y/N. It was naivety. You were naive to believe me." Taehyung paused, uncertainty lining his forehead as he spoke. "You shouldn't have trusted me."

You rolled your eyes- you couldn't understand why he was so desperate to make sure that you remained aloof from him. What had you done to be treated like that? What had he done to force everyone away from him?

You tried to play off his remaining doubts and frustrations as insecurities he developed while in jail, and moved on."Alright then, you impostor. I was naive to trust you. And even more naive to believe you. Happy? Now shush. I don't want to talk about this." You tried to clear your mind of any doubts you had about Taehyung, but his behaviour, the way he interacted with you - it couldn't help but increase the worry and confusion in your mind.

Taehyung leaned forward to look you in the eye before smiling softly at you - you couldn't understand why. You were going to give him a criminal record, maybe arrest him. You were potentially ruining his life again, and he smiled at you. "If you say so, officer." Taehyung said, settling into the chair - leaving your mind reeling with questions you weren't sure you wanted the answers to.

You opened the laptop again, wearily. "Let's get back to the questions; the sooner we finish this, the better. Where did you source the paint from?"

"You mean the graffiti? And chalk?" You nodded. Taehyung sighed."Terminology, Officer, terminology. Make no errors." He raised a finger to wave at you, as if to say no. You rolled your eyes -it seemed that you were the only one concerned about what would happen to him after this, because Taehyung quite clearly was not. "I bought it with the allowance money that was kept for me in the bank- as much as I hated that man, his cards proved to be useful."

You raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "You didn't steal it."

"No. Took it from my step-father's account. Technically, now mine. Apparently he left everything to his children, and I'm the only one alive that I know of. Maybe he had other children- I wouldn't doubt it for a moment if he had, but that doesn't change my right to his money either."

"Any other members of your family who had been granted access to that account?" You asked, wanting to make sure that there were no loopholes - you didn't want a future possibility of Taehyung being entangled with the wrong side of the law again.

He rolled his eyes, leaning further. "Curious little thing, aren't you? Like I'd told you last night, most of them are dead. Mom had died a few months before I was arrested - thanks to my stepfather being an alcoholic and taking everything out on her. Grandmother already had massive health issues - she passed away after two years of me being in jail - they had let me come out for her funeral."

"My siblings - a brother and sister, if you remember - were taken in by a distant relative, and the last time I spoke to them was three years ago. I'm not allowed to contact them because I might end up being a 'bad influence'," he air quoted the words, laughing mirthlessly. "Guess they won't be too delighted to see me again. You probably know about my stepfather - got drunk and passed out. Permanently. But yeah, that's all. I'm pretty much the sole benefactor from that account."

Hearing how nonchalantly he spoke about it, you were forced to maintain a strong face and be professional. You couldn't possibly think of even wanting to comfort him in any way. "So, you were absolutely not stealing."

"Nope. No. Not at all. Want any further repetitions?"

"That won't be necessary," You said, having typed out the information - tracking his expenditures would also be necessary now, apparently. "Any expenditure you make shall be monitored, now. Be careful."

"Always have been." He chuckled, getting back to spinning the glass on the table. "You know me."

You ignored him. "Your cards will be tracked, and any loose cash will be checked by us. If we feel that there's any room for suspicion, you will have reason to be monitored."

An odd silence filled the room while you tapped away at your laptop, filling in more details about the incident. Taehyung would be having a criminal record again, you thought to yourself. It was the only thought that echoed in your mind. It made you feel uneasy in a way, but you swallowed your unease down. There's a promotion to focus on.

"Taehyung, something has been bugging me since I caught you vandalising." You shifted a little bit, before deciding to spit out the question. "Why did you do it?" You leaned forwards on the table, elbows digging into the wood as you tried to grasp the answers from him.

Taehyung looked you in the eyes, and then looked away. "I don't know."

"You don't know." You raised your eyebrows, leaning back incredulously. "Taehyung, that's not an answer."

"I did it because I wanted to. It was fun. I'd see kids in the morning pointing at my graffiti work and they would like it. There would be people claiming it looked good. I felt acknowledged and I just-" He pleaded, unable to continue without pausing to recollect his calm. "I felt like doing it. After years of having questions raised at me for committing a crime I never did, I finally had people talking about the work I did. Even if it was just chalk drawings."

You exhaled in confusion. The Taehyung you had known - he was never like this. Confident, assured, independent. That was what he seemed to you when you were younger. And now, to see him want to be validated by others who never even cared for him- it felt ridiculous to you. Why was his only way of feeling validated involving something against the law? "Okay, then."

You went through the complaints that had been registered against him, hand resting against your forehead as you asked him the most commonly asked question. "Why the insignia 'V'?"

