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#and he’s so nice to asa even after she was so weird and mean to him why do i care so much about this stinky chainsaw boy
yokoyas · 1 year
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power coming to love two humans despite originally believing they all deserve to die and aki coming to love two devils despite originally hating them and thinking it was impossible for him to care about one and denji who toes the line between the two coming to love aki and power like siblings despite his history of being abused by men and seeking validation through sexual/romantic relationships with women. and denji turning down a vacation to take care of power and aki trying to keep them from having to fight the gun devil and them going with aki to visit his family’s grave and lightening the mood for him and trying to cook him dinner and power asking denji to find her even though she won’t know him and to love her until she’s her again anyway i hate this manga for making me sob hysterically multiple times.
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mlobsters · 5 months
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supernatural s12e6 celebrating the life of asa fox (w. steve yockey)
seen gifs from this one recently of sam being cute, so i know at least that's coming. recap reminding me of all the characters i iked that have died, not exactly putting me in a great mindset though
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ok so. we're gonna use the same actress, samantha smith - who is 47 at this point, for mary in 1980 (who would be 26). even though in 5x13 it's 1978 with a different actress when dean time traveled. weird choice but ok. sighing that they forced me to figure out the numbers on it :p
decided to just grab the whole scene so i could swim around in the slice of life cozy feelings for a while before it falls apart .2 seconds later
i turned captions off because netflix puts them right over their faces when the title credits are running at the bottom :|
dean's so proud of himself and can't wait to tell jody about hitler, very cute. i do really look forward to episodes with her now. that casual family affection and support sure is nice for them, little hugs and kisses as they barge on in. and her "are you?" to the romcom chick question cracks me up, with how she says it
SAM He’s more of a, uh… animated Japanese erotica chick. JODY Really?
her reaction is great. now generally i'm not about that embarrassing each other life, but that one was cute. and i'm sure dean has done more than his fair share of embarrassing his little brother over the years :p tit for tat, in front of mom/big sister
DEAN Don’t tell her that. SAM Tell her what? DEAN It’s Jody, man. SAM Dude, be proud of your hobbies. It makes you who you are.
his laugh there sounded to me more like a jared laugh than a sam laugh. maybe because we just don't hear sam laugh all that much. which made me inexplicably upset and not want to watch the rest of the episode today.
all right, day 2. i'm exhausted. let's see if i can do this
SAM Yeah, no, Jody. We… we know you’ll be fine, but… you know, we never go to hunter gatherings, outside of bars. Dad always said they were trouble, so…
'course he did
DEAN He died on the job. No better way to go. SAM You really believe that? DEAN Yeah. What, you don’t? I mean, come on, Sam, it's not like we're in the “live till you're 90, die in your sleep” business. This? [Dean points at Asa’s hunting wall] This only ends one way.
i should tally and gather all the times they have this conversation. it always upsets me. sometimes more than others. and the certainty of how it plays out at the end of the series.
4x12 criss angel is a douchebag
DEAN Man...hope I die before I get old. Whole thing seems brutal, don't it? SAM You think we will? DEAN What? SAM Die before we get old. DEAN Haven't we both already? SAM You know what I mean, Dean. I mean, do you think we'll still be chasing demons when we're 60? DEAN No, I think we'll be dead...for good. What? You want to end up like -- Like Travis? Huh? Or Gordon, maybe? SAM There's Bobby. DEAN Oh, yeah, there's a poster child for growing old gracefully. SAM Maybe we'll be different, Dean. DEAN What kind of Kool-Aid you drinking, man? Sammy, it ends bloody or sad. That's just the life.
11x11 into the mystic, at the retirement community
DEAN Maybe we ought to make a reservation. SAM [Chuckles] Yeah, we should be so lucky to live long enough.
... DEAN So no retirement, huh? SAM Hey, you’re the one who’s always wanted to go out blaze of glory style preferably while the Bon Jovi song is playing. DEAN I’m a candle in the wind. Yeah, but the way you said it, it was like that blaze of glory was gonna happen sooner rather than later.
can't find anything else, really thought it's come up more but also searching when not sure of the wording is a challenge
i don't have it in me to finish this today either.
attempt #3.
BUCKY And Asa made us go roller skating. And right after these ghouls almost got us. So there’s the three of us, all banged up, with a ton of ironic teenagers skating under these neon lights. You remember this, Jody? JODY Mm hmm. BUCKY Oh, it was classic. I mean, you know, until the two of you snuck off for some sweet, sweet time alone.
so jody said she met asa "a few months back" but now she's chummy with these hunters (presumably she met them through asa?) and bucky here telling this story like we're recalling days more than a few months gone by. pulls me out of the story when i need to stop to try to figure out how this makes sense and come to the conclusion that it doesn't
DEAN Hey, you clearly deserve your sweet, sweet time alone. JODY Well, I mean, it wasn’t always sweet. DEAN Uh… yeah, it’s just not how we think of you. You know, I… JODY Good, 'cause that would honestly be weird. DEAN Nobody… nobody said you can’t date, right?
little banter bicker earlier, very natural and cute. this... awkward and forced feeling to me. weird. like we gotta fill the time here during the stealth throat slash and mary slowly creeping in
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new mom meet the old mom. so like, i can see how they (the show) wanted this to be a surprise for this scene but little old me is thinking you know dean was tripping over himself to tell jody about killing hitler, but the fact that their long dead mother was resurrected didn't come up.
MARY All over. I went back to Lawrence for a few days. And then, um, I’ve been using John’s journal to retrace a few things. Try to catch up on what I’ve missed. DEAN You could’ve just asked us, you know. SAM Dean, come on. DEAN She could’ve. MARY It’s okay. He’s right. But… This is something I needed to do alone. I… Listen, most of the people I knew are dead. And then I remembered Asa. He was so young when I met him, I thought he must still be around. And then… I saw an article about his death, and, uh… DEAN So you’ll text us once a week, maybe, but you’ll drive all the way to Canada to see some dead guy? Well, that’s awesome. I’m gonna get some air.
well that wasn't fair, dean.
JODY You okay? DEAN Swell. JODY Huh. Is that why you spent the entire ride up here telling me in extreme, excruciating detail how you killed Hitler, but, uh, you neglected to mention the fact that your mom is back from the dead?
all right, then. (i kinda forgot he was mad but [trying to deal] about it honestly)
DEAN Yeah, no big deal. JODY That’s a lie. DEAN Jody… JODY Look, maybe this isn't my place, and this is epic stuff, but, you know, if I could have my son and my husband back? I mean really back? I would give anything, absolutely anything to have that. And it would scare the hell out of me. DEAN Yeah? JODY Yeah. Because what if I’ve changed. What if they changed? What if it just didn’t work out the way I wanted? If you wanna talk about anything, absolutely anything, I’m here. DEAN Thanks, Jody.
when she started that, i was thinking more along the lines of scared to get close and lose them again. i think in this hypothetical, they wouldn't change much but i can definitely get the, what if i changed, of it all. being the person myself that usually has changed within a relationship and it gets kinda fucked up. anyway, i'm glad she made him talk about it. needs someone other than sam to push him sometimes and that he can lean on. i don't care if she's our manic pixie dream mom, we (myself included) need it
MARY Yeah, I just don’t know anymore. Everywhere I go, and everything I do just… feels wrong. But I’ll get used to it. Being back here. I will. I just… SAM Yeah, Mom. You don’t have to explain anything. I get it. You need space. And– and so does Dean, you know? I-I mean, he – he's just… We just got you back and he's just scared we're gonna lose you again, that – that because we're hunters, you're gonna walk away. But I know that’s not true. Even looking at these… I mean, you saved Asa in 1980, um, after Dean was born. After everyone thought you quit hunting. Seems like you couldn’t stop then, and… I’m guessing you can’t stop now, either. This job, this life, is crazy and insane. But it’s in our blood.
don't really follow the logic of - scared she's gonna walk away because they're hunters? scared she's gonna leave period, scared she's gonna die, etc. that i get.
BILLIE It wasn’t me. I don’t get my hands dirty. Rules. I just clean up the mess. Still, between us, it’s always nice to see a Winchester who can’t get what he wants.
i can barely even remember why she hates them so much. they break the rules or whatever with all the dying and coming back? okay and now billie's gonna help and he's indebted to her. sure
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never gets old the top priority is where's sammy. literally yeeted through a door,
this crossroads demon apparently is just way tricksier than all your other bog standard demons. and i thought crossroads demons weren't supposed to be slaughtering people left and right. they're in sales not wetwork
no devil's traps in this here hunter's house???? the cg on the dude breaking his own neck was.... not good. also hey the whole christo thing sure would be useful :P or bust out the phone recording of an exorcism (which they did do once iirc??) too many cheat codes
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sam gotta save new mom from old mom
this whole twist with the accidentally killing asa and covering it up thing has me ??? what is the point. and i felt slightly bad but the 3 person pyre made me laugh. gotta go take out another chunk of forest to expand it
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awkward
JODY I don’t know what’s going on between you and your boys, but I gotta tell you, mom to mom, they are good men. Best I’ve ever met. MARY I know. They’re not the problem.
--
BILLIE See, I’m a big believer in what dies, stays dead. Laws of the universe and all that, so… MARY I didn’t ask to come back here. BILLIE No, you didn’t. And you hate it. The look in your eyes, I’ve seen it before. It’s a dead man’s look– eyes that say no matter where you go or what you do, it feels like this world doesn’t fit anymore. Like you’re all alone. DEAN Well, she’s not alone. BILLIE Tell me I’m wrong. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to offer you mercy. A one-way ticket upstairs, away from all of this.
so i sort of remember her talking about reaping god and being above everything basically, but i mean, magical god creation also is part of this universe so... ? and also, if i didn't know how many episodes mary was in, i would have believed she might actually take up billie's offer.
SAM Does this mean you’re coming home? MARY Yeah. Not quite yet. I just need a little more time.
got the production/behind the scenes-reasons vibes starting to happen for me, little too contrived but okay.
what a strange mix in this episode. so many Family Moments and Feelings mixed into a rando case/rando mix of people. case setup reminded me of the episode that was one big advertisement for Clue :p
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linagram · 1 year
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To the guards: What has each prisoner requested the most of so far? Weather you let them have it or not is irrelevant.
thanks for asking! also, a note: both eiji and miki are guards, so that means prisoners can ask both of them to bring them something, however, most prisoners definitely have their "favorite guard", so it's like.. for example, a prisoner asks eiji to bring them something and eiji agrees to do it, but he doesn't tell miki anything about it (maybe he forgot or just thought she doesn't have to know). so yes, they actually don't know anything about some prisoners' requests simply because those prisoners prefer to ask the other guard for help! hope that makes sense djkslsl (and yes, i made everyone's favorite guards talk about the prisoners' requests)
Miyagawa Akio.
Eiji: His requests are nothing special, really. He usually just asks for books because he thinks that he has to study even in a place like Milgram. I have no idea why he's so obsessed with studying. If those books are not related to school, he just reads classic literature. His cell is filled with books right now.
Hanasaki Aimi.
Miki: She always sounds a little shy when she asks for something. I wish she knew that it's okay for her to request things, I just want to make her life here more comfortable!.. It's hard to say what she asks for most often, but if I'm not wrong, usually it's art supplies or bandaids. She also asked for some hairclips because she gave her candy-shaped one to me and her hair keeps getting into her eyes.
Ishizu Shun.
Miki: He almost never requests anything? I don't want to sound mean or rude, but.. I think it's because he always forgets his requests so easily.. And sometimes he's just too shy to ask for something. I understand his feelings, but, um.. Isn't he older than me? I'm pretty sure he's stronger than me too, so I don't think he should be afraid of me.. Ah, I remember him asking for the same manga Maruyama-san requested a few days ago after he saw her reading it!
Chiba Naomi.
Eiji: Most of the time the things she asks for are not something she wants, it's just something other prisoners were too scared to ask for. When I asked her about her own requests, she simply said that "she doesn't need anything and doesn't deserve anything". It's nice to have a prisoner like her here.
Sanada Kei.
Eiji: He keeps asking me to bring him stuff just because he wants to annoy me. He usually asks me for the most random things, because again, he just wants to see my reaction, he doesn't actually need them. Of course, I never let him have anything.
Miki: If Kei-san actually needs something and.. um, he can't ask Eiji-san to help him, he usually comes to me. I don't think there's anything he asks for that often? He asked for a camera once because he "loves his job so much, it's hard for him to forget about it". He also wanted to take photos of other prisoners and I thought it sounded nice, so I got him one.. It's not that "professional" though, but I think he liked it?
Yoshioka Eiko.
Eiji: Like Kei, she always comes to me when she needs something, but if he just does it to see how I will react, I think she just wants to.. uh, spend more time with me? She's so weird.. She usually asks for stuff like hair products, nail polish, makeup, etc. Her first request was a hairbrush.
Yano Asahi.
Miki: Most of the time he asks for food (especially desserts) and toys. I can understand why he'd want so many toys, he's still a child after all, but I find it weird that he asks me to bring him food. You see, he actually wants me to cook it myself and I just don't get it, Eiji-san is definitely better at cooking than me.. Asa- Oh, I meant Yano-san has a very difficult personality, so maybe he just thinks my reactions are funny? Though for some reason he also often asks me to sit with him while he eats. At first I thought that it's because he wants me to be there in case the food tastes bad, but now I think he's just lonely.
Maruyama Yurika.
Miki: Oh, Maruyama-san usually asks for manga or light novels! She always panics so much because she's afraid of not being able to buy the new volumes. Sometimes she also asks for anime merch, but I don't know much about anime, so sometimes I get her something she didn't want..
Kuroki Riku.
Miki: He asks for makeup products surprisingly often? He asked me to bring him hair dye once too. Though it probably makes sense now that I think about it, he does wear makeup and his hair is dyed after all. Some of his requests don't really make sense though.. Eiji-san is going to kill me for this, but he asked me to bring him a knife once. He claimed that he just wanted to show Miyagawa-san and Yano-san some "cool knife tricks" and.. u-uh, for some reason I just couldn't say no to him. He asked for bandages later that day.
Himura Reina.
Eiji: Most of the time she just asks for weapons and other dangerous things, but she never means it, she just wants to see if we will take her requests seriously. If we're talking about her other requests.. she really likes to request hats. All kinds of hats. She has a whole collection of them in her cell. She wanted to wear a different one every day but other prisoners didn't let her.
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wishi-selfships · 1 year
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Hii!! I’m a CSM self shipper too, whose s/i is also in part one, and I was just wondering if you’d ever like to talk abt Wishi’s role in part two!! There aren’t many CSM self shippers I’ve seen and I’d love to hear abt ur self insert more, especially w the recent stuff!! Like if u go to the same school as denji and all. Only if you’d ever want to share though :D!
OMIGOSH HAII >□<!!!! Omg it's so nice to see another csm selfshipper (even if ur in anon form ,,, haiii anon ☆). AND ANOTHER PERSON WHOS IN PART 1??? HELL EYAAA!!!
Ofc I'd like to talk abt my inserts part 2 role !!! Though I'm not sure if u want Wishi's role or Gabi's.. I'm gonna assume u mean Gabi tho because Wishi most likely won't be present in part 2 <//3
So Gabi's role in part 2 is !!!! Still sorta undecided :3? Well, sorta
Because !!! Gabi and Denji are together by part 2 (I wanna say they've been together since the end of part 1 ?? Eya) like they are officially in a relationship, but idk if Gabi is, like... present?
I know in the beginning of part 2 she isn't, because I wanted there to be a sort of "spin-off" story w/ Gabi going back to America for a while to figure out some sorta problem 💭💭 So like. She's doing that in America while part 2 is going on. BUT IK SHES GONNA COME BACK!!! Just gotta ... figure out when ':3
I've got a few ideas on how I wanna re-introduce her to the part 2 storyline, but I think I wanna see how things progress a little before I make any ideas canon. So far though, I'm sort of leaning into the idea of bringing her back either right after the Eternity Devil Aquarium arc, or during the Falling Devil arc, but nothing quite concrete yet!! I just know she's gotta come back for her bf and their kid (nayuta) <//3
Having said that!! Whenever Gabi comes back, she probably won't go to the same school as Denji. She'd graduate early !!! Get herself a GED n stuff •□• Much to Denji's displeasure (he wanted to go to school w her!!!) But I don't think she'd wanna go to school if she could help it. Might change depending on how the story goes tho!!
HOWEVER I do also have like... an "AU" of sorts where Gabi gets introduced only in part 2. In that case, she'd have a more active role in part 2 - she'd go to the same school as Denji (just in her senior year, so like a grade above Denji? Sorta? At least I like to hc he's in his junior year. Cause I'm fairly sure he's 18 currently? But I thought it made sense for him to be in a grade below), would interact with him, Asa and Yoshida more,,, stuff like that :3c
I'd like to say that Part 2 Only!Gabi would've been present for the Aquarium date (which would've been framed as a hangout bc when Asa tried to ask Denji out, Gabi was there too and she didn't wanna be weird) and would've been over at Denji's place with Asa (The kiss still would've happened, but Gabi wouldn't have been effected much by Nayuta - which is its own plot point that I can elaborate on if someone's interested!!!!), and most likely would've been present in the Falling Devil arc!!!
Theres.. more I can talk about but for the sake of not rambling 4 too long I'll end it here =^•×•^=
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thran-duils · 3 years
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Lost in Zero Gravity (P.11)
Title: Lost In Zero Gravity (Part Eleven) Summary:  Fem!Reader x Mob Boss!Tony Stark x Mob Boss!Steve Rogers.  Reader is a call girl who runs high end parties. She catches the attention of Tony Stark who invites her back to his room with his friend. She might have performed too well because she becomes their new favorite play toy and they don’t like to share. Words: 4,360 Warnings (for the fic in entirety): Smut, prostitution, infidelity, angst, domestic violence, stalking, possessive behavior
Part Ten || Part Twelve || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost
“I… just got involved with some guys and it got… weird,” you told your friend, Asa. You were playing with your pasta, moving it around your plate with your fork. The two of you were having lunch at one of the cheaper Italian restaurants near your grandparent’s house in their suburb. But it was damn good food; you had filled up on soup and calamari before your main course had even arrived.
“’Some guys’?” Asa pressed.
You met her eyes and said, “I got involved with a lot of guys if we wanna be accurate. Too many. But yeah, there are two specifically that I am—WAS seeing. Exclusively.”
