#saying this jokingly but also if you read about the crimes committed you will shake with anger

[betta-butch]

get a look at this loser lmao

#get better soon and realize the British monarchy are an evil scam that actively harms people! 🧡 #like. do you know how many countries and people they’ve colonized and exploited or do you just like high tea #at least you have clown in your url 🥰 #saying this jokingly but also if you read about the crimes committed you will shake with anger

[wh4re4marvel]

Bad Girls Get Punished.

A/N: Sorry this GIF doesn’t at ALL match the content really but it’s so adorable. Also I hope none of you genuinely are attracted to real life murderers. If so I don’t condone that to be clear. Now for the basics, I am not responsible for your content consumption. Especially once you click keep reading. My account and posts are for readers 18+, this is smut, dark smut. If you are a minor DNI, and do NOT keep reading. Also read the warnings, they are here for a reason.

Summary: You work with an adorable nerd with glasses, who's also your secret fantasy fuck. Not knowing any better you tell Adrian how badly you want Vigilante, so he gives him to you. All. Night. Long.

Pairing: Adrian Chase(Vigilante) x Fem Reader

Word Count: 4,900+

Warnings: Size kink?, mean Adrian, dubcon, rough sex, genuine fear, murder MENTION(because it's vigilante i mean come on), fingering, p in v sex, unprotected sex, voyeurism, cervix kissing, hair pulling, dirty talk, oral (f receiving), sex in the suit!

   You sat around with your coworkers on your ten, which you weren't all supposed to be on at the same time but the rush was finally over at Farrell Fields and your asshole boss wasn't here. Adrian, Stella and Jack sat around at a table with you and your ranting. Probably amused and seeing it as entertainment but this was a very serious convo.

   "You need help. He's a murderer!" Jack said shaking his head at you. "A hot one!" You snapped back. "How would you know?" Adrian chimed in looking, nervous? "I just know." You shrugged with a smile. "Look you don't go around town in a mask and suit fighting crime and not be fucking sexy, I mean come on! Besides he probably fucks super rough." The words came out with no hesitation. Stella finally spoke up, "honestly I gotta agree with Y/N, he's definitely hot and packing, if I were single, I'd commit a crime just to meet him." Stella's words made you giggle shamelessly.

    "He can catch me in the alley after my shift, I'll bend over a dumpster for him." You bit your lip jokingly and Jack rolled his eyes. Meanwhile Adrian was completely red in the face. Never saw him as the type to shy from sex talk, but after all he was a more kept to himself sweet kinda guy.

    Once your break ended, Jack pulled you aside trying to talk with you about rethinking your decision to not go out with him. It wasn't his first time asking, and he really didn't like to accept a no. So you shut him down again, telling him you just didn't feel anything for him. He passive aggressively said bye, running into your shoulder nearly knocking you to the floor.

 �� Adrian had caught you thankfully, holding you up as you were flush against his body. Your hand landed on his stomach and it was rock fucking hard. You didn't realize it or mean to, but you grabbed his abs before pushing yourself up. The feeling made your eyes flutter just for a moment, your face was hot as his eyes never left your face. Why the fuck is he so attractive right now?

    Jack swore up and down Adrian liked you, even went as far to say he stared at your cleavage and ass constantly, but you just didn't believe it. Simply because how sweet the guy was. He was so gentle and kind. Unlike Jack.

    "Y/N?" Adrian snapped you out of your thoughts and you looked back into those pretty brown eyes. "Sorry, uh thanks." You mumbled as you looked at the ground. "It's nothing, I was meaning to ask you in there, so you like Vigilante?" He asked seeming a bit eager for a reply. "Oh, yeah. I mean he's a murderer but I dunno, he kills like criminals right?" You nervously replied and you looked back up to see hun smiling back at you.

    "Right. Just curious. Also do you get off at 8 still?" The curly haired boy asked and you nodded, "yeah, why?" You questioned and he shrugged. "Oh I was thinking I could walk you home, so you don't have to be all alone." Now he was the one blushing. "I'd love that." You smiled and you bit your lip as you eyed the mouth watering man in front of you. "Y/N! Adrian! I'm not paying you two to socialize!" Your boss was here now, making you roll your eyes with a frown. "See ya later." You mumbled with a bit of a wave, and he held a hand to his head like a gun and made a little pew noise. Making you giggle before turning away and heading back to work.

