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photo1030 · 2 years

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Leather and Lace - Chapter 5: No Offense

Summary: You unintentionally offend Arthur while out in town.

Warnings: Swearing & language; angst with some fluffy stuff

*Full disclosure, the line in the story “not everyone’s cup of tea” is taken from a meme that I saw. I tried to rework it so it is not blatant plagiarism

*This image belongs to @lady-of-blackwater

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Arthur stands outside of his tent, sipping his morning coffee. This is his third cup already. He taps his finger on the side of the tin cup after each sip, his attention acutely focused on something off in the middle of camp. He's observing you sitting with Lenny, caught up in some sort of deep conversation. A million thoughts are running through Arthur's head right now as he shuffles his weight from hip to hip, the thumb of his other hand absentmindedly tucked into his gun belt. Does he go over there, does he not?

After you were offered that job last week, the ensuing events caused Arthur to stop and confront the internal sentiments that have been bubbling under the surface for awhile now. He's been hoping that whatever fondness he has for you is the same that everyone else in camp has, as they all seem to have taken a real shine to you right from the start. Or, its simply due to the nature of your friendship. You and Arthur have connected pretty fast, but then again, that could be because of how you met. Either way, it seems that things are becoming more complicated for Arthur now. After everything he's been through, and everything that he still does, he's resigned himself to the notion that he's better off keeping a distance from personal relationships. But coming back to the issue at hand, fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one looks at it, you declined that job offer, a great opportunity, prompting you to stay with the Van Der Linde gang for now. But the idea that you could abruptly leave at any time has left a very unsettled feeling within Arthur, one that he himself didn't realize was creeping there within.

He finally decides to quit being a chicken-shit and just walk over. If he wants to talk to you, he should just go over and do it, damn it. No one else seems to have an issue with talking to you, why should he? Tossing the remnants of his coffee out, he sets his cup just inside his tent. Taking a quick, deep breath, he wipes his hands on the side of his pants as he heads over to the table. He admittedly is self conscious as he gets closer to the two of you, as he quickly overhears that you and Lenny are talking about books and literature.

"What's goin' on over here?" Arthur asks, trying to act casual as he sets himself down at the table next to Lenny, promptly lighting a cigarette between his lips.

“Hey, there, Arthur," a smile automatically dancing across your own lips as you greet him. "We were just discussing the book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. Ever read it?" you ask him.

"Pffttt," Lenny interrupts with a waive of his hand before Arthur can even answer. "Only thing he's ever read is a wanted poster, (Y/N)." Arthur turns his face to Lenny, brows furrowed with a disgruntled look.

"Stop it." You swat at Lenny's arm. "Arthur is probably too busy working all the time and providing for everyone here to ever sit still long enough to relax, let alone read a book."

Lenny shakes his head at you. "(Y/N), why are you so nice to the meanest one here?" he asks exasperated. The question posed causes Arthur's interest to peak just a bit more, keen on hearing your answer as his gaze shifts from an annoying scowl at Lenny to eyebrows arched in interest at you.

"Oh, he’s not so bad," you smirk as you reach over and ruffle your fingers under Arthur's chin like you'd scratch a dog behind the ear. He just quietly stares back at you, blowing cigarette smoke out his nose, making you giggle at his understated playfulness.

"Seriously (Y/N), why is Arthur always your favorite around here?" Lenny pushes again.

"He just is", you shrug with a grin, looking at Arthur as he slowly mirrors the same grin back to you. "Actually," as you stop and think, "you want to know why? He brings me coffee." You smartly point your finger at Lenny, as if you have just made a profound realization.

"That’s it? He brings you coffee?", the doubt evident in Lenny's voice. He looks over at Arthur, who just shrugs as well, accepting the compliment as he takes another drag of his cigarette.

"Oh, there’s other things for sure, but yeah, that’s what does it." You answer is so simple and matter-of-fact that it leaves Lenny speechless for a moment.

"Well, hell I could do that!" Lenny finally says incredulously, waiving his hand a bit again in emphasis.

"You could...but you don’t...so you’re not," you sweetly remind Lenny and your mischievous grin effectively decides and ends the argument. "Anyway, what do you have going on today, Arthur?" moving your attention on to other things.

"Hosea needs me to run into town for him, get some things he needs. Wanna come?" Arthur asks you, bringing his cigarette up to his mouth again. There is a slight pull on the corner of his mouth that could pass as a small smile, a tinge of hopefulness in his voice. "Could get you outta here for a bit," he adds to sweeten the deal. "Sure, but what about Susan?" you ask warily. And speak of the devil you hear Ms. Grimshaw off somewhere in the camp. She's already in a mood and raring to go for the day, hollering at Uncle by the sounds of it. Arthur motions with his head for you to follow him as he quickly gets up to head towards the hitching posts on the edge of camp. You promptly follow his lead, a huge, excited smile on your lips. "We were never here," he says to Lenny as he flicks his cigarette butt to the ground and steers you away from the table. Arthur puts his massive hands on your shoulders, keeping you in front of him to shield you from Ms Grimshaw's vision as you walk, and quickly points you towards the horses. "C'mon, it’s now or never!" he says impishly, leaning over to whisper the plan in your ear. Your stifled giggle makes a full-fledged smile suddenly erupt onto his lips.

As the two of you sneak past, Arthur calls over to Javier who is sitting off the side of his tent tuning his guitar, letting him know that you are borrowing his horse, Boaz, to which the man just tips his head to you with a smile.

The ride into the town of Silverton is pleasant and the two of you enjoy each other's company greatly. You chit-chat about everything and nothing, as you two are prone to do. The town is busy today, with people bustling all over. The mildly warm weather has drawn out a lot of the townsfolk for trade and commerce. Somewhere off in distance, you can faintly hear music being played. All in all, an enjoyable atmosphere. Today's errand consists of a quick trip to the general store for cigarettes and a newspaper for Hosea. Admittedly, its nothing very urgent, but the idea gave Arthur an opportunity to be alone with you and admittedly, he'll look for any excuse to do so. While there, Arthur also grabs a bottle of brandy for his old friend. Its not something on Hosea's list, but Arthur knows its something that the old man will greatly appreciate.

You are packing up your wares into the saddlebags as you and Arthur stand with the horses where they are tethered outside the general store. At the last minute, you remember that Mary-Beth is in need of some buttons for a new shawl that she is knitting. "Oh, you know what, before I forget, I need to stop at the seamstress shop for Mary-Beth. Do you mind?" you ask Arthur as you tighten down a strap on Boaz's saddlebag.

"Not at all," Arthur gives you a slight shake of his head. "You go on ahead. I think the shop is down the strip here a little ways," and he points down the street over your shoulder. "I'll wait here by the horses for you."

"OK, great. I'll only be a moment," you promise with a twinkle in your eye. Arthur says nothing, just nods in return, a smile of his own on his face. He watches as you turn to head in the direction he indicated a moment ago. Your hair flips about on your shoulders with the motion, a happy bounce in your step as you walk away and down the busy street. A feeling of ease begins to settle over Arthur as he sighs softly, observing how you turn your head about to watch the people you pass, and then turn to look into the store windows as you stroll by them. You have such a curiosity and wonder about the world around you that it makes Arthur think back to see if he can remember when he lost that spark in himself, and wonders if you will ever lose it as well.

Inside the seamstress shop, it doesn't take you long to grab the buttons that Mary-Beth will need. The shop isn't too large, and its neatly organized. All of the items for purchase are kept on the one side in beautiful wooden boxes along the many shelves that line the wall. The other sides to the room display the fabrics and patterns, with the open corner for fittings. You even grab another ball of yarn so that Mary-Beth can add to her project if needed. Honestly, you are in a hurry to finish your shopping here, because the sooner you are done, the sooner you can get back to Arthur. He is looking quite handsome today in his red button-down shirt. The thought makes the butterflies in your stomach flutter a bit. You don't get to be alone with Arthur very often, so you always want to be sure to make the most of it when you do.

As you come out of the seamstress shop, you are fiddling with the small package in your hands, when you accidentally catch the shoulder of a man passing you on the busy street. "Oh!" you startle. "I'm so sorry!" you apologize quickly with an embarrassed smile. "Hey, watch it, you stupid cunt!" the man snaps at you, throwing you a harsh look as if he'd strike you as soon as look at you before he turns in a huff.

You freeze in place with a shocked look upon your face, as you certainly don't think your actions warranted that kind of reaction. "Asshole", you mutter under her breath as you are about to continue on your way.

"What did you just say?!" he snaps back, halting in his step to spin back on you.

"Oh, you heard me, alright," the indignant tone just dripping in your voice as your eyes meet his glare, immediately go dark and piercing.

"You better watch that mouth of yours, woman!" the man threatens, creeping closer to you menacingly. He is not overly huge, but his demeanor is intimidating. He's clearly a bit rough around the edges, not a lot of refinement there to be seen at first glance.

"You best step back and be on your way, mister," you warn as he gets closer to you. He is only about a foot from your face now, but you hold your ground defiantly.

"Maybe someone needs to take you down a peg or two, missy," he threatens you again, this time his voice a quiet rumble.

“Is there a problem here?” Arthur's voice booms over the sound of both you and this idiot, as Arthur seems to come out of nowhere, jaw clenched tight and his eyes intense.

"You see my friend here?" you hiss out at the man as you move to step closer to Arthur. "He’ll squash your skull like a piece of fruit if you don’t get outta here!" you say as you wave the man off dismissively.

The man eyes up Arthur suspiciously. "Is that right?"

"Yeah, that’s right!" you snap at him sharply. "He’ll do it for sure 'cause I’ve seen him do it before." Arthur glances from the man to you as you rant, his eye brows pulling ever so slightly in concern. "He swats men like you away like flies!," you go on. You are not going to put up with this cretin's shit, and certainly not with Arthur here. In fact, with Arthur standing next to you, you are even more cocky, because you know you are safe with him. Always.

Arthur doesn't say a word, eyes shifting back again and burning into the man. You watch as his shoulders pull back, chest puffing out, making him appear even more massive than he already is. For a brief moment, you panic that this catalyst will spark too great an anger in Arthur, worrying if you've just unleashed more than you can contain. But, what you do not realize is that it is not just this asshole that's spurring his anger. Arthur is actually angry with you as well. You've just made him feel like a dog on a chain, like he's some implement to be manipulated as you see fit. Is this what you think of him? Arthur has no illusions of his nature or his place in the world. But he was really hoping to have a fresh start with you. Like a fool, he actually believed that you see the man behind the outlaw. But apparently not.

"You heard the lady, mister," Arthur growls at the man, his voice low, a snarl on his lips. "You best move on and keep your comments to yourself before I break that jaw of yours and you can't say anything else!"

The man shrinks back, now fully comprehending the wrath that he is about to undertake should he continue this exchange. He looks from Arthur to you, then back to Arthur again. You can tell he's arrogant enough to want to say something smart back to Arthur or to you, but thinks twice about it. He eventually says nothing, but turns his head to spit, before looking you up and down again disdainfully and finally walking away.

"What an ass," you say to Arthur as your eyes follow the man as he heads across the street and into the waiting saloon. When Arthur doesn't give you a response back, you turn to look at him, but his face is still twisted up in a scowl. You assume it is because the man, though. "Time to go," he says curtly and abruptly heads back to the where the horses are hitched, leaving you standing there by yourself. You pause for a moment, blinking your eyes in slight confusion at his demeanor before you hurry after him, struggling a bit to keep pace with his long strides.

Arthur reaches the horses first and is already slinging himself up into the saddle before you can even reach for your horse's reins. This catches your attention, as Arthur usually makes sure you are up and saddled before he would even mount his own horse. In fact, he is already turning Buck back towards the west-end of town where you both came in from before you can even get a leg up on Javier's horse. You know something is definitely wrong at this point, but decide to say nothing for now, figuring it best to wait until you are out of Silverton and heading back to camp.

The journey back to camp is quiet, and Arthur is sullen the whole ride. You shift uneasily in Boaz's saddle as you watch Arthur from behind, for he is riding out in front of you as if he doesn't even want to be next to you. "Did you want to stop anywhere else before we head back to camp?" you ask. "We could head over to that farmer's place we passed and see if he has any of those tomatoes left? I could fry some up for us when we get back?" you try to entice him into answering you, but all that you get is a "Gotta head back" without so much as a glance over his shoulder at you. "Are you really that mad at that fool in town?" you ask tentatively, not sure if you should even bring it up. Your only answer back is more silence. At this point, you are truly concerned at how Arthur is still brooding, yet won’t tell you what is wrong.

"This is ridiculous," you mutter to yourself. Finally, you halt Boaz dead in the middle of the path, waiting for Arthur to notice and stop as well. When he doesn't hear the clop of your horse's hooves, it makes him stop his own horse also. And finally, he looks back at you.

"What the hell you stoppin' for? Quit screwin' around," he snaps at you.

"Are you going to tell me why you’re being such a crab-ass?" you counter, eyebrows raised slightly.

"What’s the problem? I’m always like this," Arthur replies sarcastically with a slight head tilt. You give him a side-eye glance, trying to figure out what he’s talking about.

"Not with me, you’re not," you shoot back. Then suddenly your face softens, as you break and concern finally takes over. "Arthur, come on. Talk to me," your voice carrying the same concern as your expression. When he sits quietly, still sulking, you sigh softly and climb down off your horse and obstinately stand next to it, arms folded over your chest as you look at Arthur expectantly. You're not going to be moving until he tells you what's going on in that stubborn head of his.

Arthur hangs his head a moment in resignation before he too finally dismounts and walks over until he is standing in front of you. He stands there and looks at you for a brief moment, weighing whether he should even get into this right now, but he feels you probably won't get back in that damn saddle unless he does. "Everyone else sees me as a brute, why wouldn’t you?" he blurts out, his hands firmly planted on his hips. Now it’s his turn to look to you for answers. You stand there in silence, confused as to what he’s even talking about. And then it hits you.

"Oh….Oh Arthur, I'm...I am so, so sorry," your voice soft and apologetic. "I didn’t mean to offend you. That’s not what I meant by all that back there," you stammer, quickly trying to do damage control.