“Y/N, you don’t have to be embarrassed about that. Fuck, I would do it if given the opportunity. You know I would. You were making bank,” Asa told you and you cracked a smile at her support. She took a bite of her food and pointed her fork at you, “Okay but… two? Exclusive? Did they know about each other?”
“Yeah… they did,” you admitted. “It was part of the deal.”
“Hmm,” Asa murmured. “You were getting dicked twice over and I can’t even find one.” You laughed, picking up a forkful of pasta and taking a bite. It was too good; you ignored your full feeling. “But, weird how?”
“One of their wives walked in on me fucking them – in my apartment, that they paid for, by the way – and punched me,” you told her bluntly. Asa rose her brows, stalling her chewing. She swallowed slowly and you muttered, “Yeah.”
“Oh, that kind of weird. I’m totally familiar with that. You know, in those situations, what I would normally do….” she trailed off because she started to laugh and you followed her lead, feeling the tension slowly leaving you. She reached across the table and grasped your hand. “I’m sorry. Is that what…” she gestured at your face and you nodded. She breathed in relief. “Not that it’s any better but when you said you got involved with two guys, I was thinking… you know, the worst. But fuck. You getting socked because they were cheating? That’s some bullshit.”
Another mouthful and you mumbled, “That’s what I thought. And they were acting like I was overreacting by being upset about it.”
“Are you kidding?”
“I wish I was.” You shifted in your seat and sighed heavily. “I… never mind.”
“What?” Asa pressed.
“I just think they were… using me as a replacement for their own marriages.”
“Well, yeah…” Asa said slowly.
“You don’t get it,” you exasperated, and she closed her mouth, paying attention. You shrugged sharply, “I mean, they would come over and do things with me. Like… cuddling on the couch, napping together on the couch. Watching TV shows. Buying pets together. Just talk to me as I cooked dinner. It was… intimate. Like something they were missing from their relationship that wasn’t just sex. Does that make sense?”
“I mean… yes?” Asa answered. “Look, that happens all the time. People catch feelings. Even when you’re not supposed to.”
“This was a definite not supposed to.”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Catch feelings?”
You shoved a forkful of food in your mouth, staring down at your plate.
“So, you did. And you only left cause the wife?” Asa asked seriously.
“Look, I don’t like that I like them,” you said meeting her eyes again and she cocked her head curiously. “They’re not the type of men to ‘catch feelings’ for. And there’s a lot of… complications to them having those feelings of attachment to me. They’re not nobodies. Celebrity status if we are going to be frank and that status gives them a lot of power. They might not have hit me but they sure as hell locked me in that apartment because they know no one can stop them from doing it.”
Asa was staring at you from across the table in shock.
“So, I don’t like that I started to like them because they were nice a lot of the time and did me… a lot of favors for my betterment. But I wanted to get away from the situation after that last fucking issue because they obviously have a lot of problems going on at home. I didn’t want to get drug into it any further.”
Silence fell between the two of you for a few moments before Asa told you gently, “I’m sorry, Y/N.”
“I’ll get over it. We are going out for drinks tonight, so I’ll be able to drown my feelings in that rum.”
Asa laughed and said, “Always the rum.”
<><><>
“She’s not in there,” Daryl said coming back to the SUV, climbing back into the passenger seat in the front. Tony, Steve, and a handful of other men were in the back of the SUV, Terrence driving. “I circled the house and could not see her in any of the windows. So, I went to the front door and her grandma answered and I asked her about Y/N, telling her I was looking for her because we were supposed to meet up tonight. The old woman is way too trusting. She told me she was down at this bar called Unicorn?”
Steve pulled his phone out, googling it.
“Looks like it’s two stories. That should be a fun hunt.”
Tony and Steve had both refrained from texting her or calling. That was not their style. If she ran off and was not contacting them, then that was only compounding on top of the transgression. There was no way they were going to reach out and try to build a bridge; she had already burned it. If she called or texted, of course they would answer. But that was on her. She was the one that had made the stupid decision to leave them, and she was going to pay for it in full.
<><><>
“Would you look at that,” Terrence chuckled.
The group of six men had found a booth against the wall on the first floor. The place was packed, the line to the bar ridiculously long but they were not there for drinks. They were there to collect their prize.
“What?” Tony asked, sighing. He was already annoyed to high heaven about having to be in this dive of a club.
“She’s right there,” Terrence said which caught everyone’s attention immediately.
Terrence pointed Y/N out, waiting in line at the bar with another woman, almost to the front. Fishnets underneath high-rise shorts barely covering her ass, a black plain top, and thigh high black boots.
A guy came up behind her, much to everyone else’s annoyance in line and wound his arm up before smacking her ass super hard. As she jolted forward, Tony was already halfway out of his seat, Steve’s hand shooting out to stop him.
Y/N whipped around and glared before her grimace fell recognizing him and the guy burst out laughing. She slapped him in the chest and started laughing too. She leaned forward and took the straws from his drink into her mouth, sucking.
“Must know him…” Daryl said.
They got to the front and Y/N and the other girl leaned on the bar, smiling flirtatiously at the bartender. The friend ordered and the bartender cocked his eyebrow. She said something else, and he looked at the guy behind them, who waved. The bartender nodded before going to line up six shot glasses.
The friend handed over her cash and they picked up the shots between themselves, the guy having finished his drink, leaving it on the counter which the bartender took. They made their way back through the crowd towards the stairs to the bottom floor.
“Guess we are moving,” Steve told Tony. He looked at the other four and said, “You lot stay here up here.”
<><><>
Dragging Mia back from the pinball machine and a guy she had been flirting with, you sat her at the table. She whined the whole time and you told her after the shots she could go back but she needed to take the drinks with you guys because you had been gone for so long. She scolded you for guilt tripping her.
Plopping down in your seat, your eyes happened to scan the bar. Your breath froze seeing Tony and Steve staring at you from across the room, sitting along the wall on a couple of stools. If looks could kill, you would be stabbed on the spot. Even in the moving lights you could see the anger painted on their expressions.
They had not tried to contact you at all. You had taken that as a sign as they had accepted you backing out of the relationship. But they had traveled here, tracked you down. That sent the complete opposite message of accepting it.
Forcing yourself to look away back at the table, your friend Mia shoved one of the shot glasses to you. You tried to keep your breath steady, trying to not look worried.
“Here we go, Y/N,” Asa told you, winking from across the table as she held up her shot glass. “Down the hatch goes third. And fourth for me and Joel. But third for you two.”
“Yeah, we are not idiots. We pace ourselves,” Mia retorted. “Plus there’s a dude over there and I wanna be sober enough to possibly get some tonight.”
You were definitely going to need this shot after having seen them and knowing you were definitely in some deep, deep shit. Maybe you should have gotten a second shot. Hindsight was 20/20.
The four of you took the single shots, before Joel and Asa took their second ones. Joel’s eyes closed and he breathed deeply. “That was rough.”
“Maybe you should’ve spaced them out?” Asa teased, completely unbothered by hers.
“Fuck off,” Joel laughed, taking a swig of his water.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” you told them over the music.
“Oh, me too!” Asa said, hopping up before you could stop her.
Your mouth fell open, trying to protest but she was already gesturing for you to take her hand. You shot a look over at Tony and Steve, seeing they were still very much keeping a glare pointed at you.
She yanked you up from the table, you stumbling in your boots. She held you around the waist, shimmying with you away from the table to the beat of the music – a song you actually liked, “No Other Way” by SHAED–, laughing joyfully as she held you close.
“Let’s go make some friends in the bathroom!” she exclaimed.
That caught you off guard and you actually laughed. “Isn’t that how it always is?”
You hoped to god that Tony and Steve did not approach your friends at the table or think that you were trying to escape out a back door or something. You worried there were other men there – actually, you knew they had other men there. They would not be here alone. You shot another look over your shoulder as Asa danced with you, catching their gaze again before you disappeared into the crowd towards the bathrooms.
You went first to the stalls, pretending to go so you were able to ditch her. Feeling guilty, you left the bathroom, pushing your way through the crowd.
They were still waiting at the table, their eyes fixed on you as you approached.
You stood in front of them, throwing your hands out, and you asked afraid, “What are you doing here? I left the key. I didn’t take anything.”
Steve cocked his head and turned his gaze to Tony, who had not taken his eyes off of you. More burning into you now than before at what you had said.
Tony blinked, finally looking away from you to look at Steve, giving a light laugh. A laugh laced with contempt at that.
“’Didn’t take anything’,” Steve repeated, matching Tony’s humorless chuckle.
You did not like the way they were toying with you. Forcibly, you told them, “I didn’t. I swear.”
Steve’s arm lashed out, his hand wrapping around your wrist in the blink of an eye, yanking you to him. You were pressed in between his legs and he made sure to squeeze to keep you in place. His expression was murderous.
“Y/N… you are an asset. So, you did take something. An unbelievably valuable thing.” You tried to pry your arm away from him and he only squeezed harder, and you gasped. He was far too strong, his grip crushing.
“I know we didn’t tell you because it seemed… irrelevant?” Steve said, searching for the right word. “But, sweetheart, you belong to us. Just like you belonged to Tatiana.”
“I…” you stammered, confused.
“We bought out your contract. Actually, paid her even more than what was owed. And along with other things, you now have all that indebted to us. So, when I say that you are an asset, you understand what I mean now, correct?”
You felt sick, your gaze falling. You had gone to Tatiana thinking that she was releasing you from the contract when she let you run off. Or what you thought was letting you run off… that she had forgiven your debt. But that was not the case at all. You had fucked up without even knowing it. You had crossed them, and it was not a surprise they had come to get you on top of everything else you had explained to Asa earlier this same day.
Steve grasped you underneath your chin to force you to look up at him. His tone was firm, low, “What’s going to happen is you’re going to go and collect your clothes because I’m guessing there’s some cute shorts and bras in there that I like seeing you in considering the amount of clothes you took with you when you stole away.” His fingers dug in and you winced at that, his eyes flashing at the mention of you leaving again. “I know you got scared but that doesn’t excuse what you did. You have a mountain to climb to be in our good graces again but trust me, the reward will be more than enough if you show some good behavior up front by not putting up a fight. Your grandpa’s medicine can be paid for.” You stared at him in shock, and he chuckled, “Yeah, we looked into that ailment. Tony can get that pretty fucking easily. What a happy coincidence, isn’t it?”
That was digging a bigger debt to them, but it was for your grandpa. And it was not like you could run away from this.
Thickly, you told him, “I understand.”
Steve let go of your chin and his thighs loosened on you. “Go say goodbye to your friends.”
<><><>
“I can do it by myself,” you said from in between the two of them when they pulled into the driveway.
You already spotted your grandma sitting on the front porch on her swing seat. It was already eleven o’clock but she was a night owl, especially loving sitting outside and reading her books after your grandpa had gone to bed. You sorrowfully thought that you wished you had spent more time reading to him this afternoon since you were going to avoid waking him up now to say goodbye.
“You’ve got fifteen minutes,” Steve told you stiffly.
You bit your cheeks to hold back an argument, regretting yet another thing, wishing that you had not gone out tonight. But the scene at the club could have happened here and maybe that should be silver lining. Having time alone to pack up and say goodbye to your grandma was better than the alternative.
She noticed you walking up the stairs and she put her book down. “You’re back early.” You could not help but snort and she smiled in return. “I wasn’t expecting you back until probably early morning. If you are anything like I was in my youth and I know you are.” She furrowed her brow and asked, “Where’s your purse?”
You had left it in the car. Sighing, you stopped in front of her. “I gotta pack my stuff up and go.”
“Wait, why?” she asked hurt.
You sat down on the seat next to her and said, “Something came up.”
“Y/N, you’ve only been home for a couple days,” she protested. “We haven’t seen you in so long.”
Grasping her hand, you said, “I… it’s important. Not that you guys aren’t, of course. But it’s urgent. It’s something with work.”
“What could be so pressing there?” she asked you confused. She looked back at the SUV in the driveway, narrowing her eyes seeing Terrence and Daryl in the front seats. “Who are they?”
“Um, they work for my bosses,” you said in explanation. “They’re going to drive me.”
She cocked an eyebrow and asked, “You get to have drivers…? What kind of restaurant owners have drivers on hand?”
You heard car doors close, and you looked up alarm. That was nowhere near even three minutes. You got up quickly and moved towards the stairs to try to stop them from coming up the sidewalk to the porch. Steve and Tony were coming up the cement and you stopped in the center of the walkway defensively.
“That wasn’t—” you started to say but Tony cut in forcibly.
“Just wanted to make sure it didn’t take longer than fifteen because it looked like things were going to get dragged out. Why don’t you walk back with us and introduce us to your grandma before you go inside and get your things?”
He was not asking. Sucking your teeth, you turned around pissed off. You had wanted to do it alone and not have them involved.
She was watching you curiously from the other end of the porch as you walked back up with the two of them. You made to go towards the door, but Tony reached out, grasping your arm tightly, in warning. You stopped and turned towards her by the screen door. You just wanted to get this over with and get out of here without them talking to her.
“My friends are gonna help me pack, grandma.”
“Grandma…?” Steve asked expectantly.
“Margaret.”
“Pleased to meet you, Margaret,” Steve said politely. He walked over to her, holding out his hand. “Steve Rogers.”
Tony did the same, introducing himself. She was looking up at them in awe.
“Wait…” your grandma said, looking between the two of them. “You… you’re Avengers.”
“Sure are,” Tony beamed before he walked back over towards you by the door. He gave you a little nudge towards the door and you took a step before you heard the excitement in your grandma’s voice.
“Iron Man and Captain America. Oh, no wonder the two of you have drivers!”
She had paid very close attention to them after the attack in NYC since you had been there when it happened, and she had been terrified for you. She had become a fan that they had saved the city and essentially you as a byproduct.
“She works for us,” Steve told her, flashing his million-dollar smile.
“Oh?” your grandma asked confused, shooting you a look past him. You had told her you were waitressing, and she was no doubt wondering how that fit into working for them. “Do you own the restaurant then?”
Steve looked over his shoulder at you, a cruel glint in his eye. “A restaurant?”
“Yes. Where she’s waitressing,” your grandma continued. “She said it is a high-end place on the upper east side. Not that I know what that means. I have no knowledge of the city but I’m assuming it’s an affluent neighborhood?”
Steve licked his lips, a smirk tugging at his lips as he watched you. You gave him a pleading look to just go with it, to just lie. Yes, he owned a restaurant. Just say it.
“You wanna tell her what you really do for a living?” Steve challenged much to your horror.
They wanted to humiliate you. And you thought dreadfully, to the point that you might possibly never be able to face coming back here again to look your grandma in the face.
“No,” you snapped instantly.
Steve turned fully towards you, looking dangerous all of a sudden. Just like he had the first day in the apartment when you had told him to fuck off. He stalked up to you, glowering down at you, his back to your grandma.
“You wanna rephrase that?” he breathed lightly, knowing she would not be able to hear him.
You felt anxiety flooding in your chest. “Don’t…” you warbled.
“Own it. Say it, Y/N.”
Tony was at your back, Steve in front, holding you in place. You were not going to escape this.
“I’m your whore,” you rasped in a voice barely above a whisper, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“Now, now, watch your language in front of your grandmother,” Tony scolded in a murmur from behind you. “We have nicer words than that don’t we?”
You cleared your throat and said louder so she could actually hear, “I’m your… assistant.” Steve cocked his head, his eyes narrowing threateningly. He was not going to let this go and you wanted to sock him in the face. Your voice shaking, you said, “Fine. Courtesan. I am your courtesan.”
“Hmm, yeah that’s a good word for it,” Tony praised you quietly.
Steve looked satisfied and shrugged, “I don’t know what was so hard about saying that.” He turned back to your grandma, shrugging again.
Your cheeks burned with shame at your grandma’s expression when you stole a look. Her whole demeanor had changed seeing how theirs had when you told them no and learning what you actually did, hearing it from your own lips. Your eyes were watering then, wanting to crawl into a hole and just die from the embarrassment.
“I don’t like when people lie and especially to their elders in their family. It’s quite rude,” Steve explained to your grandma, who was blanched now, all wonderstruck she had had for him a moment before gone. “Speaking of rude, I do apologize for the short visit and I have to admit that is our fault. We have a trip planned and it was supposed to be a surprise for Y/N but she left before we could go on it, let alone tell her about it. And we do need to be hitting the road.”
Tony added, “I need to use the restroom before we go. May I, Margaret?”
Swallowing sharply, your grandma said weakly, “Yes, of course. Go ahead.”
“Perfect. Thank you,” Tony told her. To you, he asked, “You can show me where it’s at, right?” You nodded and he gestured for you to start walking. Steve told the two of you he would be in the car. Tony nodded in acknowledgment and as he passed, he asked your grandma, “Do you want me to grab you anything to drink while we are inside?”
“Oh, no. I’m quite alright.”
Following behind you closely, Tony kept at your back you walked through the house. Tears spilled over, devastated that they had not just stayed in the car. And thinking now your grandma probably despised you. You wanted to turn around and slap Tony across the face just like his wife had done.
You stopped outside the bathroom, wiping sloppily at your cheeks to get the tears off, and told him, “It’s there.”
“Where are you going to be, love?” he asked, taking in your face, seeing the tears. You pointed at the guest bedroom and he said, “Stay in there until I’m done. Don’t go anywhere.”
Tearfully, you turned back towards the guest bedroom and went to work gathering up your clothes you had tossed around the chair your suitcase was sitting in front of.
Tony took your suitcase from you and walked out of the house. “I’ll take this to the car. Goodnight, Margaret.”
She said nothing, watching you coming up to her timidly.
“Why?” was the first thing she rasped out to you.
“I…” you said, stammering. Your lip warbled and you gave a shuddered breath trying to keep control. “It started as protection as first… from an abusive ex.”
“Doesn’t look like much of an upgrade,” she said sadly, her eyes glossy now too seeing how distraught you were.
“I know it doesn’t look like it. But it is. Trust me,” you said, a few tears escaping, and you wiped at them. “Seriously… trust me on that.” You exhaled sharply and shook your hands, trying to shake off the emotions. “I’m gonna be fine. I promise. I’m sorry I lied to you. Really.”
She did not say anything for a few moments before she asked quietly, “They are very powerful, aren’t they? I mean, they are superheroes.”
“Yes.”
“Seems that quote about Lincoln was right. About testing a man’s character by giving him power. Apparently it’s for the ages.”
You choked out a laugh, caught off guard by her quip. She was still as sharp as she always was; able to read a situation for what it was. She knew how big the power imbalance was between you and them. Essentially anyone and them.
