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fawnchives · 3 days

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♡𓂃 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆.

𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆, christopher sturniolo & fem!reader.

episode summary: you and chris attend one of tara’s parties, where one first time leads to another unexpectedly.

parental advisory & ratings: slight angst, but it gets fluffier towards the end + established relationship with chris. talks and usage of drugs—molly to be specific, swearing, talks of sex and virginity loss, and nick locking in big brother mode.

♥︎ ⋆ ͘. behind the scenes. first things first: do not do drugs! in no shape or form am i promoting drug usage. anyways, this was well out of my comfort zone but i did enjoy writing it, i hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much — be safe ! 💐

april 20th, 10:47 pm ── beverly hills, ca.

ever since you saw the videos from tara yummy’s one million party, you’ve been begging for chris to take to you one. the puppy dog eyes and princess tantrums must’ve charmed him over because that’s exactly how you spent your friday night instead of curled up in bed, indulging in terribly written netflix shows and a tub of ben & jerry’s brownie batter ice cream.

though you guys weren’t in hawaii, the theme of her latest party was a luau—one of tara’s friends let her use their beach house; the perfect view of the ocean, the floral and beachy decor, and island style drinks and food. it was, well, perfect. especially considering that it was your first time going to a big party, nothing too crazy.

or so you thought.

the frilly and cheerful flower necklace that laid around your neck moved frantically with every move you made as you danced to the beat of the music with tara. the big speakers produced such a deep volume of bass that it made the walls in the house shake and the floor vibrate. and though you were having the time of your life, you couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed over the fact that you were practically glued to tara’s side all night.

it wasn’t too much of your fault, everybody you knew was either busy or couldn’t make it; nick and matt stayed home, nick complained something about having a ‘debilitating migraine’ and matt was in one of his moods. madi got caught up in some sort of brand deal nightmare and the moment you arrived to the party, one of chris’s friends pulled him towards the drinking games table. you always felt a bit out of place around his friends so you just let it happen, not wanting to live up to the ‘clingy girlfriend’ title you’re sure they tease him about.

you and tara flashed each other toothy, anticipated smiles as you both walked over to a less noisy area, trying to catch your breaths from all the dancing you’ve engaged in. you two giggle and gush over how much fun you’re having when suddenly, the dj switches the track to a slower paced song, earning a thankful sigh from tara.

“thank god,” the short brunette dramatically exhaled as her arms fell to her sides. she looked around the room and quickly locked eyes with her ex boyfriend, jake, sending him some sort of hand signal as she motioned towards you. “hey um, hun? i think i’m gonna run to the bathroom real quick.”

“do you want me to come with?” you curiously offered, oblivious to what she was hinting towards. “you know, to stand guard.”

“oh, no need!” the girl singsonged, forcing a smile as her eyes darted between jake and one of the bathrooms down the hall. it suddenly clicked in your head, and you felt like a cockblocking moron. you awkwardly watched as jake pushed past a few people, making his over to you two—well, really tara.

“you should go find chris!” tara giggled loudly as she let her ex pull her away. that was her nice way of telling you to get lost.

11:17 pm.

after what felt like forever searching through a sea of people, you finally found chris. he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, talking to one of his friends. despite being a bit out of breath, you excitedly called out his name and waved at him. his friend quickly glanced in your direction, patted him on his shoulder, and bolted away just as you made your way towards him.

“hey—you okay, babe? you look tired.” chris questioned as his brows furrowed with worry the more he examined your state. he wasn’t lying, you were a bit tired from the dancing and walking around. but you didn’t wanna go home just yet. not so early into the party.

“i’m fine.” you shook your head as your boyfriend wrapped his arm around you. “just a little thirsty, all the dancing and stuff.” he kept his arm lazily draped around you as you two waltzed your way to the kitchen to find something to quench your thirst.

11:35 pm.

you and chris quickly settled on some punch, red cups filled with the delicious citrusy beverage as you both caught up with each other. you gushed to him about the dance frenzy you were in with tara and he bragged about how he totally “kicked ass” at beer pong. between the loud music and fast paced convos, you both didn’t hear the kitchen door swing open.

“chris sturniolo, i thought i’d see you here.”

you both quickly turned around at the sudden sound of a girl’s voice and your eyes are met with the sight of a tall blonde girl. your eyes darted between the semi uncomfortable look on chris’s face and the friendly look on hers—definitely laced with something else you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

you awkwardly coughed as you sloshed the rest of your drink around in your cup. “you two know each other or…?”

“we used to be, um—” chris nervously fumbled with the sleeve of his jacket.

“we go way back,” the girl answered for him, somewhat saving his ass from a whole lot of questions and awkwardness. she turned her attention towards you and smiles tightly. so fake.

“i’m brooke.” she reached her hand out for you to shake. you return the favor with a small smile back.

chris awkwardly cleared his throat. “right. y/n, this is brooke, brooke, this is y/n, my—”

“girlfriend.” the tall blonde answered for him again. “yeah, yeah…kinda figured. the way you had your arm around her earlier kinda gave it away. anyways uh—” you watched as she began to dig in her clutch purse and you couldn’t help but to feel a small pang of jealousy form in the pit of your stomach. you weren’t sure what kind of relationship she has with chris—or what kind of relationship she had, but the girl was drop dead gorgeous, the way her small black dress clung to her body showing off her curves…it was almost mesmerizing.

“speaking of introductions and stuff like that,” brooke said as she she slowly pulled out a bag of white pills from her clutch. “i’m hoping you two wouldn’t mind meeting my friend molly tonight.”

chris’s facial expression darkened as he pushed you behind him. “absolutely not, okay? y/n—she’s not that kind of girl.”

your stomach flip flopped, you’re weren’t stupid. you knew what was in that bag, despite your lack of knowledge and experience on it. though, curiosity gotten the best of you.

“wait,” you stepped forward, eyes darting between the bag and brooke. “i dunno, i mean, what’s it…like?”

brooke smirked as she placed two single pills on to your palm. “first timer huh? don’t worry, chris hasn’t tried it either. but if you really wanna know…” you leaned forward on the counter as she edged you with her words. chris scoffed and looked away, but made sure he stayed by your side despite being ticked off.

“…colors get brighter, sounds get sharper. you feel more connected to everything you love, that’s why they call it the love drug.”

chris angrily watched as brooke slowly walked off to a group of partygoers by the door, enthusiastically greeting them with hugs. he turned back towards you and sighed, shoulders slumping. “you don’t—you don’t have to—”

“no!” you squeaked back excitedly. “i do, i do want to, i mean. it’d be both our first time taking, um, well you know.” you couldn’t bring yourself to say the word. “c’mon babe, please?”

your boyfriend let out a defeated sigh as he looked around the kitchen before picking one of the small white pills out the center of your palm.

you two exchanged nervous smiles as you toasted with your red solo cups, downing the drug with the party punch.

12:30 am.

“c’mere,” chris giggled as he pulled your legs into his lap. you two were currently seated on the memory foam couch in the middle of the living room, center of the ongoing party. it was a little after an hour since you and your boyfriend took the pills—the pills which have definitely kicked in. brooke wasn’t lying, the colors in the atmosphere looked like something straight from a lisa frank collection, you felt light and airy asa feather. you giggled some more as you ran your finger through chris’s hair, his chocolate colored waves nearly having you under hypnosis.

“what is with you and my hair?” he laughed, gently pushing your hands away from his head.

“mmm, it’s just so…just so soft.” you lazily responded before booping the boy’s nose.

he lazily threw his head back against the couch and smiled at you. “you wanna know what really feels soft, babe? this couch—just feel it, like, oh my god.” you two bursted into another fit of giggles as you felt up on the couch cushions, soon melting and becoming one with the foam.

“i love this couch!” you gushed happily. “i love this house! it’s so awesome, oh my god!”

chris giggled at your euphoric state as he sat up a bit. “i’m so glad, i mean. i really am so glad for a lot of stuff. i was kinda worried when we first got here that the party would be a bit too much for you, y’know. i never want anything to ever be too much for you.”

“baby.” you smiled at your boyfriend’s intoxicated state.

“nooo, i’m serious,” he continued. “i just love you s’much, i know i can be high on energy like allll the time but sometimes i worry that i might be too much for you. and i was talking to the guys earlier and sex got into the topic, they asked if we’ve ever done it yet and, i dunno. i’m not sure if you wanna.”

“w-wait,” you stopped him, sitting up as soon as the word sex left his lips. “so, like, do you not wanna have sex with me?” you nervously chewed on your bottom lip as he quickly shook his head.

“no, no!” chris practically yelped. “i do, i really do, but i don’t wanna like…it’s no pressure! none at all—”

“i want to.” you suddenly found yourself on your feet, excitement and anticipation shooting through your bloodstream. “i’m ready. i wanna do it.”

“you sure—”

“i’m sure.” you nodded eagerly. chris smiled softly as he slowly stood up, wrapping his arm around your waist. “okay, babe.” he pressed a kiss along your temple. “let’s go find a room.”

april 21st, 9:30 am ── los angeles, ca ; present time & day.

chris absentmindedly toyed with the rubber band around his wrist as he sits on the barstool in front of the kitchen counter, watching nick prepare breakfast as he blabbers on about some sort of instagram dilemma; something about him not knowing which pictures to posts? dunno, beats chris, not like he’s listening.

which earns him a sharp scolding from the eldest sturniolo triplet. “hello, earth to fucking christopher. i asked you question like five minutes ago. are you gonna answer or are you gonna sit there staring into space like you’ve just seen a ghost or something equally fucked up?”

chris’s pale blues shoot up to meet nick’s. “hm?”

“okayyyyy…” nick turns his attention back to the waffle maker he’s been messing with for the past hour. three waffles made, three more to go. “what’s up—and don’t tell me it has anything to do with you being hungry. when you’re hungry, you act like a fucking warthog, not a spaced out idiot.”

the longer haired boy rolls his eyes in annoyance.

“something tells me it has something to do with y/n?” nick tries, eyes occasionally glancing up. “did you guys get into a fight? she’s been acting weird this morning too.”

the way chris’s shoulder slump tells nick that he’s right on the money—after what happened last night at the party? there’s been an uncanny amount of silence between you two and a dreadful, looming feeling of fear. and guilt, lots of it.

“no, we just—” the youngest triplet groans loudly as he buries his face into his hands. “we kinda had…sex.”

“you guys had sex!” nick shouts, causing chris to grit his teeth and throw an oven mitt at his brother. “god nick, could you be any louder? i don’t think the people on the first floor heard you!”

“i-i’m sorry,” nick responds in a whisper shout as he finishes cooking up the last round of waffles, sliding them on to a plate. “but that’s a really big fuckin’ deal—you two had sex!”

“we were high, nick, really fucking high…we took each other virginities, we weren’t thinking straight.”

“WHAT?!”

“nick, shut the fuck up!” matt whines from his room, slamming the door shut. nick and chris exchange looks before breaking out into a giggle fit, but it doesn’t last long.

“so let me get this straight,” nick pours syrup over his and chris’s waffles. “you guys got high, blasted out of your minds, and then fucked?”

chris nearly chokes as he washes down his food with apple juice. “even though thats literally what happened, don’t say it like that. it sounds bad.”

“it kinda is bad, chris.” nick shakes his head. normally, nick would be quick to scold his younger brothers whenever they did something so utterly stupid, but looking at the depressive state chris is in, he decides to give him the benefit of the doubt. “but it’s not the end of the world. you two did something pretty stupid and irresponsible, yeah, but there’s couples out there who have done worse. there’s still time to fix things between each other.” nick nods towards the balcony, where you been sitting out for most of the morning.

“she’s out there, go talk to her.”

you jump at the sudden sound of the balcony door sliding open. you turn around to see chris standing in the doorway. you give him a small wave and halfhearted smile before settling back down on the lounge chair you’ve been camping out on for the past few hours.

“hey.” chris greets softly, handing you a can of pepsi as he sits down on the empty chair next to you. you can’t help but to roll your eyes and laugh as you accept his carbonated drink offer.

“i’m sorry,” you both say in unison, causing each other to laugh. chris shakes his head once the laughter dies down. “i’ll go first; i’m sorry. last night should’ve went down differently, and i shouldn’t have let you…you know. mess around with that stuff. your first time should’ve been special.”

your brows furrow. “but it was special, chris. i mean sure, it wasn’t exactly how i planned my first time going but i don’t regret it at all. not a single bit. i even thought you were mad at me.”

the brunette nearly chokes as he looks at you. “mad at you? baby, i thought you were mad at me!”

“no!” you laugh. he laughs. you both laugh again. you guys look at each other and then look away.

“so we’re good, right?” you ask.

chris leans forward and grabs you by the waist, settling you into his lap. “yeah, babe. we’re good.” you two snuggle and enjoy the morning sun when suddenly, the sound of nick’s annoyed voice fills the air.

“you guys better come eat these fucking waffles! i spent an hour nearly burning my fucking hand off for these shits!”

likes + comments & reblogs are highly appreciated.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 tags. @sugrhigh @dominicfikue @kangelics @xoxo4chrisss @wovenribbons @ethelcained @cherrypostsposts

#chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #sturniolo triplets x reader #chris sturniolo x reader #christopher sturniolo x reader

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quokkawritesarchive · 2 days

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BLUE SUNRISE — JISUNG.

pairing: jisung x reader(afab) genre: smut, NSFW warnings: sub!jisung, noona!reader, age gap, slight degrading, face sitting, handjob, praising, use of “good boy” a/n: reposting this because my haters reported the original post LOL. also fyi jisung had blue hair for MAMA 2018 awards (december 10th). and he turned 18 in september. so respectfully get a life and fuck off my page

blue hair, a guitar over the shoulder, an earring in the lip and the eyebrow, big scared eyes — that’s what the guy looked like on your doorstep.

“this is jisung.” your younger brother said, pointing behind him.

it was a month ago, in the middle of july.

your brother had just returned from college for the summer holidays and decided to bring a friend with him. why he had to be introduced to the whole family, you still couldn’t understand. but your first thought was that he was going to come out and introduce jisung as his boyfriend.

contrary to the slutty look, jisung behaved very shyly. he hadn’t addressed you directly all evening, stood awkwardly in places, but continued to throw quick glances at you, probably thinking that you didn't notice anything.

inadvertently, you looked at him too, when he turned away. everything about him made you want to watch. sharp jawline that you thought you’d get cut if you touch it, eyebrow piercing with a large earring, vibrant blue hair, dark eyeshadow, but at the same time a beaming smile — the contrast was killing you.

fortunately or not, this was not your last meeting. your brother ignored your initial complaints and gradually you've started seeing jisung almost every day — watching him eat your family's supply of chips, play video game with your brother, stay for dinner and then overnight because it's "too late to go home". you gradually got used to seeing him in your field of vision so often.

but that didn't help the feelings you were fighting. jisung was the same age as your brother, which meant he was four years younger than you. it didn't seem right to think of him that way, but looking at the piercing in his lip, all you wanted was to know what it’d be like to kiss him.

no matter how hard you tried, it was impossible to ignore his presence. especially when he was walking around your house in his swimming trunks and calling you “noona”. you couldn't stop those butterflies in your stomach, and the desire to pinch him under you, make him moan your name. in the past month you realized how much you needed a dick. his dick.

but jisung either didn’t notice how flustered you were getting next to him, or was afraid to overstep the invisible boundaries. he never looked at you longer than he was “supposed to”, didn't come into your room without knocking, didn't even touch you, and barely spoke to you.

it was a game with fire. with such an age difference, if you were caught, you would get beaten up not only by your parents, but also by your brother. that's why all you could do was watch him from the sidelines, memorize his habits and things he liked.

you didn't notice how you learned every little detail about him. his favorite food was chocolate cake, the anime he loved to rewatch was “howl's moving castle”. he could fall asleep in any place and position, but at the same time he liked to do something until the sunrise.

it was the middle of the night when you heard strange sounds coming from the garage. for a second you got scared, because your family used it only as a storage. that's why the last thing you expected to see in this musty part of the house was jisung, enthusiastically playing something on the guitar at three in the morning.

"i'm sorry... did I wake you up?" he let go of the strings, raising his head in your direction. strands of blue hair fell over his forehead and he casually brushed them aside without taking his eyes off you. it was unusual to see his bare face. without a heavy eyeshadow he looked even more like his age.

"no..." and you didn't lie. you really weren’t sleeping, jerking off at the thought of him fucking you raw. you were going to wash your hands, and finally fall asleep, but the noise brought you here. you awkwardly stumbled in the doorway, until jisung invited you in.

that night he sang you what he's been working on. he even showed his notebook — million of neatly written words on paper dedicated to someone. the intimacy of that moment was so unusual and strange for your relationship, it made you feel special. you will always remember it.

after reading a few lyrics, you realized that he was writing about a girl he couldn't get for some reason. the girl he fell in love with at first sight and now couldn’t get out of his head.

and it hurt you to think that somewhere out there, most likely in college, there was a girl he wanted so badly that he even dedicated a song to her. you tried to act casual while listening to him sing. it sounded magical, and you admitted once again how talented he was. even though deep inside you felt like you were ready to cry. why did you even check this stupid garage?

despite your inner pain, your curiosity and desire to get to know him better were stronger. that’s how your musical nights started.

at first you only listened to him, but then you asked him to teach you how to play. and soon the night concerts turned into night lessons.

the dim light of the floor lamp, dusty boxes and an old sofa in the corner, and the two of you in the center of the room — on chairs that should have been thrown away ten years ago. but even under those conditions, you were happy. you finally found an approach to jisung, found that point of contact, what unites you.

the interactions outside of night hours changed too. jisung started to act more calmly around you. the greatest indicator of the changes were his light touches. he’s never touched you before, even when he started teaching you. but now he would grab you by shoulders when passing by, could grab your hands to put them in the right position, and other light skin contact that was putting your body on fire.

jisung was peaceful and focused during lessons, unlike you. it was hard for you to keep cool, after seeing him in pajama pants and a tank top only. his arm muscles were so prominent, especially when he was playing. he also had a habit of licking his lips quite often and playing with his earring. at first you thought he was teasing you, but nevertheless, your eyes kept gluing there.

“bb-dm-c and repeat bb-dm-c.” jisung’s fingers plucked the strings with ease, while you struggled to simply get yours in the right position.

you sighed heavily and buried your hands in your palms. everything was going wrong tonight. it all began with your ruined orgasm, when, for some reason, jisung knocked on your door thirty minutes earlier than usual. so now you were sitting with a puddle of wetness in your panties, trying not to squirm too much. you tried to follow his words, but your wet pussy was making you lose all your focus. your body didn’t even need a light touch from him — his presence was enough to cause a reaction.

"it's okay, noona.” he patted you on the shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. "look at me and try to remember the movements of my fingers, okay?"

the melody of the chorus continued, followed by his soft hums. the truth was — you didn't exactly hear what he said. you only stared at his pretty lips moving, and the way he clamped the earring between his teeth, starting to play. you were so so down bad for someone you’ve only known for a month. he was your brothers friend for fuck’s sake. and still you couldn’t help but stare at his bare face like a lovesick fool, study how his biceps strained when he changed chords, notice his adam’s apple bobbing when he sang.

“got it?” jisung stopped, a bit of shyness still remained in his voice.

“y-yes…” you gulped and instantly nodded to save your ass.

god, why was he making you shutter like this?

“okay.” he put his guitar aside. “then show me what you’ve learned.”

“w-what?! no! we just started on the chorus!” you wished you could scream louder, but it was already past two in the morning.

“sorry-sorry!” jisung immediately surrendered, his cheeks getting all puffy out of embarrassment. his tongue ran over his lower lip and stopped at the piercing, sucking on the metal.

you felt your pussy starting to throb even harder, and clenched your legs, not taking your eyes off his lips.

“i know.” not even a second of thinking jisung loudly sighed and stood up, now looking at you from atop.

your heart started racing as you saw him towering over you. what was he doing? you were ready to apologize for being such a bad student and for wasting his time. guilt quickly took over your body and you gave him a sympathetic look.