"V for victory?" He made a 'V' sign with his fingers, "I liked to think that I won against the world by rebelling against its sense of black and white. I saw everyone talk about it, and I felt like the same people who had once pointed fingers at me, blaming me for something I hadn't done, were now pointing fingers at something I had done - I felt victorious. I didn't need to show myself and possibly want more than I had already let myself have - this was enough for me."

You pulled your lips in a tight line, and hummed in response - there were two places that together had put in about twenty complaints, so you had to respond to all of them. You kept reminding yourself that neither did you have the space to feel sorry for him, nor did you have the power to say sorry to him. You simply kept your head turned to the screen, typing in answers to all the complaints.

Taehyung leaned forward after a few seconds. "What punishment do you think I'll get, Officer?"

"If the chief is feeling good, maybe you'll get community service, with a fine," You looked up at him. "Or maybe some time in jail."

"How much time?"

"Maybe a month or two?"

"Oh." Taehyung slumped back into his seat nonchalantly. "Cool then."

How was he this calm? You thought to yourself. He might be going to jail. For a second time.

"Yup." You shut the laptop, finally, after hours of typing information and recording it. Sighing, you lifted the porcelain mug once again to absolutely drain it of coffee, your rather loud gulps echoing in the silence of your office.

Taehyung tapped his fingers on the table- probably some old tune he had learnt before. You remembered that he played the saxophone - from nights of serenading tunes that he had played for you with his beloved instrument. "How long do you think the chief will take to reach here?"

"A few hours, maybe? I'd expect him around ten, to be honest. Nevertheless, let me check." You quickly called the chief on your phone, hearing his ringtone play some old Korean trot song before it was picked up.

"Hello, yes, yes, Y/N. I expected your call." A gravely, rather rough voice responded to you- like it hadn't been used for a few hours. "I shall be reaching the office around eleven. Keep Taehyung with you."

"Yes sir," you said, keeping the phone on your table and turning to Taehyung. "The chief said he'll be here by eleven."

Taehyung nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's nearly eight thirty now." You looked at the cuckoo clock again. "Would you like to freshen up?"

"Where?" Taehyung asked, eyes widening. "Shouldn't I just be at the office?"

"Yeah, you should. My place is right here- the back of this office is where I live, so you'll be fine." You look down at his clothes, grease, paint and metal shrapnel all over them. "Besides, you look like you need a change of clothes."

Taehyung stepped into your house with an air of curiosity, to see how his once classmate was living. His head stooped low to enter through the small door you had, eyes widening in surprise when he found that the hall of your house was larger than he had anticipated.

The house was quaint, a hall with an old couch which doubled as a bed when needed. There was a table in the middle of the room, too low to be a dining table and too high to be a center table. For coffee, maybe? There were maybe five or six magazines scattered haphazardly over it, covering nearly every inch- except for one corner, where Taehyung spotted a shining acrylic blue.

You, however, spotted what page you had left a magazine open at. Squeaking, "I'm sorry!" you ran to shut the booklet close, afraid that Taehyung would spot your love for shirtless men.

Picking up the magazines, you grinned sheepishly at him. "Just a moment! I'll be back, a bit of cleaning to be done, sit right here!" You patted the couch, trying to convince Taehyung.

Taehyung turned away from the pictures he had been observing- was there one of you both? - and nodded, eyes widening in surprise as he saw how you scuttled away to hide the magazines. He looked around again, taking a feel of your house- it seemed like the old you. There was some patchwork embroidery you had left in a corner, atop what seemed to be a showpiece? Taehyung stepped closer to see it in detail, and was amazed at the way you had managed to drag the red thread over and over the pink fabric to make floral designs. It reminded him of the rose he had been trying to complete the previous night, and he grit his teeth. He shouldn't be thinking about that now. That shouldn't be what he does anymore. No more.

You came back, looking quizzically at him. "Take a seat, Taehyung! It's alright."

"Uh, yeah." He shuffled over to the couch again. "Did you make that?"

You looked in the direction his finger pointed to. "Yeah. Tried doing embroidery for stress release purposes."

Taehyung grinned at you. "Stress release?" He asked, bemused.

"Yup." You said while making sure that the magazines were well hidden. "The department I wanted to be in was forensics, you know?" Taehyung nodded, he had been privy to most of your discussions about the advances in forensic technology and analysis - even if he didn't understand anything, he knew your love for it. "Well, they didn't allow me. So the whole 'stress' thing began." You walked back to him, making air quotes as you emphasized on stress. "My mother suggested embroidery would take my mind off it. So, that incomplete piece you see there?" Taehyung nodded, concentrating on every word that left your mouth. "That started a few days ago."

"It looks like it's complete, though- are you really good at it?" Taehyung looked at you again, turning back from the embroidery you were now rising to get.

"Pretty much? It's easy once you get the hang of it."

"Ah." Taehyung said, a dull silence settling into the room for a few moments as Taehyung looked around your room.