"What the hell else would you mean by that?" Arthur bites back at you, clearly angry still. You are a little taken aback by his harsh tone, but you suppose that you can't really blame him.

"Only that you’re strong and protective," you try to offer as an explanation. "I can’t hide you, you know," trying to crack a small smile on your lips to ease the tension, but it's not working. "Listen, I feel the safest when you’re around, and I’m happy to have you with me wherever I go." You reach out and lay your hand on his wrist in emphasis as you tell him this. Your eyes look up at him imploringly, praying that your getting through to him, but he’s just not having it.

"I wish you would embrace what you are, rather than curse it," you say sadly when he has no reply to your statements, slowly withdrawing your hand from his.

"What I am is what other people hate, (Y/N)," Arthur says bitterly. "People see me as ugly, mean, and heartless…as a monster," his eyes blink a few times as he drops that last bit on you, a clear indication of the profound effect that it has on his mind and his heart.

“What?!” you whisper, flabbergasted and eyes wide. "None of those things are true, Arthur! None of them!" You pause a moment to gauge where his thoughts are at, but his face is a rock, hardened and jaded from the years of abuse that he's not only endured, but given out because of it. "So you're not everyone’s cup of tea. You drink coffee anyway, so what does it matter? To hell with everyone else!" you tell him. Arthur just looks at you with a blank stare before silently shaking his head and rolling his eyes, like you're talking nonsense.

Stepping even closer, you reach out again with your hand, this time laying it on top of his gun as it sits in its holster on his hip and look up onto his face. "This is what you do, not who you are. If you hate what you’re doing, Arthur, then stop." He thinks on that for a moment. But then his eyes go hard, his face twisting up in anger again. He is still so angry right now, his emotions all over the place. But honestly, you didn't mean anything by any of this. In fact, you thought he'd be happy that you actually acknowledge and accept who he is. But for whatever reason, he just doesn't see it that way. For to him, you are the one person who seemed to look past his brutality and see the potential, what little he has left, beyond the gun.

"Don’t misunderstand me, Arthur," you say, fearing you've angered him even more now with your suggestion, because you know its not as simple as that for him. He has commitments and obligations that run deep. "I’m not trying to change you. I don’t want to interfere with your family dynamic. You’ve been together forever. But don’t let them make you into a monster. Because that is certainly not what you are." Arthur turns away from you slightly as he fidgets anxiously, not able to look you in the eye as you say these honey-sweet things to him. He really doesn't want to talk about this subject with you.

"Hey, listen to me, now" You reach across his chest to put your hand along the opposite side of his face and neck to turn him back so that he has to look at you. "You are one of my most favorite people." And you give him a beautifully warm smile.

"Yeah? What about Charles? You seem to fancy him a lot," Arthur mutters stubbornly, a tinge of jealousy in his voice.

"Well, of course I do, he’s amazing," you joke, trying to lighten the mood and get him to smile back at you. "But he’s no 'Arthur Morgan'".

"Good thing for him," he huffs in annoyance.

"Depends on who you ask," you say with a grin before reaching up on your toes and pulling him down to you to kiss his cheek. This act causes Arthur's self-loathing thoughts to halt in his mind, if even for a brief moment, which is what you were hoping to do. Arthur feels that with you, he has finally found something in his life that is pure and good. He stares into your eyes, searching for the doubt that he believes has to be there somewhere. But while he knows that you do, in fact, see him differently than the others do, it is also painfully obvious to Arthur that you clearly see his violent tendencies, whether you admit it or not. He honestly wants nothing more than to wrap his palms around your soft face right now and kiss your sweet lips. He'd love to show you that he’s more than a hammer; he has softness and vulnerability. He knows this because he's become all too aware of it since he's met you. He'd simply love to hold you so tightly to him that you’d never go. But he can’t. That's not fair. To you…or to him, for that matter.

Arthur reaches up and holds your hand that is still on his face for a moment before slowly pulling it away with a sigh and dropping it, his eyes lowered and fixated on your shoes. The anger that had welled up in him has passed at this point, and is now replaced with simple disappointment. "C’mon, let’s go," he says so softly that you almost don't hear it.

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Back at camp, you feel just awful. You know how sensitive Arthur is. Ironically, he comes across as the meanest one in the gang, yet he’s probably the most sensitive one out of all of them. His self-doubt is almost equivalent to his physical size, being all-consuming of him. But once you say something, you can't unsay it, now can you? You wanted Arthur to feel like he always at least has you on his side. But now, you may have alienated yourself to be just like everyone else. And it’s a feeling that you do not like. You like being special to Arthur. Because he has become so very special to you.

Its been two days since you and Arthur went into town and he hasn't spoken to you since the ride back. This morning Mr. Pearson had asked for someone to go out hunting for more meat and Arthur jumped at the chance to get out of the camp. Currently, you are at one of the tables in the shade, sewing up a tear in one of Javier's jackets. Its one his favorites and he asked if you could try to save it for him. Off to the side, Micah is outside of his tent, watching you with great interest before he saunters over to you where you sit working, seeing an opportunity to approach you with Arthur out of the way.

"What’s a-matter, my little Princess? You and Morgan have a spat?" Micah asks you with condescending concern.

Rolling your eyes, you huff out "I am not your 'princess'. What do you want, Micah?"

"Nothin’, just happen to notice that you and Morgan are usually fawning all over each other and now it seems he can’t stand to be around you. Troubles?" he cocks his head to the side a little as his eyes rake over your frame. "'Cause if you need a shoulder to cry on, (Y/N), I’m always here for you," as he exaggeratedly places his hand over his heart.

"Micah Bell, there is a time and a place for your mouth. And just so you know, it’s never and nowhere," you answer his advances flatly, barely looking up from your stitching as you address him.

Your sarcasm makes the smug smile under his mustache droop a little in annoyance. "You think you’re so smart 'cause you have that dumb-ass Morgan wrapped around your finger, don't you?" he retorts.

"No, I was smart before I met him. But thanks for noticing," you say with a mocking smile, finally looking Micah square in the face. "I’d love to continue this conversation, Micah, but, and I really can’t stress this enough, I really don’t want to." And with that, you gather up your things and stand to walk away from the weaselly man.

"One of these days you’ll realize I ain’t all that bad, Miss (Y/L/N)," he calls after you.

"Won't that be the day!" You reply over your shoulder as you head over to where Hosea is sitting across the camp. You know that Micah won't follow you if you are with Hosea, as opposed to sitting with the other women in group. Micah sucks his front teeth before spitting into the grass at his feet, watching you walk away, his eyes fixated on the slight hypnotic sway of your hips.

"The man giving you grief?" Hosea asks, nodding towards Micah when he sees you approaching. "No more than usual," you answer tiredly as you sit down next to him. "It'll be fine," you dismiss the interaction, but yet Micah's comments still ring in your ears, making you think about what you are going to do now. Micah has a point. You don’t want to let it happen, but your heart is quickly being lost to Arthur. You know that now. There are reasons why you can’t be together, and you're trying to come to terms with that. But either way, you still don't like the distance between you and Arthur at the moment. So you decide to do something about it. After about twenty minutes of weighing your options, you stand again and nod to Hosea as you head over to Javier to ask him to take you back into town for an errand.

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It is late in the afternoon when you and Javier get back and you hurry to get the horses hitched and find Arthur. Fortunately, he is back from hunting with Charles by now and is sitting in his tent. You can see him set upon on his cot, cleaning his rifle from its use this morning.

You approach his tent with a bounce in your step, eager to talk to him, and wrack your knuckles as a knock on the wooden frame of a crate that sits just outside his living space. "Can I come in and talk to you a sec?" you ask Arthur, peering your face inside the shadowy space to see him.

"I’m not really in the mood," he grunts out, not even looking up at you as he continues to work his rag over the chamber of the rifle.

"Too bad," you smirk as you float inside the tent and sit down next to him on the cot. "Oh, well by all means come on in and sit, then," he huffs irritably finally taking his eyes off the gun and looking at you, annoyance clearly displayed in his expression. You sit with your hands behind your back, a huge guilty grin on your face.

"I got you something," you smile as you pull your hands forward and present him with a package. Its wrapped in brown paper with a simple twine string around it and tied in a bow with a small bundle of delicate yellow buttercups tucked into it. Arthur hesitantly takes the bundle of brown paper from your hands as you eagerly thrust it towards his lap. You watch him intensely, hardly able to contain your anticipation. Sighing, he guardedly unwraps the object to see a beautiful leather journal underneath the paper. You hold your hands up to your mouth, letting out a slight squeal like an excited child as you watch his reaction. The book is a smooth milky brown leather with the edges woven with a dark cord. His initials have been burned into the cover. Arthur sits stunned before he slowly runs his calloused hands over the soft material, his fingertips lingering over the letters, tracing the lines.

His jaw gapes slightly. "What’s this for?" he asks you, his voice soft and quiet.

"Do you like it?" you pose back. "I noticed that you seem to be at the end of the journal you have now, so it must be getting full. You’ll need a new one soon, yeah?" Arthur lifts his face, tearing his eyes from the journal and just stares at you in disbelief. The idea that you have been paying that close of attention to him is beyond him, let alone that you would present him with such a gift as this.

"You seem to be the most at peace when you’re buried in those pages of yours," you explain. "So if you’re worried about losing your humanity with this life, Arthur, then I want you to be able to easily find it again." He looks back to the journal in his hands and simply nods to you to acknowledge the understanding of your statement.

"I don’t think you’re as cruel as you say, Arthur. I really don’t," you continue, your excitement ebbing now into a more calm tone.

"I know you don’t, (Y/N). And I want you to know that I appreciate that. But you didn’t have to bring me this to prove it," says Arthur, his voice laden with a slight guilt to it.

"I know. But I wanted to," you reassure him. After a brief moment, you proceed, needing to get something off your chest. "Arthur, you need to understand, I am not perfect," your tone becoming a bit more serious now. "I say and do the wrong things all the time and I’m sorry for that." You put your hands over one of his large ones that is still holding the book as a way to confirm your heartfelt apology. "Come on," you say suddenly to change the subject to something more cheerful. "Let’s go get something to eat," and you nudge your head towards the tables and the crowd starting to gather there for dinner.

"Give me a minute, would ya? I’ll meet you over there," Arthur says to you, finally smiling at you.

"OK sure," you answer, standing up, relieved to be on speaking terms again.

"(Y/N)? Did you mean what you said the other day?" His question stops you just as you are about to exit the tent, and you look at him confused as to what he means. "About me being your favorite?" You can hear the hesitation in his voice, even as he vocalizes it. Arthur's fingers drum subconsciously on the leather book in his lap, waiting for your answer.

"Sure did," you beam back at him. You watch happily as his shoulders settle with your response, his face relaxing into almost a boyish grin. "Don’t take too long in here," you point your finger at him scoldingly, changing the subject yet again. "I don’t want Micah sitting next to me and taking your spot." "No, Ma'am", he replies resolutely. When you are sure he means it, you turn and head out and over to the tables to join everyone else.

A smile widens across Arthur's face as he watches you go. Eventually his eyes cast down to his lap again as he mulls over your gift. He reaches over to his small table next to his cot and picks up the pencil sitting there and opens up the book cover. A soft sigh escapes over his sun-chapped lips as he runs his rough hand over the crisp pristine-white paper before he starts to scratch the graphite tip of his pencil over it.

The first thing Arthur writes in his new journal is about how you gave him this book. He writes the date in the corner of his entry and begins to spill forth onto the white plane the words from his mind that he can't vocalize. For whatever reason, Arthur may have a hard time articulating his thoughts to a person, but he has always been able to write them out effortlessly. He considers this one of his true gifts and fortunately Hosea was quick to focus on it when Arthur was young. He doesn't know where he'd be if he didn't have this outlet for himself.

'The damnedest thing just happened. (Y/N) and I have been at odds over the last few days, probably my fault if I have to admit. In town the other day she made a scene about how rough and tough I am. It should have made me proud, I guess. But to be honest, I was hoping she'd see me as a real man, not some tool to be used. Its silly, I know. Considering what we do and what she's seen, I can't say that I blame her. Yet, I know its different with her anyways. In fact it must be. She just brought me this new book for my journaling as a peace offering. She didn't have to do that. I would've forgiven her, either way. No way I can ever stay mad at (Y/N). But she seemed right upset about the whole thing, so I accepted her gift without fighting about it. Its odd, as I can't even remember the last time someone made such a fuss over my worthless hide. I almost feel special. Imagine that. Things seem OK now, which I'm happy for. I have no idea what I did to deserve her good graces, but I am thankful for it. Maybe there’s hope for me yet.'

Arthur looks up from the last sentence, gazing out across the camp and he can see you sitting at the table, already laughing with Karen and Tilly. Beneath the new journal entry, he begins to sketch a portrait of you as he sees you currently, but just of your face, which is sitting in the palm of your hand at the moment. Arthur's pencil almost glides of its own accord across the paper, quickly reproducing the big smile and twinkling eyes that he could draw from memory at this point. This is certainly not the first sketch of you he has done. Your image in various states is scattered about within the pages of his previous journal. And it most certainly will not be the last, either.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x female reader #arthur morgan x f!reader #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan x reader fluff

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rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me · 1 year

Note

hi hi! What'd you think the boys would do if the reader was standing under mistletoe?

A/N: I see you Nonny. I see you. Thanks for sending this in, it really jump started my creativity again <3

DARRY CURTIS

I think the holidays would bring out the fun in Darry, especially if you’re around when they hit!

There’s less stress on his shoulders when you’re by his side, I think he would actually get some time to lay back and relax

Which is exactly where the mistletoe comes in!

