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starlessnightsblog · 3 months

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daryl x reader

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MDNI 18+ | wordcount: 3k | smutt ⭑ fluff

daryl to the rescue

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Daryl decided we'd go out for a run. The prison could always use more supplies and he figured he could try to bring home dinner too.

I watched as he packed the trunk of the Prius with supplies we would need, n'case we would stay overnight. The sun was shining, it was a pretty day, the grass still glistening from the morning fog. It had rained on and off here at the prison these last few days. Daryl was eager to get back out there, I knew he liked providing for the group and he liked when I could tag along, he'd grown to not like being apart from each other for long.

I walked up to him, placing my hands on my hips as I watched him slam the trunk door down, "We all set?" I smiled up at him.

He grabbed his bow that was leaning against the car and swung it over his shoulder, "Yes ma'am," He squinted his eyes as the sun beamed in his face. With a raspy voice, "you driving?"

He tossed me the keys before I could answer, I caught them, and rolled my eyes playfully, "This time, but you're driving us home." He hummed paired with a nod.

Daryl opened the driver's side for me, and I looked up at him, my eyes asking him to kiss me. He caught on and leaned down to meet my lips, but in that moment, I saw Carol walking up to us and pulled away. Daryl noticed my gaze shift and he turned around to meet her. She hugged Daryl briefly and then me. "You two be safe, ...and behave." Her tone was stern yet hinted with sarcasm. Daryl let his head fall and his hair cover his face, trying not to smirk too much.

"We behave?" I questioned, pretending to be offended by her statement; though Carol never meant any harm.

Daryl walked to the passenger side and sunk in. "See you soon.' He reassured Carol and she nodded. I closed my door and started the car and waited for Carol and Carl to open the gate, they waved us off. I watched them grow tiny in the rear view.

Me and Daryl parked the car on the side of the road a few miles out from the prison, we ended up in the woods before midday. Stumbling through the forest on foot, I treaded right behind Daryl, as we stayed silent amidst the trees, getting a feel of the surrounding area, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to ourselves. I watched as he led the way, looking at sticks and piles of brushed up leaves, observing them. I watched his back as he was distracted by the prints in front of him, we hadn't encountered any walkers yet and I really didn't want too. My aim was still off sometimes, walkers made me freeze up. I hated having to encounter them, at all.

"We need to find an abandoned cabin or somethin'." He mumbled. "I think I remember seeing one out this way." He pointed and began walking adjacent to the direction we were going in, I just went along with it, trusting his every intention. "Okay."

"Least somewhere we can hold up for a night." He looked back at me, his eyes met mine.

oh, I thought. He side smirked and raised a brow. chewing his bottom lip, "Let's keep moving." He hummed and I nodded.

The day was growing dark and grey clouds had infused the sky; the wind picking up in waves. The ambiance of crickets and cicadas filled the swampy air. My feet would've been killing me if I wasn't already use to it, walking, running all day.

Daryl had managed to snag a few rabbits and now we were looking for somewhere we could build a fire. Though I think he was growing weary of the weather just as I was, and we were having zero luck with finding the cabin.

Instead, we happened apon a little homemade, car, junk yard. Though the cars were either stripped of everything that made them useful or already pieces of scrap metal, maybe even from before the world went to shit. Still, it looked untouched enough. There was a chained-up storage container sitting on the far side of the yard, almost blocked by two cars mangled on top of each other. I pointed it out to Daryl. "That might be good place to sleep tonight." I whispered.

"It'll have to be," He looked up at the ever-darkening sky, "come on." he ushered me, his hand hovering the small of my back.

We approached the fenced-in plot, finding a good spot spot to sneak in through. Daryl made a hole in the fence with his bolt cutters. He pulled the chain link down as quietly as he could, though it still made noise.

With caution, we began inspecting the yard. staying close to one another. After assuming it was fine, Daryl began opening a few of the hoods of the cars, inspecting the engines for anything useful. I held my knife out in front me, in case I needed it as I kept walking ahead, wanting to get to the storage building.

I wandered up to what seemed like an untouched mini-van. It had no tires, from what I could see, but all the windows were intact, looked promising. I tried peeking through the caked-on dust and dirt, maybe even guts or blood, I failed to make anything out, so I tried wiping the window with my fist. I wiggled the handle, it was locked, weird. I yanked the handle one more time, and then CLAP.

A pale, skinny hand from inside the car hit the window hard, I flinched, it scratched and bit at the glass so hard it was making its fingertips bleed. It was loud now, and I jumped back, wanting to evacuate the scene and maybe it'd magically shut up? I took a step back into the grasp of a walker suddenly appearing from under the same mini-van, I lost my balance, and stumbled back, hitting the ground fast and hard.

I slammed my foot against the rotter over and over, but was failing to do any real damage, I heard groans coming from behind me. I glanced back quickly. Another walker was crawling out the thick grass, it appeared to have no legs and half an arm, t was close but struggling at the very least, tangling itself in the weeds. My focus shot back to the walker beneath me, it was chomping and hadn't even reached my foot yet. I began to frantically search the ground for my knife, I must've dropped it when I fell. I cursed, wanting this to end but not knowing how.

Another wandering walker's attention snapped to me and this one wasn't stuck; it started limping quickly, it's one good arm shooting out, preparing to grab me at first chance. My heart was racing faster than ever, I pleaded with myself to do something, to move. I screamed as the walker beneath me bit at my shoe, I kicked it off before it could bite through, I scrambled away in the dirt, the moans and groans from the biters around me filled my ears and all I could think of was Daryl and how I couldn't leave him, not like this.

I closed my eyes, shielding myself as the walker that was stumbling towards me got hauntingly closer. Then, in an instant the air was silenced. I watched the walker collapse on the group in front of me, A bloody arrow had pierced straight through its skull. Then another arrow went straight through the eye socket of the walker holding onto my foot. Blood leaked from both the heads in front of me, though the weak walker behind me was still struggling, but still too close for comfort. I stared at the vicious corpse, still in shock from the last few minutes.

I didn't see Daryl till he was on top the corpse in front of me, he shoved his knife down and through the walker's brain, and stabbed again and again till the head was blood and mush. Dark blood splashed his face as he did so.

I took a deep breath in, and Daryl's full attention locked on me, he snapped out of it and rushed to kneel beside me, pulling me up gently. "You okay? You're okay right? They didn't-," His breath trembled, and he looked scared; he scanned my face up and down.

My eyes locked to his as they trained my face. "I'm okay, I'm good," my words wearier than my breathing, my body slightly shaking in the rush of it all, "they didn't- I'm okay." Tears formed in my eyes. I cupped the side of his face with my hand as I shook my head in reassurance. "I'm okay." He touched his forehead to mine and then wrapped his arm around my whole body, holding me tight. We lingered in the embrace, I wanted him to never let me go, and then it began to thunder. Daryl broke away first and looked around. "Let's get inside."

We hadn't even scoped out the container due to my little damsel in distress moment. but it didn't matter anymore, we were sleeping in that thing no matter what.

Rain began to poor, the dirt on our skin rinsing off, our hair dripping onto our faces; we hurried over to the storage container. Daryl puller out his bolt cutters swiftly and broke through the chains with ease, that, or he just made it look easy. He slid the door open slowly and it was dark inside but not so much so we couldn't see in it. I stepped forward but his arm shot in front of me, holding me back. He looked me up and down, "Uhh uh, No way." He murmured.

I didn't say anything. He grabbed a flashlight out his bag and stepped inside. It beamed through the shadows. He peaked around and made sure no dead would pop out the corners. He signaled for me that it was safe, and I stepped inside. He came to close the door behind me, shoving a metal rod through the handles.

I think it was safe to say we hit the jackpot. The container had shelves on either side, it was partially stocked with a decent amount of can goods, we found a first aid kit, and even a few boxes of ammo. I noticed some cardboard boxes that looked straight out of somebody's Saturday morning garage sale.

They were filled with ghosts of the past. I found someone's family photos, baby clothes and even toys. I stuffed my bag with anything I could fit in it. Some of these things would be useful to Judith and this helped me feel useful.

The place had a box full of beeswax candles, the kind you use when the power goes out. Daryl had a lighter handy, so we lit some and put them on the shelves to lighten the place up so we wouldn't trip on ourselves.

I then lay out us out a cot with a double sleeping bag, I tossed my favorite blanket I tote with me on every run as a finishing touch. It looked good enough. Daryl had opened a few of the cans and that's what we ate for dinner. No fire for the rabbits, what a bummer. (I was not bummed.)

We ate quietly. The groans coming from outside disappeared, though the rain only got harder and maybe that's why. We were closed in, nothing was getting in.

We huddled around our one lantern, and each ate a can of green peas. I finished the can and set it on the shelve just above my head. I looked over at Daryl who was also finishing up. He set his can down, away from the sleeping bed.

"Thank you, for earlier," I whispered, "I dunno why, I just froze." I started, wanting to make an excuse for my helplessness. "I shouldn't of-"

"Don't do that." He cut me off, shaking his head. "Nothing happened, and you're okay."

"I put us in danger." I retorted. I never wanted to put Daryl in danger, and he was so much better at the whole apocalypse thing than me.

"Hey, hey, look at me," He hummed, his tone smooth. I met his longing gaze. "we're in danger just by being out here, so it doesn't matter." He took my hand in his, our fingers intertwined. "I would never let anythin' happen to you... no matter what. It's you over everything, over everyone. You know that, right?" The look on his face was coated with sincerity, the flickering lights from the candles bounced on his skin. He was emulating complete and utter warmth.

If it wasn't for Daryl today, I might've ended up walker food. I replayed the moment in my head, the guilt still eating at me, "I never want anything to happen to you." I managed to choke out. I rested my forehead on his shoulder. he took me into his embrace, I squeezed him, and he squeezed back, tighter.

I thought about the man beside me, how he defended me and loved me. He'd take a bullet for me, and we both knew that. But did he know I would do the same for him though?

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered. I glanced back up at him and pulled his face down to kiss me, brushing my lips to his, he placed his hand on my hip. I broke away for a moment, our eyes pulled together. Wanting to top that, but he crashed his lips to mine.

My hands snaked around his neck, and as our kiss grew more heated, he pulled me on top of him. His hands roamed my body, trying to make skin to skin contact. I ripped my jacket off, not even daring to break the kiss, my hands found their way back around his neck. He tried pulling me closer, grinding my hips below his torso. I ripped right through his vest, leaving him exposed. He smirked, trying to catch his breath, he pulled at my shirt, wanting it gone. He got it over my head and threw it away. He started kissing my neck and biting me softly. I loved when he did that. But I wanted his mouth on mine, and I tilted my head with his, he let my lips touch his and they moved in sync.

Our mouths stayed glued together as I fiddled with his belt and zipper. It didn't take long for me to find his hard-on, I rubbed him gently through his briefs, he groaned. I lifted up off him and removed my shorts, He moved my underwear to the side, and his own down, his cock shot up and his fingers grazed my warmth making sure I was wet. He hummed when he touched me, growing more eager to stick it in. He held his cock in place as I eased onto it. Letting out a breath of pleasure as I felt him enter me.

he started guiding my hips, rocking me back and forth, Daryl loved being in control, even if I was the one on top. He bit his lip, trying not to moan. His dick pushed deeper into me, and I couldn't help but make noise. I brought my lips to his, thinking it would mask my cries. It got harder as we sunk into each other. Whimpers leaving my throat, moans escaping through our kiss. He pushed me down, bucking his hips, I straddled him, and he wrapped his arms around my back, switching our position. He was on top now and I was floating below him. My shoulders barely touching the ground, He rested on his knees, his hands clinging to my waist, he began pounding into me. I whined as I felt his tip hit my cervix over and over again.

His breathing was heavy, and he cursed under his breath, He leaned in, my whole body on the ground now, my legs wrapped around his torso as he wrapped his arms around me. All I could do was plead with my whines. We were so passionate, yet making love with such haste like we didn't have all night. Daryl just knew what he was doing; and no one, not even before, could make me feel this good. I cursed under my breath as my body began to fill with pleasure, my nails digging into his skin, he knew I was close and sped up, with every thrust I could feel my climax getting closer. I bit his shoulder, if I made any more noise, I might attract walkers. his rapid breathing heavy in my ear, he sucked on my neck and left kisses in-between.

In the midst of our passion, Daryl pulled out and released onto my stomach, my release following, my chest was heaving up and down as I laid there on the cot. Daryl whipped the sweat from his brow and stood up, grabbing my shirt and shorts for me. He kissed me slowly as he handed me my things, and then kissed my forehead.

I put my clothes back on and he buttoned his vest back up, he laid down beside me, his head resting on his arms. and I followed, resting my head on his bicep, he pulled me in, I could still feel the heat steaming off his skin, he still had a few breaths to catch, I smiled at him, "I've been thinking about doing that all damn day." He admitted. He wrapped his body around mine and we just laid there, listening to the heavy rain on the metal roof. We started drifting off and fell asleep in each other's arms.

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#daryl x y/n #daryl dixion imagine #daryl x you #daryl imagines #daryl x reader #twd daryl #daryl fanfiction #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon #daryl x female reader #the walking dead

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palskippah · 5 months

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Hi!

Some Mareach thoughts regarding their pining for the other because that's my favorite headcanon ever for them, especially if it's painfully obvious that they like the other.

It's all rambling sjdksj Sorry if it's confusing to read! It's just all my thoughts on the matter, and they're loosely based on the drawings I did jsjds

Also, this all may not be very coherent? In the sense of time and stuff, I wrote it on the spot, honestly sjsj

Now, Peach has been in love with Mario for a long time. Before he saved her for the first time, and maybe even before he became the helpful hero of the Mushroom Kingdom.

He was nice to her, respectful and liked to have fun- never mind that she was a princess. With her subjects Peach couldn't exactly run and jump and just play any time outside of the official games (unless it was little children, they loved it, but once they got bigger, they realized she was The Princess, and must be treated with excessive respect and distance, apparently), but with Mario she could get her nice, pink dress dirty with mud or with stains of green grass, get leaves in her hair, or overall be a mess, regardless of the situation. He'd just laugh with his equally dirty overalls, instead of fretting over her nice clothes being ruined.

They'd have simple competitions, who gets faster to that one tree about ten meters away? They'd push and shove to get there quicker, both using their abilities for it. Peach would levitate a rock for it to get in Mario's way, and Mario would jump very high to go past it easily. And whoever won earned a kiss from the loser (alright, Peach shamelessly set that rule, whatever for her to place her lips on Mario's round nose or to get his mustache to tickle her cheek when his lips placed a loud kiss on it).

