#but her dog acts up all the time when people come over and he’s EIGHT

[atlafan]

L’shana Tova!

#mine #me #I just bawled on the phone to my mom for an hour because I was a bit snippy after the beautiful dinner I made for everyone #but I couldn’t help it because my uncle all of a sudden is very….trumpy adjacent #and I also just got snappy at my mom #and when everyone left I started crying #I was sad about Nick #and I texted my sister just being like hey sorry if I was snippy just had a long week #and I was already planning to call my mom #but my sister was like you did great today just extend the same courtesy to mum #so that just made me feel worse #so I called my mom crying which she hates #and I apologized and then we talked about some other things #I think I’m tired #my brother and his fam was supposed to come #but they all have a bad cold so they didn’t come and we were all bummed #oh and my sister was annoyed with Henry #but babies freak him out #so the poor thing was in my room all day #but her dog acts up all the time when people come over and he’s EIGHT #I had a nice phone call with my Nannie though #rosh hashanah

[wildemaven]

Sweet Creature: Chapter Eight

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x F!Reader

WC: 4643

Warnings: 18+ Blog; Talks of failed relationships, Bi!Dieter, Fingering (public, F receiving), food and drinks, fluff fluff fluff, handy in the car, praise kink if you squint, oral (semi-ish public; F receiving), reader’s nickname is Poppy- zero physical description, these two hot dogs are just trying to make up for lost time, if I missed something let me know

A/N: Uhh, this chapter ran away from me. But it worked out cause now these two get some lovin’ and we get an extra chapter! Thanks so much @gnpwdrnwhiskey for being the sweetest beta reader as always— I appreciate you and your eyes so much!!

Series Masterlist / Playlist / Main Masterlist

Previous / Next

“You don’t think she’ll be mad?”

“No Dieter, I don’t think she’ll be mad. Poppy’s totally going to understand, she loves you and will support whatever you do.”

Diem had always been able to reassure him when he needed it most, especially when it came to you— the one good thing in his life he refused to mess up. 

“Please don’t mention anything, I want to be able to do it in person— I’ll probably just tell her tonight.”

“Oh, shoot— I was just going to text her right now, ‘Hey Poppy! I wanted to tell you before Dieter did…’” Diem’s voice dripping in sarcasm, acting like she’s typing out a message on her phone. “Of course I won’t tell her— My lips are sealed!” Pretending to lock her lips and tossing an invisible key over her shoulder, laughing at his annoyance with her. 

“I can’t with you.” He sighs, scrubbing his hands over his face.

Dieter paces around the kitchen, not really sure what to do with himself, ready far sooner than he anticipated— nerves buzzing with excitement knowing he would be seeing you in 30 minutes— to pick you up for your date.

First official date. 

You had both laughed at how backwards it felt. Your first kiss. Your first time together. Your first ‘I love you’.— all done before you had even managed to go on an actual date. 

Finding a Friday that worked with your busy schedule, but that also led into a weekend where you could spend it together uninterrupted— no plans, just together. 

Dieter wanted to, as he put it, wine and dine you. He made reservations for 7 at a somewhat fancy Italian restaurant, only telling you to get dressed up in your favorite dress and that he’d pick you up at 6:30. 

He can’t remember the last time he had put this much effort into a date, probably due to the fact he hadn’t really ever been on one in years. 

Sure, there were a handful of women and men on his arm at many times in his life, accompanying him to five star restaurants across the greater Los Angeles area, pictures of them stumbling into the streets plastered across the tabloids the next day. 

‘Dieter Bravo & Mystery Woman Dining at Hollywood Hot Spot: Is She the One to Tame this Bad Boy?’

‘Dieter Bravo Seen Dancing with New Beau at Packed Nightclub’

Many were a lame attempt at a PR stunt, to draw attention to his upcoming movies he’d be starring in— but most of them were also meant to keep his name in the positive spotlight, distract from the shit show of his life behind the scenes. 

There were a few that felt like a little more than weekend arm candy, only to find out he was the one catching feelings, while they were looking to catch a free ride to stardom. 

There was the model he met on the set of a cologne campaign, also a sweet bubbly aspiring actress. The whirlwind fling seemed to move at lightning speed, and against his better judgment and the concerns of his people, she moved in after only a few short months of them seeing each other. Their relationship had been one of his many attempts at getting sober, wanting to give his best to her, but things became increasingly tempestuous as Dieter pulled away from the wild parties and she went out with friends, only to come home as the sun was coming up— leaving Dieter bored and alone. When Dieter caught word of her affair with his closest friend and fellow actor, he kicked her out of his house and began to spiral back into his old ways. 

Then there was the time with ‘what’s his face’, Dieter vaguely recalls what he looked like— let alone what his name was, gallivanting around Europe taking in its beautiful countryside, experiencing the food and the touristy atmosphere. When time came for them to head home, Dieter needing to prepare for a new role, he found himself flying back alone— leaving ‘what’s his face’ in Mallorca to continue on his soul-searching journey, which included some business opportunities with someone by the name of Lucas Gutierrez. 

The last relationship, if you could even call it that, was a drugged out daze where he almost married the receptionist of a high end hotel, Dieter had been convinced her hospitality meant she was in love with him. A weeks stay turned into a hazy mess of pleading for her to have sex with him while he was high as a kite, and by the end of the week she was saving his life and he was even more sure she was his forever— until his publicist and crisis manager had to step in and tell him he was not of sound mind to make such life altering decisions. 

Dieter had written off relationships or anything that resembled some sort of courtship, especially while in treatment— wanting to get himself right before even thinking about getting involved with someone. 

And then a year later, you came out of left field and had him seeing what love could feel like.

A knock at the front door pulls him from his head, glancing over to where Diem is eating dinner with Wren and getting a shrug of ‘I’m not expecting anyone’, he goes to answer it. 

Opening the door, he wasn’t expecting to see you, stunned into silence as his eyes slowly roamed over your body— completely done up, no semblance of your innocent teacher-look in sight. 

You take his reserved demeanor, no real expression except for wide eyes and a slack jaw, as if there was something wrong with how you looked. 

“What is it? Is the dress too much?” You say looking downward, smoothing out the fabric of your silky black dress and matching heels. You had given yourself a once over in the mirror before heading over, thinking everything was in place and really feeling the look— but maybe you had missed something. 

“N-no— No! You look fine— I mean you look beautiful.” Dieter stammers over his words, the way your dress hugs every inch of you has his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. “Wow!”

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself there, handsome.” Biting your bottom lip as you adjust the wonky lapel on his navy suit, giggling at how you both can’t seem to stop staring at each other. 

“You’re early!” The realization hit him, looking over the clock on the oven to see he still had another 25 minutes before he even needed to leave. 

“I know. But I’ve been ready for the last hour and I was getting bored sitting on my couch waiting— plus there’s only so many songs on one side of a record and I got tired of getting up to flip it. So, I figured I’d walk here, kill some time.”

“Poppy, it’s like a five minute walk from your house.” He laughs, but his chest swells at the thought of you being so excited for the evening. 

“Actually, it’s a good 8, maybe 10 minutes in these heels— which by the way, are made for sitting not walking, so the sooner I can sit the better.” You mention as you shift your body from side to side, trying to relieve the tension that’s already settling into the balls of your feet. 

“Let’s go then.”

He runs back to the counter to grab his phone and his keys, stopping to give Wren a kiss on her head and a good night to both her and Diem. 

“You kids behave yourselves!” Diem quips with a smirk. 

“Uncle Dieter and Poppy aren’t kids mama! You adults behave!! Are they going to get in trouble?!” Wren confused, trying to wrap her head around the whole thought of her uncle and Poppy not behaving. 

Thankfully it’s a short walk, his hand securely on the small of your back as he guides you from the front door to his car, mindful of your slow calculated steps. 

A machine-like beep echoes out into the night as he unlocks the door, you start to bend down slightly to reach for the door handle, but Dieter grabs your wrist, carefully pulling you to him— your chest colliding with his. 

“You look beautiful, Poppy.” He breathes against your mouth, his nose gently nudging at yours before his lips seal over your awaiting lips. 

You can’t help the small whine that escapes your throat the moment his tongue slowly invades your mouth, eliciting a lustful moan of his own as he deepens the kiss. 

With his hands firmly grabbing onto the globes of your ass, pulling your lower half as close to him as possible, he shuffles your bodies around before pressing your back into the side of his car, the cold metal hitting your bare back sends a shiver down your spine, his feet tapping against yours signaling you to widen your stance as much as your dress will allow.

The way his lips continue to move over yours paired with the slight grind of his hips, a prominent bulge rutting up against the ache that has begun to settle between your legs, your appetite grows for something a little stronger and involving less clothes— is it too late to cancel reservations?

Goosebumps scatter across your skin as the sensation of his fingers gliding over your thigh, breaching the slit in your dress and settling at your unclothed and heated core— no panties were a risky move with how high the slit of your dress went, but the choice was paying off earlier than you had expected. 

Your fingers digging into the back of his arms to help  keep you upright, fearing your legs might give out at any moment. 

“Can you be quiet for me?” He asks against your swollen lips— grateful you opted for a gloss over a stain of color, knowing this might have been on the menu for the evening. 

You can only manage a nod as a jolt of pleasure hits you the minute his fingers push into your dripping pussy. 

Dieter covers your mouth with his other hand, quieting the tiny sounds that you can’t help making with how his fingers move so intently against your velvety walls, tripping the tiny live wires that have you electrified and pulsing around his digits. 

“Fuck Poppy, I can feel you’re already there. What’s got you so worked up already?” Dieter’s words muffled against your warm ear, his husky voice aiding in the chase for your release. 

He moves his hand from your mouth, your lips parting as you take a few quick breaths, your mind actively trying to string together a few coherent words. 

“Y-you.” Your response is airy, as you start to feel the building pressure of your climax. 

“Me?” He asks, removing himself from where he had settled against your neck, giving you a mocking puzzled look, playing stupid—he wants to hear you say it. 

“Yes— ah! You! Y-you look s-so— oh fuck! So fucking pretty! Oh god, Dieter— don’t stop please!” 

His hand moves to rest behind your neck, holding your head up so he can watch the way your face looks the second he sends you into a euphoric state. 

It’s a subtle swipe of his thumb over your throbbing clit, that has you catapulting into a blinding nirvana. 

Dieter presses his lips in a leisurely haphazard manner to your fiery skin as you come down from your peak, slowly removing his fingers from your spent cunt. 

You manage to catch his hand the moment it leaves the underside of your dress, locking your eyes with his as you bring the two fingers, now glistening under the moonlight, that worked earnestly to satisfy you up to your watery mouth. You wrap your lips around them, tasting your tangy sweet arousal, releasing his hand and wiping the corners of your mouth— Dieter practically coming in his suit pants at the sight

“Fuck, Poppy! You teach kids with that mouth of yours?” Eyebrows raised in question as he jokes at the lewd, yet arousing, gesture. 

“I knew you’d be a dessert before dinner kinda guy—” You reply, pressing a kiss to his cheek then whispering into his ear, “Hmm, plus, that’s not the only thing it can do.” 

You lightly push him off of you, giving him a sultry smile and a wink, adjusting your dress before opening the door to the car and getting in. 

“Fuck me!” He breathes out into the crisp evening air. 

*

The restaurant was the perfect backdrop for the evening— an outside table tucked in the corner of their patio with dim overhead lighting, candles glowing between table settings, a heavy card-stock menu listing their elaborate dishes and expensive wines. 

You had told Dieter on the ride over that you would have been more than fine with the local pizzeria or even stayed in and cooked together— he said the latter would be added on to the list of options for next time. 

Dieter had opted to sit next to you as opposed to sitting across the table— you didn’t argue, agreeing that it felt more intimate having him closer. It also allowed Dieter to rest his hand on your exposed thigh the entire evening, running his fingers along the seam where your leg crossed over the other— at times your hand resting over his, lighting caressing the top of his or changing it up and interlocking your fingers together.

The conversation flowed nicely once you were both satisfied with the order for the evening, sharing of childhood stories and funny life moments kept you both engaged and connected throughout the night. 

“What made you want to be a teacher?” Dieter asks, munching on a crunchy piece of garlic bread, his hand still resting on your leg while his thumb caresses over your knee. 

You finish your bite, wiping the pasta sauce from your mouth. 

“Actually, my mom is a teacher— she was my sixth grade teacher too. When I was in college trying to figure out my path, I remembered the joy she got out of being with her students and how much she had helped kids in my class. I knew it was something I wanted to do too. I guess we’re kind of alike in a way, following our parent’s footsteps.” Giving his hand a brief squeeze at the realization, your eyes beaming as you look at him. 

He smiles at the coincidence, he likes listening to you share these parts of your life with him. 

“What did you want to be as a kid?” He asks before taking a sip of his ice water. 

“Oh no!” Laughing softly at his question. “You’re going to laugh at me!”

“Well, now I need to know!” Trying to picture what a younger version of you would have dreamed of being in your adult life. 

“I don’t want to hear a single thing when I tell you, you understand me Bravo!” Jokingly point a finger at him as you prepare to reveal your childhood dream. 

He draws an X over his chest as a promise, encouraging you to continue. 

“I wanted to be an actress.” You reveal in a low hushed tone. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He’s fighting back his laugh, tilting an ear in your direction as if he didn’t hear what you said. 

“I wanted to be an actress!” Your face scrunches up with embarrassment as you repeat yourself. 

“Would have never guessed!” It’s the smallest laugh that escapes, shaking his head in amusement. “What made you change your mind?”

“Fifth grade— I was the female lead in our class play, it was a musical. I was sure this was going to be the thing that proved how much I wanted to act, convince my mom to put me in acting classes— I secretly hoped that maybe I could make it big, then move to be with my Dad and I don’t know, prove to that I could be something to him.”

You take a sip of your white wine. When ordering earlier, you had told Dieter you would be fine with just water since he wasn’t drinking, but he had insisted it was fine— and you had to admit it paired well with your dish. 

“I practiced nonstop, to the point I think mother was counting down the days until opening night so she didn’t have to hear me belting out my solo song in my room. Opening night came, and my part was about half through the play— I was so excited. Once it was my scene, I walked out on stage, saw all the faces staring back at me and I just froze. I couldn’t even say my lines, let alone sing.”

“What did you do?” 

“I ran out of there so fast. Begged my mom to switch schools so I wouldn’t have to face my class again. My dreams of becoming a big star faded instantly and I realized also that wasn’t going to fix anything with my Dad. Could you imagine though? Me, an actress— that would be a fucking sight.”

You both laugh uncontrollably at the thought of you being a Hollywood star  and how different your life had become, agreeing that you ended up where you were meant to be. 

“When do I get to meet her?”

“My mom?”

“Yeah, I feel like I should meet the mother of my girlfriend— hopefully sooner than later.”

Girlfriend. 

You both hadn’t really discussed labels, and you were perfectly fine with letting things happen organically being this was all still new for you both. But also acknowledging this was something more than just casually dating someone you didn’t know.

“Well, she’ll fly in next Thursday and will be at the gallery for my exhibit on Friday, so you can meet her then.” You’re giddy at the thought of your Mom meeting Dieter, having spent so many hours on the phone with her talking about him. 

His face morphs into a look of panic at the mention of your gallery showing, deciding that now would be the perfect time to tell you the thing that’s been weighing on him the last few days. 

“What?”

“Poppy, about your showing. I got a call the other morning— they bumped up pre-production and I’ll be leaving sooner than originally planned.”

“When do you leave?”

“This Monday. I’ve been trying to figure things out, find some way to still be able to make it, but they aren’t really working with me— as of now, it’s looking like I’m going to miss it.” Now that it’s out in the open, he doesn’t feel any better now that you know, he knows how much this means to you and wants to be there for you. 

“Dieter— hey, it’s okay!” 

You can see the anguish looming over him, hating that he was nervous to tell you. 

“You’re not upset with me?”

“No! Why would I be upset? I mean, sure I’m a little bummed out, but this job is important to you.”

“But your art is just as important.”

“I appreciate you thinking that, but there will be others I’m sure. Maybe not at that gallery, but I’m sure I’ll find another place and I’ll convince them to let me show off my work there too.” 

“Thank you, for being understanding.”

“Of course, Dieter… You’ll just have to make it up to me in other ways I guess.” 

As the date progressed, you’re both completely satiated, barely able to take a single taste of the dessert you had ordered. 

Dieter shared more about his love for acting growing up, fun stories from movie sets and his favorite roles to date— you didn’t want him to stop sharing, the way his eyes lit up you could tell how passionate he was about his work, it made you fall for him even more. 

“Does it still make you happy?” You ask him, your elbow propped up on the table, hand under your chin, the answer seemed so obvious to you but you wanted to hear him say it. 

He laughs at your question, leaning against the chair back, taking a minute to collect his thoughts. 

“What’s so funny?”

“Driving Birdie to school one morning, she asked me the same question. Just funny I’m being asked again after being here for a few months now.” He explains, rolling the edge of his napkin between his fingers, knowing you’re going to want him to answer it truthfully. 

“Is your answer still the same?” 

“Well, Birdie said I need to listen to my heart.”

“And what does your heart say now?” You ask as you lean forward, pressing your palm over his chest, feeling the steady strum of his heart as he looks at you with the most loving gaze. 

Adjusting himself forward in his seat, angling his body closer to you, wrapping his large hand over yours and pressing them both close to his chest, the up turn of his lopsided grin slowly growing. 

“It says that I am happy. Happy to be alive and sober. Happy to be home— making up for lost time with Diem and Wren. Happy to have this opportunity to discover the joy I have for a simpler life. And more importantly, it says I am happy to have you.” 

Tears began to shimmer in your eyes, hearing him say how happy he was, was an indescribable feeling— he was so deserving of not only happiness, but love and you were so grateful he was feeling it. 

“I love you, Dieter.” Trying to sniffle back your tears, your hand cradles the back of his head, closing the gap between you as his lips settle against yours. 

He can taste the few tears that do manage to escape, their wet briney sweetness coating the ardent kiss. 

“I love you so much, Poppy.” 

*

The ride home was a comfortable silence, no real need for conversation, just being in the presence of each was enough for the drive back to your place. 

It was peaceful— your hand resting on his leg, your gaze focused on the way the houses and trees blurred together in passing. 

“What are you smiling about over there?” Catching the slight grin on your face as you look out the window, wanting to know what thoughts were the cause for it. 

You hum in response, drawing your bottom lip between your teeth as your mind replays a loop of the entire evening thus far. 

“I had fun tonight— thank you.” Your head still resting against the seat, watching the way Dieter’s hands grip around the steering wheel, the muscles of his neck taut and flexed as he checks the mirrors. 

Acutely aware of the dampness that’s been lingering between your legs all evening, watching him right now you can feel your arousal beginning to pool and slowly drip down your thighs— grateful for your dress acting as a barrier between you and the car’s leather seats. 

The car jerks slightly as Dieter pulls it into your driveway, shifting into park and killing the engine, turning his attention to you, mirroring your position. 

“I had a great time too. Pretty sure I earned myself a second date, maybe even a little kiss goodnight.” 

His enthusiasm and lack of humbleness about his odds have you reeling, but it's his signature wink that hits you like a freight train that has you moving before your brain can register what’s happening. 

“I think you earned yourself a little more than that.” Your words are honeyed and laced in a seductive sugariness. 

A dual clicking, triggers the release of your seat-buckles, the snap back of the retracting belts reverberates through the car. 

A soft sliding of fabric against an oiled leather seat merely tickles your ears, trying to shift your body upward, your knee finally finding purchase to hold steady. 

A myriad of soft sounds expelled from Dieter’s side of the car. The rigid unzipping of his pants. The shuffling and pulling of excessive fabrics. A string of mumbled fuckshitohgodpoppyplease tumble from Dieter’s mouth as he watches the way your hand works itself over his hard cock. 

He’s putty in your hands, breathing ragged and tight with each swipe of your thumb over the head of his shaft. Gathering every glassy drop of pre-cum to help your hand slide effortlessly, pausing at the base of his cock for a moment— your firm grip producing another string of sounds from Dieter, mostly heady opaque moans. 

“Pop-Poppy! fuckfuckfuck! I-hnnnngh!! I’m gonna come if you— shit! If you keep that up!” 

“That’s the point Babe, I want you to feel good. Show my boyfriend how much he means to me.”

You can feel the way he tenses in pleasure at you calling him your boyfriend, the way he throbs in your hand as you resume your movements. 

“I’m going to miss you so much Dieter. Miss your stupid handsome face while you’re out doing what you love most. Letting everyone see how amazing and perfect you are.“ Your soft voice fanning across his ear. 

“N-no Poppy— You- fuck! I love you, the most.” His jaw is tight as he grits out his words. 

“I love you Dieter. It’s okay, let go— for me.” 

And he does. 

Warm spurts of cum coat the top of your hand and his dark navy button down shirt—  a painting of white Rorschach blots of arousal. 

“I’m going to miss you too, Poppy.” He manages to say, his throat raspy and dry. 

You find yourself flush against your front door, purse dangling from your arm, intoxicated by the way Dieter is kissing you fervently. 

“Dieter, babe! My feet are killin’ me! I’ve got to get these shoes off asap!” Taking a moment to catch your breath and search for your keys. 

Sifting through the mess of your purse, you miss Dieter kneeling down, his hand cupping the back of your calf as he attempts to undo the strap of your heels with the other, it doesn’t take long for you to feel your shoe being removed, the pressure instantly dissipating. His hands begin to work at your other shoe when you find your ring of keys, relief again as he removes the shoe and gently places your bare foot on your tiled porch. 

“God, that feels so much better! Thank— ah! Dieter!” 

Your skin feels soft under his touch, dropping a few kisses up the length of your exposed leg, stopping when he gets to the peak of your dress's slit, looking up at you to see nothing but want swimming in your eyes. 

He presses his hands on your hips, shifting  the fabric of your dress just enough so the slit allows him access to your cunt. 

A few bold licks through your wet folds has your knees buckling, his grip on you tightening to keep you from slipping, you’re so keyed up already that you know this is going to be a quick completion. 

But Dieter takes his time with you, and it’s worth it the minute your orgasm hits— a mixture of tingling excitement and hot lips between your legs. 

Your head lulls back against the door, as you wait for the sensation to come back to your legs. 

Dieter standing to his full height, shifting your dress back to its proper position. 

“I’ll have you know, I’m a dessert anytime kinda guy.” Devilishly smirking,  his lips damp with your arousal as he presses them to yours. 