She reached out, holding your hand, holding it tightly. “I’m not mad at you for lying. And I’m happy you came back home for the time you did. You can always call me. Do you understand that?” You nodded and she let your hand go. “Go. I’ll tell your grandpa there was an emergency.”
“Thank you. I love you,” you told her leaning down to give her a tight hug. You did not want to let go.
“I love you too,” she told you, giving you an extra tight squeeze in return.
Pulling away, you turned away from her, not wanting to look back afraid that you would just run back to the chair and curl up there. You instead stared ahead at the SUV to where the door was waiting open for you to hand yourself back over.
~~~
Forever tags: @coconutqueen21 @undecidedsworld
Fic tags: @icant-hangout-imdrumming @oceaniamaddness @multifandom-superlover @imsonick @holl2712 @here4thefanfics
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wondereads · 2 years
Text
Personal Review (02/20/22)
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City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn
Why am I reviewing this book?
I preordered this book a while back, so I think it's a book I should review. Also, I have a bit to say about it.
Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Riven Hawthorne is a gunslinging outlaw on the neon-soaked moon Requiem while Asa Almeida is the heir to a tech empire on the planet Cortellion. Their lives are polar opposites, but they collide when Riven's job goes wrong and Asa must flee Cortellion with her sister's consciousness in tow once her father goes too far.
This is a very interesting concept, although the execution is a bit odd. The plot feels as though it is split into four, almost as if each quarter of the book were an episode of a TV series. It certainly means there's always something going on, so it's not as if the book drags, but it makes it feel less cohesive and affects the pacing. Also, the whole story takes place over two or three Earth days, and it just feels like way too much for that time period.
The worldbuilding is pretty impressive, and it was refreshing to read about some sci-fi worldbuilding after weeks of fantasy (which I brought upon myself). The distinction between Cortellion and Requiem is done well, and the science seems believable, at least to me, who hasn't taken any classes concerning mechanics or computer science ever. I do wish there had been more information about the extent of humanity's planets—as far as I can tell it's just Cortellion—and the different alien species, especially if there were any aliens with human-like intelligence.
I wish this book had just been a standalone. I had anticipated it being such, but then there was a cliffhanger at the end. Other than a couple of things that could have been left alone, such as Riven's sickness, there was really nothing that warranted a second book. Small changes to the plot would've kept it within this book, and I'm not sure if there's enough for a second.
Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Asa and Riven were both pretty good protagonists, even if their people and communication skills, in general, are absolutely awful. I very much liked Asa because I love characters that are cowards. Characters that make the decision to preserve their own safety above anything else because their development is always the best.
Part of why this seems like such a good standalone is because Asa and Riven's character arcs are complete. Both characters are either forced to or choose to let the thing holding them back go, whether it's fear or memories or a person, and by the end they are completely free to make whatever choices they want, and I wish that could be their ending. Asa and Riven are also both crushing on each other, but I didn't feel like that was the main romance. It really felt like the book was pushing Ty and Asa very heavily, and Riven was only a second choice. However, I did appreciate that Riven asserted that she needed time at the end. After all, all of them are pretty traumatized, so they shouldn't just be rushing into a relationship.
The side characters, Kaya, Ty, Diego, and Samir. Of the four, Kaya was my favorite despite being absent most of the book, and I also liked Diego and Samir, and I hope that there's more of their relationship in the next book. Ty, however, seemed like a plot device. He seems to solely function as motivation for Riven; the only character trait that I can think of for him is that he's "nice". Oh, there's also Galateo, Riven's AI, who is a joy to read about.
Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
For a debut novel, the writing is pretty average. Like I mentioned in the plot section, the pacing is a little wonky, and I wish this had been a standalone. I did appreciate that, since this is a human civilization, just far into the future, there were no weird, made-up swear words. I also think the descriptions were fairly good; Requiem was a very immersive environment. One thing that bugged me was the switching of perspectives within chapters. I had originally assumed each chapter would switch between Asa and Riven's POVs, but then they started changing between one paragraph and the next. It wasn't horrible, but it was a little confusing.
Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I'd been looking forward to this book quite a bit, so I have to say I was a little disappointed. While the plot had a great concept, and I loved the character arcs, the pacing was off, and I have almost no desire to read the sequel. In terms of being a fast-paced, gunslinging sci-fi novel, it did very well, but by introducing later books, it makes me worried for the characters and the plot of those books. Also, for a book being heavily promoted as having a prominent wlw relationship, that relationship felt very much like a second choice. I'm glad I gave this book a chance, but I doubt I'll read the sequel.
The Author
Claire Winn: American, this is her debut book, she enjoys gaming and LARPing
The Reviewer
My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, sometimes once a week, usually over vacations. I take recommendations! Check out my about me post for more!
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Sigh. It’s quiet today, so I guess it’s about time to talk about 12x06: Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox.  
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This is an episode without Cas, so clearly it revolves entirely around Cas (I'm kidding, but only a little bit).  It’s also a bottle episode and a meta writer’s wet dream, so excuse me while I nerd out - this is a long one to unpack, and I have spent too much time doing it for you.  That’s ok because, as Sam says:
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DIVE IN AFTER THE CUT BUDDIES!
The Asa montage is where we start.
Asa is a Dean mirror. The parallels are pretty clear - he’s a scruffy rough around the edges hunter, Mary is the reason he got into hunting, he wears a ton of flannel, etc.  If you remain unsure, the writers throw this in at the very beginning in the montage of Asa’s life as a hunter So That You Know:
Bucky: Hey, you know they make new cars, right? Asa: I don’t want a new car. This is my lucky car. 
***Canadian!Dean confirmed.
Shaine Jones may also be the Canadian Jensen Ackles.
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I don’t make the rules ok?
Back in the US, the boys surprise Jody with a visit. 
In case you forgot the episode prior to this one:
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Side note: domestic Jody gives me life. 
We’re clearly supposed to see how Jody is a mom figure for the boys, and it feels nice for them to have that, especially since Mary is Taking Some Space.  Their entire dynamic warms even my cold black soul.
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[romantic scene of a couple silhouetted against a sunset while sweeping music plays on Jody’s TV. The couple kisses.] 
DEAN
[his mouth full of pizza] Jody, you watching some kind of chick flick here?
JODY
Well, Dean. I’m a chick. 
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Kim Rhodes YOU ARE A DELIGHT.  A side note - I know this exchange is supposed to be funny, but I feel sad for Dean (who clearly is a rom com chick).  This is a perfect example of Dean struggling to present some fabricated image of heteronormative masculinity that’s not the heart of who he actually is.  His surprise that a “badass sheriff chick” can also enjoy rom coms makes me fucking upset.  
ALSO:
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Anyway, Asa has passed on and the boys tag along with Jody to the wake in support.  
SAM
Yeah, no, Jody. We… we know you’ll be fine, but… you know, we never go to hunter gatherings, outside of bars. Dad always said they were trouble, so…
DEAN
Yes, you’d be doing us a favor if you let us tag along.
***more receipts that John Winchester was an isolating abuser.  They could have at least had a normal HUNTER life and friends who hunted.
SAM  
That is a big house. [Music continues playing, coming from inside the house now]
***We now establish one “theme” of the episode.
JODY
Family home. Asa was just a guy. 
AKA pretty brutal implication that Asa didn’t have a family of his own.
Speaking of implications:
[Jody removes her coat and the three of them begin mingling. Dean finds his way to the kitchen and a cooler full of beer] DEAN
No label. Well, that’s a red flag. 
****LOL WHAT THE FUCK IS THE REASON****
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....
....
....
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GIRL SEND HELP
Enter Bucky, who is actually (SPOILER!) the villain of the episode.
Do all hunters just walk around with this manly flannel/weird symbolic necklace combo?  Looking at you Bucky and Dean.  
Dean is surprised to find that people know who he is:
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But doesn’t seem to have an issue with it until -
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***Someone who just bragged the entire five hour car ride about killing Hitler shouldn’t be this concerned about what people are saying about him right? 
Or is he thinking it may involve something he isn’t comfortable sharing - since apparently there are things Dean doesn’t feel comfortable sharing as established by the prior couch conversation with Jody?  Hmmmmmm...
***Compare the expressions.  The “you’ve died four times” response is the same as the smug/proud “I killed Hitler” face.  The reaction to the “stories” is the “hey this is my personal business” reaction Dean had to Sam’s Japanese erotica art form comment. He is thinking specifically about something personal.
I wonder what it could be.
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I don’t think any one had to teach Max Banes the art of seduction, but also thank you.
Also, manifesting Dean being raised by Max and Alicia’s Cool Witch Mom instead of John Trash Winchester.  Because that’s what we’re supposed to think here, correct?  Two sibling hunters usually present a brother mirror.
Worth noting Sam’s surprise that witches can also be hunters.  The John Winchester Bigotry Brain Rot runs deep.  (GOD the Sam-witch thing would have driven him crazy I LIVE FOR THAT).
Dean escapes to Asa’s office/room and proceeds to go through his things.
[Dean is in Asa’s office and finds an angel blade mounted on blue velvet inside an ornate glass-lidded box. He opens it, reaches in and pulls out the angel blade, comfortably spinning it in his hand when Sam walks in.]
SAM
Hey.
DEAN
Oh, hi. This is a real Angel Blade. I mean, this guy was legit. 
***that’s weird, why does Canadian!Dean have an angel blade?  We haven’t heard anything about angels yet, and it wasn’t in the opening montage.  Hmmmmmm, I say. Hmmmmmmm...
***Sam is also concerned about The Stories They Tell 
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This one particularly:
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Honestly I don’t know why he’s THAT surprised that people know he was possessed by Lucifer?  Didn’t he start like multiple apocalypses?  That’s something people tend to be in the know about. Anyhoo.
DEAN
Yeah. Apparently we’re a little bit legendary. 
SAM 
Yeah, but, I mean, so was Asa. Then a hunt went bad, and he ended up hanging from a tree, alone in the woods.
DEAN
He died on the job. No better way to go. 
SAM
You really believe that? 
DEAN
Yeah. What, you don’t? I mean, come on, Sam, it's not like we're in the “live till you're 90, die in your sleep” business. This? [Dean points at Asa’s hunting wall] This only ends one way. 
***Insert deep internal screaming about 15x20 here***
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It’s Jody’s turn to be uncomfortable as we find out she and Asa were more than just friends and everyone knew it and Said Things About It and Told Stories About It.
HMMMMMMM...
Dean is surprised that Jody not only enjoys rom coms, but ruggedly hot men. Another thing they have in common.
As Dean comes to terms with the idea that Jody can be a mother figure and also a human person with a life and her own feelings and needs and thoughts, enter the person whom said lesson is actually about:
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This is a Kim Rhodes Facial Expression stan account now.
So cute how Jody knows immediately that Dean is not okay.  Time to reach:
JODY
Huh. Is that why you spent the entire ride up here telling me in extreme, excruciating detail how you killed Hitler, but, uh, you neglected to mention the fact that your mom is back from the dead? 
***look, it’s another Dean doesn’t like others knowing personal information parallel!***
DEAN 
Yeah, no big deal. 
JODY
That’s a lie.
DEAN
JODY …
JODY
Look, maybe this isn't my place, and this is epic stuff, but
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JODY
Yeah. Because what if I’ve changed. What if they changed? What if it just didn’t work out the way I wanted?  If you wanna talk about anything
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***Killing Hitler used yet again to show Dean doesn’t care about oversharing hunting stories, but he doesn’t like for people to know personal ones.  Also, Jody mentions her son and her husband.  Her family and her romantic partner.  
Dean wasn’t just reunited with Mary this season. He was also reunited with Cas, after saying goodbye to him at the end of Season 11 when he headed to what he thought was going to be his death as the Amara-bomb.
So, this conversation isn't just about Mary (the “anything”).  It’s also about Cas (the”...absolutely anything”).
Mary chats with Mama Fox and more Points Are Made about hunters not getting to have a “normal life” or family:
MARY
I saved his life. 
LORRAINE
[scoffing] What am I supposed to say to that? After you, Asa got so… Hunting was his whole life. He never married. Never had a family, kids. And now… enjoy the wake. 
***sending Mary on a guilt spiral about Asa (mirroring her other guilt spiral about hunting as a life for her own sons)
Speaking of mirrors:
BUCKY
And Asa loved that Jeep. Fuses were shorted, fuel line was busted. Ah, he didn’t care. He’d just roll up his sleeves, he’d get right to work. 
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Time to learn about today’s Big Bad.
BUCKY
Jael. He’s a crossroads demon. And he hangs people. It’s his thing. Snaps their neck, slits their throat. He’s a real piece of work. 
***Wait a second.  Jael is a demon?  Don’t...angel’s names usually end in “el” in SPNverse?
Samandriel.
Uriel.
Gabriel.
Raphael.
Gadreel.
Castiel.
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Anyways the demon [questionable] killed Asa and now everyone  is trapped and also In Grave Danger.  
BUCKY
Exactly. Right, so five years later, Jael– he came back, and he came for Asa. 
JODY
How so? 
BUCKY
Asa was seeing this woman, right? She had a kid. 
LORRAINE
Marlene. 
BUCKY
Yeah, Marlene. Jael got into her. It didn’t matter that he was killing people, he wanted Asa to know it was personal. He gets off on it. 
***that’s so weird, didn’t someone else in the show start seeing a woman with a kid - 
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what a sexy little coincidence.
oh and didnt  a supernatural being come back right around that time too - 
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HMMMMMMMM.  No killing though.  That’s the difference between angels and demons, I guess.
(meanwhile Dean has been drinking alone outside - as he does, and is realizing he can’t get back in)
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HI QUEEN
Also, this immediately took me to 
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this show isn’t fair.
****sob break****
Jael Posession 1:
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So curious how there are two siblings and then one gets possessed by something Satanic and the other one is good at seducing men.
SO FUCKING CURIOUS.
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Jael Possession 2:
Elvis. Random.  Though he was the guy who brought up the Stories Sam Was Surprised Were Circulating -
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He was also oddly interested in it.  Methinks Elvis thoroughly enjoyed the Jael possession.
Bilie gets Dean back in the house.  The words “one-time deal” are said a lot of times.
BONUS: Jensen why are you so pretty:
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The hunters get to work, and I live for Max Bane’s pentagram aesthetic.
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MAX
I like a Fifth Pentacle of Mars. It’s got more character. 
***TBH, same.
Jael possession 3:
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****Kim Rhodes is even better when she is playing evil.
JODY/JAEL:
I had so hoped you’d kill your mom. Wouldn’t that be a riot? 
[Mary draws the angel blade and charges at Jody. She cuts Jody’s arm before Sam wrestles her away.] 
SAM
No! Mom!
MARY
What are you doing?! She’s a demon. We kill demons. 
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******WOOF MARY - I REPEAT TO YOU THAT THE JOHN TRASH WINCHESTER BRAIN ROT RUNS DEEP.
Also did you immediately flash back to this with me?
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Gets me thinking that Dean’s feelings for Cas are made twice as complicated by the fact that he is also a supernatural creature.  Another Reason Why John Winchester Would Disapprove.
****Just as he would Disapprove of Sam Being Possessed By the Devil and all that (never forget he told Dean to kill him because of the whole made unclean by demon blood thing). 
Right on cue:
JODY/JAEL
Oh, I have heard so many stories about you Winchesters. And I desperately want the Lucifer thing to be true.  
***Stories again. Jael proceeds to go into Stories That Are Dark Personal Shameful Secrets:
JAEL
As for the rest of you, I have been inside your heads. I know all about you. For example, the twins. Too frightened to tell anyone that they actually came to say goodbye to their daddy. Or the grieving mother who hated the fact that her son was a hunter so much she’d hide his gear, she’d sabotage his Jeep, anything to keep him from hunting. Not that it worked. Could’ve tried harder, huh? 
[She gestures at her own face] And this meatsuit you all seem to care so much about. She actually fantasized about a life with Asa. Can you believe that? Like that worthless man– 
***HMMMMMMMMM
[Bucky gets off the floor and sneaks up behind Jody/Jael] 
BUCKY 
Shut your filthy mouth. 
[Jody/Jael grabs Bucky by the neck and forces him to his knees] 
JODY/JAEL
And you. Bucky. Brave, brave Bucky. I was there that night. Tell these nice, stupid people what you did. Tell them what you took from me. Asa was mine. 
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***Excuse me? THIS IS GETTING VERY...subtextual.  A dark timeline supernatural being/hunter relationship [ending badly because demons only know how to take, consume and possess]? ...Asael?  CURIOUS. 
They chant the exorcism, a different hunter doing each iteration (beautifully done) 
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and send Jael back to hell, but not before Bucky shares his Shameful Story - he’s the one who killed Asa.
Elaboration:
BUCKY
Asa, he was just all– he was just always so stubborn. Look, we were in the woods. [We see the scene play out as Bucky describes it] Jael, he… he was taunting him. Asa wanted to chase him, but he didn’t have the angel blade. I said, “Let’s go back.” He called me a coward, and he shoved me, so I shoved him back, and he fell. He hit his head. Asa? I didn’t mean to do it. But it was a mistake. Asa. Asa? An accident. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. Asa hated that damn demon so much that I just…
DEAN
Oh, you thought people would buy that Jael killed him? So you hung your best friend to cover your own ass. 
BUCKY
What are you gonna do to me? 
ALICIA:
Tell everyone, every hunter we meet. They’re gonna know your name, Bucky. Know what you did. 
MAX
You like stories. This is the story everyone’s gonna tell about you. Forever. 
***Shameful Stories that Define You, what a theme.  Also, definitely a supernatural being potentially having some subtextual feelings for Canadian!Dean.  Hmmm.
***Funeral pyre and side discussion about how Asa did have a family, and children, and a potential supernatural sidepiece.
In conclusion, Supernatural is a love story.  Thank you for watching this dark timeline/Canadian dub.  You’re dismissed for the day.  Go eat bacon.
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Possibly a big ask to get just out of the blue but: what are your Supernatural season opinions? Which one is your favorite? Least favorite? Did you watch long enough to have showrunner opinions? If yes, which showrunner is your favorite and which is your least favorite? If no, which season that you haven't seen most tempts you to get back in the Supernatural trenches? Answer exactly as many of these questions as you want to. Carry on.
You know, I am not sure how long this Ask has been sitting here, because my Tumblr notifications are borked -- I hope not long? If long, I apologize, I wasn't ignoring it on purpose!