It was fun and simple, and Peach felt truly relaxed and appreciated when she was with Mario, in a way that with her cousin Daisy or her father Toadsworth she just didn't. Her heart would beat faster, and she'd look forward to seeing Mario's blue eyes and his silly nose and his handsome mustache. And to hear his accented sweet voice, or to see him communicate with gestures, where Peach would do her absolute best to interpret it the best she could.

To simply be by Mario's side could made Peach's whole day.

After she was rescued though, she saw him in a new light- a heroic (and very handsome-) light. He fought against a koopa many times his size and simply flung him out by the tail! Then Mario effortlessly lifted her in his arms and ran her to safety. Mario kind of literally swept her off her feet, and Peach felt that she fell a little more in love with him, in a way that she knew she never would be able to forget or be able to get over it.

But something Peach is very glad of, it's that there's no need to forget or get over it, because Mario likes her too. A lot it seems. The first time he saved her, and once they were back at the castle, Mario seemed to reach for his hat to do a playful bow as he usually did for the princess, but Peach was excited and loved him so much and felt so cared for, that she impulsively leaned in and kissed him on the nose, halting Mario's movements. She muttered in a sweet, loving voice: "Thank you, Mario."

And by the stars, the way Mario's cheeks went pink and his eyes bright, as if something wonderful just happened to him, made Peach's heart sing in happiness. Could this mean that he could love her too?

So, Peach started to be clear in her intentions. She'd be sweeter, she'd get him gifts, and treat him like a king that deserved everything in the world. Because to her, Mario did deserve everything and more. Peach invited him exclusively to eat cake with her, they woudl go to picnics on their own ,to enjoy each other's company. And Peach would very tentatively reach his hand when she could or kiss his face if the situation allowed it, even staright up hugging him, with no excuse or reason to (simply because she wanted!)

To any outsider, it was clear the princess was courting Mario, but to Mario, it was just his good friend being more friendly, which was great! He was very glad to be a closer friend to Peach. So, Mario started returning the efforts, he'd give her silly things he found that reminded him of her or make the time to spend his afternoons with her. He'd be more affectionate in the way Peach was, saying outright what he liked of her or cheering for her in enthusiasm at their games (Mario saying, "I love you, I love you so much!" while clapping).

But it didn't go past that.

Peach wasn't sure if Mario was being oblivious or she wasn't being clear enough- But he'd blush and do silly dances when she said something particularly sweet to him, and his eyes would soften when looking up at her. So, Peach was very confused. Why, even when she said, "I love you, Mario", he answered with an enthusiastically, "I love you too, principessa!" and... that was it. As if Mario just didn't notice that Peach was trying to go somewhere with all their courting (Thinking about the "we look like a couple :3" "A couple of besties! :D").

I'm thinking that ever since they became friends, Mario has had at least a little crush on Peach, and how could he not? She's so beautiful, and nice, and funny. Mario doesn't think she'd be interested in him in a romantic sense though, because he knows very well she cares about him! But romantically? Princess Peach could have anyone she wanted, and there must be other royals more worthy of her love. So, why choose Mario? What could he possibly give her that another guy or woman in a much higher position couldn't?

Mario is very sure of himself in some ambits, and then in others not so much. When time goes on, he truly believes he's worthy of being Peach's hero, because he's strong, agile, he can jump very high, he's smart too! If Peach is in trouble, he will find a solution or a way to rescue her and make sure she's okay. He trusts his physical abilities very much, that's why he trains and does his best to be as strong as he can! What else can Mario give Peach if he can't be useful for her safety-

But he doesn't think he's good enough to be anything else besides that. Because Mario isn't worthy to hold her hand simply because he wants to, unless he's pulling her and running away from danger. And Mario couldn't just hold Peach in his arms in the way a bride is held by the groom, because he only does that if he needs to get Peach away from a castle or danger, again. Or to kiss her cheek just because he wanted to show her his fondness, without having to purposely lose their races.

Mario just wasn't good enough for that, and it always made him realize that no matter what he did, he'd never feel worthy, because he'll always just be Mario, Mushroom Kingdom's and Peach's hero. And Mario was okay with that, really. And what difference does it make, anyway, if Peach doesn't feel the same way. She was so sweet and considerate, always looking out for people she cared about. Mario was just very glad that he was in that group of people that Peach deeply cared for. And he knew he was there, because she did so many nice things for him! Bake him a cake, even when he didn't help her in any significant way prior to it, or hug him out of nowhere or look at him sweetly- it was as if they were dating! And it made Mario immensely happy, because if he tried hard enough, it was as if Peach only had eyes for him, and only did nice, sweet things for him. And looked at him with her beautiful sky-blue eyes, full of love for Mario, as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

When he saved her for the first and she kissed him and looked at him as if he was something precious and loving, he felt that maybe Peach could see him as a romantic partner, worthy of very nice things and very nice people such as Peach. But then she said, "You are my hero!" and that hope shattered, because right- hero, Mario was a hero. He was good in helping and saving the day and that's why people liked him! That's why Peach appreciated him too. So, Mario smiled brightly anyways and jumped in joy, because he's happy to be Peach's hero!

In the privacy of his own room, Mario would allow himself to feel sad about the matter, about feeling too little like a person and too much like a hero sometimes. Hoping it could be the other way, or maybe both ways. Anything so Peach could think of Mario and be pleased with the person he was, rather in all the things he could do. (Does that even make sense? it's me, Kym, asking ASJKJS)

And you can bet that Luigi was witnessing all of this, especially Peach's fruitless courting, and Mario's lovesick pining. He'd see the princess acting in the same way a loving partner would, and Mario relishing in the attention, very clearly in love. And then Mario would say something that sounded way to close to friend-zoning, and Peach would look briefly caught off-ward, most likely confused.

And Luigi couldn't blame her, when Mario himself didn't think she was courting him! The idiot (both affectionate and derogatory) didn't have enough confidence to think a princess could like (and love) him. Alright, well, if Luigi had a royal person hopelessly in love with him, he wouldn't believe it either- because he's just little ol' Luigi! Nothing special. But Mario? He was the specialest guy around! But he was so insecure too and wouldn't just see that Peach was almost desperately trying to get him to see that she loved him and wanted to be much more than just friends.

For God's sake, she said 'I love you' to Mario, directly to his face, and not even that seemed to change his thoughts of not being good enough or her not wanting anything besides friendship. Worst part, Luigi had to see his bro pining in their house, sighing, thinking of the princess, and out loud wondering what she was doing. He'd always be thinking of her, Peach this and Peach that- And it's not that it bothered Luigi or angered him, it's just that it was frustrating! The woman was right there! Peach could be with a huge MARIO, WANNA BE MY BOYFRIEND? <3 sign right outside their house and Mario would ask Luigi for which brother it was.

It frustrated him and made him feel sorry for his bro. Mario had something so good right in front of him, and due to his insecurity, he couldn't allow himself to see it.

After months and months of implying a relationship and Mario just, not noticing, Peach started to realize that... maybe Mario just didn't feel the same way. And maybe he just didn't know how to let her know it. Maybe Mario was being nice and returning her efforts just to not hurt her feelings, when all he wanted was to just remain friends. It made Peach feel so sad and so ashamed, had she just been forcing her feelings on Mario? A worse thought crossed her mind, has she been making him uncomfortable with her actions? And all these months...., Peach wouldn't forgive herself if that was the case. Maybe all those blushes and soft eyes and shy smiles were just the things she wanted to see.

Stars, she had to fix it. So, Peach stopped inviting Mario on his own to her castle and baking a cake with his favourite flavors in mind, and started inviting both brothers and also friends. She stopped leaning to hug him or kiss him, and when they'd win or lose races, Peach changed the rule into a high-five, meeting Mario's kissy lips with her palm the first time it happened. She truly hoped her efforts of a romantic relationship could just be forgotten, and not affect their friendship.

Mario was devastated with the change in Peach's behavior. She no longer invited him to the castle, and he didn't receive any more letters with 'Come to the castle, I've baked you a cake! <3', and the worst part- when he ran especially slow to get to kiss Peach in the cheek, and he was right about to do it, Peach's hand received him instead of her face. She smiled cheerfully and said, "Let's do high-fives from now on, yes?'

It was as if Mario's heart shattered- it was the last piece in the puzzle that indicated that he was no longer as loved as he used to be by the princess. Mario was treated like, like Luigi was! Which, honestly, was still very good, but! Mario used to be special! Peach used to treat him like he was someone noteworthy and worthy of the nicest gifts and her nicest smiles, and now it was no longer... If there was a little sliver of hope in Mario that they could be something, it was entirely gone. Now he couldn't even pretend that she loved him romantically, and it made him so, so sad.

Was it something he did? Mario should just ask, shouldn't he? God, but he just couldn't, he was a coward. What if Peach told him she no longer liked him at all, and was trying to slowly distance herself, and she actually hated Mario now?! Obviously, Mario was being dramatic, but he just wanted to explain why Peach no longer treated him in a special way...

That's all I've got 🧍

#super mario bros #my art #my writing #(new tag sjdsj)#mareach #princess peach #mario mario #luigi mario #I swear insecure Mario over things so obvious and untrue is my favortie #because he's alwasy seen as very confident and good with himself skdjsd #also when they finally get together they're always being very lovey-dovey and Mario makes sure to use every chance he has to love Peach #if you read everything god bless you aslkdalsds #also luigi having the same doubts is nice too because I like bowuigi so he's gonna be in a similar position soon SJDKSJ

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jeankirsteinsgirl · 9 months

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The AOT Guys as Gym Rats

Summary: Headcannons about the boys if they were really into working out includes Jean, Eren, Armin, & Levi.

CW: Implied sexual content but not really NSFW, borderline.

Jean: Loves going to the gym with you, and begs you to go with him every time but it gets annoying because he goes constantly. Prefers to go in the afternoon to early evening so he still has time to eat dinner and cuddle with you at home afterward maybe even take a shower with you too. Such a baby about begging you to go with him says it's "boring for him to go alone". You usually end up giving in to his request becuase who could say no to those big puppy dog eyes. Jean likes to focus on his biceps and chest, loves bench pressing and you think it's so hot how he could bench press at least two of you. The fact that he's so strong makes him even hotter and you love watching him work out, most of the time you just go to watch. Staring at him as his eyes are squinted in concentration focused on the metal bar raising up and down over his head, his big strong fingers gripping the cool metal. His hands are hot, you've always had a thing for his hands, his thick calloused fingers, the way they hold you, how strong his natural grip was. The way his muscles contract below him and you can see just a glimpse of his body as his shirt rides up over his stomach making you bite your lip, but Jean doesn't notice he's too immersed in his workout. His gold chain adorns his collarbones, drawing just enough attention to his chest to turn you on as sweat drips down his forehead, strands of his brown hair sticking to his red face as he finally finishes his set. He finally notices you staring at him and blushes. "your turn babe you didn't really come here just to watch me did you?" he teases, playfully nudging you.

Eren: Likes when you come to the gym with him but doesn't mind going on his own either. Prefers when you come with him so he can show off to you and you roll your eyes every time. He's like a 12 year old boy flexing at the pool trying to impress the 17 year old life guard. But you couldn't lie to yourslef, you secretly liked when he tried to impress you, and you definitely didn't mind the view. You'd sit on the bench next to him minign your business, wokring out with your headphones on until you'd feel something poke you. You'd turn to see Eren quickly turn the other way, continuing his bicep curls as if nothing happened "What? I didn't do anything" he'd say while giggling like a child. But not that he had your attention he was going to take full advantage of it. He placed the weights he was curling dow to pick up heavier ones and said "Watch this" and you reluctantly obliged, slightly annoyed at him for interrupting your set. He curled the heavy wieghts upwards while staring at the ground intently, his eyebrows furrowed as he struggled just a little to lift the wieghts. Eren was very strong, but he was always pushing the limits to impress you. You couldn't take your eyes off of the way his bices flexed with each rep, how defined his muscles were, the soft glisten of sweat over his body making him look almost angelic "See something you like princess?" he winked at you with his cocky smile as you rolled your eyes "maybe I do" you responded as he put the weights back on the rack. "Oh yeah? Then let's go back home and I can show you how strong I really am"

Armin: Armin preferred goinig to the gym by himself as he enjoyed that sense of solitude and alone time, but he allowed you to come along with him from time to time. Everytime you would compliment him his face would turn a deeper shade of red "Wow Armin that's really heavy, cant believe you can lift all that." You'd say while btting your eyelashes up at him. "Ts really not that much babe a bunch of other guys lift way heavier I mean I'm working my way-" "Min" you cut him off "I love how strong you are" you said slightly squeezing his bicep "you're perfect for me" you said giving him a light kiss on the cheek causing his blush to grow deeper. "Th-that's really sweet thank you" he said as he went back to working out. He of course noticed your eyes were attached to him with every move he made, it made him a little nervous being watched this closely but you kept encouraging him and telling him how strong he was, boosting his confidence. You watched with every contraction of his muscles, the red tint on his face paired with a soft glisten of moisture looked almost the same as when you had sex and it totally turned you on. It also didn't help that every time he would do a pull up his shirt would come up just a little giving you the perfect view of his toned abs covered with his sweat. What you would do to have him right then and there. But no you let him finish his workout and as he was done you came up to him and trailed your nails softly along his back "I love your muscles armin, you wanna show me what they look like when you're on top of me" you asked with an innocent smile on your face. Armin didn't respond he just blushed and grabbed your hand as you walked out of the gym together.

Levi: Levi is very routine oriented and thinks of the gym as a very important part of his life. He's always gone to the gym a lot and does his workout split the same way every time. It annoys him when you watch him but he knows you can't help it. He catches you staring at him and asks "There nothing better you could be doing right now babe?" cocking an eyebrow at you and you'd just turn away pretending not to hear him, continuing with your workout. But his comment of course didn't deter you from stealing glances of his muscles flexing under his shirt, his hair drooping slightly into his face as he focuses on the exercise, he could ask you for a hairtie but he doesn't want to distract you from your workout. So he continues, his pale skin contrasting exquisitely with his firm muscles, every movement he made exentuating how strong he was. You loved the idea of how strong he was, how he could pick you up or hold you down any time he wanted to, that just made him so much hotter to you. He would grow increasingly annoyed with each time he caught your big eyes lingering on his body, but of course he secretly liked it. Levi always had the rule that when you worked out together you were to do your exercises and he was so to his, but maybe he was just looking for a reason to punish you later.