I’ve got a feeling Two-Bit put it in the house, but somehow, one way or another, a sprig of mistletoe finds its way into the doorway in the Curtis hallway

Darry just happens to find you beneath it, more than once of course, and takes the moment to stop and kiss you nicely before continuing on

He’ll walk away smiling, whistling to himself, happy and content with everything he’s got going for him

SODAPOP CURTIS

I can just see Sodapop leaning against the doorframe, those pretty brown eyes of his looking up at the mistletoe before landing back on your face, smiling the whole time

He’d be so sweet too, gently cupping your face with this cocky little grin that you can’t help but smile back at because he’s just too pretty-

He’s definitely the one who put it up, he’d like the extra excuse to kiss you whenever he wanted

I honestly wouldn’t put it past him to keep some mistletoe in his pocket so that you just have to kiss him, no matter where you guys end up

If someone wants to complain about how the two of you always seem to end up under the mistletoe, Sodapop couldn’t care less

Mistletoe was made for kissing and the middle Curtis brother is going to take full advantage of the little plant and kiss you a million times whenever he sees a sprig

PONYBOY CURTIS

Pony would go best red when someone points out the mistletoe over your heads and you can’t convince me otherwise

He’d chuckle nervously and duck his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he glances up at you to see how you feel about the situation you’ve just found yourself in

Full disclosure, you’re probably going to have to make the first move, Pony’s a little shy, I think, so you might have to make the first step

Just cup his face in your hands and give him a little smooch and I will personally guarantee Ponyboy will go even redder than he was before

If you’re in front of the boys, expect jeering and teasing no matter how innocent your kiss may be, the boys are annoying and we all know it

But if it was just the two of you, only you guys in the hallway, only you beneath the mistletoe, Ponyboy might be a bit bolder and pull you in for the kiss, smiling shyly against your lips <3

DALLAS WINSTON

Hear me out, alright? Just stick with me and let me go on my little rant, I swear I have a point, and I hope it comes across coherent and sweet

Buck, trying to be funny, sticks a thing of mistletoe at the base of the staircase, hanging nice and pretty from the ceiling, shining under the neon lights

Let’s just that Dallas knows it there and you don’t <3

So it’s just the two of you, going on your way to his room, done with the party scene and ready to fall asleep next to each other

And all of the sudden, Dally will just stop on the staircase and turn around to look down at you with the biggest grin, nodding up towards the little plant hanging up above your heads

And it’s not like he hasn’t been kissing you all night, because I’d bet money he has been, he just likes having another excuse to kiss you

JOHNNY CADE

10/10 experience, wholesome to the max, I think Johnny would love seeing you under the mistletoe

With some coaxing from the boys, he might sidle up beside you and press a soft kiss to your cheek, a bright spark in those dark eyes of his <3

Once he has your attention, he’d give you a nice kiss, smiling against your lips as he laces his fingers with yours

I don’t see him as the kind of guy who would carry mistletoe with him, but I see him definitely taking advantage of whatever mistletoe you find yourself under

Just a few soft kisses and then you guys are good to go on, holding hands as you walk on

If you kiss him, oh hoo hoo, he’s never been more in love with you and you can just see it in his eyes and the way he looks at you

TWO-BIT MATHEWS

Without any hesitation, Two-Bit would literally make out with you beneath the mistletoe if you let him

No matter who’s watching, if you let him, he will kiss you til you’re gasping for air because he just really, really loves you, alright?

Kissing you is something he would do anyway, so why would he mind a little plant that means he has to kiss you even more

This is sort of wholesome, I can just see him kissing you to the cheers of the boys and then giving you a soft little kiss before you step out from beneath the mistletoe

He’s gonna make a comment or two about how badly he wishes mistletoe were an all-year-round sort of thing, just you wait for it, it’s definitely gonna happen a few times

Just imagine the way he would look at you if you were the one to start the kiss, God, there would be stars in his eyes and I just really want someone to look at me like that-

STEVE RANDLE

For some reason, I’ve just got this feeling that Steve would be absolutely oblivious to whenever he’s under the mistletoe and I can just see the soft look in his eyes when you kiss him

Like if he’s busy with something and you come up to him and plant a kiss on his lips, he’s just gonna be so cute and confused before realizing what’s going on

Once he realizes though, you’ll need a crowbar to get him off of you, just a forewarning

But like, I can also see him as the guy who actively hunts for mistletoe so that he can kiss you more <3

Just him dragging you through the house by your hand so he can kiss you underneath it

Like I would bet money that he and Sodapop had a super long discussion about whether or not it was a good idea to hang some mistletoe in the garage so that when you came to visit your boy, Steve had the excuse to kiss you again

TIM SHEPARD

I just wanna kiss Tim Shepard so badly, I hope you all know that know because I really really want to

I will personally guarantee, if Tim finds you beneath the mistletoe, expect him to join you, a cocky grin on his face

He’ll make some suggestive comment, letting his hands find your waist and tugging you closer to him, thumbing across the hem of the waistline of your pants

And that smile? If you don’t kiss him when he smiles at you like that, I think you’re seriously missing your opportunity

I don’t see him going out of his way to find mistletoe to kiss you under, he’s Tim Shepard and he does what he wants, including kissing you

But if a sprig of mistletoe just happens to appear in one of the doorways in the Shepard house, don’t be alarmed <3 it was done out of love

CURLY SHEPARD

Curly’s favorite part of the holiday season quickly becomes the mistletoe, especially after the two of you start getting serious in your relationship

I’ve talked a little about it before I think, just how touchy Curly is in a relationship and how often he’d kiss you, and it really just gets worse when mistletoe is in the equation

He has little to no shame whatsoever so he’d be down to make out with you beneath the plant, no matter where you guys are and who you’re around

Also also also, please for the love of everything in this miserable world, drag Curly beneath the mistletoe and kiss him until he’s breathless, only able to grin at you like the little love-sick fool he is

Curly is touch-starved and attention-starved, so if you’re the one who instigates the kisses and all that, I will personally guarantee that Curly will be over the moon with excitement

And! He’s definitely the kind of asshole who’s going to make some comment in, like, the middle of a makeout session, about how the two of you really don’t even the mistletoe to kiss <3

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strangerhottotties · 2 years

Text

Popsicle - E.M. Drabble

18+ minors DNI

Warnings: Steve and Eddie are kind of douchey (Just a little bit), talk of oral sex (both f and m receiving), premature ejaculation, cumming without touching, graphic depiction of reader blowing a popsicle.

A/N: I'm really trying to write more lately. I'm really struggling tho. Like my mental health is so bad right now. I've cried twice today, and Eddie makes my brain happy so were rolling with it...

Full disclosure: You're not sober. Maybe that's why Eddie looked so good lounging on Steve's couch. His jacket slung to the side, shoes by the entryway, he looked so good like this. So casual. Especially when he too was not sober. But you were on the come down. The floaty feeling fading to a sleepy, calmer feeling.

And now you were lounging across a separate chair listening on and off to conversation. Robin flopped across you a while ago and now you were subject to the comfort of her weight on top of you as you rub her back.

"Hey," Steve calls, rousing you both a enough for Robin to turn he face on to the other side. Cheek plastered against a new breast now.

"Wassup?" Robin hums as you brush more hair out of her face. But when you look at Steve, he's staring at you. And so is Eddie.

"Answer honestly, have you given head?" It makes you sigh and roll your eyes.

"Why?"

"There's a follow up question."

"What's the follow up question?"

"It depends on you answer here."

"Are you going to use it for nefarious acts later?"

"No, no I'm not. Well maybe when I go on my next date?" Steve questions. "You always say a quality of a good lover is curiosity."

"What?" Eddie hums. "What does that mean?"

"Yes, I've given head." You reply and both of them swivel back to you.

"I don't believe that," Eddie scoffs you adjust beneath Robin, propping yourself up.

"What's the next question?"

"Have you gotten head?" You pass them both an amused grin. Like that was funny.

"You're definitely gonna be up to nefarious purposes later." Then bite your lip and nod lazily.

"Would you say your experiences of getting head are better or worse than giving?" You shrug.

"When I have to say I prefer giving rather than receive it's because the bar is on the floor. But I've got a wicked mouth." Eddie's eyes fly wide.

You were the perk when it came to chilling at Steve's when his parents weren't home. He'd had a long-fledged crush on you. The cheerleader. The pretty girl who was all sugar and cinnamon spice. You were too sweet, too innocent to be as 'wicked' as you claimed.

"How do you know you're not just... underwhelming too."

"Do you cum when you get head?" You reply with a glance.

"Yeah, usually."

"Our point is girls tend to not be great at head either."

"Oh boohoo," you hum to Eddie, finally irritated with him. "You get a bad blowjob?" He rolls his eyes back at you.

"There's no such thing as a bad blowjob. But there's a difference between a blowjob and a great blowjob. Just because you have shitty taste in men doesn't mean I'm criminal for thinking 'blowjob' is better than 'no blowjob'."

"Yeah, but how's your head game?" Eddie grins maliciously at you.

"Better than yours."

"Wanna test that theory?" You hum back.

The room stills at the request, gets stuffy with excitement. Eddie just lifts his eyebrows and grins. "I did just say there's only one option with that question."

"Sit tight," you taunt him and tap Robin's arm. She whines and rolls deeper into the couch to allow you to exit.

"Holy shit," Eddie breathes and fixes Steve with a shocked look. "There's no way, right?"

"Where are you going?" Steve calls only to have to reappear from his kitchen with a popsicle moments later. It makes Eddie deflate greatly.

"Well, this is far less exciting than what I had in mind," Eddie snorts. You hold it out to him. He frowns and reaches out for it. And then you're kneeling in front of him and using a scrunchy to draw your hair back. "What?" He squeaks.

"I don't do half ass. Hold it for men, pup."

"How?" He prompts.

"Hold it like it's your dick, come on." He watches as you wiggle into position so unabashedly and thinks he might actually love you.

"Alright, I'll bite."

So, he leans back, propping the popsicle between to his widening legs. He finds your rolling eyes are far cuter when you're on your knees. And then you're pushing forward, lapping slowly from base to tip. Eddie's breath hitches when you drag your tongue across his knuckles on the way.

You reach to the side as your rising to position and it takes him a second realize your dragging his hand to cup the back of your head. "Oh, shit," Steve breathes and Eddie shoots him a wild look and then drops his gaze to where your lips are brushing his knuckles... all the way around his index and thumb. He doesn't have to see to know you've already dragged the end into the back of your throat.

Your eyes are on him as you hold the popsicle there for longer than he's ever seen someone hold it. You're pulling off him - the popsicle, you're pulling off the popsicle. But fuck the way you're maintaining that stare and Eddie let's his eyes roll up as pleads for his erection to sink away.

He adjusts, trying to use his hand to block the very obvious sight in his suddenly-too-tight jeans.

Eddie tests the hand in your hair, tightening at the root before applying pressure. "Fuck," he mutters when you automatically cave to it. And then he's gently pulling you on and off the popsicle. Your face softened in relief; your eyes fluttering shut like you'd been waiting all day for this very thing.

Eddie can't believe it. Can't believe that you, someone with such a stellar and well-read reputation likes blowjobs. Everytime he's going to rub one out, this is exactly what he's going to think of. The way the melted popsicle is dripping down your throat, spit and juice is all over Eddie's jeans as you slurp.

Your hands smooth over his thighs and he shivers. Your mouth stained red, juice dripping down your face. "Fuck." He can practically feel your mouth on his cock already and can't help it. You start moaning and it's too late. "OH FUCK!" He jerks you right off and the popsicle tumbles to the floor as he grabs his crotch and holds it through the orgasm bulldozing him.

"Did you just cum, Eddie?" You grin up at him, like the fucking minx you are.

"Oh god, I'm leaving." With a groan Robin hauls herself towards Steve's kitchen.

"See," you offer. "Didn't even touch your dick." Eddie glowers down at you. He bets that if Harrington wasn't in the room, you'd be more than happy to clean him up with the bright-eyed enjoyment on your face. What right did you have looking like you just had the best time making him cream his jeans.

"Go wipe your face," he groans. You preen at that comment he sees with the way you shiver and then you climb to your feet.

"Did I win?" You ask Steve as you pass him on the way to the kitchen to grab a rag.

"Yeah, I, uh, think so," Steve mutters quietly, passing Eddie an awkward glance. Eddie watches you step back in a moment later, pride etched into your face. He's shell shocked still.

"You okay?" You murmur as you approach, wiping your face in the process.

"Yeah," Eddie sighs, mortification setting in at the fact that you had witnessed such a sight. How embaressing.

Your demenor has gone back to your normal mother-henning and your right back to standing in front of him. "You sure, Eddie?" There's no hint of teasing in your voice as you brush a hand over his shoulder. He sends you a weak glare. He wasn't a child, even if he felt like it.

"I'm fine." It has you passing him an amused smile.

"Let's go clean up our mess then, hm?" And you hold out a hand for him.

#eddie munson x you #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #stranger things #eddie munson fics #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson smut

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blood-mocha-latte · 19 days

Note

I would love to see "Dear Wormwood" and "Pale White Horse" for the Oh Hellos asks... Any pairings but maybe a nice Winnix or a Luztoye? Or some gen Brotherly Man Angst?

Full Disclosure: this is actually a long-winded fic that I’ve been chewing on for the past three or so months, so I figured posting a snippet of it as both a preview and a drabble request would be a good way of releasing some of my Brain Demons. I hope you enjoy <3

“You have always been there in my mind.” – Dear Wormwood

“The sight held me fixed like a bayonet against my throat.” – Pale White Horse

---

July 1967, Nighttime

Joe watched him as he picked his way closer to the stands, waving and saying something or the other every two seconds to some stranger as he got steadily closer.

It was always the same, seeing George. Like he couldn’t breathe, like for a brief moment, letting even just his gaze settle on the other was enough to cut his throat.

“Thought you wouldn’t come!” He shouted over the din of the crowded basement, felt warm as George’s gaze snapped towards him, the way that his whole face seemed to become brighter.

“The diner closed early!” He shouted back, holding what looked like a cardboard box from the restaurant above his head. “I had to run to get down here, but it seems worth it!”

George hit the side of the ring easily, the bottom of it coming up to the middle of his chest, and held up the box higher. Joe snorted, reached down to take it from him before dropping to sit, cross-legged, to meet his eyes more fully.

“Guess so,” He said absently, pushing the lid of the box open with two fingers before letting it drop closed again. “Sandwiches?”

“Two.” George confirmed, resting his elbows near Joe’s knees as he looked up at him, eyes warm and bright. “For after.”