“hey, i think we can continue tomor-” you began, but got cut off by his hands on yours bringing you up.

“come here.” he said boldly, while leading you with him on the couch. “sit on my lap.”

“w-what?” your eyes were still on his hands, breathing becoming an impossible task as he shifted your body to where he wanted you to be.

he placed one hand on your waist, pressing you closer to his chest, as the other picked up the guitar and put it over your legs. then he grabbed your hands and placed them on the instrument, seemingly ignoring your flustered state. his breath was ticking your neck, and you could feel his chest rising and falling as he breathed. thankfully, he couldn’t see your red face from behind. a soft hum escaped his lips as he seemingly got satisfied with the position you were in.

“alright. try to remember where i place your fingers, ‘kay?” he said softly and you slightly jerked.

it was the first time you were that close to each other. the wetness between your legs became unbearable, your panties were absolutely drenched by now.

you thought you would be able to sit through it until he placed his chin on your shoulder for a better view and his chest got pressed impossibly close to your back. that was it for you. if you didn’t get out of his lap now, you would end up fucking him right here.

“jisung- stop…” you sighed loudly, trying to get up.

but your attempt was interrupted by his hands going on your waist again and holding you tightly in place.

“what’s wrong? i’m trying to help you.”

did he really not understand what he was doing or was he just pretending?

“can’t you see how flustered you make me?!” you nearly yelled in annoyance, finally turning at him.

“oh-“ jisung froze, blinking at you stupidly. “why?”

you were about to laugh in his face.

“because you are so fucking hot?” the annoyance in your voice mixed with embarrassment. “are you really that dumb that you can’t see how i’m always horny and wet around you?!”

“oh- i-i’m sorry…” he said carefully, looking shyly to the side. “i actually didn’t realize that- i’m sorry…”

his face turned completely red, but his hands hadn’t left your waist.

you weren’t even angry at him anymore, just insanely needy and turned on. the blush on his cheeks was so cute, and the way he avoided eye contact made you want him even more. you took him by chin and forcefully turned his head to face you. jisung gasped, still the most red you has even seen him be.

“not so bold now, huh?” you teased and leaned close to him, so he could feel your breath on his lips.

“i… uh- i-” it was unfair how he looked even cuter like that, all nervous under you.

you would lie if you said you didn’t fucking adore this side of him. it also made you want to tease him more, so you did.

“do you want me to kiss you?”

he stared at you dumbly for a second as if his brain stopped working.

“do i… noona… oh god-” his mouth hanged open as he gulped, and you smiled at his expression. fuck, how was he even real?

the room grew silent, nothing else other that the tense breathing from the two of you. jisung kept switching between your eyes and lips, while you were waiting, searching for a sign of discomfort, for him to say that he wasn’t thinking what you were thinking of right now.

but he didn’t. he was just as desperate for you, licking his lips in anticipation. you could see how nervous he got by he way he kept twitching his piercing again. god, you wanted to feel it so bad.

for the first time in your life, you weren’t afraid to make the first move. millimeters between your faces disappeared as you finally placed your lips on his, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him impossibly closer to you. his blue hair were soft and he moaned quietly, when you tucked your fingers in them.

the sharp taste of metal mixed with his saliva and his scent, attacking your already throbbing pussy. it was unusual to feel something else other than tongue and lips, maybe even a little disgusting, but at the same time incredibly hot. as soon as you felt jisung’s body relax under you and he started stroking your hips, you ran your tongue over his lower lip and played with the piercing, just like he always did.

jisung’s eyes opened widely and he broke the kiss, groaning like an impatient puppy.

“noona, what are you…”

his shuttering only made you want act bolder with him.

“wanna continue or-”

“yes-yes! please, noona! please!” jisung mumbled, his doe eyes looking at you from below.

“you are so sweet, jisungie…” you chucked, leaning in again to leave a quick kiss on his neck.

jisung joilted under you and you finally felt his eagerness poking your thigh. that only made your realize how badly you wanted to touch him more and you instantly reached down to grab on his dick through the fabric.

and then something happened — jisung whimpered… whimpered! and his expression settled into a mix of pain and desperation. it was an entirely new look on him — the one that you could only imagine in your fantasies before — a vulnerable, desperate side. clearly, he’s never looked like a dominant guy, but still you never would’ve thought you’d hear him whimpering under you. the wave of arousal that rushed down to your pussy almost made you pass out.

“shit, shit!” he groaned, watching you with blown out pupils as you kept palming him through his pants. “ah, fuck! noona, that feels so good-“

“yeah?” you smiled cheekily, satisfied with a state you’ve gotten him into. “want me to touch you more?”

“mhm-“ he whimpered again.

“shh, be quiet or you’ll get us in trouble.” you couldn’t forget about the fact that your entire family was still in the house sleeping. “if you keep whimpering like a horny bitch, someone will surely wake up.”

jisung’s eyes widened at your words and he bit his lip to suppress the sound that crawled up his throat.

despite your rebuke, you didn’t hesitate to pull down his pants and boxers, revealing his painfully hard cock. jisung hissed at the cool air, but still blushed, averting his gaze. the corner of your lips curved into a smirk and you pressed on the tip, watching the precum glistening. jisung let his mouth fall open in a silent scream of pleasure, his eyebrows furrowed together as he kept adjusting to new sensations.

to his credit, he tried to listen, but only lasted for a few seconds. he thought he would actually be able to keep quiet, up until you wrapped your hand around his dick and started pumping him slowly.

it was so enticing; this pace was too slow compared to how much jisung was turned on. but he kept sitting like a good boy, letting you control his body entirely.

he was looking at you from under half-closed eyelids, sweaty bangs tousled over his face, and chest occasionally heaved as he let out the most pitiful sobs you've ever heard. you felt as another wave of arousal hit you and shifted slightly in place, trying to remove the tension between your legs.

you watched how the veins on his dick glisten with wetness, how the skin gathered at the head. the way you started to flick your wrist, with your palm sweeping over the leaking tip, made him cry out even more, moaning your name.

“shh, remember what i said?”

“s-sorry- you hand feels so good… c-can’t-“

his whimpers were too good to your ear, and you couldn’t care less about being caught anymore.

why did he have to sound so seductive saying that?

jisung was moaning and squirming, leaking so much precum that you could feel your entire wrist getting covered in his desire.

“i’ve wanted this for so long.” he suddenly confessed, voice low and breathy. “why did you have to be such a tease, noona?”

his words made you pause for a second, staring down at him with a semi-surprised look towards his confession, until the realization hit you. he really was playing dumb this whole time! this little shit!

you gripped the base of his cock just a little too tightly, and pulled away to snap at him. “i’m not the one who teased.”

“‘m sorry- i just didn’t have the courage to make the first move, you know? i-i’m sorry! don’t be mad at me!” he kept blurting out, his mouth betraying him faster than his mind could keep up. “you look so hot and confident all the time, noona. of course, every guy is afraid to approach you!”

“afraid?” you slowly asked, your hand hadn’t left the base of his cock, only wrapping harder around it. “are you afraid of me?”

jisung whimpered, bucking his hips up embarrassingly.

“n-no, no! i’m just saying that you always look so pretty, and gorgeous, and hot, and i fell in love with you the day i saw you for the first time.” he started babbling, making you smile fondly. “i only hesitated, because you are that much older than me, noona. i didn’t think you would be interested. i even wrote songs about you…”

as you were about to say you forgive him, he mumbled the last sentence in a quiet voice and looked at you with those doe eyes.

oh, you were so stupid! you were about to smack your own forehead. how could you not put two plus two together this whole time? “the girl he couldn’t get and fell in love with at first sight?” of course!

“now shut up or i’ll stop.” you replied shyly, trying to act cool, while a pink shade of blush covered your cheeks.

“no-no, don’t stop. please. i’ll shut up. just don’t leave me here like this.” he said, clearly not shutting up and grabbed your hand in his, thrusting his hips slightly to meet the movements, silently demanding you to continue.

obviously, you wouldn’t leave jisung like this, especially after his confession. he was so stupidly cute, pure and adorable. you also couldn’t wait to see how he looks when he cums. almost as much as he needed to see you naked. you were still fully clothed sitting on top of him.

besides, it would be great fodder for your nights of shameful masturbation at the thought of this boy.

“‘m close… aaghh! s-so close, noona!” the noises jisung let out were beautiful and breathtaking. in that moment you wished you could record some of it for yourself.

despite that, you immediately pulled away, forcing him to open his eyes and pleadingly ask you: “noona?”

“eat me out first like a good boy, ‘kay?” you whispered, sending a shiver down his spine with your words.

as you finally got off from his lap and started undressing you heard his husky voice saying: “fuck- that’s hot.”

you giggled, looking back at him. he was staring at you like a painting in the museum, watching carefully as your clothes flew on the floor, scared to miss any second of it. his breathing got heavier as he watched you reveal more and more skin, his mind flooding with thoughts that he shouldn’t be thinking. but it was too late. you looked so good to him, he could feel his dick twitching, aching for the attention it so badly craved.

“enjoying the view?” you teased as you got rid of last bits of clothing.

jisung blushed, but kept looking. his desire finally overcame his shyness.

a shiver went through your body at the hungry look in jisung’s half-lidded eyes, now focused on the curves of your body.

you pushed him on the chest, signalizing to lay on the back and he obeyed, watching you move up toward his face.

“fuck...” he breathed out in shock, pupils blown wide, lips parted before the corners pulled into a hungry grin. he couldn’t believe his luck.

you looked down at the hearts in his eyes as your thighs come to rest alongside his puffy cheeks. your pulse suddenly quickened at the realization — you were about to let your brother’s friend tongue fuck your dripping pussy.

“you are so hot, noona.” jisung speaked up once last time on the edge of a moan. his voice was rough, thick with arousal.

he wanted to be used by you so bad that he wasn’t sure he could handle holding back anymore. particularly, when your glistening pussy was just above his face.

abruptly, jisung’s palms cupped over your thighs and brought you down to his face. his movements started uncertain at first, almost unnoticeable, but after a few laps of the tongue, he adjusted the pace, making your mind already racing. you even nearly leaped off his face.

“hold still, noona.”

the way he still kept calling you that while being completely crushed under your body made your breath hitch.

his hands gripped your thighs harder, locking you tight onto his face. you were not going anywhere.

all you could focus on was his tongue flicking up across your slick folds. he was eating your pussy like he was starving, paying no mind to your flinching.

he circled his tongue up around your clit. your moans came out hot and breathy, and you grasped at his blue hair, feeling overwhelmed.

“jesus, jisung… what the fuck-“

you could see the smile in his eyes and he only pressed into your clit harder after the praise. he was so damn proud of himself and the reaction he was getting from you.

“you taste incredible.” he mumbled before thrusting his tongue right into your cunt.

“oh- god! holy- fuck, slow down!” your plea was quiet and not convincing at all, especially when you started grinding on his face yourself.

your eyes rolled back in satisfaction and moans were probably so loud, your whole family must’ve been behind the door already. but you couldn’t care less, when jisung was eating you out like this. he was just devouring you. your head fell back and you spread your knees to sink down further on his face. your worries about accidentally suffocating the poor guy have been dispelled as he adjusted his grip and wouldn’t let you back up.

his nose kept touching repeatedly on your swollen clit and you cried out at the pressure. you were starting to lose control, your body threatening to submit to an intense orgasm at any moment… and that’s when you stopped.

“jisung-jisung, wait.” you put all effort to get out of his intense grip.

“what?” the disappointed look on his face made you wanna coo at him. “did i do something wrong? you don’t like it?”

“no-no! of course not!” patting his cheek, you crawled to the bottom of the couch, right where his still hard cock was. “i wanna ride you.”

you could hear how jisung’s breath hitched once again and you put all your effort not to chuckle at him.

you looked at his dick, trying to ignore the way your own breath hitched too. all you wanted right now was to sit on him, feel him fucking you raw. the fantasy you’ve been replaying over and over in your mind.

“wait- before we start…” jisung interrupted you midway.

he propped himself up on the elbows and you watched him with a genuine confused look. but he didn’t stop, ending up with his face next to your breasts.

“didn’t have time to feel them…” he justified himself and you chuckled in embarrassment.

but that emotion left you quickly as he started kissing down your neck, pausing to nip at your collarbone. his hands followed the curve of your breasts and you panted loudly to catch your breath.

the way he looked up at you while sucking on your hard nipple and pinching the other between his fingers, added to the heartbeat thumping between your legs. you breathed out his name shakily and bit into your lip. it was harder and harder to keep quiet.

jisung raised an eyebrow at you and flashed the naughtiest little grin, while keeping on playing with your breasts. you could feel the metal circle touching your sensitive flesh and it made you even more impatient.

“stop looking at me like that and let me ride you…” you scoffed, lightly pushing him in his chest. he sighed disappointingly, but complied. how could he possible be oppose that?

you wrapped your hand around his swelling dick and pumped it a little, giggling at his puppy-like whimpers.

“wanna fuck me?” you teased him, enjoying the desperation painted on his face.

you were absolutely loving this.

“oh shit- yes-yes, noona.” he nodded as he bucked his dick into your grip.

you leaned up and whispered in his ear. “wanna stretch me open? make me scream? watch how my tits bounce while i ride you? is that what you wanna do, jisungie?”

his face flushed completely at your words and he brought his hands to cover his pink cheeks, groaning in frustration. “stop…”

“aww.” you cooed. “is jisungie embarrassed? this is what you get for playing with me for so long.”

“but i apologized…” he pouted.

“correct. this is exactly why i’m still gonna fuck you.” you said, smirking at the way his rosy cheeks darkened.

dick pulsated hard in your hand as you slid it between your wet folds. jisung must have been so sensitive, moaning loud at this simple action, hands gripping on your thighs again. you let yourself sink down slowly, to feel and remember every second, every vein of his dick. a muffled moan came out of you as you sinked down further, arching your back. your heart pounded.

slowly, your walls began to stretch around his thick head. the senses were overwhelmingly delicious.

“noona…”

you were distracted by jisung’s whimpering underneath you. you opened your eyes and looked at his face, which showed a mixture of satisfaction, lust and embarrassment.

“noona…”

“what, jisungie?”

“i-i don’t think i’ll last long, if you are this slow…” he swallowed, licking his lips. “i-i don’t wanna rush you, of course. b-but i’m so fucking close.”

“i’m not even halfway in, and you are ready to cum?” you forcefully raised your voice a little just to see his flush deepen.

“‘m sorry…” he whispered.

“fine.” you sank down on his cock in one motion.

it filled you to the brim, and you both gasped at the feeling. the look on his face was well worth it. his head fell back, bitten lips parted, cheeks flushed, brows furrowed. a ray of sunrise on his face. it was the first time you really noticed how beautiful he really was.

you started grinding your hips and groaning at the feeling of his cock stirring up your insides. his hands switched to your waist, helping you stay in place, and your grip switched from his chest to the arm of the couch as you kept working yourself up and down in his lap. he was so deep inside you.

“good boy, jisungie…”

another needy moan fell out of him and his face looked almost pained by your words.

he didn’t want this to stop. he didn’t want to cum so fast, trying his best to make you slow down, but all he could do was whimper and moan like crazy, which only fueled your desire to act rougher.

it was all just hot. you couldn’t even feel the cold air of the garage anymore, sweat forming on your skin. your head rolled back as you came, feeling the familiar pleasure spreading through your body. jisung came right after you, his cock throbbed painfully as he saw the fucked out look on your face. he came right inside you and you moaned in satisfaction, feeling the thick liquid spreading over the walls.

heavy breathing and hot moans filled the room. jisung grinned when you mouthed a silent “fuck“ at him.

with his dick still inside you, you leaned in, letting your lips connect. you played with his tongue, enjoying the filthy squelching sound. that only made his pretty face to flare up even more.

“you look so cute like this, pretty boy. you can keep going on for me just a little more, can't you?" you said with a sweet voice, looking on his pretty doe eyes, making him feel like he really was the most special.

he couldn’t help but mewl out a little “yes”, while another shade of blush spread across his puffy cheeks.

you still have some time before everyone wakes up.

-> reblog to support me, if you enjoyed reading this and please let me know your thoughts in the comments! ♡

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#quokka request #skz han #han jisung smut #han x you #han jisung x reader #han x y/n #han x reader #han smut #han jisung #jisung x y/n #stray kids jisung #jisung x reader #jisung smut #stray kids smut #stray kids #skz smut #sub skz #sub jisung #sub han jisung

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ghouljams · 7 hours

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What Once Was

A perspective shift, a pause, a brief respite before doubt takes hold again. Android!Ghost feels his heart beat.

You grew up in Manchester, or at least you had a job out there. You don’t like thinking about “growing up.” As far as you’re concerned you’ve been doing this your whole life. Fixing things. You had a job, an apprenticeship, with a bot mechanic at one of the industrial plants. You’d taught yourself coding, but at risk of electrocution you’d found someone to teach you the rest. It was hard, but the work was rewarding. You were young, but unlike people, bots care more about the results than how long a doctor has been a doctor. They didn’t ask questions, they didn’t know they should have.

The area was rough, you always liked the industrial parts of town, but even you could admit the place had seen better days. There was this old butcher shop. Real old school, but people like that. Meat tastes better when it’s cut by human hands, you’d heard someone say once. And there was this kid working there, Simon, he couldn’t have been much older than you. You saw him on your lunch breaks sometimes. You shared your sandwich with him.

He smiled sometimes, more than you would have thought given everything you knew about him. He liked working with his hands, you got that. He liked being away from home, you got that too. He never called you crazy when you talked about bots like they were people. He was sweet, you liked that about him.

He disappeared one day, without saying goodbye. You figured that was just what happened to people who lived like you two did. You didn’t even bother with a police report. Maybe you should have.

You still sit with your knees pulled up to your chest when you’re working on small parts. Your brows still furrow the way they did when you were a teenager. Ghost watches you flip down your magnifier over your eyes and remembers teasing you about needing glasses from squinting too much. You still blow the dust out of old cartridges and stick them into your arsenal of wires just to listen to the technicolor drone of ancient video games while you work.

“Just the music,” you’d told him years and years ago, “it helps me focus.”

You’re exactly the same, and yet you’re so unfathomably different. Or maybe he’s different. Different in the ways that matter most, in the ways that mean you’ll never recognize him. It’s better like this. He’s been through too much to be the sort of man you deserve. Barely a man at all, really.

That doesn’t stop him from circling you, like a moth to a flame, or a weary soldier to the comfort of home. He finds himself in your workshop with repairs that aren’t repairs, with injuries that he’s never been bothered by before. Ghost sits and lets you run diagnostics, lets you poke and prod at his gears, and he never says a word. Never mentions that you still look beautiful in work lights, that you shouldn’t hold your tweezers in your mouth because you always pinch your lip, that you’re still you even when he isn’t sure he’s still himself. He never mentions that he has a million things he’s never told you, that he wanted to tell you but never got the chance to.

He thinks them sometimes: when he’s watching you work, when you smile up at a bot warmly, when you ask him what’s wrong, when you start walking towards him before you even know what he needs, when you lay your hands on him and he flips every sensor to try and feel your warmth. He thinks that he loves you, that no matter how little of him is left he’ll always love you. He could love you with nothing, with bare circuits and white matter, and that would be enough to keep him going.

It was enough to keep him going. It isn’t anymore. Not when you’re here, so close and still a thousand miles away. Not when you don’t recognize him, when you don’t see the scrawny kid from Manchester in the corded steel and dense circuitry.

Did you think of him when he left? Did you worry? It always felt melancholic, said as a joke that neither of you laughed at: it’s gonna kill me one day, this world’s gonna kill me. Was that what you thought happened? When you knew about his father, when he sat down for lunch with fresh bruises and a split lip, did you think that’s what happened when he didn’t show up the next day? Did you mourn him?

He should have taken you with him. Sixteen. Young enough to kill for a living, but still too young to save you. He couldn’t save anyone, couldn’t even save himself.

They shouldn’t have put him back together.

Not if it meant he’d see you again.

Not if it meant you’d look at him like this,

Like nothing.