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lostgirl14480 · 8 months

Text

A Not So Common Fairy (Teaser)

Summary: you're a dark fairy from the upside-down and when you see that a gate is open, your curiosity gets the best of you.

- eddie munson x fairy!reader

Nothing remotely interesting ever happened in this dimension. It was always dark with constant storms, which I didn't mind actually. But I always hoped something would change. Maybe a ray of sun, or the budding of a flower? But no, nothing beautiful ever came to this place...

So, when I got wind that Henry Creel was opening gates to another world, I decided it was time for me to leave this place in search of something more. There was nothing tying me here, only the memories of my family...

Without a second thought, I lift my multicolored wings and set off into the air, heading straight to an open gate. The only thing left behind is a small trail of black dust, but it is quickly swept away by the winds of the never-ending storms.

......................

I emerge from the gate, and for the first time ever, I see the color green. Instead of the dark decaying plants from my dimension, this one is full of life! I stare in awe at all the green leaves on the trees, the moss growing on the ground, even the small river flowing along a path. I'm about to fly over to a particular budding flower when I hear voices coming from below me. Not trusting what the noise is from, I try shrinking myself, but for some reason, being in this dimension is limiting my magic. So instead, I perch myself on a branch just high enough to be out of sight but low enough to hear what is going on.

"We need to see If there's a gate around here, It's the only way we'll be able to find Vecna and free Max from his curse." Says one of the younger humans in the group. Vecna? Curse? Are they talking about Henry? How do they know about the gates?

Intrigued, I lean in closer from the branch I'm perched on and continue to listen to the conversation this group of humans are having.

"Dustin, have you even considered how dangerous this plan is? And Eddie is still wanted for murder, we can't just go walking around town looking for a gate!" Murder!? These humans are getting more interesting by the second.

"Steve, it's our only shot, I don't see any other options..." Dustin replies. "And besides, I think Eddie should have a say, since he's the one being chased by the whole town. So what do you say Eddie?"

The one who must be Eddie stands up and addresses the group. I take a moment to look him over, and I can't help but stare a little longer than I intended, there's just something about him that draws me in.

"I say, you're asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I'm totally straight with you I think is a really bad idea. But uh the Shire, the Shire is burning. So Mordor it is." I'm amazed at how brave these humans are, knowing how ruthless Henry, or I guess Vecna, can be. But I guess I have a lot to learn about this new dimension, and the humans who live here.

After agreeing on what Eddie said, the group all start to follow Dustin. Eddie trails behind, seemingly lost in thought and I take the time to admire his features. In Vecnas dimension, there really arn't any attractive males, or any human like creatures for that matter, so it's hard not to admire Eddie in this moment.

But I guess I didn't realize how intently I was looking and how much closer I was leaning over the branch to get a closer look, because all of a sudden, the branch I'm perched on cracks, and I fall a few feet before my wings are able to extend. I quickly fly up to another branch, higher up this time, and behind the trunk of the tree. But I'm sure I felt eyes on me for a split second...

"Eddie! What are you still doing back there?" Dustin calls out. The group is already a bit further along the path, but Eddie is stood at the base of the tree I'm hiding in, staring at the cracked branch.

I stay completely still, not sure If he's already seen me.

"I just, I thought I saw-" Eddie starts, but stops and shakes his head, turing back to follow the group. "Nevermind."

🖤🖤🖤

A/N: This is just a random idea that I thought of, not sure if it'll just be turned into a few imagines or if I'll make it into a story, haven't decided yet 😂 But I've been in an Eddie mood lately so there's plenty more where this came from 😁❤️‍🔥

#eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x reader #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie munson #stranger things #eddie munson st4 #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x female reader #steve harrington #dustin henderson

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yanderes-galore · 8 months

Note

If it's okay can I request Transformers Prime Megatron with your prompts 2, 11, and 44 with a human reader?

Of course! @okchijt and I came up with the plot for this one so hopefully it came out great after I fleshed things out :) This takes place a little after you're first abducted by Megatron.

Yandere! TFP! Megatron Prompts 2, 11, 44

"It's an honor for someone such as me to take you in and love you!"

"I'd crush their heart in front of you if it meant you'd only love me!"

"Your tongue is so sharp... wouldn't it be a shame if I had to silence it?"

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Cybertronian/Human pairing, Obsession, Torture mentioned, Threats, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Slight OOC Megatron, Forced relationship.

The fact humans were capable of such resolve both intrigued yet infuriated Megatron. How long had it been for you? Weeks? Months? It didn't really matter to him.

All he knows is for such a small thing you're resilient. Starscream has been sent to your cell on The Nemesis for a long time now. Despite the pain inflicted on your fleshy body, you refuse to talk or give up any info on the Autobots.

Starscream yet again kept disappointing Megatron. To think he's unable to make such a human talk is inconceivable. You're human, you should be cracking by now.

It's almost impressive really, even if it's pointless. Compared to most humans you never know when to quit. It's a trait that shows loyalty... to the wrong cause.

Despite your annoying stubborn behavior, Megatron found himself intrigued by you. Your traits frustrate him yet draw him in. He wants to know what makes you tick.

He oversees your interrogations, watching as you're either shocked or yelled at. Even through extreme psychological stress and threats you refuse to betray Prime. Megatron is almost jealous at such loyalty.

If only some of the Decepticons besides Soundwave and Shockwave show such loyalty.

Such intrigue prompts the Decepticon to remove Starscream from the job of interrogation. No, this was now between you and him. Your resistance is a trait Megatron wants to utilize... perhaps he can make a deal with you.

Megatron notices the confusion in your gaze when he steps in. A grin is on his face as you show slight weakness for just a moment. You quickly swap to a more defiant gaze right as Megatron locks the cell behind him.

"So you're the human that's been giving Starscream hell? I should thank you for that, actually. However, you aren't getting away with that when it comes to me." Megatron begins, observing your reactions carefully through his optics.

"We'll see about that..." You grumble just enough for the Decepticon to hear.

"Yes, we'll see..." Megatron begins. "We'll see what happens to your friends and family when you don't give up the Autobots. Even if you don't give the answer now... we'll find them. I don't mind extinguishing their spark in front of you."

Megatron sees fear flicker in your eyes at the threat but you still don't relent. Starscream, as much as he hates to see it, was right. In a sense....

"Think about this instead, for being a human you could make a great Decepticon."

He sees your face contort into disgust.

"I'm not telling you anything! Just as I have multiple times before! Let me go... kill me... it doesn't matter just as you said. I'll never tell you about the Autobots. They're my family, they care for me and they'll find me!"

Megatron felt his Energon heat at the fact you're defending the Autobots. The Autobots are scum... the fact you still stick by them on his turf sets him off. He was even starting to consider sparing you as a Decepticon if you've survived months of torment!

You needed to crack... now.

"I'd crush their heart in front of you if it meant you'd only love me!" The Decepticon roars, revealing a key factor of his intentions.

After the outburst there's silence. You stare wide-eyed at Megatron as he glares down at you. Megatron does realize what he said and takes a moment to ponder. It's a bit degrading to himself to stoop down to liking a human this much but... you're an exception. Perhaps while watching you and growing annoyed he was just in denial about such a fact.

Either way it appears he can use this as leverage.

You still appear to be processing the accidental confession. It's a surprise to him too. The silence is deafening as you try to process the disturbing confession given by your captor.

"Love me...?" You say in nearly a whisper. "How could a monster such as you love me? Didn't you say you hated humans?"

Megatron tries to search for an answer, momentarily distracted by his own confession and your questions. You're pushing him in a corner. It's surprising how fast you swap the power in your favor even if it's for a moment.

You really are something special.

"Go on, answer!" You growl. "If you said you hate my kind, what makes you think a confession such as that will make me love you?"

Megatron is silent, watching you bark at him like an angry dog. You are quite brave yet stupid to fight someone like him. It's what he likes about you... yet it stings slightly.

His silence prompts you to continue.

"The likelihood of me loving you, if that is truly what you want, is about as likely as you beating the Autobots!"

Megatron takes note of the grin on your face. You're enjoying the power trip. You haven't been on control of your situation for a long time now. You're reveling in the momentary power.

He'll put an end to that, you've asked enough questions already.

"It's an honor for someone such as me to take you in and love you!" Megatron counters. "Mocking me is a poor decision. You are not the one in power here."

He hates that you somehow have such an effect on him. He could squish you with his claws but he doesn't. No... he "cares" too much, huh?

You take notice due to being such a perceptive human.

"You have one last chance to cooperate. Things will only get worse from here if you continue." Megatron warns. He's already being too merciful with you as his. You only smile sweetly.

"You couldn't hurt me... you LOVE me, don't you-"

*SLAM*

The noise of Megatron's fist puncturing the wall rings in your ears. You have a look of fearful surprise on your face when you catch a look of Megatron's blazing red optics on you. Only now to you shut up, realizing playing with your captor really won't at all be like Starscream.

Megatron's deathly silent as he lowers himself to snatch you up in his hand. You now begin to shake, losing the confidence you once had. So much for the tough act....

It seems only now you understand the power imbalance between you two.

"Your tongue is so sharp... wouldn't it be a shame if I had to silence it?" Megatron mocks, grinning when he sees you tremble in his hand. "You need to learn your place. You're still a human after all."

For once, you're shocked into silence. You can tell by the gaze in Megatron's eyes that you've sealed your fate. He isn't going to kill you, at least you think....

He's going to put you through hell and back for trying to mess around with him. You wish you held your tongue. What were you thinking, mocking Megatron as a human?

You can only guess it'll be much worse than when you misbehaved around Starscream.

Even if he did say he "loved" you.

#yandere transformers #yandere transformers prime #yandere tfp megatron #yandere megatron

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lcthebtswriter · 1 year

Text

starstruck

pairing: dacre montgomery x reader

summary: it's just your luck you have a one night stand with the man of your dreams

tags: @miscellaneoustoasts, @tellmehows, @just-that-trash-blog. @mrsjaxtellerfan, @statsvitenskap, @hardygalwrites (maybe? I meant to tag @hardygal69 but I think you're the same person, lmk)

warnings: smut (18+ only), slight choking, alcohol

a/n: heyyy, couple glasses of wine later and here yall go ;)

How did you end up here?

Falling apart with his mouth on your most sensitive parts, tongue swirling, lips sucking, fingers magically used to make you come undone.

The night was a blur leading up to the climax of your darkest desires. A bachelorette party for your best friend, a flurry of bar hopping and karaoke. It's a small world, as you've come to find out.

When you spotted Dacre at a bar, you acted like you didn't know him. It was difficult to do so when you saw him eye you throughout the night. You smiled, threw him a little wave, and left with your girlfriends for the next bar. You freaked out about it in private, walking in your heels along the sidewalk as the night carried on.

You were quiet in the taxi ride to your hotel, friends packed in the back seat chatting up the driver. The windows were rolled down, the cold breeze sobering you before being dropped off at your destination. Your friends follow you into the elevator, everyone discussing different subjects while you replay the snippet of social interaction with a celebrity. Had you been wasted you probably would have introduced yourself, but tonight wasn't the night. Your friend was to be married in the morning, and you'd hate to take any attention from her. You would have to make do with a story to tell at dinner parties.

After saying goodbye to your friends on their floor, you take the elevator up one more level. You lean against the chilling metal of the elevator wall, about to press the button that shuts the doors when you get the idea for a night cap. The hotel has a lavish bar in the dining area, and you aren't quite ready to call it a night. You're still dolled up and not at all mentally tired, so you decide to press the button for the lobby and head down.

You're surprised to find so few people in the lobby. With it being so late in the night, you expected more people to fill its lavish parlor and using the quaint dance floor to hold their partners close. Someone played a piano on stage, and you listened intently while choosing a seat closest to the music. The bartender looked tired, so you ordered something simple and took your phone from your bag to study the photos taken earlier that night.

The bride-to-be looked so happy. She smiled in every picture. You erase some, edit others, and sip your drink.

Movement in the corner of your eye draws your attention away from your phone. You recognize the combed back hair, the squared shoulders, and the charming gaze and smile of the actor you spotted earlier. He sits two seats down and waves the bartender over. When he notices your figure, he points a finger at you and grins.

"I saw you earlier," Dacre says.

You nod, fidgeting with the thin black straw in your drink. "You did," you say, nodding. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were following me." There's a teasing tone in your voice, a hint that you know who he is but won't make a scene. You wouldn't want the same being done to you, so you keep his peace and he acknowledges that by moving one seat closer.

Dacre gets his drink and swirls the ice around so it melts a bit. "I can assure you I'm not," he chuckles. It's breathy, as if exhaustion has set into his bones. "I just happen to be staying in the same hotel," he says. "What are you here for?" He continues.

"Bachelorette party," you reply.

Dacre nods, eyebrows raised in slight interest. He pieces together your group's nightly activities, not wanting to forget the moment he watched you saunter into the bar he occupied. You took up so much light in the room, practically glowing. It was just his luck you were staying in the same place.

"You guys have fun?" Dacre wonders. His shirt is unbuttoned a little bit, and you find your focus fixated on the bit of skin and chest hair exposed.

"We did! Not too much, though," you chuckle.

Dacre lets out a chuff of air, not quite a laugh but still amused.

"Are you filming for the show here?" You dare ask, hoping the inquiry doesn't scare him off. There's no intention to, at least.

"I'm here on business." He winks at you and takes a sip of his drink. You watch his lips part, watch his tongue as it licks the alcohol from his lips.

"Should I bother asking for a couple hints or is it a secret?" You ask, taking a drink of your own. It's almost gone, and you think about ordering another just to have something to keep you in the moment.

Dacre's eyes finally look at you, dark and mischievous. His eyelashes are so much longer up close, a little feature you never appreciate until it's right in front of you.

"Are you good at keeping secrets?" He wonders, setting his almost empty glass back onto the napkin on the wooden bartop.

You nod slightly, fingers grasping the end of your straw so you can finish what's left in your glass. You cross your legs, drawing Dacre's eyes to the skin of your thigh.

"I mixed business with pleasure tonight," he confesses.

"Really?"

"Just a few drinks. I don't do this thing often, but I'm glad I did tonight."

"So you're all tuckered out, then?"

Dacre hums in disagreement, finishing his drink and turning his head back to you. "I'm not that tired, actually." An unspoken arrangement, a flurry of movement to the elevator, and then you're at the penthouse suite at the very top of the hotel.

There aren't many words exchanged by the time Dacre locks the door. You make the first move, the alcohol making you bold enough to gently pull him to you. Dacre follows your move, pushing you against the wall as he kisses you deeply.