As he finished speaking, his words were almost drowned out as the crowd began to swell again, ever growing and ever louder. Joe didn’t bother to look behind him, knew it was something to do with the other man in the ring. George wrinkled his nose, careful, and it made Joe want to laugh, the urge smothered somewhere between his ribs and his throat.

“I forget how loud it is here.” George shouted to him, eyes crinkled at the corners, and Joe watched him for entirely too long before looking away. He placed the box in front of him carefully and pushed it back towards George with his fingertips.

“Feels like it’s always getting louder!” He shouted back, dropping his hands back into his lap, the scratchy wrap over his knuckles serving only as a minor annoyance. George’s gaze was near hesitant, cast somewhere over Joe’s shoulder.

“Who’re you against tonight?” He asked, eyes moving back to Joe’s face slowly, light and curious. Joe shrugged, barely cared.

“Some guy.” He said, didn’t want to expand on it. “What’d you study today?” George’s eyes sparked.

He hadn’t put anything in his hair, and it had grown out, slightly; curling around his ears and parting around his face. It looked nice. Joe considered telling him so and decided against it.

“Some guy.” He said back. “Either learnin’ about them or fightin’ them.”

Joe huffed, looked somewhere over George’s shoulder at the mess of people yelling behind him, jostling each other and everything else. Underground fights were always more hectic than he was ever expecting. “Guess so.” He rasped.

When he met George’s gaze again the other's face was unreadable, warm and careful and a thousand other words that Joe wasn’t smart enough to find. “I’m alone for the rest of the night.” He told Joe, tilting his head enough to glance to the side. “Frank is out until Thursday on some assignment.”

“I’ll drop by.” Joe said, before he could think to say something else, and George watched him carefully, still warm but slightly more apprehensive.

“I don’t like being stood up.” He said, a bit of a warning, and Joe winced, slightly.

“I fucked up, last time.” He said, low, leaning further forward on his knees to get closer to George, shifting to rest both wrists on the taut rope between them. The changed angle seemed slightly more private, less unobstructive, though everyone was still screaming and everywhere was still crowded.

“Yeah, you did.” George told him, solemn, but the corner of his mouth crooked up soon after, and he shifted, resting the sandwich box between his hip and forearm. He was still leaning against the raised platform of the ring and reached forward with his free hand, pressing a finger to Joe’s chin before shifting to press his palm to his jaw.

He leaned in before Joe could think to pull back, pressing his mouth to the space just below his cheekbone and whispering a soft good luck, soft lips and warm breath and smelling, vaguely, of chlorine.

It gave Joe pause, unable to do anything to breathe George in before he was pulling back just as quickly, stepping away from the platform, fingertips shifting to press to the seam of his own lips.

“Fight hard.” He said, taking another step backwards. “I’ll wait for you.”

Joe blinked, looked vaguely around at nothing. No one had saw that, he knew, the effect of being completely alone because everything was too crowded. His cheek was still warm.

“Okay.” He finally managed to say, hoarser than he’d like to be, and the crowd had already swallowed George completely.

#rie writes #perhaps a bit of the 60s wip for thou??#overall this whole thing is like. 15k right now? so not bad but still Worrysome #and i've been writing so much canon era that i needed to do some New things so like. 1960s #yeah babey yeah #band of brothers #luztoye #george luz #joseph toye #joe toye #hbo war #rie queues

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vashtijoy · 1 year

Text

Today I want to rant at length about highlight a plot-relevant but otherwise rather dry line from Shido's Palace, simply because it's been living rent-free in my head for days and I'll die if I don't.

And up front I want to say: this is not intended as translator bashing, shit like this is rarely on the translator, though I will possibly get a little aerated at times. More about that at the end.

This is really long, and probably very boring. So to summarise quickly:

Ooe's "diplomat" and "president of some company" are the Minister for Transport and the railway company president from the 4/10 cinematic with Sae and the SIU director;

Shido wasn't "specially appointed", he's the Minister of State for Special Missions, likely with oversight for either the PTs or the psychotic breakdowns;

being a pro translator sucks;

something about a well.

my least favourite line so far

Shadow Politician 春先に地下鉄事故があっただろう?狙ったのは、あの運転士だからな。 harusaki ni chikatetsu jiko ga atta darou? neratta no wa, ano untenshu da kara na Do you recall the subway accident early last spring? The one I had targeted was that engineer.

nb—this "engineer" is the train driver. I didn't get this at all, but apparently train drivers are called engineers in the US? This is a good example of how something you think is a mistranslation may not be.

There is an occasion where the guy is referred to as a "driver", but this is actually 車掌 shashou—in Japanese, a conductor in the British sense, the member of staff who is not the driver, but walks up and down checking tickets. This is meant to hint to us, I suspect, that the NPC saying this may not be a reliable source—he's making some spooky claims, after all. Yet again, in America, the conductor can be the driver of the train...? IDK, confusion abounds.

But on to the important bit:

Shadow Politician 目障りな国交大臣と、現政権派の社長のクビを取るためだった。mezawarina kokkou daijin to, genseiken-ha no shachou no kubi o toru tame datta It was to take out the president of some company and a diplomat who sided with current government.

Full disclosure: I have never liked this line. It screamed of being mistranslated. "The president of some company"? Ooe had this guy destroyed, and he can't be specific? And "a diplomat"? This has come from nowhere—I can't think of another diplomat in P5. It just all seems so random. And it is random. Because this was meant to close up a background plot element from the start of the game, and it just... doesn't any more.

So, for this one, I'm just going to break out the big red DENIED stamp again:

The hell of it all is that I can see what they did here, so I'm going to go through it at excessive length, as like... an object lesson in what not to do. Not just for you, but for me.

And I need to be clear up front that I'm not an authoritative source on the Japanese language. I'm not fluent, my Japanese is barely passable (which is why asks, comments and discussion on my language posts are all always super welcome, btw, just like for everything else I post). I'm just a weeb on the Internet, who constantly posts assertions and theories that future me will hate. Bring your salt shaker.

Quick glimpse behind the curtain: this is from my Google doc for Shido's Palace. You have the textbox code, the speaker, then the text in Japanese, romaji and the localisation. Usually these days I don't add the romaji (it's not good for your reading), but lines that go into posts get it temporarily.

Words I don't know, or had to verify (like shachou, where I wanted to know if it was always a company president or if it could be a role within a political faction), or lore/grammar notes, all get comments, which are highlighted in yellow.

the peril of dictionaries

I'm bilingual English/Welsh-speaking; until I was fifteen, I was educated through the medium of Welsh. So I got taught very early on about the correct use of dictionaries. The exact example I remember is that a past pupil (probably apocryphal) wanted to put "Well, Dad was angry!" into Welsh. And they had looked up "well"....

ffynnon, roedd Dad yn grac! Well, Dad was angry!

This is a ffynnon:

It's a funny story. The point is that you should always flip to the other half of the dictionary to verify the meaning you found. Or these days, with the Internet and all, we get to check multiple dictionaries, corpuses and sources! And a riotously good time it is.

part one: who was that mysterious diplomat

The main phrase I want to focus on is 国交大臣 kokkou daijin. This is what has been rendered "a diplomat" in the localisation. On first glance, that's a string of kanji I don't know: country, the right-hand side of the second half of 学校 gakkou (school), something about a big man... is that read daijin?...

Maybe it's a yojijukugo—a fixed four-kanji phrase with an often-idiomatic meaning? Let's put the whole thing into Jisho and see what we get.

(Incidentally, I bash Jisho constantly, but it's still my first stop because it's fast and often good enough. You just shouldn't rely on it for anything critical; trust, but verify.)

Well, there's no yojijukugo. But one glance at that tells us that Ooe's "diplomat" is not a diplomat at all. Ooe's "diplomat" is the Minister for Transport who was brought down as a result of this subway crash in April. You might have thought Shido had this guy taken out, but no. He did it for Ooe. He crashed a subway train, injuring 80 people, as nothing but a favour to Ooe.

But why is it using kokkou, "diplomatic relations"? Well, Jisho gives us a convenient "see also" link. Let's take a look:

You see what they did there? The full phrase is 国土交通相 kokudo koutsuu-shou, "Minister for (National) Land and Transport". But nobody wants to say that. So you strike out some of the kanji. The word becomes kokkoushou—but everyone still knows who you mean.

Let's do a bit of that verification I mentioned. Here's Wikipedia:

HmmMM. Notice how the Minister and the Ministry are read the same; only the last kanji changes. But we're still on track.

Let's click over to Japanese Wikipedia. What do they have to say?

And there it is again, highlighted: our old friend 国交 kokkou, "diplomatic relations". "In Japanese, this is commonly abbreviated as kokkoushou".

daijin

How about 大臣 daijin? It looks like it just means "big man" or "important man", but what does it actually mean? Again, let's start with Jisho:

... B|

Jisho offers us a bunch of "further reference" links, so I'm going to go straight to Japanese Wikipedia for this one—which sends you to an old revision of the page, by the way; be sure to go to the latest one:

大臣（だいじん）は、本来は皇帝や国王などを輔弼して国政を司る重要官職だが、今日では一般的に君主制か共和制かにかかわらず、政府を構成し、各行政部門の長に位置する官職を指す。閣僚ともいう。 Historically, ��臣 daijin referred to the high position of those responsible for matters of state, who advised emperors and kings on those matters. However, today it generally refers, regardless of whether the government in question is a monarchy or republic, to an official who leads a division of government.

... ... B|

In other words, a cabinet minister. Seems to sum it up pretty well, but let's just look at the invaluable ALC corpus on this:

So we have it. A daijin is unquestionably a cabinet minister. And Ooe is unquestionably talking about the Minister for Transport.

last-minute edit: I actually wrote this entire post, preened for completing it, then closed it in my drafts and forgot all about it. Until I opened my grammar text to a random page and found this:

EVEN MY GRAMMAR BOOK KNOWS.

Actual grammar books are a bit obsolete in 2023, but that is a great one if you're in the market. Just don't get the Kindle edition, it's illegible on Kindle which is probably not what you want.

Incidentally, yes, a Diet member is sensei—you can often hear people refer to Shido that way.

but we can also backreference this one

Another cool thing we can do is get context-relevant examples. That is, we can search the P5 script itself to see how it uses daijin and kokkou daijin.

Two lines use kokkou daijin. One is this line of Ooe's. The other is a news story, which gets it right:

Newscaster 国交大臣の辞任に伴い、与党への批判が高まっており⋯ kokkou daijin no jinin ni tomanai, yotou e no hihan ga takamatte ori... Criticism of the ruling party has surged, following the resignation of the Minister of Transport.

But people talk about the Minister quite a bit. What phrases do they use? Well, sometimes he's simply the daijin—"the Minister"; this usually becomes "Minister of Transport" for context. Sometimes he's the kokkoushou, as we discussed above. And often, on the news, he gets his full title—he's the kokudo koutsuu daijin.

Usually, daijin by itself in P5 is part of 総理大臣 souri daijin—the prime minister.

meanwhile in shidoland

In passing, the MoT is not the only one who gets translated out of the script. You might remember from the calling card cinematic that Shido is the "Minister of State for Special Missions".

Makoto tries to tell us this at one point:

Makoto 特命担当大臣現職の閣僚よ tokumei tantou daijin genshoku no kanryou yo He was specially appointed to the position. That's his current title. He's the current Minister of State for Special Missions.

(What is that, exactly? I'm not gonna do a huge research effort on this one right now, this post is already longer than the Nile and dry as sand, but they appear to be appointed to deal with things that are a big deal—the link gives you examples of some of the issues they've been appointed for. It's not inconceivable that Shido was appointed to the Cabinet to deal with the national crisis of psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns that he started. Either that, or the PTs themselves—he does talk about them an awful lot.)

and that's not all

There is, of course, a real Japanese Minister for Transport. We can put kokkou daijin into Google (with a little は on the end to filter Chinese-language sites), and what do we get back? The first hit is the Wikipedia page for the Minister for Transport.

My guess would be that the translator knew the word kokkou, but they didn't have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Japanese politics. So they read kokkou daijin as some kind of important diplomat.

part two: in which we invent time travel

And that was only the first of the two things that made me hate my life about that textbox. Let's bring the line back:

The second thing that got under my skin was this:

現政権派の社長 genseiken-ha no shachou

This means, in the terms of the localisation, "a company president who sided with current government". But... what is even going on here?

In Japanese, modifiers go before the things they modify, right? Like ... always. I'm going to cite the slightly-tongue-in-cheek but also inestimable Jay Rubin (probably best known as Haruki Murakami's English translator) on this:

... by about the middle of the seventh century, the Emperor, who still wielded actual power then, made a rule, maybe the one rule that really works in the language and never gets broken: “From this day forward, subjects will always come before their verbs. And, just to keep things neat, modifiers will always come before what they modify.” Never in all these centuries have there been any exceptions—at least not in normal syntax....

Shōmetsu shita zō is “The elephant that vanished”—a fragment, just a noun with a modifier in front of it. By putting it before the zō, we’ve changed the shōmetsu shita into a modifier. I’m going to go way out on a limb here and call anything that modifies a noun an adjective. Shōmetsu shita zō (literally, “vanished elephant”) works exactly the same way as utsukushii zō (“beautiful elephant”).

(That's from the book "Making Sense of Japanese", by the way, which y'all should totally read if you can find a copy. It's one of Kodansha's little books, which are all worth at least a glance; they published tons of them, with titles like "All About Particles" and "How To Sound Intelligent In Japanese" and etc etc etc.)

back to our sentence

So how is this translation breaking that rule? Let's look at it again, with the problematic parts bolded:

目障りな国交大臣と、現政権派の社長のクビを取るためだった。mezawarina kokkou daijin to, genseiken-ha no shachou no kubi o toru tame datta It was to take out the president of some company and a diplomat who sided with current government.

現政権派 genseiken-ha is the current government; the current administration. No problems there. It's just in the wrong place.

kokkou daijin, we established, is the localisation's "diplomat". genseiken-ha no translates as "aligned with the current government". But genseiken-ha is after kokkou daijin. It cannot be modifying it. It can't have been taken for a relative clause—what Jay Rubin framed as an adjective in the quote up there—because we still have the two people the sentence describes, the "diplomat" and the businessman; the sentence has not been read as talking about a diplomat who is also a government-boosting company president.