   You lit the blunt in your hand outside of work, your shift just ended but of course your shithead boss made you stay to help close. The pervert probably just wanted more time to eye fuck your body, he did it at the interview too but you played dumb and sweet because you really needed a job. Who knew the food industry was this fucked?

    You inhaled off the unlit end of the blunt, taking a long hit from the perfectly rolled beauty. The high hadn't hit yet of course but any minute now, the cold air around you would've made you shiver but the warmth from your high was setting in. "You know I'm pretty sure that's illegal." A voice made you jump a bit and you looked over to just see a figure in the shadows. Fucking dark alleys.

    "It's legalized now." You shrugged. "Not for twenty year olds, you're a year too soon." The voice was closer now, making your heart race a bit. "What makes you think I'm twenty?" You shot back and looked over at the door propped open with a brick for you to get back inside.

    Without a second thought you made a run for the door, barely grazing the handle with your fingertips before you're pulled back from the entrance. "Get off of me!" You shouted and just like that the stranger listened, dropping you on the wet concrete. You watched as they shut the door, tossing the brick aside like it was a tennis ball. Wait a minute, this was Vigilante....

   Your eyes widened and body trembled, this was someone who's killed people for littering or vandalism. Well that's what the rumors are, and with how he just man handled you.... Oh god you were about to die.

    Your breathing picked up as you crawled backwards away from him, as he approached you without a word making you much more uneasy. "I don't wanna die." You shakily said as tears swelled up in your eyes, heart pounding and chest heaving. "Who said I was gonna kill you?" He cocked his head to the side and his voice sounded genuinely confused. "You're not?" You stopped your helpless crawling and took a deep inhale, still on edge. I mean he could be lying, he's still a mass murderer. "Of course not Y/N!" Vigilante said and the way he said your name was so familiar.

He opened a hand down to you, which you hesitantly accepted. The masked man lifted you one handed with ease. Standing so close to him made your nerves overwhelmed, you shivered but out of fear or excitement? You honestly weren't sure. Something about the way he towered over you and knowing he could break you in seconds, did things to you.

"You still broke the law though," he said snapping you out of your head. Just as quick as he said it, he shoved you face first into the brick wall in the alley, you whimpered now trembling again. Your eyes burning immediately as tears were ready to pour again. "Naughty girl. Did you think I'd just let you get away with it hmm?" One of his arms held your wrists behind you, pushing you into the wall. The rough texture of it digging into your cheek. A sound you were familiar with startled you, a knife opening. You were about to be stabbed to death in the middle of an alley...

"Wait please please please, I'll do anything j-just no. Please. I won't touch that shit ever again, it was just a long day and my boss just- please." You broke into a harsh sob at the end. Feeling broken and embarrassed that you cracked like that. "What are you begging for? Oh- oh no, you thought I was going to kill you?" He was nearly shouting at the end. "Go on and beg, maybe I'll hear you out." Vigilante said as you felt the cold metal of the knife poke at your arm, slowly gliding up and down the flesh. "I-I'm only twenty like you sa-said. I'm young and can change, I just have a l-lot of shit going on tod-today." You choked out through some sobs. "I'll never do it again please, I promise anything." The use of that word confirmed it, he knew just how you could make it up to him. How he could punish you. For the rejection, he's tried to take you on dates disguised as hangouts but you were always "busy." Or for the showing off your curves for anyone but him. He hated that. Knowing he wasn't the only one looking, eye fucking you. Even the pervert fucking boss did it. He'd change that, tonight he's marking you as his.

Tonight he wasn't your sweet coworker Adrian, he was Vigilante and the thought of you moaning that drove him insane. "I'm gonna fuck your brains out Y/N." He said deeply against your ear, making your eyes widen...