Your fingers grip his hair, eliciting a groan from a man you'd never dream of having this experience with. Your stomach flutters with disbelief and desire, and you kick off your shoes as Dacre grips your waist and grinds against you. His erection strains against his trousers, the thickness leaving you eager to keep moving.

The bedroom isn't too far away, and just close enough for him to guide you while his tongue goes into your mouth. You moan, falling back onto the bed. Dacre leans back on his knees to pull his shirt over his head, and you eagerly sit up to kiss his abs, fingernails raking along the skin. Goosebumps travel up his arms, and Dacre holds your head in his hands to tilt your head back.

He kisses you, skin hot with desire as you ease back onto the mattress. With one hand he undoes his belt as you fiddle with the button of your shorts. You're both hungry for each other, and the kiss breaks so you can tear your clothes off.

Dacre takes his time to make sure you're ready for him. With legs right open, you invite him to taste the wetness that has pooled between your thighs. His eyes roll back when he tastes you on his tongue. His fingers grip your warm skin, hand resting on your stomach to keep you pinned to the bed. He flattens his tongue, sucks on you, and it makes lewd wet sounds. You grip his hair, moaning so loud you know other guests can hear but you don't care. You've never felt so close to coming undone in just a few minutes.

"I need you," you gasp.

Dacre sits up, chin wet and a grin on his face. His eyes are dark and there's perspiration on his forehead. He looks pleased with the sight of you: chest heaving, eyes unfocused.

You're throbbing for him at your core, watching as he takes a condom out of his jeans and rushes to put it over his thick cock. You moan at the sight, opening yourself up to him once again.

Dacre's body weight is looming over you, his frame supported on his right arm. He teases the tip of his cock against your wetness, and you grip his shoulders as if begging him to go in all the way. You can't take it anymore. You want him.

And then you have him.

He stretches you out in such a gut wrenching way your toes curl with pleasure. His cock is warm, the length of it slowly filling you up. Dacre's head drops to the crook of your neck and he pants against your ear. "Fuck, you feel so good," he sighs.

He's inside you now, pausing so you can adjust to the feeling of being one. You're dripping, and his cock twitches inside of you as you tense. He grinds his hips against you, squeezing his eyes shut in ecstasy as your fingernails dig into his biceps. He watches your face as he pulls out, slowly entering you once again until he can do so with ease. Your mouth is agape in awe at how good it feels. So fucking good you're panting.

When he starts to pick up the pace, Dacre kisses you so messily you can barely gasp for air. His cock is pounding against the one spot that makes your vision go hazy. Your back arches, sweat beading upon your forehead. You're full of him - can feel him in your stomach. It makes a coil begin to tighten in the deepest parts of you, and Dacre can tell.

You're milking his cock. He can barely keep his pace, but he doesn't want to stop. He pulls out - much to your dismay - and touches your arm in silent questioning. You flip over onto your stomach in obedience, ass slightly in the air. Dacre groans, legs entwined with yours as his chest lays atop your back. He slides into you with a moan, and he fills you up once more.

It's easier for the tip of his cock to hit that spot without pause. You grip the pillow beneath your head, moaning into the sheets to muffle the sounds of your building orgasm. He's so deep it could hurt if he isn't careful, but he's got a hand on your hip and the other gently around your neck. You lean back to kiss him - a sloppy, desperate kiss as he digs his cock into you.

"Fuck me," you gasp.

The coil comes undone.

You're face down into the pillow, panting his name as your hands grip the sheets in tight fists. Wave after wave makes your body tremble, pleasure clouding your mind as your eyes squeeze shut. Dacre can't help but finish. His cock throbs inside of you, his body limp as you milk him for all he's worth.

He falls on top of you, pushing himself to the side to alleviate the weight of himself on your body. You're both panting, the condom wrinkled at the tip and full of the result of your debauchery. A moment passes as you both catch your breaths, and you break the silence with a satisfied giggle. Dacre smiles, leaning up on his elbows and pressing a kiss to your shoulder.

"You've got a big day tomorrow," he says.

Dacre is about to get up from the bed to grab you a towel, but you place a hand on his arm to stop him in his tracks.

"I'm not tired yet," you say. Head still buzzing with pleasure, you give him a smile and lay back down. Starstruck and dazed with your orgasm, your body is warm and fuzzy all over you almost giggle from the feeling. You're naked and vulnerable and enticing, and Dacre can't help himself.

He grabs another condom.

#dacre montgomery x reader #dacre montgomery smut #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove smut #dacre montgomery

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matchadobo · 8 months

Text

KIDD; overnight

wc: 1656 summary: stranger to lovers college au warning/s: none, sfw, afab reader, my writing style kind of changed here, idk if i like or hate it

you had just moved in your college dorm and your mates have invited you to go on the nearby bars fellow university students also go to, a mixer of some sort. you were kind of iffy about taking up the offer because crowds really weren't your thing, but this was an opportunity to meet people which would later be good for you. so you accepted it. only to have your mates wasted in the process, no companions whatsoever you sat alone in the bar. tons of creeps tried having their way with you, but you politely declined to avoid further conflicts.

that is until, he approached you. shimmying between the men surrounding you and thanks to his size, they backed off given his bold demeanor. tousled, red hair, pearly skin, sharp, golden eyes, and tinted lips curled into a scowl. surrounded by big scary men, this fellow seemed to be set apart from that criterion despite his aura.

he'd scare off the guys with just two words, "get lost." he'd soon ask if you were okay and tells you off to not be alone here at night. you reasoned out with your current situation and he snickered, "some friends you have." he'd then order a shot of scotch for you and him and ask, "do you wanna get outta here?" he'd stare directly into your eyes, genuinely waiting for you to answer despite taking a long time. "don't overthink it. but let me tell you something, you won't regret it if you humor me."

you were hesitant to comply but, god, was he so attractive. he didn't seem to have bad intentions either, after all he just saved you from a world of hurt. typically, going out with strangers is a big no-no, but there was something about him that draw you to him and you're eager to find out, to find him out. so you decided to fuck it, what's the worst that could happen?

so you'd go with him as he led you away from the bar. you walked alongside him on the busy nights of your town. your hands clasped behind your back and his were buried in either of his pockets as you two strolled to a more quiet road. you'd ask him his name and you tell yours, ask what his major is and exchange jokes here and there.

he goes by eustass kidd, he majors in metallurgical engineering and is a year older than you. he likes hanging out by the skateparks, karaoke and studio booths, arcades and bowling alleys, and that bar earlier where he and his mates do some gigs every now and then. he also lives a block away from your dorm house.

so you ask him where you two are going, he'll brush you off and tell you to be patient, snickering when he sees your puzzled expression. until you two reach a what seemed to be an abandoned carnival. it was dark and some crows were hanging around the railings. he'd look over his shoulder and tell you, "i always come here but got no one to take." you answered, "so i'm your first one here, huh?" he'd look down and chuckle, "and if i said yes?" you responded before walking away, "i'm special then."

you walked across the dimly lit place, rides with colorful designs are now muted from dirt and its age. to your surprise, the place suddenly illuminated from the variety of lights that chorused with the rides running. you looked behind you and saw kidd smiling with his arms crossed after he emerged from what seemed to be a staff booth. he sauntered towards you, "well? what're you waiting for?" the lights radiated the features of both of your faces. you responded with a smile and grabbed his wrist as you two headed straight for the drop tower, "you."

the both of you spent the night scaring yourselves from the horror houses and going ride after ride until you two got sick to your stomachs. you asked him when you two rode by the ferris wheel that moved a little too dangerous, "what made you think you should take me here?" he shrugged, before looking back at you. "hell if i know, guess you're a special case." a swarm of butterflies brushed by your stomach, rendering you a smiling idiot.

you didn't seem to notice the how fast the time flew by. you two decided to eat at the nearby diner that's open for twenty-four hours, his treat he says. you gazed at the clock and almost spat all the food you've eaten. you almost lost all air if it weren't for his firm but gentle pats on your back, he gave you water after stifling his laughter. "the hell happened to you?"

you hit him after catching your breath. "you jackass, i have first period in an hour!" you packed your stuff and hurried on your way back after thanking him for breakfast and bidding goodbye. he also waved at you and ate your leftovers.

your first period went by like a fever dream, running on no sleep and a full stomach. the high of your borderline date with that charming redhead was the only thing keeping you awake. the sheen of his amber orbs when he intently looks at you every time you talk, the way his canines tug by his lips with each smile and laugh, his playful insults that get sharper with each of your comeback, the way your knees touch when you two sit together and it sends electricity coursing through your veins, and how his wintry metallic scent never left your clothes and sinuses. the day went on and you didn't have the chance to see him again.

the next day, you found him waiting by the door of your last class when you left the room. he waved at you from afar, your friends asked you who that UNIT of a man was that seemed to be waiting for you. clad in a black, silk muscle tee that accentuated the tone of his body and jeans also in the same color, a simple outfit that seemed too deadly for you.

so you made your way towards him and asked, "what are you doing here? how the the hell did you find out my class?" he replied with a grin, "you told me the other day you wanted to hang out today, right? got your head in a flurry, coineanach (bunny)?" he ruffled your hair afterward, continuing. "you seem to badly need a break, aye? come, i'll give you a real stress reliever." you let him put an arm around you because you seem to fall on your knees from the weariness or for that fluttery feeling that suddenly washed over you. you gazed up at him, "this better pull me out of drowsiness, eustass." he chuckled lightly, "oh this'll wake you up, sleepyhead."

he took you to the same bar you two met, meeting up with who seemed to be his friends and waving at them from afar. then it all occurred to you, you looked at him with utmost anticipation. "you're gonna play?!" he smiled as he nodded at you, introducing you to his bandmates. he soon got on stage with them, giving you a wink before starting their performance. it made you question whatever the hell you two got going on; how he touches you, how he talks to you, how he looks at you, why he took you here, and how will this progress. it was a full-fledged war in your head. how attractive he looks while performing certainly did not help in sorting out your thoughts and calming down your heart.

the band dominated the bar, the thumping of drums and cheers of the crowd had taken the pandemonium up a notch. you soon got tipsy with the drinks to try and relieve yourself from the chaos that is your heart and mind. you didn't notice that the performance was already over and kidd was tapping your shoulder. "did that woke you up?" you noticed that he was a little too close to you so you can hear and see him because of the packed bar, you flushed red at the proximity that the mild scent of rum from his mouth wafted in your nose, so you excused yourself. he was calling after you but you blurred him out because you terribly need fresh fucking air.

you catch your breath, chest heaving as you held on your knees for support. you hear the door behind you open and shut again. "hey name, what was that? are you okay?" he placed a hand on your shoulder, only for you to flinch. "alright, damn. did you hate our performance that much? the fuck's going on?"

you started, "why did you take me here?" he took a few minutes before answering, "cuz i wanted you to see me play, if it ain't your taste that's fine-" you cut him off, "that is not what i mean, okay?! y-you were amazing back there."

with your words he suddenly grew smitten, like he read you so successfully and figured out why you're acting like a wreck. "yeah? you think so?" your eyes were frantic and your chest was in rampage, you couldn't look him in the eye and you kept chewing on your bottom lip. he stood dangerously close to you, his fingers raised your chin so he could have a good look at your flustered face. "you know why i was so amazing back there? it's 'cause you were watching, wanted to show off to this pretty girl i have my eye on." he tucked a hair by your ear, fingers ghosting by your cheek before it landed on your jaw. "seems i did well to do so, hm?"

you finally mustered out words, "so you feel the same way? you've been driving me nuts since i got here." he laughed, hugging you by your neck. "why do you think i'd take you to that carnival, huh?"

there was silence as you two basked in each other's embrace. until kidd blurted out, "your heart is beating like fucking crazy, damn i did that?!" you hit his arm and hid your heating face in his chest as he continued to tease and make fun of you.

this is kind of all over the place??? lmao

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causeitsagame · 11 months

Text

UNTITLED ANGSTPROMPT THE FOURTH (OF FOUR)

(At some point, I will find a real title and put it up on AO3. Watch this space!)

My thought when posting the previous chapter: "I don't want to draw out a resolution too far, so I'll promise that there is only one more chapter to go." Me, finishing this chapter while upholding that intention and seeing it brush the 9k word mark: "Well,"

-----

Hajime didn't know what to do.

That wasn't supposed to be possible. He'd been warped and molded and repurposed into the world's Ultimate Goddamn Hope, and that Hope was supposed to have all the answers. But he didn't. He hadn't been able to stop the assault on Jabberwock, and the desperate sacrifice play there had been made by someone else.

Plus, he hadn't even known that particular sacrifice could happen. Talents could only be studied if they were demonstrated, and this wasn't the sort of thing that got shown off to Hope's Peak. And so now, Fuyuhiko was bruised and beaten and hollowed out, and Peko didn't know anything more about how those memories were lost, and Hajime didn't know what to do.

He leaned against the ship's railing and studied the water, unsure of what he was looking for.

Eventually, a voice spoke up. "Hajime?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Ryota. "Yeah?"

Ryota pointed to an insulated travel mug. "It's time for this, again. Do you want to…?" He was the one on the ship who wasn't taken much aback by Fuyuhiko not recognizing him, and he'd made fully half of the infirmary visits so far.

Hajime shook his head. Inside that mug was broth from a pot that Teruteru kept simmering. The calories were important; the warmth, more so. Due to injuries, malnutrition, and low weight, Mikan had diagnosed poikilothermia, or an inability to regulate body temperature. She planned to be in the infirmary constantly until it resolved, and that was a good enough excuse not to be there himself. "No. Thanks."

It probably made him a despicable coward, but he couldn't see Fuyuhiko's condition and know that he was responsible for it. He couldn't watch Fuyuhiko look at him like a total stranger and know that it was because Fuyuhiko had cared more about Hajime than about himself. If Hajime had an idea of what to do next, he'd face down all of that in service of getting it fixed… but he didn't know what to do.

Hajime shook his head again, and Ryota silently walked away.

Memories had been burnt away in torture's incinerator and he was the motivation behind it all. How was he supposed to handle that? Seriously, how in the hell was he supposed to manage his thoughts, his emotions? The gutpunch of nausea that gripped him every time his imagination wandered to the infirmary?

Memory loss aside, this wasn't like Izuru. Fuyuhiko hadn't been scoured away and turned into someone else. Logically, that was a huge relief; emotionally, it somehow made it worse. He was still totally him, voice and expressions and powerful personality. There wasn't anyone to identify and retrieve. He was Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the same as ever… but he just had absolutely no idea who Hajime was.