Okay, so I have more than the average number of Supernatural opinions, probably, but I'll try to keep this to a dull roar! Inside Me There Are Two Wolves: one of them believes that only the original five seasons of Supernatural are worth defending in any way, the other really, really loves seasons 11 and 12. The Kripke Era had a lot of problems, particularly in its treatment of women as bodies without agency and its treatment of Black men as literal predators, but also for all its flaws, it had a kind of coherence and narrative drive that comes from being the product of a dude who obviously cared about it and had something to say. Taken on its own, seasons 1-5 are a brutal and compelling story about the traumas of being men in a universe that's been absolutely destroyed by its Fathers: on almost every level, it's about these abandoned and brutalized boys discovering that their entire reality is the product of an abandoning and brutalizing God, populated by authority figures who are universally demanding and arrogant, but also completely fucking useless. It's quite literally about Sam and Dean trying to hang onto their souls and their own agency when everyone around them wants them forced into shapes formed by conflicts that fell into place at the beginning of time. It's hard to remember, but back then even the Lucifer plotline was about that! It was about the damage fathers inflict on sons! Things were about things, in the Kripke era!
Then we get to the Gamble era, and. Woof. I actually -- don't hate 6 and 7? Like everything Sera Gamble touches, those two seasons are kinetic and memorable and funny and weird and hit some really, really great emotional beats. There are Some Problems, but Gamble was saddled with a pretty dire job, trying to find a way forward after everything about the series really had effectively wrapped up in Swan Song, and I think she did an okay job. People got mad at her for killing Castiel, but you know, damn, I give her this: that was a storyline. Like, this character who was fresh out of the cult he was raised in becoming disillusioned by how messy normal life is and deciding that maybe people need better authoritarianism instead -- the way he's driven to take too many risks by the fact that he's abandoned and desperate -- Crowley as a legitimately scary villain while still being charming af -- and the tragic resolution of Castiel being torn apart by both his hubris and his heroism. It's actually really good. I understand why people didn't want what Gamble was serving up -- and I'm able to like it because it was undone later, you know? -- but she really did commit to a full season of character arc and saw it all the way through to an earned ending, and I gotta respect that.
I genuinely hate seasons 8 and 9. I think everyone is a dick, particularly but not exclusively Dean, to the point where I just find it a bummer to watch. I mean, you get Benny, and I love Benny. You get, I dunno, bits and bobs of decent episodes, but overall they are very fucked up seasons in my opinion. So Carver era is on thin fucking ice with me, but I do think you start to get a rebound in season 10 with the Mark of Cain stuff, although I wish they'd managed to keep Cain around longer. All the really good Claire stuff starts happening, which is nice because Claire, but also because for once the show is really letting itself go back and deal with the mess these protagonists leave behind them constantly. Castiel and Claire have maybe the most interesting non-Winchester relationship on the show. Oh, and Rowena shows up around here too, right? Love her. So the back half of Carver, 10 and 11, are starting to really gain traction for me. The world is building outward, secondary characters are starting to be genuine characters in their own right, the politics of Heaven and Hell get a little richer and more interesting. The show is really starting to feel like it takes place in a universe, which is great because we love the Frigging Winchesters, but they shouldn't be the only thing going, right? We have 15 seasons to get through! Season 11 is basically bracketed by what are probably my two favorite Supernatural episodes: Baby and Don't Call Me Shurley. (I think I'm the world's only living Metatron fan; I fucking love that little dude.)
Dabb takes over in 12, and I really, really, genuinely love season 12. I fucking love Mary. There are so many episodes I adore -- Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox is a special favorite of mine, and I remain pissed off that the Banes twins never made it to recurring status, bluntly that feels wildly racist to me -- probably the best three-episode streak in the show is Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets to Regarding Dean to Stuck In the Middle (With You), three just almost perfect episodes. So I was poised to really love the Dabb era. I wanted to! My body was ready!
And I do really love the first chunk of season 13, the Widow Winchester arc. Obviously I'm a romantic, love that for me, but it's just also really good? The acting, the writing, the psychological complexity of Dean wanting Jack to be Bad so he has an outlet for his anger and Sam wanting Jack to be Good so he can retroactively parent himself and raise a Lucifer-tainted child who isn't crippled by self-loathing. Billie's great, and it looks like she's going to start being one of the major powers of the universe. Unfortunately -- with the occasional exception of this or that solid episode -- that's kind of the end of Pretty Good Supernatural. Season 13 kind of unravels; season 14 always feels like it's looking for itself (which is a bummer, because I wanted very much to care about Michael); season 15 is, idk. Idk about any of it, it's all pretty pointless. I feel bad complaining on some level, because the show's been on for like fourteen years at this point! It's kinda justified in feeling a little worn out. But the reality is that the later seasons systematically undo all the expansion that had excited me earlier -- the Wayward Sisters crew pretty much vanishes when the spinoff isn't picked up, Naomi and the angels stop doing anything, Crowley's gone, Mary's gone for much of it. We're just kind of futzing around with monsters who don't seem to matter (very much including Lucifer, who hasn't mattered in ages) and a lot of Jack, who. I try not to shit all over, because I know he's a popular character, but I find him just ungodly boring. Everything in the last two and a half season just feels like it's headed nowhere in particular, and also it bored me. The Empty deal is just sadness porn; it doesn't have any resonance or meaning in terms of Castiel's character, it's just him agreeing to die for his kid, which is okay, it means he's a loving dad, which he is, but there's no conflict there, ergo no real drama. It's just mean; it happens because it'll make us sad, and no other reason. Rowena is the only strong secondary character left, and her ending also doesn't feel particularly relevant to her, it's just a generic Sacrifice to Save the World. Everything just feels like they're autogenerating plotlines, rather than letting the actual needs and drives of the characters shape the narrative. So while I have this weird split personality with Carver where I either hate what he's doing or I love it, most of the Dabb era is just. There. It doesn't make me feel anything except kind of tired and embarrassed. Which is a bummer, because I have an inexplicable fondness for Dabb, probably just because of how much I love s12. I wanted to love his seasons! I did love his first season! I feel like maybe something happened when the CW rejected Wayward Sisters? I know that was kind of his darling, and it feels like maybe losing that kind of sucked the joy out of him, and he's kind of checked-out by the end. That's genuinely just my guess, however.
That's Professor Milo's Intro to Supernatural Studies, don't forget to fill out your course survey on the way out!
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elldell1204 · 4 years
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I Sing for Love - Jay Halstead x Reader
fofisstilinski: hi, i would like a jay halstead with prompts 3 - “Can you just shut your mouth?”, 60 - “But I want to hear you sing.”, 63 - “I think I love you.”, please, thanks
Thank you for this! ❤️ I didn’t reblog @darkdisrepair ’s prompt list to be getting them, but they kindly let me use them so definitely go and check them out. Their Upstead fics are like no other! They’re genuinely amazing. 😘 Anyways, I really loved writing this one. I did alter some of the prompts slightly to make them work in the sentence, by the way. Also, I’ve been playing The Last of Us II recently, and this fic was partially inspired by the scene of Ellie playing the guitar in the music store. I’ve linked it down below so you can listen to the song I mean, as it’s really beautiful and thought it’d fit nicely here. I hope you like it, even if it is a little long-winded. Enjoy! 😊
Warning: couple swear words, may make you cry :( sorry!
wc - 2,783
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Click here for the song
Admiring the pile of untouched boxes in the otherwise empty corner of the living room, you took a moment to finally let it sink in. ‘I’m moving in with Jay.’ It was a seemingly simple event to anyone else, but for you and your best friend, it was a huge step forward in your hopefully long life together. Because you knew this was it. You had shared your heart, your mind, your soul with Jay Halstead, a feat you had never even come close to achieving with any of your other boyfriends, not that there were many.
It was scarily similar how alike you two were, yet at the same time, you were totally different. You were both quick-witted, divergent thinkers, aware of the true horrors of the world but in different lights. He had first discovered that when his father gave him ‘tough love’ as a child, a trait he vowed never to adopt. Next was when he saw the travesty that is war; tragic losses of friends as their lives are ripped from your hands by beings you could swear weren’t human, the methods of finding information that haunted you in the form of your worst nightmares, the survivor’s guilt that plagued your everyday when you came home to the widows of the men you fought so hard to save, but unfortunately it wasn’t hard enough. It was a miracle he was able to pull himself out of that hole, and still, he hasn’t fully. But with your help and Hailey’s, he’s surviving. Knowing him now, you weren’t surprised that Jay went into the police force after his active duty. Some say that Chicago is a warzone in itself, but he knew that he could endure this one. After all, the heart he possesses wouldn’t have allowed him to do something with his life that didn’t help others. One of the many reasons why you loved him. Every day he sees the scum of the world, but when he manages to help someone, it reminds him of why he does it. And he knows when he comes home to you, he’s safe. You both know that. Because you have each other, and you protect one another, physically and mentally.
You weren’t on the front lines like Jay was, but still you saw the suffering and agony the world withstands. You were an ASA, a dream you had since you were a child. From the age of three you were better at arguments than any other child on the playground, something your dad used to tease you lovingly for your whole childhood. He told you to “chase your dreams until they become reality, because you would never forgive yourself if you didn’t”. You had asked him why he seemed so forlorn when he said the last part, sat on your bed one night after he’d read you your story. That was when he told you about his dream of becoming a singer, an almost unachievable dream, but one he worked so damn hard for. You asked what happened, and he relayed how his mother became troubled with drinking and drugs after his father left, and so he, being the eldest child, had to work to provide for the family, and so his dream stayed a dream.
You remember saying “But, Daddy, you can still be a singer. I can be your audience.”, and you can still see the smile that spread across his face at your words, the expression being etched into your memory ever since. That was the night he decided to make you his protégé, teaching you how to play guitar and singing with you. This went on for years, and by the time you were thirteen, you were both playing along together, serenading and smiling without a care in the world.
But it wasn’t long before your world crashed down around you. You were seventeen when you got the call, walking out of school one afternoon, with the biggest of your problems being a boring geography assignment, when your mother told you to get to the hospital instead of going straight home. She wouldn’t – more like couldn’t – tell you why over the phone, and as you rushed to Lakeshore Memorial Hospital, your mind was racing with possibilities.
Your dad had collapsed at work, luckily not severely injured, but after running further tests, it was discovered he had stage four lung cancer, and there was nothing they could do. You barely left the hospital the next few weeks, sitting by your father’s bedside as he drifted in and out of consciousness, coughing one minute and throwing up the next. He managed to stay awake a few hours a day at the start, holding your hand and telling you he loved you, retelling stories from his childhood and yours. But when his lungs got weaker, he asked you to bring in your guitar and sing to him, seeing as he couldn’t do it himself. “Music makes me almost as happy as you do, my darling.”
So you did. You sang until your voice was hoarse, until you fell asleep mid-verse, until your fingers and thumbs were blistered. Your mother sat like a mannequin in the chair on the other side of his bed, holding his hand, treasuring the feeling. The feeling of the man you lost too soon.
“If I ever were to lose you, I’d surely lose myself. Everything that I’ve found here, I’ve not found by myself.” You sang, tears pricking at your eyes. You looked up, gazing over at the weak form of your father. If it wasn’t for the machine hooked up to him that was beeping quietly but steadily, you may have thought he was already gone. He was that debilitated, with his limbs laid straight, outlining his body, his eyes closed and his lips, that seemed paler than ever before, the only landmark in the vast ocean of ghastly white that had replaced the face once full of life and laughter.
You laid your guitar back in its case before moving closer to him, intertwining your fingers with his, scared at how cold they felt already. You looked over at your mother. She was silently crying, her eyes rimmed red and streaks traced down her cheeks, and she nodded her head at you.
You sniffed, letting the tears that stung your eyes fall as you stood, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to your father’s forehead.
“It’s okay, Dad.” You whispered. “You can go now. Go be at peace. I love you.”
And after a deep breath, you turned to the doctor that stood at the doorway. “You can take him off life support now.”
You let the tear flow down your cheek for a few seconds before you wiped it away. You shook your head, trying to get rid of the sadness. You had a job to do.
You had officially moved in with Jay a few weeks ago now, but due to your busy lives, the only things you had unpacked were the bare necessities, most of which were already dotted around your shared apartment.
It still sounds weird to refer to Jay’s apartment as your own. You practically lived here before he asked you, anyways, seeing as yours was a lot smaller, in a worse neighbourhood and had a lot of noisy neighbours. It was practically the complete opposite to Jay’s, his being a two-bedroom condo with sweet Mrs Elizabeth Bailey next door who you often helped out by carrying her groceries or fixing a dodgy cupboard door. She was like a great aunt to you both, inviting you round for dinner or baking you some cookies every so often. Many a time had she told you about her late husband, Tommy, and their stories from their lives together. Both you and Jay loved to hear the tales of their adventures, and you were saddened that you never got to meet him. One night, you sat close together on Lizzie’s couch, Jay’s arm wrapped around your waist as you leant into his chest, admiring a photo album she had passed to you as she recalled the memories linked to each image from her armchair. She had surprised you when she suddenly said, “You two remind me of Tommy and I; hopelessly in love.” You looked up and smiled at her, a twinkle in her eye as she remembered her husband, and you felt Jay pull you just that little bit closer.
It was also that night, when you both returned to his apartment, that he asked you to move in with him.
And now you were rummaging through your stuff that was packed into boxes, pretty much half of your life stuffed neatly into them. Looking through each one, you realised how little each of the material items mattered to you now that you knew Jay. Apart from the photos of friends and family, the odd keepsake you’d collected over the years and meaningful gifts from various birthdays and Christmases, it was all just junk. At least you thought so until you spotted your guitar case tucked away into the corner.
You took a deep breath before reaching over and picking it up, getting to your feet as you carried the case over to the couch. You sat down slowly, your heartrate picking up even with your meticulously controlled breaths. You gently laid it down in front of you and opened it, lifting the lid like it would shatter if you went too fast. You hadn’t opened it in years, not since you closed it at the hospital on that horrible day. A droplet landed on the smooth mahogany, one that came from your eyes. It took you a while before you wiped it away, unsure if you were strong enough to touch the instrument without breaking down before it.
‘Pull yourself together, Y/N, it’s been ten years’ you thought. And despite telling yourself that you had mostly moved past your father’s death, trying to see the light from it instead of the darkness, you still had moments where you were majorly overcome with grief. But you knew you could do this. You had to. He would have wanted you to.
So you picked it up. You examined it, not that there would be any new marks or scratches with it being shut off from the world for a decade, and then laid it on your knee like a baby, your hands assuming the positions that were like second nature to you, like another language. And you strummed the strings. They were horribly out of tune, so you let out a sodden laugh at the sound before tuning it to perfection.
Now all you had to do was play. You had time before Jay got home, so that wasn’t stopping you. What was is the thought of playing the guitar your dad bought you, the guitar your dad taught you to play, the guitar that you played to him and with him as you sang together. You knew he wouldn’t want you to stop playing, but you couldn’t bear the thought of playing it without him there to listen.
So you closed your eyes and imagined he was there with you, listening and smiling, as your fingers found the first chord on the neck of the guitar and you played it. Then the next. And the next. And you were doing it. You were playing the song. Now all you had to do was sing. You saw your dad’s smile and you knew you could do it.
“If I ever were to lose you,
I’d surely lose myself.”
Then suddenly there was a loud smash of glass on the floor behind you and you jumped, spinning around violently to see Jay stood in the doorway over some shattered glass.
“What the hell, Jay?! You scared the shit outta me.” You shouted, a hand over your racing heart.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you, I just wanted to hear you sing.” He smiled sympathetically, walking a little further in to lean against the chest of drawers in the corner.
“Shut your mouth. Like hell you did. You just wanted something to make fun of me for.” You huffed, frowning, as you moved to put away your guitar. You could feel the unjustifiable anger bubbling deep inside you at him hearing you, allowing yourself to be so careless as to let him in the first place.
“What? No, of course not. It was really beautiful, and I’ve never really heard you sing before.” He said cautiously as he came to sit beside you on the couch, taking a hold of your hands to stop you putting away the guitar. He could tell you were annoyed, and though he wasn’t sure why, he knew to tread carefully, as he seemingly had hit a nerve.
“Yeah, well, I don’t do it around other people, at least not since I was younger.” You said softly, feeling guilty for shouting at him.
“With your dad?” He asked. He knew all about the story with your father, minus the part where you sang to him before he died. You couldn’t bring yourself to relive that if you didn’t have to. But now you did have to. You couldn’t let Jay be in the dark about it any longer. All he had ever been was supporting and caring to you, and you felt ready to let him in fully.
“Yeah.” You whispered, not trusting your voice. You shuffled in closer to him, and he let go of your left hand to wrap his arm around you, and then you took a deep breath. “I, erm, haven’t played my guitar since the day my dad died. He asked me to play it to him whilst he was in hospital, because he couldn’t do it himself like before he got sick. And on his last day, I played him that song you just heard; it was one of his favourites. Not that he was conscious. He’d been knocked out cold with meds for days by then. After, we said goodbye and took him off life support. And I could never bring myself to play my guitar since.”
Silence followed, allowing him to process and you to recover. He kept rubbing his thumb over your knuckles, showing you support without using his words.
“I’m so sorry, Y/N.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to your hair. “But wouldn’t he want you to keep playing? For him?”
“He would, that’s why I’m trying now.” You pulled away slightly and smiled at him. “He’d have liked you, y’know? He really would.”
“I’m sure the feeling would be mutual.” He returned your smile.
Every day he reminded you of the wonderful man he is; caring, funny, kind, smart. But he also showed you he loved you, that he trusted you. And so you did the same.
You sat up, retrieving your guitar and laying it on your lap once more. You glanced over to him and smiled.
“This was also one of his favourites.” You told him, and then you started to play.
 “Talking away,
I don’t know what,
I’m to say I’ll say it anyway,
Todays another day to find you.
Shying away,
I’ll be coming for your love okay.
 Take on me,
Take me on.
I’ll be gone,
In a day or two.
 Needless to say,
I'm odds and ends,
But I'll be stumbling away,
Slowly learning that life is okay.
Say after me,
It's no better to be safe than sorry.
 Take on me,
Take me on,
I'll be gone,
In a day or two,
In a day or two.”
 When you finished, you sighed deeply, a half-sad, half-loving smile spreading across your face as you turned towards Jay. He was sat in an awestruck daze, smiling back at you as you put your guitar away in the case. When you sat back up, he shifted closer to you, gently taking your cheek in his palm as he gazed into your eyes, running his thumb softly over your cheek.