"W-what?" You said but just then a loud rip and cold air hit you. He cut open the back of your shirt completely... your lack of a full coverage bra was now something you were regretting. The thin strap lace material did little to hide your breasts. Your torn shirt fell to the floor, and immediately he groped your chest, you heard a low groan from under the mask. It made you whine shamefully loud.

"Please sir don't do this." You whined disregarding being fucking soaked between your thighs. "Sir? Call me Vigilante babe." He corrected with a bit of a growl as he just ripped your bralette off. Now turning you around to face him. "Jeans off." He demanded, your hands quickly fumbled with your belt, how shaky you were made it much harder.

"Come on you dumb slut, speed it up." His tone was annoyed which made you even more nervous, which really wasn't helping anyone. The second your belt was undone he snatched it from your waist and shoved your jeans down to your knees, your flimsy underwear going down along with it. "God you're a real whore under the uniform aren't you Y/N? Does anyone know that you wear such skimpy sorry excuses for clothing? Hmm slut?" As soon as the words left his mouth, an intrusion to your hole happened. He had removed a glove and shoved a finger inside of your drenched pussy. "Fuck babe you're dripping. Wow you're a real whore for me, say it." He demanded, you could hear the smile on his face. "I'm-," you couldn't finish as he shoved a second finger in. They were so long they fucking hit your g spot. It might have just been the size difference between you both, but fuck was he big.

"Vigilante, p-please." You whined, begging. For what? Hell you weren't even sure. Part of you in the back of your head was screaming to stop this all, but fuck it was so good, he was so good.

"Please what Y/N? Tell me what you want." Your mind was all scrambled from the pleasure, you couldn't even speak as he finger fucked you so incredibly fast against that brick wall, all humiliation and embarrassment forgotten as you let out loud endless moans. "Fuck it's so good, oh my god." You cried out as he curled his digits inside you. "So fucking tight around just my fingers, stuffing you with my cock is gonna be like putting on a cock ring." His words didn't make much sense and were off, but you couldn't focus on them or care as you gripped the shoulder pads of his suit for dear life. "I'm so close!"

You accidentally screamed the words feeling hysterical. The pleasure was so much, the rough material of his suit brushed your clit with each thrust of his wonderful fingers.

Then it was all ripped from you, making you whimper at the loss, you were right there. "You can only finish if I'm inside of you." The stranger informed you as he began to pull down the bottom half of his suit, just enough for his extremely hard cock to spring out. How the fuck- he was fucking huge!

He chuckled at the small gasp you let out, he turned you back around, you nearly fell due to your jeans being pooled at your ankles. You held yourself up against the wall. "Wait I don't know abo- Oh fuck!" You yelped as he pushed himself inside of you. "Ah fuck you're so tight, even after I loosened you up. I'll just have to fuck you to fit me like a fucking fleshlight." The last words made you wonder if you know who was behind the mask, as he sounded so familiar. It slipped your mind as he slipped inside you again, but regardless of you being so wet you were dripping down your thighs, he was way too big to fit all in. He created a slow and deep rhythm, each time trying to push deeper and deeper inside you.

It was so painful but so fucking good. You hadn't been fucked in months and god he was so big it felt overwhelming. You got a little more used to it and the pleasure was building, you couldn't hold back all the moans spilling out no matter how hard you tried.

   "Such a good pussy for such a bad girl, god I'm gonna make you my own personal fleshlight."(Since he knew what that was now.) He groaned throwing his head back, as he harshly gripped your hips fucking you as he pleased. No regard for your own pleasure currently as he's been fantasizing about this moment since the day he first saw you. He grabbed a hand full of your hair, yanking it back so your back arched more. "So fucking perfect Y/N, tell me how much you like me fucking you in the middle of this filthy alley like the filthy whore you are." His harsh words shocked you but fuck were they hot, and with the way he was ramming so deep, fast and hard into you, you didn't care too much of what he said.

   "Tell me." His voice was much more stern as he grabbed at your hair and hips harsher. Determined to leave bruises on your left hip, not that he cared. He wished he could take the mask off and mark you all over...