“Stay. I’m not ready for you to leave me yet. Stay the weekend with me, please.” 

You’re practically begging him, and he finds it incredibly hard to tell you no— but sees no reason why he should. 

“I’m yours, Poppy. Show me where the bedroom is.”

#sweet creature series #dieter bravo x fem!reader #dieter bravo x reader #dieter bravo x female reader #dieter bravo x f!reader #dieter bravo x you #dieter bravo #dieter x poppy #pedro pascal #wildemaven writes

[kitthepurplepotato]

Season 2 Chapter 2: Meet my Menace, you old hag!

Summary: Katsuki brings Y/N over to meet his family. He also realizes that being in love comes with a lot of uncomfortable situations… like ending up on his knees, worshipping a scarred body for instance.

…Wait, what?

Warnings: suggestive, swear words, body worship? (no smut though, just a lot of kisses and dirty thoughts + mentions of problems in the lower region 😂)

Season 1 -> Season 2 -> Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

It has been two weeks since the “accident” and to be honest, not a lot of things have changed between you and Katsuki; he really wasn’t joking when he said he wants to take it slow.

The only thing different from your usual behavior is the occasional, short cuddling sessions which Katsuki initiates in the most random of times, fleeting touches when no one’s around, hand on the shoulder, pinkies touching slightly on Katsuki’s desk when you come around to look at his screen. They are small and barely there but they mean the world to you; that doesn’t mean you don’t want to do more, to kiss him in the morning and in the afternoon when you both go home to your own places, to kiss him as a thank you when the blonde brings “too much lunch” and forces you to “help him”, and god forbid, follow him to his flat next door and throw him on his bed to show him how much you miss the burning touches he’s given you on the day you two started dating. It’s a lot and it’s burning your insides uncomfortably but you are way too scared to initiate anything; every time you come closer he moves further away, every time you touch him he frowns like a stray dog being caressed for the first time. It’s maddening but you did know what you’re getting into, so you take what you can get and move on. For now.

“Oi, woman.” Katsuki yaps from his desk after an eventful patrol day; he’s been out an about through his whole shift and just came back to finish the paperwork for the day. You missed him a lot today. Also, he calls you “woman” a lot these days and it’s probably his best try on giving you a pet name. It might sound rude for other people, but you know he means well. “How tired are you?” Hm. You really shouldn’t make a cheeky sexual comment, even though you really want to. “I know what you want to say and don’t.”

Busted.

“I’ve been sitting at this fucking desk for eight hours.” You sigh. “My brain is fried but I’m okay, why?”

“Old hag wants me home for dinner.” He mumbles with a slight blush on his cheeks. He’s so cute. When did Dynamight get so cute?!

“Oh! Tell her I said hi!” You smile at the blonde who only scoffs at your answer.

“I want you to come, you fucking idiot. She invited you the last time, didn’t she?” He rolls his eyes scornfully. Your heart squeezes at the implications.

“Does she know…?”

“Fuck no.” Katsuki looks away, his blush intensified. “I want her to find it out for herself. I ain’t gonna do the whole awkward introduction thing. It’s stupid.”

“But I look like shit today!” You freak out, looking down at your attire; you’re wearing an old, oversized hoodie that’s coming apart at the seams, it’s black color faded to a dark grey from all the washing, basic black skinny trousers and your favorite doc martens which are also not in the best condition.

“You look fine. I can give you another hoodie. I also have dry shampoo.” He smirks while staring at your flat hair that clearly needs a wash. It’s your hair washing day, okay?!

“How chivalrous you are.” You roll your eyes but you both know you won’t say no. You just can’t say no to this madman.

It doesn’t mean you are not freaking out internally.

~•💥•~

This was a mistake. Oh god, Katsuki is in pieces.

As Katsuki and Y/N shares an office, being alone with the Menace isn’t a problem, but seeing her sitting on his bed, waiting for him to give her a hoodie to wear… is a little bit much. His allergy is acting up again, his heart wants to burst out of his chest, his breathing is uneven and oh my god how much he wants to straddle the woman and throw her clothes on the floor one by one, until she’s stark naked…

“Did you just slap yourself in the face?”

Oh yes, he did. There was no other way to stop this nonsense.

“Shut up.” Katsuki mumbles with a red face, throwing his favorite hoodie towards her; it’s an old Dynamight merch designed by his mother; it’s black with orange and green lines in the shape of his hero costume. Y/N stares at it for a few seconds then stands up to get out of his old hoodie; her shirt underneath rides up, making the blonde salivate over the triangle of skin showing; she has a huge scar around her hips. It’s really fucking hot.

Katsuki doesn’t know when he came over and why but here he is, in front of the Menace, sliding his fingers over the scar to feel it while Y/N yelps, surprised, but she doesn’t move away.

“Ahh, that.” She sighs. “I have a few of those, you probably didn’t have time to look at them when we fought.” Y/N rides her shirt further up, showing off a few more scars along her belly and her back. There is a massive scar on the other side of her hips in a shape of an explosion; the scar itself is light, a bit more pink than the rest of her body but it takes up quite a lot of space. It must have hurt a lot. “It’s not too sexy, is it.”

Katsuki looks at Y/N incredulously, trying his best to hide his growing bulge from the sight, because fuck, Katsuki didn’t know he has a thing for battle scars, but apparently he does. The only thing stopping him from acting on his instincts is his allergy; his heart is having a really hard time coping with the sight. He feels a little bit light-headed. He doesn’t know why he kneels in front of Y/N to leave a kiss on the brightest scar, the first one he saw when Y/N’s shirt rode up. Y/N yelps but her hand ends up in Katsuki’s hair, tugging and if he haven’t had a problem until now, now he has. Apparently, hair tugging is also his thing. Maybe everything Y/N does is “his thing”. Oh man, he’s a goner.

He continues peppering kisses all over the scars, loving them the way no one ever did; every single scar makes Katsuki respect his significant other even more. He would also - respectfully - like to see the rest of her body so he can continue his shenanigans until every scar is loved and appreciated.

That was cheesy as fuck, what’s wrong with him?!

“I have a massive scar on the middle of my chest and smaller ones all over my torso and my back, you might have been too busy last time to realize.” He mumbles between two kisses. Y/N doesn’t answer just tugs on his hair once and Katsuki can’t help the animalistic grumble that comes out of his mouth, muffled by Y/N skin. Katsuki really wants to explode something right now. Or do other things to keep his mind off exploding things.

Katsuki has never had a problem with keeping it in his pants. Never. It has been quite the opposite, he usually had a hard time to… well… have the thing up. He certainly doesn’t have that problem with Y/N and he has no idea what to do about that right now.

“Katsuki, stop. I’m quite sure you don’t have a spare underwear in my size laying around…”

“What do you mean…?!” It takes him a few moments the understand and when he does, it goes right to his groin. “Fuck’s sake woman, you can’t just say things like that!” Katsuki moves away as quick as he can, hiding his impressive tent by sitting down on the bed with his back to his girlfriend.

Girlfriend. He could literally just continue and it wouldn’t be weird. He has all the rights to do so.

Oh fuck, he really-really wants to do that but he’s quite sure his heart wouldn’t be able to last for long and neither would he…. Wait, he did not just think that. Oh my god, Katsuki is absolutely done right now and they’ve barely done anything. He hates Y/N so much.

“Put your fucking hoodie on and let’s go.” He mumbles as he makes his way towards the bathroom to freshen up. He didn’t want to take a shower but if he doesn’t take an ice cold shower right now, they ain’t gonna make it to his mother’s house. Bakugou Katsuki isn’t a patient man and it’s certainly showing.

~•💥•~

It’s hot in Katsuki’s flat and your skin is burning; you can still feel his lips on your sensitive scars, you can still feel his soft hair underneath your palm and you can’t even think about the way your body shook when he rumbled against your skin. One thing for sure, if you ever make it to the bed, that shit’s gonna be hot. Fuck the awkwardness of the first time with a new person, the careful touches and all that jazz. You can already see how that’s not going to be the case for you two especially if he riles you up a few more times just to leave you hanging afterwards.

You really need to stop thinking about this right now, but how are you supposed to function after being kissed in such a passionate way? How are you supposed to just move on when Katsuki managed to make you feel wanted while peppering kisses over the scars you are so self conscious about? You’ve never thought anyone would want you with a body like that. You were terrified for him to find out how ugly you are under your shirt yet here he was, only a few minutes prior, on his knees, loving you in a way you thought no one ever could. Katsuki might be harsh and abrasive with his words and deeds but deep inside he’s the purest, most understanding man you’ve ever met. You can’t believe how lucky you are to be the one he cares about. Your love for him just doubled, even though you were sure you can’t love this man more than you already do.

Katsuki comes out of the shower, shaking like a leaf and you wonder how cold his shower was for him to be reduced to a trembling mess like that. Maybe you weren’t the only one hot and bothered by those few minutes. You try not to think about it too much for the sake of your sanity. Katsuki looks at you with a new expression on his face; he takes you in, his eyes stopping when he gets to his hoodie and swallows.

“You look nice in my clothes.” He spurts out, his face red as a tomato. “I mean you look nice in that hoodie. Fuck. Let’s go.”

… and he’s gone. Thank fuck for that because you need a moment to take a few deep breaths after this conversation.

~•💥•~

“Fancy riding a bike with me?” Katsuki smirks as he makes his way towards the parking lot; a beautiful black and orange motorbike stands on the side, shiny and freshly washed.

“Marry me.”

Well, you didn’t mean to say that out loud, but damn, that bike is hot. Just like his owner.

“Wow.” That’s all he says, a massive shit eating grin decorating his handsome face.

“Oh, shut up and let’s go!”

“I said nothin’.” He laughs and the happiness in his voice makes your heart swell two sizes; this all feels like a fever dream, clouded by pink, cotton candy clouds where nothing really matters, just Katsuki and you, alone in Candy land, enjoying your time together, basking in the pink sunlight. The feeling only gets stronger when you snake your arms around your boyfriend, pulling him close, the breeze caresses your cheeks as you two ride towards Katsuki’s family home so he can introduce you as his second half. This is probably the best dream you’ve ever had.

He stops at a beautiful, modern family home in the suburban area, it’s fancy and definitely way too big for a small family like theirs.

“Stop staring and move your ass! We have 2 minutes before they start stalking us from the window!” To make sure you understand, Katsuki slaps your bottom once to urge you to move towards the main entrance; you look at him with incredulous eyes and he smirks; you two must look like misbehaving children as you run towards the door, trying your best to make the other trip on the way there. Katsuki ends up succeeding right before the entrance but he grabs you so you don’t fall; you both laugh while enjoying the embrace, swaying left to right like two cheesy teenagers. When Katsuki looks deep into your eyes with a tiny smile on his lips you can’t help yourself; you close the distance between your mouths, leaving a careful kiss on the blonde’s lips. You can feel the tension in his shoulders so you decide to move away awkwardly; apparently this wasn’t the right time for this. Great.

“I’ll eventually get used to that.” He mumbles awkwardly, leaving a tiny kiss in the corner of your lips as a silent “sorry”.

“Sorry, I should be more patient. I just really wanted to kiss you. I always… want to kiss you.”

I love you - you want to say instead, but you don’t. It’s too soon.

“I… “ Katsuki is about to answer but the door opens up and you both jump away from each other.

Well, this is awkward.

~•💥•~

Mitsuki didn’t expect Katsuki to actually bring Y/N over today. It’s not a problem, far from that; she always makes enough food to last for at least 3 days, she’s just… well… surprised.

She might have been the one to raise the explosive boy but this boy have never listened to her once; she could beg him to meet his friends or brush his teeth more gently, Katsuki always did what he wanted so seeing him actually listen for once calls for a celebration.

When she opens the door her eyes are met with two blushing people, one redder than the other; Mitsuki tries her best to not think too much about why the two look the way they do as she is known to make romantic assumptions about everything; she’s a middle aged woman who enjoys a good romantic movie after a hard day at work and it certainly does things to her mind. It also doesn’t help that she’s been obsessed with Katsuki’s secretary since she’s met her the other day; she’s fierce, caring and so-so perfect for her son! She still can’t believe Y/N managed to make Katsuki say sorry for something. What a legend she is.

“Welcome!” Mitsuki grins and lets the two in; her eyes stop at Y/N’s attire; it’s an old hoodie she designed for Katsuki. “Nice hoodie, Y/N! I designed that!” Mitsuki says proudly, and for some reason, that makes Y/N extremely uncomfortable. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, sorry! I’m just anxious, that’s all!”

“Ahh, don’t be! Being close to my son means you are automatically a part of this family! So make yourself at home! The dinner is ready, I’ll tell Masaru to come down!” She yells and leaves the two alone.

Mitsuki has a weird feeling in her stomach; she feels like there is something she’s missing, something obvious. Hm, maybe it’s just her romantic mind missing the spice… but she’s quite sure that hoodie was Katsuki’s and she’s also quite sure she accidentally interrupted something by opening the door on them before they knocked.

Mitsuki takes a deep breath and makes her way towards her husband. She really needs to went to someone before she can’t stop herself from coming out with her little secret notebook of wedding dress designs she’s made for Katsuki’s future wife.

~•💥•~

“What the fuck are you doing?” Katsuki yells at you for apparently no reason in the middle of the family dinner.

“What have I done wrong? Am I using the fork the wrong way?”

“Don’t be sassy with me, princess.” Katsuki argues, and while the nickname wasn’t an actual nickname, it does make your heart stutter and by the look on Mitsuki’s face, she’s feeling the same. “Your fucking plate is EVEN.” He says, like that makes any kind of sense.

“Yes. It’s how it should be.” You mumble between two bites.

“No.” Katsuki retorts and steals a bunch of meat from your plate and gives you more veggies from his. “This is how it should be. You prefer veggies over meat. The hag just told you to make yourself at home, didn’t she? Don’t be an ass and eat what you like.” He grumbles and goes back to his own plate. The parents stare at their own son like they are seeing an alien and honestly, you can understand them.

You’ll never get used to Katsuki’s rough love.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Can I have your broccoli now?” You look straight at his secret stash of broccolis on the side of his plate. Katsuki looks at you with a shocked face.

“You ain’t getting my broccoli, woman. I’m saving those for last.”

“But Katsuki, you know it’s my favorite part!” You moan, just to rile the blonde up, because you are a little shit.

“No. Nope. Never. Fuck off.” Katsuki even goes as far as placing his plate further away from you so you can’t reach it. You do try though.

“You can have all my broccoli.” Mitsuki speaks up, fishing out the green vegetables from her dish. Apparently that only riles Katsuki up more.

“Tch, you know what? There you go. Have mine.”

“I was just teasing!” You whine after you look at your plate; the whole family decided to give you their sharing. Do these people not joke in this household?!

“With all due respect Mr.Bakugou, you gave me way too much broccoli.” You deadpan, and Masaru just smiles.

“I hate broccoli.”

For some weird reason that makes Mitsuki riled up as well. This family is mental.

“What did I tell you about eating your greens, fucker?! Do you want to die on me?! Do you think I’m gonna live in this massive fucking house alone with my 600 cats 50 dogs, smelling like cat piss and broken dreams?!” The woman yells and Masaru tries his best to become a turtle and push his head inside his body, but his plan fails really quickly.

“Okay, honey, let’s not freak out the guest…”

“What guest, she’s fucking family! Katsuki gave her his broccoli! Don’t you fucking dare call her a fucking guest!” Mama Bakugou yells, her aggressive breathing makes Masaru’s hair move, like it’s blown by the wind. For your surprise, Katsuki only smiles at the whole shenanigan and continues eating his dish.

Now you understand why is Katsuki such a tough cookie to crack if this is what he sees from his parents every day.

“Let me guess, this is the Bakugou version of PDA?” You smirk at the blonde. He rolls his eyes with a tiny smile on his pretty little face.

“Kinda.” He sighs then starts yelling.

“Get a room, fuckers!”

… and this is how the rest of the dinner goes. You are quite sure you lost most of your hearing during this evening.

~•💥•~

The only time the room is silent is when the family decides to watch a movie before bed. There isn’t a single noise in the room as the movie starts rolling; everyone keeps their eyes peeled on the TV, snuggled up into fluffy blankets even though the movie was chosen by mama Bakugou and is definitely not the type of movie the two boys would watch on a normal day. The story is about a girl who’s never been in love before and as always, there is the perfect guy who randomly appears in her life and all the other typical bullshit. It’s not your first choice for a movie, but Katsuki is sharing a blanket with you, so you have no reason to complain.

Around the middle of the movie there’s a really heart-wrenching scene when the main character realizes her feelings and asks for help.

“Lilly, how do you know you are in love with someone?” The main character asks.

“They are the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last when you go to sleep.” Lilly says with a smile on her face. You look at Katsuki and for your surprise he’s looking right back you; his face looks surprised. Somehow, the whole room disappears and it feels like it’s just you two who did not stop moving while the whole world came to a halt.

“Just thinking about their smile can make the worst day a better one and they are the first person you think about when something good or bad happens.” Lilly continues and you are quite sure the main character is having a dramatic revelation on the screen but you can’t stop staring at the blonde man next to you.

“When they are in the same room, you can’t stop looking; their eyes, their lips, just everything about them calls your name.” Katsuki swallows hard at that and puts his arms around your shoulder so you can snuggle closer; and fuck, you didn’t even realize how much you wanted to do that until your heart started to go frantic from his touch.

“Kats…” You mumble into his neck and you look up just to be met with the most beautiful sight the world has ever seen; Katsuki looks at you with pure love and fondness and there is a tiny smile on his lips as he closes the distance between you two and gives you the softest kiss you’ve ever had. You have no idea what’s going on in the movie anymore and you certainly don’t care; you caress the man’s cheeks fondly as you continue to pepper small kisses on his lips.

A sudden noise ruins your moment though; something falls to the floor and it sounds like a mug so you look to your other side… and that’s when you realize you weren’t alone in the room.

Of course you weren’t, you started this movie together with Katsuki’s family!! Oh fuck.

… Next Chapter!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Potato ramble:

- Woah, Katsuki really went for it! :D btw that part wasn’t even in my plans it just happened while I was writing the chapter…

- For those who got confused in the last chapter about Steven: Steven is Katsuki’s pigeon who decided to live on his balcony in season 1! I forgot to mention that for those who started the series with S2, sorry!

- The broccoli thing is a reference to the first few chapters of season one! The story started with Katsuki sneaking broccoli pieces into Kirishima’s secret stash of unhealthy snacks. Y/N was the only one eating them. 😂

Likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated as always! Tell me your thoughts and feel free to ask questions! 💥

Taglist: @sixxze @iwannahaveaprettyaesthetic @hanatsuki-hime @cloroxisadelectabletreat @cheesenmax @coffeent @smolsleepybat

#bnha x reader #mha x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugou x self insert #bakugo x you #shenanigansbypurplepotato #bakugo x reader #bakugou katsuki #soft bakugou #dynamight x reader

[stars-of-kyber]

I do not know where this has come from but I do know that you’re probably one of the very few authors in this fandom that I know I could request to bring this to life and it’ll turn out better than my imagination.

Kate and Anthony have been together a while - they’re just getting to know about each other but one thing that Anthony doesn’t know is that Kate has dormant asthma which acts up during a stressful period and Anthony is there to witness it. He doesn’t know what to do or what’s going on, just that he is out of his mind looking at Kate going all blue in the face. I’ll leave the rest to you.

Would you please please please write it, my dear friend? Please???

You know they say flattery won't get you anywhere but with me, that's not true, complimenting me can get you very far lol

Thank you for the prompt! I love these random ideas that send me into an inspiration fit <3 and thank you for the comment I love it so much it makes me so happy you have NO idea.

You know what's funny? I've never mentioned any of this to anyone here bc it was years ago but my ex-boyfriend used to have severe asthma and one of the scariest situations in my entire life was the day his inhaler ended at work and he arrived at my house looking completely blue.

@chrissisheadisinclouds who asked for No 14 “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.” so I put the two together.

I have to thank @kateandanthonyaremyparents and @mimix007 for the help and support and comments I love you both so much. And to my ex who not only made me live those insane asthmatic partner experiences but has been answering my annoying asthma questions for the past three days bc of this story lol Thanks Adal, you're great!

Here is Breathe, I hope it was able to live up to your expectations.

Anthony's day was being hectic at best. His alarm didn't go off and when he'd woken up with Kate rolling out of bed to get ready for work, he was already supposed to be at the office for at least fifteen minutes. It was raining strongly outside and by the time he arrived at work, he was about an hour late. And to top it all off, thirty minutes after that, the lights went off. A fallen tree smashed some cables and the entire twenty-one floors of the commercial building went powerless, along with at least another eight around them. All employees were instructed to work at home and Anthony had to climb down fourteen flights of stairs to go back to where he shouldn't have left in the first place.

The rest of his morning had been mostly ordinary. He sat through an hours-long meeting that could have been an e-mail, answered stupid questions from people who didn't know how to do their own jobs and ate cold leftover pizza for lunch. 

It was around three in the afternoon when Newton, who had been napping quietly on his study sofa, lifted his head in surprise, listening to the click of the front door opening. 

Anthony stood, following the dog with a furrow of his eyebrow. Was Kate home early? He knew storms upset her and the wind was picking up, cracks of thunder rolling over the sky, making windows rattle, so she might have taken a half day, but she hadn't called or texted him about it. 

He knew something was wrong the moment his eyes landed on Kate. Newton had rushed to her, wiggling his chubby butt as he nuzzled her legs to get her attention but his girlfriend didn't bend to greet him as she usually did. Instead, she stood stock-still, her entire body resting heavily against the shut door, trembling softly. Her eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling too quickly, too harshly and her breathing was raggedy and rattling on her chest. 

Her lips were blue. 

"Kate?" She jumped at the sound of his voice, her eyes snapping open and falling on him. "Are you okay?" He could hear the worried hitch in his voice the same way he could hear the wheezing in her breath. She didn't answer, shaking her head, but she reached out for him as he approached, allowing him to wrap his arms safely around her shaking body. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Can't breathe." Kate croaked, trying to swallow a lungful of air. 

"Is it the storm? Are you having a panic attack?" His hands roamed nervously over her, trying to soothe and check for any injuries at the same time. Kate just shook her head again, her eyes turning wet as her breathing grew more and more raggedy. 