"That picture." He pointed, and you turned your head around. The picture he was focusing on was on your mantelpiece, resting happily. The frame had butterflies stuck on its corners, two large and two small. The border was white, now off white, and had pink dots in certain places. It was a picture of fireworks- red, yellow and blue mixing together in a dull sky to breathe life into the picture. And right in the middle, surrounded by this liveliness, were you and Taehyung. Beaming.

Taehyung turned to, finger still pointing at the picture. "That's our picture, right?"

You hummed in affirmation. "That's us, freshman party. We had known each other for a few weeks at this time."

"And I had stopped someone from asking you out, right?" Taehyung reminisced. "That was fun."

You snort. "You had punched him in the face when he asked for my name, Taehyung."

Taehyung smiled. "I didn't want anyone to harm you, Y/N, and he seemed like he would harm you." He spread out his arms and grinned smugly at you. "In a way, I rescued you. That night."

And so many other nights, you wanted to say. For all the time you had known Taehyung, he had been fiercely protective of you - for reasons he never truly told you. You didn't question it either, basking in the feeling of being wanted by someone.

You cleared your throat, hoping to clear your mind as well. "You should go take a shower, Taehyung." Glancing at the clock, you noted the time and motioned towards the washroom. "It's nearly nine. Go take a shower, call for me if you need anything. I'll go get some clothes for you."

Taehyung nodded, rising up slowly to go in the direction you pointed. "Towels are inside," you shouted after him, and he yelled in response to say he understood. In some ways, too many ways, he felt like the Taehyung you once knew.

You went to your room to pick out some clothes, opening your meager collection to salvage something that would fit Taehyung. Your eyes scanned over your uniforms, jumpsuits, jeans, t-shirts and finally landed on the hoodies- probably the largest collection in your wardrobe. Thankfully, you loved large, loose hoodies. You started pulling them out, holding each one up and imagining Taehyung's proportions in them.

The red one, with blue paw prints. "Nah. Too tight."

The black plain one. "That's mine, I'm not sharing that."

The grey ones- nearly three. You skipped over all of them, not understanding how none of these oversized hoodies would seemingly fit Taehyung. He'd gotten humongous, broad shoulders and everything.

You picked out a few more, trying to see whether it would be a fit. None worked.

When you picked up the next one, you could already picture him wearing it. It was the hoodie you had taken from Taehyung during the first year you knew each other. You looked at its loose sleeves, stretchy from you tugging Taehyung behind you with it way back then. The green fabric of the hoodie was slightly pale in a certain spot - you had spilled soda all over him in a fit of anger.

During your forensic chemistry class, the teacher didn't recognise their mistakes in the procedure (they used the wrong test for detecting the sample, and blamed it on you), and you were pretty miffed the whole day. Taehyung had bought sodas for the two of you, having planned to go stargazing later on. And you, in a terrible mood, flipped him off in a way that had the soda spilling over him. You cried, Taehyung laughed, but the hoodie was still stained. You took it with you later on to clean it - but the stubborn stain never left. You were agonized, Taehyung amused, but the hoodie- it was still stained. Taehyung had laughed it off, telling you to keep it with you for as long as you wanted- he could buy a dozen more hoodies to last him till then.

When you left to head home that winter break, you had taken the hoodie with you. You had taken it on your date, crying on its sleeves when you were stood up. And when you came back, Taehyung was suddenly a criminal.

You shook your head to remove the memories of that time, holding the hoodie in your hand and gently caressing its sleeves. So many memories were held in these threads that meshed together to form the fabric of your youth. Good or bad? You didn't want to dwell on that.

"Y/N? Could I get the clothes now?" Taehyung called from the washroom. You picked up a extra large pair of cotton shorts and a hoodie, and passed it to him without really thinking- you'd done it before when he got drunk at college too, having him come over at your place, shower, change, and practically behave like a couple- at least, that's what you had thought of it then.

Get it together, Y/N, why are you thinking about that?

"Thanks!" he shouted again, grasping the clothes with his fingers and whisking them away to the confines of the washroom.

You gripped at your hair and pinched your cheeks. You couldn't keep thinking about the old Taehyung. You didn't know if it was truly him anymore.

"Uh, Y/N?" Taehyung stepped out of the washroom, the previously oversized shorts clinging to his thighs for dear life and the hoodie snugly fitting his figure. "I think it's a bit tight, but I'll make do."

Your eyes widened in horror; Taehyung looked like he was moments away from bursting the shorts. "I'll get you new pants, wait a second. These ones don't fit."

You turned back to your cupboard, looking for the loosest bottoms you could find. "I think the hoodie still fits though, right?"

"Yeah." You heard Taehyung right over your shoulder, scaring you.

"Jeez, when did you get this close to me?" You turned to face him, crossing your arms, looking at his hair which still had droplets sticking to its edges.

"When did you get this far from me, Y/N?" His eyes bore into yours, sweetly intense eyes gazing at you like it was the first time he saw you. "What happened?"