“I think I love you.” He murmurs.
You scoff jokingly and roll your eyes teasingly. “Well, you better bloody love me, Halstead. We’ve moved in together.”
He chuckles, and you can feel his warm breath brush over your cheek.
“I do. I love you. And I’ll keep saying it, even when you’re sick of hearing it.”
“I’ll never get sick of hearing it, Jay, because I love you too.” You whispered, smirking as you leaned in to kiss him. He met your lips with his, kissing you lovingly, assuring that you knew you were it for him, as he was it for you.
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marisanimecafe · 4 years
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75 with daichi please
Pretend
Pairing: Sawamura Daichi x Reader
Genre: Fake Dating AU!, Fluff
Warning: mentions of cheating, curse words and mention of your child bearing hips one too many times.
Words: 2.2k+
Requested from this prompt list. Requests Open!
Author’s note: Ah, this is my first request,,,,,,, I hope that you liked it!
Daichi was troubled, You concluded as Daichi didn’t reply to your question for the second time. 
“What’s wrong, Daichi?” You had asked gently as you placed a hand on his, startling him into reality.
“Um, fine, fine.” Daichi says as he smiles. 
“Don’t you dare and bullshit me, Sawamura Daichi.” You say as you point a finger towards him. He smiles at your tone. 
“Yeah, of course, I can’t hide anything from you. The thing is,“ Daichi says as he fiddles with the mugs and you lean in closer, “you know how me and Asa broke up 6 months ago?” 
Oh, you remember how that bitch had cheated on Daichi and then had the audacity to say that Daichi was holding her back. She pissed you off, mostly because you thought that she was a nice girl like Daichi did. 
“I still haven’t told my parents that we broke up.” You truly didn’t know how to react. A part of you thought that he was kidding. Asa and Daichi had known each other for a year and had been dating for two years. Dachi’s mother loved Asa.
“Wait, are you serious?” 
“Yup.” Daichi said, with a look on a face that told you that he didn’t believe it himself. 
“You know that your mother loved Asa, right?” A smile forms at your lips remembering Daichi’s and his mother’s first meeting, “Do you remember what she said?” 
Daichi groaned remembering and in order to make him even more embarrassed, you said it, mimicking his mother, “Ah! She has such good hips. That’s good for bearing children.” 
You gave Daichi thumbs up, like his mother had and Daichi rolled his eyes. 
“She said that about you too, if you don’t remember.” It was now your turn to be embarrassed. 
“Honestly, she would love anyone as long as they have ‘child bearing’ hips.” You say, hoping to close that topic once and for all. 
“Well, you know talking about child bearing hips, I have a favor to ask you.” Daichi said as your eyes widened at his words. 
“Just adopt a fucking child. I am not going to have a kid for you just because you are single right now.” You said sharply. 
“Huh, huH- what? How did you- I don’t want you to have my kids because I am single. I don’t have time for having kids. What the fuck, ______? Why would you tell me that?” Daichi asked you and you rolled your eyes. 
“What favor would you have to ask me after talking about my ‘child bearing hips’?” You snapped. 
“First of all, let’s stop talking about hips all together-”
“Agreed.” 
“And secondly, just listen to me without interrupting me.” Daichi said and you nodded. 
“You know how it is my parents 30th marriage anniversary-” nod “and I was going to tell my parents that Asa and I broke up a week ago but I told my sister me that if I didn’t want to destroy one of my parent’s most important day then, I will shut up and bring someone that my mother will like to the party.” 
Oh no, “And I wasn’t thinking about asking you but now that I think back my mother likes you the best. Sure, she loves Asa as my girlfriend but she loves you as if you are her own daughter.” 
“That makes us dating incest.” You pointed out and Daichi rolled his eyes. 
“I am serious, _______ , I am not going to introduce you as my girlfriend, just as my plus one. We will just imply that we are dating and if she asks about us later, I can just say that we are just too friendly and nothing else.” Daichi says with such a serious look in his eyes that you are convinced that it is a good plan. 
But your brain reminds you that it is not a good plan. Why? Because you are fucking in love with Daichi. Yes, you have read books and you know what happens when people fake date. They fall in love but this is not a book, this is real life and you know that if Daichi didn’t have feelings for you in all this time, one evening of holding your waist is not going to change anything for him. However, you are not sure that you could ever come back from one night of being your boyfriend.
“I am not sure, Daichi. I like your family, I was invited to your parent’s anniversary and not as your plus one. It means a lot for me, I don’t want to lose that by lying to them.” Dachi nods, understanding but then with a hopeful glint in his eyes. He says, “But it’s not technically lying.” 
Ah, fuck there goes your resolve. In high school, you have come up prefect strategy to say ‘no’ Daichi and it always involved you not looking at Daichi and for some reason you had forgotten about that strategy and fucking looked at him. 
“Okay fine.”
Those two words had changed everything since you had said it. Daichi was acting weird, not really weird but more like a boyfriend. There was this one time when he had shown up at lunch in his cop uniform. (Everyone in your office had swooned over the fit young cop.)
To cultivate chemistry, he had said. 
“I thought you said we were not going to act like a couple. Just a couple of friends being too friendly.” Daichi had just shrugged and said trust me. You felt like he was misusing your trust. 
Then, there was that one time when Daichi had showed up with coffee on your doorstep, still in his police uniform because he said that you should not go to that cafe anymore because the barista surely doesn’t have good intentions towards you. You tried to argue against him but you lost once again because you looked at his face. 
Dumb ______, you only have one rule.
And suddenly Daichi was everywhere. Before the agreement, you and Daichi had been involved in your life passively but now you were always there. Before this, Daichi just knew that you felt frustrated when your boss was being a sexist bastard but now, he was there to see you when you were frustrated. Before this you knew that Daichi was in a rather sad mood if he ever let a culprit get away but now you were there to cheer him up when he felt sad. 
That’s when you realize, somehow this wasn’t just one night of hand holding, it had, somehow, turned to be a week of Daichi as your boyfriend. To be honest, you don’t have enough willpower to stop it. You are enjoying having Daichi as your (fake) boyfriend a little too much.
So, you and Daichi make it through a week of (fake) dating each other and then, the dreaded day comes. Daichi would say that Asa couldn’t make it somehow and he would show you off on his arm. Before, his mom would freak out and he  would whisk you away on dance floor. 
The plan was perfect and so was your dress. (However, Daichi’s reaction to you in your dress was somehow even more perfect. You never thought that you would be the one who could instigate such a reaction from Daichi.) (You have decided to not think too much about it right now.) (However, you will definitely revisit the memory of Daichi with wide eyes and slightly parted lips at the sight of you tonight.)
When you reach at the party, it is nothing out of ordinary. Some people ask Daichi where Asa is. Daichi’s cousin makes conversation with you and you are more than happy to indulge them in small talk. Daichi never leaves your side. It has been a very long time since Daichi has stood beside you so fiercely. Before Asa, you and Daichi were inseparable but after Asa, you both knew that things had to change. (To be honest, you didn’t know you had realized that when Daichi’s mom had made an offhand comment about the fact that she had always expected you and Daichi to be together, in front of Asa.) So, you changed things. You weren’t attached. You met up once a month always with Asa, other than that it was Karasuno vbc reunion or family reunion. Occasionally, Daichi and you would call each other when you were at the lowest of the low. It was easy to be vulnerable with each other, even if you had partners. You and Daichi chalked it up being really really good friends. (Even though it left a bad taste in your mouth, it felt like you were cheating.) 
You finally reached the center of the room where Daichi’s parents were at. (It had taken you 30 minutes to reach his parents. Small talks were not that small.) You force all the thoughts of the past to be erased along with the feelings that are rising in you. 
“________ !” Daichi’s mom exclaimed as she saw and hugged you. 
“Yes, please forget your own son.” Daichi comments after he shares a brief side hug with his father. His mother just rolled her eyes as she let you go. 
“Where is Asa?” His mother asked and you tense up. Daichi placed a hand on the small of the back and as you assumed you can tell that this action was not missed by people around you. You feel a faint blush rise as multiple people look at you. 
“She couldn’t make it today.” Daichi said but his mother didn’t look distressed at all, like Daichi and you had feared that she would be. In fact she looked overjoyed. 
“So, you two are together-” You tugged Daichi’s shirt as to indicate that they should not let it escalate. However, Daichi didn’t bulge, ah fuck, “I had been hoping for such a long time. I always knew, I always knew that just friends was nothing but bullshit.” 
As Daichi’s mother stopped ranting for a second, Daichi’s father spoke up and said, “Is she your girlfriend?”
“Ah n-” 
“Yes, _______ is my girlfriend.” Daichi had said and the declaration had sent a shiver down your spine. The song changed and Daichi took this as a chance to sweep you away from the chaos. 
This is it, this is your limit. You truly cannot go back to being friends with Daichi after this. 
As Daichi and you stand in the middle of the dance floor with at least 20 more couples. (Daichi’s parents had invited half of Miyagi or so it seems.) 
“Who plays a slow song at the beginning of the party?” You said as Daichi loosely puts his hands around your waist and you do the same around his neck. The dance floor is cramped and you two pressed against each other. 
Ah fuck it, you will think what it means for your friendship. For a night at least you just want to feel Daichi’s arms around you. After all for the past one week, your head has been filled with only one word: why but you are going to live in the moment for once. 
You tilt your head to look up at Daichi, only to find him looking a little dazed with his eyes focused on the place where his hands meet your waist. 
“What are you thinking about?” You wondered out loud. 
“I was just thinking about you.” Daichi said, snapping out his daze but there was still a softness in his eyes. 
“About me?” 
“Ah, yeah. You make me feel so easy and relaxed but at the same time when I look at you or touch you in any way, I feel my heartbeat becoming irregular and breathing becomes hard.” He pulls you closer and slowly whispers, “Why do you do that?”
You scoff at him, for once deciding to not overthink and face Daichi head on, “You are the one to talk. Do you know how much has troubled me during the past week? Seeing you first thing in the morning made me so lightheaded and when you laid your head in my lap, telling me about your day? I thought I was going to die. Why do you do that?” Daichi smiled. 
“Can I confess something?” Daichi said as he bends a little so that no one else can hear what he is saying. You hadn’t even remembered that there were people around. The entire world had fallen apart and only you and Daichi had remained. 
“I lied about the reason behind fake dating. I thought that if I bought up this entire fake dating thing because I hoped that if I acted like your boyfriend you would see me in a new light. I think that it worked.” Daichi said as he placed a kiss at the end of your eyebrow. A loving gesture that made you want to cry out of relief. Dachi felt the same way. However, Daichi’s words about fake dating had reminded you of the business at hand. 
“So, your mom knows about your and Asa’s break up?” 
“Ah, yes, she knew about it as soon as it happened. She had told me that if I had confessed to you instead, then this wouldn’t have happened.” You laughed. This seems like something Daichi’s mother would have said to her heartbroken son. 
“Well, she is right. I would have treated you better.” You said firmly and Daichi nods as he places his head on you gently and pulls you even closer. 
“I know but I didn’t think that you liked me back.” He sighs, “Being with you feels so good.” 
“What are you thinking about now?” You ask as you feel his warmth surround you. 
“I was just thinking about you. I am always thinking about you.”
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red-doll-face · 4 years
Note
Could you do a request on The Collector with an innocent, shy and jumpy reader he's kidnapped and begins to...I'm not sure if love is the right word lust after I think, sorry haven't been requesting long. :)
The return of the bug man. Maybe if u tell him ur fav pixar movie is bugs life he'll be nice 😳 he's a lil mean in this one but not too much. Im sorry i couldnt make it longer. Thanks for requesting!! 💞
Warnings: kidnapping, slight violence, dead body mention, ambiguous ending so beware , its up to you but there are... Implications
WC: 1163
Asa 'The Collector' Emory x gn Reader
Anything
Your aunt was a solitary woman. She was rich, but not the type to share and she kept her and her family very private. You could count the times you’d gone to visit her on just one hand. That did not mean that you didn’t try and contact her. In fact you worried for your aunt. Because she drove people away, you could never tell if she was in danger or if she was ok. She never told anyone what was happening to her. So you decided that visiting her without asking was what you had to resort to. She called sometimes but she’s been more quiet than you’re used to. Which means silent.
When you pulled up to her house, it was dark already. Did she have to live so far away? The car door closed behind you and your shoes crunched along the gravel in the driveway. You ring the doorbell.
“Auntie, it’s me!” you shouted and you received no response. The garage was closed and no sound echoed from the solitary house. No lights. Not even the porch lights. You stood in the dark and as you tried to knock a little louder the door creaked open. It was almost darker inside of the house than out. The windows were covered in boards and there were objects everywhere, like someone knocked everything in the room over. You yelped as a blade connected to a wooden plank sailed down from above the doorway, ducking just out of the way. It swung on a hinge and you furrowed your brow.
“What the-?” When you turn around, a man in a weird mask is staring at you from the bottom of the stairs, eyes shining bright green. You scream and turn to run from the figure, skirting past the plank with the blade. You try for your car, fumbling with the remote to unlock the door. The man picks you up violently, struggling in his arms. You attempt to stab him with the car keys but he won’t relent. He drags you up the stairs, avoiding traps along the way. You see the corpse of your aunt's husband and you sob. You see your aunt chained up in her bedroom and her screams are muffled through a gag. She's covered in wounds, blood, sweat and grime. You cry out and she seems to get more emotional at the sight of you. He throws you down on the floor, the air leaving your lungs all at once. You gasp to gain it back, failing to notice the chains he ties around you.
“Please, just stop. Leave us alone.” You whine as he starts to force you into a red chest. Impending doom. “No. No! NO!” the world turns black as he latches the box closed, your aunt screaming and eventually, silence.
-
The box unlatched and you tumbled out, coming face to face with black combat boots. You tried to pick yourself up but your hands were tied with chains. Your wrists hurt and he shoves you into a cage. There's at least a gym mat on the floor of it and you feel cold at the thought of spending any time in there. He kicks the cage closed, latching from the outside and you whimper.
“No, please. Why are you doing this? Just tell me what I’ve done to deserve this. Please.” Tears stream down your cheeks. You couldn’t believe this. All you wanted to do was see your aunt, not get kidnapped by some serial killer. He turns to look at you but you can't read anything past the mask. He drags the red box away and you curl into the corner. The room is dark but you don't even want to try and look at it. It will make this nightmare seem more real. You fall asleep thinking about how when you wake up, it’ll be a dream and you’ll pet your cat and make breakfast and-
You wake with a start. The blue stained gym mat on the floor crinkles as you move. Your wrists are red from being tied together. You whimper. What had you done to get such a bad hand at life?
You look up to see the man watching you, sitting in a chair and observing you in your little cage. Like a little bird. Sad to be in the cage but powerless to stop it. You look to meet his eyes.
“Can you untie me? I can't get out anyway.” You stick your chained hands out of the bars and he stands, slowly but surely. He roughly tugs your hands up further, taking a small key and unlocking the mechanism. You sigh and thank him. Venom will get you nowhere. That was the expected. Perhaps a kinder attitude will lighten his hand. You may be scared but strategy will stay the course.
You hold the marks in your cage, rubbing at them to comfort yourself. You put your hands in your lap, resting your head against the bars. He was surprised at how easily you accepted this. He expected resistance but it was sort of sad how fast you settled. He retrieved the sandwich he brought you. The cutie he met at that horrendous woman's house. A lovely creature. Something he wouldn't mind pinning to the wall to look at.
He stuck the sandwich through the bars, nudging it towards you. You take it, putting it in front of you. Foolish bird.
-
It’s been probably another day inside of the dismal room and the even more morose cage. You’ve already had enough of it. You had to pee. But your captor hadn’t come back yet. You rubbed your thighs together to keep from peeing yourself.
Little do you know he's watching from a camera placed in the dark corner. You rub your thighs together, putting a hand over your crotch. Sweet thing. You probably have to pee. But you bite your lip and wiggle. He can’t stop watching you. Your face changes in nuance, your hands clutching. Your useless rocking. He thinks he’ll fix your little problem.
The cage unlocks and you see the man walk in. He holds the cage door open and you take the chance he gives you. You exit the cage, following the tight fingers on your wrist. He leads you to a simple room with a toilet and a sink. He locks you in and you curse. There are no windows. Of course. You handle business and knock and the door opens. He’s still wearing that weird mask. You come out and he grabs your wrist.
“No, I don’t want the cage. Please, I don’t want the cage.” You cry out. You sob and blubber. “You leave me in there, I don’t- please, I’ll do anything.” You shake and grab at his arms. He freezes at the word anything. Anything. Everyone says anything. But does the songbird mean it?
He tugs you out of the cage. You’ll wish you hadn’t said ‘anything’.
Thanks for reading!! Never enough bug boy content.
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orange-waterfalls · 4 years
Text
Say It Back(Part 1/2)
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Host x gender neutral!reader
@thekillingjoke-haha ty for the request!
Part 2
A/N: BRO I FUCKIN LOVE THIS ONE. I was on a writer's block and then CAVETOWN MY LORD AND SAVIOR apparently made a song called "Sweet Tooth". I took a lil bit of inspiration from the chorus(hence, the title). You took inspiration from a song, so did I lol. It took me a bit to find the mood for the story, but once I found it I couldn't stop lol. So. Two-parter. Uh a bit of cursing, Rated T. Slight angst for a minute. The names I used are not people I actually know, they're from a random name generator website. Enjoy!
Word Count: 2.0k
Requests are open!
--
The Host stares at them from across the room.
Well… less ‘stares’ and more ‘keeps his head facing their general direction’. Even so.
They are beautiful. Even with the loss of his sight, he knew they were beautiful. On the inside, at least. He smiles in content as he hears their angelic laugh from across the room. Bing is making jokes again. The Host might’ve been jealous if he were a lesser man and if he weren’t so focused on how their happiness made him happy.
He doesn’t very much understand what he is experiencing. He’d seen movies, he’d read books, he’d listened to songs. He knows what love is. He knows it well.
What it feels like, however, was a completely different ballgame.
Host more focused on his work than on romance. Besides, he just doesn’t like people. He wanted to fall in love at times, but he just couldn’t.
Y/N on the other hand makes him… feel things. He’s not sure if it’s love, he just knows he really enjoys everything they do.
He doesn’t even care that they barely talk to him anymore.
Well… he cares, obviously, but…
You understand, don’t you? Good.