There were always more tasks to handle on the ship, but no one bothered Hajime as he looked over the edge. He stayed there staring over the water as the sun's reflections moved overhead, and then toward the west.

"Hajime?"

The voice behind him sent a spike of adrenaline rushing. "Is everything okay?"

Mikan nodded, seemingly without any emergency coming along with her. "He's doing better today, I think. But I just… I'm sorry, but I've been with him for twenty-two hours, now. Could you maybe—"

"Oh, God, sorry," Hajime interrupted as he caught up. Now that he bothered to pay attention to anything besides his own misery, he could notice the dark circles under Mikan's eyes and the way her fingertips trembled from exhaustion. He hadn't set foot in the infirmary since the last time she'd taken a sleeping break, and so he hadn't realized how long that'd been.

"No, I'm sorry!" she instantly countered, and held up one of her shaking hands. "I shouldn't need to sleep, but I just nearly dropped a—"

"I've got him," Hajime promised Mikan, and clutched that hand. "Go rest."

She nodded. "I'm only doing a few hours at a time, so I'll be back soon!"

"That's…" Sighing, Hajime let her go. It was probably no use ordering her to look after herself with more than a nap here and there. Well. Time to check on Fuyuhiko.

Peko was waiting outside the infirmary door, and looked as tired as Mikan but far more composed. "You did come," she said with mild surprise.

That hadn't been judgment, but it sure felt like it. "Yeah. Sorry." Hajime ran a hand across his face. "It's just been hard."

"I can only imagine," Peko agreed, with what sounded like real sympathy.

"You look like you could use some sleep, too. I'll be here, if you want to go."

Peko hesitated, but nodded gratefully and stepped away. She turned to look over her shoulder as she left, like she was verifying that Hajime would actually manage to set foot inside the infirmary.

He did so before he could lose his nerve, and was relieved to see Fuyuhiko sleeping. Good. No conversation, no lack of recognition.

First, Hajime reached for a thermometer and aimed it at Fuyuhiko's forehead. Cooler than he should be, so it was no wonder his fists were clenched around a blanket that couldn't keep him warm enough. Hajime reached over and tapped a message window, calling for more hot broth from the galley.

Fuyuhiko was watching him when he turned back.

Hajime jolted, and took a step away before he could help himself.

"So," Fuyuhiko said wryly, and tilted his head toward where his chart hung on the wall. "The guy responsible for all of that." To Mikan's dismay, she'd run out of room when she started listing his injuries. She'd needed to add multiple pages.

Swallowing, Hajime said in a thick, heavy voice, "Yeah. Guess so."

"You never told me why I apparently gave so much of a shit about you. And neither will anyone else." What good humor was in Fuyuhiko's expression flattened into nothing. "You'd think I could get a simple question answered, after everything."

"We…" Hajime looked away. "I'm your best friend." That was the simplest answer.

"Bullshit. I don't have friends."

"Yeah. That's what you told me." It was easier to talk if he didn't meet Fuyuhiko's gaze, and so Hajime kept his attention on the wild landscape beyond the portholes. "But after everything, we were friends. And you realized Peko was actually your friend, too, outside of the clan. And there are other friends here, too. We all care about you."

"'After everything?' After what 'everything?'" Annoyed, Fuyuhiko snapped, "Mind looking at me when I'm talking to you?"

Miserable, Hajime turned back toward Fuyuhiko and the nearly countless injuries he'd taken for Hajime's sake. "After getting away from the… the bad things that you remember. We're all together after that, and we're your friends."

"And you're my 'best friend.'"

"Yeah."

"Who I did this for." Fuyuhiko lifted a forearm, showing off what remained of intricate tattoos. They were marred by a twisted burn scar and jagged, mismatched lines where some deep cuts hadn't healed together in proper alignment.

Hajime closed his eyes and inhaled a shaky breath. "I tried to stop you. You wouldn't listen to me."

"Must've been a reason for it, beyond you being my 'best friend.'" The words came out twisted, mocking. "Why'd I do it?"

"You shouldn't have," Hajime said morosely. "I'm not worth what you went through."

"Not worth it? What, I acted like an idiot when I signed up for this? You're saying that I fucked up?"

Hajime clenched his jaw and didn't respond. He didn't know what to say and every word was just making things worse. The two of them had talked so easily to each other that he didn't know how to handle this reset.

"So," Fuyuhiko said, still with the mocking tone he'd used on Hajime. He looked expectantly toward the new arrival waiting with his latest broth delivery. "Are you one of my best friends, too?"

Hajime turned to the door and winced. Of all people to have gotten that message he'd sent.

Mahiru paused, then said in measured tones, "I wouldn't use that term, no." She stepped into the infirmary and presented Fuyuhiko with his latest meal.

He didn't take the offered mug. "Huh. You're the first person who's had any sort of problem with me," Fuyuhiko noted with genuine curiosity. "Everyone's just been shoveling bullshit to keep me happy. So, what's your deal? What'd you do?"

"What did I do?" Mahiru repeated, uncertain.

"When we were all… y'know."

"Ah. Right." Mahiru set the mug down next to him when he refused to take it. "Propaganda, basically."

"Makes sense. You're…" Fuyuhiko squinted at her, then looked abruptly pleased as his scrambled mind put something into order. "Photography, right? Koizumi?"

She brightened. "Oh! You do remember things. It sounded like you'd forgotten everything, but I guess not. That's great!"

Hajime looked miserably at the floor and said nothing.

"Great?" Fuyuhiko echoed. "I thought you didn't give a shit."

Mahiru perched on the edge of a nearby counter. "We… didn't get along for a long time, but by now, we do. We'll never be each other's first choice to spend time with, but we're honestly fine."

"Fair enough." Fuyuhiko considered her, then asked with a wicked grin, "What happened? You sound like you're dancing around land mines."

Uneasy, Mahiru darted her gaze toward Hajime. "Does he know?" she asked in a strained whisper.

"No, I don't think so," Hajime whispered back. "Probably needed to forget about the whole process."

"What are you two whispering about?" Fuyuhiko demanded.

Mahiru inhaled. "Okay. You're going to find this out, so let me just tell you. To stop being those awful people, we went through a virtual reality simulation. But it went wrong and people started killing each other."

"Virtual," Fuyuhiko repeated without any gravity, clearly picturing some sort of small-scale experience. "So, what, you killed me?"

Mahiru blinked at him hard, then scowled.

Unconcerned, Fuyuhiko corrected to, "Or I killed you?"

"You were going to," Mahiru admitted. "But Peko stepped in."

"Well. Makes sense." Fuyuhiko grinned more broadly and honestly than a face that injured should be able to. "Guess that explains why we're not each other's favorite people, huh?"

Mahiru couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Well, obviously. Anyway, drink your broth. You're supposed to have it while it's hot."

Still smirking at her, Fuyuhiko reached for the insulated mug and lifted it like he was making a toast, then took a drink. She apparently took that as both thanks and farewell, and left the infirmary with light steps.

Hajime stared after her. Fuyuhiko was getting along better with Mahiru than him? Mahiru?! What the hell was going on?

"I'll get some more sleep," Fuyuhiko announced when he'd finished. "So you can stop looking ready to shit yourself."

Hajime could argue with that assessment, but he wouldn't make a very good job of it. With fresh sighs, he stared out the porthole until Fuyuhiko had fallen asleep, then waited aimlessly for Mikan's return.

Days passed like that.

Fuyuhiko's purple bruises faded to green and yellow. Thinner cuts disappeared into barely-there scars, while deeper gouges healed under Mikan's stitches. The hollows under his eyes and cheekbones didn't look quite as cavernous, and he finally managed to sleep through the night without waking up shivering. But he never recognized Hajime.

Hajime Hinata did have a talent that Hope's Peak had never cared about, and that was caring about people. But he wasn't allowed to use it, now. Izuru Kamukura had every talent on the planet. But none of them were any good, here.

He couldn't take this any more, Hajime told himself as he stared at nothing. Fuyuhiko had graduated to actual food, but with the scope of his lingering injuries, he still stayed in the infirmary. That meant that he yet needed to be brought his meals, and once Mahiru had held a successful conversation with him, everyone else was willing to try.

"You lied to me!" Kazuichi insisted. He was next to Fuyuhiko while Hajime stood just outside the door, but voices carried.

Fuyuhiko shrugged and slid a spoon into the thick, hearty stew he'd been handed. "Probably, yeah."

Kazuichi gasped, betrayed.

"You're easy to fool and you panic in a crisis," Fuyuhiko continued. "I remember that much. And you want to believe in people."

Though Kazuichi's offense deepened with the first two additions, the last one softened his outrage. "Well, yeah. I didn't know how you were going to get out of it, but when you said you had a plan to save everyone, I believed you. One hundred percent."

Fuyuhiko smirked. "As expected."

"Jerk," Kazuichi snorted, but the easy back-and-forth had him happier than he'd been ever since they saw the invading forces on the radar. "Hey, so, what else do you remember about me?"

Fuyuhiko made Kazuichi wait until he'd chewed and swallowed a mouthful. "That's a pretty damn big ask. Narrow the scope a little."

"Okay." Kazuichi screwed up his face in thought. "What's the first thing you remember about me after we woke up?"

"Woke up?" Fuyuhiko echoed.

"On the island."

He shrugged. "I got rid of all of that. People have told me there was a program, but I must've thought it was too risky to know about."

"Oh." Dismayed, Kazuichi considered, then tried again. "Uh, okay… what about when I showed up to class in a suit?"

Staring at him for a long, considering moment, Fuyuhiko abruptly laughed. "Fuck, you looked ridiculous. To 'impress Miss Sonia,' right?"

Kazuichi grinned, delighted. "I saw you go off to handle some family business, and you looked a lot cooler than in your uniform. I thought maybe it'd work for me, too."

"It didn't," Fuyuhiko said, then rolled his gaze thoughtfully upward. "Heh. Guess there's more in there than I thought. Even if it's nothing that really matters."

"No, this matters. It matters like you wouldn't believe!" Cheerfully, Kazuichi clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll let you eat, all right?"

"Finally," Fuyuhiko agreed, but with no real rancor.

Still in bright spirits, Kazuichi moved for the door, only to process that Hajime had been listening in with an increasingly gutted expression. "Uh. Sorry, man," he whispered, and hurried down the corridor.

Well. The good news was that Fuyuhiko was feeling better. His pain tolerance was beyond description, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. Now that he was on the mend, and his pain steadily ebbed and his body again functioned like it should, his overall mood had followed suit. That'd opened him up to bits of nostalgic connection with the people brave enough to try it.

The bad news, Hajime thought as stepped away to let Fuyuhiko eat in privacy, was exactly the same as ever. To Fuyuhiko, Hajime was still as much of a blank void as what he'd been turned into during the Kamukura Project.

Had Mahiru really been the one to set this off? She'd practically skipped into the mess hall and announced that Fuyuhiko had remembered specifics about her, and that sent a jolt of optimism across the entire group. Which made sense. It was logical. But it still just seemed so odd that she—of all people—had been the first ray of real hope for Fuyuhiko.

Of course, Fuyuhiko had clearly appreciated that Mahiru had been the first 'stranger' to be honest with him about any darker topics. Maybe there was a lesson in that. Hajime waited, and considered, and eventually decided. He steeled his nerves and walked into the infirmary. Without preamble, he asked, "So. You really want to know why you did this for me?"

Fuyuhiko blinked. "Obviously," he said and set aside his empty bowl. Finally, he looked interested in something that Hajime had to say.

How to approach this? "When we were at Hope's Peak," Hajime slowly began, and took a chair near Fuyuhiko, "I got experimented on."

"Experimented?" Fuyuhiko repeated. His brow furrowed. "How?"

"They wanted me to be able to do more things," Hajime summarized, neither wanting to get bogged down in the details nor to relive his own horrors by doing so. "It involved a lot of surgery and some… other stuff."

Fuyuhiko's gaze grew increasingly curious as he studied the scars running across Hajime's forehead. "'Do more things?' What can you do, then?"

"Anything." Fuyuhiko's curiosity and good mood vanished at the seemingly flippant reply, and Hajime insisted, "Seriously, anything. That was the point of the project. Medicine, combat, languages… anything. And they did some physical development work to support all of those talents, too."

Fuyuhiko waited with obvious incredulity, but did look impressed when Hajime reached for a small dentist's mirror and bent its metal handle as easily as if it'd been a plastic straw. "Well, shit. Looks handy."

"Yeah. In theory, I could even try to fix your memories." Fuyuhiko also looked interested in that, but Hajime shook his head. He'd seen an answer to that question very quickly, but it had come with the simultaneous, gutting realization that there was no possible way to get access to what he'd need. And so, it hadn't really been an answer at all. "I can't actually do that," he clarified. "Ten different navies would be on us before we docked the ship."

Disappointed, but not surprised, Fuyuhiko shrugged. I knew what I was in for, the gesture seemed to say.

Hajime hesitated before continuing, trying to straighten out the mirror's handle as he did. His voice was quiet when he did speak. "There were side effects, too. Some… some really bad ones. But the school didn't care what happened. I was just their lab rat."

Silence answered him, hanging painfully heavy. A good ten seconds ticked by on the infirmary's clock. After that pause, Fuyuhiko concluded, "And they probably want their lab rat back."

Hajime looked at the floor and nodded.

"So… this isn't a one-time thing, then," Fuyuhiko slowly continued. "They'll always want to get ahold of you."

Hajime hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah."

"Then I'm going to have to do this again."

The words stabbed terror through his heart. "Never," Hajime instantly spat. After a deep breath, he strove for humor, but only sounded agonized as he forced words through his tight throat. "I mean, you don't care about me, right? No need to do anything for me again."

Fuyuhiko's gaze darkened. "If I think something's worth doing, I stick to it. Even if I don't remember why now, I must have had my reasons then."

Fuck it all, why was he so kneejerk stubborn? "They are never, ever getting their hands on you again. I won't let it happen."

"You won't let? I don't take orders from you." Dark memory filled Fuyuhiko's gaze, and he muttered, "I remember being in charge. I was giving the orders. If this is what I decided I need to do…"

The thought of Fuyuhiko getting captured again filled Hajime with panic; the thought of him willingly walking back into hell had him practically delirious with it. "Well, you're not getting past every single person on this ship. We're not letting you throw yourself away again!" By the end, Hajime stood and was nearly shouting.

Instantly obstinate, Fuyuhiko leaned forward, uncaring of the fragile figure he still struck in the hospital bed. "I'd like to see them try and stop me."