We should have, literally, "an eyesore of a minister for transport" and "a company president who sides with current government". But we just... don't.

Is it possible it doesn't make sense that a company president would be aligned with the government? Has the sentence been rearranged for that reason? But this is essentially what Okumura does: he's a company boss aligned with a powerful politician. So are the TV and IT Execs whose shadows we meet, for that matter. They are not in politics themselves, but they network with politicians. Big business and politics are always hand-in-hand.

All of this gives us the following working version of the translation:

It was to take down that intolerable Minister of Transport and a company president who supported the government.

And on that note....

who is that mysterious company president

"the president of some company", the localisation says. This seems a bit vagued up. Are there any company presidents we should be aware of here?

The answer is yes:

On 4/10, in the cinematic after the crash, the SIU Director talks at length about how this is the fault of "the company and the government". Of course he does—he knows very well what's happened, and he knows where the blame is to be assigned:

SIU Director: It's less of an operating accident and more of a crime of the company and the government. SIU Director: Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago—the deterioration of the tracks and the ATC.

And the last two lines in full, since they diverge:

SIU Director それを会社が隠ぺい…国交省も故意に見逃したフツがある。 sore o kaisha ga inpei... kokkoushou mo koi ni minogashita futsu ga aru Seems the railway company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth. So the railway company covered it up... and the Ministry of Transport did what they do best: they turned a blind eye to it..

This is just a slight difference in emphasis: the railway company allegedly performed a deliberate coverup, and it was the Ministry that did their normal thing, and chose to overlook that coverup....

But note that "railway company" here is just 会社 kaisha, "company". Originally, it was obvious from context; the localisation clarifies it. But when Ooe later mentions a 社交 shachou, a "company president", in the same obvious-from-context way, it has not been picked up on—our very personal railway company president has become "the president of some company". Who was important enough for Ooe to personally destroy, but not important enough for him to remember where he worked.

SIU Director 隠し通せんよ。大臣の進退まで行くだろう。 kakushitoosen yo. daijin no shintai made iku darou There's no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top. They can't keep this hushed up forever. By the end of this, the transport minister's job will be on the line.

... but here's the first real appearance of the Minister for Transport, with the SIU Director—who, again let's not forget, knows this crash was engineered in part to get that minister—not just saying this incident will "go all the way to the top", but that it will specifically end with them coming for the minister's job.

where did we come from, where did we go

Where does that leave us with the sentence?

It was to take out the president of some company and a diplomat who sided with current government. It was to take down that intolerable Minister of Transport, and the president of the railway company. He supported the government, after all.

We've broken that little genseiken-ha out into its own little explaining sentence, since it's hard to phrase as one sentence in natural English. And now you know.

btw, leave the translators alone

Look, this is far from the best translation I've ever seen. We should be mad about this, right? Well... no.

As a hobbyist, I have the luxury of focusing on a single fandom, spending hours, days, or weeks thinking about single scenes, researching context, language and concepts, confirming I've understood things to the best of my ability. Your average animanga/JRPG translator is not being paid well enough, or given nearly enough time, to do this. They cannot be expected to do this.

This is not, not, NOT on the translator. Read that ten times. We are supposed to go from our second language to our native tongue; that's how translation works best. So there will always be areas of confusion like this, things that need clarification and research. Japanese media translation requires a vast knowledge of differently arcane terms depending on the work; nobody will know them all.

Who is this on? It's on Atlus, for skimping on and rushing not only the translation but the editing; they did the English localisation of a massive property on the cheap. Something like this should have been caught by the editor, but honestly P5's editing (including the way things are finalised in English, and the overall polishing of the script) tends to come in for more criticism than the translation per se.

tl;dr: blame the company, not the poor translator who was most likely just one of us trying to make a shitty living with something they love, and a skill they worked their ass off for.

#persona 5 #p5 meta #japanese language #translation #long post #very long #very boring #you have been warned

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smileysuh · 2 years

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smut [18+] prompt - [dialogue] : “I’m not wearing any panties”

–▸ pairing: svt rap team x reader –▸ word count: 1k

Seungcheol

–▸ he has mixed feelings anytime you tell him you’re not wearing panties. he’s hit with immediate arousal, followed by twangs of anger at the fact that you have him wrapped around your little finger like this. annoyance gives this man the energy and wherewithal to figure out exactly what he wants to do with you after this... information disclosure

–▸ if you’re in public, he’ll lean more towards the angry side of things. he’s supposed to be the leader of svt, and he can’t be popping a boner out in public- to have you teasing him this way is: simply unacceptable, and he goes pretty dom daddy mode. he’ll either give you a warning of how he’s going to punish you later, tell you to excuse yourself from the situation and wait for him in the nearest bathroom, or simply ditch the event if at all possible, it all depends on whats going on, because first and foremost, when you’re in public, Seungcheol has to keep up a composed front

–▸ if you’re at home, Cheol will pull you into his arms, letting out a deep sigh. “what am i going to do with you?” he’d ask softly while he takes you to the closest horizontal surface. if you’re teasing him like this, he can tease you too, and he’ll make you grind down on his lap while you make out ravenously, until you’re practically dripping for him, and he’ll take full advantage of the fact that only one of you has easy access to the other ;) he’ll want you begging before he finally gives you what you want, just to be mean

Wonwoo

–▸ he’s very good at hiding his reactions. whenever you decide to be a little naughty like this, Wonwoo will weigh all the variables before deciding on the right course of action. girls who don’t wear panties will always end up getting fucked in Wonwoo’s score book, it’s just a matter of when, and how hard.

–▸ if you’re in public, telling Wonwoo you’re not wearing panties will grant you zero reaction. he’ll stare at you as if you said something as mundane as ‘the sky is grey and the leaves are brown,’ but when he pulls his eyes from you, you can always see the way he assesses the room. if you’re at a casual dinner with a few friends and his hand can be hidden by the table, you might be rewarded with his fingers, but more often than not, an assessment of risk done by Wonwoo results in the setting being too risky for the kpop idol, which just means you have to wait until you’re alone... and waiting always makes the sex even more explosive upon arriving home.

–▸ if you’re at home, there are few things that will take precedent over you when you tell him you’re not wearing panties. If he’s playing a video game, he’ll stiffen upon hearing your words and get visibly agitated until it’s over, tossing his headphones off before diving between your legs. but other than video games, Wonwoo will usually drop what he’s doing to eat his favourite snack, after all, you unwrapped it for him

Mingyu

–▸ when you tell him you’re not wearing panties, Mingyu’s lips part and his pupils blow, betraying the same level of extreme interest no matter how many times you do this to him. he loves it- he lives for it- and Mingyu is always ready to drop everything and dive into you ;)

–▸ if you’re in public, he’s not going to be very happy about you teasing him, and he’s not going to be great at hiding the fact that he’s now desperate to get out of whatever situation he’s in. will literally bounce while he waits for another member to finish talking before he can excuse the both of you- he’s not even good at coming up with excuses to leave, and everyone always knows where you’re both going, but this happens so often anyway that no one ever clues in on the fact that it happens more often on days when ur in skirts

–▸ if you’re at home, expect his face buried between your legs within five seconds flat. sometimes he’ll lift you onto a counter or table before going face first into your heat, and other times he enjoys being on his knees, one of your legs cocked over his shoulder- then there’s his love for bending you over and pushing his tongue into you from behind before he gives you his cock- so many ways for Mingyu to take advantage of his “sweet, panty hating, little baby”... but do you really hate panties, or is the reward for going commando just too good to pass up?

Vernon

–▸ he’s always surprised when you tell him you’re not wearing panties. oddly enough, his first inclination will usually be to stare at you in confusion, or ask you, point blank, “why?”

–▸ if you’re in public, vernon’s the most concerned member of the whole rap line in terms of: what if a gust of wind lifts up your skirt? he’s more worried about you accidentally flashing someone than turned on at the notion of easy access to your pussy, so if you ever want this to go somewhere, you’ll have to guide his hand between your legs yourself. he might stop-start a little, worried about being caught with his hand between your legs at group dinner and such, but he’ll take his time, which makes the final pay off even sweeter.

–▸ if you’re at home, he’ll pause whatever he’s doing and gently pull you closer. he’d want you to explain to him, in detail, why you hadn’t worn panties- after all, what do you want? his fingers... his tongue? the type to lay you down on the couch and eat you out until your thighs are quivering on his shoulders and you’re just begging him to fuck you- an A+ boyfriend, let’s be real

Wonwoo & Mingyu –▸ patreon bonus teaser

one of the positives of having two boyfriends is that you never get lonely... or so you’d thought.

part of date night sitting on Wonwoo’s bed while he plays video games isn’t uncommon, but ever since Mingyu bought his own pc for their room, he’s been playing just as frequently- and you’re starting to feel just a little neglected.

after watching your boyfriends play separate games for the better part of an hour, you excuse yourself to grab some water in the kitchen, where you run into DK and Hoshi, who both note their surprise at seeing you, as they’d not heard you in the entirety of your time being at the dorm.

you see the way Hoshi takes in your skirt, and it’s not lost on you that other band members are able to hear you when you’re intimate with your boyfriends, despite Mingyu’s claims about the soundproofing layer he’d glued to their door.

it’s also not lost on you that even your boyfriend’s bandmates are shocked by how little attention either Wonwoo or Mingyu have given you since your arrival, and you decide to do something about it.

when you exit the bathroom minutes later, you’re holding something in your hands, and when you rejoin your two large lovers in their room, you toss the flimsy piece of fabric directly at Wonwoo’s computer screen, collapsing onto his bed before stating loudly, “i’m not wearing any panties.”

to read the full oneshot, subscribe to my patreon - then - click here

PATREON I Kofi I Paypal I M.list I short writings m.list

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quinnick · 2 years

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Byler Fanfic Recs

This post has been a long time coming and got jumpstarted by seeing @buck-yyyy

This list will have a break down of any tw content, set up for what to expect, side ships, and anything you may find in the tags. I also am basis towards my friends so I have limited myself to one fic from any given writer but in the future I may make rec lists with specific types of fics but for now this is just random. Also want to say, this will be from a readers stand point for readers but I also write so full disclosure. You can find all my fics in my pinned post if you are interested

Last but not least (before we begin), please please leave a kudo on the fic if you enjoyed it. And if it is your favorite thing ever, leave a comment or bookmark

Okay, without further-a-do, the list

Things I Can't Say by Chiquitablanquita

Warning for underage drinking Your classic sketchbook notebook swap with love confessions in every page. This fic is unique in the way it presents itself with majority of it’s chapters being poems. This fic is Byler focused with only mentions or references to past El/Mike. this is a first kiss and pre-relationship fic. Gay pining is everywhere in this fic and miscommunication is a big thing to. But if you are a byler who hates miscommunication... idk what to tell you (/lh) this fic is completed and is 15 chapters. Only 6470 so it’s easy to get through

Hold My Breath As I Wish For Death by LadyLillyGray

Warning for discussion of and references to suicidal ideation and self harm. Also references to canon homophobia

Will finds out about the stunt Mike pulled at the quarry in s1. It’s mostly just Will and Mike talking and sharing their feelings and I do like a good old fashion discussion fic. This is pre-relationship and first kiss. Also a Byler focused fic and other characters show up for like 5 seconds. hurt/comfort leaning on past hurt and a lot of comfort. Still has angst though. it’s just a one-shot with only 1,540 making it a light read. A good bed time story honestly

But Boys Don’t Cry, Right? by heyits_L

Warning for reference to suicidal ideation (in reference to the quarry scene again), No happy ending, major character death

A poetic listing of all the terrible things that happen in Mikes life. This fic utilizes a poetic rhythm and stanza based writing to tell a snappy story. This is a heavy angst fic with no happy ending. Short description for a short fic. it’s a one-shot with only 787 words so it is a very quick read. Not a bed time story. Unless you like heavy angst before bed I guess.

lying on the floor (typing your name into the internet) by andiwriteordie

Will thinks the barista at the coffee shop is cute but also he may have a major crush on his online bestfriend. This a AU with no UD stuff and technically a coffee shop AU. not super big part of the fic. Focused mainly on Byler but with background Elumax. This is a kind of meta fic but it is so fluffy and just super cute. There isn’t a ton to say other then that I love it. It’s a one-shot with 6252 but it’s a super light breezy read.

What do you do now, Will the Wise? by RainbowNixie

The party plays DnD and Mike (who is DM) is doing all in his power to get the paladin and cleric to flirt. This is a cute little DnD fic that’s pre-relationship and first kiss. They are just cringefail losers the whole time and it’s stellar. It’s a lot of flirting and a lot of tension building. It is a one-shot with 11534. It’s a nice bed time story if you can read fast or want a long story.

This is just a few for right now but tell me if anyone is interested in more of these lists ! And please make your own fic rec lists !! Always support writers and share fics you like. Feel free to send me your fav fics via ask as I am always looking for suggestions. I wouldn't add onto this post with more recs but would encourage you take make your own so those fics can circle around the tag and not just your dash. Have a lovely day

#byler #fic recs #My recs

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elderflowergin · 8 months

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SBS Hyena, episode 1 rewatch (part 2)

I realise I haven't tagged/warned for spoilers, but this will be full of spoilers. I'm sorry.

So the first we see of her… is Kim Hee-sun. Gorgeous hair, beautiful no makeup-makeup face, and...near-bare feet. (This is entirely from Hee-jae's perspective, so his observation of her feet is probably intentional. It’s also not the last time he’ll do it.)

(I assume Hee-jae's writing paeans to her cute turquoise toenails in his note-book.)

I love Hee-sun's oversized white shirt. It’s interesting that she should wear that, because in the scene just before this, Yoon Hee-jae sheds his shirt in his office and throws it in a bin. And here she is, in a lovely bit of continuity, looking like she might have just picked it off his floor and worn it, along with that cool preppy sweater. 15/10 for style, infinity/10 because she's Kim Hye-soo, and in this house she's everything.

Moving back to daytime —

This is the first time we've heard any reference to Hee-jae being related to a judge, and it's in this unnaturally coy fashion.