Repairs that aren’t repairs. Injuries that never bothered him before. Diagnostics. Circling. He knows it will burn him, he can feel the heat, but he can’t stop. Androids aren’t supposed to feel. Men aren’t supposed to be metal. And you don’t love him.

Not anymore.

(If you ever did.)

#cod x reader #x reader #simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #ghost mw2 #simon riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #mw2 ghost #ghost cod #android!ghost #cyberpunk au #gn!reader

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thel0v3hashira143 · 23 hours

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❝ 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐘𝐄𝐒! ❝

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ married life with jjk men ☆ yuuji megumi gojo geto nanami n ino!

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masterlist 💕

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ warnings: fem!reader, reader is a sorcerer, black coded but anyone can read, mentions of sex/pregnancy/kids, mentions of breakups

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ notes: sorry they're kinda short!! i abandoned my ap chem work to do this so pls like it up!😞😞inspired by my personal fantasies lately. sighhh i love my man :3 stay hot!!! 🎀

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ 1.1k words, 6.3k characters

yuuji itadori 🌸

BRUHH I LOVE HIM SM HE'S SO HUSBAND MATERIAL

the first out of the bunch to tie the knot

a high school sweetheart kinda vibe like y'all def got married straight out of graduating jujutsu tech

small and intimate wedding, just friends and family in attendance

never shuts up about you when you guys are apart.

"y'know [name]- my wife, me and my wife-, isn't my wife just the coolest?"

megumi and nobara are SICK OF HIM

absolutely REFUSES to go on missions without you cause bby just wants to protect you

when you guys finish missions he always takes you out to eat in tokyo, it's like a lil tradition you guys do 🥲💕

as for dates it's always super spontaneous and he makes sure you never do the same thing twice

but he likes to stay home too!! movie dates at home are his favorite, but he won't tell you since he knows you like going out

HE ALSO PAYS FOR UR STUFF AT THE BEAUTY SUPPLY UGHHH

just follows you around as you fill up the basket and is ready to pay at the register

he's just so happy he's yours.

megumi fushiguro 🌸

not THE last! but one of the last to get married

BUT HE LOVES U SO FREAKING MUCH

it took him a couple years to pop the question, not because he wasn't sure about your relationship, but because he wanted to make sure he was ready before making such a big commitment

no wedding, y'all eloped and went to the courthouse but you had a little ceremony after :3

isn't super vocal about his affections like yuuji, but he does small things

you're his homescreen and his lockscreen is a picture of you two at the courthouse when you guys got married 🩷

he trust your abilities but does secretly fret when you go on missions alone

as for dates he's def a homebody...

he considers any one on one time with you a date...not in a lame way tho!

he just finds the two of you in your home alone to be intimate and comfortable

speaking of home alone...you guys have one kiddo since you guys were a little older when you tied the knot!!

a cute little girl who is y'alls pride and joy. when you told megumi you were pregnant tho he was terrified.

he just didn't want to turn out like his father

but he loves you and your little girl dearly 🩷.

satoru gojo 🌸

THE BLUE EYED PRINCE IS UR HUSBAND??? girl whats ur secret??

anyways, small wedding (he didn't want the elders all up in ur buisness) happy home, and wayyy too many kids

nobody expected you both to have so many kids but you have such a beautiful body!! how could he keep his hands off you?

and besides look at him and tell me he doesn't have a breeding kink...

due to you both being the strongest sorcerers and the kids, your schedules got a bit hectic but he always makes sure you're taken care of

multiple calls day and night, he loves to hear your voice...or moans. (he's hi-key a freak)

RESTURAUNT DATES

we know he loves sweets but you guys always go to nice restaurants, cause he believes you deserves the finest things in life

and he loves his kid so dearly

he's giving me 2 girls, 1 boy energy

from the tea parties, makeovers and late video game nights, he endures it all because of how much he adores them.

he adores you even more tho <3.

suguru geto 🌸

the. perfect. husband.

anything you want? you got it.

hair? done. nails? how much is your set?

definitely had the biggest wedding out of everyone (and the biggest ring)

AND A HUGE HONEYMOON like y'all were gone at least 2 weeks

everyone's fav couple, like nobody ever gets sick of y'all

he absolutely lovesss pda can can't keep his hands to him self. always has a hand on your lower back, arm around your shoulders, and he's just super in tune to you as a whole

wants kids bad, LIKE BAD

and y'all got busy on that honeymoon so you def had one pretty soon after the wedding

when you were pregnant, he spoiled you rotten and he made it his #1 priority to make sure you hadn't a worry in the world

you have 2 beautiful girls and suguru loves them more than life

he tries his best to keep them away from sorcerer life for as long as possible because he knows what it's like to be ostracized because of that life

has no favorites, but if he did it would be you.

kento nanami 🌸

sighhh my old man :)))

last to marry, but the ceremony was beautiful!

intimate but like i said, vv nice

lovesss to spoil you!! and plus we all know he makes hella bank bc he needs someone to spend it on

shopping dates!! mostly consist of him following you around and you just picking out what you like

if you even look at smth he's already at the register

prefers staying at home dates though, like reading together, cooking together, and movie dates!!

minimizes pda in public- perhaps holds your hand maybe

but in private he is so clingyyyy like you have to tear him off you lip to lip, chest to chest, hip to hip, you name it

you practically hung the stars, you could do no wrong in his eyes

is 50/50 on kids???

he's not going to actively ask you to start a family but he also is totally on board if you want to

we all know this man is under a lot of stress so his favorite way to spend time with you is coming home after a long day and cuddling with you 🩷

he's utterly obsessed with you (he's just good at hiding it)

takuma ino 🌸

THIS IS LITERALLY MY HUSBAND GUYS- HEAR ME OUT

high school sweethearts but y'all broke up right before graduation

you guys adored eachother but he was scared of losing you once you guys became sorcerers ಥ_ಥ

but fear not! you guys got back together a year- 2 years later bc he's in love with u

he wanted to propose as soon as you got back together but he has more common sense than that

when he does though it's so cutieee

def private and small, just like the wedding. only your closest friends and family, because he wants everything to be perfect

loves fun dates like laser-tag, go-carts, ect. bc he is just a big little kid

if you do missions together, he is literally that scene from hotel transylvania: "that's my girlfriend!" "your wife, ino..." "my wife? even better!"

i'm not even gonna sugarcoat it y'all get pregnant immediately after

ino is def terrified. you guys are both young and you've barely been married for 3 months

but he pulls it together obv and y'all have a cutie little son <3

just like yuuji, he gushes about his little family to nanami constantly (kento acts like he hates it but he finds it endearing)

he reads to your son for bedtime every night WITHOUT FAIL

he always thinks about how he wouldn't have things any other way.

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⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ i wrote this in like 2 hours and i have a chem quiz tommorow i hope u guys like it 😿😿(pls love me) BUT I GET TO SEE MY MAN TOMMORROW AHHHH. sorry i'm not gonna shut up about himmm. ok bye stay hot ily guys sm!!!!

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐲 ♡

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𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚!

𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙡0𝙫3𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙖143 2024

#Words of the Love Hashira 💗#jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #yuuji x reader #megumi x reader #gojo x reader #geto x reader #nanami x reader #ino x reader #x black fem reader #black writers on tumblr

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lightandfellowship · 2 days

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One thing I love about KH3 is how it gives Sora the option to do these more mundane, everyday activites, and how this makes his disappearance at the end of the game feel a bit more tragic (to me, anyway).

Sora hasn't really been a normal kid in...well, several years, I suppose. But in KH3 he's doing things like: getting a phone for the first time and figuring out how to use it, taking selfies + pictures of his friends + pictures of new locales he visits like one would when traveling for recreation, sledding down a snowy mountain, learning how to cook, dancing at a festival with strangers, engaging in street performances, playing a video game, etc. These are all optional diversions and minigames of course, but they're slightly less video game-y in the sense that they involve very normal activites that a real person would do, and aren't something like...hanging by a balloon helping a stuffed bear get honey from a tree, as an example.

For once, he's getting the chance to enjoy life's simpler pleasures. But it's almost like he's finally getting the opportunity to do these things again precisely because it's his last chance to. I feel like this is conveyed in a really poignant way when Re:Mind's ending reveals that Sora decides to spend what little time he has left with a good friend he's unintentionally been neglecting, engaging in simple, human activities together like eating ice cream, watching fireworks, and watching the sunset.

And I can't help but imagine that, after he disappears, Kairi and Riku go looking through his phone for clues...only to come across his photo roll, documenting his journey throughout KH3. Silly selfies, photos of the dishes he's made with Little Chef, beautiful vistas, captured moments of joy and whimsy. And it's the last remaining record of the normal life that destiny simply won't let him have.

#kh3 #kingdom hearts 3 #sora #rambling about kh #Fellow plays 3 #kh3 spoilers

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dromaeo-sauridae · 1 day

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the labyrinth as defined by the american heritage dictionary of the english language is “the maze in which the minotaur was confined”. minotaur, as defined by wikipedia, is the unnatural offspring of a woman and a beast. among other things.

a demigod is the unnatural offspring of a mortal and a god. of all the profane and blasphemous things you could do, knocking up yours or someone else’s creation is up there. therefore if one is to be born, it must be killed or otherwise punished. yes, we’ve established all of this.

cinder is the child of daksari. not profane or blasphemous enough to have a child with a mortal, but enough to get her sorry ass imprisoned under miles and miles of what was just begging to be called a labyrinth. the only thing it was missing was the minotaur, of course. so when the youngest child of cadaver had a rather surprising run in with a very godless mortal on the moon of cassandra…. it all seems rather planned out, doesnt it? i cant help myself when it comes to references to mythology and video games.

a labyrinth and its minotaur.

what a terrible fate

#my art #demiking #promethea #if i was any good at environment art id draw a part of the labyrinth itself.... as of right now just envision any video game dungeon #thats close enough #though this labyrinth was not created by a mortal. daksari made it specifically to make getting to cinder impossible #you could spend forever down there. if youre jack you did spend forever down there #all of this specifically because tumblr user night8 said oh whats that in tags. imagine if i showed this initiative during job interviews #or home life

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dewsgremlin · 1 day

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Hcs - ghouls during an argument (Part 1 - next part is them afterwards)

Swiss: When he has run out of arguments, he covers his ears and sings loudly to drown out his opponent.

Aether: He is usually patient and understanding. But if it gets too much for him, he says that he still loves the other person but needs time for himself first and then goes outside to clear his head.

Dewdrop: He loses his temper after just two minutes, is absolutely ready to throw fists, yells the worst insults ever (Aether once washed his mouth out with soap for this), throws objects and burns everything that comes too close to him.

Rain: starts crying very quickly, becomes hysterical, throws back half-hearted insults but immediately apologizes and escapes to his room.

Cumulus: is passive-aggressive until she loses her temper and then accuses the other person of everything they have done wrong in the last 10 years.

Phantom: he was overwhelmed at the beginning and therefore constantly stuttered and asked why. He can now even counter pretty well, even if his insults sometimes consist of completely confused words. (He called Swiss a grumpy cake sock)

Cirrus: She also doesn't shy away from pulling fearsome ghouls like Ifrit or Alpha down to her by the ear and giving them the lecture of their life with a raised index finger.

Aurora: She has quite an attitude and answers everything with "oh yeah?" and "mhm suuuure" in an absolutely sarcastic tone.

Sunshine: She is offended and sulks immediately. She also plans during the argument how she will delete all of the other person's game scores from any video games.

Mountain: It is almost impossible to argue with him because he immediately retreats into his greenhouse when the mood gets heated.

Copia: When insulted, he initially reacts with exaggerated pique, but then insults back. He also whispers mean things about the person to his rats - while the person is standing next to him.

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thiniceofeternalyouth · 2 days

Text

MISLEADIN' ME SERIES: CHAPTER NINE

ROAD HOME

⊳ Gojo Satoru x f!reader

series masterlist

Genre: angst, fluff, sci-fi, cosmology.

Words count: ~14k

⊲ previous

Standing in the alley between the huts, you had already nailed the last sheet to the wall, creating a small but hidden space. Inside, there were already a few water bottles, a bar of soap, and a makeshift stool. "There, all done," you chirped, admiring the result. You peeked out from behind the curtain. "Come in," you nodded, inviting Nora inside. Without raising her head, she strode past you in small, uncertain steps.

Feeling awkward, you averted your eyes and wanted to leave the makeshift shower, but you were stopped by a subtle touch of a hand. "Don't go," Nora mumbled softly.

"Uh?" you rambled, and your eyes rounded at the surprise of her request. The girl's head was still down, and her tangled hair covered her face.

"I...," Nora began, but immediately stopped. Her breathing became so ragged and loud as if she was beginning to choke. "I don't wanna be alone," her voice shook. "Don't go."

You gently grabbed Nora's chin and lifted her head, forcing her to look at you. "It's okay. Breathe," there wasn't panic or fear in her eyes, there was desperation in them. There was still no way Nora was going to calm down. "Come on. Inhale," you sucked in air with persistence and noise and waited for her to repeat after you. "Exhale," on your command, she exhaled so hard it flung strands of hair from your face. "Sit down," you moved the stool closer to her.

Nora sat down, and the stool creaked dangerously, but it didn't give up. The girl leaned her hands on her knees, and you could see her vertebrae protruding.

"Hands up," you tried to keep your voice as soft as possible, making the words sound more like a request than an order. She obediently raised her limbs, and you grabbed the edges of her shirt and pulled it off. You'd tried not to look at her injuries before, but there was little to look at now - some of the wounds had healed, others were almost invisible.

Nora took off her wide pants in a hurry for some reason - you didn't even squeak before they were on the ground. You gathered up her clothes and hung them on a rusty flimsy nail.

The girl froze. It seemed as if she had forgotten how to do ordinary household things because of everything that had happened. Sighing and trying not to look at her gaunt body, you moistened your hands with cool water and picked up the soap. As soon as you touched the girl, she jerked, making the stool rattle with renewed vigor. "Just... Cold," Nora mumbled guiltily to herself, dispelling any speculation you might have had in your head.

You did not answer, only silently continued to soap her skinny back, and Nora did not lag behind - you could see how she weakly washed the front of her body, now and then adding water.

You'd thrown her tangles over her shoulder so many times, and they'd come back as annoying as flies on a sweltering day. "Listen," you started as if in between. "Ya mind if I cut your hair a little?"

"Is it that bad?" she mumbled quietly.

It wasn't that bad. After a few rinses, a russet or brown color was even beginning to emerge behind the dirt, and judging by the length of her hair, she'd taken good care of it in her former life. However, there wasn't even a hairbrush in the place. "Nah," you shrugged mundanely, lathering and massaging the nape of her neck. "It's just more comfortable this way, don't ya think?"

Nora hasn't even given you an answer yet, and you've already tried on how much to cut. Shoulder blades? Shoulder length? Or maybe cut it all off? You doubted that you could do it like the heroines in the movies and video games - a couple of cuts and you'd have a professional model's haircut. "Lemme cut it somewhere at the level of your neck, 'kay?" you asked, not even noticing that she still hadn't agreed.

As soon as she nodded her head weakly, the dagger was in your hand. You squatted down, divided the hair into strands, and began to cut it off carefully, trying it on. The more you cut, the more Nora trembled, and she was no longer embarrassed to cry. All the tangles fell to the ground. Eventually, the dark sand will sweep them away, too.

The haircut was uneven, with hairs sticking out here and there, but you didn't dare touch them for fear of hurting Nora, for you couldn't stop her body from shuddering. You rested your head on her shoulder. "Don't cry like that," you said softly, parting her strands as gently as you could with your fingers. Nora pressed her face into her palms, making her sobs muffled and her tears invisible, only the pain seemed to remain unchanged. "It'll grow back."

To give her time to cry, you began to wash her hair. Gently, so as not to tangle it further, you massaged her scalp, rubbing in the foam from the laundry soap, and with each passing moment her body relaxed. She even yielded a little. Nora's wet body touching your clothes, her arms fell limp, her eyelids fluttering closed. Neither dark nor empty. Calm.

"..., hey," you gently shook her by the shoulders, and she immediately straightened her back. You picked up some relatively clean clothes and held them out to Nora. "We're done here. Come on, get dressed. Let's do some shenanigans."

She looked at you questioningly rather than suspiciously - but your head was already hidden behind the sheet and your fingers were tapping against the hut wall. Nora, wiping the water from her body and pulling on a stretch hoodie and wide pants, snuck under the sheet and stared in the same direction as you, trying to see what was wrong. "Pick one," your tone was preternaturally excitable, which made Nora frown. "That one over there," you nodded at the demon that stood on the roof of the far hut. "Or that one over there?" you pointed to another that stood nearby, seemingly cooing something to a young boy with blotchy cheeks sitting on the ground. There was something spread out on tattered sheets in front of him, and you could make out a few water bottles, a pair of old boots, and a flask.

Something seemed to boil above your ear. You turned around, and for good reason - Nora's gaze was on the second, and her face was contorted with anger. You smirked, but slightly covered it with your hand. Still, rage was much better and more productive than despair. "That one," the girl hissed, watching as the demon nearly buried its nose in the cheek of the boy who was trying unsuccessfully to distance himself from it. The demon was clearly whispering something, and anxiety and despair were becoming clearer and clearer on the boy's face.

"Okay," you agreed. "How about this. I'll distract him, and ya come up from behind and hit him right here," you poked between your collarbones.

"What?" blurted out Nora in a panicked whisper, staring at you with big eyes. "You out of your mind? How could I... How could you...," she gasped and shook her head. "I don't even have a weapon!"

You impatiently began to tap the toe of your shoes against the ground, keeping your eyes on the one Nora pointed at. "If that's all ya care about, then hurry up," the girl gasped quietly as a dagger appeared in your outstretched hand. "Take it."

Nora tentatively reached for the dagger, and the haze that enveloped it enveloped her fingers. She found no reason to recoil, for the smoke was surprisingly soft and warm, though it had no physical form. The dagger seemed to lure her as people lure anyone with sweet promises - the most earthy or impossible, it didn't matter. For as soon as Nora grasped the hilt, each of them felt realizable to her. "Oh yes," you clapped your hands together playfully. "If ya don't kill him, he'll kill me. That's it, I gotta go!"

You waddled toward the boy, clutching your side desperately. "What I have to do?" you heard a worried whisper in behind, but you just waved your hand. You strained your throat and started coughing - until your throat was clammy. No one even noticed.

When you reached the boy, you bent over with difficulty and clung harder to your side. "Water!" you begged in a hoarse voice. "Please ... I can't pay ya anything, but... just a sip, please!"

The black eyes made it unclear where the demon was looking, but you didn't need to - as soon as you'd uttered your pleas, you felt a strong grip on your hair. "I guess no one taught manners to backstreet scum," he whispered the words so close you could feel the slimy teeth on your cheek. "It's not nice to interrupt," his grip only tightened, and for a moment, you felt like a naughty dog being pulled by the leash again. "You have to apologize," the demon's whisper drifted into the steel that bound his voice. "On your knees."

The last words weren't even out loud - they were a precise, invisible trickle that flowed into your mind, making your knees go weak. You, in turn, began to resist, not his order, but your own stubbornness. It didn't work. You remained standing, though you wiped the willfulness from your face.

As you tried to catch a glimpse of Nora moving quietly albeit clumsily behind his back, you received a resounding slap. "Look at me," the demon commanded, and tugged at your hair for persuasion. "Rebellious, aren't you?" he asked wryly, but the dark eyes reflected wariness. "I was just trying to have a good time with this young man," he nodded toward the kid who was huddled harder with his back against the hut wall. "You ruined the whole atmosphere, though. Kinda... romantic. That's what you call it, isn't it?" for a moment his eyes became normal - neither dark nor horrible, but the eyes of someone whose body had been taken away. "You have to compensate."

Everyone around him seemed to freeze, afraid to take a single step to the side. Nora stood at the demon's back literally a couple of feet away, clutching a trembling dagger with both hands right in front of her; whether it was from the girl's excitement or the lingering anticipation of the blade itself. When would she strike?