A disbelieving laugh broke free. "Oh yeah? Look at you!" Hajime cried before he could help it, and gestured to the mess two months of torture had made of Fuyuhiko. "Say you could actually get past us. You think you could really head back for more?" Even as he said the words, he knew they were a critically wrong move.

Fury sparked behind Fuyuhiko's eye. "What, you think I can't take it?"

"Will you just—"

"Fuck off! From what I've heard from everyone, I'm who saved their asses last time, not you! Me, not some superpowered lab rat!"

Electricity seemed to run down his spine, and words poured out of Hajime before he could stop them. "You know what, Fuyuhiko? No. No, you can't take another round of this. You barely survived this one."

"Don't tell me what I can't do."

"Lose even another couple of kilos again, and you will fall back into poikilothermia and die in a torture chamber. It's not a question." Hajime leaned forward and propped his weight on the side of Fuyuhiko's bed. "You are not taking the bullet for me again. Because—listen carefully—you. Can't. Do. This."

As expected, nothing filled Fuyuhiko with fury like the implication of weakness. This was far from weakness, but was the simple limit of how much any human could take. Even so, it landed as terribly as he knew it would, but Hajime just hadn't been able to stop the words from pouring out. Spending this long mired in misery and guilt had worn away his defenses; hearing that Fuyuhiko was already planning for more torture and certain death lit a fuse.

"Get out," Fuyuhiko spat, looking ready to lunge out of his hospital bed with his hands aimed for Hajime's throat. "And don't let me see your face again."

"Heard that one before," Hajime said tiredly, and walked for the door. Once there, he turned. "You're not going to throw your life away for someone you clearly don't give one single shit about."

"This has nothing to do with you. This is about me and what I decided to do. Now: get out."

Hajime managed to round two corners before the first ragged sob ripped free. He leaned against a wall and wiped away hot, angry tears with a rough swipe of his wrist. Shit. Goddammit.

Trying to be honest with Fuyuhiko had been one bad fucking move.

Soon, he found himself doing engine repairs three months ahead of schedule, just so he'd have something to focus on. His hands stayed busy, his mind stayed quiet, and his heart hid in a corner and didn't dare to speak up. It worked for hours of distraction, but eventually, the dinner chime sounded. He didn't want people to come looking for him, and so Hajime tiredly headed to the mess hall. He'd sit by himself.

Everyone was there, save Fuyuhiko. Nearly all of the people who made up Hajime's world were right here in this one room. It was a dozen different shades of 'loud,' from laughter to arguments to excitement. Looking at them, no one would think the group had been chased from their home mere months earlier.

They probably want their lab rat back.

But they had been chased off Jabberwock, and they'd barely made it out alive. Because Hajime hadn't kept any of these people safe, despite being the military's biggest target.

They probably want their lab rat back.

He'd let that happen to Fuyuhiko.

They probably want their lab rat back.

The soldiers were going to keep coming.

Through dull eyes, Hajime looked around the room and imagined bullets ripping through skulls. The men targeting them planned to kill everyone besides himself, Sonia, and Fuyuhiko, right? And the other two would face torture until their knowledge was wrung dry. (…More torture.)

And what did they have to face those entire military fleets when they did inevitably come? Not a full island chain with its own defensive capabilities, like they'd used last time. No: now they had a ship, singular, and one helicopter. They'd failed before, and now their situation was even worse.

Hajime was pretty sure that he could single-handedly take over another vessel, if it came to that. But he'd need the opportunity to do so. If a battleship or submarine sent a torpedo at them from a kilometer away, he'd never get that chance.

If soldiers came for him again, all of these people would die or end up in torture chambers. Hajime wouldn't be able to stop it. And so, once again, he didn't know what to do.

At the end of his fatalistic survey across the room, Hajime's attention lingered on someone. Memories whispered, almost too softly to hear at first, until he really listened to what they said. His expression shifted slowly, from misery to uncertainty to realization.

Oh. Oh. Of course. He should have seen this sooner.

Nagito only looked up after the lightbulb had gone off. He blinked in confusion over Hajime blatantly staring at him, and gestured to himself like he expected a question to be asked. Hajime shook his head once. No need to ask a question; Nagito had already given him an answer.

Yes. Right.

That had been the answer, all along.

He just hadn't wanted to admit what was being asked of him.

At the end of his brief dinner, Hajime stood and walked over to another table. "I'm taking the chopper," he whispered to the Imposter. "I'll be back later."

That earned a confused blink. "What's happening? Do you need a co-pilot?"

"No. It'll be quick, I'll be back by morning. I just didn't want you to wonder where it was."

"All right." The answer was uncertain, but Hajime didn't bother offering reassurance or clarification as he walked off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nagito hurry over to talk to the Imposter. "The helicopter?" Nagito repeated with surprise, and Hajime sped his pace. He didn't want to deal with any sort of explanation.

Soon, the helicopter lifted smoothly off its landing pad under his controls. He tilted it toward the southeast, and as he circled around, noticed that he was being observed by a white head of hair dyed the colors of sunset. Hajime returned his attention to the sky and flew onward.

Two hours later, he descended toward a pitch-black expanse carved out of another forest. There were many such abandoned military bases around the world, and with a global power shortage, they weren't bothering to keep the lights on. Many of the supplies here had been carried off, but not all; they'd gotten the helicopter he was flying from this same base, along with enough replacement parts to last them a decade.

Using only moonlight and starlight, Hajime located a runway and used it as a landing pad. As he hopped out of the craft and to the ground, he hoped that the Canadian forces hadn't carried off what he needed as they pulled back to defend Vancouver.

Cracks ran across the tarmac, and weeds pushed through. Once, this had been a world-class facility for world-class soldiers, but so much had been abandoned when half the world fell. Those soldiers were now after him, Hajime reminded himself. They were after his friends. And they had hurt one friend in ways that he couldn't even describe.

Steeling his resolve, Hajime hurried through the crisp, chill darkness in search of a way to stop all of those soldiers from ever getting a second chance. His light, precise footsteps echoed across the sprawling pavement and between the concrete buildings. Only the soft cries of nearby owls interrupted him. This once-bustling base was silent, now, and the natural world was beginning to reclaim what humanity had abandoned.

Aha, Hajime saw as he trailed heavy cables across the ground and found the control box that collected them. It was attached to a concrete block of a building, unlabeled and unremarkable. Here it was. Not bothering with niceties, he kicked at the door like he was trying to drive in someone's chest, and proceeded inside when it wrenched off its hinges.

Relief soon swept him. Yes. They'd left behind exactly what he needed.

With the assistance of a few spare duffel bags, Hajime began scooping up every piece of abandoned telecommunications equipment left in this control room. Their group had been using that slow, secretive frequency, but it was time to take a different approach. Trying to duck down and hide in the shadows, as they'd been doing, could only protect them for so long. Hajime refused to be the prey again, left to be tracked and discovered.

As he exited the building, a gust of wind whipped past and caught a tattered flag left on its pole. Red and white. For a moment, Hajime was back walking through the ruins of military bases with a red sun flying over them, rather than a maple leaf. Those were the soldiers most desperate to find him. Although they had allies around the world who also sought the Remnants, it was Japanese forces who'd led the assault on Jabberwock and captured Fuyuhiko.

They'd regret that.

Confident that he'd found all that he needed, Hajime loaded the duffel bags into the helicopter, refueled, and set back off for their hiding place near the Alaskan Panhandle. There were still hours of darkness left when he landed. He should sleep, first, to make sure he had a clear head. He was trying to change the world, after all.

Well into morning, his efforts were going well. Hajime had taken over the control cabin of the ship, as he needed access to some of its systems. His in-progress work with the military electronics he'd raided already covered half the room.

"Hajime?" Nagito asked as he stepped into the control room.

He didn't look up from his work. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

Still studying the electronics in front of him, Hajime smiled. It might be a dark, unbalanced expression. Nagito's behavior inside the simulation had served as his inspiration, after all. "You'd probably say something about 'creating hope.'"

Silence. Then, "Whose hope?"

That earned another smile. "Good question." Nagito didn't say anything else, but neither did he leave. Eventually, Hajime continued, "Nagito. I want to ask you something. About the Funhouse. When you learned the truth about us, what ran through your head?"

Those soldiers on Jabberwock had come hunting for Hajime, and they didn't care who they'd hurt in the process. No, that wasn't right: they'd come hunting for Hajime, and they would gleefully slaughter most of his friends if they got the chance. Those who they didn't slaughter, they'd torture.

And not just torture, Hajime knew as he thought about what was left of Fuyuhiko, but destroy. Utterly. The so-called good guys would rip out everything that made up the people he cared about. Those men who'd come for Hajime and the men who'd done this to Fuyuhiko could make zero claim at being on the side of good, despite all claims to the contrary.

Nagito's concern deepened at the seeming non sequitur, but he still didn't try to pull Hajime away from whatever he was working on. After that long pause, he answered, "I had to stop everyone. Before you hurt anyone else."

"Right. Exactly." Hajime reached for a wire and stripped its coating. "You asked whose hope I'm creating, so: our hope. I apparently have to pick, and so I pick our hope." He'd might have been created as the world's hope, but his world had been reduced to the people on this ship.

There was another long pause from the man at the door. Hajime wondered if Nagito would demand to know exactly what he was planning, or would spout off more speeches about how the entire world's hope rested in his hands. But no. After that aching pause, Nagito simply murmured, "I understand" and turned, closing the door behind him.

Hajime nodded and leaned back in to his work.

It took him eight days, and he barely left the room until he was done. Fuyuhiko was probably relieved about that.

At the end of those eight days, when Hajime was sure that his plan would work, he walked to the infirmary and was surprised to find it empty. A quick check of the roster told him that Fuyuhiko had moved to a normal room, right next to Peko's, and Hajime headed there with purpose. Even if Fuyuhiko connected with every other person on this ship better than with Hajime, it was doubtful he'd willingly spend much time socializing.

As expected, the door opened, and the face behind it wasn't happy. "Well," Fuyuhiko said shortly, and studied him. He looked much healthier than before; once he'd made it through the worst stretch, he'd apparently improved rapidly. A thick sweater appeared to be enough to keep him warm. "You listened to me for a week, at least."

Right. Fuyuhiko didn't want to see his face again. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing something for you on deck as soon as it gets dark," Hajime levelly said. "You don't have to come. But if you look through the porthole and wonder what you're seeing, you'll know what's up."

Fuyuhiko blinked. "Huh? The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry about it."

"If you're doing something for me," Fuyuhiko snapped, "without my permission, then I'm gonna fuckin' worry!"

"So, we're talking about asking the other person's permission, now?" Hajime said, and didn't try to soften how pointed the words were. "Anyway. You can come if you want, or not." He turned and left without further explanation, leaving Fuyuhiko blinking behind him.

Even if Fuyuhiko hated him, and even if he never wanted to see Hajime again, Hajime was his best friend. He was going to take care of Fuyuhiko and stop what had happened from ever, ever repeating.

Whether Fuyuhiko wanted him to or not.

And he was going to protect everyone else, too, Hajime calmly told himself as they joined him on the deck. Those soldiers never should have been able to sneak up on them, and the local radar never should had been the first warning sign they had. If he'd protected his friends to begin with, none of this would have happened.

Confusion ran wild. All everyone knew was that Hajime was working on something supposedly important, with components taken from a military base, but there were no weapons to be seen. He didn't look aggressive, either; if anything, he looked eerily calm as he stared up at the sky.

"Mind clueing us in?" Akane demanded, hugging herself tightly. She treated the cold as an opponent, and she always hated to admit defeat. At least she'd relented into putting on a pair of sweatpants, but she still refused to wear a coat.

Hajime smiled slightly at the sight, and of everything he knew of her. He'd protect her, too, like he'd failed to do on Jabberwock.

"Seriously," Hiyoko complained. She too had resisted dressing for the increasingly cold weather, but she'd finally given in at the first dusting of snow. As Mahiru leaned over to pull her in to a warmth-sharing hug, Hiyoko wondered, "What have you even been doing, anyway? Did your big fight with Fuyuhiko make you turn tail and hide for that long?"

It probably wasn't a surprise that secrets spread quickly within tight quarters. "Simple," Hajime said, and looked back up at the night sky. "I'm doing what I should have done before all of this happened in the first place: protecting everyone."

"How?" Kazuichi asked, audibly nervous. "Didn't you go to, uh…"

"A military base?" Nagito concluded. He wasn't outright nervous like Kazuichi, of course, but even he sounded at least apprehensive about Hajime's uncharacteristic behavior and whatever he'd left him to do in that room. Nagito sounding even mildly concerned about something managed to unnerve Ryota and Teruteru, too.

"Yes."

Hajime's blunt answer did nothing to soothe their nerves, and the group looked between themselves.

Sonia gathered her courage and stepped forward. "Hajime, when the five of us chose to shut down the program, we did so for the safety of the world. You musn't—" Her voice faltered when his attention turned toward her.

Hajime could only imagine what his expression looked like, right now. Those soldiers had come in search of Izuru Kamukura. After what they'd done to the people he cared about, they'd found him.

She collected her courage and tried again. "You mustn't hurt anyone, Hajime."

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," he said like it was self-evident. That lack of trust should have hurt, but he distantly realized that his voice had indeed gone flat, all its emotional affectation falling away. It had been a very, very long stretch of months. Feelings had failed him over and over again as they went on, and now, he just needed to fix these problems before they could happen again.

"Then what the hell are you doing?"

The voice sliced through Hajime's disaffected thoughts, and he blinked with surprise. Fuyuhiko stood near the stairs, ready to return below deck in an instant, but he was there.

"Sorry, Fuyuhiko," Hajime said as all of those squelched emotions rushed back into him like surging floodwaters, and he flexed his hand around the small controller it held. "I know you said you didn't want me making this decision for you. Well. I'm gonna."

"Huh?" Fuyuhiko asked, too confused to be angry.

Turning back to the sky, Hajime inhaled.

He was about to end the world.

Again.

Before he could talk himself out of this, his thumb clicked the button to confirm the algorithm he'd spent a week building. Humanity's greatest genius had used a modified satellite phone taken from the Canadian base to hack into every government and military system left in this broken world, and slithered into their cracks and shadows. After that, he'd started calculating angles and vectors and control mechanisms. And now, he'd just put all of those controls into effect.

There was a full minute of wary silence as they waited for anything to happen, finally broken by Nagito wondering, "Hajime… what did you do?"

"I'm not hurting anyone," he calmly repeated. "I'm just going to stop them before they hurt anyone else."

Nagito still looked unsettled, especially at the echo of his own words, but said nothing more.