    "So good V-vigilante! Mmm fuck!" You moaned grabbing at nothing as the harsh brick dug into the soft flesh of your palms. "Can't believe you'd let a stranger fuck you like this, s-such a slut." He choked up at one point to let out a groan. You whined now reminded you really had no idea who was so deep inside you. Right now you really couldn't care. Release was all that was on your mind. Yours, and even his.

     You'd hate to admit it but the idea of the complete stranger filling you up did things... not that you'd get pregnant but still it was all risky.

     "Gettin' close for me babe?" He breathily asked in your ear. You eagerly nodded, that feeling building in your stomach, like a million pleasure filled butterflies. "Mmm let me feel that pretty pussy cum on my cock." The naughty words from his mouth sent you over the edge. Eyes squeezed shut, mouth agape, walls spasming, juices dripping all over him heavily. "Oh g-god!" The dominance from earlier was a bit lost as he started to finish inside you.

He was just as vocal as you nearly when he came, not that you were complaining. You felt so full and warm inside now, your walls painted with the Vigilante's cum. As he continued a few deep thrusts, he said some shocking words. "Tell me who you belong to." The dominance was back just as quickly as it had once left.

You didn't have words, a bit shocked at the sudden rush of dominance he obtained. "Tell me or I'll shove my gun down your throat until you're screaming you're mine." His words were wild and growled, rage seeping through him as he dug his fingers deep into your hair and hip. "Fuck Vigilante! I'm yours, all yours!" You sobbed, slamming your rubbed raw palm against the red brick in front of you. "Mmm that's what I like to hear you fucking cum slut." As he finally slowed his thrusts your vision blurred and body was going limp. It all felt fuzzy...

You don't remember anything about what happened next. You woke up in a bed, but it wasn't your own. It was softer and slightly bigger. "Hey, you're okay." A familiar voice softly cooed, getting closer. You blinked a few more times in hopes it'd clear your vision. That's when you saw Adrian, and smiled. Forgetting where you were and why...

You slowly sat up and pain shot through your thighs, it was still really dark besides some dim light coming from the corner of the room. "What's wrong?" The curly haired man asked worriedly. "I- uhm.... it's, a long story." You hesitated with your words as the memories flooded back. "Did you find me?" You recalled that you were completely stripped of clothing in the alley, jeans pooled at your ankles and completely no top. You kept thinking more and more about the events. How familiar the voice sounded-

"Y/N what do you mean?" He asked avoiding your eyes... Oh god. "You're Vigilante!" You semi-loudly whispered in shock. "What? No! Why would you even say that?" Adrian frantically responded, sitting up from his bed with an eye roll. Still avoiding your eyes.

"You... you fucked me. That was you." Your mind and body were on pause as you processed the information. Your coworker, semi-crush, who's a bit pervy, and nerdy, is also basically a serial killer, with a huge dick and is the literal sweetest soul you've met...

"Why did you do that?" Was all that ran through your mind and you could muster in the moment. He seemed deep in thought for a moment...

"I just wanted you to have that fantasy with Vigilante, and in the process I got my own with you." He mumbled that last bit. "You're into me?" You asked not super shocked, but a bit taken back. "I mean, yeah of course. I thought it was obvious." He nervously stumbled on his words. Avoiding your eyes.

"I never would've expected you to be," a lot of different words ran through your head. Rough, big, fucking hot... or even a murderer. "Hey but I only ever kill criminals, I swear." Adrian attempted to assure you, although it didn't exactly help a whole lot. How could someone so sweet and adorable be, a psychopath? I mean... murdering people, like it's nothing.

"Vigilante? I mean I do keep my personal life very separate, I honestly really pride myself on how well I hide my identity." He rambled a bit, you could tell he was nervous but also that's just how Adrian was.

"I'm still me Y/N. I mean just think about how good I made you feel earlier, wouldn't you like that, all the time?" You couldn't even argue with that. He was right, you'd love it all the time. Without another word he kissed you, grabbing the nape of your neck. Tangling his fingers in your hair right before tugging lightly. You let his tongue slide into your mouth, and to your surprise he was a good fucking kisser. I mean considering how well he fucked you earlier, you really shouldn't be surprised.