We’re meant to see Hee-jae as a legal force to be reckoned with. He’d have to be, given what we’ve seen so far. Here, he's assuring a result to a client because of who he'll have on his team. He's coasting on Atty Ma's team's work (whether he admits it or not), his own big guns and lots of unearned confidence like any other corporate blowhard.

I say his confidence is unearned, but he’s probably never had the reason to believe otherwise. He’s a big boy working for one of the big boys - things have never not fallen the way he’s wanted them to, because that’s the way their world functions. Money talks, and they have so goddamn much of it that there is never a real contest. This is the status quo of Yoon Hee-jae’s life, and it’s about to be undone in the most wildly spectacular way possible.

Yoon Hee-jae has never had to pay his dues or prove his worth - that’s always been for other people to do. Whether he wants to pay his dues or prove his worth…is a different, and more interesting question. He does prove to be smart, thoughtful and deeply strategic as a lawyer later in the show, but we’re not going to see that side of him for a few episodes.

And then, we find out his grandfather was the former Chief Justice.

Yoon Hee-jae doesn’t bring this up until Ha Chan-ho brings it up first. It’s not really mentioned up till now, although it gives important context to his success and confidence. He's very comfortable talking about his pull, but he doesn’t talk about the source of the pull, if that makes any sense. I think there are two reasons for this.

This speaks to a spectacular kind of privilege - this sort of disclosure usually opens doors, but when you’re in that stratosphere of class and breeding, it’s probably declasse to say it out loud, and more than that, it’s unnecessary. People know it and so the doors are always open, 24/7. It’s like the difference between having to tell the maitre’d at The Fat Duck that oh, by the way, you’re Meryl Streep, and you’d really like a reservation, please, and having the table by the window set aside for you every Friday night.

I also think he wants to be seen as a good, successful lawyer, and not necessarily just Daddy’s boy. That is vital to Hee-jae in a way that seems, again, almost overtly privileged. In a society that is largely only concerned about Getting It, thinking about How You Got It either comes from having the moral backbone of a Hwang Si-mok or the extreme privilege of a Yoon Hee-jae. Those are the two warring forces in Hee-jae - wanting to be known for being a good lawyer, and yet resting on the laurels earned by those before him.

An all-black suit, for a douchey comment about hooking up with one's client's younger sister. That is cackle-worthy in light of what said younger sister does a few episodes down the road. 0/10 for the sister comment, Hee-jae.

Next up: the prettiest girl ever.

BOO HYEON A, BEST GIRL, BEST OF ALL. APART FROM JIEUN.

@thefeastandthefast once said her hair probably smells of raspberries, and that is entirely correct. She is the loveliest and her belted jacket is so chic. (10/10. I dock no points from Ms Boo.)

She, too, is in all-black, like Hee-jae, which positions them similarly against all the other lawyerbots. This dovetails with things we will learn later about both characters. Both are second kids; both come from incredible privilege, and both are the softest marshmallows who will come to love and adore Jung Geum-ja.

I'm constantly amazed by Yoon Hee-jae's total and utter lack of chemistry with anyone other than Women Who Can Step On His Neck. Park Se-jin and Ju Ji-hoon have such a friendly vibe for two very good-looking people.

Unlike, say.....

THEM. THEM.

Yet again, this entire encounter feels surreal, in the way the best romances often do. For starters these two aren’t knocking elbows with five other grumpy people looking to do laundry. Yoon Hee-jae doesn’t dress like this, ordinarily. (As an aside, his soft old man cardigan made me giggle. I had at least two bosses who wore cardigans like this, so at least this is somewhat accidentally accurate to me.) I mean, when Ga Gi-hyeok visits him late in the series, he’s wearing a cool bush shirt (thank you @rain-hat) that looks like something Dries van Noten might have put out. (I think it was Gucci, though, I stand to be corrected). All his soft lil sweaters are reserved for the woman he loves.

(He stares at her feet up. Just sayin'.)

(Next up: we're upping the ante, the stakes, and most importantly, the hotness. A violet dress makes its appearance. A man's dignity makes its disappearance. IYKYK)

#sbs hyena #sbs hyena recap

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ystrike1 · 2 years

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Anxious Inspector - By Bulgama (7/10)

Full disclosure. I think the author is going to chicken out. The first five chapters of this are promising and disturbing, but then old reliable comes out. Boo hoo I was abused as a child so you have to forgive me. You've seen it before, and it's done well here, but it's boring. Also, this webtoon is about a woman in her 40's and a 24 year old man.

The beginning is super promising. We start out with a lonely divorced woman who wants to spend Christmas with her daughter. Inspector Joohyun is an accomplished officer who is well liked by many, but she doesn't have very many close friends. Her closest relationship was with her daughter, but now Yoojung is 24. Yoojung wants to party with her friends. She ditches her mother, and then inspector Joohyun has nobody. She has a ton of friends, but nobody to actually spend the holidays with. There's a certain kind of closeness that just isn't in her life, and it's very sad.

Watching her wander around, and beg her daughter to come see her, is kinda gut wrenching. I would hate to be a mom that has to accept that the nest will be empty soon. Yoojung is pretty clearly planning to move out. Yoojung also wants her to remarry and move on with life, but finding love isn't that easy. Especially when you're in your 40's with a dangerous career. Inspector Joohyun goes to a cheap bar to drink alone, and she rests her head down on a table.

This guy finds her. He leaves his friends behind to comfort her. It's Siwoo. Yoojung's friend. He's also the boy she rescued years ago. Siwoo got lost in the woods once and she found him. Joohyun doesn't know that Siwoo was going to kill himself that day. When she found him she saved his life. She's a bit nosy, and when she started caring for him he couldn't resist. Her annoying side is the part of her that he loves most.

Siwoo is a pretty fucked up guy. He became friends with Yoojung to get close to her. She has been his sexual obsession for more than half a decade. He hasn't seen her in years at this point. He tried to distance himself. He knew that Joohyun would never choose him. He tried to be normal and move on, but then they meet on Christmas.

He may or may not have planned the meeting.

Things get...weird. Joohyun knows and trusts Siwoo. He used to hang around her house alot. He was always a nice boy, and now he's a handsome man. They chat in her living room. She drinks more. Siwoo kisses her and she thinks about how lonely she is. Joohyun is insecure because she did get divorced once. Trying to date hasn't really been working for her. When she sleeps with Siwoo she feels terrible about it in the morning. She blocks his number, and forgets about him. Which is a refreshingly normal reaction.

This is the point where we get into fucked up territory. After Joohyun blocks Siwoo he goes around her. He meets up with Yoojung and she confesses to him. They are both 24. Yes. Joohyun's daughter is the exact same age as him. Joohyun freaks out and Siwoo says unforgivably fucked up shit. Basically, he is going to fuck her daughter unless she lets him fuck her. Specifically he wants her to come meet him 10 times. Then he'll leave her alone.

Siwoo ghosts Yoojung, and he starts sneaking around with Joohyun. They have some moments that aren't creepy. There's alot of sex jokes about the age gap. Siwoo seems to be hiding more shit. Joohyun is his saviour, but she doesn't know that. When she found him in the woods she thought he was just a lost boy. She doesn't know the rest of his tragic tale. So, he looks like an unforgivable pervert. He is but you know that sob story is gonna get him off the hook...

Joohyun cannot see a future with Siwoo. That's why she blocked him after their hookup. She's not the kind of woman that can be seduced with sex alone. She's also aware that their age gap is giant and frowned upon. She lightens up a little bit, because she enjoys the sex and attention...but she doesn't want to see him again after the 10th meeting. Siwoo accidentally reveals another layer of shit. Yoojung isn't really in love with him. Yoojung is kind of a piece of crap by the way. Siwoo approached Yoojung, but he didn't seduce her. Siwoo offered to be Yoojung's fake boyfriend. Yoojung wants a fake boyfriend because she's sooooo tired of her lame mom. Her lame mom who breathes down her neck all the time. Her clingy mom that needs to buzz off etc. She seems like a completely selfish brat, even though she's not outright evil. Siwoo took advantage of that, and that was the key to his master plan to get close to Joohyun again. This shows that he's extremely manipulative. He's got alot of evil potential.

Sadly, the author spends two full chapters on a sob story. Siwoo is the unwanted son of a mistress. His mom abandoned him in exchange for cash. His father is a politician who only raised him to keep his reputation in tact. His stepmother was extremely physically abusive. That's why he wanted to die. When Joohyun let him volunteer with the police station she literally saved him. He's becoming a police officer because of her. He found purpose in life because of her. The twenty year age gap between them made him fall into despair, and that's why he tried to cut off contact. He knows that he should see Joohyun as a mother figure, but his feelings became sexual. He's sickened by his own feelings.

That's why he limited their hotel meetings to 10 times. He doesn't expect anything from her. His whole manipulative obsessive plot was just a way for him to try and satisfy himself. He wanted to taste what it would be like to be in a relationship with Joohyun. He knows he will miss her forever, when they do separate.

95% sure the authors gonna cut out the yandere. Yoojung probably knows about his crush (and she probably supports it). Yoojung is a free spirit type character who wants her mom to lighten up and get a man. I can totally see this heading towards an unrealistic happy ending. Boo.

Also. I know there are tons of beautiful 40 year old women, but why are webtoon authors allergic to wrinkles?? Joohyun 100% looks better in the shots where she has some wrinkles. Don't be scared, authors. Some of us would love to see boobs/faces that aren't the exact same shape. Joohyun looks like Yoojung's twin in some panels and in my opinion that's just bad art. Draw a proper milf cowards!!!

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #anxious inspector

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hells-wells · 2 years

Text

Don't Blame The Movies 8

Chapter 8

1996

Overwhelmed you try to be brave, to set your mind to figure out who wore the dreaded Ghostface costume. After an incident with Billy and Stu, it's left you more confused than anything. Leaning on Randy for support seems to rub them the wrong way.

Billy X Reader, Stu X Reader, Billy X Stu X Reader.................. Warnings----- Gaslighting, fibbing fibbers! crossing boundaries!

Standing outside of the school, you watched anyone that walked past

Was it him? No…..

Still in thought feeling a hand suddenly touch your shoulder made you jump, spinning around to see Miss Nancy.

“Sorry, Y/n.”

You breathed a sigh of relief “No, it’s ok, I- I spaced out.” Trying your best to push down the ever-growing feeling to overexplain and apologize, you watched her body language dreading the conversion.

Miss Nancy moved a few steps forward, motioning for you to follow, only stopping at the bottom fo the steps, next to the trees. “Do you have a moment?” Her shaky voice was lowered to a whisper.

You nodded stepping in a little closer, suddenly worried “If it’s about earlier-”

She cut you off “Not only that, but after what happened last year and last night, Y/n, you need to be careful. You never know… Wolves in sheep's clothing, you have to be careful with who you trust.”

The memory of the killer on top of you came to mind, his groan, the eerie feeling you felt with Billy that night.

“And as far as what I walked in on earlier today.” She paused, eyes softening “I know you’ve been friends for a long time BUT if those boys cared for you, they wouldn’t place you in a bad situation.”

You continued to watch her, she was about to say something else when you noticed Randy walking your way. He met your stare and made his way over to you “Hey, Y/n.” he looked curiously between you both.

“Think about what I said, ok Y/n?”

You nodded “I will.” You watched as she walked away, Randy coughed, catching your attention.

“What was that about?”

A cracking sound caught your attention, coming from behind you, inside the bushes. You stared, suddenly feeling uneasy like someone was

watching you. “She was just checking on me.” Turning back to face him “Are you busy?” He shifted from side to side “The guys are coming over to make sure my house is safe, wanna join?”

“That sounds like a terrible idea and a good way for the killer to pick us off one by one!”

Rolling your eyes as you put your arm around his shoulder “Oh, come on! You can keep me company while Billy and Stu are inside.” You smirked, knowing he would take a safer option.

“Hmm, still sounds like a death wish.” He chewed his gum before facing you “We obey the rules?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

You happily nodded “Duh!”

“Full disclosure, if the killer comes at us I’m throwing you and running.” His grin crept across his face, and you both laughed “That’s fine, I was thinking the same thing.”

Stu called out as he came towards you both “Princess, ready to go?”

“We are.” You flatly stated, still unsure how to feel about what happened earlier.

Stu looked from you to Randy confused.

“Randy is joining us.” You could see Stu was unsure about the change of plans.

Randy cut in “That a problem?”

“Nah, the more the merrier” his voice was flat and empty of any emotion.

the three of you moved down further, and it wasn’t long before Billy’s car pulled up, and he instantly looked annoyed seeing Randy. Ignoring his stare, you climbed in the back with Randy, leaving Stu to jump in the front seat, you tried to avoid Billy’s glare in the mirror. You never sat in the back, you were always upfront with him.

“What made you come along? Suddenly grew balls, Randy?” Billy’s joking tone sounded flat to you, knowing him he was pissed.

Randy looked uncomfortable “What can I say? When a lady in distress asks for help, you come running.” He lightly elbowed you and didn’t seem to notice how the atmosphere has changed.

Thankfully it didn’t take long to arrive at your house, Billy eyed you the whole way.

Standing in front of the door he continued to eye you “You coming in?”

“We’ll wait outside.” Randy introjected.

Billy’s eyes went dark for a moment “Hiding behind y/n’s skirt?”