"Asthma." She whispered hoarsely. Anthony knew Kate had asthma, of course, he did, but only from the stories he heard from Mary and Edwina. His girlfriend never talked about it and in the year they've been together, two months of that year living in the same house, he'd never seen her have even a hint of what could look like a flare-up. He'd seen panic attacks and nightmares, but nothing that could indicate any difficulty breathing at all. 

The worst part is that Anthony had no idea what to do. 

He'd treated his fair share of allergy crises and strep infections. Rash and sunburns were easy. He could handle everything from scraped knees to broken bones and he had experience with how to deal with inebriation and hangovers. But none of his siblings had asthma. 

"Do you have an inhaler?" It was the only thing he knew about it, from years of films and shows about people using the little pumps whenever they felt any symptoms coming. Kate shook her head, tears streaming down her face. 

"Ended... A while back." She told him, her breathing worsening as the words came out, her bluish lips wobbling as tears ran down her face. "Didn't think I needed it anymore." 

"Okay..." Anthony's hands were trembling as they rubbed up and down his girlfriend's arms. " Hey, don't cry, alright? I'm here, I'm with you okay? Always. I'll figure it out, try to breathe as steadily as you can." 

"My chest hurts." She whispered brokenly, leaning her cheek at the palm that moved to cradle her face, closing her eyes. 

"I know love, but you need to calm down and save your breath, can you do that for me, sweetheart?" Kate nodded painfully, attempting to slow her breathing although the wheezing remained just as bad. "You're doing great, darling. Keep breathing in and out as slow as you can." Anthony guided her gently towards one of the sofas, Newton following on her heels. "Just sit here and try to breathe slowly alright? I'll be right back."

Kate just nodded, her hands burrowed deeply into Newton's fur as he climbed into her lap. 

Anthony took one last worried look at her before moving to the kitchen, fishing his phone out of his pocket. The first try went to voicemail after a minute of ringing and he dialed again. This time, after just three rings, the call connected. 

"Anthony, is everything alright?" Mary's voice was low on the other side of the line. He knew Kate's stepmother was working at the moment but if she hadn't picked up the phone, his next call would be directed to 999. 

"Oh thank God." He released all the air he had been holding back while the phone rang. "Mary, I need your help. Kate's... she's having an asthma... attack? Crisis? Flare? I don't know what it's called. She can't breathe and I don't know what to do." 

"Ok, Anthony, dear, listen to me. I need you to calm down."

"Calm down?! Mary, she's turning blue!" Anthony's voice was an octave higher than usual, his attempt at whispering turning into a squeak. 

"Listen, I know it’s scary, okay? By God, I really, really do." Kate's stepmother's voice was trembling slightly over the telephone. "But Kate's already nervous and she needs to be as tranquil as possible so you can't panic right now, yes?" 

"Yes, I... I know that. It's just..." He let the words trail out, unsure how to phrase them. 

"It's terrifying." His mother-in-law's voice was filled with sorrow and worry on the other side of the line as she spoke. "I used to sit next to her bed all night, watching her chest rise and fall after one of those crises."  

"What do I do, Mary?" 

"Does she have an inhaler?"

"No, she said she'd run out and didn't think she needed a refill." 

"Of course she did." He could see clearly in his mind the way Mary was most likely shaking her head with a sad little smile. "Make her a strong cup of tea." Anthony was already moving while she spoke, filling the electric kettle with fresh water before turning it on. "Caffeine has similar effects as the inhaler and it can help ease her shortness of breath. At least for a little while."

"Okay. Water's boiling. What else?" 

"Just keep her sitting up and focusing on her breathing. And some honey might help too if you have it." 

"And after the tea?" Anthony asked, opening and closing cupboards until he found the small half-used bottle of honey he kept for Hyacinth when she came over. 

"Once she's feeling a bit better, take her to the A&E to get proper medication." 

"Right." He stood in the silence of the kitchen for a few moments, watching the water begin to bubble over the glass and he only knew Mary was still on from the soft background noises coming through the speaker. "I didn't even know she had asthma... I mean, I heard it from you and Eddie but I... I thought it was treated or something... I never seen her have anything remotely similar to a crisis so I just assumed..."

"I don't think she'd had a crisis in a while, but I don't think Kate would have told me about it." Mary let out a tired little sigh. "She's always hated her asthma flares so much and she'd try to hide it from us until she could barely breathe. It was like those storms she was so afraid of as a girl. I think Kate tried to keep these things to herself so we don't worry about her or something like it." 

It was lucky the conversation was happening through the phone because Anthony would not have been able to look Kate's stepmother in the eye. Mary was not aware that Kate's deep-rooted horror of storms had not disappeared, but shifted as she had learned to hide her feelings better. Hell, Anthony only came to discover them by accident, when he decided to stop at her flat instead of trying to make it home in the rain only to find her curled up on the floor of her closet, her eyes glassy and her nose pressed to Newton's fur. He was quite certain that if he hadn't found her that day, Kate would have kept the fact from him for as long as she was humanly able. 

Yet he hadn't really told her about his blinding fear of bees and of not living past until it had been impossible to keep it from her without tossing their entire relationship away. He really couldn't judge her much without making himself a huge hypocrite. 

"I've got the honey." He told her, clutching the bottle to him with shaky hands. "I'll go give some to her while the tea is not ready." 

"You do that. Please keep me updated, I'll have my phone with me if you need anything."

"Will do." 

"And Anthony? You tell Kate she'd better have an inhaler on her the next time I see her." 

"Don't worry Mary." He told her honestly. If he had his way, there would be an asthma inhaler tied to Kate's work bag, one in each room of their house and perhaps one at his mother's and one at hers, just to be safe. "I've got it." 

Kate's breathing was even worse when he returned to the living room. She was making a strong effort to keep pulling air in and out slowly, but it didn't seem to be helping much. Her entire face was pale and drawn-out and her lips had turned completely blue. He was by her side in a flash, examining the bluish tips of her fingers and caressing her cheeks gently as she tried to inhale. 

"Here, take this." She opened her mouth to reply but he beat her to it. "Don't speak, you need to save your breath, okay? It's just honey and I'm making you some tea. Mary said it would help." Kate opened her mouth, this time to take the spoon he was offering her without any complaint and swallowed heavily but dutifully. "After you take the tea, we're going to the A&E, alright?" 

"No." Her voice was hoarse and you could hear the breathlessness behind it at the small word while her eyes filled with tears. 

"Katie, please, don't cry. Please," He begged, cupping her cheek in his palm. Anthony despised seeing her in any form of pain and he was terrified she'd stop breathing right there in front of him. The only reason he still hadn't dragged her into the car and to an emergency room, tea and honey and slow breathing be damned, was that he knew she'd hate him for it. But if she continued to get progressively more blue and her breathing continued to wheeze that way, he might just let her hate him, if it meant she'd be alright. "I know you don't like the hospital and you don't like having to go there, but you need to breathe, darling. It's kind of a requirement to keep living. How can I marry you if you stop?"

Kate closed her eyes to fight the tears, a little chuckle escaping her as she inhaled deeply. "You have to propose first." 

"Yeah, and I have the whole thing planned out, ring and everything." Anthony pressed his lips gently to her forehead, pushing her hair from her face. "But you need to have air in your lungs to say yes."  

The room was silent for a moment, devoid of any sound but Kate's harsh intakes of breath before she whispered, "Okay."

"Okay?" She nodded, letting her head fall forwards until their foreheads were touching. "Thank you, sweetheart." He mumbled, kissing her nose and then the corner of her lips. "I'm going to get your tea, alright?"

"Alright." With one last kiss to the top of her head, he got up. 

It was the fastest pot of tea Anthony'd ever made. Anthony was back at Kate's side with a steaming mug filled with strong tea in under a minute. 

As his girlfriend sipped, painfully at first, on the hot drink, the wheezing in her breath seemed to diminish until it was barely there, her plump lips recovering their colour bit by bit until very little blue was left on it. By the time the mug was empty, Kate looked almost like her normal self, abate for her chest rising and falling in measured deep breaths and the pained look written on her features. 

Anthony took the lilac ceramic mug from her hand and placed it on the centre table in front of them. Kate let herself fall against his side, looking drawn out and so very tired, her eyes closed as her entire body slumped into him. 

"Would you like to change before going to the A&E?" He offered, rubbing her back up and down in soft, gentle strokes. 

"No." Her reply was a husky whisper as she shook her head and Anthony could see the small bit of moist collecting in the corners of her closed eyes. He reached over, brushing the tears away before they could fully form. 

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry you have to go through this." 

"I hate it." Kate's little angry complaint was swallowed by the fabric of his shirt as she pressed her nose to it. "It sucks, I hate it, I... I thought it was over." Her voice broke over the last word and Anthony enveloped her in his arms, one of his hands reaching up to caress her hair as the other continued its soothing up-and-down motion on her back. "My chest hurts."

"I know, love. I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead again, inhaling the flowery smell of her hair, basking in the feeling of her, warm and alive next to him, of her chest rising and falling against his.  

"I don't want to have this." Kate sounded a little like a petulant child, angry and frustrated and Anthony deeply understood the feeling. He understood what was it like to feel as if you have no control over your own body, incapable of doing something that was supposed natural. When you needed your lungs, your limbs, your mind to do what they were made to do only to find them fighting you on every turn. It made you feel weak. It made you feel powerless. 

"I know you don't." He kissed the top of her head, saying the words into her hair. "And I know you don't like going to the hospital, but I need you to do this. If not for yourself, for me. I can't see you like this, darling." 

"I don't like the inhaler." 

"I get it, alright? I'll call Uncle Nick and Aunt Georgie and ask for a recommendation for a good pulmonologist. The best one in the country. I'm sure there must be some treatment for asthma so you won't have to use the inhaler in the future. I have a very good allergist too, I take all of my siblings to her to get tested every three years. We can schedule an appointment with her as well." He pulled back to be able to look at her face, his index finger trailing over her jaw in a soft caress. "But right now, I'm going to need you to go to the A&E so you can get medicated and properly breathing since we have established that it is sort of an essential part of life and all." 

"It's a bit important, yes." Kate laughed and the sound lifted the heavy weight that had settled over Anthony's chest since his eyes had fallen on her, breathless and wheezing this afternoon.

"And I'm going to have to insist you carry around an inhaler with you while we don't have a proper, safe treatment plan." Her nose wrinkled in distaste at his request that really was half an order, half a plea. "You scared the hell of out me, Kate." 

"It wasn't that bad." It was clear from the grimace that followed her words that she wasn't fooling even herself. 

"You looked blue, darling. Like that girl that chews gum in the Chocolate Factory movie that turns into a blueberry." 

"She turns purple," Kate’s tone might have been deadpan, but her teeth had sunk into her bottom lip and she was trying to keep her laughter at bay at the ridiculous discussion just as much as he was. 

"And you were one step away from looking purple. Plus, I could hear your wheezing from the hall. Newton heard it from the office with the door half-closed." The dog in question lifted his head from where it was resting on Kate's lap to nuzzle in her hand as if to agree with Anthony and his worries. "Please, Kate, for my sanity, if nothing else."

"I haven't had a bad crisis in a while." She told him, the hand that wasn't patting Newton's fun reaching out to his, enlacing their fingers together. 

"Hopefully, for both our sakes, you'll never have another one. But just in case, so I can have some peace of mind, knowing that I won't get home to find you passed out on the floor, blue-faced and unable to breathe." 

"You're very dramatic." She giggled, pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss. "You're going to spread inhalers around the entire house, aren't you?"

"Yes." Anthony wasn't ashamed to admit it and Kate knew him too well for him to even try and lie about it. 

"I'm sorry for scaring you." She whispered, pressing her cheek to his outstretched hand. 

"Don't be." He whispered back, kissing the tip of her nose. "Just let me take care of you." 

"You do. You take care of me very well." Kate spoke gently, nuzzling at his palm in a motion very similar to Newton's when he demanded pats. "It's the reason I love you so much. Well, one of them anyway." 

"And yet, you keep fighting every step of the way." He whined as his fingers carted upwards, threading to the lush dark locks of her hair and her eyes fell shut in bliss over the caress.

"I love you even more because you keep doing it despite me fighting you every step of the way."

"You'd probably have to kill me to make me stop." He couldn't help but smile at Kate's sweet little content sigh. "But you could, maybe... Not fight it so much? You don't even have to help, just... let me do it every once in a while."

"Pot, kettle, honey." She grinned smugly, her eyebrows raising up even if her eyes remained firmly shut before her entire face contorted in a big yawn. 

"Oh, no, Miss Sharma. You're not falling asleep on me here." Anthony stood quickly and Kate whimpered at the loss of him, her body falling down to the cushions slowly and a bit theatrically. He had his hands wrapped around her wrists before she could even lie down fully, tugging her to sit up. Newton let out a grumble of complaint when he lost his comfortable resting space. "We're going to the hospital before the tea effect ends and you start turning purple again."  

"It's raining a lot." She complained, sitting up with a pout. 

"Don't worry, the car is waterproof, I checked." When Kate was firmly on her two feet, he wrapped his arm around her waist, reaching out for the workbag she had abandoned by the door when she'd arrived and his wallet and keys without ever letting go of her. 

"I'm really tired."    

"The faster we're at the A&E, the faster we can return home. We can take a nap and order some food for dinner once we're back."

"Don't you have to work?" His girlfriend finally gave up on trying to convince him to let it go, allowing herself to melt into his embrace with a weary, drawn-out sigh as he walked them to the 

"Whatever I have to do can wait until tomorrow." It wasn't exactly a lie as much as Anthony barely remembered what he had to get done to work that day. Everything but making sure Kate was alive and well had fled his brain the moment she arrived home. Anthony was not a person to take days off for just any reason and the amount of overtime he had put up for the company greatly outweighed the amount of time off he'd gotten in the years he'd been working there. He was sure his boss would understand. 

"But...."

"Hush." He told her as he deposited her safely in the passenger seat, pressing a quick kiss to her pursed lips. "Everything else can wait. You're my priority. Always." 

#my writing #asks #bridgerton #my fic #kathony #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #modern au #Asthma AU #Medical emergencies #Kate has asthma #Protective Anthony

[twilightknight17]

Today on P3R, we’re technically covering three play sessions, because I didn’t have time to make a post before Katsucon. But a lot of that was Tartarus, so it’s not actually too much. ^_^

(Katsu pictures are coming at some point.)

Anyway, we’re off to Tartarus to train some and play with the new special attacks we got last time we were here! And get a little higher while we’re at it, so, let’s g--

Oh god oh fuck not you

It’s not the boss version, so it’s fine, but I didn’t think things showed up as enemies until after they were bosses???

The other reason we were in Tartarus was to get black quartz to trade to the guy in Escapade for a discount on fashion glasses. (Is there somewhere that will buy my gemstones? The police station won’t, and I get why, but like… I just have these.)

She looks very nice in those, actually.

Back at school, we’re still having a time. Odagiri of the student council has moved on to accusing the vice president over this one cigarette. And is not being diplomatic about it.

I’m gonna mess up his social link just because I keep not agreeing with him on these things. X’’’D

I’ve also met Keisuke Hiraga of the art club, who is a very good artist, but his dad is a doctor, so he’s also… Very Fussy. XDDDD

I can now hang out with my friends in the dorm, and I still think it’s weird that it calls them social links when I can’t start any of the girls’ links yet, and I can’t actually link with Junpei and Akihiko. I had tea with Mitsuru, though, and watched DVDs with Yukari, read manga with Junpei, and cooked with Akihiko. It’s nice! And some of them do give me stat boosts and items, so that’s cool.

I’m smooth now~

...well, shit. Here we go.

Minato’s theurgy skills are apparently the fusion spells, which you’re allowed to use even when you don’t have the actual personas with you, which is nice. The two I have so far are Orpheus and Apsaras’ Cadenza, and the Jack Bros doing a standup routine, which is cute.

I also got my first introduction to the Reaper. None of these floors really seem large enough to worry about it, so I think this appearance was scripted. Easy enough to get away from, though.

Nice.

Wait, what??? Can it do that??????

Once we found the missing girl, we escorted her back to the entrance, and I kept going til I found the next barrier floor. We’re done for now, so it’s time to go work on some more requests. Liz has a good one here. :D

I love that all the Velvet attendants have a soft spot for Jack Frost.

We also get our first intro to Koromaru!

Apparently he walks himself each day, since his owner at the shrine passed away. He stops for pets, but then carries on with his routine all on his own. He’s such a good dog. T_T

Ikutsuki drags us away from fussing over Koromaru to have a proper SEES meeting. He’s concluded that the Full Moon Shadows we’ve seen so far follow the Arcana from I to IV, and that there should theoretically be eight more, spanning from the Magician to Strength. And if we destroy them all, it will get rid of Tartarus and the Dark Hour, and we will have saved Iwatodai from Apathy Syndrome!

...they are us. There’s not much more we can say, Ikutsuki.

Yeah, let’s go to the mall after that seriousness. We can check out a new social link!

...oh yeah because this won’t go wrong.

School is still kicking my ass because this school is insane. But Junpei gets it, at least.

I can’t spend time with Fuuka unless my courage is badass-level, because apparently her food is just that scary. She wants me to be a badass, Mitsuru wants me to be a genius… Is Yukari gonna want a casanova or something? X’D

And even though Mitsuru wants me to be a genius, she called the police because she thought Junpei’s messy room meant someone had broken in.

And, as my last act before leaving for Katsu, these guys have made their first appearance, executing people in the Dark Hour based on requests on a revenge website. I don’t know how they wake people up from the coffins, but Tattoo Man over here is blasting people with a real gun, so that’s gonna be a problem~

.

[KATSU INTERMISSION]

.

I return from my convention, happy and optimistic, and school is immediately still full of bullshit. XD

You know, Keisuke, if you dad doesn’t want you to be an artist, and wants you to take over the hospital, why does he have fancy paintbrushes?

Anyway, Keisuke is about to win an art contest and gain the opportunity to study art abroad. And his dad is actually encouraging him to study abroad, so now he doesn’t know if he wants to do it because he doesn’t want to do what his dad wants. It’s kind of ridiculous, but the Fortune Arcana is all about choices, so… I guess.

We’re also off to fashion club to hang out with Bebe, who is actually surprisingly lovely despite being French. I appreciate his utter weeaboo enthusiasm. But… his aunt passed away unexpectedly, and he doesn’t know if his uncle will support letting him continue to study abroad. So not only is he upset that his aunt is gone, he also might have to leave the country he loves.

Neither were you, dude! It’s okay!

This is not quite NieR Automata levels of “everything is bad”, but things are pretty bad. I mean… people are just leaving the Lost laying on the sidewalks. :/

The Lost are the ones with Apathy Syndrome, but everyone else seems pretty apathetic, too.

I took Elizabeth to Iwatodai Station, and we had a lovely time.

The takoyaki lady can see her, which, don’t worry, ma’am. Just showing my weird cousin around. She won’t tell me what’s in the takoyaki instead of octopus, though, because apparently the knowledge would be detrimental. Which… okay, Liz. Thanks. That’s not worrisome at all.

When last I saw Maiko, she was planning to ask her parents why they were getting a divorce, in the hopes of being able to fix it. Which, not a great plan, but I couldn’t actually stop her. She wants to talk now, though, so we’ll see how that wen--

WHERE IS HE

Maybe we can throw them into Tartarus. Fucking hell. Maiko wants to run away from home so that her parents are forced to work together to find her, and I am NOT allowed to beg Mitsuru to let her stay at the dorm. This sucks so much. She wants me to keep her plan a secret, but good lord. This is going to go so badly.

I go home to stew on my thoughts and play computer games for babies to up my courage.

However that works. X’D

Lastly, I’ve reached my first choice that could potentially reverse a social link, I think?

We commit scandalous hand-holding, and it’s nice. Chihiro clearly has a crush on me, but I don’t know who I want to date, yet. OBVIOUSLY, I have my preference, but since my preference isn’t available, I dunno. Fuuka is nice. Mitsuru is… great, but also SO far out of my league. XDDD

Pharos came back for my one-week full moon reminder, so I guess that’s up next. They keep implying it’s gonna be the Lovers shadow, since couples are passing out and someone mentioned Shirakawa Boulevard, but I thought Hierophant was next.

Ah, well.

#Li plays P3Re #how are the French kid and the elementary schooler my favorite ''official'' social links

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Rewatch "The Vanishing of Will Byers" (Part 2 of 2)

Disclaimer: This is NOT a traditional review/analysis, but a collection of observations, brief commentary, favorite moments, and so on that I'm noting as I go through these episodes. All of these are just my opinions and/or theories, and can be subjected to change as the rewatch continues.

Observations:

I was under the assumption Brenner used food as a means of getting El to act the way he wanted her to, and would starve her as punishment if she dared to disobey him (hence Benny's comment here about El not being fed enough). This is the same guy who was willing to deprive Kali/Eight of sleep in Suspicious Minds when she refused to tell him something he wanted to know, so I wouldn't put anything past Brenner when it came to the abusive way he treated these kids.

It's hard to tell how much of El's behavior with Benny here is because she's having a hard time processing and understanding what's he's saying, if she's reluctant to trust him because he's the first person she's met outside of the lab, or if she's been conditioned so thoroughly by Brenner to not talk about who she is or what she does with other people who aren't him (or the Orderlies/Lab Staff) that she still can't overcome that mental block despite having escaped.

Also, major props to Benny for being the first adult to show El any kindness. I like to believe that when El killed Connie Frazier in the season finale, she was thinking of avenging Benny in that moment.

The idea of Lonnie dating girls who are underage (or that Joyce seems to think he would) is just.......🤢 🤮 As if this show didn't give enough reasons for why he's a loathsome creep. 😒

I'm curious if the dog was able to sense the presence of the Upside Down, or if it's continuing to bark at the shed because that was the last known location of Will and the Demogorgon. Or maybe he can sense that Will is there somehow, but not physically present, which is confusing him.

Canonically, from this conversation, this is the first time Mr. Clarke and Hopper introduce themselves to one another. They apparently had the same science teacher growing up (Ms. Ratliff), but never interacted with each other while going to school. Hopper explains his distaste for science that Mr. Clarke doesn't share. There's also the implication that social status during their school years played a part in why these two didn't interact prior to this point. Mr. Clarke would likely have been a nerd growing up, and dialogue indicates Hopper was a ladies man and likely popular during his heyday (similar to Steve).

Speaking of Steve.......