His lips left yours only for your hair to be rubbed on, making your neck more exposed to the brunette. "Oh god." You moaned as his lips attached themselves to the sensitive skin of your neck. "Adrian!" You whined as you felt him relentlessly suck and bite at the flesh. Fuck you wished he did it sooner. However the realization this was definitely hard enough to leave marks made you push him back. He didn't budge though, "something wrong?" He murmured into your neck and he left a trail of purple marks down to his shirt, and that really wasn't helping how painfully hard he was. Adrian loved seeing you in his clothes damn near more than naked, but you in his bed. It was hard to resist. He took a cold shower almost immediately to refrain from fucking you right then and there on his mattress.

"Gonna be a good girl for me?" He cocked his head to the side at you with a grin, his cold hands sliding up underneath his shirt, gliding across your warm skin. Adrian groped your tits with a groan, he was dying to do this earlier but the fucking mask. His lips immediately attached to your nipples, after sucking harshly on one, he repeated the action to the other. His teeth pulling the sensitive bud upward making you whine.

    "Fuck your boobs are really pretty, so much better than I imagined." He admitted like it was nothing, the thought of him thinking about you like that definitely got you more worked up. "Can't wait to be inside you again." Adrian moaned as he pressed himself against your thigh.

     "Please Adrian." You whined and he complied, not exactly what you were expecting but he stripped you of your shirt quickly and kissed down to his boxers he put you in. He slid the oversized fabric to your ankles, then tossed them somewhere else in the room. "You have a really pretty pussy, I was wondering earlier if you wax or sha-," you cut him off not being able to take another second without something down there. "Adrian please!" You whined, voice wavering as you bucked your hips desperately. He couldn't deny you any longer even if he wanted to. His hungry eyes admired what you had between your legs a moment longer before his even hungrier mouth dived right in.

    "Oh god!" You cried out as his tongue slipped between your folds and gathered your wetness with his tongue. Before focusing on your clit, lapping at the aching bundle of nerves. His arms hooked around your thighs, holding you down and pulling you closer so he could ravish you. "You taste so good." The curly haired boy groaned into your drenched pussy, wasting no time in helping you build an orgasm. Any second now you'd be a mess all over those filthy lips of his.

    "Adrian, I'm so close!" You whined as your thighs began to shake, he tightened his grip on your thighs. Fingers digging into your soft skin, nails in your flesh. It all felt so good, so right. In response to your words he also pulled you closer, his face and your pussy couldn't get any closer. His nose kept brushing near your groin.

     His lips wrapped around your clit, catching you off guard making you let out a moan so loud you were nearly screaming it. "Adrian!" You cried out as the green eyed man relentlessly made you finish against his lips. Sucking and lapping like it was his favorite thing to do. Little did you know, it now was. As he didn't stop once you had rode out your high.

   His lips and tongue continued to work your clit, an arm across your waist, pinning you to the bed as he slipped two fingers inside your hole. "Oh shit!" You gasped, your thighs shaking and tears spilling from your eyes. The overstimulation was strong and really kicking in, "A-adrian, it-it's too mu-mUch." You sobbed as your thighs tightened around his head. With a gentle kiss to your clit, he finally pulled up from down between your plush thighs. "You taste so fucking good, I don't wanna stop." He nearly whined the last words with a frown. You had to look away from those puppy eyes before you agreed.

   "As amazing as you were at that, I can't handle it." You informed a bit shyly. "Well I can still fuck you right? Cause my dick is hard as a brick right now and if I don't do something with it I think I won't be able to handle it." Adrian said with a serious look on his face. You hesitated for a moment before bucking your hips up at him, I mean one more orgasm won't hurt. You swear you've never seen a grown man so happy he smiled wider than you thought was possible.

    What you didn't realize was waving the green flag at a ready to go, full of gas, monster truck, headed towards yourself would meant...