You shrugged, not wanting to answer it. You picked up a loose pair of denim jeans that you had found stuffed away at the back of your closet. Pushing it into his hands, you told him to go change.

Apparently, your instructions fell on deaf ears. "What happened, Y/N? Answer me. Please."

You moved your gaze to his clothes, not wanting to focus on the thoughts that rushed back when you thought of him. What had happened? You moved your hands to your sides, resisting the need to hold him and know him all over again. "The hoodie looks good on you. Would you-"

"So do our hands." He held yours, snugly fitting his palm- your calloused fingers against his calloused ones, heat burning in the sleeping embers of your palm. His eyes gazed at the joint fingertips almost reverently. "They fit well."

"Taehyung, now is not the time-" You begin, cut off by his frantic breathing.

"When is the time, Y/N? When will I get to live? When will I get to feel like a human? When will I be innocent?"

His hand caressed your palm, touching your forearm, your elbow, your shoulder, and your cheek -leaving a burning trail behind him everywhere he touched. You shivered. "Do you know how long I have wanted you, Y/N? Years. Seven years, now. I have loved you for years. I have wanted you for years. I did all sorts of things to remember you while in jail- kept asking for you, kept calling for you. I didn't want to forget you, Y/N. Not you. I couldn't forget you, no."

He pressed your palm to his chest, and you could feel a dull thump echo through the clothes, reverberate in your palms. "That fire, Y/N. My passion in the promises I'd made to you. It never went anywhere. I always loved you. I always will. You can't make me leave again, not again. Please, no."

He held your palm up to his cheeks, not regarding the tears that were streaking your cheeks and his. "You feel me, right? It's me. Taehyung. I am the one you trusted. I'm the same. Trust me again. Please."

You tried to hold back the tears that threatened to slide down your cheeks, not wanting to pain Taehyung anymore. He held your forehead to his, pressing on the back of your head to meet his - upclose, you could see the redness that clouded the shine that his eyes would normally have. You couldn't hold back your tears anymore, nearly whimpering when you saw how broken he was- sirens swimming in the whirlpool of his eyes, singing songs of misery. "You know me, right? Do you know me? Do you recognize me? Kim Taehyung, police cadet. Your friend. Your classmate. You know me, right?" He asked, nose nearly brushing yours. "Do you know me?"He cried, eyes washing over the fire that ignited behind his pupils. You didn't see a vandal, or a criminal, or a friend. You saw a broken man.

"Taehyung, oh, Tae," you cried, putting your hands on his shoulders, watching him slink down to the ground as his body trembled and shivered. You wrapped your arms close around his figure, unable to understand his pain but just wanting it to go away.

You sat like that for a while, coaxing the tears and short whimpers out of him as he held onto your fingers, wanting to remember something he once had: you.

"I always asked for you, you know that?" Taehyung shivered as he spoke, even if the chills of the weather outside barely seeped into your home. "I always loved you. I don't know why they kept me there for so long, Y/N. I didn't do anything wrong. I don't know why I'm made to feel like this…" he trailed away, tears gathering at his chin as they endlessly flowed down his cheeks.

You glanced a nervous eye at the clock, wanting to make sure that you get to the station- no matter what happens. The bubbling of water distracted you from the ticking of the clock, and you turned off the stove. Scouring your cabinets for a chamomile tea bag was hard, but you knew you needed it. Taehyung always seemed to calm down with tea - you had used it multiple times before. Times of which you have multiple memories. Times you wish to forget.

Why did I ever love Taehyung? The question kept echoing in your mind as you leaned on top of the kitchen counter top. Things would have been so much simpler if simply looking at him wasn't so hard. His smile, his behaviour, his tears - it was all but a painful reminder of what you could have been if things had gone different. If only.

You poured the hot water into the mug you had settled on the kitchen top, watching the water bloom into a serene shade of yellow as you dipped the tea bag into it repeatedly. You prepared one mug, then another, hearing the soft declarations Taehyung kept repeating while he was seated.

All you had wanted to study was forensic science, and that was simply for one reason: you didn't want to interact with people.

People are complicated, over emotional beings. and you couldn't help but feel helpless every time you had to encounter a suspect. You would constantly be told by your professors to see them as lawbreakers - but all you tried finding was signs of humanity in them. That even the most vicious killers had scope for reform. That's why you stuck to the subjects you wanted - you were good at finding signs of life, not squashing them. You consistently failed those classes, without any doubt. And today, it seemed like all those classes were laughing at you.

"Here." You handed the mug to Taehyung, who muttered thanks. He rubbed his hands once or twice on the pants you told him to change into and took a sip from the warm tea. You resisted the urge to reach out and wipe the tears that lined his face, and try and wipe the scars of the past that had scarred him so badly - but you couldn't. You were a mere spectator in the game of his life. You couldn't possibly do anything other than hurt him more.