You lightly smacked his arm and were about to tell him to fuck off when Stu jumped in “Hey man.” He motioned for Billy to follow “It’s probably faster without him.” With that, they both went inside. “Sorry” You let out, looking over at Randy “Hey, don’t worry about it.”

```````````````````````

You and Randy were starting to get worried, they were still inside the house and didn’t answer when you called out.

“Forget it Y/n, I’m not going in there.”

You huffed “Yeah, I know the rules… They’re probably just being dicks.” Stepping in closer to the front door you paused, turning back to face Randy “Besides it wouldn’t be very smart to attack us during the day with people close by.”

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, bringing you in closer “Ah, you're finally learning young Skywalker.” Smiling along, both of your backs were facing the door.

“Well, at least you are a better-looking Yoda” You joked back, lost in the conversation.

“Aargh!” Billy jumped out, scaring you both.

Randy tripped over, landing on his elbow “You fucking dick!” he screamed.

“Billy, what the fuck?!” Your heart was racing, anger building up as you yelled at him “With everything going on, why would you?!” He didn’t say anything for a moment, just smirked.

Stu followed behind Billy, also with a massive grin, how you wanted to smack it off their faces.

“Seriously? And people say I have bad taste.” Randy huffed.

“It’s called a joke, might want to look into it.”Billy glared down at Randy, not giving in.

Feeling the tension between you and Stu stepped forward, you didn’t know what to do but suddenly felt like Billy might lunge at Randy. Still eyeing him off, you could hear your mom’s car pulling into the driveway. Billy relaxed and so did everyone else.

Seeing your mom step out of the car with a random man instantly put you in a bad mood.

Why am I surprised? Of course, she couldn’t cut her trip short.

“Didn’t I tell you? My baby always has boys calling.” Her voice might have sounded proud but you knew it enough to know it was jealousy.

The man nodded with a big smile, you wanted to punch it off.

“My daughters' protectors though I don’t think they had to be here, after all, she wasn’t hurt.” Her eyes scanned the three standing in front of her.

With that, Randy took his chance to leave “I’ll see you tomorrow Y/n.”

Chicken. If he ran any faster there would be dust.

“Y/n, this is Charles.” She introduced this tall man, his hair was slightly grey but even you had to admit, he wasn’t bad looking. It made you wonder what was wrong with him.

You faked the nicest “Hi.” You possibly could “We’ll be in my room” You grabbed the boy's arms and quickly made your way there, ignoring anything else your mother had to say.

“Man, your mom couldn’t even go a few more days without the newest boyfriend?” Stu rolled his eyes.

“Hmm and he came with luggage, looks like he’s staying.” You dryly replied, closing the door and sitting on the bed.

“You ok?” Billy stepped forward, stopping at your legs.

You shrugged “It’s whatever, are we really surprised?” letting out a small laugh “So, no costumed psycho lurking around the house?”

Stu jumped onto your bed, laying down beside you “Sadly not.”

“Maybe I should have taken the girls up on a sleepover.” You huffed, laying down, you felt the bed dip as Billy climbed in “Or maybe Mr Ghostface could do me a favour.” You were thankful they got your sense of humour, laughing together you almost forgot about earlier.

“String them up?” Stu raised his eyebrows.

“Or hang them from the goalpost?” Billy chuckled.

“Mmm, I’d settle for something to scare her into being a mom.”

Stu leaned up on his elbow to face you “So, whadda Miss Nancy want at school? Give you a hard time?”

Turning over slightly “From class or after school?” a slight blush spread across your face, betraying your voice.

His eyes went to your lips before travelling back up “Both.”

You let out a small giggle, turning back to look at the ceiling “No, she was fine for class.”

“But?” Billy suddenly chimed in,

“After school she was checking up on me, to make sure I was ok.”

“Didn’t sound that way.” Billy copied Stu, sitting up and using his elbow to support himself, his eyes glued to you.

You laughed “She means well.” That’s when it clicked, you shot up standing in front of the bed, how did he hear? Stu couldn’t have told him since he wasn’t there either… They sat up, both looking confused.

“How would you know?” A sick feeling was starting to overwhelm you “Were… Were you watching me?”

He rolled his eyes “pfft, why would I? You misunderstood what I meant, that’s all.”

“Relax princess,” Stu mumbled.

“It fucking felt like someone was.” You were starting to panic.

“Come on, princess.” Stu’s voice was filled with concern.

Billy let out a small chuckle, standing up he walked towards you “I get it, after last night your paranoid.”

“Bullshit!” You spat, walking backwards, only stopping when you bumped into Stu.

His hands went to your shoulders, gripping hard. Before you could register Billy stalked forward, glaring at Stu until he let go of your shoulders and backed off a bit. Billy grabbed your arms pulling you into his chest “It’s alright, your just paranoid… Sssh, sssh… You’re safe with me, Y/n.” You could feel his hands move from your arms to your waist, following his lead, you wrapped your arms around him. Suddenly feeling guilty for thinking something was wrong, they were right.

“I’m sorry” You mumbled, trying to hide how your eyes were starting

to water “Your-your right, I’m going crazy.”

His finger wiped away a tear “Not crazy just scared.”

“How could you not be?” Stu chimed in.

You turned to see him pouting, letting a small giggle as you hold out your hand “Come on.”

It didn’t take much for him to join in, Billy continued to glare.

“I’m lucky to have you both.”

“Shit, don’t go soft on us princess.”

“Shut up.”

The three of you settled down spending the afternoon watching movies, the last one being The Exorcist, once it ended they both left. You spent a very awkward dinner with your mother and Charles, he seemed nice but then again, they all did. Trying your best to ignore them all over each

other as you washed the dishes, your concentration broke when the sound of the phone ringing echoed throughout the house.

Shakenly you dried your hands before answering, looking towards your mother to find she was still in her bubble.

“He-hello?”

“Y/n!”

“Billy? Freak, since when do you call?”

“I need you to listen to me, I’m at the police station.”

Next Chapter

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pandasmagorica · 11 months

Text

Memory reach: Comrades: Almost A Love Story

OK, flying by the seat of my pants here, working on pure memory. I am one of those lucky people who knew what Jim was talking about when, in Moonlight Chicken, he told Wen about the movie Comrades: Almost a Love Story. I saw that movie many years ago here in San Francisco, either at a film festival or at one of the three theaters, alas, long gone, which used to show movies from Hong Kong. It's a great movie. I remember it in particular as the movie that showed me that Lai Ming (namesake of Li Ming in Moonlight Chicken) could act; before that, I had not been impressed by his acting abilities (although I'm not sure where I might have gotten that impression, as I can't seem to be able to figure out which of his earlier films I might have seen, so it may have been a false memory even at that time). But it really is a great movie and worth hunting down. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available on any of my current streaming services.

(Edit: Worldcat lists Comrades' availability in various editions.)

So yes, having to go on a memory of a movie I probably saw about 25 years ago as well as the description on MDL. I've reconstructed my memory about it from two important real world events which happened during the course of the movie: the 1987 closure of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for four days and the 1995 death of Teresa Teng. Please forgive me for errors of fact in describing the movie.

I also suggest reading @telomeke's post on the connection between Comrades: Almost A Love Story and Moonlight Chicken and @waitmyturtles' post on the same subject, as they will likely be much more coherent than my post which follows. Nevertheless, I am thinking about that movie, want to discuss it here, and will plunge forward with my two Hong Kong cents.

Basically, it's about a long time flirtation between two people who meet after emigrating from mainland China to Hong Kong around 1985 or 1986. Qiao, played by Maggie Cheung - who does a great job as well, and always has yes - knows Cantonese, the language of Hong Kong, and is a bit of a schemer. Jun, played by Lai Ming, is a bit simpler and speaks Mandarin. After Qiao's attempt to cheat Jun, they somehow wind up attracted to each other. However, Jun has a fiancé back in China and Qiao falls in with a mob boss, so although – if I recall correctly – they do have an affair, they never fully connect or wind up with each other. Not sure the exact sequence, but at some point in the film the 1987 stock exchange debacle happens and Qiao is wiped out financially. Possibly that is the trigger for her winding up with the mob boss. And Jun marries his fiancé. I think. Again, my memory of the film is hazy.

Full disclosure: Although I have long known and like the song which opens every Moonlight Chicken episode, I am not a Teresa Teng fan and don't recall that aspect of Comrades beyond: the one scene that I will mention in the forthcoming spoilers, and that the Cantonese title of the film is a title of one of her songs.

The theme of the film seems to be that even that if people might be right for each other, the time may not be right for them to be together. Jim echoes this explicitly in his dialogue with Wen in Moonlight Chicken.

Although the focus of this post is the movie and not the series, I do want to give a side prop to Khaotung for being willing to be caught on screen singing that song badly. This goes hand-in-hand with Ohm's destruction of If You Don't Love Her You're Crazy in that bar scene in He's Coming to Me, another Khun Aof series.

Before we get to the spoilers, another Maggie Cheung film I can recommend is Alan and Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye. Warning: it's a weepie. I've also seen her in Days of Being Wild and Behind the Yellow Line but I don't find it either of those films particularly memorable.

Spoilers follow

Back to the movie:

Flash forward 10 years. Both of them wind up in New York City, both now single, still separate and unaware that the other is not far away. Qiao is picked up by immigration authories but escapes. She winds up in front of an appliance store with a window full of televisions. A news story is playing about the death of Teresa Teng. She turns, and also watching the story is Jun. They recognize each other and smile. End of scene.

The film then flashes back to one of them arriving in Hong Kong on the train from China. They get off the train in one direction. The camera pulls back and we see the other one get off the train in the other direction.

So the film is kind of a variation on the idea of people who are destined to meet. In this case they meet very quickly, but just can't manage to be together because the timing is wrong. We don't even know whether they get together this time because the film has cut away. We hope they'll succeed this time, but technically it's an open ending.

It is truly a beautiful film and I recommend tracking it down and watching it if you can.

While there are some parallels between Comrades and Moonlight Chicken, an open ending is not one of them. Please don't let the potentially ambiguous ending stop you from watching Comrades.

#Moonlight Chicken #Comrades: Almost a Love Story #Hong Kong films #ql series #ql drama #thai ql #cantonese film

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striving-artist · 6 months

Note

I'll be honest, I think there's a lot of conflation (in general) of how you actually vote when you cast your ballot and what you vocally support in the lead up to that. Preferably those align, but that isn't always possible. For example, our two party system means that, instead of voting for who we actually want, we have to look at who is most likely to get elected so we don't split the vote. Which kinda sucks lmao.

In this case, I think We the Left™ are unnecessarily split along the lines of those advocating voting for Biden bc he's the lesser of two evils and those wanting to pressure him into shifting his stance so he can gain back any votes he may have lost. To some extent I think both sides are unnecessarily focusing on the differences in how they're going about forcing change without realizing it's two different avenues to reach the same end result.

Do I think those advocating voting for Biden right now are being more conservative (not in a political sense lol) than they should be? Yeah. Do I think those saying they're considering not voting are casting away electoral victories when they can still make things materially better? Also yeah.

Full disclosure:

I, personally, fall more into the second camp than the first, not bc I don't agree with the first, but bc we're literally a year out from the election and (I feel) it's too early to just kinda capitulate. I think it's more important right now to make them realize they can't just bank on votes bc they're the lesser evil (yes. ik that's what's gonna end up happening, but I don't want them to know that), and if they ignore what their constituents are asking for there will be consequences.

To be clear, I (and I'm inclined to say many others in a similar position) am going to end up voting Biden in the next election bc the Dems don't really have another viable candidate and four years of Trump (or whoever the Reps go with) is going to be a shitshow. And no one wants that lmao.

Basically my biggest issue with saying "vote blue no matter who" (even though I agree with the sentiment) is that we still have at least a couple months where maybe we can force shifts by even just marginally threatening their power bc they thought We The Left™ were locked down.

There are definitely gonna be some people who end up not voting (for whatever reason), and there isn't gonna be much we can do right now to change it, but I think it'll be a low enough number that it wouldn't have a seriously severe impact.

(I have no idea if this makes any sense. I'm writing this right before I'm gonna go sleep and I'm yawning sm lmao)

(also, I hope this doesn't come across as combative or bad faith or anything like that. it's genuinely meant to be me vomiting (very jumbled up) thoughts into your ask box lmao)

This is all solid.

I don't think talking about not voting for Biden over this is of much use, just because its too far out, and there's not a lot of people you could put opposite Trump - or the other GOP candidates - that would make us vote for the GOP guy. We'll hold our nose, but we know we'll do it. They know it too.

We could put more pressure on him if there was a primary. But Political parties are private groups not public organizations, so we can't force them to have one, and they're not going to break from Biden. It is literally their party, their rules.

But you know what we do have? Down Ballot Primaries for federal office. Every member of Congress and a third of the Senate are up. Dems, GOP, jungle primaries. The primaries stretch for months. Putting pressure there can be very effective. Directly on that election, but also as a broader statement. If all the candidates calling this out as genocide and war crimes win their primary? Or even just exceed expectations? If it stays that way as time passes?

That is an obvious, measurable thing that sends the message that we aren't going to just forget about this. It can also get more votes in the House to reject the appropriations bills.

#us politics

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xxrainshadowsxx · 9 months

Text

Interpersonal Chapter 11

Dealing with the fallout of him opening his mouth. Also they get to be cute for a while because I'm a sucker for that.

“What in the ever-loving hell are you thinking?” you squeak, your voice several octaves higher than usual.

“That this is going to come out. This way, we can at least control how,” he says calmly as he starts to dress himself. “My PR team will release a statement, and we’ll be subject to media gossip for a few weeks, but you knew that. But since we’re saying something, it doesn’t give anyone else the chance to out us before we’re ready.” He walks over and runs his hands over your arms. “Trust me with the public stuff, okay? I said I’ll protect you, and I will. And the first thing I’m doing is getting you out of here.”

You take a deep breath, but nod, and both of you hasten to finish getting dressed. No sooner has he gotten his jacket in place when there’s a pounding on the door. “Dammit,” he grumbles. “Stick by me, keep your head down, and don’t say anything,” he orders quickly before pulling you into his side, arms forming a protective shield around you.

He opens the door, and sure enough, both his lawyers and his PR team are there, demanding answers from the both of you, but you keep your head down just as he says, eyes never leaving the floor, and allow him to lead you away. His entourage follows, drawing the attention of most everyone else, but he gets you to the front of the building. Only then does he turn to them.

“I’ll say more tomorrow. I’m leaving for the day,” he snaps, and with that you take your leave. He’s driven himself today, and the same car that he’d taken to your house over the weekend is waiting for you outside. You gratefully climb in.

“That wasn’t fun,” you comment as he gets in next to you, to which he winces.