It was so quiet that you could hear the ringing of silence - the demon probably felt it, too. As soon as he wanted to raise his head, you immediately clutched at his clothes. "I just wanted water! Have mercy! Please!" your sobs grew louder and louder.

"Let the girl go!" came an uncertain but loud exclamation behind you, drawing attention.

"She didn't do anything wrong!" shouted an unfamiliar woman from a nearby hut.

The hooting grew like a snowball of resentment and discontent. Those who didn't dare to shout glared angrily at the demon, and he could feel it, for you couldn't think of any other reason for the claws digging into your scalp. If Nora still didn't dare now, you'd have to take that opportunity away from her. "Thought we'd do this in private. Okay, that'll be a lesson to everyone," he hissed. "Get undressed."

The way you grabbed the edges of your shirt without thinking reminded you of why people left with demons without a lot of noise and desperate screams. Of course, they were restrained by fear or the grip of frozen horror, but that didn't happen silently; the reason lurked elsewhere - as soon as the demon said a single commanding word, any unprepared person became a puppet in the power of absolute obedience. Even the fact that not all of them possessed such an ability was no consolation.

Something in your throat made you cough, but it didn't take long for your throat to sore. You looked up to see the black tip of a dagger sticking out of the scattered ashes, and then, when the shroud of the dead man had dissipated, Nora's terrified face. "Geez," you sighed in relief, throwing back your head. "Finally! I thought that prick was gonna rip my hair out!"

"I'm sorry," Nora said with trembling lips. "I'm sorry, I'm...," tears sprang from her swollen eyes again, and you could even feel how hot they felt on her cheeks.

You stood up and put your arm around her shoulder. "It's okay," you assured her, pulling her closer to you, and Nora's nose burrowed into your collarbone.

"I can't believe it," she still sounded confused, every nervous twitch in her voice audible. "I can't believe it!" she threw her head up and stared at you with big eyes, and the corners of your lips crept upward because it wasn't from fright at all, but from excitement. "Holy shit! I really killed him!" Nora's smile, like the morning sun, dispelled the fog of endless tears.

The people around you didn't make a sound, but they weren't in a hurry to leave, either - you could see them watching you from the huts. "I'm not sure whether or not I'm glad ya're talking about it in that way," you clicked your tongue softly, and pulled the girl closer to you. Nora, on the other hand, dazedly sucked in air and looked at you guiltily as the dagger disappeared from her hands. "Don't worry," you waved it away. "Let's go get something to eat before someone else comes running."

Nora's palm instantly flew up to her mouth, and she stared at you in utter shock. "What if... what if one of them saw all of this? Or someone tells them?"

You chuckled relaxedly, feeling her shoulders tense. "We'll figure it out," you assured her, not mentioning that in a case like that, beholders and snitches would have to be made dead.

Beep-beep.

The wind didn't rush in through the open window or make the curtains rustle, but it was cold in the room nonetheless. An unknown movie playing quietly on the laptop threw lights on the walls - smooth and faded, then so sharp and bright that you had to squint your eyes. The chair you were sitting in added to the discomfort - it was the same as yesterday, but you felt like you were sitting on a lumpy rock.

Beep-beep.

The quiet noises from the side were so annoying that every time they made you fake hope that they were coming from the person in the bunk, but no. It was Rachel, sitting on the other side of the bed. She shook her leg restlessly and kept hitting the metal stem, and you thought you could hear her chewing on her nails.

Beep-beep.

"Stupid movie," Rachel mumbled, still holding her finger to her lips. Her gaze was fixed on the laptop, but the images reflected clearly in her eyes, making them look glassy.

"Uh-huh," you muttered absently to yourself, trying unsuccessfully to rub your aching legs.

"He's stupid, too," Rachel nodded at Kyle, and this time it wasn't a mumble; the words were clearer, angrier. "And weak," you glanced at Kyle who was still unconscious, but his peacefully heaving chest and the heart monitor's steady heartbeat made it look like he was sound asleep. "I went right back to work after giving birth, and this asshole can't even get through isolation for the fifth time."

Beep-beep.

"In the seventh," you corrected.

"Who the fuck cares?" hissed Rachel angrily, and you begged, albeit reluctantly and disbelievingly, that her hissing wouldn't turn into screaming. "If he really cared about us, he'd forget about this whole thing! Why do we have to sit by this fucking bed every time," she kicked the metal bedpost with force. "And wonder if he'll make it this time?"

"No one's forcing ya to sit here," you shrugged, and though you kept your eyes on the laptop screen, you still caught a glimpse of Rachel standing up, her silhouette looming dangerously over the bed.

"Don't ya think ya should watch your mouth sometimes?" her voice grew threateningly closer.

You rolled your eyes involuntarily. "Ya know, Kyle may be weaker, but ya the one who's gonna take a fucking dirt nap first," you grumbled, reluctantly parting your lips, but it was in vain - you'd already fallen for the provocation.

"What did ya just say?" she snapped back.

Beep-beep.

You jumped to your feet and mirrored her pose, resting your hands on the bed - you were breathing in each other's faces right over your brother's body.

"I said," you started to say loud and clear. "Kyle may be weaker, but because of your shitty temper, ya'll die first," each word you said was louder than the last.

"Ya little bitch!" roared Rachel and grabbed your throat with her sharp nails, but there was no time to do anything - you were pushed against each other.

"Ouch," you whimpered quietly, rubbing your forehead and settling back into your seat.

"Both of ya!" a disgruntled husky voice yelled back at you. "What if I hadn't woken up?" Kyle tiredly plopped back onto the pillow. "Would ya have fought right on top of me?"

"It's good to see ya awake," Rachel didn't hug him, didn't even look at him - just muttered wryly. "Maybe ya can set that brat straight," she pointed her finger in your direction, and even though Rachel was already in the doorway, you felt like she was poking you in the eye.

Rachel slammed the door shut with such force that you immediately looked at the hinges to make sure they were still in place.

Kyle exhaled and then sat up, giving you a warm look. "So, what's going on again?" he asked softly, giving you a gentle tap on the forehead. You pursed your lips and absent-mindedly threw up your hands - if you only knew. "Okay," he grinned, trying to get comfortable. "She'll be cool down by tomorrow."

"I...uh, I don't think so," you gulped, watching the sheets move due to Kyle's fidgeting.

"What ya talking about?" he raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Ya know her, she'll be back with snacks in maybe a couple hours, and she'll probably start nagging us about Rob putting the cotton swabs on the wrong shelf again."

Your limbs were unpleasantly numb - you couldn't move a finger. And before your voice went numb, you decided to ask the question that had put you in this state. "Kyle," you began cautiously. "What's the last thing ya remember? Ya know... Before I put ya into isolation."

He opened his mouth, but immediately shook his head thoughtfully, and closed it back. "Honestly... Hmm," Kyle tried to survey his surroundings and even himself in it - he examined his hands, his feet, everything his eyes could see without a mirror. "I think I taught ya this morning what cycle to wash your white sneakers on," that didn't tell you anything - you asked him that every time you started a load of laundry. "Also... I think Rob and I were supposed to take the kids to an amusement park tonight? Disney Sea or whatever..."

You were afraid your voice would go numb, but your heart did it instead, skipping a beat or two. You and your isolation ate up about a year of your brother's memories this time. It remains to be seen just how huge a piece of pie you ate this time. "Kyle...," you exhaled convulsively, smearing the remnants of courage in your voice. "I think we went a little overboard this time. It's been a while."

"Well, the last time didn't pass without problems too, right?" he tried to cheer you up, but he didn't seem to have the right words. You reached out and took his hand, the one with the shimmering silver bracelet on it, and began to rub it slowly and methodically. "Y/N," he grinned nervously, watching you play with the bracelet you'd grown tired of. "What is it?"

"Rob...," you accidentally bit your tongue in frustration. "Rob's dead."

God knows you didn't want to look up, but your eyes did it themselves. It was the same picture as before - Kyle's pale, gaunt face. It was like he'd lost a quarter of his weight in a second.

Who had it harder? The person who felt like everyone had already been through it or the person who was put through it a second time?

"What about...," his glittering eyes darted from side to side. "What about Rachel? What about her and Rob's baby? Did something happen to them?" he was already starting to fidget to get out of bed, but you stopped him, pressing him back against the bunk with your hand.

"Mike- uh, the baby's fine," you held your hand on Kyle's chest, trying to make sure he stayed in that position. "She's had the baby for two months now. It's a healthy baby boy. So...," you purposely stammered, trying to contain the rest of the memories within you, leaving them unspoken. "Yeah, it's fine."

The answer was immediate. "Got it," Kyle said soberly, but turning to you again, his voice was went softer. "I'll take a little break, recover, and we'll try again."

"Hmm?" you raised your head dumbfounded. "Again?" seeing that Kyle nodded, you started to shake your head. "Look, enough already. That was your seventh try, and ya only getting worse each time. It's probably time to... well, dunno. Get over it. Your body's conductivity isn't increasing, and ya still can't go into the void. Let's just leave it, 'kay?"

"Seventh, then... Wow," he chuckled, but he didn't see the shadow of a smile on your face. "Look, if Rob's gone, does that mean there are fewer voidrunners, too?" he quipped, and you clutched at his bracelet so tightly that it nearly broke. "No arguments. I'm not Rachel, and I'm not gonna yell or prove anything. Ya should know your place. After all... In our position, it's your job to lead anyone through isolation who's expressed a desire."

He was right, but what about your desires? Was it really so selfish to want to protect at least the people you love from danger?

You quit fiddling with the bracelet and carefully climbed onto the bunk and snuggled under the blanket. "Hey," Kyle chuckled softly, peeking under the blanket and meeting you face full of childish annoyance. "Come on out of there," and with that, he stretched out his hand on the pillow.

You shook your head stubbornly, which made him smile even more. "I'm sorry. I was really rude when I said that. If ya come on out of there, I won't do it again," Kyle said, and before he knew it, your head was on his forearm.

"Sometimes I do wanna be selfish," you muttered quietly through pouty lips. You could feel his calloused fingers stroking your arm as if trying to push the bitterness away.

"I know," Kyle kissed the top of your head. "Ya just wanna protect us, but... Y/N, we're all adults, and we make our own choices. You've warned us a hundred times about the consequences, so if something happens to us, it won't be your fault - we signed up for it ourselves."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" you raised your head and glared at your brother - your wrinkled nose made him chuckle, but apparently he was trying to restrain himself - all that came out was a squeezed sound through his nose. "Let's talk about something else," you muttered.

"Okay. What's more news?" he asked serenely, stroking your hair - the touch was so light, it was like Kyle was barely touching it.

"Well...," you drawled thoughtfully. "I used to think that I just didn't understand something or that it was just the dioreacts hiding so well, but I guess not. They don't have consciousness. Or maybe I'm just missing something after all. Dunno," hearing a dubious hum, you added. "I can't sense their consciousness in isolation."

"Otherwise it would be too easy for us...," Kyle snorted annoyed. "Will there be any good news?" he asked, spitting and puffing on your hair, which he'd, electrified himself.

You peered slyly out from behind the hut's wall, watching Bjorn. The poor thing, unsuspecting of your return from the sortie, was sitting on the floor, counting his cigarettes, humming to himself in his overgrown beard. You quietly stepped inside, and involuntarily began to giggle. "Bjorn," you addressed to the man, smiling ridiculously, but only got an annoyed wave back. "Bjo-o-orn," you drawled mischievously, and the sound of clanking made him raise his head sharply.

You appeared before his eyes, holding a pair of shears - his fear. You deliberately made a couple or three more cutting motions, and Bjorn jumped up like a stung man. "Don't you dare!" he hissed, and saliva seemed to fly through the hole where the tooth should have been. The man as if in a fight between two predators began to circle around you, never turning his back on you - all to get closer to the exit. Keeping your eyes on him, you clanked your scissors threateningly again, cutting the air "I'll rip your arms off, witch," he growled, backing away.

You were in no hurry to catch up with him, but only wished he were in the opening. As soon as he was there, his back was against something huge. "Oter, seize him!" you shouted, and Oter, on command grabbed the man under the armpits, lifting him into the air, and only then did you begin to approach the writhing Bjorn - if it had not been for his weight you might have said that he looked one and all like a frightened ferret.

"Conspiracy!" Bjorn yelled, but there was no escape from Oter's grip - his arms were so strong that Bjorn felt as if he were being squeezed by a golem. "They wanna kill me!" his voice had already reached its highest possible pitch when you were close to him and ran your hand through his beard.

"Stop squeaking," you tried to concentrate so you wouldn't cut off anything else including Bjorn's skin, but he was preventing it by shaking his head and body relentlessly in all directions. You glanced meaningfully at Oter who was as bald as a baby after the similar manipulations you'd done, and just as satisfied. Oter squeezed Bjorn harder, so hard that all the air went out of him.

"What's going on here?" came a panicked and panting voice from behind Oter's back, and he immediately let go or you could say dropped Bjorn to the floor. You immediately put the shears behind your back and skulked to the drawers, pretending to look for something.

"Those two...," Bjorn mumbled, trying to cough and crawling back into a corner. "Those two wanted to kill me!"

"That's not true!" you frowned immediately. "We just wanted to give ya a haircut!"

"Liar!" roared Bjorn, still clinging to his precious beard.

"Jonah!" you whined, stomping your foot. "Tell him!"

Jonah was still standing in the doorway, leaning his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "You guys completely crazy? I thought someone was getting killed in here..."

"Right in front of you is the victim of a crime," Bjorn didn't relent.

"Shut up," Jonah muttered irritably, taking his backpack off his shoulders. "You really need a haircut. It's taking too much soap."

"It's natural thermoregulation!" he objected indignantly, spreading his arms apart.

You pouted and picked at the floor with your toe as deliberately as if you were convinced something precious was lurking there. "Lice's breeding ground," you muttered to yourself. "Where have ya been?" you asked Jonah, coming closer to the shelves.

"At the huckster's," Jonah replied, pulling bottles from his backpack. "With all your hygiene, there's no water to spare."

"Well...," you drawled meaningfully. "Just because we live in the middle of a dump doesn't mean we have to smell like one."

"Your moral compass is costing me too much," the man muttered, though he was glad he smelled like laundry soap instead of decaying flesh for the first time in a long time.

"Sorry," you said guiltily. "I'll make it up to ya. I was going back anyway."

"You know, I was sure you weren't a robot just because I saw your blood," Jonah grinned nervously. "Now I'm not sure of anything anymore. Why don't you get some rest, just for a little while?"

"I'll rest after this sortie," you sighed, and noticing how skeptical Jonah was staring at you, you added, putting your hand over your heart. "Promise."

"Relocate."

"Yeah, sure, why should we say goodbye..." sighed Jonah unhappily as he continued to arrange what he had bought into the crates.

***

When you first came into this room, you couldn't even take a step. All those piled towers of stuff covered with sheets stood so close together that you couldn't even squeeze between them - any movement you made would cause them to sway threateningly. Therefore, sortie after sortie, you cleared these debris, starting at the entrance.

The room looked different now, and though much of it was still unexplored and shrouded, it was now organized and everything you could get your hands on was boxed up for its intended purpose. You had boxes of bath supplies, expired medicines, clothes; you even had a little box where you put jewelry - as you searched you found everything from cheap costume jewelry to expensive one. 'Ya don't need it anymore, and I still have a dozen hungry mouths to feed,' you thought each time you put another ring in the makeshift jewelry box. There was even a box where you naively hoped to put the chargers, and every time you put a new one in there or just looked in it, you literally saw the evolution. They were all motley, some of them, judging by the connectors, were from the twentieth century. Only one of them fit your phone, and all it did was make you want to tear it up because you didn't even have a chance to check if it was working. There was no electricity.

Kicking the box of wires away, you threw the sheet off another pile of stuff and sat down to start sorting it all out. The monotonous work was soothing and even enjoyable as if you were getting into a routine, and it felt like you were closer to home.

You arranged the things you took out around you, mentally categorizing them. On the right - leisure, toys and surviving books, on the left - everything that could be thrown into the furnace (like old notebooks and other waste paper, and everything that was somehow made of wood), behind - jars, plates, bowls, knives, forks and spoons. Long story short, everything that would help you not to turn into pigs.

Remembering Nora, you kept thinking you'd find a hairbrush, and if you were lucky, maybe this time you'd find a nice shampoo to replace the tired bar of soap. You excitedly pulled out item after item, and if you thought it didn't fit anywhere, you tossed it to the far corner. It was like that until your palms hit something big, hard, and cold.

You tried to pull the object out, but either it was too heavy or you had lost all your strength. You furrowed your brows, buried your hands deeper and strained, trying to pull something out, but it only came out jerky as if you were trying to pull a stubborn carrot out of a bed.

The more strength you exerted, the more the object wobbled and moved away from the place it was stuck to, and with one more clumsy tug, you fell on your back. On top of that, the heavy object you were so desperately clinging to crushed your chest.

Your eyes met a metal box with housings, various levers and bolts. "Why the fuck do I need a carburetor for?" your voice broke with frustration, and you sounded so resentful as if the universe itself had wronged you. Putting the carburetor aside, you stared into the hole you'd made. It was almost impossible to see anything, but the thief's eye caught a fleeting glint.

Humming to yourself, you knelt down and tried to fumble for whatever it was that glinted so strongly in the depths of things. When it was in your hand, you pulled it out. It was copper wire. "Holy shit," you exhaled quietly and immediately put your palm to your mouth, a high-pitched squeak coming out of you. You felt like a mischievous five-year-old who'd rummaged through Santa's sack while he was harnessing the reindeer.

There was a whistling in your ears with such force it was like drinking five cups of coffee with already high blood pressure.

"It's just that as one of their punishments. Demons make us eat a pack of salt."

You already had electrolyte. The very packet of salt that no one had ever touched was still on the shelf in the hut. All you had to do was find iron. At least aluminum.

You jumped to your feet and started sharply tossing the sheets off, and your movements were sharp but unsure - you didn't know where to start. Before you knew it, the room was in the same condition as it had been at the beginning, with piles of scattered garbage piled tightly together, leaving no space.

Nevertheless, there was nothing here. Not a single piece of tinfoil.

Positive thought is always selfish - it fills all of a person's thoughts, leaving no room for anything else. Negative thought is so welcoming that it invites its 'friends' for a stroll through the mind, causing the person to jump frantically from one bad thought to another. They intertwine with each other until they form a tight knot of despair.

"You mean he made a deal with ya a year ago?"

You knew the first thing you'd do if you got out of here. You'd check out each and every one of those snakes that were crawling above. Whether or not they die in the process was not your problem.

Trying to suppress the trembling in your knees, you sat down right in the middle of the mess. Your foot, living a separate life, was tapping a fidgety nervous rhythm against the floor.

A sickening lump started to rise in your throat. Just a few moments ago, it was as if you'd been given a delicious Belgian chocolate to sniff, and as soon as you reached out to break off a piece, it was snatched away with an ugly laugh.

Your foot came to an abrupt stop. The last thought that ended the chaos in your head was about the chocolate bars.

***

It was getting harder and harder to relocate precisely - your body was letting you know about the overload, and sometimes it was even physically impossible to take a breath. Every day it became more and more painful. Therefore, you accidentally moved far away from the huts and ran to yours as fast as possible, with an overflowing backpack shaking behind your shoulders.

Once you were in the doorway, you couldn't quite make out those present through the joyful veil - it was enough that they were just there. "Bjorn!" you exclaimed running over to the shelf and starting to open your backpack - a huge amount of chocolates, a charger cable, copper wire, and a wristwatch flew out. "Where are all the bottles?"

"What do you mean? I sold them," the man said in a tone as if he were stating the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ya did what?" you asked disbelievingly, and the look on your face was as he hadn't sold a bunch of plastic, but your relative.

"Well, excuse me!" Bjorn apologized sarcastically, bowing. "I wanna smoke, and you can't even conjure up a cigarette!"

"Fine," you hissed, tearing the wrapper off the chocolate bar with a jerk; though annoyance had just boiled up inside you, you immediately softened and almost jumped on the spot - there was foil inside. "Now we're all gonna go rummage through the garbage."