This entire interaction between Mike and Steve speaks for itself. 😂

RIP Benny Hammond. You deserved better! 😢

I've questioned the logic of Connie killing Benny, especially because of how it drew unwanted attention (especially from Hopper of all people) when that's likely the last thing Brenner and Hawkins Lab wanted. At this point, Benny was fully cooperating with Connie, and was about to give El to her since he believed Connie was from social services. There's nothing in his conversation with Connie prior to his death that would've made her suspicious that Benny saw something he shouldn't have, or that he believed there was something abnormal about El.

It's also notable that El doesn't run when she first sees Connie at the door with Benny. She runs AFTER Connie shoots Benny. That implies that Connie was someone El hadn't seen before, meaning Connie could have gotten El to come with her without fuss (and without arousing Benny's suspicions) and then later hand her over to Brenner before El realized what was happening. If Connie had been ordered to kill Benny just for seeing El and wanting to keep her existence a secret, then at the very least, she should have waited until after they had El in their custody so that she wouldn't be able to run away. Connie really screwed up here.

I love the song choice of "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane for the scene where El escapes Benny's restaurant. The lyrics to the song were inspired by the book Alice in Wonderland, and the natural curiosity Alice has when she explores Wonderland (similar to El's curiosity about the world outside of the lab). However, it was also about the type of drug-induced "trips" you take when you get high on psychedelics. Grace Slick, frontwoman for Jefferson Airplane, argued Alice in Wonderland contained metaphorical drug references, like the catepillar on a psychedelic mushroom smoking opium, or Alice eating something that causes her to become "too big for the room." The song itself was written and released in the 60s when psychedelics like LSD were being used, and those same psychedelics were taken by El's mom, Terry Ives, during the experiments she did at Hawkins Lab while pregnant with El. This factored into El obtaining the abilities she has. Symbolically, the song does a great job describing El's situation and how she came to be.

Another song choice I liked was "Africa" by Toto for the Steve and Nancy scene. There's always been a debate about what the lyrics mean (and from what I've heard, the band meant for the song to actually be about the continent of Africa rather than as just a metaphor), but when I first heard the song years ago, I interpreted it as about a man being enamored by a woman, anticipating the moment when they get together, and wanting it to be a special moment. Given Steve's interest (and flirtation) with Nancy in this scene, as well as his insistence to her that he doesn't just see her as another notch under his belt and is truly invested in her, both he (and Nancy) want it to be a special moment as well.

For the people who complained in S4 about how OOC it was for Joyce not to notice that Jonathan was high, they establish from the first episode that Joyce can get distracted when she has other stuff on her mind. Whether it's working to provide for the family, or trying to come up with a convincing cover-story for her kids so she can go to Russia to rescue Hopper. It doesn't mean she doesn't care for Jonathan or Will (not that I should have to say this to anyone who's been paying attention to this show).

Finally, this iconic moment still stands out after all these years:

The moment Mike claims he fell in love with El. And the moment where El met the first people she could truly call her friends.

On an unrelated note, today it rained, similar to how it rains in this episode. That detail is irrelevant to this discussion, but I thought it was a nice coincidence! :)

Thank you for reading my thoughts on the rewatch! :)

Coming Soon: Stranger Things Rewatch "The Weirdo on Maple Street."

#stranger things #stranger things day #stranger thing season 1 #the vanishing of will byers #stranger things rewatch #tgh opinions #tgh reviews #el hopper #benny hammond #martin brenner #connie frazier #joyce byers #lonnie byers #jim hopper #scott clarke #mike wheeler #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair

[nagito-kissmaeda]

if it isn't real, why does the sun still burn?

CHAPTER ONE: Rise and Shine CHAPTER TWO: i guess its all up to me now CHAPTER THREE: Predictably, everything gets worse CHAPTER FOUR: good morning CHAPTER FIVE: Something to eat CHAPTER SIX: a start CHAPTER SEVEN: the party don’t start ‘til CHAPTER EIGHT: your full hospitality CHAPTER NINE: visitation rights CHAPTER TEN: gamer girl moments

Summary : Like most people visiting this tag. You have always dreamed of meeting Nagito Komaeda for real, what you would do, what you would say? Things don’t go as planned.

AKA: Reader from our universe ends up in danganronpa and is just trying her best to keep everyone alive. and maybe to make komaeda kiss her.

Contains: she/her pronouns, canon typical violence ment Read on Ao3

Komaeda went back to acting like what he had done the day before never even happened.

He didn’t mention it once, not even when the two of you sat in near silence during dinner. You did appreciate that he thought to bring food from the dining hall and eat it with you instead of leaving you all alone. He made some comment about not being worthy to eat with the ultimates and that you are much more on his level. That was pretty par for the course with him though, and so not much of a concern.

You are growing restless, trapped in Komaeda’s cottage like this. You only have nine more days before your agreement with Komaeda comes to an end, at which point…well…he was going to kill you. He left the cottage earlier in the day, headed off with Togami to discuss something or other, you hope that he will tell you what when he comes back.

The couch starts feeling uncomfortable, so you stand up and start pacing back and forth, thoughts running a mile a minute.

When Komaeda kills you. You hope that he does it gently, kindly, maybe kisses you beforehand.

“If” you whisper to yourself, “If he kills me, not when.”

You huff aloud and dig through the bag of food that Hanamura left, grabbing a banana and taking an angry bite. Stress eating. Great. You had half expected a motive announcement this morning when Monokuma woke everyone up, but when nothing came, your anxieties only grew. There was no idea to know how things were progressing outside of the cottage if class 77B was changing their opinion of you or not.

There is a zit on your chin too. Which is just stellar.

A knock at the door has you freezing mid-step, Komaeda usually knocks before unlocking the door, but he is much more gentle about it.

Abandoning your banana on the coffee table, you step over to the door and open it just a crack, “Hello?” A bright pink eye peers back at you, “Uh…hey…am I botherin’ you?” Souda. The last time you were in a room together he cracked a wrench over your head. He whines like a sad dog when you don’t reply, “C’mon, please lemme talk to you. M’not gonna hit you again I promise.”

You huff and pull the door the rest of the way open. Souda is dithering on your doorstep, nervously playing with the zipper on his jumpsuit.

“Did you need something, Souda-san?” You ask.

He rubs the back of his neck and casts his eyes downward, avoiding your line of sight. You’ve always had a soft spot for Souda, he’s a dumbass, you like that about him.

“Yeah I uh…” he’s shifting nervously from foot to foot, “Look, can I just come in? I don’t wanna have this talk on your doorstep.” “Technically it’s Komaeda-san’s doorstep.” You say, “But I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you come in.”

This is true. Komaeda would have no problem with Souda coming inside, there wasn’t even any point in asking.

“Oh yeah…right…thanks.” He says, stepping past you and into the cottage. Once he is inside, you close the door and lean against it.

“So, are you ready to talk now?” He is in the middle of snooping around the room, but quickly spins to face you, “Yeah, sure, sorry I just uh-” He clears his throat and starts fiddling with his zipper again, “I just wanted to apologise, ya know? For knocking you out that one time.” He still isn't making eye contact, “We were all just really scared and stuff, like…fuck, that killing game business isn't a joke and we really thought-” You perk up a little at his words, “What made you change your mind if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Oh, yeah, uh- Mioda-san has this crazy hearing, and she told us all exactly what she heard that night. Something about you stopping Komaeda-san?” Your heart starts racing, worried that everyone else now knows what Komaeda was planning during the party.

“And yeah, Komaeda-san laughed kinda weird and said he was just falling over, and you caught him and that’s all.” Souda finally meets your gaze, but then his eyes quickly dart away again, “Togami-san said something about reexamining the scene from that night, ‘cause there was a knife, and even if you didn’t want to use it, someone did.” That must have been what Komaeda pulled Togami away for this morning. To ask for a reexamination. That’s concerning because even a little detective work will reveal Komaeda as the attempted murderer and that will just cause another uproar that you don’t need right now.

Since you don’t respond, Souda clears his throat, “Anyway, that’s why I came to apologise.”

“Thanks, Souda-san.” You say, smiling, “Things did get pretty scary that night, so I don't really blame you for what you did. Just don’t do it again, my head still hurts.”

He yelps, “Yep! That’s a promise.” God what a loser , you adore him, “Does this mean I can head back to my own cottage now? Since I’m not a suspect anymore?” Souda shrugs a shoulder, “M’not sure, that’s really up to Togami-san I think, he’s running the show these days.” He gives you a smile, showing off his pointed teeth, “I think you’ll be okay though, lot’sa people want to say sorry, I just got here first cause like- I’m the one who actually hit you.” You laugh a little, covering your mouth with your hand, “No hard feelings, I promise.”

“I’m glad. I didn’t want you thinking I’m some sorta asshole, the wrench is usually for fixing stuff, not hitting people.” He chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment and then turns a little pink, “Hey uh, since you’ve been locked up in here, you probably didn’t hear about it, but a bunch of the other girls are going to the beach tomorrow. If you want, you could probably join them.”

Huh. That’s weird. Technically the second island hasn't opened up yet, if it had Monomi would have announced it and you would have already run over there to unlock the way out, and yet the girls are still planning that beach trip. You suppose they are just going to the beach next to the hotel instead, but even still, it’s interesting that preplanned events are still happening.

“That sounds nice.” You reply, “I’ll need to get some sunscreen beforehand, but sure, I’ll go.” you give Souda a sly look and cross your arms, “How do you know about this trip though, Souda- kun? ”

He turns beet red and exclaims, “Mioda-san invited me I swear!” in a breathless panic.

You laugh again, “Either way, I guess I’ll see you there.” Provided nothing bad happens before then.

Komaeda comes back not long after Souda leaves, as usual, he knocks politely on the door to advise you of his return before letting himself in.

“Hey.” You say from where you are sitting on the couch, mindlessly farming in Stardew Valley, “Souda dropped by, everything went well with Togami-san, I take it?” Komaeda beams at you, gently shutting the door and kneeling beside the coffee table, “Remarkably well, though I should have known that someone as bright as the Ultimate Affluent Progeny would be amicable to a reexamination. Togami-san is a man of details, and I admire that.” Togami-san is hardly admirable, despite the long legs.

The real Togami-san, you mean. You would trust the Ultimate Imposter with your life.

“I guess I will start moving my things back tonight then, but I will still be able to count on your help, right?” Komaeda nods enthusiastically, “Yes, of course, I did promise, after all. Plus I can’t deny that I am interested to see where your path may lead us.”

“Thank you.” You say, and you really mean it.

Komaeda smiles at you, but just before he is able to reply, the monitor in the room comes to life.

The both of you freeze, and your heart is racing in your chest. Terrified

Monokuma begins to laugh, “Well, it looks like you lot are more boring than I thought and you were so close to getting the killing started too!”

You heave a sigh of relief, no one is dead.

“Annnnnnyway-” Monokuma continues, “Since you lot aren’t too keen on getting started I thought we would up the ante. Motive two, coming at’cha!”

Monokuma didn’t even need to finish the announcement before you were on your feet and out the door. Kicking up gravel as you skid at the exit of the hotel area and start running towards the central island. Komaeda is running behind you, trying his best to keep up. You have never been an athletic person, and if not for the adrenaline pumping through your veins you surely wouldn't be able to keep up this pace, Komaeda, on the other hand, is struggling.

You come to a stop at the bridge, turning around to see him doubled over, still a good 50 feet away. You cup your hands around your mouth and yell, “I need to keep going, are you okay?” Komaeda doesn’t lift his head but does give you a shaky thumbs up as he continues catching his breath.

“Okay! I’ll meet you at Jabberwock Park!” You replied, turning on your heel and continuing your mad dash over the bridge.

Your sandals aren't designed for running, and one of the buckles comes undone and gets caught in the slats of the bridge, miraculously, you don’t fall to the ground and you instead kick the shoe off and keep running. The gravel on the other side of the bridge is much less pleasant on your bare foot, but you don’t stop until you reach the park at the centre and all but collapse against the arcade machine.

It’s here , thank god .

A sob breaks free of your throat as you clutch tightly to the cool metal, legs wobbling beneath you as the strain of running that hard and that far finally catches up with you. You gulp in air, gratefully and much too fast, as you lift your head to start playing a hiccup escapes your throat and you huff irritably. You intend to take a few more seconds to catch your breath but are startled when the game boots automatically.

It has a splash from the game’s developer at the beginning, “MonokumSoft…ugh…of course.” you say rolling your eyes.

Then, the title screen, Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. Just like in the game.

You breathe a sigh of relief, glad that Monokuma doesn’t seem to have changed anything, even with your inclusion into the narrative. Luckily you know this part of the game back to front, and all you need to do is access the true ending before anyone else does, preventing even the acquisition of a motive.

You have little chance of beating someone like Pekoyama head-on, so preventing her from even trying is your best bet.

Another hiccup escapes you, just as you hit the start button on the game and are greeted with the familiar sight of the ominous lettering reading ‘2nd Day’. Luckily, Twilight Syndrome Murder Case has always been one of your favourite parts of SDR2, you’re secretly a huge fan of obscure Japanese horror games, and this part is not even subtle about the inspiration it takes from the Twilight Syndrome and Clock Tower IPs, so you have little effort grasping the controls and start moving your way through the story as quickly as possible.

Just as you finish Day Two and start working through Day Four, you are drawn away from the game by Komaeda’s wheezing breath when he finally stumbles into the park. You glance at him from the corner of your eye, his hair is windswept and messy, and there is a dusting of pink climbing up from his chest to his face.

He’s cute, but you knew that already.

“Apologies.” He wheezes, moving to stand beside you, chest still heaving, “You were remarkably fast” You hiccup again, “I’m not usually. Adrenaline helped.”

“I believe this is yours?” He says, holding out your lost shoe. You laugh and take it from him before dropping it on the ground and shoving your foot in, you would do the buckle up again later, “Yes, thank you.”

Komaeda hums to himself and then shuffles in a little closer so he can get a better look at the arcade cabinet. He smells a little sweaty, but it’s clean sweat so you don’t mind too much. Mostly you are just distracted by how close he is now, by how his arm subtly presses against yours.

Even though you know it is coming, you still jump a little when the words, “I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU” appear on the screen in blood. It makes you hiccup again, and Komaeda chuckles. “You’ve got the hiccups.” You wince, and go back to playing the game, “Yeah, sorry.”

“It’s cute.” He says, and you feel a rush of blood through your whole body, but Komaeda loves to tease, so he quickly changes the topic, “Did I miss anything important?” “O-Oh…like in the game?” “Aha, yes, of course in the game.” You give him a quick rundown of the events so far as you continue playing, eventually moving onto the final scene where Girl A steps into the classroom and encounters the body of Girl E. Sato.

“Oh.” Komaeda says, brows pinching when the words ‘game over’ appear on the screen, “Well, that was not quite the motive I expected.” he squints at the screen and it makes his nose scrunch a little. Your palms are getting sweaty, “There must be more than that- what does down five-” “Already on it.” You say, cutting him off and exiting back to the title screen before tilting the right joystick down five times. You’re in a rush, hoping to get the game finished and stash away the reward before anyone else even knows you have played.

Komaeda is the exception.

Komaeda is always the exception.

“Ah, as I thought.” Komaeda says when the title screen changes to read ‘truth edition’, “It seems this game has more to it.” You nod your head, “It has a motive, that’s for sure.”

As you go back and play through the previously missing Day One, Komaeda nudges you with his shoulder.

“You’re surprisingly good at games for a talentless person.”

“Hm?” You say looking up from the game for just a moment “Oh, no, I just know what do to. Foresight, remember?”

Komaeda moves even closer to you, so close that you can feel his chest pressed against your back. You hold your breath as he leans forward, watching curiously as you help the girls on screen examine the crime scene, he is a lot taller than you are, so to get a better look at the screen, he rests his chin on your shoulder.

Your hands stiffen, and your heart nearly stops. Why does he keep doing this? Why does he just keep toying with you?

“Have you looked at the fish tank, yet?” He says.

You blink a few times, only just realising that you had stopped playing the game, “N-No, I’m just getting to it now. Then we just have a little more exposition before we jump to day three.” You feel Komaeda nod, the two of you watching as the end of Day one plays out and then day three begins.

“Hah.” Komaeda says, “Just as you said.” He inclines his head a little so he can look at you, and you swallow nervously, “If you were the ultimate clairvoyant and had lied about being talentless, you wouldn't hide that from me would you?”

You laugh, “the ultimate clairvoyant role is already taken, I’m surprised you don't know that.” His brow furrows, “Well, Monokuma did say our school memories were erased. Did they attend school with us?” Ah. You think. Fuck. Stupid Idiot. Shit. Fuck. Of course, he doesn’t remember.

“Uh.”

Komaeda smiles, “You can tell me.” God, when he looks at you like that, you want to tell him everything , “In the class below you.” You say quickly, “Please don’t ask me how I know, I just…I just do.” He chuckles again, “And that isn’t a talent?”

“Nah.” You reply, moving Guy F over to the furnace to examine the photos left behind by Girl E, “It’s not like an ability that I’ve had forever or a talent that I’ve honed, it’s just uh…happenstance, I guess?” You sigh, “either way, you can keep treating me like a nobody. No need to kneel before me or anything aha, I’m still talentless.”

“Hm. You didn’t seem to mind when I did it before.”

“Did what?”

“Knelt before you.”

Your cheeks burned bright red and you choked on any words you could have said.

Luckily, the game finally comes to a close before you have time to get more embarrassed. Komaeda and yourself watch the credits roll past in silence, and when it reaches the cast section, he hums to himself. With his chin resting on your shoulder, you can feel the vibration from his throat. It makes you sweat.

“So the characters in this game were some of our classmates here.” “Yes.” You reply.

“Kuzuryu-san has a sister?” “Had.” You reply

Komaeda giggles, “Yes, I support had is more appropriate.” Komaeda reaches around you to grab the joystick himself, effectively wrapping a skinny arm around your waist. He uses the joystick to reverse the credits roll so he can get a better look at the cast listings, “Ah. I think I have figured it out. That was a selfless act that Sato-san performed for Koizumi-san, I’m disappointed that she wasn’t more appreciative, her talent would only shine brighter without obstacles.” He sighs, “For a talentless person to attempt rising above their station by harassing an ultimate, well, I suppose she deserved her fate.”

There it is. You think. The reminder you so often need that Komaeda is not an uwu softboy. You shrug your shoulder, forcing him to stop leaning on you.

“That's a fucked up thing to say, Komaeda-san.”

Before he can reply, you are both distracted by the arcade machine letting out a little fanfare and dispensing a manilla folder from a small drawer under the control panel. You drop to a crouch and pull out the folder, eyebrows tugging together when you notice something else in there too, a small envelope. “Huh.” You say out loud and Komaeda drops down next to you. “You sound surprised.” He grins, “That doesn’t happen often.” You quickly tuck the envelope in your pocket before he notices you have it and produce the folder with a smile, “It just uh- bigger, than I thought it would be.” You say quickly.

Komaeda doesn’t quite seem to buy it, he gives you a saccharine smile but otherwise decides not to pry.

For now , you think.

“So, what did we win?” He asks, practically vibrating with excitement as you pull the folder open and shake out the photos. Four, as expected. You pass three of them over to Komaeda for him to examine himself, but continue clutching the one of Natsumi in your hand.

You realise just how much Natsumi looks like her brother. The blonde hair, the pink cheeks. Looking closer you can even see a small spattering of freckles across her nose.

You swallow. Unlike everyone here with you in the Neo World Program, Natsumi is dead and isn’t coming back. There is nothing you can do for her.

Passing the photo over to Komaeda, you are filled with resolve. Because you can save Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama. That much you can do.

“Now what?” He asks, smiling loosely, “We have the motive, what is next?” You smile back, a little uneasily, “I’ll need you to head back to the cottage.” You give him the empty folder and he quickly puts the photos back inside, “Hide these somewhere. I need to stay here and talk to whoever comes by next.” “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Komaeda asks.

You adjust yourself to sit on the ground with your legs stretched out in front of you, back leaning up against the arcade cabinet, “Yes. I’ll be fine. Do you promise to hide the photos? Remember our agreement?” He nods, “Of course, you have another nine days.” He shakes the folder and you hear the photos moving around inside, “Until then, these are our secret.” Christ, your whole body flushes at the words ‘our secret’. Our secret. Just the two of you.

Komaeda turns on his heel and starts heading back to the first island, his long coat fluttering in the breeze.

You bury your face in your hands.

This is going to be a long day.

#i never got around to uploading this here lol sorry #komaeda x reader #nagito x reader #nagito komaeda x reader #danganronpa x reader #isekai

[luimagines]

( Mafia imagine: cake & met shadow queen)

When warrior heard that the shadow queen is here he go to get wild and enter the kitchen and see eight different cakes as warrior look to wild just as wild done making the eight cake.

Warrior: wild?! The hell! I say one cake not eight!

Wild: I um...panic..

Warrior: how?! Never mind that come shadow queen here and we need to greet her now.

Warrior grab wild and they quickly head to the main floor were the rest of the chain are with the shadow queen and they all act like everything normal and they don't have a eight year old child somewhere in the base.

Time does his normal greeting the shadow queen and talk but the main door open by wolfie and he shake his fur of the dirty as the chain held their breath, they forgot about the child's wolf.

Shadow queen: oh a wolf. I didn't know you have a wolf of *country of choice* link. Were did you get this rare wolf?

Time: my boys found it in some woods. Nothing to-

Wolfie walk over to the shadow queen and woof to her to cut time off as the boys try to think of a way but they see the shadow queen knee down to pet wolfie and wolfie let her til her hand touch the wolfie body leash and she notice it's designed of a service dog for blind people.

Shadow queen: link. We're is this wolf owner?

Time try not look nervous or anything to show that so he explained that the wolf owner-

Shadow queen get up and lift her glove hand to use her ability and allow her magic to move through the base to find the wolf owner as hyrule shaking lightly that possibly shell find blind and sadly he's right. There a dark portal and she reach her hands through it and gently pull out the blind child as they rub their eyes since their still sleepy and hyrule fainted and the chain are on edge as the shadow queen ability faint away.

Shadow queen: hello there little one, sorry for waking you up but who are you?

Blind blink their blind eyes still sleepy but hear this pretty lady voice.

Blind: hello I'm *name of choice* big brother sky and big brother hyrule say it's okay for me to nap and your voice sound pretty. Oh have you seen my puppy wolfie?

Wolfie woof from under them and the shadow queen place the child down so the wolf can nuzzle to the blind child.

Shadow queen: I see..

She glance to the chain with a look and time knows she'll have a word with them but the child gently tag on the shadow queen pants leg draw her attention.

Blind: are you here to celebrate with us?