"Thank you. For letting me express all of it. I could finally say everything that I wanted to before I was forbidden from speaking about it again." Taehyung tapped against the mug, fingernails resting on ceramic as the sun slowly headed westward. "I'm sorry that I've been such a burden to you, Y/N. I wonder if I can do anything to reduce the pain and confusion I put you through - I doubt I can." He looked at you carefully, though you couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Thank you."

You let his words echo in the room, preoccupied with your thoughts. It hurt you to see him so broken, and you couldn't help but worry about him.

"Taehyung, I-" You opened your mouth to respond, watching Taehyung pay attention to every move you made - only to be interrupted by your phone loudly ringing.

"Sorry, this must be important." You got up to get your phone, watching Taehyung slump in his seat from the edge of your vision.

"It's the chief," you announced, picking up the phone.

He got straight to the point. "Come to the station, soon. Bring Taehyung with you." he told, his voice laced with a rather sharp edge- a tone that you had recognized in the years you had worked under him. Things were- most probably- not good.

You responded with a simple "yes", mind dwelling on the impending result that Taehyung would get. You felt that it would be unlikely that he would be going to jail- at least, you hoped so.

Turning to Taehyung, you tried to hide the fear and shakiness that lined your voice. "Let's go."

Taehyung sighed, playing with the mug as he rose up. "It's time, isn't it?"

"Good morning, Sir." You greeted the chief as he hurried into the small office, giving Taehyung a glance and then facing you.

"Morning." He gruffly responded, turning to your laptop. "We found an eyewitness for the vandalism, so we are getting them for the interrogation as well."

"Another interrogation? We've already done it, sir, and all the information is recorded here. I doubt it will be necessary-"

"Please, Y/N," He calmly said. "Leave the decision about it being necessary to me."

You stepped back, subconsciously edging closer to Taehyung - a move noticed by the chief as well.

"Y/N," he began, "I need to speak to you. In private. Step outside for a few moments, please."

You nodded, briskly walking towards the doors and yanking them open. There was a warm gust of wind that blew across your face, and you turned to face the chief.

"Y/N," the chief began, before pausing for a moment, "Officer Y/N. I'm going to need you to think clearly now."

"Yes." You set your features as tightly as you could, not wanting to seem distracted in any way.

"Do you have any type of bias in this case, perhaps due to your past relation with him?" he looked quizzically at you, as if trying to decipher an enigma scribbled onto your face.

Your blood chilled, for some reason. Were you having any bias? "No, sir."

The chief hummed - you couldn't make head or tail of his reaction. He kicked at a pebble before continuing. "From the recordings I heard the previous night in the office, and the way you let him come with you to freshen up a bit, one particular thing has struck me: you were trying to find reasons for Taehyung to be justified as a victim, weren't you?"

You gulped before responding. "Yes, sir. I believe the culprit committed vandalism as a coping mechanism to get over the hurt caused over the years."

The chief sighed heavily. "Well then," he said, "I suggest we continue with our investigation, and find a way to make sure the culprit in the matter is stable as well. We can't have repeated cases like these - we have a reputation to uphold for the police as well."

You nodded stiffly. "Yes, sir."

The chief sighed again, glancing at the street. "Our witness should be here soon." He turned to you again. "Funnily enough, she volunteered as a witness with CCTV backup to claim that Taehyung had vandalized her shop too. Apparently she heard you arrest him last night - so we have to hear her out."

The chief turned again to the road, eyes narrowing in hopes of spotting the witness soon. "The investigator whom she contacted has said she is a reliable witness, but I'm going to need to verify her statement nonetheless." He turned back, heading into the office.

You stared at the road that the chief was looking at before - the direction from which the supposedly reliable eyewitness would come, before heading back inside.

Taehyung was still slumped in his seat, fingers tracing drawings all over the pants you had given him. The chief was shuffling around behind the desk, pulling two spare chairs ahead - one for Taehyung, you presumed, and one for the eyewitness - whoever that would be.

"Mr. Kim Taehyung," the chief began, "there has been an eyewitness who has offered their testimony - whether it is to defend you, or further establish evidence of you vandalizing public spaces, I'm not yet aware. We shall be interrogating them - and maybe you, as well, now."

Taehyung rose up from the corner he had settled into, and shuffled into the seat the chief had set for him, wordlessly.

The door opened to reveal an older lady, dressed in a purple shaded hanbok, hair delicately pulled back into a tight bun and eyes peering around the whole office in curiosity. She found the chief, walking closer to the desk where he was arranging the records. "I'm here as the eyewitness..?"She said, looking at both you and the chief.

"Ah, yes. I presume you're Ms. Park?" The chief asked, pulling the chair out for her to settle into it. Under the light that shined across her face, you could make out the wrinkles that lined her skin and the greys in her hair - not that that was relevant to what would happen.