As Hajime looked up at the sky and waited, his breath suddenly caught as he realized Fuyuhiko had walked up next to him. Though his tight expression demanded answers, Hajime could only say, "I owe you this."

"Owe me what, exact… ly…" Fuyuhiko's question trailed off into nothing as a spectacular streak of light burned across the sky.

A few people gasped. Realizing what they must be thinking, Hajime said, "It's not a missile. Don't worry. But keep watching."

Another streak of light blazed overhead, then a third. And then, suddenly, it became a waterfall of shining, gleaming color tearing apart the night sky. A meteor shower like the Perseids might see a hundred so-called falling stars in an hour. This was thousands of points of light, in minutes.

It was beautiful. Even though he'd known what was about to happen, Hajime couldn't help but stare up in awe at the choir of light singing an intricate melody overhead. Runs, chords, arpeggios; the glimmering lines wrote out a song that had never been seen in the history of the world, and would never be seen again.

"What did you do?" Fuyuhiko asked in an amazed whisper as he stared up at the glorious show above.

"I owe you this," Hajime repeated, also in a whisper, then stayed silent until calm, dark night finally returned.

A few final streaks of light followed their brethren down to earth. Only when they were sure that no more would follow did everyone turn to Hajime. Every last face demanded answers.

For it, he held up his hand to show off the small controller held in his palm.

"They had… that at the military base?" Kazuichi asked weakly.

"No." Hajime smiled as genuine relief swept him, like he hadn't felt for a very long time. "It just set off my algorithm."

"Which did what?" Peko prompted.

"Directed ninety-three percent of all functioning satellites out of orbit. And I now control the other seven percent."

That took a moment to sink in, then earned a collective gasp. "Those were satellites?" Mahiru demanded. "Like, television and internet and phone satellites?"

Hajime looked back up at a now-empty sky. "Like spy satellites. Like military targeting and attack satellites. They're never going to find any of you again. And with the ones I kept, I'll know if they even make an attempt. It'll be impossible to take us by surprise, ever again."

Overwhelmed, Sonia clutched her forehead. "Every telecommunications network around the world just collapsed." Gundham stared at Hajime like he'd wielded some dark magical powers to put on that spectacular display.

"Not every one," Hajime calmly countered. "Land-based towers will still work fine, and there are plenty of those. And I spent the last four days making sure that no satellites would angle toward populated areas, just in case they didn't burn up. No one was hurt. Which is a lot more than those soldiers can say.

"I didn't hurt anyone," he repeated in the silence. "But… I realized that I had to decide who I'm protecting, actively. And I picked you."

Aware of the stunned figure still standing at his side, Hajime quietly repeated, "I picked you. You won't have to do it again. And I'll stop talking to you, now."

Fuyuhiko's eye opened as wide as Hajime had ever seen it, and he looked up to stare again at the heavens that had been ripped down to keep him safe.

"All right. That's it." Hajime smiled. "Show's over. If we want, we could set sail tomorrow. They're never going to find us again."

He didn't know whether to expect it or not, but a knock came on his cabin door an hour later. When Hajime opened it, Fuyuhiko met his gaze for only a couple of seconds before studying the floor between them. "What in the hell was… I didn't ask for that."

"I know. But I owed you that much, Fuyuhiko. If I had done what I was capable of early enough, then you wouldn't have been forced into doing what you were capable of. I screwed up, so now I fixed it."

"When they figure out what happened, you're just going to be even more of a target," Fuyuhiko muttered. "Biggest bad guy on the planet."

He shrugged, smiling lopsidedly. "Already am, right?"

Fuyuhiko snorted slightly, but admitted, "Who… made his project take twice as long, so that he wouldn't hurt people. I would've just figured that everything would burn up."

"None of us want to hurt people," Hajime agreed, and instinctively raised his hand toward the fresh, deeper scar that had been carved across Fuyuhiko's bad eye. He caught himself halfway there and lowered his hand. "But the 'good guys' apparently can't say the same. So I picked us. And I don't regret it. They won't be able to see or hear us well enough to find us, any more, and so you'll never have to do that again."

For once, the silence between them seemed comfortable, like it had been before, when they could sit in each other's presence and not feel the immediate need to fill the quiet. In that quiet, Hajime was finally able to think of the right thing to say. "Don't think of this as coming from a friend. We apparently can't be that, any more. But I owed you a debt, and I needed to repay it."

Fuyuhiko studied him, clearly aware that Hajime had deliberately chosen language from Fuyuhiko's world, and seemed to consider him anew. Maybe, just maybe, they did understand each other, despite all this time seeming to say otherwise. "Hey. Lab rat."

"Don't call me that," Hajime instantly countered.

Not bothering to apologize, Fuyuhiko continued, "So, you just took out every way for militaries to track us, right? Plan offensive maneuvers? Organize their fleets?" After getting a nod at each question, he slowly finished, "Then… didn't you say you'd thought of something that might fix my memories, if only you could get past the military?"

Everything went still, and Hajime's eyes opened wide as he realized what he'd accidentally done as part of his plan.

"I just…" Troubled, Fuyuhiko tried a few times to finish his thoughts. "What you did up there tonight, I…" He shifted his weight. "I guess you finally made me curious about caring that damn much."

Hajime gripped his hand before he could help it. "Okay. Before we sail back there, I need to know if they would have gone back to look inside a specific building. I don't think you do, but do you know anything about something called the Neo World Program? Anything at all?"

Fuyuhiko blinked back at him with a total lack of recognition. "That's a dumbass name."

With a crow of delighted laughter over the confirmation that Fuyuhiko had never told them a thing, Hajime unthinkingly drew him into a hug.

"Get off me!" Fuyuhiko spat, his good mood gone.

"Sorry," Hajime chuckled, and stepped away. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"If you try to act like a friend who hugs me," Fuyuhiko muttered, "I'm gonna change my mind about this."

Hajime held up his hands. "Right. No hugs. Sorry."

"Okay. Glad we've gotten that straightened out." Fuyuhiko cleared his throat. "We're not friends. You've just got me curious. That's it."

"Absolutely," Hajime agreed. "That's it."

"Well. Okay. Right." Fuyuhiko hesitated a moment longer, then turned and walked off without a good-bye.

Hajime watched him leave, then turned and flat-out ran the other direction, toward the stairs. It was time to weigh anchor, and he'd figure out the safest path back toward Jabberwock once they were in motion. That would be easy enough; they still had access to all remaining navigational and spy satellites, after all, while every single one of their enemies had just been thrown back into navigating by compass and map.

Eighteen days later, they were back.

Everyone looked wistfully at the familiar beaches and palm trees. Even if they'd blinded the world's militaries, it was too dangerous to stay permanently in this known location. They could make return trips to strip the islands of what supplies they had to offer, but this wasn't home, any more.

"Come on," Hajime said, and gestured to the dock. "In there."

Fuyuhiko looked warily toward the central administration building; familiar to Hajime, but an unknown location to him. "What are we doing, exactly? You said this is where that virtual game thing happened, but I'm not doing that again, am I?"

He shook his head as they set into motion. "No. In a worst-case scenario, I can look for the same memory files that were generated when the simulation ran before. That wouldn't be… ideal, since it'd have some holes and nothing past when we woke up, but it'd be better than now." And Fuyuhiko would be balanced on the edge of Ultimate Despair, again, but they could all pull him off the ledge in the right direction.

"Okay," Fuyuhiko said, clearly troubled, but making the active decision to trust Hajime. "What's the best-case scenario, then? How would you get the memories back, otherwise?"

"I don't think they're actually gone," Hajime theorized.

That earned a dark look. "I'm pretty damn sure I knew what I was doing, there."

"You absolutely cannot reach those memories," Hajime quickly agreed. "Which kept those guys from being able to, either. But, it's like… imagine two buildings with a road between them. When you told me about what you did, I realized that I don't think you blew up the buildings. They're still there. I think you just blew up the road, so there's no way to access them."

"Okay," Fuyuhiko said uncertainly. "What's the difference, then, in fixing them?"

"Cognitive psychology studies retrieval methods for information that has been stored in long-term memory." The formal explanation quickly earned annoyance, and Hajime changed to, "You changed your associations with them, so you can't pull your memories out. You blew up the road, in other words. But there are pods—" Please, let the pods still be there. "That are specifically designed to deal with memories. I'm positive I can tweak them to zero in on fixing your retrieval processes. I won't need to actually rebuild any memories. I'll just need to fix the roads."

"Makes sense," Fuyuhiko said, but sounded even more uncertain as the details poured in. "So, I'm going to get into a weird memory pod that was used to lock me into a killing game, and you're gonna fuck with my brain. Like the pod already did, once."

"That's." Hajime paused, then held back a grimace. "Yeah. I wouldn't use those words, but… that's technically accurate, yeah."

Fuyuhiko looked to the side, and Hajime realized someone had followed them to the building. "What do you think?"

"It's as I've been telling you, all this time." Peko nodded. "You can trust Hajime."

Fuyuhiko stared at the building looming overhead, then sighed. "Fuck it." He pushed his way inside, not waiting for them to follow.

When Hajime moved to do so, a hand caught his wrist. "Thank you," Peko whispered, with a rare smile.

He smiled, too. "You got him out."

"And you'll get him back." She stepped back, releasing his wrist. "I won't keep you. But truly: thank you."

Nodding, Hajime reached over and squeezed her wrist before he followed Fuyuhiko inside. He found Fuyuhiko in the lobby, looking critically at the looming statue representing the five islands; he hadn't known which hallway to use after entering. Hajime led him down a path that they'd walked countless times while working on their sleeping friends, and kept glancing at him to see if any recognition flickered.

None did, but that might also have been because of how focused he was on assessing the space around them. "No signs of forced entry anywhere," Fuyuhiko mused. "And there's dust."

"It doesn't look like anyone's been down here," Hajime agreed, but his pulse sped as they approached the final corridor. He took and held a deep breath as he pushed open the door in question.

The pods were still there.

His lungs emptied, and Hajime's heart lurched back into regular motion. "Okay," he said, and tried to not let on how worried he'd been that they might come all this way only to find that the military had carried off the island's heart. "Pick a pod."

Fuyuhiko eyed him oddly—Hajime's nerves had clearly come through—but he shrugged and walked over to the pod nearest to the main control panel. "So, I just…?"

"You just get in," Hajime confirmed, and tapped the pod's panel to open it.

Needing another few contemplative moments, Fuyuhiko let out a whooshing breath, nodded, and climbed into the empty pod. "Don't fuck up, lab rat."

"Don't call me that," Hajime reminded him, hopefully for the last time, and tapped the controls to close the pod. Inside, Fuyuhiko watched him through its fogged glass, then abruptly dropped into unconsciousness as its effects took hold.

Okay. Time to be someone's Ultimate Hope, again.

Hajime's fingers flew across the controls as he worked on repurposing the intricate code of the Neo World Program. Software code and neurological structures both reshaped under his expert hands, but it wasn't a quick process. He'd reprogrammed the world's satellites, but reprogramming Fuyuhiko's brain felt infinitely more consequential.

Eventually, he had to activate the program and turn it over to the machine. It was out of his hands, now, and he could only wait, watch, and hope. Eighty-seven anxious minutes later, a light turned from green to white. The program had ended.

Fear and anticipation filled him in equal measure. He was almost sure this would work, but if it didn't, Hajime didn't have another plan. It would work, right? It would work. It would work. It had to work, he told himself as he reached for the pod's controls and tapped OPEN. It had to work.

The pod door slowly opened, and Fuyuhiko's eyelid followed.

Hajime leaned over him, realizing his own hands were shaking. "H-hey." He swallowed, feeling suddenly weighed down by the gravity of this moment. Either he was about to get Fuyuhiko back, or it would prove impossible. "How'd it go?"

Fuyuhiko blinked at him once. Twice.

Hajime looked down, and again swallowed hard.

Abruptly, Fuyuhiko lunged halfway out of the pod and grabbed Hajime by his shirt collar. "You asshole! I told you not to bother!"

"You told me?" Hajime repeated with a tremulous, hopeful voice.

"All of those fucking satellites? They're gonna know it was you!"

He swallowed. "And who am I?"

Fuyuhiko's lower lip quivered. "Hajime Hinata. The world's biggest idiot."

Delirious joy overtook Hajime, and he leaned in for a hug that lifted Fuyuhiko the rest of the way out of his pod. One arm wrapped around the other man's back, holding him close, while his other hand rested along the curve of Fuyuhiko's head. "You're the idiot," Hajime laughed, and rested his face against Fuyuhiko's.

"Fuck you," Fuyuhiko snorted, and wrapped his arms around Hajime in return, allowing himself to be held like he seldom did. "My plan worked great."

"Well, so did mine." Hajime's grip tightened, though he remembered in time that Fuyuhiko still had deep injuries lurking inside. "I picked you. Just like you picked me."

Fuyuhiko tried to say something, but failed.

"Thank you," Hajime whispered. Now that sun had returned to his world, he could admit to what fate Fuyuhiko had saved him from. "God, thank you. Never do that again. Never."

"That's the plan," Fuyuhiko whispered, and laughed once. It faded into a soft, twisted noise. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"And you do. You see me. Right?"

"Yeah." Fuyuhiko nodded against him. "I do."

Ultimate Hope felt like a worthwhile title, suddenly. "Come on," Hajime eventually said. He didn't let go of Fuyuhiko, though, and Fuyuhiko didn't step away. "Let's figure out what home's going to be, now."

#my fic #i joke that my single favorite trope is 'earn your happy ending'#significantly fucking less of an ideal situation for the rest of the world but our focus is BIASED

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moodyseal · 1 year

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TOApril Day 3 - Stop to Smell the Roses

It's 9 pm and I barely made it for day 3 but ANYWAY

This drawing is based on what is probably the most obvious AU choice there can be for these two, which is a Flower Shop AU (I mean, sort of AU? Does it even count as an AU if it's set post-canon? Oh well) (I'm going to expand on it a bit under the cut)

Basically, after the events of TOA and once Meg is a little bit older (16, I guess? Chiron doesn't care about child labour laws but we do) she and Apollo open up a small flower shop somewhere in New York without really needing to work hard for it since, you know, she can grow any kind of plant she wants and he's literally a god

The reasons why they do that range from "Apollo was bored and somehow managed to circumvent the Ancient Laws to do this" to "Camp Halfblood needs more funding" (which ties back to the first point since Camp Halfblood is, technically, under his protection) to "Meg never learned money responsibility and she needs to in case she ever makes it to college"

Apollo, of course, insists for a very corny name that is a not so subtle reference to the Greek pantheon and Meg agrees because whatever, who cares

In any case, they finally open up shop, and things of course get busy because a) Meg is still a demigod and sometimes monsters will still very stupidly try to kill her, b) other monsters who just live their life (like that snake guy from TON whose wife probably did kill him once he reformed) will have absurd requests for their bouquets, and c) the shop also started doubling as some sort of sanctuary for demigods on the run and that's even more responsibility

There's also the fact that in this AU Hyacinthus is sort of alive and visits the shop without Apollo recognizing him, which is a whole other can of worms

I've kept it in my drafts for AGES with the intention of writing a fic out of it once I finished White Noise, but that didn't happen so I might as well make use of it for something lol

#trials of apollo #toa #apollo #lester papadopoulos #meg mccaffrey #toapril #toapril 2023 #pjo #percy jackson #rick riordan #lonely thoughts #my art

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maggstar · 1 year

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𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

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𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 18+, mni DNI!