"Why should I?" muttered Bjorn.

"What are you up to?" asked Jonah quietly, leaning against the shelf that held the chocolates.

"Ya wanna get out of this place?" you turned to him in a conspiratorial whisper, but the people behind you heard and immediately perked up their ears.

"Is this some kinda bad joke?" grinned Jonah nervously and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're such a bullshitter!" bellowed Bjorn angrily, and seemed to toss something aside.

There was a satisfied mooing from the side, and you turned to see that Oter and Nora were sitting in the corner; the giant was teaching her how to handle a needle and thread. "I wanna," Nora whispered quietly, and Oter nodded vigorously. You glared at Nora, and grabbing your jackets from the forgotten nails in the wall, nodded your head toward the exit.

[April 29, 2020; 9:09 pm; Hopetown]

It is a truism that the spring air changes everything around people. Even the taste of tea on the tip of Frank's tongue felt different with the green grass, the buds in bloom, the flapping of migrating birds' wings. In spite of his imposing figure, he felt a lightness inside that only dimmed or disappeared when he thought of you, but he was careful to keep those thoughts out of his mind with the cares and chores of the household.

Frank had just finished examining the cattle, and had not forgotten to feed the smaller cattle as well - his legs were buzzing from such a seemingly small walk; the man scolded himself for this, for only a few years ago he might have undergone such exertions that people had doubts about his mortality.

As he sipped from his large mug, Frank looked out the window watching the children all the time. He'd never been able to catch the moment when he'd changed from the absentee father to the overprotective one, and no one could tell him which was the better of the two evils.

Noticing dusk approaching, Frank sighed, set his mug aside, and opened the window. "Mike! Tris! Get home now!" his voice was so booming that the mountain tops didn't shake thanks only to a miracle. It was only when two tiny silhouettes ran toward the hill that he calmed down and was about to close the sash, except that there was someone else on the horizon, and that someone else was also heading toward Frank's house.

Frank hastily replaced the sweat-soaked T-shirt with a clean one, for no matter what his guests' intentions were, they were to be greeted in a proper manner. He heard Tris and Mike rush in like a tornado, laughing as they swept through the girl's room.

Literally a minute later, there was a knock on the door.

Though Frank had seen the figures through the window and could mentally make out who it really was, still a surprised interjection escaped him. "Oh," said Frank dully, flapping his eyes. "What a surprise," the man shifted his gaze from Gojo to Danielle.

"Hey," greeted Gojo, waving his hand carelessly. The girl stood beside him, huddled and not lifting her gaze from the floor. "Dany said she can't stand to stay in that house, so...," he scratched the shaved back of his head thoughtfully. "I brought her to you. What are you standing there for?" he shoved Danielle lightly in the back, intent on bringing her out of her stone statue state. "Come on in."

Frank looked worriedly at the girl who was going up to the second floor. "Dany, what's the matter...," Frank muttered quietly, hesitating whether to follow her or not.

"I wanna be alone," she mumbled over her shoulder, after which she disappeared from sight.

"Uh," Gojo began, hiding his face in his high collar. "I hope you don't mind if Megumi shows up here too? He's on a mission right now, and when he gets back and won't see Danielle... He'll start making those nasty faces again."

"No problem," Frank shrugged cordially. "Why don't ya come in?"

"Nah, it's fine," Gojo fussily waved his hands in protest. "Gotta go."

Frank looked him over meaningfully, dressed in his black uniform, and what was still new was the blindfold over his eyes. "Work, huh?"

"Kinda," Gojo chirped into the fabric of his robes. He was already turning on his heels, waving at Frank one last time. "I'll bring souvenirs!"

"Ya really think I'm just gonna buy that?" shouted Frank after him. "That ya just took off work to bring Danielle here? Kyle, Rachel, or even Doc could have done it," Frank watched with a kind of amusement as Gojo froze in place. "Since ya're here, come in. Have some tea at least after your journey."

Gojo walked into the house to an elderly snicker - it gave him goosebumps. Of course, he suspected there would be only two possibilities: he would either be stopped or not, and both felt equally fatal to him. "Sit down," Frank nudged Gojo toward the couch with a heavy hand, and handed him a mug.

Gojo took a small sip and grimaced, setting the cup down on the coffee table. There was no sugar in the tea. "Look at ya, picky," Frank chimed in, taking a seat beside Gojo. "Sugar's over there," he pointed to a beige sugar bowl on the kitchen counter. "Help yourself."

"So welcoming," Gojo sarcastically remarked, clapping his hands and standing up from the couch.

Frank watched as the man walked over to the kitchen counter and began to rummage around. "Well, tell me about it."

There was a reason Gojo had volunteered to accompany Danielle - Rachel wasn't home, and no one was bothering him with questions. But Kyle's hard and intrusive stare was hard to bear, and Gojo had the good sense to keep quiet or it would have ended in a little scuffle - in his mind, a fight that would have left the house a stone unturned. "I don't know how to say this."

"As it is," Frank said, and Gojo really didn't want to go back there - to the couch where your protective father sat. He continued to pour sugar into the mug in silence with only the occasional tapping sound.

Gojo didn't know if he was being mature or immature. Would it be honest to tell Frank or was he just going to turn the whole thing on Frank's head, absolving himself of all responsibility?

His words were always ahead of his thoughts, and Gojo didn't consider that a disadvantage or an advantage - maybe it was always just for the best, so why now did he feel like his tongue had caught in his throat?

So as not to arouse more suspicion and doubt, Gojo returned to the coffee table and seated beside Frank, but dared not look at him even through the piece of cloth over his eyes. He stared at his hands, but could see neither the mug they held, nor the coffee table, nor the rug beneath it. "Uh, here's the thing," Gojo chuckled nervously. "I kinda hovered around your daughter for a reason. At first," on the last word, he accentuated his index finger upward. "I... Well, how can I put this..."

Frank gently took the mug from his hands and set it on the table. "Son, look at me," Frank asked in a soft baritone.

As soon as Gojo raised his head through his inner protests, he immediately felt a sharp pain between his eyes followed by an aching sensation in the bridge of his nose. His hand instantly flew to the sore spot, and he watched Frank involuntarily, fearing another punch.

Frank calmly walked over to the fridge, rummaged around in the freezer, and nonchalantly as if nothing had just happened walked over to Gojo and held a bag of frozen vegetables to his nose. "Put your head back."

"Well," Gojo muttered into his nose, cradling the bag with one hand and wiping the blood off his upper lip with the other. "I'd say it was deserved, but I didn't even finish the sentence."

"Ya didn't have to," Frank muttered angrily, helping to wipe away the blood with absorbent cotton. "Now ya'd better say something in your own defense so I don't make ya fertilizer in my garden," Gojo wasn't afraid, but he activated infinity just in case, and Frank's arm was immediately thrown aside. In fact, the size of the pain he had just experienced was nothing compared to the size of the weight that had just fallen from his soul. "If ya think a trick like that is gonna stop me-"

"They promised to bring someone back to me," Gojo said absently, tossing the bag of vegetables back on the table, and then stuffed the absorbent cotton deeper into his nostrils. Noticing Frank's look, he added: "Your higher-ups."

"That's how it is," sighed Frank dejectedly. "Well, that's all right. I almost fell for a trick like that once myself."

"So it was a ruse after all," there was no sadness or despair in Gojo's voice - only complete understanding with humility read between the lines.

"Dunno. I never agreed to it in the end," Frank said, stroking the watch on his hand gently, which didn't go unnoticed. "Maybe it was a bluff. I haven't met anyone with resurrection powers yet."

"You don't know all the abilities of your world?" blurted out Gojo his question suspiciously, yet indignantly.

"What about ya?" Frank began, squinting his eyes more and more and moving toward him. "Like ya know all these damn techniques yourself?"

"Cursed," Gojo corrected Frank. As a reminder to keep his mouth shut, the pain in the bridge of his nose recoiled with a new throbbing.

"I said what I said, don't ya correct me," muttered Frank, and immediately pulled away.

"Well, actually you're right," Gojo said meekly and with a barely perceptible shrug. "I don't. What, then... Uh. Why did you refuse?"

"Because the dead must stay dead," Frank retorted sharply, but when he heard such a boorish tone come from his lips, he softened at once. "Who knows what that might do?"

The image of Kenjaku still smiling at him immediately popped into Gojo's mind. Wasn't it a resurrection? Perhaps Frank was right, and the realization had come to Gojo a long time ago, but it formulated and took a clear image only now, when it came out of someone else's mouth.

Frank quietly but unexpectedly broke the silence. "How's your nose? Lemme see."

"It's fine," Gojo waved it away and pulled out the bloody absorbent cotton and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, making sure it wasn't wobbling. "It's all healed now."

"Not bad," hummed Frank approvingly

Gojo's face had a smug expression on it like a click. The only thing that remained unchanged was that he was still watching Frank's fingers run over the wristwatch strap. "So, uh... your wife, huh?"

"Son, ya either have a spare nose or a sense of tact," Frank noisily blew the air out of his nostrils, but the years of accumulated and unreleased grief immediately made itself known. His shoulders slumped and slouched, the mug in his hands shook, and who knows whether it was safer in his fingers with white knuckles or on the floor. "Yeah, wife."

Gojo had already put his foot on his leg in his customary manner, leaning back against the back of the sofa. He felt too strange. Like home. "And the watch? Her present?"

"It was Shaya who asked me to marry her."

It was amusing to watch such a big man blush and see it all over his face - down to his ears, but that wasn't what made Gojo laugh out loud. "Look at you, you big, shy man. I wonder what kinda woman she was," he said wiping away a tear with his finger.

"Hmm," Frank drawled slyly. "Actually, I was thinking of showing ya Y/N's childhood pictures, but since ya're acting like that," he watched out of the corner of his eye as Gojo stretched out of his previous position in a second. "And she's in there without a mask, eh..."

"I'll behave!" blurted out Gojo almost in the man's face.

"Oh, no-no, that's not the point," began Frank pathetically, rising up and rubbing his lower back. "I haven't got the carrot weeded yet, and with my back it takes a long time, ya know... Well, some other time-"

Gojo squirmed in place with even more vigor. "I'll do anything!"

"All right," Frank sighed, maintaining a distressed look with all his might. "Come on then, get the box from the top shelf," the man barely had time to point to the closet before Gojo was immediately beside it. "The black one."

It wasn't hard to find - the box stood out against the background of old hats, mittens and scarves. But on his way back, Gojo overexcited and bumped the chair leg, and the entire contents of the box fell right into Frank's feet.

Trying to calm him with a look, Frank began to pick up things from the floor; there weren't many of them, just a small scrapbook, three braided bracelets, and…

"Where's the watch?" murmured Frank anxiously, looking around at the few items put back in the box. "Where's the..."

Gojo, who until then had been standing nearby with a guilty look, noticed a velvet box rolled under the table. "You mean this?" he asked, picking it up from the floor.

"Thank goodness!" blurted out Frank in relief taking the box, and after opening it and making sure the watch was in place, he put it away with everything else. "Sit down," he clapped the seat beside him, and as soon as Gojo sat down, Frank immediately froze, staring at him. "Get your rag off."

"What?" asked Gojo, confused by the swap of Frank's behavior.

"I said take your rag off your eyes," Frank hissed, and that voice, similar in sharpness to the end of an obsidian arrow, made Gojo's spine tingle.

He took off his blindfold, and as soon as Frank saw the blue eyes, he immediately assumed his usual good-natured look. "What," chuckled Gojo nervously. "You really thought I was one of those?"

"Well, why?" shrugged Frank. "Ya come sniffing around here..."

"I just wanted to see a picture!"

"I know," Frank said, opening the album. "What should I show ya..."

"Can't we look at everything?" whined Gojo boyishly, trying to peer into the album Frank had opened.

Frank immediately blocked the view with the lid of the box. "The deal was for one picture!" he reminded, and Gojo immediately flopped down resentfully and sank into the back of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, ya can't actually see her here," Frank muttered, looking at the fishing picture - all he could see was the back of your head and the rod. "Here either," Frank looked at your back and the soldering iron in your hand - he'd taught you how to solder that day, having previously broken every silver chain in the house. "And here she's too far away," he said, turning the page and facing you who was hanging by one arm from some rock, looking at the camera and waving with your free hand. "And this one's not for ya to see yet," he quickly turned the page as there you were - swimming in the bathtub surrounded by ducklings. "And this one's okay... She's barely into puberty here, so she's a little different, though..."

"Stop teasing me!" exclaimed Gojo, trying to pull the lid off the box, but Frank clutched it tightly.

"Well, ya ready?" Frank asked suddenly, taking his eyes off the album, and Gojo's breath caught in his throat - he wasn't ready. He realized it only now - would he really see your face? He wanted to ask Frank to pinch him, but his tongue refused to move. Gojo nodded silently and briefly, and Frank raised his eyebrows in surprise, but held out the photo.

Gojo tried his best to defocus his vision and not look at the photo. He squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could, holding it in his hands in front of him. It was so stupid of him to let you get any closer, even though you weren't even here. But he didn't blame himself for wanting to cross all your possible personal boundaries - you were already a part of his life, regardless of your presence.

Maybe he should have delayed this moment and waited for you to remove the mask yourself.

Maybe you were right when you said he was quite altruistic exactly as long as it didn't involve his selfish desires.

Maybe he wasn't ready. But he'd already started.

Gojo opened his eyes. All the precious things he had touched - whether it was the black rope, the inverted heaven spear, or the candy were immediately destroyed, but what he was holding in his hands now was priceless to him.

It was you. You were wearing a yellow raincoat against an overcast, dark gray sky. Your wet strands falling from under the hood over your shoulders, and you were looking away, laughing. Your lips spread in a wide smile that bared your teeth, nose wrinkled, eyes half-open. Your features were soft - not childish, but you couldn't be called an adult. He could see someone's tanned hand reaching out to you in the shot, which was probably Rachel's. What did she do to make you laugh so hard? What did she say?

It seemed to Gojo - no, he was sure - that he had never held anything so carefully in his life. Where would he put this picture now? In a frame? In a purse? In his chest pocket, perhaps? "Random shot," Frank's satisfied voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "We were supposed to go to the river, and the forecast said it was only gonna be a drizzle, but I got called into work. When I got back, it was pouring... My kids were coming back from the river, and I had time to take a couple of pictures. Rachel came down with pneumonia..."

"Do you think she'll come back?" asked Gojo quietly, stroking your cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"I dunno how to answer that question, son," Frank echoed his muffled tone. "But I do know that she's been missing for a lot longer than that."

"What was the maximum?"

Frank started counting something on his fingers. "Hmm... A little over three years."

"What?" spat out Gojo indignantly, but immediately relented feeling that he had crumpled the picture a little. "I'm not getting any younger here, actually," he muttered to himself, looking directly at the image as if addressing you.

"Why should ya care?" resented Frank with his arms at his sides. "Ya're in your fourth decade, and ya look like a kid in his twenties!"

"You could use a drop of cream, too," he said, smiling cheekily. "When is your birthday, by the way?"

"Brat," groaned Frank menacingly, shifting his gaze from him to the photo.

Frank's gaze, as if reading his intentions, caused Gojo to clutch the picture to his chest and begin to slowly pull away. "You know what else I've noticed?" he was well aware of the danger of this, but the excitement could not be taken away. "You care so much about your wife's things, about her wedding present and her watch, but where is your wedding ring? Did you take it off? Or maybe you found someone?" Frank tried to grab him by the shirtfront, but his hands stopped a couple inches away. "He-he."

The joy was gone at once. The man was suddenly so depressed that it was clear that it was hardly because he had failed to set Gojo straight again. "What a fool ya are," Frank mumbled, resting his elbows on his knees. The disheveled gray hair that had come loose from his ponytail covered his face. "The watch is that ring."

"What?" asked Gojo confusedly and almost helplessly, shifting his gaze to Frank's wristwatch.

"That's how it is with hunters," Frank began, carefully adjusting the velvet box that rested in the black box. "I have no idea why. Probably because time is the most precious thing we have after all. And since they opened the entrance to the void, it has sacred significance for me personally, even though I've never been there. Dunno about the rest," Frank didn't sniffle, but Gojo noticed the man wiping something off his face with his sleeve. "It wasn't even a new watch that was valued, but one that the owner had worn for a long time before. Here, they say, 'I'll always wait for ya at home'."

"It's just a watch. If it bothers you that much, you can just return it later."

Gojo took the same pose as the man, while turning your picture. He was embarrassed to even look into your painted eyes. "Okay, I went a little overboard. I'm sorry," the apology may have come out through force, but it sounded sincere. "Would you mind... You know. Slap me on the back?"

"Son, ya all right?" asked Frank worriedly, looking at Gojo's slumped figure.

"What if I told you I just need support?"

"Why didn't ya say it sooner!" exclaimed Frank, and slapped him on the back with such force that Gojo nearly hit his forehead on his knee.

"Much better," he said, straightening up. There was a crunch in his vertebrae. "And, uh... Can I keep the picture?"

"Well," Frank drawled meaningfully. "I've still got some unfertilized roses standing out there..."

Gojo grinned while carefully tucking your picture into an inside pocket. "Got it."

There really was a lot of trash here. The only downside was that it was all piled up, guarded by those who had the nerve to keep the others away. "You brought water, what do you want with those bottles?" grumbled Bjorn, stepping behind you.

"We need the empty ones," you pointed out, eyeing a bigger pile of trash. "We only have four, and we'd need... Dunno, fifteen, I guess?"

Nora trotted along beside you, and you had to speed up because Oter was already kicking up your heels in his usual gait. When you stopped at one of the huts and looked through the fence netting, you noticed only two people who were looking through the local 'treasures'. They were so engrossed that they didn't even notice the five persons walking up to them. "Excuse me," you politely called attention to yourself, and the person who was sitting with their back to you flinched and turned around. It was a woman. She looked like everyone else - dirty and putrid. Her eyes widened with fright as she faced you, who smiled welcomingly, Nora, who drew your dagger in her direction with shaky hands, Bjorn, who stroked his stick of nails affectionately, Jonah, who tried his best to give himself a menacing look and glared at the woman, and, as the icing on the cake, Oter, who hovered over your backs. "Really need your dumpster. Just bottles, we won't take the extra," you stated cheerfully, noticing how she was backing away. The other man was nowhere to be seen.

"Get out of here," growled Bjorn, and spat thick saliva on the sand. "Or else I'll shove this stick in-"

"I think she gets it," you said through gritted teeth, shoving Bjorn's shoulder and continuing to smile. "No, honestly," you turned to the woman again, throwing up your hands. "Give us fifteen minutes," she nodded or shuddered in response, but began to move further and further away from you without turning her back. When the woman rounded the corner of the hut, she sat down and began to watch you, apparently not really thinking much about stealth. "Well, come on. Let's get to work," with that said, you started digging through the trash.

"Nah, you deal with it yourself," Bjorn muttered lazily, taking a seat and leaning against the hut wall. "I didn't sign up for this at all."

Nora glanced at him in disgust. "You sure you're a man?"

"Why?" he grinned, licking his lips greasily. "Want to check it out?"

"Hold your horses," you warned him, tossing either a rotted banana skin or a piece of flesh in his direction. "She's got a dagger in her hand now, and I might go blind for a couple minutes," you glimpsed Nora, but the muscles in her face seemed to be relaxed. "And ya can do whatever ya want," you added quietly, and she chuckled weakly.

Bjorn snorted irritably. "Women have never understood humor," you let that phrase pass your ears, but you were still worried about Nora, but she just kept digging through the junk.

"Here's the first one," Nora chirped contentedly, holding out the bottle to you, and you never seemed happier - it wasn't just a piece of slick plastic to you, it was a step forward.

***

You all sat in a circle as if to perform a ritual. You placed chocolates, salt and six bottles of water, a pile of empty bottles, a coil of copper wire, and the charger cable suitable for your phone on the floor. You sat across from all this wealth with your legs tucked under you and your clasped hands to your lips. Something kept you from starting. You tried to retain every slightest sense of that awe, and as you shifted your gaze from object to object, all you could think about was that you had never held such precious things in your hands before - no artifacts or jewelry could compare to them. "So... what's next?" Jonah's voice seemed unusually loud in this silence.