"I saw him vandalize the outside of my store a few days ago," she earnestly began, pulling out pictures that she had taken of the design on her window. "I'm a florist, you see. His designs are clearly inspired by that, aren't they?" She pushed the pictures in front of your vision, and you could see what she meant - the designs of orchids, hibiscus and asters stared back at you, intricately painted onto the glass windows of the florist's shop.

She pulled out more pictures. "There's been similar instances all over the neighbourhood- the other florist had a rose, the school received drawings full of children's stories and fairy tales, and had their walls painted with similar stories. In fact, the restaurants around here even said that their menus were drawn onto the streets, right in front of their doorstep."

The chief looked at the pictures carefully, with you peering at them as well, taking in the detail that Taehyung had while he worked while making each of his works- no, vandalising, you corrected yourself. He raised an eyebrow at the eyewitness, who seemed to shrink into her seat. "What does this bring forward as evidence for or against the culprit? We already know what the crime is, and its details. We just have to determine a punishment- either a hefty fine or jail. Do you have anything that can justify him getting exempted from either?"

Ms. Park looked at you and the chief before turning to Taehyung apologetically, placing a hand on his knee - as if consoling him. "I think that at the end of the day, all he was doing was beautifying the neighbourhood, wasn't he? And most of the residents here don't have a problem with it-" the chief looked at her incredulously- "so please, don't punish him or something. A lot of people appreciate his work in our neighborhood, you know?"

"But we have been receiving complaints about him since the past few days," the chief said. "Why the sudden change in opinion?"

Ms. Park fidgeted with the hem of her hanbok for a few moments, shaking her head nervously. "Some of us shopkeepers were really bothered by it at first, yes, but we also had some customers come over to inquire about the artwork. It looked professional to them. So we came to an ultimatum : we will let this young man paint and draw for us, on our walls, as much as he wants - as long as it's pretty," she emphasized, one hand patting her chest, "we'll pay him to do it."

You held back a sob as you saw Taehyung's eyes glimmer - a ray of hope shining in them.His knee bounced up and down- a habit you knew was something he had had since years - and he smiled softly when Ms. Park squeezed his hand. You felt like things were finally going to go well. The chief exhaled roughly before rubbing his forehead, glancing at Ms. Park, who smiled at him in the hope that he would understand her reasoning.

"The law, honestly, doesn't care about intentions- I don't think I really understand why I should even let him go. Vandalism is a punishable offence, and the perpetrator has been aware of its consequences. Why the sudden feeling to save him?" The chief questioned, eyes steely and tough.

Ms. Park hesitated for a few moments. "I believe he deserves a second chance." She pulled her chair ahead, the metal ends scraping against the tiles, and pleaded once again. "He was arrested for years for something he hadn't even done - and now, might face a few more months in the same place for simply being artistic. I don't think it deserves punishment."

"That's for the law to decide, not you, madam." The chief sternly said. "I suggest you leave such decisions to us."

The room remained tense and quiet for the next few moments, and your eyes were trained on Taehyung. You noticed the quiver in his hands, the way he shrunk into his chair - as if to hide away from whatever the upcoming decision would be.

Ms. Park was the first to interrupt the loud silence. "Oh, come on. Let me just pay for the boy's bail."

The clock chose that moment to loudly announce the next hour: was it eleven? Twelve? You weren't paying attention. You only saw the way Taehyung rose up from his seat - in happiness, you thought - with fists sticking to his sides. "No. I won't accept it."

You felt the chief look with just as much disbelief as you did. Why was he so hellbent on being a perpetrator when he could be free?

Ms. Park laughed. "No. I'm not listening to that whole self righteous thing that you probably have," she swatted the air with her hand, as if to push away any explanations Taehyung could give.

"Look, ma'am. I have the money to get a bail, or even pay the fine. I don't want you to pay for me and then hold it above my head like a massive favour you have done for me." Fire blazed in his eyes as he spoke up, rather indignantly. "I can take care of myself."

"To hell with that attitude," Ms. Park said. "I decided to help you because I didn't want you to suffer once again because of misunderstandings." She pulled Taehyung back to sit on his chair, clasping his hand between her wrinkled ones. "You had to go through so much pain at such a young age - no one deserves that. I was a mere bystander at the time you were arrested, and I regretted it then. I still regret it now."

She sighed before caressing the back of his hand lovingly, thumb gently pressing on the skin- as if to feel the pain those hands had to go through, and you thought you saw a hint of a tear on his cheeks. "So don't question me for 'saving' you, or something - what you did was perfectly fine for me. I love the way my street looks now, and so do the neighbours. All that really remained was the artist's identity- and now that I know it's you, I don't feel any sort of guilt in justifying what you did."

You were right. Taehyung was crying. It wasn't silent tears that rained gently down his cheeks, it was a whole thunderstorm. You saw the chief turn away, from the corner of your vision, but you couldn't bring yourself to do the same. He was biting on his bottom lip to hold back any of the sobs or whimpers that came, head lowering to hide the tears.