“Host? Hooost. Host!” A voice calls from his side. He hums in response. Bim rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair. “Have you been listening to me for the past ten minutes?”
“No,” Host answers flatly. Bim smiles when he looks over to where Host was facing.
"So you've finally realized you have a crush?" He teased. Host raises his eyebrows.
"Finally?"
"Oh, yeah. We’ve known this, Host, it's really obvious." Host furrows his eyebrows.
"We? What does Bim mean by ‘we’?" They hear footsteps and turn towards the front.
Y/N standing in front of the two, a small, awkward smile on their face.
"Hey," Y/N greets softly. The Host is frozen in place.
"Hey!" Bim says, a wicked grin on his face as he sees the effect on Host. "Didya need something?"
"Yeah, um… Bing told me to ask you where Wilford would be…"
"Oh, well I know nothing about Wilford. I don't think anyone does," Bim explained. “But Host here knows everything, so…” Host turned to Bim angrily. He turns back to Y/N when he hears them clear their throat.
“So, uh, Host?” They ask. Host has to keep himself from shivering at the sound of his name.
“Hm?”
“Where is Wilford?”
“W-Wilford is d-down th-the hall… uh, t-to th-the right f-from the b-bathroom…” Host stutters out, voice cracking once or twice. Y/N smiles and nods in thanks before remembering Host is, in fact, blind.
“Uh, thank you…” They laugh, embarrassed. Host tries to give a small smile. His face isn’t used to that yet, so he settles for a nod. They walk away, and he increasingly becomes more sad and more embarrassed as their footsteps fade away.
“Wow,” Bim laughs, “For a narrator, you can’t talk very well, can you?”
“That is not true, the Host can talk very well…” He pauses, “When he is not around Y/N…”
“Oh, so it’s just them, huh?”
“Yes, they very much affect Host and he isn’t quite sure he likes it…” Bim smiles at Host. “What is the problem with Bim Trimmer?”
“There’s no problem, Host, I’m just happy for you!”
“Why would Bim be happy that Host cannot speak correctly?”
“Because you’re in love, dumbass!” Host would have found the insult very… well… insulting if he hadn’t become distracted by the previous phrase.
‘Because you’re in love’. Was Host in love? He wasn’t sure what that felt like.
There was Serena Munoz in kindergarten. They dated for a couple days. She didn’t like how he read constantly, and decided to break up with him. Host wasn’t in love with Serena. He wasn’t even sure he had a crush on her. Maybe he dated her just because she asked. It didn’t affect him when they broke up.
Then there was Jesse Snow in the sixth grade. He was nice. Trumpet player in the band. They liked to read together in the library at lunch and after school. They recommended books to each other and even wrote a couple stories together. They sat next to each other in math and passed notes in cryptography so the teacher wouldn’t understand. They would, though. But Jesse was scared. Two boys dating in middle school? Not the best for his image. He probably got teased or called gay(which he was) and that’s why they broke up. He liked Jesse. He was sad when they stopped talking. But he didn’t think that was love. It was more of a ‘like’ than anything.
Then Asa Holmes in his senior year of highschool. They were really different. They had blue hair, but he could see the natural-brown in the roots. They wore a lot of black and spikes and chains. They listened to punk rock and heavy metal. Host liked the heavy metal more, so they listened to that more often. They did homework together at Asa’s house, and Asa would start dancing halfway through and it kind of annoyed Host, but he also found it endearing. Then they graduated and promised to keep in touch, but Asa just… couldn’t. Host understood, and they stopped. He was disappointed, but he wasn’t in love with them.
Is this what love feels like? Is it a weird feeling in your stomach when you look at this one person? Is it your heart racing when you see them laugh? Is it hyperventilating when they come over to talk to you? Is that what love is?
Oh.
Oh no.
Host is in love.
Y/N had managed to weasel their way into the dark and lonely place in his soul and fill it with hope and joy and love.
And, oh, how he absolutely loves you.
And what the hell is he supposed to do about that?
--
“Uh, Host?” Bim calls after 20 minutes of silence from the writer. “Are uh… are you okay?”
“No,” Host answers instantly.
“Uh… why not?”
“Because… Host is in love…” Bim is quiet for a second and Host worries he’s gone Deaf as well. But Bim lets out a loud laugh that startles Host.
“Bing! Get your ass over here, you owe me $30!” Bim yells. Bing groans and drags his feet over to them, mumbling as he takes the money out of his wallet. Host begins to zone out, all the noise around him fading into nothing.
Host was… in love. What was he to do? Tell Y/N? No… he couldn’t. They might hate him. They might think he’s awful. They might stop being around him completely. He couldn’t handle that.
So, what was he to do?
“So, what’re you gonna do?” Bim asks, as if reading Hosts mind. “You’ve got to tell them of course.”
“No.”
“No?” Bim scoffs, “Wha do you mean, ‘no’? You have to tell them, Host!”
“Hos does not have to do anything. Host is content with watching from afar.” Host explains. There’s a pause.
“That’s goddamn creepy, Host,” Bim states. Host frowns. It is a bit creepy.
“Host cannot tell them,” He whispers. Bim, finally seeming to understand, sighs and leans forward.
“Look, Host, I know you’re scared. I know this is unfamiliar territory for you, but…” Bim starts. Host leans a bit towards him, wanting to hear what he has to say. He may treat the man like he’s annoying, but ultimately, Host cares about his opinion. Bim sighs again.
“If you don’t tell them, you’re going to regret it. Trust me I know…” Bim pauses, and Host begins wondering who hurt him. “But, these are your feelings, Host! You can’t keep them bottled up inside you forever. It’s unhealthy. You need to tell them and if they like you back, great! If they don’t, that’s too bad, watch ‘Dirty Dancing’ on repeat and eat a tub of ice cream like the rest of us.” Host tilts his head a bit.
“Host cannot exactly watch--”
“Oh, you know what I meant, smartass!” Bim laughs and Host smiles. He does know what Bim meant, and he undrstands. He just needs to say it. How would he say it?
‘Hi. I like you. Say it back.’
That’s a bit too forward.
But forward is what Host does. It’s who he is, he can’t change that.
He’ll just say that to them when they come back.
Y/N walks back into the room where Bim and Host are. They’re wearing different shoes, he can tell. Are they wearing different clothes as well? Why would they be?
Wait…
“Wow, hey Y/N! Who you dressing all nice for?” Illinois says from somewhere else in the room. Host is pale. He doesn’t want to know.
“Well,” Y/N chuckles, “I’m glad you asked!”
No.
No, no, no.
“I’m actually going out for lunch.”
“Really? With who?”
Stop.
Stop!
“It’s ‘whom’.”
“Fuck you, Google. Y/N, spill.”
Don’t.
Please, don’t.
“I’m going out on a date!” They finally finish. The room is completely silent. Not that Host would hear anything with the ringing in his ears.
He felt bad. He felt so bad. He hated this… feeling. He was so upset.
“Well, don’t all talk at once…” Y/N jokes awkwardly. Bim finally decides to take pity on them.
“Wow! Didn’t know you had it in you!” He teased. “Congrats!” The other egos joined in in a chorus of congradulatory phrases. Host was silent.
“Well, I better go. Wish me luck!” They said, practically bouncing out the door. Everyone said goodbye to them, and the door finally closed. Host could feel everyone’s eyes on him. They all knew. The all knew. And he didn’t until he was too late to do anything.
Typical of him.
“Host…” Bim starts. Before he can say anything else, Host shoots up and makes a beeline for the bathroom. No one calls after him, no one tries to stop him, no one does anything, He is grateful for that. He just wants to sit and wallow, and that’s exactly what he plans to do.
--
Host heard a soft knock on the door.
“Host?” Bim asks quietly. “Host, it’s Bim. Are you okay?”
“No,” Host whispers. “Host is not okay. Why would Host be okay?”
“Well, uh… you’ve just… been in there a while. I figured you’d have gotten a bit better…”
“Host has not.”
“Oh…”
Silence for a moment, and Host thinks Bim will leave. No matter how much he may try to seem cold, he does enjoy the man’s company.
“Don’t worry. I’m still here.”
Host lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“Bim?” He hears the other man shift so he is sitting out side the bathroom door.
“Yeah, Host?”
“Do you think Host is worthy of love?”
“Yes.” Bim said immediately. Host waited for an explanation. He got none. He supposed that’s just how it works. Sometimes you don’t get an explanation.
“Bim?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think that Y/N could be in love with Host?”
“I think… you shouldn’t bet on it.” Host’s shoulders fall. “But, I also think that there is a possibility and you should tell them soon before they fall in love with someone else.” Host brought his head up. Bim was right.
Y/N was going on a date. Presumably, their first date with this person. Dates are used to figure out if someone is in love, or gives an oppurtunity for someone to fall in love. There was still time. He still has time.
Host swings the bathroom door open and Bim hits his head on the floor.
“Ow! Dammit, Host!” He cursed. Host couldn’t feel bad. Not now.
“Host needs help.”
“With what?” Host turns towards Bim, who pulled himself to his feet.
“With getting Y/N to fall in love with me.” Host heard nothing for a second. Then, a chuckle from the gameshow host.
“Alright,” He sighs, “What do you wanna do?”
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popculturebuffet · 4 years
Text
Close Enough: So Long Boys And Clap Like This
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ON this hour’s episodes: Josh decides to have a vasectomy after a pregnancy scare and soons end up dealing with second thoughts and bostonian robots while Alex regrets getting his after meeting what are maybe his children. Then Josh finally sells a game but it falls through and takes up extra jobs to avoid telling his family while Bridgette is forced to get a real job on her birthday and Alex enjoys inudstrial humis. Clap Like This under the cut. 
So Long Boys
Aka the greatest vacesctomy based comedy episode since Brooklyn Nine Nine’s “Choclate Milk”. If you don’t know the show or don’t remember that episode if you are a fellow 99er it’s the one where Jake thinks his superior officer and friend Terry getting a vasectomy means chopping his penis off. I mean it starts off just assuming he’s making a joke but it becomes blurry if he’s just making quips or genuinely thinks that’s how it works. It’s also easy to compare these two because they both, while vastly diffrent and great episodes in their own rights: have a simlilar beat to the plot: a character trying to get a vasectomy for responsible reasons but being unsure they don’t wnat more kids. It’s just Brooklyn Nine Nine is more also about Jake being hurt Terry dosen’t think of him as a friend, a position he reverses while Close Enough has indentured pop and lock teenagers, a dark ride dedicated to scaring people out of kids and bostionan robots that sound like JFK from Clone HIgh. How does any of this fit together, let’s take a look. 
So we open with Josh and Emily having a huge pregnancy scare, which was caused by the birthday sex from the pitch trailer aka Josh trying to pass it off as “we’re just doing our taxes sweetie!”. In other words the main bit I wanted to see transfered to the show proper. And while there’s a few joke this scene is mostly played for drama.. it’s not out of tone with the rest of the show. What really has made this show work for me is it combines regular show antics, but with the added maturity of having an older cast dealing with growing up. A bunch of 30 somethings to start instead of a bunch of 20 somethings so instead of dealing with stuff like video game competitionts, guys nights, and dating woes, it’s more dealing with juggling family and friends, having a job you hate and trying to ballance your career with your passion.  And here is no diffrent: Josh and Emily HAVE no money, live in a cramped apartment with their best friends and a newly divorced couple which as we’ve seen isn’t always easy, and work jobs htey utterly hate and would have to double down on, snuffing out their real dreams, in order to support this kid. Josh outright says he’ll get a second job and give up his video game development which wihle it’d probably be miserable for him would be a sad neciscity. I myself do this blog on the side while trying desperatley to get an actual paying job, it sucks and their situation is compounded by having a kid on top of it who needs their support and attention. It’s stressful enough without adding a second child. Thankfully it’s a false alarm.  However Josh, in a show of responsibility decided to do something about it and get a vasectomy. Still being josh though, his getting one also involves a massive and hilarious vasectomy party, where a bunch of people we never met, and alex and bridgette obviously play party games involving pinning sisssors on testies and theires even a breakdancing sperm. Emily and Pearle’s reactions are gold to this: Emily, before the opening, tells Josh he’s not allowed to plan parties anymore, understandable while Pearle genuinely didn’t belivie they were dumb enough to have a vasectomy party and gives out an understandable “Damn you white people” when she’s proven wrong. Alex also gets set up for his subplot in the episode mentioning he got his a year ago, which given his and Bridgette’s relationship was probably falling apart around then was a good call. I do however like this: Something big happend and Josh is taking responsibility for it, while still being josh about it, but it shows how unlike a lot of idiot heroes in adult cartoons,he’s still a genuinely nice guy who tries to do what’s right, and has more than one brain cell. he has two thank you. So Alex drives josh to get a vasectomy, while Randy presumibly watches Candace as we only see her at the start (Peale was watching her during hte party to help keep her in the dark for now) and finish of the episode. Meanwhile Emily, Bridgette and Pearle have a small B plot having brunch mamosas and boxing up candace’s baby stuff. We also find out for 100% sure our heroines nationatlities: Bridgette is japanese while Emily is Mexican. Mostly because Bridgette always saw Emily with a bigger family and only half for racist reasons that get her handcuffed to a pipe by a drunken Pearle. This show really needs more of Pearle asa every time she shows up she’s a fucking delight and if the show hopefully returns for season 2 I could easily see her getting more screentime. Emily ends up in tears and realizing she may want more kids, which is.. resonable. Their only 32. While it’s resonable to want or have any amount of kids, except like 20 like that one tlc show... I never watched it but when the only two things you hear about a show you don’t watch is the weird, archacic dating setup they have that feels like it produces a good marriage as much as Charlie Sheen did, and that the mother won’t stop having kids despite it nearly killing her  multiple times and having you know 20, you kinda don’t want to watch it.  Anyway it’s resonable to want a family of any size you want, Emily realises she’s not sure she wants to stop at 1 just yet.  Meanwhile in the A-Plot Josh has come to the same conclusion after finding out that not only is this version of a vasectomy he’s getting permentant, mostly due to ball scorching done by robots, but after a hilarious but deeplly insulting carnival ride in the clinic that’s supposed to Scare josh out of having kids and features two teenagers fighting and pop and locking, a goblin and a wall just saying why why why why, impilng kids ruin your sleep, your romantic lives and are terrible. Josh however understandably takes offense to this, and seeing a brother and sister.. only make him not want to deprive candace of possibly having a sister oneday. Again while he and Emily are in no way in position for a second kid now.. they have time and Josh could easily sell a game at some point: he almost does in the next episode. ONe of Emily and Bridgette’s songs could go viral. Or Josh could end up finding a much better day job or Emily could get a promtion at hers. While not wanting to have a second child while they can’t support one is the right move, Josh realizes not wanting ot have one at all, at least in their spectfic case, was an overreaction to a scary situation.  Josh decides to think more, despite the doctor offring up some pubic scaping for extra, and he and Alex end up finding the Teens from the ride.. who are in fact real kids who look an AWFUL lot and act an awfl lot like alex and are basically indentured to the doctor,who treats them like crap and has them undder contract to pop and lock for him and look at his new pubic hair designs (”Those nights are the hardest”). Josh decides not to go through with it but the bostioan robots who do the procedure refuse to let that happen and leave Josh, Alex and the Twins on the run, while Alex himself reconsiders parenthood as he’s now proud of what he thinks are his kids. As the four are cornered it turns out the doctor is also a prisoner.. but an unsympathetic one since he can A) go home and B) is willingly collaberating with obnoxious robots to do a dangerous verison of a serious procedure to save his own ass and is karmically atomized. When Alex brings up his thinking the kids are his, they sadly explain he isn’t: Their dad’s a republican senator (Tot hteir shame the girl, who I almost forgot to mention is voiced by the wonder Kate MIccui, in her second role in a JG Quintel show. HOpefully if there’s a season 2 or the show stars having arcs they can find a full role for her on the show. ) and Alex finds his sperm he donated ended up in a dumpster.. but is determined to protect the kids anyway. Thankfully our heroes are able to escape with Emily, who sneaks ina fter the robots locked down the faicility’s help, with Josh bummed because he was proud for being responsible as the two discuss still wanting to have kids, with Emily pointing out .. this is STILL responsible. Not going through with something you have doubts about and having an honest talk with your partner is the responsbe thing> The five of them escape, and while Alex knows he’s not the teens father, offers to be there for them if they ever need it.  Wrapping things up at a skating rink, The Ramierz’ skate and Josh and Emily plan to do their taxes again later, though likely with a rubber this time, and Alex got his vasectomy reverse and is really weird about it to Bridgette’s annoyance. Also 20,000 years into the future subhuman cavemen versions of hismelf are the dominatne lifeform Neat. Overall this ep was really good, having great character stuff for Josh Emily and Alex, while still having some good bits for the rest of the main cast minus randy who I feel the show honestly forgets exists half the time, with drunk Pearle being a delight. But it’s the emotional core for both sides: Josh and Emily hastily deciding to not have more kids before wondering if they want to keep the option open while Alex realisses he might want to be a dad himself and his bond with waht he thinks are his kids and protectivness of them is really sweet. It’s also not lacking in great jokes; The entire rollercoaster of “DON’T HAVE KIDS” is just black comedy gold from start to finsih including the green goblin for some reaosn, the boston robots and vasectomy doctor are great vilians and overall the episode is just really good and really mature for an episode that also makes plenty of testicle scaping jokes. You can do both. 
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Clap Like This
And continuing the trend from the last few episodes, we have the weaker one (though Golden Gamer was still pretty damn good), second this time around, though like Golden Gamer it’s still decent.  The plot is a bit simplier and starts with Josh FINALLY selling a game to two idiot tech billionares, Clap LIke This, a game about clapping along that actually seems really damn fun and I wish were real like Ladder World.  While Emily enjoys being able to spend money and her husband finally living his dream or so she thinks, Bridgette, who we find out has been on an allowance from her parents, is cut off on her birthday and has to get a job at a forever 23, one of the few times this show has used an offbrand and not nearlya s awesome a name as “Plugger Inners” it feels lazier if only because again, Plugger Inners exists. But as was revealed earlier, the two guys who bought it went broke and the deal feell through but josh, feeling terrrible about them not being able to afford the finer things anymore, hides it from his family and takes as many shifts as possible at plugger inners. He also runs into David Hasslehoff doing his best mitch von malibu as he just.. throws more money at josh to do what his son asks. Or nephew or whatever. I went back and redited this after finding out that really was him and supposed to be him. I’m also calling his annoying son Hobie for reasons that will be come clear if you’ve ever watched allison pregler’s baywatching series but it’s always fun to see the hoff in something. Especailly the time he made this really embarassing music video. 