"We should unpack all the chocolates," you muttered, nodding your head involuntarily. "Get the foil out and distribute chocolates. The quicker - the better. And make sure it gets eaten as fast as possible, because if the demons notice, we'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Okay," Jonah said and started unwrapping the chocolates, placing the foil next to you. He glanced at you every now and then, wondering and worrying why you were just sitting there.

"What are we even doing?" turned Nora conspiratorially to you

"There's such a thing as the electrochemical activity series of metals," you muttered, scratching your chin.

"Your black magic again," Bjorn snickered huskily, taking a bite of half a chocolate bar at a time.

You lazily and grudgingly clucked your tongue, and your eyes rolled back. "I won't go into details. I'll just say that if you put two pieces of different metals in an electrolyte, you can always get electricity."

"Come on, Bjorn," laughed Jonah, seeing the man begin to boil over. "It's just physics," Jonah pressed his lips together guiltily seeing Bjorn jump up. He grabbed a couple more bars of unwrapped chocolate and flew out of the hut, muttering something to himself. "Uh... What's electricity gonna do for us? We seem to have light anyway."

You pulled your phone out of your pocket. "With electricity, I'll be able to charge this thing, and this thing will in turn show me my date and time," your insides clenched painfully as you wondered for a moment how much time might have passed. "And I'll be able to get out. And get ya out of here, too."

Oter gave a satisfied mumble, and it was clear from the way he waved his arms that he was getting attention. You looked at the way he poked at himself first, and then at the pile of stuff. "Grab the shears and start cutting the empty bottles exactly in the middle, 'kay? The edges aren't that important, they can be crooked too, so don't worry too much about it."

Oter nodded happily, and started doing what you had instructed him to do - he seemed so focused that he wanted to stick his tongue out, and only now did you notice that there was only half a tongue.

You and Nora began to cut the copper wire - exactly into such pieces that you could crumple a 'ball' out of a piece, and that one end of the piece of wire was sure to stick out.

Everyone did their things in silence and as carefully as possible as if a word or a sudden movement might break the magic that had entered the hut. There were fifteen bottles, so you had to measure by eye so that there were fifteen pieces of wire with the end sticking out. There was enough tinfoil already accumulated, that should have been enough too.

"Jonah, ya know...," you drawled, looking at the stack of chocolates. "I'll take one with me, though. As a souvenir," planning anything before it was even a possibility was presumptuous and usually a failure, but you couldn't deny yourself that.

He nodded briefly and noticed the look on your face - it wasn't focused or anticipatory at all, it was like you missed someone.

"Okay, good," you summarized, seeing everyone finishing up their business. "So now, we take the container," you slid half the bottle toward you. "And we cover the inside walls with foil. All the way around. Only beforehand, one end of the foil should be twisted into a bundle, and covered a container inside so that this bundle sticks out of the bottle," you carefully twisted one end of the foil into a bundle, covered the inside of the container with foil, trying not to tear the thin metal material, and put it on the floor in front of everyone. "Here, see? It's the same as the aluminum can, except this thing should be sticking out," you rubbed the flagellum with your finger.

"I don't know what's going on, but I like it," Nora squeaked excitedly, grabbing another container and foil.

The corners of your lips crept upward when you heard such Nora. "Now... Jonah, do we have any old rags left? Any old rags that we can spare. Even my uniform will do."

"Yeah, sure," Jonah said and taking a nail opened one of the floorboards, whereupon he took out your form.

You tore it into pieces, after which you wrapped pre-prepared bundles of copper wire in separate scraps of cloth and placed them in a container so that the tip of the copper wire would stick out of the bottle on the pair with a flagellum of foil.

"You seriously tore your uniform for this?" asked dumbfounded Jonah, putting emphasis on the last word.

"An insulator. It needs to keep the metals from touching each other or there won't be any current," you shrugged, correcting your creation. "Need electrolyte," you announced, picking up a packet of salt. You poured three big spoons of salt into each bottle of water and shaking everything well began pouring the solution into an aluminum foil-lined container. "Too bad there's no voltmeter...," you sighed, admiring your made battery. "In a thing like this, uh, I dunno… about half a volt? Anyway, the more we make batteries like this, the stronger the current will be."

"So what are we waiting for then?" blurted out Nora, hastily grabbing the next container and foil.

The room was filled with rustling and puffing. Jonah, as it happened, was doing everything very slowly, but you didn't blame him seeing how hard he was working and carefully covering the bottle with foil. Nora, on the contrary, was in such a hurry that she had torn several thin layers of aluminum, but you didn't make any remarks to her either, for you understood her zeal - you were burning with it too. Oter, as if afraid of breaking everything, only watched your actions mesmerized.

When it was done and you had fifteen identical batteries in front of you, Jonah slammed himself on his knees with particular enthusiasm. "So, what's next?"

"Let's connect," you suggested, and slid the three batteries toward you. "See, copper connects to aluminum," you explained, weaving the tip of the copper wire of the first container with the aluminum harness of the second. "And aluminum connects to copper," you wrapped the aluminum harness of the third container around the copper wire of the second. "No copper-to-copper or aluminum-to-aluminum, it won't work. We should end up with an open-circuit with the aluminum harness at the first container and the tip of the copper wire at the last."

It wasn't a difficult task, so why were your hands shaking so much?

When the open-circuit was finally complete, you cut the charger cable without thinking, plugged it into the phone and set it down in front of you. Oter and Jonah crawled over your back and peered out from behind your shoulder; Nora, however, watching such a picture, chuckled. "It's just a phone."

You carefully removed the outer and inner sheaths from the cable, and four wires showed -white, green, red, and black. "Okay... If this is done to standard, then red is plus, black is minus."

"And the white and green?" asked Nora, laying her head on your shoulder and watching.

"They're kinda for data transmission," you pondered, trying to remove the insulators from the two wires. "So they're not really needed right now."

When the conductive strands of the red wire were bare, you intertwined them with the copper wire sticking out of the last container. The black wire was not so easy - unlike the thin copper wire, the aluminum harness of the first container was too thick and not so bendable, so you had to hold it by hand.

The conductive strands of both wires were finally connected to the battery. Your hand was shaking, and the black wire's core kept popping off the aluminum, so you put your other hand around your wrist, telling it not to move. "What do we do next?" whispered Jonah, peering out from behind your shoulder.

"Pray," you replied in a cracked voice.

Everyone looked at the phone with a heartbeat, but with each passing second, the rapid heartbeat normalized, bringing with it a taste of disappointment. You could hear Nora sighing heavily, you could hear Oter crawling back to his corner, and you could see Jonah drumming his fingers disappointedly on the floorboards.

If you were a believing person - you'd recite a hundred prayers in a second, if you were a non-believing person - you'd pray for the first time, but your phone screen lit up.

And then it went out.

"Oh my God," your chest constricted with exultation, but you couldn't say the words, only incoherent babble. You bent down and rested your forehead on the floor. "It's working! This shit is working!" A passing person might think you were praying to a deity, but it was just a phone in front of you.

Maybe your compass did break when you got stuck here, but it always stayed on autopilot.

Nora shook you by the shoulders forcing you off the floor, and when you lifted your body with a loud gasp, she hugged you as hard as she could. You giggled involuntarily as she nuzzled her nose into your cheek. "Okay, guys," you barely audibly said from behind Nora's tight embrace. "There won't be anything else interesting anyway, so go get some rest."

"And you?" anxiously threw up her head Nora.

"And I'll stay to hold the wires," you said taking the core in your hands and bringing it back up to the aluminum.

The charging was very slow, and the screen of the phone went out from time to time - it seemed that the current in the battery was dropping at times. The hand that held the wire was getting stiff so was the rest of your body, so you tried not to move too much. You sat there with your legs tucked under you. This was accompanied by a wonderful musical accompaniment in the form of Oter who had been snoring for a long time.

Every time the phone screen lit up again, you caught a glimpse of Nora looking in your direction, and if the first time her eyes were wide open, the tenth time they were already clumped together and her eyelashes were twitching.

Jonah was awake. He couldn't sleep - he didn't understand what you were doing, but he knew in his gut the importance of what was happening. You said this thing would help you get out of here, but why is that look on your face now as it always was in those moments when you thought no one was looking at you? "Hey," Jonah quietly called out to you, taking a seat next to you. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure," you replied idly, keeping your eyes on your phone.

Jonah blanched, swallowing the confusion and shame. "What helped you not to give up?" the question sounded timid, almost inaudible. In fact, what helped you? You put it down to your temper or to the nature of the job, which didn't tolerate the weak-willed, or maybe because of the people you'd met here, or... "There's someone waiting for you out there?"

Why is it that the most common truths only come to people through other people's mouths? "I...," your voice broke as you realized for the first time what had been pushing you forward all this time. "I have no clue," you whispered quietly, pressing your chapped lips together. "But ya know what?" just as you'd been prepared for the inevitable failure of someone close to you to return one day, you'd also expected yourself to be lost one day and hoped that the others would take it the way you would - as a given and without much drama. "This is the first time I've really hoped so."

The first time he'd heard you speak like that, and trying to find words of encouragement or comfort, Jonah peered at you through the darkness of the hut. "Hey," he began warily. "What's wrong with your eyes-"

The door swung open with such force that it knocked all previous emotions experienced here recently out of the hut. "Hey, you fucking scientists," Bjorn said drunkenly, and seeing the bottle of cheap whiskey in his hand, you were already going over in your mind what he'd sold in exchange for alcohol this time. "They've brought in some newcomers, let's go see."

You glanced at your phone's screen - eighty-eight percent charge. "Newcomers?" you asked dumbly, frowning and tucking the gadget into your pocket.

There was no answer, but Bjorn walked back outside and flopped awkwardly on the porch. You and Jonah looked at each other. He shrugged embarrassedly and stood up, heading for the exit. You followed him.

When you were outside, you stepped outside the fence and rested your forearm on one of the flimsy fence posts, barely missing Bjorn's foot. Everyone had come out of the huts. A rumbling, tense whispering stung the back of your neck.

A column of people did appear at the beginning of the street. They were walking slowly and could be seen being pushed forward at times. The demon ahead of them was clearing the road of people lying motionless on it - with each careless sweep of his hand, their bodies flew into the fence with a loud clang, and some of them were left with only their internal organs which crumpled into the sand.

As the column neared you, your body tensed. Twenty-three people in all. What a strange thing -no different from the ones already here, except that they were clean, frightened but ruddy, all young - about the same age, with no visible defects, and their physiques were just right: neither fat nor dystrophic, and if you looked closely, you could even see that they had a toned bodies. "Holy shit," you blurted out with eyes widened with insight. These were the people for the merge.

Diomorphea is here.

You looked up sharply at the demon buildings, and then looked down at your bony hands, your lips curved in resentment. "Fuck!" you roared kicking a fence support, and it flew out of the sand. There was such bitterness in that action that if that beam had been human, it wouldn't have taken offense, but instead would have started to comfort you. "Why now?"

That story about the elephant being afraid of the mouse was nonsense. You needed to get home and show the place to the others as soon as possible, and then you were ready to give the doc all the rights to manipulate your body just to get you back in shape. Let him pump you up with whatever he wanted, let him use his powers to rebuild every structure until your bones started to crack. You hadn't even gotten out of here yet, and you wanted to get back in here sooner. "Are you okay?" asked Jonah seeing you rubbing your forehead with your fingers as if your head were splitting.

You grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the hut. "I gotta go. So listen carefully," Jonah was so taken aback by what was happening that he couldn't get a word in edgewise. "Every three days, one of our people will come here and live with ya. Each time we will bring medicine, food, water, we will heal people whenever possible. Ya will recognize the others. They will be in the same uniform as me. We'll live in your hut. The most important thing is that we will start taking out two or three people with us, and your task is to decide whom we take out. I suggest ya start with those who are very sick. Lure them into your hut any way ya can, but don't say anything to anyone," you said the last four words as firmly as possible. "I don't want people to start whispering. Do ya understand?"

"W-why it supposed to be me?" Jonah began to stammer.

You looked at him as if he were a fool. "Who am I supposed to trust with this? Oter, who doesn't speak? Nora, who's still reeling from the trauma? Or maybe a drunk prick who pisses himself?" you shook him by the shoulders. "Pull yourself together," until recently Jonah never dared think he could get out of here, and now he's being told he has to decide who gets to go back to the old, familiar, and beloved world first. He looked at you, but saw nothing through the wet veil that covered his eyes. "It's okay. It's fine," seeing the grown man break down, you tried to reassure him. "I'm worried too," you took his fallen hand and leaned it against the artery in your neck. "Do ya trust me?"

He nodded weakly and turned away, wiping his wet cheeks with his sleeves. "S-sorry. I just..."

"It's okay," you gently splayed your hands. Deciding to give him some privacy, you decided to finally work up the courage to turn on your phone.

You pressed the power button quickly, but when the logo appeared, you wanted to throw the gadget into the sand and bury it as deep as possible. What if you'd been here too long? As long as you didn't know the date and time - everything seemed possible and fixable. You could just keep looking and keep letting yourself hope and wish. What kind of fool would agree to break it all with his own hands?

The logo disappeared. The lock screen lights up.

08:31 PM

Friday, May 29, 2020

You pressed your lips together tightly, stopping a convulsive inhalation. People were probably hang out at a bar now, or shopping for food and goodies for the weekend; maybe someone was at an amusement park, or just watching their favorite show, sipping wine or soda pop.

What were the people you cared about doing? You bit the knuckle of your index finger, trying to suppress the squeak that came out. You could go out and see it for yourself. "Friday," you tossed over your shoulder, grinning.

It was as if Jonah had been pulled out of a long coma that resembled a dream mingled of joys and sorrows. "What?" he asked in confusion.

"It's Friday," you were already giggling stupidly, looking at the date.

Jonah stepped closer and stared at the screen with you - even an uneducated person could see what it said. "Nice stuff," he smiled, still sniffling.

You took out the wristwatch you'd stolen from that room, and staring intently at the phone's screen, began to adjust it twisting the crown. When the times finally matched, you turned and handed it to Jonah. "Take care of it," you said, gazing into his flushed nose and swollen face, but he did look happy now. "I gotta go," you said quietly, not looking away.

Jonah smirked sadly, taking the watch and slipping it on his arm. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to the others?"

"They're asleep," you said, hoping he'd believe your good intentions. In reality, you just didn't know how to say goodbye.

"Wait a second, you forgot something."

He came back, holding the backpack in his hands. When you looked inside, you saw a chocolate bar lying there alone. "Thank ya," you whispered quietly, trying to calm the blush creeping up your cheeks with your mind.

The air was knocked out of you as he pulled you against him in a bear grip. The hug was strong, but the surprise was stronger. You didn't feel like pushing him away, and disgust didn't burn your stomach, making nausea come up your throat. "Take care of yourself," he murmured into the top of your head, and loosening his grip a little rested his forehead against yours. "Run, girl."

Not daring to look the man in the eye, you nodded erratically and took a step back running your fingers along the line from your chin to your cheekbones. Jonah had already forgotten that you once wore that black thing on your face. "See ya," seeing him nod, you turned and rushed towards the nearest rift.

Even though you couldn't feel your legs, you kept running. As you got farther away from the settlement, the cold air, even without the wind, whipped harder and harder against your face. You could not get enough air in your lungs, but you would rather die than stop one-step away from the exit.

Sand between the toes of the naked feet, in the eyes and hair, in the mouth and even in your stomach. You ran through the void with nothing but guts and one chocolate bar on your shoulders in the backpack. You didn't even want to turn around and see if you were being chased.

The rift was getting closer and closer, your hand reached forward on its own, and as your fingers disappeared in a purple glow and your lungs filled with oxygen, you fell.

[May 29, 2020; 8:57 pm; Hopetown]

You were lying on the ground. It was the same place from which you had last entered the void, but now, barely conscious, you could feel that it was much warmer than it had been then. The forest didn't seem so scary anymore, the trees swayed serenely from side to side, lulling your already exhausted gut to sleep. Your hand tried to cling to the greening grass, but to no avail - as soon as you crossed the line, there was no strength left to pluck even a single blade of grass.

'Fine,' you thought resentfully, watching through half-closed eyelids as your fingers refused to move. The grass was soft like a bed, so you didn't mind lying there for a while longer.

You mumbled unhappily as your body suddenly began to levitate, an ability you'd never studied, so you had nothing to do with it. When your body flipped, you realized that you weren't just floating in the air - you were being held by someone's hands. A shade of gray hair glistened in the tired light of the nearly gone sun. "Hey, Frank," you greeted the man with a weak smile.

You felt like you were riding in a carriage over huge bumps. It was nauseating. "Hush," Frank held you tighter against his chest without slowing his stride. "Hush," he repeated, and only then did you hear his voice shake frantically.

"Frank," you mumbled rubbing the collar of his T-shirt. "Don't tell anyone I'm here yet. I really want a hot bath," the sound of your voice muffled against Frank's neck sounded weary and exhausted - the man couldn't stand that tune. "I want shampoo, I want conditioner, I want body wash, I want body scrub, I want moisturizer, I-

"I got it," it was no less than a God joke - Frank didn't cry even at his own wife's funeral, but when you started listing what hygiene supplies you wanted, tears themselves streamed down his face. "I'll get everything. Just be quiet already." You obediently fell silent, and a marvel swirled in your mind - indeed, nothing could destroy your desire for life.

next ⊳

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thoughtsandmusingsandideas · 7 hours

Note

I had a thought for a creator but they didn't believe they were the creator and could influence others into believing it too.

The two characters are Sara kujou and yae miko

@mastadon64 here you go!

Gaslight, Gatekeep, Godboss - Kujou Sara and Yae Miko

Kujou Sara

Cw: Sexual innuendos

-Honestly, waking up in Teyvat, you had a hard time convincing yourself you weren’t dreaming

-(It took you tumbling down a hill and slamming into a particularly sharp rock to realize it was not a dream. Also, ow)

-(You ignored the way your blood was golden. You were pretty sure you’d never seen the Genshin characters bleed anyways. It was probably just censoring. Totally.)

-Some way or another, you ended up in Inazuma

-Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as you were expecting

-Most of the creatures were pretty chill, and as long as you avoided the people, you didn’t get in much trouble

-And then you kicked a Tenryou commission officer in the face and got arrested

-You know, jail wasn’t as bad as you expected either!

-Your cellmates weren’t too bad either- one of them asked you if you were god, which was weird, because you didn’t look anything like the Shogun, but you gave him a stick of dango and he shut up

-(You might not have been a god, but the fact that you managed to keep your inventory from the game was the closest thing to a divine blessing that you could imagine. Who needs a gnosis when you have your own pocket dimension?)

-It’s about half an hour before you’re taken from your cell for questioning

-You walk into a small interrogation room, shock igniting in your chest as you spot Kujou Sara

-Wasn’t she important?

-Was kicking that guy in the face really such a grave offense?

-“Are you the Creator God?” She asks, deathly serious

-Why did people keep asking you this???

-You’re pretty sure you don’t look too godly, garbed in stolen clothes that you’re ninety percent sure you put on wrong, a fading bite mark on your arm from when you tried to pet a rifthound, leaves in your hair. Honestly, you looked pretty disheveled, and…

-“Is that your way of saying you think I’m hot? Like… godly or whatever?”

-Considering the way the Tengu’s face turns a vibrant red, you’re either very right, or very wrong

-It’d be funnier if you were right though, so you press on

-“I mean, not that I’m not into it, but I’m feeling kinda iffy about the power dynamic here- prisoner and cop is a cute trope and all, but not all that smart in real life, I mean I get it if it’s a kink or whatever, I know handcuffs are attractive, but as of right now it’s immoral-”

-“Shut up. Please.” Sara mumbled, covering her red face with her hand. Her hair has more volume than usual, tiny sparks of static dancing between the strands

-“… I mean after I get out of prison I’d totally be down to go on a date, and if you feed me well enough I might even let you handcuff me.” You add.