     The eager brunette filled you instantly, making you fit him like a glove too small, squeezing around him with a vengeance it seemed. "Adrian!" You screamed grabbing his shoulders with a wail. He stretched you so good, ramming into your g spot. He ignored your cry and continued to fuck you with what seemed was all his might, grabbing the back of your legs and watching himself go in and out of you with a groan. "Fuck you feel so good. Pussy is s'tight babe, I can see myself in your stomach." He said in awe as he pressed against where the bulge of his cock was. You instantly reacted to the pressure of his hand on your lower belly with a loud cry. Moans slipping out of your mouth endlessly, you were lost in pleasure. “Oh fuck Adrian, I’m gonna cum!” You shouted louder than you probably should have.

“Let go for me, can’t wait to fill you up again.” He moaned as he sped up, staying consistent with the pressure on your stomach where his cock bulged through with each thrust.

Tears poured out of your eyes, your high hit like a truck. It was everlasting and so incredibly hard, all your senses overwhelmed, feeling him so deep inside of you, thrusting quickly into your aching soaked cunt, his natural scent filling your nostrils and the animalistic noises he let out as he relentlessly destroyed you. Your walls spasming around his dick was Heaven to him, his eyes concentrated at the way your face scrunched up and mouth was agape as you came. Crying out for him, clawing desperately at his back. Not knowing how much longer you could handle him inside of you.

“So fucking pretty for me Y/N, love the sounds you make for me.” He groaned eyeing your tits, but his focus faded as his own climax was on the brink. Something inside him snapped a bit, he pulled out for just a second before holding the back of your thighs with his forearms, shoving himself right back in. The new angle drove you wild. You didn’t think him going any deeper was possible but damn did he prove you wrong. “Oh my fucking god! Adrian shit!” You sobbed, slapping at his bicep, clawing all at his flesh you could reach, ashamed of the noises you were making. You covered your mouth as tears streamed out endlessly.

“Your pussy is so good Y/N. I would have stopped you for committing crimes long ago if I knew you’d feel like this.” He said between low moans and groans, his eyes fluttering shut. He was right back on edge and so were you again so soon. The way he brushed your g spot every time was beautiful, and semi painful as you’re sure this man was touching your cervix. “I’m gonna cum inside you.” He moaned out with a shiver, he himself was now becoming overwhelmed with pleasure. “Do it Vigilante.” You gasped as he instantly finished with those words. His hips harshly snapping against yours one last time, stilling inside of you.

As he spilled another big warm load inside of you, you came at that feeling. Now more than content with him and sex for, months probably. You were barely uttering words this time, too cock drunk to really function. “You okay?” He was panting a bit when he asked, but when his soft eyes looked into yours, you felt great. You nodded with a lazy smile. “Let me clean you up.” Adrian said pulling out of you and getting up. Almost instantly pain hit between your thighs, mainly your legs from the positions and being spread so wide, but the stretch from him being inside you for a while didn’t help.

You were going to wait for him to come back but sleep consumed you, considering it was three am Adrian wasn’t surprised. He cleaned you up and put his clothes back on you, this time he slept next to you in his bed. The curly haired boy couldn’t help but big spoon you, it just felt right to him… you felt right, and now that you’ve been punished he can call you his.

#dark smut #dc universe #dc smut #dark vigilante smut #vigilante smut #vigilante #vigilante x reader #adrian chase smut #adrian chase #adrian chase x reader #adrian chase x you #rough smut #smut #18+ #peacemaker #peacemaker vigilante #dubcon warning

[curiousconch]

Sobering Truth

Chapter 10 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU)

Catch up here: Series Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis: After the fallout of Rafael and Heather, what could this mean to Bryce and the recovering doctor? 

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x MC (Dr. Heather Song) | Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song)

Words: 2.1k+ | Genre: Crime, Suspense/Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: Mature (16+) / hints of past violent experience and sex

Author's Notes: Almost is Never Enough by Ariana Grande and Nathan Skyes was the perfect song for this chapter, the lyrics are very fitting. Also, watch out for a cameo from a PM character 😊

Thank you so much for taking time to read this series. Please let me know if you want me to include/remove you in the tags list. Also, disclaimer: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song and an OC Jordan Anderson.

Bryce found himself hunched alone in a bar stool downtown Boston. He swirled the brown liquid in his glass, brows furrowed in remembering the scene in the hospital room. 