Shadow queen: oh celebration on what you sweet thing?

Blind: I turn eight yesterday.

Now the shadow queen smile and the chain don't know if they should be thankful or in danger but the sleepy child in shadow queen arms so they'll nap on her.

@thesoftieanon

Time fights the urge to growl. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, unhand my child."

The child tilts their head and puts their hand n the Shadow Queen's arm. "...Your Majesty?"

"We just call her that sometimes." Legend helps Hyrule sit up and get into a propter chair. "That's the Shadow Queen."

The child freezes and takes a half step away. "O-oh..." They bow awkwardly. "How do you do, your majesty?"

#pinky replies #blind child #mafia! chain #in a different world The Shadow Queen is the child's mother #kidnapped by their father #who happened to be on the chain's list due to a hidden alias #so the child falls into the chain's care after a mission gone wrong and they find them #then begins the Time x Shadow Queen timeline #it is very sweet

[aurora567]

Little Mouse Ch. 17

Warnings this fic will contain mature themes. Such as but not limited to teasing, kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome, very unhealthy relationships, some elements of non-con/rape, threesomes, drug use, breath play, voyeurism, branding, sex.

Summery: Rin meets some of some of the eight bullets and most importantly she meets Eri.

Word Count: 6231

Last Chapter Next Chapter

Well not one part of that conversation had gone the way Rin anticipated for it to. And oddly, she found Overhaul a harder person to understand, he confused her all the more as she talked with him. Like he came himself to try and sooth her? Okay sure she was acting like a spoiled kid but still. The head of the Yakuza surely wouldn’t come talk with some random woman just to try and be polite. He didn’t strike her as that kind of person to put others above himself. No he did it to try and gain something. But what? Surely he wouldn’t tell her if she asked. He made it clear already he only answered her questions that he wanted to answer and ignored the others.

“Well I’m sure you're a busy man with being such a young head of a Yakuza group. I think I’ve taken up enough of your time,” that was her professional voice and way of telling him to leave. The few short months she spend working at the hospital had taught her very quickly how to remain sounding calm and professional while telling people to fuck off. And she did not hesitate to use that skill now while talking with the man in front of her.

And apparently that tone of voice did not go unnoticed by Overhaul as Rin watched his eyes squint a little at her. His lips pressed together and he seemed to be trying very hard not to just snap at her.

“Fine, I will leave. But I expect this childish behaviour of yours to end. Dinner will be brought up within the hour. If you do not wish to see me a second time tonight I would suggest you eat,” his voice was calm and cold as he glared at her with those bright gold eyes of his.

“Fine. But remember Overhaul remove the camera from my room or I’ll do it myself and you will not have working cameras any more,” she growled, refusing to back down. Which in turn stirred a number of different feelings within Kai as he watched the woman stand before him and cross her arms over her chest. No one ever threatened him. His natural reaction was to lash out. But he had no desire to actually hurt her, which also irritated him. What was it with this annoying woman that drew him into her? He had to know the answer.

“Do whatever you wish after all as I have said before you are not a prisoner. You're here as a loyal dog to Shigaraki. Just remember if you leave I no longer have to hold up my end of the deal,” was the threat he gave before he turned and left the room not allowing her to say anything to the rude comment or the threat.

She felt like ripping her hair out as her fingers roughly ran through her hair and over her scalp as she growled to herself. What an asshole. She almost wanted to chase after him and chew his ass out. First off she was no one's dog, there was nothing stopping her from walking out that door and through Overhaul's little secret base and out into the world. Actually now that she paused for a second there really was no reason for her not to leave. She could leave Overhaul and Shigaraki behind. Return home, pack her bags and just leave the country. Why not? What was keeping her in this hell hole?

She almost didn’t even realize she had reached for the door handle before she found herself pausing. Leaving would mean she wouldn’t see Dabi again. Not Toga, Twice or Mr. Compress. Why did that thought make her hesitate so much? Why did that thought make her chest hurt? Dragging her feet she moved over to throw herself onto the bed face first with a groan. Overhaul was right, she was a loyal dog after all. She wouldn’t be able to bring herself to leave and disappoint those she valued. Though when in the world did she become attached to a bunch of villains?

Ugh all these confusing feelings were making her head hurt and her chest ache at the reminder she couldn’t see any of them any time soon. She wondered if Dabi was even aware that for the last twenty four hours she had been gone. Did he know? Or better yet did he care? She could just imagine him shrugging his shoulders at Kurogiri for informing him that she had left under orders of Shigaraki to deal with keeping Overhaul happy. Hmmm sent from one man child to the next, she really was starting to feel like a full time babysitter.

The red head remained face down across the bed till a simple knock informed her that her dinner had arrived. Slowly she forced herself to crawl off of the bed to turn around in time to watch Chrono’s take the cart of old food out. The smell of warm fresh food had her mouth water and her stomach angerly growling at her. There was no way she was going to let this meal go to waist as her stomach demanded food. Still she was reluctant as she walked over to see what was on her menu for food. Rice and curry was what greeted her as she looked down at the dishes on the cart. It smelled like heaven as she grabbed the plate and started to dig into the meal. Not over the top spicy but it still had a nice flavour and bite to it. Might not have been a five star meal but it was still incredibly good.

Once she had emptied the plate she walked back over to sit down on the bed with a nice sigh feeling much better than she had all day long. Still she felt restless, or maybe it was just boredom that she was feeling? Either way she had no idea what to do with herself now that she wasn’t pacing or stuck in her own mind.

She found herself glancing over at the door. It wasn’t locked, never had been. She was willingly staying in the bedroom like a caged bird. Sure Chrono’s told her not to leave but if they truly didn’t want her to go walk around they would have locked the door. Right?

Now it was curiosity that drove her to get up and walk towards the door. Well the door knob didn’t burn or electrocute her so she took that as a good sign when she turned it and slowly opened the door before ever so carefully poking her head into the hallway. Of course it was empty just like when she was brought to the room. She gave it a solid minute before she slowly stepped out into the hallway. Well no one had come to stop her so then she must be allowed to leave the room. Now to head left or right? She completely wasn’t sure which way to go but after a second of thought she figured she didn’t want to go back the way she came. So instead she headed to the left and continued down the hall figuring she may as well try and explore the place. Though trying to remember the way she came from was going to be a problem. But oh well that was a concern for later.

Hall after hall were all white, nothing changed they all seemed to be so similar. The odd doors were all that lined the walls. Her sneakers squealed softly against the tiled floor beneath her as she walked. That noise filled her ears as it was the only thing that broke the heavy silence. It was surprising she had not encountered anyone yet. It felt kind of odd. It was a group right? So there had to be a number of people who worked for Overhaul besides the two she had met earlier. How many men had there been when she first encountered the group? She couldn’t remember everything that had happened as she had turned her attention to Compress. But still did the entire gang just hide in one of the rooms she never looked into?

Finally the heavy silence was broken with what sounded like talking? Was it people or a tv? She wasn’t sure but she was silently very happy to learn that the building wasn’t some weird abandoned place. Letting her ears lead the way she wove through the empty hauls till she came to an area with a large archway entry. It almost looked like a living room. A tv sat along one wall while a large couch and a few smaller ones sat across from the tv.

Apparently those sitting in the room had not noticed her enter as she stood in the archway. Some extreme boxing match or something of that nature was on the tv, the two men sitting in the room bickered softly over said choice of the tv channel. They must have either felt completely comfortable that the place was safe or that they could beat anyone who attempted to attack them if they had not noticed her step into the room. Ugh she hated how her mind was starting to work, she was growing oddly paranoid for someone who wasn’t actually running from anyone. But still she was learning first hand what happened in the shadows and how quick or easily someone may want to try and kill you.

Both men seemed rather tall even though they were sitting down. The one had long shaggy light brown hair the other sported shorter spiked blonde hair. Almost reminded her of that school kid Shiggy kidnapped. But the hair was shorter and a slightly different shade not nearly as light.

“Are you going to continue standing there or join us?” The question came from the blonde; it was clearly not aimed at the man sitting beside him.

“What the hell?” The big man asked before turning his head at the blonde before cranking it further back to look at her. A plague mask just like Overhaul was wearing when she first met him though maybe not as decorated as this one just seemed solid black and large enough to cover his entire face.

“I was simply curious to see if I would be noticed. For Overhauls lacky I expected you to notice me sooner,” she said softly with a soft shrug of her shoulders as if she possessed some sort of new found bravery, or stupidity she wasn’t sure yet.

“I noticed you right away. But what’s a girl going to do?” Was the blonde insinuating she was weak? Yes yes he was. That had her lips press together unimpressed with his assumption.

“Why the hell did Overhaul bring some weak woman in?” The large brute of a man asked. She assumed it was a question meant for his blonde companion but still she snapped at him.

“You really shouldn’t assume someone’s weak just cause they are a woman,” she growled at the brunette. Which in turn just had him burst out in a hearty laugh. Was he mocking her? He must have been. Her glare became more intense as she watched him as he calmed down.

“Fine then prove to me you're strong,” he encouraged her as he stood up, actually turning to face her. Well fuck he was a hell of a lot taller and wider than she had first thought while sitting down. She almost cried out that she's a healer not a warrior. Damn she was really starting to sound like Shiggy.

“I’m not so stupid as to pick a fight I couldn’t win. You are not only taller and wider but I am aware you're stronger than me. I’m also unaware of your quirk. But based on the build of your body it’s most likely a close combat combatable quirk. Which would already put me at a disadvantage,” she said simply as she watched the man walk up to her. She literally had to crank her neck at a weird angle to look up at him.

“So you're weak and scared,” he said simply, still just completely irritating her. Which had her nearly snarl at the man. Clearly he was not the brightest light bulb in the room.

“Rappa. If you hurt her, master Overhaul will be very mad with you,” the blonde was quick to warn his large friend about how his actions may bring on the wrath of their leader. Though hearing that warning only seemed to excite the large man before her.

“Maybe he will fight me again then,” the brunette called out before attempting to reach out and grab her. His large arm had been aimed to sweep her waist up and toss her over his shoulder. But Rin had been quick to jump away having been expecting him to lash out much earlier.

“I’m a doctor not a fighter. And I was sent here on Shigaraki’s orders. Fighting with you would bring shame to Shigaraki,” she said, trying her hardest to backpedal her way out of this fight.

“Come Rappa you would win that fight without any effort. You heard the woman, she is smarter than you but not stronger. You would find it too boring fighting her,” the blonde said, trying to coax the big fella back to his spot on the couch where they had been before she had interrupted them. Though a sudden idea did come to her. If the man was accustomed to fighting close combat he may make a good training partner. If he didn’t kill her first at least.

She slowly followed the two before taking a seat at a completely different couch before once again looking at the tv taking in the sport channel they were apparently on.

“Let me guess the big guy picked the tv station?” She asked with a glance at the blonde man. Who simply nodded his head.

“I guess I should introduce myself since I’m probably gonna be stuck here for a while. Rin Nakano,” she said with a bow of her head as both men looked at her a little oddly. What? Was it the fact she had chosen to join them? Cuase fuck watching guys beat the shit out of each other was still better than staying in her room. Or was it the fact she was trying to be polite now?

“He is Kendo Rappa, and I am Hekiji Tengia,” the blonde said, introducing both of them. Now she took a moment to take them both in. The blonde was dressed rather traditionally for this day and age. It seemed rare to see people casually wearing yukata and geta on their feet. Though his closed eyed gaze was oddly off putting. Maybe he was the most dangerous one out of the two. Sure Rappa seemed strong but he was stupid. For all she knew he could just swing those large fists wildly and have no real strategies which would be harder to predict but as long as she avoided being hit she could out think him. But the blonde was clearly smarter. And that could be even more dangerous.

Rappa no longer seemed interested in her as he was zoned in on the fight going on on the tv. And so Rin let the conversation die not really caring if she attempted to carry on. These were not her friends or comrades. But still some human interaction was good for her. This was still better than being stuck in her bedroom doing shit all. So she would suck it up and watch the match. Though it became very apparent quickly that Rappa was far more entertaining to watch than the actual fight itself. The man got so worked up watching the match. And it was clear he had actual training for the sport. He clearly knew the rules, criticized the fighters and bitched about how they can’t fight to the death. Great another person with a few screws loose. Though this one you may actually hear rattling if you shook his head.

“You seem to know a lot about the sport. Are you a really big fan?” She asked simply, trying to look as innocent as possible as she softly tilted her head and smiled at the man. Though she was kind of digging for information. But this was actually something she wanted to know for herself. Some boxing training may not be bad for her. Though Rin was completely unaware of how shocked and mildly flustered the man became by her question and the look she gave him thanks to the mask he was wearing covering his entire face. Though that trick didn’t work as well on the blonde as he remained quite, simply watching her closely.

“I used to fight in an underground ring. Less rules and regulations. But it wasn’t as fun as I had wanted. I was too strong, could never let loose with my quirk,” yep that answered the questions she had. So he was indeed much stronger than herself. Though it was still a vague enough answer to not tell her what his quirk was, which she did want to know.

“Ah, that makes sense. You sounded too passionate to be just a regular fan. I figured you must have had some level of experience in the sport,” she said simply, still forcing the charming look over at the man. The blonde man though seemed stiff and had oddly remained quiet. He clearly didn’t trust her, though she didn’t trust him. Seemed they shared that mutual mistrust of each other at least.

And so that’s how she spent her evening watching between sports matches and Rappa’s excitement and energy. It wasn’t till she let out a yawn and stretched as she stood up that both men followed her to their feet. Which had the woman raise an eyebrow at them.

“You should head back to your room for the night. We can show you the way back,” the blonde said, answering her unasked questions since it seemed he was the only one who had noticed it.

“That would be nice. Cause to be honest I have no clue where I even am. I’ve only been here a day,” she said, falling into step behind the two men allowing them to lead the way through the wide halls back to her room. To which both left her without a word before retreating back down the hall.

“Well that went better than she expected,” she hummed to herself as she walked into the room. Locked off her pants she had been wearing and crawled into bed. Not like it mattered if Overhaul caught a quick peek at her panties. The man had fucking bought them he knew exactly what she was wearing surely. Once in bed her bra quickly joined the pants before she happily relaxed curling up in the warm sheets and letting her mind go blank as sleep took over.

The next morning Rin was woken by the knocking at her door before Chrono’s wheeled the food cart into her room. Ugh it felt too early for her to be getting up but the smell of food was too enticing. With half lid eyes and messy red hair Rin sat up turning a glare at the man who didn’t say a word before he turned and left her room closing the door behind him. Of course the man didn’t say a word to her just left the food and got the fuck out of her room as if she was some diseased ridden rat.

Even those two men she had met the night before had talked to her more than Chrono’s had in the last few days she has spent as their captive or guest as overhaul would correct her. Though she still felt like she had no say in any of this. But hey at least she wasn’t eating cold microwaveable meals. Thinking about food had her stomach growl as she wrapped the blankets around her as the clothes she had been wearing the other day sat on the floor by the bed. Everything but the panties she wore as she stripped them off once under the safety of the blankets from any prying eyes. Rin had completely grown accustomed to sleeping naked lately since clothes were not worth the hassle of putting on when she slept as Dabi would rip them off before she fell asleep and often once he was awake too.

But having to hide under the blanket was annoying as she grabbed the cart and pulled it over towards the bed and sat down to start digging into the large array of food and options. Some are traditional Japanese breakfast options, but then there was a plate of pancakes also available. It almost seemed like whoever was cooking her meals had no idea what to make her to keep her happy and so just made a ton of options. The pancakes looked good as she dug into them. Though a lot sweeter than she would typically eat for breakfast it was still nice for a change. Though it still didn’t sit well with her being watched. So of course as she ate the food her left hand raised up and out of the blankets as her middle finger on its own rose up alone. She was sure the man was watching to see if she would eat her breakfast and what she was eating. So she was sure that he was getting an eye full of her flipping him off. She could only hope it pissed him off.

Hmm maybe that is how she would spend her morning after eating. She ate a bit of almost everything before getting up off the bed. Still in the blanket she walked to the closet before finally deciding on a simply grey t-shirt and dark grey shorts. Seemed better than all the annoying looking dresses in the closet. Now that she was dressed she started to hunt along the walls and every corner. She was well aware cameras nowadays could be made incredibly tiny, which was going to make it hard looking for them by hand. But still she had to try as she hunted every inch of the room for a camera of some sort. Of course to her dismay she came up empty handed. Still she wouldn’t let it go, there had to be cameras or else Overhaul would have surely rebutted her claim at him watching her. But instead he admitted the compound was covered in cameras.

But she was just working herself into a sour mood as she growled unhappy at coming up empty handed on her search for the hidden cameras in her room. So what does the angry woman decide to do? Leave her room and hunt down Overhaul wanting to find him and once again she’s his ass out for watching her. Damn it she wanted privacy and the freedom to sleep naked without fear.

Turning the way which Chrono’s had brought her down she tried to remember the path they had taken the night she arrived and where the office room Overhaul had used was. After all, it seemed like that room was actually used. Though finding said room proved to be a bit more difficult than she expected as she aimlessly roamed the halls.

Maybe Lady Luck was on her side finally as she turned a corner and spotted the man she had been on the hunt for walking down the hall. She had not even noticed the man and child behind him as she simply stormed towards him.

“Overhaul we need to have a word,” she growled as she stormed up towards him before pausing as she finally noticed the man in a white coat with a plague mask sitting over his face hiding his identity. She paused and arched an eyebrow before she spotted the young girl. She looked no older than six, her arms and legs bandaged up and she seemed to be wearing a dress that didn’t look like it was much more than a potato sack. Chisaki was watching her reaction and quickly noticed the way the woman softened up and looked almost concerned for the kid in his man’s arms.

“Who’s the kid?” She asked as she stepped past Chisaki towards the poor idiot holding the kid, which had turned out to be Chrono’s but she was unaware of that. This seemed to draw the girl’s eyes over to look at the red headed woman. Or maybe it was the fact that the man holding her had stopped walking that had the scared looking girl blinking tear filled eyes over at the woman.

“Eri. But now is not the time Rin,” Chisaki growled, warning the woman but that wouldn’t stop her. An odd motherly instinct seemed to kick in as the woman stepped past Overhaul and towards Chrono’s who held the crying child.

So this was Eri? This was the kid Overhaul had said he wanted her to babysit. It was a young scared kid. But where the hell did he get a kid? Then again Rin truly feared the answer to that question.

“I’m here because you wanted a babysitter. Now hand over the kid,” she snapped at the dark haired man which had his eyes become slits as he glared at her. Poor Chrono’s was looking back and forth between them. Unsure if he should just hand over the child. And yet when he didn’t the glare he received was almost enough to make the man feel uneasy. His eyes darted back and forth though Rin couldn’t see it. And yet when she still demanded the child in her own arms she listened as Overhaul sighed before nodding his head at Chrono’s who slowly and hesitantly handed over the crying child.

“If you need us Overhaul I’m sure you’ll be able to come find us,” she growled before holding the poor child to her chest and turning on her heel to walk away from the two men leaving them standing in the hall watching her as she silently walked away.

“Why do you put up with her insubordination? The woman has no manners…” Chrono’s was complaining before Chisaki snapped at him mid sentence not having the patients any more to deal with the man’s complaint.

“Enough Chrono’s. What I decide to do about the woman is none of your concern!” Chisaki growled at the man who was one of a few people he would consider a friend. Which in turn had the man bowing his head at Chisaki.

“Sorry, please forgive me Overhaul,” Chrono said quickly as he bowed low to the head of the Shie Hassaikai. Chisaki didn’t say a word for the apology and instead turned to head back down the hall as he had been doing before the interruption. He felt the need to go for a bath needing to wash away the disgusting germs that felt to cling to his skin.

Rin headed back towards her bedroom not saying a word as she carried the poor child who didn’t say a word as her face was buried into Rin’s shirt. Trying to put as much space between herself and Overhaul before she tried to talk to the kid. Victims will almost never openly talk in front of their captures. Was it some motherly instinct kicked in or was this her hero training that kicked in as she fought the urge to run off with the kid in her arms. But that would not go over well, clearly the kid was important for something. But what? Rin didn’t have a clue but maybe she could find out from the poor kid in her arms.

Once the hallway became empty and no one seemed to be chasing her so she slowed down her quick pace looking down at the poor girl.

“Your name is Eri right?” Rin asked softly as she looked down at the girl hoping for an answer. Which she did get as the slightest bit of a head nod.

“That’s a very cute name. My name is Rin,” she said, her voice still nice and soft hoping to be able to coax the kid from her scared little shell.

“I’m going to be babysitting you for a bit,” she said after a second of silence as it seemed the poor thing was still scared. Her hands had tightly gripped at Rin’s shirt. Maybe it was her hero training that finally kicked into overdrive or some weird motherly instinct but she couldn’t in her right mind let the kid go. Her own arms tightened their grip softly on her.

“As long as I have you no harm will come to you,” she said softly as she felt the small body in her arms shake. Now where was her room? As much as she didn’t like the thought of locking herself away it was still the closest thing to safe space she had.

Finally finding the door she had left open so she knew it would be hers she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her softly before walking over and sitting down on the bed cradling the small body against her. Her right hand moved up to softly start petting the girl's hair trying to sooth her silent crying. Rin simply chose to try and wait for the girl to calm down on her own, unsure if talking in that moment would do her any good.

Finally her breathing evened out, her small body stopped shaking. Though the tiny hands never let go of her shirt. But still it was an improvement since she had nearly ripped the girl from Chrono’s arms.

“No,” the soft little angelic voice whispered which broke the silence as Rin’s hand paused before it continued to stroke the girl's long soft hair.

“No what? Eri?” She asked softly, unsure what the girl was talking about.

“No you’re not safe around me. Bad things happen to people,” The poor child cried which in turn just had the red haired woman hugging her even closer.

“Don’t worry Eri nothing bad will happen. I’ll be extra careful,” She whispered into the girl’s hair as she tried to soothe the crying child. Still, what did the kid mean? Was this a warning about Overhaul? If he was keeping the kid as a prison she must have been important to him for some reason. But what? Or why was she important? Did Overhaul kill anyone who tried to protect the girl or take her? Probably which meant she was going to need to be even more careful around the man.

“No it won’t be enough,” the child cried into her shoulder, completely pulling at every heart string Rin had.

“Don’t worry Eri I’m not as weak as I look. I used to be a hero. I can take care of myself and I’ll make sure to take care of you as well. You do not need to worry any more,” Rin said, trying her best to soothe the child.