-The silence in the room is heavy

-“Get out.”

-“Yes ma’am. Hm. No. Yes Mommy? Yes Master-“

-You’re cut off by an electrically charged arrow striking the wall beside your head.

-“Out.”

-“Okay!”

-You’re released from prison three days later, now with a whole gaggle of new friends from criminals

-(You ignored the fact that some of them made really important sounding speeches swearing their fealty to you. Also the small shrine they were building in your honor. If you didn’t acknowledge it, it didn’t exist)

-You were surprised that as soon as you left, you were met with a glaring Kujou Sara, who takes your hand in her own

-“Am I being arrested again?”

-“… I’m going to take you on a date. And then I’m going to handcuff you.”

-“Yes Mommy!”

-“I Will Shoot You Again.”

Yae Miko

-You had to admit, stumbling upon a small shrine that seemed to be dedicated to your doppelgänger was creepy

-But you had also just been Isekaied to video game land, so you were pretty adaptable at the moment.

-Or high on adrenaline.

-You pick up one of the Sunsiettas from the shrine, biting down and relaxing, until-

-“Your excellency?!” A voice squeaks, and looking up you see a very frazzled shrine maiden staring at you.

-“Uh. No?” You say, swallowing the Sunsietta.

-The shrine maiden starts sobbing. “Your excellency!”

-“Oh- no- I’m- uh- I’m like you? You know? I’m uh… a messiah? Priest? Prophet? Whatever gets you to stop crying?” You awkwardly pat her head.

-“You- you’re the Creators chosen one?” She blubbers.

-“Uh. Yeah. Totally. Stop crying.”

-“CHOSEN ONE!” And she’s crying again

-After a lot of crying, you’re led to the Grand Narukami shrine, where you’re introduced to the head shrine maiden as the chosen one

-“… Are you sure she’s not just the creator?”

-“You flatter me. I’m just gods favoritist and most specialist little princess.”

-The Kitsune likes this. Perhaps too much, but we’ll let her have her fun

-And thus, the war to get you to admit that you’re the Creator begins, hidden under the guise of her introducing you to chosen one duties

-She takes you on a pilgrimage all across Inazuma first, going to the most dangerous places possible just to put you in danger and save you at the last second, disappointed that you never use godly powers to save (read: reveal) yourself

-She meditates with you, and paints obscure markings on your face when you fall asleep, which you have to pass off as messages from the creator

-She takes you to meet the Shogun, but after leaving you alone for five minutes, returns to you teaching her poker and robbing her blind. You cited divine luck and she pretended she didn’t notice the cards stuffed inside your sleeve

-It ends pretty anticlimactically, actually

-She’s introducing you to the local foxes, when you trip over a rock and face plant into the floor

-And get a nose bleed

-Miko can’t help but doubling over in laughter at the sight of your pout as golden blood drips down your face

-“And how are you explaining this one, Oh revered Chosen One?”

-“Genetic condition.”

-The laughter doubles

#genshin sagau #sagau #sagau x reader #sagau genshin #self aware genshin impact au #genshin impact sagau #sagau cult au #sagau Kujou Sara #Sagau Yae Miko #I got a bit distracted with Sara and didn’t add too much creator stuff #but I still like it #I’m incapable of writing the creator as normal because I am not normal #the creator is an agent of chaos and we love them for it #RIP random shrine maiden she’s probably dehydrated now from all the crying #honestly to properly acclimate to a whole new world you’ve gotta be at least a bit insane

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fiveredlights · 3 days

Text

there's glitter on the floor after the party: the deleted scenes

i'm sure it'll make someone happy because i think we all need it! just as a note, this is all unedited so some of it might make no sense and that's okay.

(i recommend the google doc for easier reading otherwise the whole thing is under the cut)

Chapter one: 2023

I don’t have anything to show…anything I did cut has already been long deleted. My bad. The first two are very sparse because I was cutting unwanted things as my Google docs was lagging whenever I opened it. The only thing I remember writing that chapter was that it was meant to coincide with Daniel’s return to COTA in real life but I ran out of time so I pushed it back to Las Vegas.

Chapter two: 2024

CUT: Daniel winning the championship

WHY: Felt too rushed and easy. No emotional pay off, you were only just introduced to Daniel in RBR again. Also don’t ask me what happened to Max for him to not just clean sweep 2023-2027. Also don’t ask who won the championship in 2026. I declare that your favourite driver won it and I definitely did not forget to give a championship.

DANIEL: Oh my god, it’s just surreal like I don’t know how to describe it. Especially after the past couple years, it’s just—yeah. And to do it with Max too, it’s just something special for me and the team.

MISCELLANEOUS:

73 Questions With Daniel Ricciardo | Vogue

3.3M views 2 days ago …more

Vogue 4M

[00:00:00]

DANIEL: Hello Vogue, didn’t see you there. Welcome to my home away from home.

[00:13:33]

PRODUCER: One sentence you could tell your younger self?

DANIEL: Doors are meant to be opened.

[00:15:09]

PRODUCER: Worst thing about racing in Formula 1?

DANIEL: Accidents, hands down. It’s horrifying as a driver to watch someone crash, because that’s when everything sort of gets a reality check in the cockpit. Like we are racing around at three-hundred kilometres an hour, and there is a real chance that something could go wrong. I’ll never forget Max’s Silverstone accident, just—yeah it just a horrible thing to witness.

—

emotionalsupportredbull

not daniel fidgeting with his necklace when he talks about max’s silverstone crash… you ain’t slick boy

#yes i have deluded myself into thinking it’s from max #i’m already depressed i don’t want to hear it #join team emotional support redbull delusions

348 notes

frenchpine

qu'est-ce que tu sais, espèce de salope française qui aime l'érable et qui parle bizarrement ? sors avec ça (What do you know you maple-loving weird speaking French bitch? Come out with it)

#je ne veux pas te traiter de salope #ou peut-être que c'est le cas (#i don’t mean to call you a bitch #or maybe i do)

392 notes

(i promise i wrote this before he decided to rear end daniel in china. i pinky promise.)

landando

daniel “doors are meant to be opened” ricciardo

#what is my man on #doors are meant to be opened 😭😭 #he didn’t open a door one time and it’s haunted him for life

78 notes

Chapter three: 2025

CUT: Red Bull marketing video

WHY: Chapter was already very long. Also I couldn’t find any good questions.

Daniel and Max play the F1 newlywed game 💒💍

827K views 10 hours ago #Gives you wings #F1 … more

Oracle Red Bull Racing 1.58M

INT. RED BULL RACING HOSPITALITY - DAY

[00:00:00]

MAX: Hello everyone and today we are playing the newlywed game.

DANIEL: Are you excited?

MAX: I mean I have to say yes otherwise I look like I’m in an unhappy marriage.

DANIEL: Wow—

MAX:—Also the name doesn’t even make sense. Newlywed? That isn’t us.

DANIEL: [To off screen] Guys, I would get someone to approve your overtime, we’re gonna be here a while.

[00:02:01]

OFF SCREEN: Who is more likely to overpack for a holiday?

DANIEL: Don’t look at me!

MAX: We have three suitcases.

DANIEL: It takes effort to look this good.

MAX: Three suitcases every single race weekend.

DANIEL: What’s the next question?

CUT: Lucinda’s vaguely threatening email

WHY: Broke the fourth wall. Glitter on the floor is meant to be solely a third POV view and I couldn’t justify it.

CONFIDENTIAL: PRESS STRATEGY REGARDING MAX VERSTAPPEN AND DANIEL RICCIARDO

From: lucindasalzar@/press.redbull.racing

To: maxverstappen@/redbull.racing, danielricciardo@/redbull.racing

CC: christianhorner@/redbull.racing, teamdaniel@/press.redbull.racing, teammax@/press.redbull.racing

Date: 21 Nov 2025 at 3:04am

Hi all,

Please see attachment below for finalised details regarding your press strategy and talking points this weekend. Media have been advised to not ask any questions about the ring and we’d like to keep it that way. Remember to keep it vague if you do get asked, and if you don’t feel comfortable a simple no comment will suffice.

Please email for any further clarification or questions and good luck this weekend. (And please no spur of the moment Las Vegas—Elvis impersonator weddings you two.)

Best regards,

Lucinda Salzar (she/her)

Head of Communications, Red Bull Racing.

E: lucindasalzar@/press.redbull.racing

P: +44 ** **** *****

CUT: The chaotic Abu Dhabi super seat swap

WHY: I had to cut this because I altered the timeline, Las Vegas was going to the second last race. In an earlier version Max and Daniel were gonna come back in 2026 and also drop the Matilda news at the same time but I wanted more content just out of Maxiel so I had to leave this on the cutting board. Some of it made it into the published fic but the original thing was more chaotic. (Also I changed the Red Bull junior driver at least once a week because they kept dropping them. It went from Hauger, to Crawford, to Maloney and then I just gave up because I could not keep up.)

lights-out-away-we-go

red bull needed to replace two drivers and they did in THE MOST CHAOTIC way possible. okay, just listen:

the official red bull reserve driver is liam lawson (of alpha tauri, so he obviously gets pulled up)

alpha tauri then call on zane maloney to replace liam (alpha tauri’s reserve driver)

BUT, daniel’s car still needs to fulfil the mandatory rookie free practice session (max’s was completed in mexico when maloney drove)

red bull can’t get zane in daniel’s car again cause he’s got to drive liam’s… so they’ve got to find someone who has the super licence points … we’ll come back to this

so right now car 3 is being driven by liam lawson, car 40 is driven by zane maloney. i hear you ask… who is driving car 1? it’s none other than yuki tsunoda (of alphatauri)

I KNOW, but red bull have quite literally run out of contracted reserve drivers and i believe because every driver is technically employed by red bull (whether they drive for RB or AT) they’re able to pull them up or down without the FIA kicking up a fuss

i’ll wait for why red bull pulled up both AT’s

this means yuki tsunoda’s alpha tauri will be without a driver and once again, red bull call Pepe Marti

#i don’t even know if this is 100% correct i could be so wrong

13,482 notes

—

SKY F1 SPORTS- 2025 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE 1

David CROFT: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to our final race of the 2025 season, to our first free practice session under the blistering sun of Abu Dhabi and if this is your first time watching, welcome along cause this will certainly be an interesting race weekend. Now, eagle eyed viewers may have caught that AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda is in the Red Bull, and his team mate is sitting in the next garage over not in a car. Anthony Davidson is with me—Ant, care to explain to our viewers at home the driver seat swap chaos that’s happening down at Red Bull?

Anthony DAVIDSON: Hello everyone, wherever in the world you may be watching and yes, chaos is the right word for it isn’t it? I’ve got about five pieces of paper and I’m going to do my best to explain, what I think, is the most complicated driver situation in F1 history.

CROFT: Yes, for those who didn’t join us last time out or who may be new to F1, I promise driver seat talk usually isn’t this complicated but we’ll do our best to make sense of it all. Now we’ve got to start at the last race for it all to make sense. Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo had a nasty crash with Enzo Fittipaldi of Haas that left him with a concussion and bruised ribs, which is why presumably he isn’t racing today, and we wish him well in his recovery. Red Bull’s other driver Max Verstappen was also not able to race this weekend for an unspecified reason, so Red Bull are left with two empty seats.

DAVIDSON: We know that Red Bull’s official reserve driver is Liam Lawson, so that’s no problem there. He’s driving Daniel’s number 3 car, but here’s where the trouble starts. Car number 3 still needs to complete its mandatory FP1 session, which Zane Maloney was planning to do this session. But you’ll notice that Zane is in Liam’s car right now, the Alpha Tauri—and this is because he’s Alpha Tauri’s reserve driver.

CROFT: Still following everyone? So far, car number 3 is being driven by Liam Lawson, car number 40 is being driven by Zane Maloney. But Liam Lawson isn’t even in car number 3 at the moment, it’s Pepe Marti, who is currently racing in Formula 2 and part of Red Bull’s junior academy. He’s competing the mandatory rookie FP1 session for car number 3.

DAVIDSON: So now we move onto Max Verstappen’s car, which is being driven by the other AlphaTauri driver, Yuki Tsunoda. Which now means AlphaTauri needs a driver to replace him and it’s Red Bull junior driver, Isack Hadjar who is in car number 22.

CROFT: Right, so it’s Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in Red Bull for the race, Zane Maloney and Isack Hadjar in the AlphaTauri’s and Pepe Marti in Liam or Daniel’s Red Bull for FP1. Confused? Don’t worry, so are we so bare with us if we accidentally get names and teams wrong because I believe this is possibly the biggest driver change in F1 history.

DAVIDSON: Yes and because I know people will be asking, “Why didn’t Red Bull just put Maloney in Daniel’s car for the whole weekend?” and we have an answer and officially, it’s because of contracts. Whatever behind the scenes isn’t allowing him to drive that Red Bull which is why they called up Yuki instead. Maloney has also said he feels more confident driving the AlphaTauri all weekend rather than the Red Bull, so that also may play a factor in this.

CROFT: But also this is a perfect opportunity for Red Bull to compare both drivers, should the opportunity for one of them to make the move into Red Bull when the time arises.

Chapter four: 2026

CUT: Netflix Drive to Survive script

WHY: Once again, I was lazy and didn’t want to write a script. I kinda wish I did though, I think it would’ve given Las Vegas 2025 more substance, especially because you only see it through a fan perspective whereas DTS allows you to get the driver’s perspective, but I do plan to finish this off…. eventually….

Netflix- Drive to Survive

Season 9, Episode 3 “Redemption”

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is back in town but it’s not all good fortunes for those driving. The biggest paddock secret is unveiled.

—

INT. KITCHEN - MORNING

We see scrambled eggs on a frying pan.

OFF SCREEN: Daniel? Where is my jumper? The blue one?

The camera zooms out from the eggs to see Daniel, wearing a light blue jumper, grimacing at the camera.

DANIEL: (Under his breath) To be fair it was my jumper first.

The camera swings to Max in the doorway, arms crossed as he narrows his eyes at Daniel.

MAX: I heard that.

(In the garage, during the crash.)

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #1: Has anyone told Max?

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #2: We’re not telling him.

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #3: Seriously?

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #1: He thinks his husband is dead, we’re telling him!

INT. HOTEL ROOM

PRODUCER: Do you have some fears about allowing the world to know about your relationship?

DANIEL: God, of course I have. We both have. But we spent so long being—not scared, but worried let’s say about the consequences of us just being together. But then Las Vegas happened and all I wanted was Max to sit by my bedside and make a stupid joke about me being in hospital again. And it was when Christian literally had to fight multiple people to get Max into that hospital I realised that what we were doing was unsustainable.

PRODUCER: Unsustainable?

DANIEL: Are you married?

PRODUCER: Yes?

DANIEL: Have you ever watched your partner crash into something at three hundred kilometres an hour and no one telling you if they were even alive? Because I’ve done that. We’ve done that. Multiple times.

Montage of different Max & Daniel accidents.

DANIEL: And then you have to go on with your day, going to debrief, doing press but all you really want to do is go to them and make sure that they’re even alive?

PRODUCER: …

DANIEL: So yeah. Unsustainable.

—

333 update account @/official333

📺 | Drive to Survive (Netflix)

Daniel talking about his relationship with Max on and off the track:

Q: Do you think it’s been challenging to balance out the relationship given your unique relationship with Max?

Daniel: No, and I think people over dramatise the complexity of it all. I mean sure, it has been somewhat difficult, especially at the beginning but in the end it is just racing, you know? We’re both aware that we are something different from the other drivers, but I like that. Not many people get to do what they love with their partner right next to them, so I definitely take every race we do together for granted.

476 replies 88 reposts 8,372 likes

CUT: Alternate ‘M’ reveal

WHY: I genuinely spent like half an hour thinking if fictional Max and Daniel would show Matilda, I had earlier drafts where they hide her face until I was like okay, this is fictional. Bad things do not exist in this universe, so it’s fine. Plus, Matilda is so cute I can’t hide her.

[Video: Daniel, standing in front of a door.

DANIEL: I know a lot of you guys might have noticed that I’ve been dropping clues towards who this mysterious M is and it’s finally time to reveal who it is.

He opens the door and pans the camera to Max.

DANIEL: M stands for Max. Sorry to break the news, it’s not that exciting. Wait, who’s that?

The camera pans further down to show Max holding a baby, she’s sleeping soundly in Max’s arm.

Photo: A baby. She’s wearing a light blue onesie, and her hand is wrapped around a mini honey badger soft toy.]

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danielricciardo Everybody meet Matilda. Matilda, this is everybody.

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georgerussell63 They learnt what hard launching is and said we’re going to do it for everything… Congrats 🙌

landonorris be prepared for the onslaught of driver themed onesies coming your way…

1 March

CUT: The half-completed TIME article about Daniel

WHY: I did not have it in me to write another 1000 word article. I spent around a week just writing Daniel’s The Players’ Tribune article. But what I did write, I did like. Was also around the time TIME named Taylor Swift as their person of the year, so that’s where I got that inspiration.

How 2025 was the year of the Honey Badger—Daniel Ricciardo on winning his first Formula 1 Championship during a historic year.

by Tylda Rune-Liberi for TIME

February 15, 2026 9:33AM EST

It’s 2017 and F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was asked in a press conference what race he would like the new owners of F1 to host. His answer? Las Vegas. In 2023, five years on, his wish was granted. Two years later, in 2025, the race he had proclaimed as a dream race would turn into stuff of nightmares.

Leading the race and looking like he would take a first win at Las Vegas after a podium in 2023, it looked like everything was going Ricciardo’s way until a bizarre accident with Kick Stake Sauber’s Theo Pourchaire causes a major accident, leaving Ricciardo wedged in the cockpit for over half an hour.

Pourchaire had given way to Ricciardo as he was being lapped, before attempting to unlap himself, choosing the wrong moment as Ricciardo was heading into the pitlane. Radios released after the accident have Pourchaire admit he “didn’t think he was going into the pit lane.”

It’s a horrifying crash to watch—even with the knowledge that both drivers would be okay, and it would soon be clear that no one felt it more in the pitlane than Ricciardo’s own teammate: Max Verstappen.

Formula 1 drivers all drive with the knowledge that a crash could happen at any given moment, but this accident was different.

[Photo: Daniel, in a dark navy denim blue overshirt and jeans.]

Ricciardo and Verstappen have had a long and varied partnership throughout their career, first starting in 2016 where Verstappen was brought up mid season from then-Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso (now Visa Cash App RB), winning his debut race with the team, where it looked like the win would go to Ricciardo instead. They would go on to be teammates for another two seasons, before Ricciardo announced a shocking move to Renault (now Alpine).

One thing that stood out about their initial partnership was how their off track friendship never seemed to waver, even in their most turbulent of times (see Hungary 2017 or Azerbaijan 2018). In an era where friendships between teammates seemed to famously end in failure, in the likes of fan dubbed ‘Brocedes’ (Nico Rosberg & Lewis Hamilton; best friends growing up who’s friendship ended in rivalry fighting for a championship) or former Red Bull teammates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber (Multi-21 Seb?), it was an outlier that the two remained such good friends, even after Ricciardo had departed Red Bull.

Even Ricciardo mentions that Lewis Hamilton had gone up to him to ask how Verstappen and Ricciardo had managed to keep their friendship going even though they had tussles on track. “I don’t really know,” Ricciardo says. “I mean it’s definitely all in hindsight now, but I think it was because we—or at least I—knew that our friendship was really important. Like it was no matter what happens I don’t go and screw up this friendship I have with Max.”

Ricciardo would go through a bumpy time in his post-Red Bull career, going through two seasons at Renault, two seasons at McLaren before a 6 month break where he was named ‘Third Driver’ for Red Bull, a 6 month stint in Red Bull sister team AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso, now Visa Cash App RB) which was marked with Ricciardo missing 5 races due to a hand injury during a free practice session in Zandvoort before returning back to the very seat he left six years earlier, Red Bull announcing Ricciardo’s return at the 2023 Las Vegas race.