His face contorted with the pain piercing through his chest, the possibility of losing Heather once again sinking like a sword. He racked his mind for an option, but it seems all is lost in that battle.

He thought back to their last outing together, and he was so certain that something was there. So why did she choose to stay with someone else instead of being with him?

His lips formed a thin line, his hand rubbing over his face in frustration. The emotions within turbulent and unnerving. Was he just too much of a fool when he thought he had a shot with her? 

This is exactly why Bryce Lahela didn't want to commit. It was far more easier for him to seek momentary connections rather than build permanent ones. He didn't want to relive the rejections-filled past from his adolescence, at the time of his parents' criminal convictions. 

Yet here he was again, suffering the same consequences of wanting something permanent in his life. Something that could bring him happiness. Something better than him being alone in the middle of a crowd of drunken patrons. 

He should've stayed in his own lane of hook-ups and one night stands instead of chasing for this relationship. 

So the first thing he did when he realized that that door is closing, was to go back to his old stomping grounds. 

But why can't he will himself to look around? 

As if on queue, an olive-skinned woman slid herself beside him, her sudden presence invading his thoughts. With a half-smirk and green catty eyes, the coils of dark hair loosely wrapping her head. The mere sight of her was mesmerizing. 

"I know you," she said, almost in a purr. 

Bryce looked back at her, and a long-forgotten heat warmed him up. And it wasn't because of the alcohol in his system.

"I guess my reputation is my charm," he replied, leaning forward. He loosened his tie whilst sipping from his glass. 

"Oh I know all about your reputation," her voice made him shiver, her fingers ever slowly trailing a path towards his arm. "You're the one with magic hands," she whispered, her brows dancing as she spoke. 

This commanding woman was pushing his buttons in all the right places, her sparkly black cocktail dress that clung on her body tightly wasn't making him feel suddenly parched. 

Her hand continued to venture up his arm, and eventually the side of his neck. As it followed the line of his jaw, Bryce couldn't help but lean closer. 

Nothing was stopping him at the moment. 

Miles away from being sober, his lips blew a short burst of air into the woman's bare neck, after which he got the chance to breathe in a whiff of her perfume. 

The jasmine scent was all too familiar. It conjured the image of the woman who Bryce fled away from tonight. 

Heather. 

Snapping out of the trance, he took a step back. Gone was the sexual tension that floated in the air mere seconds ago. Bryce only shook his head to the woman and paid his tab, before almost sprinting out into the cold rain that continued to flood the concrete pavement. 

He let the drops of water wash all over him until he was soaked. With it, the inevitable tears began to fall, which he didn't hold back. He also didn't mind how it easily reduced the numbing effect of the bottle of Jack Daniels that he just consumed. 

Like a thief in the night, the woman of his dreams snatched what was left of Bryce's vulnerable heart. He knew, deep down, that it would take a long time before he can get it back. 

*** 

"Breaking news. Declan Nash and Jordan Anderson pleads guilty as co-conspirators of the kidnapping of Senator Ed Farrugia and Edenbrook doctor Heather Song."

"This is following an intensive investigation by the joint special task force created as the public clamored to protect Massachusetts famed senator. 

"We are joined today by one of the victims, Senator Ed Farrugia, after he gave his testimony today at the Boston courthouse."

The video flicked from a female news anchor to the steps of the city's courthouse, where the politician was joined by Chief DA Tanaka. Heather's hazel eyes however wasn't on the prominent people in the screen, but instead drawn to the tall figure standing beside the older man, his intimidating stature made more pronounced by the sharp gray suit that contoured just enough to please.

Bryce. 

Saying his name, even in her mind, made her involuntarily shudder with regret, aware that between them was an undeniable attraction that she just couldn't shake off. Ever since her kidnapping, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about what could've been. Was it just too late for them? Will it only remain a connection that can never be explored? Will it ever be something more? She knew, deep down, if she could change the world overnight, she wanted to try. If there was anything she could learn from her almost dying, it was the sobering truth that life was too short to be restrained by inaction.

But she hadn't been able to speak to him for a while now. He didn't answer his phone nor returned any of her texts or messages. She hoped to get the chance when she was scheduled for her recorded testimony. To her dismay, another ADA visited her and took her witness account. 