“A hero?” Well at least that seemed to grab the kids attention and helped in keeping more tears from streaming down her face.

“Yep. I trained to be a hero. Still even have my license,” She said softly, rather happy to see that the poor kid was able to open up a little and seemed to be at least slightly distractible.

“But you're not anymore?” She asked softly, pulling away just enough to look up at Rin with her wide red eyes.

“No, I decided last year I wanted to help people in a different way. I joined the healthcare system. I help people when they are sick or hurt,” Rin said as she watched the kid look up at her with wide eyes. At least now the tears had stopped their free flowing down her cheeks.

“Are you hurt Eri?” Rin finally asked as she looked down at the bandages that wrapped around all four of her appendages.

“No,” That was the softest no Rin had ever heard which made her think the kid was lying. But getting rough to try and pull the bandages off of her or trying to push for the proper answer would not be a good idea with a child who was abused.

“Well if you ever hurt yourself you just come to me Eri. I’ll heal you up,” Rin said and actually had the side of the kids lips lifted up a little.

“And if anyone ever hurts you, you can tell me and I’ll make everything better,” She said though saying this didn't seem to be the best thing as the small smile vanished as fast as it had appeared. Eri wasn’t stupid, one glance around the baron room told her that this room held no familiarity to the woman she was holding on to for dear life. Did that mean they were in the same boat? The fear that the strange woman would endure the same treatment as herself had the young girl bursting into tears all over again which completely surprised Rin.

“No! No you can’t,” The girl cried as she looked up at Rin who was struggling not to let the shock show on her face, unsure of what upset the girl so much.

“It’s okay Eri. You don’t need to worry about me. When I say I’ll do something I will do it no matter what. So you don’t have to worry. I also have some very strong friends. They wouldn’t let anything happen to me either so don’t worry,” Rin said, giving the kid a reassuring soft smile. This seemed to calm the girl down a little bit at least allowing her tears to once again dry up.

Not wanting to push her luck Rin remained silent allowing the two of them to sit together just holding one another. This alone seemed to calm the kid down even more till her soft breathing told Rin that the kid had fallen asleep in her arms. A warm smile pulled at her lips as she hugged the kid. So sweet and so innocent, Rin felt the need to help her. But how? Taking the girl and running would surely be useless. Even if she could get herself and the kid out of the compound Overhaul would never let them get far. And fighting for her was really not an option. Shigaraki would also probably be pissed and see that as her betraying him. Even if she could find a cop or hero to help her, she would most likely be arrested. Rin needed to remain calm and collected thinking and acting rashly would only get her into trouble. She needed to think of a way out that won't get herself or the kid killed. This was far from an ideal situation. She was going to need time to think of a plan, but did Eri or herself have time? That was the most concerning question.

The two stayed that way even as Rin herself was drifting off to sleep before a knock and her door just swinging open to reveal Chrono’s started both of them awake, though one was more awake than the other.

“Get lost,” Rin growled at the man who just simply looked at her incredibly unimpressed.

“It is time for Eri to return to her bedroom,” Chrono said simply as he walked towards the duo which had the girl in Rin’s arms shaking.

“Touch her and I will gladly rip your hand off. Eri can stay in my room tonight. If Overhaul has an issue with that then he himself can come and pry her from me,” Rin stood her ground tightening her arms around the poor child she refused to give up. Which in turn had Chrono’s glaring at the woman. He seemed incredibly unhappy with her but Rin didn’t care. The stare down was on and she refused to lose.

“Fine. Is there any other information I should pass along to Overhaul as well?” His words couldn’t hold any more venom if he tried but it's not like Rin cared.

“Yeah I think Eri could use some new toy’s,” Rin said with a snort though she had no clue what toys the kid had but still she oddly said it anyways. With a simple nod of his head the man wordlessly left the two alone in the bedroom.

“See. I promised that I’ll protect you,” Rin said, nuzzling her nose into the kid's hair. Which in turn had the child instantly seem to relax a little more in her arms.

“How about we lay down in bed and enjoy this sleepover?” She asked a little worried she would otherwise fall asleep sitting up against her head board at this rate.

“Okay,” The girl said, crawling off her lap so the two could crawl under the blankets together as the young child once again snuggled up against her chest and held her shirt tightly as if Rin would suddenly disappear if the kid blinked her eyes.

“Good night Eris’s,” Rin whispered softly. There was a muffled reply which she assumed was a good night back but was too muffled by Rin’s shirt.

Next Chapter

#boku no hero #mha #bnha smut #no beta read #bnha dabi #dabi #dabi smut #dabi x oc

[scotianostra]

A series of witch trials began in Aberdeen on February 17th 1597.

The ‘unprecedented’ scale of witchcraft paranoia in Aberdeen occurred  between 1587 and 97, around 40 cases were recorded locally, with many of the individuals – the vast majority female – executed following significant periods of incarceration and torture.

Dittays - lists of charges against a witch read out before the court - often went back 25 - 30 years and included accusations from neighbours and, occasionally, family members. The ‘dittays’ were compiled as the first step in bringing witches to trial. At the trials witnesses would testify to seeing or being involved in certain events corresponding to the charges listed. Many of the dittays were written to a common formula and contained dates and times of day when acts of witchcraft supposedly happened.

One of the most interesting cases in Aberdeen happened from 1596 and concerned a whole family. The mother, Jane Wishart, was brought to trial and eventually convicted on 18 points of witchcraft, although the total number of charges brought against her exceeded 30 and covered a period of over 20 years. The charges included casting a spell on a fisherman who then took to his bed and 'lay bedsick for one month’. The earliest charge related to an incident when five men caught her coming out of the yard of Adam Mair, one of her neighbours, at two in the morning. The men woke up Adam’s wife to tell her what they had discovered and, later that day at about two or three o'clock in the afternoon, two of the men were found drowned in the Auld Wattergang at the Links where they had gone to wash themselves.

Two others who had seen Janet leave her neighbour’s house subsequently offered the testimony against her. Janet’s son-in-law, John Allan testified against her following an incident when he hit his wife and was chastised by Janet. Following this, a brown dog started to come into his bedroom and attack him, although it left his wife alone. This continued until John threatened to complain to the minister and the Kirk Session. Eight days before Janet was apprehended there was heard a rumbling noise in her house which frightened her next door neighbour who thought his house might fall over. This, too, was attributed to Janet’s supernatural powers and formed one of the points of witchcraft on which she was convicted.

Janet’s son, Thomas Leyis, was found guilty of being a ringleader and convicted on three accounts of witchcraft. He is said to have presided at a meeting held at midnight in the Castlegate when many witches convened at the mercat and fish cross 'under the conduct and guiding of the devil present with them’. These people all danced and played instruments about the crosses and Thomas was accused of being foremost amongst them and of hitting Kathren Mitchell 'because she spoilt the dance and ran not so fast as the rest’. Both Janet and Thomas were strangled and burnt as the, following accounts show.

On the 22nd of March the same year John Leyis (Janet’s husband) and their three daughters, Elspet, Janet and Violet were also accused of sorcery. They were absolved on all counts of witchcraft but found guilty of being in the company of Janet and Thomas and acting as their accomplices. As a result they were banished from Aberdeen and the surrounding area and were forbidden to come within 10 miles of the burgh. Unfortunately the dittays for each of these trials no longer exist but Aberdeen’s City Archives do still have the original dittay for the trial of Isobel Strathauchyn - also known as Isobel Skuddie. She was found guilty of witchcraft and burned in March 1597. The charges against her included making up a love charm and gathering up bones in Dyce churchyard, boiling them in water and then taking the water and washing William Symmer of Hatton of Fintray. Thereafter she caused William’s mother to take the bones and throw them in to the River Don, which when she did 'caused the water to rumble in such a manner as [if] all the hills had fallen therein’.

Her dittay includes this passage……..

“Transcription and Translation of Charge Two in the Dittay Given Against Isobel Strathanchyn, February 1597 Secundlie thou are art Indyttit for cu[m]ming to elspet mutray in vodheid vodes and askng  fra hir to len the a pennie, q[ui]lk quhen sche had gevin the, thou tuik the pennie and bowitt it, and than tuik a clout and a piece of reid wax, and sewit the pennie and the wax within the clout, and therefter thow having Inchantit that clout thow gawe it to the said elpset mutray, Bidding hir hing the same about hir craig, and quhen sche saw the man sche luffit best, baid hir thin tak the clout w[it]h the pennie and the wax and straik hir face thereft[er] and she sua doing sult atteane to the mariage of the man quhom sche luffit best, and the s[ai]d elspet understanding that thy said directioun to hir was plane witchcraft and devilrie she keist that clout in the fyre, q[ui]lk had almost birnt all hir hous, and this you can not deny.

Which translates to……

Secondly you are indicted for coming to Elspet Mutray in Woodhead woods and asking her to lend you a penny, which when she had given you, you took the penny and bent it, then took a cloth and a piece of red wax and sewed the penny and the red wax inside the cloth, and then having enchanted that cloth you gave it to the said Elspet Mutray bidding her to hang the same about her neck, and when she saw the man she loved best, bade her then take the cloth with the penny and the wax and stroke her face thereafter, and she so doing should attain to the marriage of the man whom she loved the best, and the said Elspet understanding that the said direction to her was plain witchcraft and devilry she cast the cloth in the fire, which had almost burned all her house, and this you can not deny

The Treasurer’s accounts for the execution of 'Skuddie’ are as follows:

"Item, for teuntie sex leadis of peattis to burne thame, 2lib. 13s. 4d. Item, for sex lead of fir 1 lib. 10s. Item, four tar barrellis, 6s. 8d. Item, for tua irne barrellis, 6s. 8d. Item, for a staik, careing and upsetting thairof, 13s. 4d. Item, for sex fadome of towis, 6d. Item ,for careing the barrellis, fir and coillis, to the staik, 6s. 8d. Item, to Jon Justice for his fie, 13s. 4d. Item, the xxi. Of March, 1596, gevin to Gilbert Bairnis, be vertew of one ordinance of counsall, for satisfaction of the expensis maid be him in sustenatioun of the witches preceding that dait, induring thair remaining in prisoun, 20 lib.”

Pics are a drawing of a Witch Trial and  Mosaics on St. Nicolas Lane featuring tributes to the victims of Aberdeen's witch hunting past and the Suffragettes

Read much more on the excellent Doric Columns pages here. https://doriccolumns.wordpress.com/city-streets/1841-street-directory/hangmans-brae/witches/

#Scotland #scottish #judicial murders #aberdeen #witch trials #history

[scorchieart]

Straight Eights - Chapter 1

Straight Eights - Chapter 1 | AO3

The Princess and the Guard Dog

Rating: T (for implied violence and blood)

Characters: Emma/Belle, Leon Dompteur, Rio Ortiz

Word Count: ~4.9k

[couldn't breach the 5k (∩︵∩)]

Summary: When scholarship winner Emma walked through the doors of her elite high school, she wanted nothing more than to blend in with the crowd and draw as little attention to herself until graduation. But that plan flies out the window when she ends up slapping a boy in the face before the first bell! Being the talk of the school makes her a huge target for these preppy rich kids, especially when it comes her bizarre classmates and unconventional teachers, so she has to play some cards from her old life and learn some new tricks to keep her identity a secret while still maintaining her grades and keep her place in school.

A/N: Part of the Different Universe Same, Love Content Creation Challenge hosted by @xxsycamore and @queengiuliettafirstlady

Thank you both for setting this up, it pushed me to finally start writing this fic!

Prompts: Academia AU, Modern AU, and a smidge of Role Reversal AU

************************************************************************

When I was a little girl, I slapped a kid so hard in the playground for kicking sand in a group of toddlers’ faces that he ended up with periodic nosebleeds for weeks. Since then people called me Princess Noble Beast, after our district’s mascot, fair and swift in her judgment. I wore that title like a badge of honor, walking through the halls of my primary school like royalty, my hands held high as divine sentencers. Children opened their arms wide accepting me into their friend groups and adults praised me for my poise and commitment to the rules. I stood at the top of the food chain and no one dared cross my path.

But as I stand here, palm stinging and staring up at the dozens of eyes trained on me, a teenage boy cradling his cheek at my feet, I feel less like a princess delivering justice and more like a criminal caught red-handed in the act.

I shakily lower my right hand and slide it into the pocket of my blazer, only to remember I hadn’t yet bothered to remove the thread binding them shut. Is this common for custom-made clothes? Women’s pockets were already small enough, why add on to the struggle with this extra barrier? I manage to snake my thumb and forefinger in between some loose stitching as a tall figure with black hair approaches from within the crowd.

“That’s one way to make an introduction,” he says to me before kneeling in front of the collapsed boy. “A little over-excited for the first day back, yeah?”

“Looking for a fight?” the boy starts, raising his head. But as soon as his eyes meet the other’s he stiffens, face turning beet red.

“No one’s looking for any trouble, friend,” the dark haired figure says, offering his hand. The boy timidly accepts and is pulled to his feet, one hand still on his cheek and his eyes trained on his shoes. “Why don’t you swing by Mr. J’s class before homeroom, get that cheek looked at.”

The boy nods quickly then disappears into the sea of students. Faces from all directions are still pointed at us as an arm extends to me this time. “That was a mighty blow. You hurt?”

His eyes are the color of the buttons that adorn our matching uniforms, golden and resplendent, but that is where our similarities end. He stands a full foot taller than me with broad shoulders and hair that looks almost too untamed to be accidental. The collar of his dress shirt sticks out at an awkward angle from underneath his blazer, hinting that it either wasn’t ironed properly or folded neatly before he put it on. And even though he stands a respectable distance away from me unlike the last boy, I still catch the faint whiff of perspiration and see beads of sweat dripping down his brow, most likely a result of when we all stampeded through the main doors just moments prior.

He beckons lightly and I take it he is offering to check over my reddening hand. I slide the fingers out of the pocket and fold my hand over my other arm, cradling two books tight to my chest as nonchalantly as I can. “I’m fine,” I say, preparing to spin on my heels hoping I can dissolve into the crowd like the other boy.

“Hey, is that the new Heartwringer?”

He’s pointing at the outer of my books, a pink hardcover dotted with dozens of embossed reflective hearts and squiggles. 

“Uh, you read Heartwringer?” I ask.

“No, but I know someone who does. Says it’s got its merits, but every time I open one up I can’t get past the first chapter.”

I’m not sure what surprises me more, the fact that this guy tried reading a mushy young adult romance series or that someone actually recommended it to him.

“You’re not exactly the target audience,” I offer, hoping I sound as inoffensive as possible with the flock of ears still surrounding us. Honestly, don’t these people have someplace to be?

“Hey, if they didn’t want me reading it the publisher would have plastered ‘No jocks allowed!’ on the cover,” he says, and some snickers emerge from the audience. He brushes his swoopy bangs out of his face, and for some reason that irritates me.

 “As long as they can make a quick buck, ads will convince you there’s twenty-one things wrong with your hair and only their product can fix it,” I say. 

“Wait, you mean that gel I bought off that shady website was just a scam?” He says, vigorously running his hands through his hair in an exaggerated manner. The result is his head looking even more like a rat’s nest and the crowd erupting in laughter.

“Better get your money back, dude!” someone calls.

“Yeah, rip ‘em a new one like you did to Jade in the semifinals!” another whoops.

The tension that filled the air only moments ago slackens so abruptly that I have to lean against the wall to keep my knees from melting into jelly. It was so quick and uncomplicated with no threat of violence or fear. He mollified the crowd like it was as simple as combing his hair. The satisfied students disperse soon after, several offering the boy fist bumps and high-fives along the way, and it was as though time was allowed to flow again.

“And that’s why you should never accept opinions from strangers,” the boy says, shooting finger guns at a group of giggling girls as they passed.

“Thanks for the public safety announcement,” I say, pushing myself off the wall towards the front entrance as more students stagger in.

“Hang on, you don’t wanna head back out there. Trust me,” he says.

“What was that about not trusting people you don’t know?” I say.

“Touché,” he says, “but for real, you’re better off staying put. At least for the next five minutes or so.”

“I’m waiting for my friend.” I push past him, but he swipes the two books out of my arms and holds them out of reach. “Return those, please.”

“After the first bell rings. Promise.” 

My hand twitches in the familiar way when I prepare to deliver a slap, but I can’t tell if the smile he wears is conniving or genuine, so I’ll hold off on judgment until his appointed five minutes are up. He barely registers my gracious consideration nor his narrow escape from justice as he opens up the novel. 

“Someone’s been up late,” he says, flipping to the last third of the book where my bookmark lay. “Didn’t this just release the other day?”

“It’s been out for almost a month now.”

“Seriously? I coulda sworn it blew up on Twitter only yesterday,” he says. So he can’t stand reading the books themselves, but he keeps up with the discussion on social media?

“That’s because the Second Prince's review only dropped yesterday,” I say.

Rhodolite isn’t actually a monarchy. We’re the smallest of a cluster of independent districts each ruled by a governor. We each specialize in our own fields of labor and mainly deal with each other only in trade. Though we aren’t hostile towards one another, the neighboring districts aren’t exactly friendly either. We primarily keep to ourselves and only consider crossing borders for nominal purposes, like business or travel or inter-district conferencing. The Second Prince was the first to transcend these borders for entirely personal reasons, and wound up the Saving Grace and Gossip Girl of the bibliophile world in the process.

There was a time before I was born when the ever-increasing work hours and diminishing leisure time of our modern age withered Rhodolite’s printing industry to near extinction. Coupled with the fact that technology was quickly dominating the written word, our district wasn’t holding up so great. We specialize in arts and the humanities; physical media is our bread and butter. We are the leading supplier of printed works throughout the districts, from paper to paintings to sculptures, and having one of our largest industries struggle took a big hit to our economy and national pride. 

Then just when a bunch of big name publishers seemed ready to shut their doors for good, thousands of orders flooded all the bookstores across the district in the span of one hour. No one knew anything about the source of those orders other than that they were all placed under the name of the Second Prince, paid in cash, and picked up by masked gentlemen the next day. Bookstore owners publicly shared the details of the orders out of curiosity, and it quickly became clear that this Second Prince could be no common citizen. The majority of the books ordered were first editions or hardcovers or generally the priciest versions on the market. Some titles were even ordered multiple times from different locations. One enthusiast compiled all this data and calculated the prince’s total bill to be in the ballpark of half a million dollars. 

Naturally, news of this incident spread like wildfire, and people across districts began concocting theories as to the identity of this mysterious Second Prince. Some believed he was a wealthy shareholder who held a lot of stake in the publishing industry. Others said he was one of those big time influencers or corporate heirs with tons of cash to throw around on a big prank. Some even claimed that the Second Prince was actually a coalition of booklovers taking their last stand against the dying industry.

Whatever the intention, the stunt got results. People all over swarmed Rhodolite’s bookstores demanding titles the Second Prince ordered with fervor, and it wasn’t long before mile-long backlogs and waitlists became the norm for all releases. The influx in popularity drove publishers manic and book printing ramped up nearly tenfold over the next decade. We still feel the effects of the prince’s efforts to this day. Books regularly fly off store shelves to the point that many chains were forced to open locations in other districts to meet demand. Reporters claim recreational reading beat out sports for the number one leisurely activity in our district for the tenth year running. Newsprint flourished as the people’s main source for updates as fans wrote in with any info they had on the prince, or as was becoming more common, claiming they were him.

But it didn’t stop there. Just when everyone thought the reading fad was close to ending its course, five years ago book reviews started popping up on a tiny internet blog. These weren’t your typical “Five stars! Would recommend” remarks but full-length literary analyses, complete with scholarly theses and bibliographical citations. Every single book released in the past decade received two, one spoiler-free version and one dissecting the plot and themes to their core, often brutally so, and never totaled less than twenty pages. What shocked readers more than the length though was the signature at the end of each review: From the desk of the Second Prince.

Again the enthusiasts had a field day with this new discovery, sprouting fresh theories as to whether this was the same Second Prince from the book drought twenty years ago or just another poser trying to ride the coattails of his fame like in the papers. Would his revival signal a second boom in Rhodolite’s economy? Did it spell another economic decline in the near future? Those who remembered Rhodolite’s last recession went into a panic, the scars of wounded pride still fresh in their minds, and rushed to their nearest bookstores stockpiling copies the moment a new review circulated no matter what the prince said about them. Meanwhile, the rest of us too young to remember or weren’t around for his first appearance adopted a more relaxed approach and take the reviews as they are; literary critiques. I have a feeling it’s what this “second” Second Prince intended for them anyhow. 

As an elected royal myself, I could respect the prince’s dedication to his craft, even if it was exhibited anonymously. I’d spend hours up at night scrolling through his blog, filtering through my favorite genres, on the hunt for my next read. Dedicated fans noticed he typically posts in the late evening, and come morning his verdict is law. To get a glowing review from the Second Prince basically equates to your book’s success, bookstores calling in the printing companies for extra orders by the hundreds. However, fail to impress him even once and your entire career is flushed down the drain into oblivion. It’s a risky business being a blooming writer Rhodolite, but a gauntlet many young authors stepped up to accept, and one I intend to take on someday, too.

“And here I thought you understood my lesson on not trusting people on the internet,” the dark haired boy says, waving me off as he flips to the inside cover. “Whoa, you got a first edition?”

“Yes, and I’d appreciate it if you would handle it with care,” I say, tapping my foot.

“Aye aye, captain.” He closes it extra softly and digs a hand into his stitch-free blazer pocket. “For real though, you gotta let me know how that book goes, I dunno if I can make it to the end in time before it gets memed to death on social media.” He pulls out a slick smartphone encased in a deep maroon cover with a golden lion, and sticks it up to me. I’ve seen this gesture before. On TV when characters want to exchange contact information, they simply touch the backs of their phones together and the data automatically transfers. It’s a feature that was introduced a few years back and all the latest releases nowadays come equipped with it, though I’ve never personally tried it before and freeze on the spot.

He seems to notice my hesitation and retracts the phone. “Sorry, bet that was weird, swapping numbers with a guy you just met. Practice what you preach, am I right?” He smooths down some of his hair strands then opens the second book I was holding; a blank composition notebook. He subtly plucks a pen from the breast pocket of a passerby student, jots something on the first page, then returns both books to me with a smirk. “If you’re ever up to fangirl over some fictional relationships, just give me a ring.”

I flip the notebook open to find he’s scribbled his number and a short note underneath.

I can’t help the snort that comes out. “I’ll consider it.”

Leon D. 