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But alass the 200 dollars Hoff made off “jump in my car”  that he gave josh isn’t enough and with him having taken all the insltation jobs josh is forced to turn to black market insltations including one where he installs a tv while jaws eats a guy.. I genuinely wish they’d used this song.
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free-pool-trash · 5 years
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Falling - Asahi Shiina x Reader
Requested by anon: since you're doing free(bless🙏) can you write asahi seeing the reader frequents his sisters shop, then he sees them in haru's apt building, then campus, and he falls hard for them and finally reader is introduced as a friend of haru/mako... how would he confess?❤
Sorry this took so long! I absolutely love this request thank you, I hope you like it! 💞
Word count: 1,888
Masterlist
He didn't pay much attention to the girl the first time he'd seen her, he'd been in his sister's restaurant at lunch with Kisumi when he noticed she'd been chatting with his sister longer than most customers tended to, he assumed she was one of the regulars at this time of the day.
He'd usually have been in class at that time but that particular day he'd had his class cancelled and decided to take advantage of the opportunity.
He thought she looked a little bit familiar, but he wasn't sure, she could've just been another pretty girl he'd most likely never see again, so he brushed it off.
When he saw her again he was again in his sister's restaurant, helping her clean up for the night as the restaurant was about to close, as he was stacking the chairs he'd heard the bell above the door ring and saw his sister rushing out from the kitchen with a take-away container held in her hands.
Asahi couldn't keep his eyes from staring at her as she stood in the doorway, silky hair wet and wavy from the pouring rain outside, the perfect smile she wore on her face that told him she was run off her feet and the bags under her glittering eyes that let him know just how tired she was. She was definitely his age, maybe a few months younger, so he had wondered what she'd been doing out so late on such a horrible Wednesday night.
She hadn't noticed him and again he'd turned away, she was a regular who came by later than usual this would probably be it, that's what he figured so he didn't bother her, she looked as though she had enough to deal with anyway.
But then he heard her voice, and not to be dramatic but he would've sworn that she was some sort of angel.
“Thank you so much! You're a life saver!” She'd told his sister and handed her some cash in exchange for the meal in the take-away container.
“No problem, make sure you rest up tonight you look exhausted.” His sister told her and in response he listened to her as she let out a nervous chuckle.
“I will, I have no classes tomorrow so I'll make sure to sleep in… and come eat of course.” She giggled and Asahi couldn't get the sound out of his head but again his thoughts shook him free of his daydream, he most likely wouldn't see this mystery girl again so he settled on not getting his hopes up.
It wasn't until after that day when he began to see the girl in what felt like everywhere he looked, he'd see her strolling along his campus making her way towards the block of classrooms where phycology was taught, he often noticed Haru heading that same way after practice and he wondered if they shared a class.
One morning when he'd been making his way to class on the bus, she'd stepped on, her hair tossed from running for the bus and clothes slightly out of place, despite this Asahi couldn't stop glancing at her as she paid the driver for her ticket and began to search for a spot on the packed bus, before she'd found a spot the bus suddenly began moving again, jutting forward and causing the girl to lose her footing and trip right into Asahi's chest.
Her eyes were wide and her face was completely red with embarrassment as she'd landed with her cheek and hands pressed against Asahi's hard chest and the feeling of the strangers hand stabilizing her by the hip made her pray to every God there was that she hadn't just fallen into some middle aged businessman.
Asahi's heart was hammering so hard against his rib cage that he was worried it'd break or even worse, that the girl would hear the intense drumming.
“Are you okay?” Asahi asked her as she finally met his gaze.
They both stayed silent as they looked at each other, the smell of the girls perfume hitting Asahi's nose in the same way his cologne was hitting hers, they were both simultaneously falling but they were completely unaware that the other was doing so.
Asahi watched as her eyes gazed over his face and he worried that he looked weird or maybe there was something on his face, the girl shook her head slightly and removed herself from the cute boy she'd been seeing everywhere she looked and gave him an awkward smile, “Yeah I'm fine, sorry… My morning is kind of all over the place, I don't normally take this bus.” she told him, grabbing the hand rail next to him to steady herself.
“Yeah I haven't seen you take this route before.” Asahi spoke before he realized how creepy he sounded and by the time he realized her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and she was looking away from him with a red face.
Why'd he have to go and say that? He asked himself and the rest of the the small ride was spent in awkward silence until the pair needed to get off.
They'd pass each other every now and then on campus, giving each other awkward half smiles of acknowledgement when they caught each other's gaze.
“How long does this guy take to get ready?”
Asahi groaned from the passenger seat of Kissumi's car while they waited impatiently outside of Haru's apartment building for the boy.
“I wouldn't be surprised if he was still in the bath…” Kissumi said with a sigh, his eyebrow raising when Asahi opened the car door and began to get out, “I'll go get him.” With that Asahi was out of the car and walking through the corridors of Haru's building when he heard the boy in question conversing outside his door.
“Hey, Haru!” Asahi called from the bottom of the hallway causing Haru and the girl he was talking to to turn and face him, his cheeks heating up once he noticed who the girl was.
“We um, we were waiting for you.” Asahi told him, tripping over his words as his eyes tried not to stare at the girl who'd fallen into him on the bus.
Yet he couldn't help it when he noticed her eyes on him too, a pink colour tinting her cheeks.
“Right, sorry. I was returning (Y/n)'s notes, we take the same psych class.” Haru shrugged then gestured to Asahi, “And (Y/n) that's my friend Asahi.”
Asahi let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck, “Nice to actually meet you.”
(Y/n) giggled and nodded her head, “You too.” Haru brushed off his confusion and soon waved her goodbye.
As the days and weeks passed Asahi and (Y/n) became acquaintances to good friends to best friends and spent a lot of time together, each of them loving every minute of it, both of them oblivious to the others pining.
Asahi had been waiting for a good time to tell her that he'd fallen head over heels for her, but he was having trouble deciding on a way to break the delicate news. That was until one day when he just knew that that would be the day.
(Y/n) had walked into Asahi's sister's restaurant after finishing her last final of the semester, the exam had been the one she'd been dreading the most but judging by the lazy smile on her face as she walked toward Asahi, he assumed she'd underestimated herself.
“How was it?” He asked as she plopped herself on the stool beside his at the bar, folding her arms on the wood and resting the side of her head on them, looking at Asahi with a dopey smile, “Definitely passed.” The boy laughed at her sleep deprived state, “I told you you'd be fine, you're-”
“A genius. Mhm thanks to you.” She interrupted him, standing up and grabbing Asahi's hand pulling him up with her.
“Now come on. You promised me ice cream.” Asahi rolled his eyes playfully at her before throwing his arm around her shoulder and started walking with her as she rested her head against his shoulder, the dopey smile still on her face.
“Let's get going then!” He exclaimed, the cheeriness of his voice waking her up a little bit more.
They walked together happily as the sun began to set over Tokyo, eating their ice creams and laughing together like they always did, but for some reason their laughs we're warmer than usual, they stood closer than usual and gazed more openly at each other. It was nice.
“Thanks for keeping me motivated Asa, I don't think I would have survived without you.” She spoke out softly, facing Asahi and looking up at him shyly.
Asahi couldn't help himself and took a step closer to her, lessening the gap between them.
“What kind of guy would I be if I let my girl get too stressed” Her cheeks exploded with a crimson blush and she pulled bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at him with a hopeful smile playing on her lips, “Your girl?” Asahi's cheeks then matched hers and his eyes widened as he realized what he'd called her.
“Well, uh, I- yeah, I mean no! I-” He stuttered out in an attempt to redeem himself before she cut him off for the second time that night, “Do you want me to be your girl?” She asked softly, talking his hand in hers gently, intertwining their fingers together and prayed she wasn't hugely out of line.
In response Asahi squeezed her hand in his and swallowed thickly, “If you want to, It'd make me really happy…” His voice was shy and (Y/n)'s heart thumped out of her chest when she completely closed the gap between them, bringing her free hand up to his cheek, “I'd love to be your girlfriend, Asahi.”
“Thank God.” He muttered, leaning down and catching her lips with his, smiling as he felt her return his affection.
When he pulled away he rested his forehead against hers, a dopey smile on his face.
“You're a genius.” (Y/n) giggled out, the doped out look on his face turning to a pout.
“Shut up…” He whined, tossing his head back, disconnecting their foreheads.
“Make me.” (Y/n) told him as he pulled her closer, untangling their hands and placing both on his on her sides, “Fine, but remember you left me no choice.” He told her lowly before moving his fingers and tickling her with no remorse, reveling in her laughter and smirking as she squealed.
After a minute of two he ceased and pulled her against his chest for a hug which she happily returned, “You really took your time in asking me out, huh?”
Asahi quirked an eyebrow and looked down at her teasing smile, “When should I have done it then, Cupid?”
(Y/n) rolling her eyes responded to which Asahi laughed, “Definitely when I fell into you on the bus. I mean come on, I literally fell for you.”
“You're such a loser.” He told her endearingly, pushing a piece of stray hair behind her ear.
“Your loser now.”
And he was so glad that she was.
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False Image: Part 2
At this point, you’re pretty sure the universe hates you.
You don’t know what you did to piss off fate, but it seems like everywhere you turn, there’s one of the Winchesters, or some appendage of them—Bobby, Jo, Gabe, and Cas don’t have the last name ‘Winchester’ but they’re all connected in some way.
At least none of your coworkers know Sam and Dean. From what you’ve seen of the boys’ fans, if someone does know them, they’d never stop talking about them. You’re surprised you haven’t fallen to what you’ve started to call the Winchester virus—yet.
You’ve never seen such a close-knit group of people and it’s really sweet, how much they seem to care for each other, but they’re always talking about Sam and Dean. Sam and Dean this, Sam and Dean that, Sam and Dean saved kittens from a house fire yesterday, this morning they saved one of their colleague’s lives.
Not that they aren’t great, because they are. And you’re glad they’re saving kittens’ lives, because you love kittens, and you’re glad nobody’s dying in local fires, but you’ve got a problem.
You blush.
A lot.
At a lot of things, like having to speak in front of small and large groups of people, you saying something dumb to someone you don’t really know, someone asking you a question you don’t know the answer to, someone teasing you, someone questioning you in general, lying, and so much more.
Basically, if no one looked at you, everything would be peachy.
And for some reason you don’t really want to know, the mere mention of Sam freakin’ Winchester makes you red-hot like the firetrucks he rides in.
Oh, and did you forget to mention, you blushing so much makes you embarrassed, but the more embarrassed you are, the more you blush?
So, it’s either you start wearing an unholy amount of makeup to stop from looking like a tomato every time someone mentions Sam’s name—and jeez, are the boys, like, local celebrities or something? Everyone knows them—or you, like, get over this weird crush thing. You’ve not spent an hour in his presence, so how could you be so flustered over even his name ?
At least he’s not one of your patients. You’d probably catch fire if he came around and you had to sit in a closed-off room with him for a half hour.
Good thing he’s a firefighter, you think and chuckle aloud.
“What?” Your secretary and first friend in this town, Charlie Bradbury, asks without taking her eyes off her computer screen. You don’t know what she’s looking at; it’s all a bunch of black and white gibberish on the display.
“Sorry.” You shake your head and stow your phone in your coat pocket. “Just… thinking of a funny scene from a TV show I watched last night.” You can feel the heat rising up your cheeks and pray she isn’t looking at you. Charlie rarely takes her eyes off her computer screen, especially because she works another job while being your secretary. It’s not a lot of work, so she also works for the government in hacking into people’s electronic stuff. You’re not very good at all that stuff. Thank God she is.
“Hey, remind me who’s coming today?”
Charlie rapidly clicks the mouse, minimizing the gibberish screen and pulling up multiple files before finding the right one. She recites, “Brutus Crowley—” You smile at that. “Missy Walker, Dagger Chambers, Lola Banes, and Bailey Hanscum. Garth is taking care of all the other patients. Speaking of—” Charlie checks her watch. “He’s cutting it close again.”
“Cut him some slack, he’s an excited newlywed.” You sigh. “I think it’s sweet.”
Charlie pushes away from her computer and wheels over to you. “What’s that sigh for?”
“What sigh?” You look away and pick up your file for the day just to have something to do.
Charlie exaggerates a sigh and repeats, “‘I think it’s sweet.’ What’s that about?” She gasps. “Is there someone? A boy?” She wiggles her eyebrows at you.
“No!” You crinkle your nose as if disgusted, but really you’re trying not to smile at the mental image of Sam that pops up in your head.
“A girl! I like girls, too, I’m not judging.”
“Speaking of, you need to bring Kara around sometime! You guys are still together, right?”
“Yes, we are, you would know if we weren’t, and you’re changing the subject.” Charlie puts her hands together prayer-style and regards you with squinted eyes.
You start to get red and look away, pretending to shuffle through the case files. It’s just a checkup for Brutus, but Missy’s been refusing food. And Dagger—
“You like someone.” Charlie gasps. “You don’t like Dean, do you? You’ve been talking about him a lot. You know he’s with Cas, right?” She grimaces. As if you’d ever be a homewrecker like that.
You pull a face. “No! Ew! I don’t like Dean—wait, you know Dean? And I haven’t been talking about him, like, at all!”
Charlie laughs. “Hey, look, as your closest friend, whenever you mention a potential love interest, I notice. It’s taken you long enough to get over Brady. You were talking about the Winchesters, especially more recently, and well… even I can admit they are smoking . And the tone of voice you used when you were talking about them… Besides, who doesn’t know Dean? Everyone knows Dean and—” Charlie’s mouth drops open. “Sam! Oh my God, you like Sam !”
“You do?”
You and Charlie turn at the sound of Garth’s voice. He shuts the back door and hangs up his coat and briefcase without taking his eyes off you.
“Hey, Garth!” you say loudly, trying to convey that you’re going to kill Charlie with your eyes. “How’s the wife?”
“She’s great. You like Sam?” he asks again, like you hadn’t heard him ask the first time. “Wow! I love Sam! I bet you guys will be great together!”
“No, I really—I really don’t ,” you insist. “You probably don’t even know the Sam we’re talking about—”
“Well, Winchester, duh.” Garth smiles and chuckles. “Are there any other Sams in the town?”
“Um, yes, three others, and Charlie’s just being stupid and projecting her happy lovey-dovey feels onto me. I’m focused on my work now. I don’t have time for distractions.”
“Y/N, you’re getting red,” Garth points out in a sing-song voice and picks up a sheet of paper from Charlie’s desk. Of course, that only makes you redder. “Oh, hey! Mrs. MacLeod is visiting with Leo today! I love Leo. He’s my favorite snake.”
“I think he’s our only snake,” Charlie muses, finally distracted, and you breathe a sigh of relief and check your watch.
“Oh! We’re opening in one minute! Is everything set up?”
“Y/N, relax. Even if things aren’t ready, the only person scheduled exactly for 9 is Crowley, and he literally could not care less.”
“Speak of the devil,” you say while poking your head out of the employee’s room. Crowley stands in front of the glass doors with Brutus at his side. The enormous Neapolitan Mastiff sits at his feet, perfectly obedient as always.
You mouth ‘one moment’ to Crowley, who rolls his eyes (you blush) and duck back into the room. “He’s here. Where are the keys?”
Charlie tosses them to you. “Did you know, Asa always puts them on the coat rack when he’s finished with the night shift? It took me forever to find them the first time and we were fifteen minutes late to open…” She continues to speak to Garth, who listens intently while preparing himself some coffee, and you welcome Crowley and his dog in with a large, genuine smile. Crowley is definitely an acquired taste and so is Brutus, but they’re both sweethearts once you get to know them.
“How are you today, Crowley?”
“I’m perfectly well, Y/N,” he responds in his dry British accent. “How are you?”
“I’m all right,” you reply. “A little stressed because of the move, but I’m excited too. And how is Brutus doing?” You crouch down to the dog’s level and scratch his head. “Just the checkup, huh?”
“That is correct. You are satisfied with the help you received through my company, though, aren’t you?”
“Oh, Mr. Asmodeus was lovely,” you assure him. “Packing up is just a hassle. You never know how much you own until you have to box it all up, right?”
Crowley laughs, probably only out of courtesy, but that’s one of the reasons why you like him. He’s always perfectly polite and courteous. You would think he’s only being nice to you because he’s nice to everyone (and that doubt does still cross your mind at times) but he’s taken to calling you Bird, and Charlie tells you he only calls people animals when he’s especially fond of them.
“You know, I almost wish Brutus would get sick more often,” you remark off-handedly. “I hardly ever see him, do I, boy?” You pat his head and lead him by his collar to the scale. “Not that I’d like to see him sick, though,” you add hastily.
“No offense taken, Bird,” Crowley assures you. “I did hear something about a training center for dogs…”
“I guess word has gotten around,” you say while writing down Brutus’ weight. “I mean, it is a training center and Brutus is, obviously, an angel. The sentiment is kind, though.”
“Wouldn’t it help to have another dog along to set an example?” Crowley asks.
You frown and tap your pen against your chin. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
“Perfect.” Crowley straightens his already-straight suit. “Then you’ll send me the schedule?”
“Y-yes.” Feeling yourself get redder, you change the topic. “Brutus has only gained a tenth of a pound since we’ve last seen him, so that aspect is fine.” You give the dog a treat, one of the many stowed in the pockets in your coat, and wink at Crowley. “Off to a private room, then.”
“Heel, boy,” Crowley commands and they follow after you.
“Now, I don’t suppose any of the answers from last year have changed?” you ask while listening to Brutus’ chest with your stethoscope.
Crowley settles himself into a chair with a regal dignity you didn’t think possible for a mere human. “Well, as the town grows, I become busier and busier, but I have hired a dog walker to take Brutus on his regular walks, and then I obviously exercise him in the park while I eat my lunch. Apart from that, nothing has changed.”
You mark that down on your clipboard. “Oh, I forgot to ask—did you bring in the feces we asked for?”
Crowley flourishes a Tupperware container full of Brutus’ poop that he’d pulled seemingly out of nowhere.
“Perfect, I’ll have Garth go over that immediately.” You stick your head out of the room and call, “Garth! We got poop !”
“That is a lot of poop,” Garth comments as he takes the container from you.
“Brutus is a big dog,” you reply. “Make sure you wash it out well, all right?”