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: smut, threesome, fingering, handjob (kinda), oral (m. receiving, sex.

𝐖𝐂 : 2.8k words

𝐀/𝐍: Hi everyone, I hope you will like this fic! This had been sitting in my drafts for so long and I finally decided to finish it! Feedback is highly appreciated as this is my first time writing dom and overall exploring more. ^^

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Friday nights were always movie nights with your boyfriend.

It was your favorite day of the week because you loved spending time with your lover after work, cuddling up on the sofa to skim through some films till the morning. Today was no different, as you suggested a new horror film that was a hot topic on the internet to explore the phenomenon.

Heeseung happily joined you once he finished work, helping you prepare popcorn and setting the vibe by lighting a few candles before turning off the lights and getting comfortable on the couch beside you.

However, he surprised you by bringing Jay alongside. When you tried to question him in the kitchen, he just shrugged it off by saying he was enthusiastic about seeing the movie too. It frustrated you because this was your private activity, and having his colleague beside you was bothering you.

Heeseung was aware of your dissatisfaction with the events. Even Jay glimpsed at him sometimes to ensure he could indeed stay, your death glare prominent whenever he dared to look your direction. Heeseung couldn't mention bringing Jay beforehand because you would immediately disagree, not even listening to his intriguing proposal.

Yet, Heeseung thought otherwise as he brought up this topic at work the next day, heavily catching his colleague Jay off guard. Jay didn't expect Heeseung to ask for help with the concept, especially since his little crush on you was noticeable from day one.

His head going wild at the scene as Heeseung described his intentions. He couldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, compromising his plan, making his sensual fantasies about you finally become real.

The room went silent as the plot on the TV began unfolding, eyes glued to the screen as the paranormal creatures fought for the souls of innocent people. At least, that's how it should have been. Instead, you were the only one interested in the movie, not perceiving the mischievous boys beside you, who had signaled each other to take action.

Heeseung let his arm wrapped around your waist wander down, his hand reaching your leg for a light squeeze, anticipating a reaction. Sadly, he ended up with nothing but disappointment, rethinking his plan. Jay chuckled at his frustrated face, slowly running his index over your bare thigh, drawing a light line to earn your goosebumps.

You thought it was Heeseung teasing you, not paying attention to the lingering touch, too thoughtless to realize Jay was handling your leg, drawing circles on your inner thigh as his other hand traveled under your shirt. Heeseung, on the other hand, brushed his fingers over your slit, which was hidden by your silk PJs, smoothly feeling the outline of your clit.

It didn't take long to realize there were more than two hands on your body, looking down to meet the owners, who wore cocky expressions. You opened your mouth to question the scene, gasping at Heseung's sudden pressure. He chuckled at your confusion while Jay grasped your bra, hearing you yelp as your eyes widened at his regular pressing.

"Can I?" you felt his raspy voice on your neck as his fingers reached your back, landing on the hooks of your brassiere. You were too stunned to register his touch, glancing at Heeseung, who smirked at the sight.

"You are ok with this?" you asked, not believing what was happening. Out of all the people, Heeseung wanted to watch his friend strip down his girlfriend in front of him. No, there had to be something else.

Then you remembered how he randomly asked how you felt about threesomes a few days ago.

He only mentioned it once, inconspicuously asking for your opinion to learn you were doubtful but open-minded to the idea. Back then, you laughed at the random suggestion because having a third party in bed appeared unnecessary.

You thought he was just trying to discover your kinks or desires, but now you understood his real intentions under that question.

"Yes," he said, sliding his hand in your shorts, earning a quiet pant, "are you?"

Um, well, you were conflicted. It's not like Jay wasn't hot or anything. In fact, he was a smash on your list. The man carries insane visuals, not to mention his impressive body proportions.

You had met him a couple of times when you attended work-related ceremonies with Heeseung, going as his significant other. He was charming and sympathetic, making everyone enjoy his company, including you. The two of you actually got along pretty quickly, making Heeseung a little jealous.

Now having him beside you this close and intimate definitely made you feel some type of way in your stomach.

"I don't know," you shrugged, "you have to show me what you've got."

They smirked at that challenge, letting their hands run over your body. You could already feel your bottoms getting soaked from their actions and words, watching them taking their time to prove they're worth your time. However, they stopped when you lowered your head, reddening at the sudden attention you were receiving.

"Aw, is someone getting shy?" Jay whispered mockingly, chuckling when you tried to cover your face.

He grabbed your hands to look at your face, wearing a cocky smile on his. You realized how handsome he was when the lust in his eyes expanded, his prominent jawline and attractive gaze driving you insane.

"There's nothing to be shy about, beautiful," his words echoed in your ears, sending shivers down your spine at the new nickname.

He nodded for approval as he put your arms up to lift your t-shirt, revealing your chest by throwing the clothing on the ground. He raised his eyebrows when he saw you sitting between them in your lingerie.

"Fuck Heeseung, seems like I ruined your surprise," he snickered while Heeseung just let his jaw hang, feeling his pal in his pants waking up. How couldn't he when it was his favorite one, the one that wrapped your curves perfectly?

"God, baby, you are going to be the death of me," he panted out, attacking your neck with love bites.

You whimpered under his touch, tugging on his hair. He looked into your eyes lustily before smashing his lips onto yours, sucking and licking them like a hungry beast. He didn't waste any time getting rid of the bra, clasping your breasts together to marvel at your beauty.

"Heeseung, I'm here too, you know," Jay pushed him aside, smiling at you before attaching his mouth to your chest, moaning at the long-awaited sensation. He couldn't help but admire your frame and its petite size as he painted his saliva all over, happily listening to your sweet responses.

Heeseung quickly reconnected with your lips, his hands slyly playing with your panties. He pulled it aside, letting his finger enter your entrance, getting soaked in your liquids.

"So wet," he slowly pulled in and out, making your walls clench around desperately, "such a good girl."

Jay smiled when he witnessed your neediness, riding yourself on Heeseung's fingers and moaning at the amount of bliss you were going through.

"G-god," you accidentally bit Heeseung's lip when you felt Jay's hand reaching your puffy clitoris aching for attention. Heeseung groaned from the pain, smirking into the kiss.

"That needy already, sweetheart?" Jay sneered at the scene, gradually adding pressure on your clit, circling with his fingers. He pulled them away to tease you, enjoying the frustration on your face as your brows knitted together, mouth slightly open to let out faint gasps.

"More, please, more," you begged as you gripped the pillow beside you while Heeseung abused your lips, smudging your red lipstick everywhere.

He still pounded his fingers into you, adding the third one and grazing over your sensitive spot, acquiring the adorable responses he wanted. He pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath and watched you squirm under his touch for a few minutes, grinning at your face scrunched from pleasure.

"H-hee," You pathetically rolled your head from one side to the other, crying his name, "please."

"Please what, baby?" you couldn't even reply to his words, simply whimpering and shutting your eyes when you sensed his mouth on your ribcage. He left a trail of kisses leading to your breast, biting and sucking on it hastily.

"Ask for it, princess," Jay's breath hit your chest, approaching your nipples with kitten licks.

He looked at you from below, smiling at your innocent gaze darting for pleasure. You looked so pathetic when you tried to grind on his fingers, staining them with your arousal.

"Please, make me cum," you whined, running your fingers through his hair. He smirked before joining Heeseung in taking care of your clit.

You couldn't help but arch your back as the two brought you closer to your high, taking care of you flawlessly. At one point, they had to hold your thighs to keep you steady since your legs began spasming. Heeseung knew you were seconds away from your peak, nudging Jay to speed up.

"I-I'm so c-close," you whimpered, placing your arms on your mouth to cover the loud sounds.

"Let it go," Heeseung bit your nipple lightly, feeling your muscles tighten around his fingers. He didn't have to say anything else as you did as he said, going through seventh heaven.

"Just like that, cum on my fingers," Heeseung encouraged you, greeting your walls sucking him in, and releasing the long-awaited fluid on him. He smiled when your walls began throbbing, sliding in and out a few more times to make you enjoy it thoroughly.

"You did so well, baby," he stroked your cheek and kissed it before smearing your cum over your lips and connecting them with his. You whined in his mouth when he slipped his tongue inside, greeting yours to play tag and get a good taste of yourself. He swallowed all of it, enjoying his small dessert of the night.

"Hee," you moaned in his mouth, reaching for his pants to unbuckle the belt, "I want you."

He continued to kiss you while you pulled down his pants and boxers, exposing his veiny, erect member. You felt your mouth watering at the sight, leaning against the couch as you tried to recollect yourself from the intense make-out session.

You sloppily gripped his size, holding it in your hand as you slowly brought it up and down. You looked intensely into his during it, lazily spreading his precum around his tip with your thumb and moving it down to his base at a slow pace. Heeseung couldn't help but moan as you took your time riling him up, gaze so alluring he felt he could climax any second.

You came closer to lick his tip briefly, hearing him groan at your gentle touch. You smiled at his eagerness, circling around it a little with your tongue, taking only half of him in your mouth. Just as you were about to go deeper, you backed away, leaving him with a disappointed face.

"Y/N, you better-" he wanted to say something, but his words got caught off when he hit the back of your throat, feeling your saliva covering his shaft. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, hands caressing your head for balance.

Jay watched you professionally devouring Heeseung's cock, bobbing your head at a rhythmic pace. He felt his jumping inside his trousers as you smiled into the deed, stare concentrated on Heeseung's face. It was just extremely hot how you changed your roles swiftly, playing with his orgasm as you wished.

You had to be very good because Heeseung was basically dissolving under your touch, whimpering and holding on to the couch with his one hand. He occasionally slipped out an "Oh God" or a few curses.

As Jay continued watching, he realized how much he required your attention as well. So he swiftly got rid of his outfit and hovered over you from behind, kissing every spot on your back until it was swimming in his fondness.

He grabbed your hand to put it on his dick, making you moan around Heeseung's, causing him to twitch in your mouth. You wrapped your hands around Jay's size to provide some satisfaction for the needy gentleman. He chuckled when he witnessed your hand being too small for him, incapable of covering him completely.

"I want to put this in you so badly," he whispered on the back of your ear, guiding you to stroke him. You let him use your hand to his need, moaning at the heat he provided.

"Then put it," you choked out as Heeseung thrust into you, groaning at how smoothly he could slide into your throat.

"Gosh, you are that dirty, huh?" he laughed at your response, stroking your cheek, which he was poking with his member. The view he had was magnificent say the least.

"God, Y/N, you're so hot like this," Jay breathed into your neck, leaving behind some shades of purple. He opened a packet of condoms he had bought before coming, putting on one to align his tip in your entrance.

"Talk about being needy," Heeseung scoffed as he watched him dragging his fingers from your hips to your torso, holding on to it to enter you.

"It's not my fault your girlfriend is so sexy, Heeeseung," Jay replied, hissing soon enough as he began pushing himself inside you.

He used your arousal and the remains of the previous fun you had to slide in easier. Still, the stretch was challenging for both of you, whimpering at the new sensation. You shut your eyes when he was all in, sighing at how perfectly he filled you up.

Neither of you could comprehend how good it felt, especially Jay, who has been imagining this for so long. Reality did meet his expectations.

On the other hand, Heeseung was having the time of his life, watching you whimpering around his shaft while Jay pounded into you from behind. He never thought you could look more beautiful, but he was wrong. The way your face glowed right now was something he had never seen before.

He continued to thrust into you as well, joining the creation of sweet music in the room. He couldn't stop looking at your eyes filled with pleasure that sometimes rolled back from the intensity of the session.

You weren't complaining a bit, though. This was something you never thought you needed, but here you were begging for it not to stop.

"You feel amazing, darling," Jay's praise struck your jawline, winding his arms around you to go in deeper.

You didn't think he could even go farther, but oh boy, you didn't know. The sound of skin slapping intensified in the room as Jay found the pace that suited the two of you.

"You like having two dicks in you, don't you?" Heeseung grabbed your hair to make you look at him, your pupils expanding when they encountered his.

"She deserves it. Just look at her taking it so well," Jay squeezed your thigh, searching for your clit once again.

"Oh, she does," he guided your head faster and deeper, "she's my good girl." You only wailed at his words, relishing the compliments while he deepthroated you.

Everything was happening so quickly that you felt another knot building in your abdomen, grabbing Heeseung for support as your struggled to keep in one place.

"Are you close already, baby?" he gritted his teeth to suppress his groans, "does he fuck you that good, huh?"

You nodded, shutting your eyes to focus on Jay striking your in-process climax. His hands found their way to your hips, gripping them for a quicker pace. He was undoubtedly close, and you could tell by the way his legs started to weaken.

"Oh God, Y/N-" he couldn't even finish as he felt his load spilling inside the condom. You moaned when it happened, and soon enough you were joining him with your own release.

Heeseung wasn't far away either, deciding to take the matter into his own hands (literally) to finish off as well. When he did, he laid beside you two to catch his breath, looking at the mess you all have created. The couch was basically stained in all three of your orgasm, Jay's used condom being the cherry on top.

He wasn't excited about the cleaning process, but seeing you passed out beside him with your mouth in a form of an O was definitely worth it. He glanced at Jay, who was still processing everything and recollecting himself.

"Thanks, bro," he laughed, playing with your hair while he closed his eyes. Jay quickly regained his attention and looked over at his friend, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"For what?"

"For tonight," Heeseung sighed, "and for the next nights."

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Taglist: @jaylaxies, @end-hyphen, @hee-pster, @jakeswifeyy, @gegeetime, @heerated

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧! ^^

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@𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫

#minors: dni #enhypen smut #enha smut #enhypen hard hours #enhypen imagines #lee heeseung smut #heeseung smut #jay smut #park jay smut #maggstar

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