The jock with the cool hair

“Anytime. Oh, and if you ever run into trouble again, it’s cool to give me a call, too, uh… sorry, what should I call you?”

Before I can open my mouth, I hear my name called like it’s a rocket barreling towards us.

“Princess Emma!” 

Hordes of students clap their hands over their ears as Rio yells in his default high volume, but to me it’s as though a nostalgic hymn serenades down these halls.

Rio’s been my best friend for the past three years. He moved to my neighborhood in the middle of the school year, so the kids mostly ignored him when he first showed up. That stopped the moment he beat an eighth grader in a wrestling match during the annual sports festival, and the rest of his friends ganged up on him behind the parking lot after school. A classmate tipped me off to this as we were walking home, and I turned around on the spot. By the time I arrived, Rio had been beaten half to death, his blood sparkling against the patched concrete and his limbs twisted in unnatural angles like fallen tree branches. It only took a raised hand and a verbal warning from Princess Noble Beast before the gang scattered, and I managed to haul Rio’s mangled body back to school where a teacher discovered us and called an ambulance. 

I’m not too certain about the details following that; I wasn’t allowed to ride with him to the hospital. I was told by the adults I’d done a good job and should just head home. But ever since the day Rio dragged himself back into class on crutches we’ve been inseparable. Or more accurately, I haven’t been able to shake him off my tail. He’d sit next to me during the classes we’d shared and follow me around in the hallways with a huge smile plastered across his face insisting I teach him the technique I used to scare off the eighth graders. I had grown well accustomed to admirers flanking me for my coveted slap by that point, but no matter how many times I explained it was merely a Princess’s duty to protect her people he’d refuse to leave my side. It didn’t take long for the student body to come up with another one of their famous nicknames, and soon enough Rio was anointed the Princess’s Pet Puppy. 

It turned out that I’d tire of this nickname more than Rio. Between tailing me everywhere I went, partnering with me for all in-class assignments, and clinging to me as I walked home after school, Rio quickly monopolized all my time. I figured if I showed him indifference he’d eventually lose interest, but that only made him double-down on his efforts to make me interact with him. It all came to a head the day my female friends disinvited me from a slumber party because they didn’t want to risk a boy showing up, and after school when I saw Rio skipping towards me and waving with his big goofy grin I snapped.

“Why won’t you just leave me alone!” I shouted at him midway through crossing the street.

He stopped in his tracks and stared with a gaze so empty it reminded me of when I found him beaten behind school. “You don’t like having me around?” he said, voice cracking.

“No, I don’t! All my friends don’t like me anymore because of you, so just go back to where you came from!”

Middle school is a time defined by mistakes and regrets, and I still consider that to be the most horrible thing that’s ever come out of my mouth. My only solace is that I was cut off from saying any more over the sound of the car horn blaring in my direction.

I should have been hit, it would be fitting retribution for the vulgarity I spewed, a suitable end to the pure-of-heart princess who strayed from her path at the height of her reign. But instead of a steel bumper, the sun assaulted my vision as I laid face up on the opposite curb completely unharmed, Rio bawling apologies over my toppled body.

It’s a funny thing, when two people save each other from certain doom. You develop a sort of bond that’s not quite like friends, or family, or even lovers. It’s more like an unspoken vow, like we can look at each other and know exactly what the other person’s thinking and feeling. 

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s ok, you didn’t mean it. I shouldn’t have intruded so much on you. We cool? Yeah, we’re cool.

I could never truly understand what it was or even put a name to it, though I suspect Rio felt the same way.

Things sort of went back to normal, if you can call it that. Rio still stuck by my side, but I never told him off again. Maybe it was out of pity for the transfer boy with no friends, maybe I still felt guilty for what I said on the street, or maybe some perverse side of me actually enjoyed having a constant shadow watching my back at all times. Whatever the reason, I sort of took him under my wing and taught him the way things worked in our school; what students to avoid, how to best sneak into class when you’re late, which lunch ladies dished out the biggest servings… that sort of stuff. Maybe he was just super excited that I started responding to his presence again because he held onto every tidbit I fed him like it was the gospel, and soon enough he mastered the inner workings of our school as though he lived there his entire life.

I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine.

And so the days went on with the Princess and her now Guard Dog patrolling our tiny neighborhood with an iron fist and adamant authority. Rio quickly proved his victory in the wrestling match wasn’t a fluke as he could take on any opponent one-on-one no matter the size, and he built up a reputation of his own as a harbinger of justice. 

We shared our ambitions, mine of becoming a successful author and him to backpack around the world, and soon enough I was looking forward to seeing him and his dopey grin everyday. Life was turning out well as the years went on and it seemed that our little tag-team was set to last, at least until this June when my acceptance letter to Rhodolite Academy arrived.

Ever supportive, Rio was even more ecstatic at my admission than I was, railing on about how I was the most qualified person on the planet for the scholarship to anyone who would listen till their ears fell off. That unspoken feeling we shared was enough for me to tell it was all a cover though; Rhodolite Private Academy only offers two scholarships a year to incoming high school freshmen, one boy and one girl, and I’d seen Rio crumble in tears by his mailbox from my bedroom window the same morning my acceptance letter arrived.

 I told him going to different schools wouldn’t hamper our friendship, and I’d still be living at home so we could always hang out after school and on the weekends. But Rio was adamant about us sharing our high school experience, and if there was one word I’d use to describe him it would be persistent.

Every morning in July, Rio marched up to the campus at dawn (a full hour on foot each way) with a loudspeaker and perched himself in front of the iron gates demanding to speak with the headmaster. Technically he never stood on school property and presented his case as a minor protesting his right to free speech, so the cops couldn’t legally drive him away without crossing risky territory. I held off telling him that the headmaster probably wouldn’t be at school during Summer Break until the staff finally let him in on the last day of July on the condition that he never bring the loudspeaker again. I remember he nearly bust down my front door at sunset panting and screaming that he got in.

The school couldn’t formally offer a third scholarship on account of some archaic legacy nonsensicality, so Rio’s enrollment was settled under the rug as him taking a part-time job assisting in the main office during his free periods and some weekends. This arrangement ensured money he earned would be put directly towards his tuition and doubled as work experience during his high school career, but I could tell Rio couldn’t care less about the details as long as it meant we could continue studying together.

I have to admit I’d spent much of the summer agonizing over the fact that I’d be moving to a new school alone, far away from my kingdom and people, starting at the bottom of the food chain in a totally new environment full of snooty rich kids who’ve been mastering the trade since birth, but seeing Rio paddle up the stairs and through the main doors with his goofy smile reminded me how lucky I was to have saved the boy with no friends all those years ago.

“I thought you were going to wait for me at the front entrance! We were supposed to take the first step of our high school journeys together!” Rio pants, clutching his knees and catching his breath.

“Sorry, I kinda got swept in the wave,” I say. It was the truth, too. Students trampled the path leading from the gates up to the Entrance Hall with such ferocity you’d think they were trying to escape a mass murderer. I’d done my best to stand my ground at the base of the steps waiting for Rio, but pushing in the opposite direction only proved futile with my arms preoccupied protecting myself and my books, and it wasn’t long until I fell victim to the flow, getting tossed left and right and up like a ragdoll. The boy I slapped earlier shoved me particularly hard into the entryway with his backpack, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Those ruffians, I’ll never forgive them for stealing this memory from me!” Rio fumes. I figure this is not the best time to bring up the fact that he’s been coming to school everyday without me for the past month for training. Instead, I pat him gently on the shoulder.

“It’s no big deal, Rio, really. We’ve got the next four years to fill with plenty more memories.”

“I know, but first impressions are the foundation to the future. That’s what Bossman said when I spilled coffee on his rug my first day of training, anyway,” Rio says, opening his backpack. “And let me tell you, this first term is not leaving us with much future to look forward to. Look, we only have three classes together!” He flashes two laminated sheets of paper side-by-side in his hands. It isn’t hard to figure out that these are our timetables, and I can tell by the exorbitant use of neon color-coding and comments in the margins that Rio’s already raked through them calculating the maximum amount of time we can spend together each day.

“P.E., Home Ec. and Health. Even with homeroom and lunch we barely scrape four hours. How’s a guard dog supposed to protect his princess when he’s separated from her half the day?” Rio moans.

“I’m sure we’ll manage.” I reach for my timetable, but a hand descends from above and snatches it out of sight. Rio’s arrival brought back my carefree middle school days so vividly that I completely forgot the previous conversation I was having.

“Princess, huh? Does that mean I have to call you ‘Your Highness’ from now on? And this guy’s your guard dog?” Leon asks, scanning my schedule.

“Know your place, knave!” Rio growls. He launches for the paper, but Leon easily raises it out of reach above his head.

“AP Literature and Composition… you’re taking a senior-level course as a freshie?” Leon asks, angling his neck around the hopping Rio to look at me.

“Yeah, I like to read,” I blurt out faster than I intended.

“I got that much, but APs are no joke. You think you can scrape by just because you read a few romance novels? Most kids don’t even think about enrolling in APs until at least third year.”

“If it’s not a challenge, then what’s the point of even paying this crazy tuition?”

“There’s a difference between a challenge and burnout, you know? You seriously wanna walk that line right from the start?”

My throat dries and my hands twitch. Even though I know the hallway is still filled with students and Rio’s so close, it feels as though I’ve been transported to an abandoned tunnel underground with just Leon there questioning me.

“I won’t know until I’ve tried,” I say, willing myself to meet his gaze. “And I’ll need my timetable to get started, Leon.” 

At that moment, Rio ceases his jumping and looks at me with the same gaze he wore when he opened his rejection letter back in June. “Did you just say Leon… as in Leon Dompteur?” 

Rio’s voice is low and frigid, unlike anything I’ve ever heard from him before, and it pulls me out of my tunnel-trance.

“Uh, is that what the D stands for?” I ask.

“Yeah, bit of a mouthful, isn’t it?” Leon laughs. “You heard of me, pup?”

Somewhere overhead the first bell rings, but the sound is drowned out by screams and splatters filing through the main door. Students scamper up the steps, bobbing and weaving and shielding their eyes, trying to evade the onslaught of what appear to be balloons pelting the entryway, bursts of red exploding on every surface they impact as they rupture. Scarlet ooze drips from the ceiling to the walls to the doors, ambushed students are on their knees gasping for breath, and a putrid odor somewhere in between rotten eggs and sewage fills my nostrils and makes my eyes water. As quickly as the attack began it ceased, leaving behind carnage as gruesome as one straight out of a horror movie.

“Whoops, I gotta take care of this. Promise me you’ll stay out of trouble!” Leon salutes us and dashes off to the swarm of suffering students.

Rio doesn’t answer, he doesn’t even look back. Instead he grabs my forearm and pulls me along with the fleeing crowd, my last sight Leon venturing head held high into the faux bloodbath before we round a corner.

************************************************************************

*looks over shoulder to other wips* yeah I've got time

Tagging: @atelieredux

#ikemen prince #ikepri #different universe same love ccc #ikepri belle #ikepri leon #ikepri rio #scorchie writes #edit: forgot to add cut line again... #edit2: forgot to add chapter title... #emma/belle #leon dompteur #rio ortiz

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION

This reaction is for the season 4, premier episode titled "The New Hotness" which originally aired on January 24, 2023. The episode was written by Molly Green and James Leffler and directed by Bradley Buecker. Spoilers ahead!

***LAST TIME ON 9-1-1: LONE STAR***The 126 was rebuilt and reopened! Owen nearly died (again) after a building collapsed on him. We also learned that he doesn't have cancer so yay! Tommy was finally settling into her new normal, being a single parent to her twins Evie and Izzy. Grace gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Charlie (named after Tommy's late-husband, Charles) and she and Judd got to experience childhood for the very first time. Judd learned he had a son and we got to see the relationship between he and Wyatt develop over the season. Nancy and Mateo got together which no one saw coming. And lastly, the couple that launched a thousand ships, TK and Carlos, got engaged!

Okay, now that we're all caught up, let's talk about the premiere episode of season four - THE NEW HOTNESS!!!

We began the episode with a cold open and two familiar faces - our favorite dysfunctional young couple, Brianna (McKaley Miller) and Caleb (Sean H. Scully) . Immediately I thought to myself, oh great! What's about to happen to poor Caleb. Just in case you forgot, we were first introduced to these two in the season one episode "Act of God" when Caleb got locked in his father's gun safe as he attempted to hide during a tornado. The next time we see them is in last season's "The ATX-Files". Poor Caleb gets thrown from an ATV, after he drove off without Brianna, and was launched into a barbed wire fence. 

Caleb is fully recovered and he and Brianna are spending an evening at a loca fair. Caleb spends 80 bucks trying to win a giant ass teddy bear which he believes will show Brianna and her family (who thinks he's a big fat loser) how much he cares about her. When Brianna tries to address the current status of their relationship, the fried soup (eww) that Caleb ate starts to wreak havoc on his stomach. He takes off towards the portable toilets, nearly knocking over a man and his daughter (more on them later) along the way. He makes it into one of the porta potties and it is on. Caleb totally gets the poop sweats so he has to take off his clothes. Unfortunately for him, a violent windstorm picks that very moment to hit. Intense heat causes balloons to pop, the ice cream cone in Brianna's hand to melt, and the latch on the portable toilet's door to melt, trapping poor Caleb inside. The strong gust of wind carries the porta potty with Caleb inside off into the air and that is when we get a title card!

We rewind to eight hours before the events at the local fair. We head over to the firehouse where we see all of the 126 sans Owen gathered watching a weather report. They are warned of gray skies and drizzle which isn't that big of a deal to the same people who have battled dust storms, volcanoes, and forest fires. TK talks about his upcoming wedding and tells the crew about all of the 14 venues he and Carlos have looked at. The venue they really want is in their budget but since everyone in Austin wants to get married there, they would have to wait 18 months. 

Owen arrives on a motorcycle because of course Owen Strand is now the owner of a motorcycle. Now, I'm the BIGGEST Owen apologist there is, mostly because I absolutely adore Rob Lowe (watch Dog Gone ... you won't be disappointed). Owen Strand in his firefighter gear really, really does it for me. Owen Strand in head to toe leather ... doesn't do it to me. Plus, and I'm not body shaming or anything like that, Rob Lowe, who is an extremely fit man nearing his 60s, looks really small in all the leather.

Anywho, Owen is now the proud owner of a brand-spanking new motor bike and he even has a few new buddies to hang out with. Mostly everyone seems amused albeit a bit concerned by Owen's obvious mid-life crisis but I'm gonna cut Owen some slack. Looking back on season 3, Owen went through a lot of shit, some of it health-related. I say let him have his big boy toys!

Next up, we get a scene between Carlos and his mother, Andrea Reyes (Roxana Brusso) and let me say, I adore Carlos' mom. She had that motherly, no-nonsense vibe about her that reminds me so much of Eddie's abuela and Aunt Pepa in the original 9-1-1. Now, the one thing that was hinted at prior to the airing of this season, the one thing the entire Tarlos fandom has been talking about, is this deep dark secret that Carlos is suppose to be keeping from TK. While Carlos has lunch with his mother, he gets a call from the wedding venue telling him they have an opening in 8 weeks. When he doesn't seem too enthused about it, his mother deduces that he hasn't told TK 'the truth'. Carlos assures her he will finally share 'the truth' with Carlos. Then the sky turns a hazy shade of green and it starts to rain.

Over at the fairgrounds, we see actual frogs falling from the sky like something out of Exodus. Grace receives a 9-1-1 call from the same man we saw in the cold open. Not only is it raining frogs, a car plows into a poor lady sitting in a ticket booth. As the man reports the emergency, he looks up just as a frog falls. The frog falls into his mouth and goes down his throat while his daughter watches in horror.

The 126 arrive at the chaotic scene. The paramedics go to the aid of the man choking on a live frog while the firefighters tend to the lady who got run over. Tommy attempts to extract the frog from the man's throat but the frog slips further into his throat. As the man continues to choke, she goes to do the Heimlich and this actually works. Giant, tennis ball-sized hail starts to rain down so the firefighters huddle around the poor woman until it finally passes. The woman is placed on a backboard and it looks like she is going to be okay. When she looks up at the sky she sees the sun come out. 

Carlos is waiting for the 126 back at the station house and when they get back, he asks TK if he can talk with him in private. We are further delayed from this big secret when we see that Carlos has already told TK. TK paces back and forth as he processes the bombshell we still don't know about. Finally, we get to hear the big secret so allow me to give you the abbreviated version. Okay, here goes. Carlos is married, in name only, to Michelle Blake's (remember her) younger sister, Iris. Apparently Carlos and Iris were besties in high school and when Carlos came out, he really struggled with it, so his solution was to marry Iris. Carlos never got a divorce because Iris struggled with her mental health and went missing. He assures TK he thought Iris was dead but now that he knows she's alive, his health insurance is helping her afford the medicine for her schizophrenia. Whew, that was a lot!

I felt really bad for TK because he is not given the time or space to fully process all of the information Carlos just dumped on him. This reminds me of when Judd found out last season that he has a teenage son. When he told Grace, we got to see her journey as she processed this information and what it meant for her and Judd, and their relationship, and their family. TK insta-forgives Carlos for failing to tell him that he's already married and he immediately jumps into fix-it mode. I'm sorry, perhaps I'm a big immature or petty or whatever you want to call it, but I don't know if I could even be in the same room with Carlos after hearing that news. I would feel so betrayed and not because he is married or married to a woman. I would feel betrayed because if the situation was flipped, TK would have been duly punished for hiding something so big. It also makes Carlos jealousy towards TK's sponsor seem super hypocritical. All I can say is, TK Strand is a better person than me!

And now it's time for a science lesson! We learn from a meteorologist that the huge storm that popped up out of nowhere and rained down frogs and hailed is called a derecho. We also learned there is a chance for a mild heat burst which could cause a rise in air temperature as well as gusty winds, however, we are immediately assured the chance of something like this happening is one in a million. You might want to file that tidbit of info away for the next scene.

We head back over to the fair and we see the same man who nearly choked to death on a frog and his daughter get on a ferris wheel. We are now back at the beginning of the episode. The mild heat burst hits causing several balloons to pop and the ice cream cone in Brianna's hand to melt. Several people start passing out due to the intense heat and the mechanisms controlling the ferris wheel malfunction causing the man and his daughter to get trapped in one of the cars on the ferris wheel. 

Meanwhile, Grace receives a 9-1-1 call from Caleb who is stuck in the porta potty. He is unable to tell her where he is located, however, he does let her know the portable toilet is slowly filling up with blue water. Grace tells Caleb that the water has chemicals in it which contain formaldehyde and they are giving off toxic fumes. Yikes!!! Thankfully the 126 are back and Grace lets them know about Caleb. Since his phone signal is still registering as being on the fairgrounds, they know that he didn't fly away too far. They do manage to find him in the dunking booth. They are able to get him out but he has to be revived. Caleb survives and Brianna declares her love for him. All I can say is Mr. Caleb must have nine lives and we've already seen him use three of them.

The next order of business is rescuing the frog-gobbler and his daughter at the top of the ferris wheel. The 126 use a tarp as a net and Owen yells for the man and his daughter to jump down. The daughter hesitates and frankly I don't blame her. It's one thing to fall several feet onto something inflatable but falling down on a piece of tarp being held by a handful of firefighters is a completely different thing. One of the funniest parts of this episode is when the man pushes his daughter out of the ferris wheel car and all I kept thinking is, ten years from now she's going to be talking about this very moment with her therapist. The man jumps next but since he weighs a lot more than the little girl, he crashes through the tarp. Thankfully he hit the tarp before it ripped otherwise that would've ended nasty!

Tommy tends to the man and his daughter in the triage tent and we learn his name is Trevor Parks (D.B. Woodside) and his daughter's name is Melody. Trevor has recently gotten a divorce and has relocated to Austin. There is chemistry between Tommy and Trevor and Nancy sees it. She encourages her captain to make a move. Tommy walks over to Tony and gives him her number and mentions that Melody is around the same age as her daughters and they should do a play-date. Trevor asks if it will be a play-date or a date-date and I was like, Tommy, jump his bones now! I am so on board for this pairing! Plus Trevor has a shaved head just like our dearly-departed Charles. Tommy tells Trevor she is fine with either one before she walks off. 

Carlos goes to visit Michelle Blake but learns that she's left on an outreach mission to Ecuador (and Liv Tyler is back in merry ole England living her best life). Carlos does find Iris, who is looking pretty healthy since the last time we saw her, and she slaps him. I didn't feel bad for Carlos at this moment because it needed to be done. The two of them do some catching up and Carlos tells her he's engaged and that he plans on getting married. Iris sees the writing on the wall and she tells Carlos that before she signs the divorce papers, she needs to meet TK. Something tells me she's not going to give over her John Hancock so easily. 

Perhaps the funniest part of the episode comes when Owen convinces Judd to go to a bar where his new riding buddies are gathering. When they get there, a young man named Mikey introduces himself to Owen and says it's an honor to meet 'an American hero and patriot'. He then asks if Owen was really involved in 9-11. Another guy named Red tells Owen to excuse Mikey and his excitement. He says that the Honor Dogs revere first responders. It is at this moment that I knew exactly what was going on and it was so funny to watch Owen and Judd figure it out. When Mikey is inducted into the Honor Dogs and branded, that is Owen and Judd's cue to leave because while the two of them may enjoy riding bikes, they are not down with white supremacy. 

The episode ends with Tommy attending church with her girls, Judd, Grace, and baby Charlie. The current minister introduces the congregation to the newest minister - Trevor Parks. Tommy is completely modified but honestly I don't see anything wrong. Ministers can date and since he's divorced and Tommy's widowed, I don't see why they can't see each other. This is something Tommy's clearly going to struggle with during this season. Also, Owen receives a visit from Special Agent Rose Kacey who wants to talk to the FBI about his new 'associates'. Dun-dun-dun! End of episode!

This was a fantastic start to a new season of 9-1-1: Lone Star. I'm glad both franchises are veering away from the huge, multi-episode disasters we've become accustomed to. Frankly at this point, there's not many natural disasters we haven't tackled on these shows. I do feel like we need to get a hurricane at some point though. As far as the Tarlos drama, I'm not really a fan. The whole Carlos is married to Iris news came out of nowhere and while I think it's great we are being reintroduced to a character from season one, it's just yet more drama for TK and Carlos to deal with and their whole relationship has been wrought with drama. Give them a break! 