Ms. Park simply caressed his hand, over and over, till he calmed down enough to wipe his tears with his free hand. And when he raised his head up, you saw him like a new person. The wound up Taehyung you had met again a few hours ago was slowly vanishing - in his stead, there was a free Taehyung who smiled like the world's burden had been lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you," he murmured.

The chief sighed again. "I still don't understand how it came to this."

"Neither do I," Ms. Park laughed. "But it is what it is. We'll pay the fine."

"I'll do it," Taehyung started, only to be shushed by the elder lady. "I want to do it. Let me do it." She turned again to the chief, the bubbly happiness giving way to seriousness. "You can make sure he pays the fine, right? Withdraw the complaints for us too."

The chief looked at you and nodded, and you got to work - carefully opening the laptop again and making sure that you transferred the report from 'investigation' to 'resolved', and that the complaint was withdrawn.

The chief, meanwhile, made physical records of it, and informed Taehyung of the fine - which, despite his insistence, Ms. Park paid off, whipping out a cheque she had kept ready, somehow. You added the details to his resolved record as the chief dictated them to you, keeping them for future references - which you hoped would only be needed to prove his innocence in any situation.

Nearly twenty minutes of details, questioning, and a written assurance from Taehyung that he would be liable to arrest if he continued illegal activities, it was done. Taehyung was free.

The chief read over the details once again, thoroughly, eyes getting heavier and softer with every document he checked. Once it was all done, filed, and you had stacked the records back in the drawers they were placed in, the chief sagged into the chair, hands clutching the steel arms for support.

"Thank God," he whispered, eyes closed. "You're fine now." He got up shakily, hands wiping at his eyes to erase any traces of the tears that had possibly leaked out. He walked around the table, reaching for Taehyung - as if beyond the lines of that desk, his duties as an officer stopped and those as a teacher resumed. "Don't you dare do that again, Taehyung. Never again." He held his student by the shoulder tightly, gripping him and shaking him a little - like a parent would scold a kid. "Live a good life, please."

Taehyung nodded frantically, eyes still wide in disbelief as he ignored the grubby tear streaks on his face. "I will, sir." He had his hands placed politely in front of him, trembling fingers clutching onto the rough denim fabric of the old, loose jeans you had made him wear.

"Live well," the chief repeated again, thumping Taehyung's shoulder once and then turning around to collect the documents he would need to take with him. He bowed to Ms. Park, who acknowledged him before something at a corner of the small office caught her eye, and turned sharply to you. "Officer Y/N," he began, and you tensed a little bit more. "There was an opening last night in the forensic science department that I got notice of," he said, a smile tugging on the edges of his lips when he saw how your demeanor brightened. "Reach the head office tomorrow in the morning at ten, and I'll give you the details. All the best."

You hastily held back the sudden smile that threatened to split on your face, smartly saluting your senior before he turned around to leave the office. As he opened the door, you felt a burst of warmth all over your body - the heat of the sunshine rushing into the room.

Ms. Park walked from her corner to Taehyung, taking his palm between hers and squeezing. "I'm happy that you're free now, Taehyung." She looked carefully at his face - sternness making way for soft concern, and said, "Live wisely. If you need money, or a job to get you started, come to my shop - it's the one you painted with orchids. You remember it, right?"

Taehyung responded with a rather choked 'yes', nodding his head frantically. He placed his other, trembling hand upon the lady's hands, and solemnly thanked her.

"That's not needed, I told you." She smiled, before patting his cheek. "You deserve to let yourself live, so use this chance well. Work hard." She turned her head to look through the window behind her, groaning a bit at the sight of the brightly burning sun. "I better leave now - it seems that I'll end up getting a sunburn the nearer to twelve it is." She turned back to Taehyung, smiling softly, and patting his cheek. "Turn up at the shop tomorrow morning, we'll figure something out."

"Oh, and officer?" she faced you, pointing in the corner where she was standing a few moments before. "I think my grandson had left his plushie over here a few days ago - it's this one, right?" You followed where her hand was pointing, finding a pumpkin plushie left casually on top of a table. "Sungwoo told me he had lost it some time ago, so I just thought it was this one," she laughed awkwardly.

"I think it is his, he had come yesterday to file a missing complaint for it too," you said, causing Ms. Park to laugh. "He really loves it, doesn't he?"

"He's not slept well since it went missing. Anyways, I better take it with me, if that's all."

"Just a moment, ma'am," you stopped her hastily. "He'd left a note for the plushie too - I believe Peter?"

The elderly woman laughed at her grandson's antics, taking the note you offered her and grinning as she read it. "Yes, yes, Peter. I'll take the note with me. Thank you so much for everything, officer."