“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s gonna be like this for a couple of days. You think you can handle it?” He gives you a pleading look, and you just smile and nod. That was always going to be your answer, because he was worth every second of scrutiny.

“I have you. We can get through anything,” you reassure. He leans over and gives you another kiss, which you relish. Yes, with him, you could do this. It wasn’t going to be fun, but you knew it was going to have to be the price to pay. He was worth it.

You expect him to take you home, but he takes you to his mansion instead. You don’t mind; you’re eager to see more of the place. He seems to read your mind. “Want the tour?” he asks after the car is parked.

He shows you around, but it seems more than half of the house goes unused. It’s sad that he’s stuck alone in this giant place. However, you stay silent until the two of you get back to his bedroom.

It looks mostly the same as last time you were here, though there aren’t any clothes tossed haphazardly on the floor anymore. There is one addition, however, that catches your eye.

It’s a picture in a frame on his nightstand. You pick it up curiously. It’s of the two of you, arm in arm, at that gala a few weeks ago. It seems a lifetime away. “Where did you get this?” you ask.

“That’s the one that’s been floating around online when there were a bunch of articles wondering if we were dating back then,” he grins sheepishly. “I found a copy and had it printed over the weekend.”

“Why did you never clarify we weren’t dating at that?” you wonder. “Surely it would have been less of a headache?”

“Full disclosure?” He comes over and slips an arm around your waist. “Because I wanted to be dating you at that point. By not denying anything, I was allowed to still have hope. I don’t know if you can understand how hard it was for me not to tell you or kiss you that night.”

“I wanted to, too,” you whisper. “I would’ve let you if you tried.” With that, you snake your arms around his neck, pulling him down to press your lips against his, slow and sweet.

You’re both smiling by the time you pull apart. You glance at the picture again. “I look really uncomfortable in that. We should take a better one. Gimme your phone?”

He quirks an eyebrow at you, but hands the phone to you. You have him sit on the edge of the bed before kneeling behind him, resting your chin on his shoulder and hugging him with one arm. You hold the phone out with your free hand and snap the picture. “There. Much better,” you decide as you look it over.

“You’re surprisingly calm considering everything that’s about to happen,” he murmurs. “I’m impressed actually.”

“I’m calm because I’m distracting myself and not allowing myself to think about it,” you explain with a sigh, flopping back on the bed. “I don’t think it’s really hit me how much attention this is going to get. I avoided it after the gala. Be honest, how bad is the press going to be?”

He lays down next to you and almost absentmindedly pulls you into his chest as he thinks over his answer. “My guess is that it’ll be pretty nasty for about a week, then they’ll get bored and find something else to turn their attention to. It would have been worse if someone had found out instead of us saying something, that much I can guarantee.” After a moment, he turns to you with a look of faux annoyance on his face. “You’ve put me in a very bad position, you know that?”

You can’t help but laugh at his expression. “Why? Because you couldn’t keep it in your pants?” you tease.

“Well, kind of,” he rolls his eyes, but he’s still smiling, so you figure you can continue to get away with your teasing. “But I’m referring to the fact that I’m going to have to hire a new PA now. I’m not looking forward to it.”

You actually hadn’t thought about that. “So, I don’t know if this is my place, but I have a requirement that I wanted to talk to you about in regards to that,” you say slowly, watching his face closely to see how he’ll react.

Thankfully, he seems open to the idea. “Yes?”

“Don’t fuck this one.” He blinks once, then bursts into a fit of laughter, hugging you even tighter.

“I can promise I won’t fuck the new one,” he eventually manages to get out once his laughs have died down. “I’ll tell you what. I'll get a guy. Would that make you feel better?”

“You could fuck a guy just as easily as you could a girl,” you shrug.

“Touché,” he acquiesces. “But either way, I’ve told you I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t plan on throwing it away.” He snuggles his face into your neck; you’re quickly learning that physical touch is one of his primary love languages. “You’re going to be stuck with me for a very, very long time if I get my way,” he says, his voice slightly muffled.

“I think I can put up with that,” you hum, slowly scrunching your hands through his hair because you know he loves it when you do that. You’re both silent for a long time, so long that your eyelids have closed and you’re fairly certain he’s already fallen asleep, but his voice breaks the silence, proving you wrong.

“Stay with me tonight?” he asks, his voice thick with sleep.

“I’m not going anywhere,” you promise, and you mean it in the double sense of the words. Of course you would stay tonight. And you planned to stay, just as he did, for a very long time.

The next morning found you waking to a very loud and highly annoying blaring alarm. You raise your head from where it had been resting on his chest to glare at his phone that served as said alarm clock, but you couldn’t figure out how to make it shut up.

Miraculously, he was still somehow sleeping through the noise. You guess he’d become deaf to it after a while. You start shaking his shoulder to wake him. Even with that, it takes several moments before he blearily begins to open his eyes.

“Wh-what is it?” he manages to get out around a yawn.

“Turn it off, Oncie,” you complain. He finally reaches over to do so, but gives you a strange look as he does. It’s only then that you register what you said. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” you wince. “I know you don’t like being called that.”

“Yeah. I usually don't,” he says slowly as the blaring of the alarm finally stops. “But for some reason, I don’t mind when you say it. It’s confusing me a little.”

You say nothing, but can’t stop the thrill of glee that runs through you. Instead, you just roll off his body so he can start getting ready, but he grabs you and pulls you right back.

“You woke me up half an hour before I usually get up,” he mumbles sleepily before you can question him. “I’m not going anywhere yet.” You settle back down on his chest, now armed with the knowledge that if he can sleep through that alarm for half an hour, he is officially the world’s heaviest sleeper.

Sure enough, half an hour later when the alarm goes off again, it takes another several shakes before you can pull him into any form of consciousness. When he finally does wake up, he stretches like a cat before making his way to the washroom.

“You wanna come shower with me?” he calls before sticking a toothbrush in his mouth. You make a mental note to bring some of your own toiletries soon; you have a feeling you were going to be staying the night often.

“I usually shower at night,” you say as you sit up and stretch your back out a bit yourself. “And honestly, I was planning on going home for the day. I don’t think I necessarily need to shower for that.”

He pokes his head back into the bedroom, now looking extremely confused. “Why would you head home?” he asks. “I know it won’t be fun, but we do kind of have to give a statement today. You said you were okay with that?”

You blink at him a few times, just to make sure you heard him correctly. “Yes, but I didn’t realize I’d have to be around for that,” you protest, your voice sounding oddly strangled. “I thought it was just going to be you saying something, and then we’d spend the next week avoiding people.”

“And that’s exactly what we’ll do.” He comes back into the room and sits on the bed across from you, taking your hands into his. “You don’t have to say or do anything. I just want you there so we can present a united front, so we can prove we’re in this together. But if you really don’t want to come with me today, I’m not going to force you.”

You chew on the inside of your cheek as you mull it over. Unfortunately, his point was incredibly well-thought out, and you couldn’t think of any way to reasonably refute it. But that didn’t mean you were going to look forward to it. “Fine. I’ll go,” you give in with a sigh. “But you owe me big time.”

He gets a wicked, meaning-laden grin on his face. “I can think of several ways to pay you back,” he promises, then kisses your cheek with a loud smack before returning to his shower.

You shake your head slightly, but also can’t help the small smile on your lips. You hope he didn’t realize how endearing he was, because he could use that to get anything he wanted from you. It was utterly infuriating, but in the best way.

You decide you might as well get dressed, so you stand and head over to his dresser. Your clothes from yesterday were folded neatly on top. He’d lent you a T-shirt, the same one from the morning after your first night together, for you to sleep in, but you pull it off now to get dressed. Yes, you definitely have to start leaving some of your things here, or you were sure you’d be wearing the same thing two, three days in a row, and that would be enough to draw eyebrows from anyone you ended up working for.

He finishes his shower just as you finish getting dressed. He comes out of the washroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, thick dark hair still glistening with water. Fuck. You couldn’t not stare if you had tried.

He pretends not to notice until he reaches his closet and pulls one of his countless green suits from its hanger. “It’s not polite to stare,” he teases.

“Then don’t look so good,” you shoot back, not missing a beat. He finishes getting dressed himself and turns back to you, an odd expression that you can’t quite read on his face.

“You really like the way I look?” he asks, any hint of teasing gone.

Good Lord. His family must have done a number on him growing up. Underneath the bravado he projected, he was an incredibly damaged man, desperately hoping that you weren’t going to turn out like everyone else in his life. And you were very much looking forward to being that exception.

You walk over to him and take his face between your hands, forcing him to look into your eyes. “Yes. I love the way you look,” you promise before kissing him quickly. Along with physical touch, it seemed as though words of affirmation was his other major love language. You were more than happy to provide. “Now let’s go tell the world, shall we?”

He covers your hand with one of his, looking far more comforted. “Yes. Lets.” He leads you back through his mansion to the garage, and takes you to the office.

The second you walk in, people start staring at you. Part of that was probably because of your hasty retreat the day before, and part of it was probably because his arm had found its way around your waist, and for the moment you didn’t think he had any intention of moving it any time soon. Your face is already starting to burn up, but he successfully ignores everyone and keeps a level head as you make your way towards his office. His calm helps keep you from panicking.

You’re not expecting it to be empty, and sure enough, his lawyers and his PR people are waiting for you. He scowls when he sees his lawyers. “Why are you here?” he growls. “Her NDA issue has already been settled. We have nothing more to discuss as far as that is concerned. Get out.” The two of them look affronted, but duck out of the room, heads together, whispering conspiratorially. You have a shrewd suspicion they’ll find more to complain about soon.

He sighs and sits in his usual chair. You look for one you can take for yourself, but he pulls you down to sit next to him. His chair is large enough to fit both of you, but only just; you’re practically plastered to his side.

“Sir,” the man who you’re fairly certain is the head of PR (despite being his PA for several months, you haven’t dealt with PR much face-to-face) begins. “One of the employees noticed your… connection to your PA yesterday and said something to the press. There are now rumors circulating of inappropriate conduct in the workplace. While we’re working to find the perpetrator, we must advise against any kind of relationship with this woman, for the sake of the company.”

Damn. They were talking about you like you weren’t even in the room. You don’t blame Onceler’s knuckles for going white on the edge of his desk before he addresses them. You’d be furious too if anyone talked about him that way, so it’s almost sweet to see how angry he’s getting on your behalf.

“First of all, you’re going to talk about her like a person, not a goddamn object if you want to keep your jobs,” he hisses. “Second, you don’t get to control either of our personal lives, so here’s what we’re going to do instead.” His tone is measured, but you can hear the anger simmering beneath the surface. Underneath the table, you grab one of his hands, offering him what peace you had, though your own nerves were shot as well. It seems to work though; some of the tension leaves his shoulders as he continues. “You’re going to release a statement confirming the rumors. You’re also going to say that she is no longer working for the company, and that nothing inappropriate happened while she was an employee. And that is going to get run by me, before it gets sent out. Understood?”

Some of them look like they want to argue further, but after a tense minute, one by one they all slump under the furious, unyielding look he’s giving them. “Understood, sir,” the head of the department says in a defeated voice before they start to leave.

“And I want an ad put out for a new PA!” Onceler calls out after them before they can exit the room. The second the door closes, his gaze softens and he pulls you onto his lap.

“Well it’s done,” you murmur. “And now we wait?”

“And now we wait.”

You didn't have to wait long. As early as the next day, there were online articles, news stories, and magazines that seemed completely captivated by what you considered to be something very normal. So you happened to meet someone you liked and decided to date him. Nothing newsworthy about that.

Still, it was the most surreal experience of your life to go to the grocery store one afternoon and see your own face staring back at you from a tabloid cover. You'd actually grabbed that magazine and started to read that story, but quickly stopped when it wasted no time calling you a slut, saying you only got his attention by throwing yourself at him, for his money of course.

After that, you didn't leave his house much. He was wisely keeping you away from the paparazzi and most of the other articles, and you didn't want to risk any members of the press finding out where you lived and getting Henry dragged into this yet again.

But spending long hours cooped up in that giant house meant you were bored out of your goddamn mind. Onceler was desperately trying to help, cutting his hours, coming home for lunch, even doing his best to remember to text you during the day, but it wasn't enough. You thought you might go mad, were it not for one thing.

The time you did have with him became your sanctuary. Every kiss was worth a thousand magazine stories questioning your integrity, every touch of his fingers worth a thousand stares from shameless others.

Your ultimate reward came late one night a little over a week after everything had come out. You'd sat down to watch a movie with him, but hadn't even made it five minutes in before you were straddling his waist, grinding your hips down on him, and engaged in a full-blown make out session.

He pulls his lips away from yours, so you just move to kissing along his jawline and down his neck. You aren't interested in anything that doesn't involve putting your mouth on any point of this man's body that's in reach at the moment. So when his own mouth moves up to your ear, it takes you a minute to process that he's actually whispering words into it. "Move in with me."

When the words do register, you reluctantly pull away, because unfortunately, they carry enough weight to require a conversation. "You want me to move in?" you ask, just to clarify you weren't hearing things.

"Yeah. I do." Okay, you absolutely weren't hearing things. "You're over here all the time anyway. And if you feel like you need your own space, I have the room for that." He starts kissing right below your ear. "Move in with me," he whispers again.

You force yourself to pull away once more. "I'm still stuck for a few months on a lease I signed," you murmur. "And it would be really mean to Henry to just drop on him that he suddenly now has to pay the entire rent."

"Let me buy you out of your lease," he offers with zero hesitation. "Hell, I'll even pay the guy what your rent would've been the rest of the year if that's what it takes."

You couldn't even pretend like you weren't tempted by that. Despite the relatively short time you'd been together, you'd known him longer than some of your other relationships. You did want to move in with him. But words from those articles floated to the front of your mind unbidden. Gold-digger.

"I don't know," you say hesitatingly. "I told you, I'm not after your money, and that's an awful lot to spend on me…"

He shuts you up with a kiss. "You didn't ask for it. I offered. There's a difference," he insists. "I want to do this for you, for us. Let me?"

You don't have any arguments after that. "Okay," you agree, and with that word he kisses you as hard as he can, genuinely delighted.

The press could fucking talk about you all they wanted. You had each other and you knew the truth, and you were the only ones that mattered. You had him, and that was all you needed.

#fanfiction #onceler fanfiction #onceler x reader #the lorax #the onceler #also on ao3 #onceler

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