I am deeply amused with Owen's storyline. Owen really took a backseat in this episode which was nice since a lot of you haters be coming after him complaining about how he gets too much screen time even though he is played by Rob freaking Lowe who is the reason most people even tuned into this show in the beginning. I am wondering what's going to happen next with Owen and this white supremacist group. Something tells me it's nothing good. 

I'm really excited about Tommy Vega getting her groove back. Last season we got to see her mourn the loss of Charlie. I think Trevor would be a good partner for her. They're both in the business of helping people. Tommy deserves to be happy and whether that happens with or without Trevor, I'll be happy either way. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Well, that's it for this episode's reaction. It looks like season four of Lone Star is going to be a good one. It looks like the next episode is going to go full-tilt into the white supremacist/terror plot. Until next time ...

#911 lone star reaction #tv reaction #911 lone star reaction 2023 #911 lone star #fox 911 lone star #blw reactions #blw reactions 2023 #911 ls 4x01 #911 ls s4 #rob lowe #gina torres #db woodside #ronen rubinstein #tv reaction 2023

[jen-angst]

I remember trying to kill myself as young as eight years old. When I was little, my attempts were almost silly. I jumped from the top of stairs that were small enough I could land without even an injury. I laid down in front of the neighbor’s dog so he’d eat me (he sat on me, instead). As I got older, the thoughts didn’t stop, but they were accompanied by other thoughts: how I was too incompetent to kill myself. The attempts became less funny, though still ineffective. Banging my head against walls or lockers until I bled. Picking fights with people much bigger and stronger than me.

This sort of shit continued into middle school. I stopped picking fights in 8th grade. It wasn’t because I was more mature or less angry- it was because I knew I couldn’t win and I wouldn’t be killed that way.

I was most depressed and anxious at dances. In 9th grade I tried to go to a school dance because a cute friend of mine invited me and I wanted to impress her. The DJ that was hired for the event took a look at me and laughed. Or, at least, I thought he did. Like most teens, my brain was particularly self centered. I ran out of the dance and almost got hit by a car on the way home. That wasn’t intentional, but I did think as the unknown adult got out of the car to scream at me, that it would have been preferable if I died. I talked about wanting to kill myself that year or the next year, and a friend decided to help me by showing images of people who failed to die by suicide. Gore images. I didn’t like it, and I don’t think it helped. He was so assured that it would help, though. He thought he was doing me a favor.

One of the last times I tried to die during my adolescence was on my high school senior trip. They didn’t tell us where we were going, but I told one of the teachers who went that it better had not be a dance. They assured me it wasn’t. They lied. It was a dance on a fucking boat of all things. I was miserable the whole time. I was too afraid to dance, and I was miserable because I was alone all night. This was it, I thought. Nobody wanted me. Nobody will ever want me around. That night, I tried to jump through a window at the hotel. It was closed shut so I repeatedly slammed my body against it.

Instead of doing the responsible thing and having me supervised by an adult, they made one of my classmates follow me around for the rest of the trip. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she resented it. Her friends wanted to do something and wasn’t allowed to do it because I wanted to go to the fucking aquarium.

Later on, I tried to die at a graduation party at this same friend’s house. I really fucked our friendship up because it was dramatic and stupid. I tried to jump into a bonfire, but not really but also I was serious. Teens are fucking silly. I was especially silly.

And yet, the pattern of me alienating good friends continued well past that. They were all isolated incidents, but they stemmed from me panicking in a moment of anxiety and saying or doing something incredibly foolish. Over the years, my suicide attempts became more serious- including throwing myself in front of a train (I was stopped).

Even though I’ve moved past doing things like this, I’m still afraid that I’ll say or do something that will isolate me. I love my alone time, but I can’t stand being isolated. It took me only fifteen years on Earth to realize I was bisexual, but over thirty to realize I was trans. I feel like I have more community than I thought I did, but I am also so, so terrified of it all blowing away.

Forever.

I still have suicidal ideation. I still think I’m not good enough or smart enough or cute enough. I’m still learning how to better deal with these feelings and not to act on these impulses when they come up. But they still hurt. It feels like a dull knife stabbing at me on the inside. But I don’t act like I used to. I feel like I do belong, even when I’m most worried. Even when I feel the most dysphoric and quite frankly mean towards myself, I still know that at least a few of my friends will not give up on me.

Even if I feel like they should.

#cw suicide #cw childhood trauma #personal #cw self harm #cw anxiety #cw depression #rambling #cw self sabotage

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Shunammite's Land Restored

1 Then spoke Elisha to the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go you and your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn: for the LORD has called for a famine; and it shall also come on the land seven years. 2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry to the king for her house and for her land. 4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray you, all the great things that Elisha has done. 5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed to her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad

7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come here. 8 And the king said to Hazael, Take a present in your hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Your son Benhadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 10 And Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, You may certainly recover: however, the LORD has showed me that he shall surely die. 11 And he settled his countenance steadfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, Why weeps my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: their strong holds will you set on fire, and their young men will you slay with the sword, and will dash their children, and rip up their women with child. 13 And Hazael said, But what, is your servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD has showed me that you shall be king over Syria. 14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to you? And he answered, He told me that you should surely recover. 15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

Jehoram's Wicked Reign in Judah (2 Chronicles 21:1-7)

16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Je hoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19 Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him always a light, and to his children.

Edom and Libnah Revolt (2 Chronicles 21:8-11)

20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21 So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents. 22 Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23 And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

Ahaziah Reigns Wickedly in Judah (2 Chronicles 22:1-4)

25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. 26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.

28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. — 2 Kings 8 | American King James Version (KJVUS) The American King James Version is Produced by Stone Engelbrite. It is a simple word for modern word update from the King James English. Cross References: Genesis 11:20; Genesis 24:48; Genesis 27:40; Genesis 41:27; 1 Samuel 9:7; 1 Samuel 17:43; 1 Kings 1:2; 1 Kings 11:24; 1 Kings 15:18; 1 Kings 19:17; 1 Kings 22:3; 1 Kings 22:44; 2 Kings 2:17; 2 Kings 3:1; 2 Kings 4:12; 2 Kings 4:35; 2 Kings 9:16; 2 Kings 9:29; 2 Kings 10:13; 2 Chronicles 21:1; 2 Chronicles 22:3; Psalm 132:17; Luke 21:20

#the Shunammite woman’s land restored #Hazael murders Ben-hadad #Edom and Libnah revolt #Jehoram reigns in Judah #Ahaziah reigns in Judah #2 Kings 8 #Book of Second Kings #Old Testament #American King James Version Bible #KJVUS #Stone Engelbrite

[hyperfixation-or-death]

Parallels Game Night Headcanons:

The main four have occasional game nights. This headcanon is the entire point of this post. Every once in a while, Camille joins them.

-

Prior to canon, game night usually took place either in the bunker or at Bilal's house. Post-canon, the kids can't bring themselves to go back to the bunker, so game night almost always takes place at Bilal's house. This is both because the kids hang out there the most out of all their houses, and because Sofia and Bilal happen to own the most games.

-

If Sofia joins in, she's extremely competitive, and has to remind herself not to get carried away in her attempts to beat the kids at Monopoly.

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No matter what game is being played, Victor will find a way to smuggle in an Uno draw four card, and will attempt to use it when the game reaches peak chaos levels. He thinks it's hilarious every single time.

-

The main four kids play their own version of Uno, with so many added rules that it's completely incomprehensible to anyone else.

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Romane and Sam get along great most of the time. Except when board games are involved. They almost always end up disagreeing on the rules, and spend half the game time in a heated debate over how it's actually meant to be played.

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Sofia and Victor are the best at any game that's trivia related. (It's because they both have ADHD and a tendency to pick up a whole lot of useless-but-interesting information.)

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If it's the type of game that lets you do so, Romane is the person who everyone trusts not to stab them in the back, before she promptly stabs them in the back. Every. Single. Time.

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Sam is inexplicably unbeatable at games of chance.

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Bilal and Sam are the best team for charades. Each will have ridiculously convoluted reasonings for how their act relates to the card, and the other one will guess it without fail almost immediately.

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Bilal and Victor are the best team for almost any kind of competitive video game.

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If chips are present, Victor will throw a chip at Sam at some point. Shortly after, Romane will throw a chip at Victor. Things will escalate. It is best to not bring chips.

-

For board games with color coded pieces, Bilal is very insistent on his right to playing with the blue ones. He doesn’t even particularly like the color blue, he's just done it that way for most board games he's played since elementary school, and he doesn't see the point in changing now.

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If Lieutenant Retz happens to come over, he's terrible at most games, especially games of chance. This does not apply to Connect Four. He's never lost Connect Four. Ever.

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Romane has named all the Monopoly pieces. The cat is her favorite, and its name is Frederick.

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Victor and Sam have been known to attack each other over intense games of Spoons.

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Bilal and Romane are the only two people with any semblance of drawing ability, so there's an unofficial rule against putting them on the same team for any art-related game. When this rule gets broken, Victor will complain the entire game, but he's mostly just mad because Sam thought the cat he drew was a dog, even after he added the whiskers, Sam-

-

If Camille happens to be there when One Night Ultimate Werewolf is being played - not sure how well known the game is, but it's a social deduction game -  do not underestimate her. Yes, she's tiny. Yes, she barely understands the rules. Yes, she will lie straight to your face with no remorse.

-

On the topic of One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Romane and Victor teamed up to come up with elaborate backstories for each of the roles and how they're related, and they keep confusing everyone by trying to explain mid-game that, no, the Seer is the Robber's fiancée, the Troublemaker is his bitter rival, and-

And then the timer goes off, and they've learned absolutely nothing about who the werewolf could be, which is why they end up playing without the timer half the time.

-

When Bilal was eight, Sofia taught him how to play Old Maid, and he's been terrible at Old Maid ever since. He's won exactly once, against Camille, and never again. As a joke, Sofia occasionally hides the Old Maid card around the house where she knows he'll find it, and then claims that the card is just drawn to him wherever he goes. He pretends that he's not amused, but he is. 

-

Every time they play Loaded Questions post-canon, Victor doesn't even try to disguise his answers. His only goal is to produce the most minorly-traumatic-event-related answer to the most innocuous questions he can. He's had to be put on judge duty on several occasions where it wasn't his actual turn, because if he wrote down one more concerning answer, Bilal was going to either hug him or strangle him. Sam and Sofia are both of the opinion that, well, at least he's kind of opening up about stuff? All three of them agree that Romane is not helping by picking his answer as her favorite every single time she's the judge. Due to all this, they do not play Loaded Questions very often.

-

Romane would never use her powers to cheat during a board game by freezing time and moving her piece ahead. Okay, she did it once. Once! And that was when she had been completely desperate, because there had been bets involved, and Victor was a bad influence. But that was one time, and she’s never done it since. But that doesn’t stop everyone from accusing her whenever she starts suddenly getting ahead. 

-

Game nights usually last until pretty late at night, especially if it’s during the summer. Which means they usually end with everyone crashed on the couch with blankets. (Let the kids rest, Disney, they deserve it.)

#parallels #paralleles #disney parallels #disney paralleles #parallels disney #this got really long #a whole lot of these are inspired by my own experiences #headcanons #long post #maybe i'll put these in a fic or something idk

[pickledpascal]

You're Not Alone in This World

Chapter Three

Warnings: besides a little swearing and idiots in love... none !

Word Count: 2.3k

You're Not Alone in This World Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

After the bombing, police involvement in the android cause became more accepted. A few guards were posted at each safe house and were to report in as soon as they saw anything suspicious. Andrea wasn't gonna let another innocent android die on her watch and it seemed Captain Fowler agreed with her.

Andrea yawned as she climbed out of bed, wanting to get ready for the day as soon as possible. Her breakfast was the usual, a glass of orange juice and chocolate chip pancakes she froze in bulk from a few weeks earlier. Better to have breakfast ready than to make it in her mind. Then she put her hair in a ponytail and went for a run. It always helped to clear her mind, which was always needed from the previous day.

When she came back, she noticed her mailbox was open. Andrea looked around to see if anyone was nearby. Her mail didn't come until Sunday. Unless she ordered something and she forgot? Unlikely. The woman stuck her hand inside and took out the envelope. It was a nice, thick envelope. Something an older person might send.

Andrea flipped the envelope over and inspected it. Her name was written in deep blue ink. There was no return address. Interesting… She tore it open and took out the piece of parchment inside. It was an invitation. With blue designs on the edges of the paper it read:

Dear Lieutenant Andrea Cartier,

We are inviting you to the first annual Android Needs Fundraiser Gala. After your acts in saving our people, we believed you'd like to be a small part in saving even more lives. Your bravery will not be forgotten by us and we'd be honored to have you as our guest.

The Gala will be held in New Jericho on floor fifty-eight should you choose to attend. Formal attire is required. Thank you.

Sincerely,

The Founders of New Jericho

Markus, Simon, Josh, and North.

With eyebrows raised, Andrea looked over the invitation again. Markus wanted to see her again? At a party? Huh. She folded her letter back up and went inside. She had to plan an outfit. She wasn't expecting to be invited, she thought the fundraiser was more of an android only type of thing to begin with. Plus, the Gala was in just a few days.

Time to break out that show stopping outfit, Andrea.

—-----

Connor already watched Hank eat his breakfast for a while and went to take Sumo on a walk. The big dog needed some time outside and Hank didn't really like taking walks unless he had to. Leave it up to the perfectly fit and never tired Connor to get the job done! He stopped at a nearby park, letting a few kids pet him.

Sumo was such an angel. Saint Bernards were huge but they were gentle giants, if not a bit slobbery sometimes. Connor let the dog rest at the park for a while, looking around at his surroundings.

It reminded him of the Eden garden. Except that was artificial. This was real. With life everywhere. The children, their parents, trees, flowers, even the gentle breeze filtering through tree branches. There was no small pond going in a circle but Connor couldn't have cared less. Nature calmed him far better than any breathing technique or reassuring post-it note could.

Maybe he should bring Hank here. Might wipe his grumpy look from his face.

Connor scratched behind Sumo's ear to let him know they were leaving. The dog got up and began walking back to Hank's house. The android smiled as he followed behind Sumo. As usual, Connor checked the mail once they got home. He hummed as he looked over some of the envelopes. Only one was out of place. It had no holograms on it at all. And no fingerprints.

An android must've delivered it, he concluded.

Connor let Sumo inside as he set the rest of the mail on the counter. Hank must've been getting changed because he was nowhere to be seen. He ripped the envelope as carefully as he could and took out the invitation inside. He read it intently.

Dear Detective Connor Anderson,

We are inviting you to the first annual Android Need Fundraiser Gala. Your help has been instrumental in the success of the revolution. We know you work tirelessly to bring all preparators of android violence to justice and we'd be delighted to have you.

The Gala will be held in New Jericho on floor fifty-eight should you choose to attend. Formal attire is required. Thank you.

Sincerely,

The Founders of New Jericho

Markus, Simon, Josh, and North.

Connor narrowed his eyes at the piece of paper. He hadn't expected to be invited. Of course, he knew he helped the android cause and he was good friends with Markus. They were like brothers since they were in the same series. But he wasn't involved much in things involving New Jericho. He wasn't the type of activist most androids wanted. They wanted Markus. And he couldn't argue with that.

"Finally get some mail?" Hank asked as he put on a jacket. His hair was put up in a manbun. Connor cocked his head at Hank and gave him a small smile. The style suited him. "Answer the damn question." Hank rolled his eyes.

Connor glanced down at the invitation and shrugged. "I was invited to Markus' Gala." The nonchalance in his voice worried Hank.

"You're going. And I'll go with you." Hank crossed his arms, knowing Connor would have some sort of self doubt spiel about going.

Connor chuckled, "I was going to ask you. The invitation allows for a plus one." He leaned against the kitchen counters. He still had no clue why Markus would ask him but he had never been to a party before. The only thing that he could ever consider a party was going to a bar with Hank to celebrate solving a hard case.

Hank pursed his lips and tapped his chin for a second. "Looks like we gotta go suit shopping, son. I haven't been to a formal event in forever."

The android nodded. For as many suits as he had, thinking about them, none of them seemed suitable for an event such as this. He could only imagine what Markus would wear. Something with crisp lines and a bowtie. That seemed like him. Connor wasn't a fan of bow ties. Should he even try to match with Markus? It was futile, he concluded.

—----

Suit shopping with Hank proved to be a good idea. Though, Hank was far more picky than Connor. The older man wanted something with a bit more color than what most of the places they went to offered. He settled on a blue and orange floral tie paired with a navy suit. The suit Connor chose was a cool gray with deep blue accents and included a matching vest. He wore his regular black tie and silver tie bar.

Connor glanced around the ballroom while Hank eyed the snack bar. Thankfully there was a mix of regular and thirium infused food. There were a lot more humans than Connor expected. Maybe humanity was taking a turn for the better. Maybe. All the guests were dressed to the nines, long flowing dresses and tailored suits. He couldn't find Markus in the crowd but he was likely talking to someone important.

The android followed Hank to the snack bar, grabbing a glass of blue champagne while Hank took a regular glass as well as a few mini sandwiches. "Woah… this shit is so good." The lieutenant blinked as he swallowed one whole. Connor chuckled as he took a sip from his flute.

"I'd recommend the mini hot dogs personally." Connor glanced up from his glass, eyes widening. Andrea had a hand on her hip, a lop-sided smirk on her face. Her black and white hair was pulled to one side. She wore a halter top dripping in diamonds and a pair of black pleated pants that had white stitching near the bottom paired with black heels that made her taller than she already was. The top revealed a few tattoos he hadn't noticed before, small things like a few Greek words on the inside of her arm or the simple crescent moon on her clavicle.

Connor was astonished. He never could've fathomed Andrea could become more beautiful.

Hank nudged him, giving him a strange look. Connor coughed and quickly gathered himself. He hadn't expected Andrea to be here but then again, she saved a lot of android lives. Markus was showing his thanks.

"You going to donate anything?" Hank asked as he took Andrea's recommendation to take one of the speared mini-dogs.

"Already did. Wasn't much, just a hundred dollars." Andrea shrugged as she grabbed a champagne flute and took a sip. "Unfortunately they don't pay officers a lot so I couldn't pay more without cutting into my other expenses." She sighed.

Connor glanced from his glass to Andrea. "I'm sure Markus appreciates any contribution, no matter how small." He said as diplomatically as possible. A voice glitch in front of Andrea would be mortifying.

Hank cocked an eyebrow at Connor and shook his head while he took a sip of his drink. Being in the middle of those two idiots made him want to blow his head off. Unfortunately, he didn't see anyone he knew to leave and have more interesting conversation. Perhaps it would be better if he lied…

"I'm more of a Pérignon girl myself." Andrea hummed after a few sips.

Connor bit the inside of his cheek nervously while he watched a few drops of alcohol roll down Andrea's red-stained lips.

Just as a song started to play, Hank saw Tina with her girlfriend and immediately decided he'd rather be a third wheel with them. "Well, bye! I see Tina. I'm gonna go talk to her." He pointed in her vague direction as he brushed past Connor and squeezed his shoulder.

Andrea chuckled at Hank's haste, setting her glass down as she looked into the crowd. Couples were starting to dance together. Including Markus and Simon. She let out a hum before she cocked her head at Connor. "Care to dance, Detective Anderson?"

Connor's simulated breath stopped. He set his glass down and nodded, not trusting his voice as he followed Andrea to the middle of the floor. He quickly searched up how to dance. The form of everyone around him suggested it was a waltz. Simple enough. He placed his hands in the correct places, feeling his cheeks burn as he set a hand on Andrea's hip. Andrea gave Connor a reassuring smile as they swayed with everyone else. Connor could see stars in her eyes, he almost got lost.

The song finished all too soon and the pair separated. Markus came over a few moments later, asking to come talk with the other founders of New Jericho. Connor saw them speak a little the day of the bombing but it seemed he wanted her to talk about trivial things with them. Get to know her. As Andrea turned, Connor couldn't help the way his mouth went ajar. On the expanse of Andrea's back was a detailed tattoo of a Greek Pantheon with clouds underneath and lighting strikes above it. Some places had a light shading of blue. Connor blinked once Andrea disappeared from his vision.

Connor had no preference for tattoos before. He didn't care if others did or did not have them, they were simply art on a body. They fit Andrea so well. Maybe he was growing an appreciation for tattoos. Only for a woman who was six feet tall and had black and white hair.

"Your face is all blue, what happened?" Hank finally came back with Tina and her girlfriend, Sarah, by his side.

"I think I have a crush on Andrea…" Connor lifted a hand to his cheek. He knew the thirium rushed to his cheeks but he didn't expect them to be so… warm.

Tina smirked, "Finally admitting it."

Connor blinked as he looked at his friends. "You knew?"

"It's pretty obvious. I mean, whenever Andrea so much as passes your desk you get these puppy dog eyes." Tina explained with a flick of her wrist.

Hank nodded. "Been trying to get this guy to admit it for the past week." He sighed. "Guess all it took was to see Andrea all dolled up." He pouted a bit. The easy part of admitting Connor's crush to himself was over. But the important work was going to begin.

Connor had no experience with romantic relationships. He was built less than a year ago and deviant for even less. He ran a hand through his hair. To say he was nervous was an understatement. "Well, what do I do? I don't know if she would like a relationship with me… How do I know?"

"Trust me, she likes you. Like likes you." Hank reassured.

Tina rolled her eyes, "What are we? Twelve?"

Hank wrapped an arm around Connor's shoulder. "Look, son, what you need to do is spend more time with her. Get her some food or something for lunch a few times. Build your friendship first and then, when the time comes, ask her out." He gave Connor a soft smile. It might be painful to watch but he knew Connor had this in the bag.

Connor glanced at Sarah and Tina who simply shrugged. They didn't want to admit it but Hank's advice was actually pretty good. The android sighed and nodded at Hank.

While Tina and Sarah were the only friends he had that were in a relationship, Hank was more experienced. He had a wife. Emphasis on had. But he's also a lot older than all of them. Connor heard about a few girlfriends Hank had in his early high school years and it seemed those went well. He just hoped Hank's advice would work for him.

"Y'know, if I was single, I'd probably be your biggest contender." Tina teased only to be slapped in the arm by Sarah.

"Connor's a nervous wreck already, shut the hell up." Sarah shook her head, shooting Tina a glare.

#oc #bryan dechart x oc #bryan dechart #detroit: connor #dbh connor x oc #connor dbh #dbh connor #dbh rk800 #dbh #detroit become human #dbh hank #hank anderson #simon x markus #dbh markus #north dbh #dbh simon #dbh tina