Thank you, you wish to say - unable to understand how she volunteered to be an eyewitness and defend the one person you cared so much for. Maybe words wouldn't be enough for you to convey how grateful you were to her, so you simply bowed to the woman.

She took Taehyung's hand again, gently pressing on the back of his hand. "Your mother used to help me out in the shop, you know." Taehyung nodded, and she smiled. "Your hands are like hers. Delicate, yet strong. You can craft beauty with this hand, Taehyung." She squeezed his hand, smiling. "Don't just let that beauty slip away from you."

She patted his hand again, before turning to you and smiling, and heading out. The sunlight bounced off her gray hair to shine on Taehyung as you looked at him - even with a tired expression, he looked more alive than you had seen him in the last few hours.

"I'm free," he said, saying it aloud and letting himself feel the sensation for a few moments.

He turned to you, watching the way your eyes told him that you understood everything you wanted to tell him - even the things he himself didn't understand. "I'm free, Y/N," he repeated, carefully examining his wrists that were once bound with handcuffs - no. There were no restraints there.

His eyes panned around the room. There was no investigator who questioned him about why he simply couldn't admit his crime. No one who made fun of him for seeking comfort in his art - even if it was illegal. "I'm really free," he murmured again.

Taehyung leaped towards you, pulling you close and holding you tight, as if unable to believe that you were there with him: and that he was here with you for as long as he wanted to be. You let your arms circle around his neck, one curling through the hair at his nape and pulling him further into your embrace, and the other spread out over his back - trying to remind yourself that yes, he was here, with you.

"Thank you," you felt him murmur into your shoulder.

"For what?"

"Just being here. With me." He sighed, further tightening the hands that rested around your waist. "After so many unfamiliar faces over the years, seeing yours feels like a reward of sorts for behaving well."

You laughed at him, slapping his back light heartedly. "Don't talk like you did anything wrong all those years ago. It's not good." You let your hands pane across the expanse of his skin, feeling him cling on to you as you tried to calm him down. "I'm happy for you, Tae."

He held you like that, for a few more moments - like you were slowly pulling him back into what could be his new normal life. Waking up every day in a room that doesn't have steel bars as a door. Not having to crash at the old house that had haunted him for years. Not having to hide his face in the fear that someone would taunt him for his past. Actually doing something that made him feel happy, confident, and alive.

"I'm happy too," he murmured into your shoulder. You hummed as he looked beyond your frame to see the streets outside the window - seeing how they were illuminated in daylight. How animatedly people were talking about what their plans for the day were. A kid kept hopping on a chalk drawing of hopscotch he had drawn on the footpath, clutching onto a plushie that oddly seemed like a pumpkin. Someone walked around their stall, setting things up for the day.

You pulled him away from your grip to look at him again - not wanting to forget any part of him in any way. "I still care for you as much as I did all those years ago, you know." You put your hands on his biceps, just as you used to do when you had to knock sense into your friend. "You better not hide anything from me now."

"I have no intentions of," he grinned. "Thank you very much."

You giggled, a feeling you hadn't felt in years fluttering around your stomach like butterflies.

"About us," Taehyung began, holding your hands in his, "You know that I love you, right?" You felt yourself tense up, and probably Taehyung did too, as he squeezed your hands. "I'm not in any hurry. I want to take some time to understand myself and what I want to do before I think of anything with you. But when I'm settled, and I'm someone I can be proud of, I want to come back to you. Be with you forever." He let go of your hands to hold your cheeks, smiling as he saw your big eyes peer at him. "You'll let me, right?"

Your eyes softened. "Of course, Taehyung."

"Tae." He corrected you, coming closer to press a kiss on your forehead.

You smiled when he moved back, glancing down at all of him and laughing. "For beginners, how about we get you clothes to change into?"

He looked down at his clothes, laughing with you. "Let's go, then?"

You nodded at him, pulling him out of the office, and locking it securely before turning to a widely grinning Taehyung. "I have a feeling I'm going to love the daytime. It's just so positive, and nice, don't you think? Really warm all over."

"You're just saying that because you lived like a night owl," you laughed at him, watching his eyes sparkle in the sunshine.

"Yeah, that wasn't the best way to live, was it?" He clicked his tongue and frowned. "Guess I better start living well now. To new beginnings, then, Officer!!" He grinned and poked your forehead.

You watched Taehyung skip over the pebbles that were lined outside the office, walking freely on the streets, feeling the dread that you had let build up in your heart for so long slowly drain out of you. "Wait for me!" You screamed behind him, running to catch up to him. To new beginnings, you thought.

a/n: hopefully, this piece of writing was worth your time 😊 thank you so much for reading graffiti and chalk!! I'd love to hear any feedback you have. Feel free to send it in as a comment, reblog, or as an ask! love, hazel 💞

taglist: @taejinnies (the torture is over bahaha), @xiaokoo, @thedarkwinterrose, @shatzkrinslinzki

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