A move that was then deemed as a surprise move by many pundits, all was put to rest when Riccardo finessed his AlphaTauri in the podium position, grabbing the team 3rd place and their first podium since Pierre Gasly in 2021.

Something was different about this second stint, and it wasn’t the journeys they’ve both gone on since they both parted ways. There was something different about them together.

[Photo: Max and Daniel laughing in the Red Bull garage.]

Nine years on since their first race together, it was oddly reminiscent of their first. Verstappen crossed the line to win a race his teammate had been poised to do so. Only this time, the celebrations were much different.

With Ricciardo in hospital, Verstappen quickly left the race track after a tuned down podium ceremony, skipping out on mandatory post-race media duties, where competitors and team can attract fines for doing so. (The FIA opted not to fine Verstappen and Red Bull in this instance.)

Even during the red flag it was clearly Verstappen was antsy, with his radio calls after finding out his teammate was in an accident conveying his state of worry. Leaked video from inside the Red Bull garage has Verstappen mention not finishing the race, wanting to be by Ricciardo’s side instead.

///

“I remember I posted the post and people were like ‘Oh, maybe he meant it in a friendly way’ and I was like f***, I’ve got to actually spell it out for them.” Hence, the iconic post that broke the F1 world was born.

[Daniel’s tweet.]

It’s 2020, and the Australian Grand Prix has just been cancelled due to COVID.

All the drivers and teams are left scrambling to try and leave the country before the borders close, and Daniel Ricciardo has just invited Max Verstappen to stay over at his house in Perth.

“I don’t think I can even call it a friendly gesture, because as much as I like the other guys on the grid, there’s no way I would’ve invited them over.”

///

“Yeah, I won a championship. But I’m still the same person.”

Ricciardo’s often been somewhat of an open book, he says—whether it was for the better or for the worse. Every aspect of his life has been so highly publicised, from winning races to what it looks like when he’s not, it’s remarkable how he still holds nearly the same candour, even if his name and career has seemingly been dragged through the mud a thousand times over by the media.

Last year he publicly came out in a F1-related podcast, to what he says was very unplanned. “I didn’t plan to come out, let’s say, it just kind of happened.

“I didn’t even plan to come out, let's say, it just kind of happened? I was recording a podcast and I was talking about 2022 and how it unfolded, the support systems around me and I said “my partner”, and a part of me went Oh, shit! I hadn’t talked about my relationships at length before that, and I knew people were going to absolutely run with it and then I was like—well, might as well just go the whole nine yards, so then the second reference to my partner I very deliberately dropped in he. And that was it.”

“I remember so vividly, I went home that night and I told Max, oh I think I did something stupid and his mind immediately went to me accidentally leaking like team secrets or something big like that, and I was like no, I may have accidentally came out and within like three seconds you could see is brain just switch.

“There is no we found the elephant in the room or whatever. The elephant has always been in the room and it’s just decided to make its presence known.”

“Look, I definitely understand some of the criticism that some people may have with F1 or Red Bull or us capitalising on our relationship or whatever, but I think now more than ever there’s a need to perhaps know who the drivers are when they aren’t driving.” Ricciardo adds.

“Because it’s all fine and good if John Smith is winning races and driving amazingly, but if you know next to nothing about the person because it seems like they’re packed up and shipped race to race, you’re not going to root for the guy because they’ve made no connection.”

Ricciardo quickly clarifies that it’s not a negative for sports people or celebrities to maintain their personal lives, but he sees it more as a way to express or show what he wants to show in his own lives. “We spent nearly five years it near complete secrecy from the outside world and whilst I’m not saying that we should’ve just been public right from the start—we probably wouldn’t have survived—I was just wanting to post a photo of Max burning dinner or something and not have gossip magazines or Instagram accounts dissect every pixel of it.”

Did Ricciardo get pushback from the FIA or his team? It’s a difficult question to answer, he tells me. NDAs and whatnot. He says, “The team was wonderful about it, though. Had multiple team members come up to us willingly to fight the higher powers if needed which was very sweet.”

“Let’s just say there were conversations that I had been made aware of that had made me feel like we weren’t even allowed to look at each other when we were in the paddock. I felt like they were asking me to only refer to him as my teammate, stuff along those lines.”

///

“One of our friends told us at our wedding something along the lines of for F1 drivers, you did move pretty fucking slow in your relationship! And Max was like yeah, did you know who we were in 2018?” Ricciardo laughs loudly, scaring one of the cats who seemed ready to take a nap.

///

“I used to rely so much on what other people thought of me, it wasn’t enough that I thought I was the best guy out there, you also had to think I was the best guy out there.”

///

Racing has always been part of Ricciardo’s life, but he doesn’t want it to be the only thing now in his life. He wants you to ask about things not related to racing, like how much he loves his family or how he thinks the Buffalo Bills are the greatest NFL team on earth.

“I’m not going to do this forever, you know?” He says, finishing the can of Red Bull he’d been slowly sipping throughout the course of this piece. “I hope when I look back at these years of my life I’m going to be equally proud of what I did in the car and what I did outside of it.” — With reporting done by Tylda Rune-Liberi and Nicolas St. Revelate.

CUT: Max and the team getting called up to the FIA

WHY: The FIA seems like an organisation who might send me a cease and desist if I wrote them as quietly homophobic. I don’t have money for a lawsuit. Also wanted to keep the universe happy because the real one is not. Still think my Mad Mex reference is funny.

Autosport @/autosport

Breaking: Max Verstappen summoned to the stewards after allegedly breaking parc ferme rules.

12 replies 90 reposts 821 likes

—

F1 - 2026 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX - POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE - TRANSCRIPT

23.3.26

Q: Sorry, Daniel just coming back to you now. We’ve just received word that Max Verstappen has just been summoned to the stewards for breaking parc fermé conditions, any reaction on that?

Daniel RICCIARDO: For what?

Q: Uh, we think it might be related to post race procedures around weighing. Not entirely sure yet, his meeting is at 6:15pm.

DR: Well there goes our dinner plans. To be fair our dinner plans were literally just Mad Mex in our hotel rooms before flying to Perth, but still.

Jack DOOHAN: Mad what?

DR: Mad Mex? You know, the Mexican fast food place. Surely you’ve had it.

JD: Oh, I thought you said Mad Max and I was like, “He finished P4 that doesn’t seem too bad.”

DR: Did Max not do the weigh in or what?

Q: He did, after your podium. Sorry mate, even more bad news for the team, they’ve been summoned to the stewards as well.

DR: If I find out I’m going to lose another podium about ten years on after the race here I’m gonna be pissed.

Q: This one is related to Article 26.13 b, where “Unless authorised by the FIA, no one under the age of 16 is permitted in the pit lane at the following times: b) The period commencing fifteen (15) minutes before the pit exit is opened to allow cars to cover reconnaissance laps and the time when the last car enters the parc fermé after the sprint session or the race has ended.”

DR: What cause we had our daughter with us at the podium celebration?

Q: Quite possibly, yeah.

DR: That’s interesting. I—yeah, I’m just gonna say that’s interesting.

Oscar PIASTRI: Kevin had his kids with him in Monza twenty four, didn’t he?

DR: Yeah, I’m sure the team will have a lot to say so we’ll just leave it at that.

CUT: Reaction to Australia winning

WHY: Timeline changes. Original timeline was Australia 2026 being their first race back after Las Vegas and relationship/kid reveal. I apparently also cut the all Australian podium. Can't remember why.

[Photo 1:

Photo 2:

Photo 3:

Photo 4: Lucinda holding the constructor trophy on the podium, Daniel giving a big grin next to her.]

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danielricciardo Never thought I’d be able to share a podium with two other Aussies but what better time than at our home race. @/jackdoohan @/oscarpiastri @/redbullracing 🇦🇺❤️

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ausgp Surely this gets us a public holiday?! @/auspm

oscarpiastri We’re about to get even more annoying…

—

Oracle Red Bull Racing @/redbullracing

Don’t mind us, we’re just in a puddle of tears over how cute @/Max33Verstappen and @/danielricciardo are 😍😭🫶

[Video: Taken from behind the parc ferme barriers, Daniel holding Matilda as Max hugs him, one hand around his waist and the other around the back of his neck.]

—

jeanie 🤠 @/COTADANIEL

flabbergasted about how well max and daniel hid their relationship from the world because man that he looks at daniel like he hung the moon stars and the sun and we’ve just been blind to notice

jake @/381racers

Maxiel admin logged on today thank you universe 🙏

—

DANIEL: Yeah, I just didn’t think I was able to have this, you know? If you had told me like seven years ago that hey, “You’ll be winning again and Max and your kid will be right along with you”, I would’ve laughed in your face. There is still absolutely more work to do, but I’m just glad I get to have my little moment without like some of these outside factors screaming and kicking at us.

CUT: Jake @/381racers meeting Daniel

WHY: Felt too indulgent. Loved it, but I think the idea pushed the boundaries/fourth wall maybe A Little too much, even for my low standards.

jake @/381racers

Only felt right that I get this signed

[Photo: Jake’s infamous tweet “Max Verstappen can you fight?” printed out and framed. Max has signed it and wrote “Yes he can.”]

—

jake @/381racers

First photo really Daniel did you have to shame me further . I thought we had a promise. Anyways, here's the video of me meeting them.

[Video: Jake meeting Daniel, in Red Bull hospitality. They’re both sitting down in chairs, and Jake has his hands on top of a frame placed face down on the table.

JAKE: Do you remember like two years ago in COTA you wore a leather jacket outfit and basically the internet blew up because of how good you looked?

DANIEL: Yeah, with the cowboy hat and everything!

JAKE: And there was a tweet that trended on that weekend—

Daniel sits up in his chair, eyes widening in realisation of who Jake is.

DANIEL: Oh my god you’re “Max Verstappen can you fight?” guy?!

JAKE: Embarrassingly, yes.

DANIEL: (offscreen) How did you find him?!

OFFSCREEN: Remember when I said I was going to bring my boyfriend this race?

Daniel looks back and forth behind the person offscreen and Jake multiple times before bending over and laughing hysterically.

OFFSCREEN: Yeah, I’m not happy about it either.

DANIEL: Oh my god did I like cause you two to meet?

jake @/381racers

No I too am not happy about my internet history coming back to bite me

CUT: Interview with Lawrence Baretto

WHY: I ran out of time. I had planned to post this at the end of Jan, but since I didn’t post that NYD bonus fic, I didn’t wanna go a month without an update so this got culled. Also my vague illusions to Max’s dad felt a little weird.

Exclusive: Daniel Ricciardo on retirement, 15 years of F1 and family with Lawerence Barretto

When I ask about his daughter and if they have any interest in making her follow in her parents footsteps, he shuts down my line of questioning pretty quickly.

“No,” he immediately says. “I’m not going to write out a path for her to follow, or put expectations for her to go into karting because of a family legacy. I think Max knows it a little bit more than me, how the expectations of someone who’s meant to take care of you can tarnish the thing you love.”

Jos Verstappen, Max’s father and former F1 driver hasn’t been seen in the paddock since 2023. Both declined to comment when asked.

“If she wants to start karting, then we’ll probably have a very long conversation about how it’s important that she finds it fun and if she doesn’t then she doesn’t. It’s not important to me that she wins or whatever, I just want her to enjoy it.”

Chapter five: 2027

CUT: Drive to Survive script

WHY: I did not have the energy to write a full script, and I felt like there were too many events to write about and I could not do it justice. Also I would like idk if Max and Daniel would show Matilda on DTS which is crazy because Matilda is not real…

—

Drive to Survive

Season 10 Episode 10 “One final rodeo…”

After fifteen years in the sport, Formula 1 says goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo.

[00:20:26]

INT. HOTEL ROOM INTERVIEW

PRODUCER: We don’t have to talk about Las Vegas.

DANIEL: No, it's fine. Probably should. Uh—yeah.

PRODUCER: We can take a minute.

DANIEL: Yeah, thanks. I didn’t talk about it last year did I?

PRODUCER: No. Okay, we’ll cut.

CUT TO BLACK.

Sound of car crashing into wall, before it fades in to show the Red Bull in the pitlane wall. Cuts to people reacting—Red Bull employees, fans in the grandstands and then a birds eye aerial view of the crash, showing the medical and extraction crew.

PIERRE HAMLIN (V.O): Daniel, are you okay?

Cuts to Max’s T-CAM footage, him driving past the car.

MAX (V.O): What the fuck happened?

PIERRE: Daniel, please just press the radio button so we know you’re okay.

Cuts to Daniel’s T-CAM footage, his helmet leans against the left side of the halo, indicating he’s unmoving.

PIERRE: Daniel, can you hear me?

Cuts to showing the Red Bull pitwall, everyone looking at each other worried.

DANIEL (V.O): The first thought I had was: Shit. This is really bad timing. Second thought I had was: Max is going to kill me.

Cuts to Daniel's forward facing cockpit onboard, him moving his head and looking up and down the cockpit.

PIERRE: Daniel?

DANIEL: Yep. Fuck. My chest, fuck. Shit, is um the other driver okay?

PIERRE: Yes, he's okay but don't worry about him. Do you think you can get out of the car?

DANIEL: Yeah no, I don't think that's happening with breaking something. Fuck, my ribs. Oh god. I think something's broken.

PIERRE: Okay Daniel, the medical team are nearly there but do not move if you think it will cause more damage. The car is safe, so do not worry about anything else.

DANIEL: Yep, okay. Um, will someone tell Max I'm okay? Just, don't freak him out yeah?

PIERRE: Copy Daniel, it will be okay, it will be okay. Just keep radio on please.

DANIEL: Okay. Fuck, this sucks.

INT. STUDIO

TEXT: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing driver

MAX VERSTAPPEN: Been a while.

PRODUCER: Didn’t think you were going to agree.

MAX VERSTAPPEN: Would be a big thing if you made it look like we hated each other again!

PRODUCER: We asked Daniel what his first thought was when he had that accident. He said “This is really bad timing” and that you were going to kill him. Why?

MAX: Well, because of Matilda.

EXT. PORT HERCULES, MONACO— MORNING

Long shot of Port Hercules, Monaco, filmed from a balcony. It’s peaceful, quiet—the city sounds filling the background before we hear a baby scream in joy.

DANIEL: Matilda!

Matilda is on the floor in the living room, on a playmat and she plays with wooden blocks. Max is next to her on the ground, with his back leant against the couch, Daniel is on the couch.

DANIEL (V.O): Yeah, she’s one of the best things to happen to me. For a long time my whole life was just racing, but now she’s my whole life. Like it’s okay if I have a bad race or whatever, I’ve got to move on quickly because she’s there at home waiting.

MAX: Having a kid does change you, I think. Daniel will not say his driving has changed, but it has.

PRODUCER: In what way?

MAX: I think now he is more focused on winning every race, not that he wasn’t before. But because maybe he knows that every race matters more now. You hope that the others around you will not be too reckless so that you can go home after the race.

EXT. CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS — MIDDAY

TEXT ON SCREEN: 2025 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #1: Hey, welcome back Danny!

DANIEL: Thank you, thank you. Hope you didn’t miss my handsome face too much.

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #1: I didn’t know Jake went on holiday!

DANIEL: I’m gonna crash the car just for that.

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #2: No, we’re just kidding. So how’s the baby?

DANIEL: She’s great, do you wanna see a photo?

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #1: Oh, she’s adorable. Matilda was her name?

DANIEL: Yeah, yeah. We had a list but I think Matilda was the only one that stood out to us. She just looks like a Matilda you know?

///

The camera swings to the right, as Daniel’s head sticks out from the door.

DANIEL RICCIARDO: You aren’t talking shit about me, Maxy?

MAX VERSTAPPEN: Of course I am.

///

MAX: I have raced with Daniel in every single year of F1. I think it will be weird.

DANIEL RICCIARDO I think I was a pretty good darn car mechanic.

CUT: Max’s interview with GQ

WHY: If you haven’t learnt by now, I am very lazy. Honestly, I just wanted this chapter out and I knew I didn’t have the time to write a whole article. Also I don’t think Max would be this open about this relationship but maybe Daniel made him more open in this universe. I still stand by the first sentence, it is possibly the truest thing to come out of the fic.

You can’t talk about Max Verstappen without eventually talking about Daniel Ricciardo, and you can’t talk about Daniel Ricciardo without eventually talking about Max Verstappen. This was a true statement in the earlier part of Verstappen’s career, but now perhaps even more so. “He’s made me a much better person,” Verstappen comments when I ask him about his husband. “I maybe wasn’t the best person to be teammates with when I was first in Formula 1, but he stayed friends with me. Even after he left and I was not being nice to him, he still stayed. That was very important to me.”

There’s a certain aura of happiness that comes from Verstappen when he starts talking about Ricciardo, and he says it’s probably one of the most documented love stories of F1.

It started in the early morning after the final race of the 2018 season, and a drunk voicemail to Ricciardo kicked things off. “I was still mad that he was going, and I had too many gin and tonics and I called him at like 12 am or something. Obviously he didn’t answer because he was sleeping but I said really embarrassing stuff in that voicemail.” He left one more a couple hours later, asking Ricciardo not to mention it.

“He really took that to heart.” Verstappen laughs. “I don’t really know why, we would talk when we saw each other on race weekends and pretend that everything was fine between us.”

They were seemingly friends only when it was the race weekend, but off track they had never been further apart. There was a lot of resentment and unsaid conversation from Verstappen’s side, self proclaiming that his stubbornness had put a pin in their relationship. “It’s easy to say now looking back, but I thought Daniel leaving Red Bull was also leaving me. And I didn’t take it well.”

But a little bit of push and shove from his fellow friends made him realise that having Ricciardo in his life was more important than whatever feelings he had towards him leaving.

///

Verstappen proposed two years later in December 2022 at that same house. “Coordinates of the house and everything on the ring,” Ricciardo comments when he drops in to grab something from the office. “Cried like a baby when I realised.”

Deleted Epilogue:

WHY: I still can’t decide if Matilda would go down the F1 path. If she did, she is definitely a Ferrari driver. Just to mess with her dads. I think she would sign with Red Bull in the junior seasons, maybe do two seasons with Red Bull then switch to Ferrari. A Sebastian Vettel if you will…let’s hope it turns out better for her than him.

[Photo 1: A Ferrari car crossing the chequered flag.

Photo 2: Matilda on the third step of the podium, holding the trophy in the air, the Australian flag wrapped around her shoulders.]

Photo 3: Matilda hugging her parents in parc ferme.]

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mvr one home race down 🇦🇺, one more to go 🇳🇱 😉

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scuderiaferrari 👏🎉

23 March

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SKY SPORTS: 2048 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

David CROFT: And Matilda Verstappen-Ricciardo absolutely sends it down the inside and makes it stick, and what a move! Gosh, I was not expecting her to pull it off but she absolutely does and gets a roar of a cheer from the home crowd, Verstappen-Ricciardo is currently in P3.

Jenson BUTTON: I mean, we should not be surprised. Daughter of Max Verstappen, a six time World Champion and Daniel Ricciardo, another World Champion. A lot of racing talent in that family, I thought the last of the late breakers was Daniel but she has really put a new meaning on late!

DC: And speaking of there is Max and Daniel Verstappen-Ricciardo, who I imagine are probably the most nervous parents in the paddock right now! A lovely nod and clap of encouragement as we watch the reaction of Matilda’s overtake for P3.

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matilda verstappen-ricciardo @/MVR

if you’re wondering if it’s embarrassing to have your parents show up at work to congratulate you just wait till one of them interviews you in front of the tv…. thanks dad i’ve never felt so uncool before

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POST RACE: PARC FERME INTERVIEW

Daniel RICCIARDO: Matilda!

Matilda VERSTAPPEN-RICCIARDO: Oh my god, please be cool about this.

DR: Just wait till I convince F1 to let me and Max double host it.

MVR: This is actually my worst nightmare. Like maybe three other people will understand what I’m feeling right now.

DR:

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MVR: I mean I’m not worried about a legacy, if people think I’m here to start or continue a legacy then they can think that, but I’m here to race. Not carry on whatever my parents did.

#maxiel #glitter on the floor #candle wax and polaroids verse

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