Brutus seems perfectly healthy, so you send the two men off a few treats lighter and with Crowley’s number in your pocket. You have no idea where Crowley put the Tupperware container after you gave it back to him, but that’s just Crowley for you.
The rest of the day is a breeze. Gordon Walker was probably more worried than he needed to be, since his cat only has a small cold, but you sent them away with medication. Krissy Chambers’ bunny, Dagger, had a UTI.
You had a small break after that and got to hold Leo during his wellness examination and talk with Crowley’s mother, Rowena. You don’t know how she looks so young, considering her son is at least 45.
After that you got to meet Lola Banes, Alicia Banes’ new white rat. It was just a wellness examination for him as well, but he wasn’t exactly friendly. And Donna Hanscum’s energetic cocker spaniel, Bailey, has fleas.
At the end of the day, you sit slumped in the employee’s room, sipping out of a coffee. It’ll keep you up tonight, but at this point you’re too tired to make it back to your apartment. You need the caffeine.
“Long day, huh?” Charlie spins around in her chair once, a blur too fast for you to make eye contact with, before she gets back to typing.
You nod and heave a sigh. “I just need to get on a good sleeping schedule again, that’s all.”
“You’ll be back to yourself once the move is over.”
“God, I hope so.”
“Hey, you wanna head home now?” Charlie stands up from her computer and cracks her neck. “Garth and I can handle cleanup, or even Asa and whoever he works the ER with. You’ve earned a good night’s sleep.” Charlie takes the coffee cup out of your hands. “You won’t be able to sleep if you drink this.”
“I won’t be able to drive back if I don’t drink it,” you correct and grab for the coffee cup. All that happens is burning-hot coffee slops over the edge and you both snatch your hands away at the same time. The cup smashes on the floor and you hiss, shaking your hand.
“Fuck,” you both say at the same time, staring at the smashed cup on the ground.
“This is why we can’t have nice things, Charlie,” you immediately joke. “Hey, at least I’m a medical professional. I know how to bandage burns.”
“You know how to do everything,” Charlie grumbles as you wrap up her hand. “You should work the ER too, sometimes. Asa had to call Garth in because some cat was having troubles that he didn’t recognize. You’re the boss. The boss should be doing the hard work.”
“Yeah, Charlie, I’d sure love to work 24/7,” you say sarcastically. “I work the ER on Saturdays. Sundays are my off days.”
“I’ll clean up the mess,” she says, ignoring your sarcasm. “You go home.”
You start to walk away but stop in the doorway. “Hey, Charlie?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you—forget it.”
“No, what?”
“I’ll get back to you after I ask Garth about it,” you evade, turning red again. You don’t want Charlie to know anything about it. At least Garth is moderately subtle. Charlie would probably punch Gordon in the face, and he hasn’t even done anything.
Garth is just finishing up with someone’s dog when you knock on his door.
“Bye, Mrs. O’Connor!” he calls cheerily. “Have a nice day!”
“You too, Mr. Fitzgerald,” she responds.
“Hey, Y/N,” Garth greets, turning around to grab a Clorox wipe. “Buddy really sheds a lot. What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you could take Missy Walker from now on?” You hold your breath as your face turns red.
“Why?”
“I don’t really like her.”
“What?” Garth laughs. His back is still turned and you’re grateful. You’re blushing hard right now. “Missy’s super sweet and you love cats. What’s really up, Y/N?”
“Nothing!” Your shoulder slips off the doorframe and you stumble. “Nothing, really, Garth. I just—she only comes in once in a while and most of the time I’m really busy and Krissy and Lee had to wait a long time while I was with Missy.” You take Missy’s file out from behind your back and shove it at him. “If it’s not any trouble…”
Bemused, Garth takes the papers and skims over them. “If you really don’t want to, Y/N, then sure, but—”
“Perfect! I’ll tell Charlie. Thanks, Garth!” You call, already out the door and down the hall so he can’t change his mind.
Charlie’s just finished cleaning up the spill when you hurl yourself into the room. “Garth’s going to be taking care of Missy from now on, all right?”
“Huh?”
“Garth agreed to take on Missy Walker from now on because I’ve got so many other patients,” you say slower and avoid where she’s crouching as you walk across the floor to grab a few coffee K cups for your one at home.
“Any reason why?”
“I felt super rushed today,” you fib and hang up your coat in the closet. “Oh, can you hand me a ‘Clean’ sticker? I didn’t get peed on or anything today.”
Charlie hands you the sticker you’d asked for so Asa won’t put it in the wash unnecessarily. You stick it carefully onto the shoulder of your coat and shut the closet door.
“What time is it?” you wonder while checking your watch. It’s 5:34. You’re running a full hour ahead of schedule.
“Bye, Y/N,” Charlie calls after you as you shrug on your real coat and exit the clinic through the back door.
Since you’re turned back to yell “Bye!” you don’t notice the large form in the doorway and hit it full-speed.
“Sorry!” you squeak, taking a step back to look at the person’s face.
Asa grins at you. “Where’s the fire?”
“I drank some coffee,” you admit. “Just now.” You grin and bounce on the balls of your feet. “Good luck tonight, A!”
“See you, Y/N!” he calls after you as you hurry past him. Hopefully no dogs get hit by cars tonight. He’d love a nice, quiet night.
During work, you’d forgotten about your annoying crush and terrible luck, but the second you get into your car it all comes rushing back. You’re running a full hour early—will you see Sam when he’s coming home tonight?
You can’t help the rush of adrenaline that floods through you at the thought.
God, you really do like Sam, don’t you? That’s embarrassing. How do you make it stop?
You turn on your car and a blast of cold air slaps you in the face. It doesn’t warm up until you pull into the parking lot of the apartment building, and you roll your eyes. The car’s moderately old. You’ll have to get a new one, but not for a while.
You’d called it—Sam is in the elevator when the doors open, and you both step back with surprise.
“Sorry,” he immediately says. “Normally no one else is on the elevator at this time. You get off early?”
“Yeah,” you reply. Surprising yourself and Sam, you keep the conversation going by asking, “Were there any fires today?”
Sam shakes his head. “We cleaned up the trucks, mostly. Dean and Cas both got in trouble for making a mess in the vending machine room, but—” He stops talking and you look at him with surprise, but he’s looking down.
You’d reached for the elevator button with your bandaged hand. Sam’s eyes don’t lift from it as he asks, “What happened to your hand?” Is it just you, or does he sound… angry? Why would he be angry?
“I burnt it, actually,” you respond, torn between hiding the point of conversation so Sam will get back to talking about Cas and Dean and whatever they did because the more Sam looks at you the more you blush, and acting nonchalant about the whole thing so Sam doesn’t think you’re a wimp. “Charlie tried to take my coffee mug when it was still hot. Really, really hot. I didn’t think coffee could get hot enough to burn people, but Garth likes his drinks especially hot so I think he adjusted the machine somehow.” You stop your rambling and suck in a breath. “It’s really not a big deal,” you add as if that’ll make you seem tougher when in reality you’d just admitted you’d bandaged up your hand after spilling hot coffee on it.
“Oh. I actually heard something about that a while ago. Some woman sued McDonald’s for serving her coffee that gave her serious burns and she got compensation because McDonald’s apparently knew their coffee was dangerous and was serving it at a dangerous temperature on purpose,” Sam rambles and you frown. For some reason you’re having a serious case of deja vu, and you instinctively flinch, imagining that something just lunged for you. Why would something lunge for you?
You clear your throat after a moment of silence and prompt, “What did Cas and Dean do in the vending machine?”
Sam looks away from your hand and then at you. Dimples appear in his cheeks (you want to swoon; he has dimples?! ) as he chuckles. “They were having an indoor picnic for a date since Dean’s hours are all screwy at the moment.”
“That’s sweet,” you say softly, imagining you and Sam having a picnic inside because one of you is too busy working to have seen each other properly. When you realize what you’d been imagining, you blush and look away.
How is Sam Winchester so goddamn beautiful?
“I thought it was corny,” Sam admits. “Probably because he’s my brother.”
You duck your head. To spare you from an awkward silence, the elevator doors finally open and the two of you practically sprint to your rooms.
You heave out a sigh as you lean against your closed apartment door. You’re a mess.
Crookshanks trills at you from his spot on the counter, delighted that he’s getting treats earlier than he normally does.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” you mutter, pushing yourself off the door to him. Unfortunately, you hadn’t been looking at the ground so you hadn’t noticed the liquid on the floor as well as the glass.
Your foot slips out from underneath you and you cry out as you fall back. Your hands brace your fall, but your bandaged hand smarts. You curse loudly as you roll over, shaking out your sore hand. A drop of liquid hits your face. Your fingers come away red when you touch it. There are broken glass shards sticking out of the heel of your hand and blood wells up from them quickly and stains the bandages on your hand red.
You get up carefully, minding the liquid and glass and cradle your hurt hand so as not to get blood everywhere as you pad to the sink. A steady stream of curses fall from your mouth. Crookshanks swipes at you when you walk past him without giving him treats, but you don’t even bother to humor him.
Loud knocking at the door makes you jump. “Y/N? Are you all right?” It’s Sam. Oh, so he’s conscientious as well as beautiful? There’s got to be something wrong with him. No one can be that perfect.
“I’m fine!” You call back. “My damn cat—”
“Do you need help?”
You survey the scene: you, with a bleeding and burnt hand, water and glass on the floor, Crookshanks sniffing at the crime scene—
You yelp. “Crookshanks! Get away from that! Just a second, Sam! Sorry!”
You want to wrap a towel around your hand so you don’t get blood everywhere but that would push the glass shards deeper into your skin so you just lunge for your cat and scoop him up with your good hand. You toss him into your bedroom and slam the door shut so he doesn’t hurt himself before opening up the door.
Sam takes in the drops of blood on your cheek, collarbone, and shirt, and finds the source immediately. “What happened?” he asks, carefully taking your hand by the wrist and leading you to the kitchen sink, being mindful of the mess in the hallway. You almost slip again on a drop of your own blood but he holds you up. The only thing you can think about is how embarrassed you are, and how impressed you are that he can literally hold you up with one hand without any struggle.
“My dumbass cat knocked over the cup I left out and I slipped on the water and cut my hand,” you grumble, embarrassment making your cheeks flaming. “This is just not my day, I guess.”
“That’s why you should get a dog,” Sam jokes.
“Yeah, I will, once I move,” you say, immediately brightening at the thought. “I hope Crookshanks gets along with it.”
“What kind of dog are you going to get?” Sam asks. He puts your hand over the sink and hunches down. His broad shoulders keep you from seeing what he’s doing.
Your hand is immediately the most sensitive part of your body. You feel every twitch of his fingers as they touch yours.
You wince as your hand stings and instinctively try to bring it closer to your body. Sam’s hands don’t let your hand twitch. He’s so strong.
You hate that you sound like a teenage girl with a celebrity crush.
“What are you—”
“I’m trying to get the glass out of your hand and distract you at the same time.”
“How do you know how to do that?” You’re genuinely interested; you’d thought that you would have to patch yourself up.
“Well…” Sam pauses and you wince as he gets another piece of glass from your skin. How his large fingers can be so gentle and precise, you don’t know. “My dad liked to leave beer bottles all around the house in precarious positions. Me and my brother got good at getting glass out of skin. We were pretty clumsy kids.”
It sounds like a lie, but you let it slide. It’s not like you two are close enough to be sharing family secrets.
“But back to the dog you want,” Sam says. “Describe your ideal dog.”
“Um…” You bite your lip as you stare at his muscular back and broad shoulders. “I really like—” Your voice turns into a squeak as he pulls what feels to be a particularly large shard out of your hand. “I really like big dogs, you know? So maybe a Briard—they’re really obedient, or a Neapolitan Mastiff like Brutus, Mr. Crowley’s dog. I would really like a Portugese Water dog, though. When I was younger I had a Labradoodle but she never liked the water and I really want a dog that likes to swim. My family has a lake that I own now—”
“Done.” Sam lets you go and the first thing you feel is disappointment, and then surprise. You hadn’t expected to get so distracted you wouldn’t feel the pain. You’d been so distracted you’d started to babble.
“Thanks.” You grin at him. “Can you grab the first-aid kit? It’s in that cabinet.” You point with your good hand. It’s in the only cabinet you can reach without getting on your tiptoes.
Sam hands it to you. You stick your bad hand under cool water from the faucet and pick out everything you’ll need to bandage yourself up with your other hand.
Once you’re all bandaged up, you turn around to see that Sam had cleaned up the mess on the floor.
“You didn’t need to do that,” you say, staring at the ground. You’re not quite sure what to say to Sam, the perfect gentleman.
“It really wasn’t any trouble,” he says gently, smiling down at you. The dimples hit you full-blast again.
You don’t have a response for that, so you just stare at him, and the smile slowly drops off Sam’s face as he takes a step closer to you. “Y/N—”
Your cat interrupts with a howl behind the door as he scratches it. You both look away with heated faces and you almost trip as you skirt around Sam to open the door and let him out. Crookshanks, ever an oblivious fuck, just beeps at you indignantly for locking him up and jumps onto the counter for treats.
“Thanks again, Sam,” you say with your back turned, an obvious dismissal. “If you ever need anything, let me know.”
He sighs. You don’t know why (you think you do, but there’s no way). “You too, Y/N.”
You don’t turn around until you hear the door open and close. Then you turn and slump against the counter. You shouldn’t feel this way about Sam, he’s your brother…
You frown and raise your hand to your temple. Where did that come from? Sam’s not your brother; you barely know him. You’ve been his neighbor for two years after you moved to town and only noticed him a few months ago.
You feel a headache coming on.
Crookshanks rubs his head against your arm. “I know,” you say absently to him and scratch the base of his tail. “I know. Weird.” You pick him up.
He meows, only the sound comes from behind you and not from in your arms.
You whirl, your hand flying to where you keep your gun, only there’s no gun in your waistband. You’ve never even held a gun. Why would you keep a gun in your waistband? You are crashing hard from that cup of coffee. You need to sleep.
After setting an alarm on your phone for 8 o’clock and making sure it’s plugged in and charging, you fall onto the bed. It only takes you a few minutes to fall asleep, which is a new record for you—it’s hard to relax sometimes.
For some reason you dream that Sam and Dean Winchester are standing over your sleeping form and shaking you. You wake up halfway multiple times, positive that someone actually touched you, but it was either only Crookshanks or your imagination.
You scowl in your sleep as Dream-Dean and Sam beg you to do something. You would do it if you could make out what they want you to do.
Sam can’t seem to take his eyes off your lifeless form, face paler than he’s ever seen.
“I don’t understand,” Dean says. “Y/N knows what a djinn world looks like. Why won’t she wake up?”
@lemirabitur @annymcervantes
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libertasrpg · 5 years
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We welcome Bannon O’Sullivan to the city. He’s 21 years old and is a socialite. Bannon is often mistaken for Asa Butterfield. He’s open.
→ Background Information
While Bannon is on the quieter end of the scale, he’s always adored people. He’d sit in the corner at family parties to watch - Not because he was scared of interacting, but because he genuinely enjoyed seeing all the different ways people behaved. His parents believed while he was a child that he’d grow up to be some sort of psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor. Coming from a rich Irish family though, it was easier for him to slip in and fit in with everyone else in his family. He was 8 when he attended his first red carpet, and then 11 when he was first featured in a best-dressed article. This really set the precedent for the rest of his life.
→ Living Situation
As a massive fan of having company, Bannon wasn’t exactly delighted about on his own. Unfortunately it was the only option though as Bannon didn’t know anyone at Libertas before moving in. Those first few weeks were hell. Bannon hated coming home to absolute silent. After new friend Shona mentioned how much she also hated alone, he jumped at the chance to live with other people. Plus, Lorenzo and Shona were both extremely fun. Bannon looked forward to coming home to seeing them at the end of the day, and catching up over a bottle or two of wine.
→ Relocation Explanation
Bannon has never exactly been the stereotypical masculine young guy that the boys in his school wanted him to be. They picked on him endlessly. Even in college, Bannon found himself being harassed in the local areas for being quite soft and feminine acting. His parents tried to push Bannon to act more masculine provisionally but after seeing how much it was impacting his mental health, they offered another option. Upon graduation from college, they offered him some money and the opportunity to move to a new city to get a new start. The thought of leaving his family, those he loved, killed him. But, the yearn for happiness and freedom was stronger.
→ His Personality
It’s often believed that Bannon stays out of conversations because he doesn’t know how to partake. That’s far from the case. Bannon’s always been more of a wallflower. He enjoys watching people live their lives, more than he does his own really. When you do get to talk to him though, you realize how incredibly thoughtful and smart he is. He has such a strong faith in humanity that this does often mean he can be lead down the wrong path however. Those close to him could probably easily talk him into doing things that he normally wouldn’t even dare consider. This is a character flaw he’s only partially aware of and hopefully over time, he’ll grow out of.
→ His Qualities
Thoughtful, smart, resilient, loyal
Childish, quiet, naive
→ His Relationships
Shona Kennedy (Best friend): Shona is far more brazen and confident than any of the girls Bannon had been friends with in high school, and yet he finds her still so easy to be around. Her honesty means that Bannon always knows exactly where he stands with her, which helps ease his regular anxieties and worries. 
Lorenzo Ricci (Best friend): Before Lorenzo, Bannon had never really ever had dan close male friends. He’d always been bullied by boys in high school because of how he acts and holds himself. So it was weird at first to have someone so close to him who was a guy. It’s nice though and Bannon finds himself learning new things everyday. 
Owen Bogie (Acquaintance): The first party Bannon ever attended at Libertas was one thrown by Owen. It wasn’t anywhere near as awful as Bannon thought it’d be. Because of that Bannon finds himself regularly returning. While he isn’t exactly best friends with Owen, he’s seen him enough to consider him an acquaintance.
→ Possible Connections
Sally Dollahan (Acquaintance): While they’re not exactly at the point of being friends, Bannon gets along with Sally the most out of his close friends. He understands her quiet and withdrawn ways, and finds her incredibly easy and comforting to be around.
Jack Skellington (Acquaintance): Jack is perhaps one of the most interesting people Bannon has ever come across. He’s constantly in awe of the way he holds himself. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll catch Bannon talking to him all that much. He’s far too intimidated by the guy.
Liam Naught (Friend): Liam has always been incredibly kind and understanding towards Bannon, and he’s always appreciated this. Bannon knows that if he’s stuck on who to talk to at a party, Liam will either try to chat with him or point him in the right directly.
Bannon is based on Barrel from Nightmare Before Christmas.
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