She thought he was just busy with the case, but she sensed that he was avoiding her altogether. Her free time provided her so many hours to rack her brain for the reason why. To this day, that question was left unanswered. 

Danny raised his gaze to Heather, as he felt her pulse beat faster than normal. He turned to the TV monitor in the hospital room, stifling a chuckle as he found the reason behind her palpitations.

"Let's try to do this again," Danny said, making Heather's attention swivel to him. 

"Why? Something wrong?" she asked, obviously confused. 

This time, Danny snickered, grabbing the remote from her and switched the channel. The gesture was enough to make her fluster as it dawned on her what the nurse was insinuating. 

"I can't put your last BPM on your chart, Heather. We dont want Dr. Ramsey to not sign off on your discharge papers today. Two weeks of him pestering us is enough torture to last a lifetime," he scoffed jokingly, referencing how the senior attending relentlessly chased the hospital staff to put her case on priority. 

She curtly nodded, her mentor's crass actions embarrassing her further. 

"Thanks, Danny." she sheepishly smiled, hoping the two words were enough to express her appreciation of how the hospital helped her get back on her feet during the roughest period of her life yet. 

Danny returned her gesture, before getting back to taking her pulse. Satisfied, he recorded it to the clipboard in his hand, as her friends thundered into the room. 

Sienna, Elijah, Jackie and Aurora all stepped inside, each carrying an assortment of food items. They moved their Sunday brunch to that day in celebration of Heather's discharge. The welcome noise warmed her heart, their usual banter flowing like music to her ears. 

The thundering of her deep-seated emotions momentarily toned down, as she enjoyed the company of the small family she found in Edenbrook. 

Outside, the weather was warm with no clouds threatening to dampen the surroundings. 

It was going to be a good day. 

*** 

As the last of the questions were addressed and the cameras were turned away, Bryce sighed in relief. 

With the news crews dispersed, Chief Tanaka left to head back to the DA's office, leaving him as second chair to wrap up all the remaining paperwork. He strutted into the courthouse, the ADA facade well in effect. 

It was an understatement to say that the past few weeks were hectic. 

Interviewing Declan Nash and Jordan Anderson was like being pulled into opposite poles. Their personalities were so polarizingly different that Bryce suspected that there was a more to the case than what appears. 

So he advised the special task force to dig into that angle. The FBI's investigation is still ongoing, and he is betting against it finishing soon. 

Today was a day of accomplishments, and Bryce's mood was better than it was ever since that night. Or so he thought. 

As his mind shifted back into the present, he caught the unwelcome sight of Agent Rafael Aveiro conversing with someone in the hallways. He managed to hear a glimpse of the conversation as they got into earshot. 

"You're background would be invaluable to us, Agent Rafael," the strange man in the tweed-colored jacket said. 

"This is such a timely offer that I couldn't refuse. I'll let you know as soon as I wrap up my last case." Bryce heard Raf say. 

"Of course. But please don't keep us in the Interpol on our toes, Agent." 

"Of course, Agent Nazario." 

Taken aback, he stopped, trying to understand what had just transpired. Why was Rafael taking a job with the interpol? 

Once Bryce saw that the special investigator was alone, he approached him, words blazing. 

"Interpol? Seriously, Raf, this soon?" 

Raf turned to face him, surprised at Bryce's sudden interjection. 

"I don't see the need to explain myself to you, ADA Lahela." He politely said as he begun to walk away. 

"But you just got back together! Why leave for an overseas job this soon when she needs you the most?" Bryce's voice rose, echoing into the nearly full hallway. He honestly didn't mind, weeks worth of bottled up frustration threatening to surface. 

A more puzzled expression filled Rafael's face, the line of interrogation making him turn around and stare back at the prosecutor. 

Rafael recognized the look on Bryce's face. It was a mirror of his own haunted reflection. Of a lost love, never to return. The confusion gave way to understanding. 

It made him soften his stance, and place a brotherly hand on the lawyer's shoulder. 

"Look, I don't know why you think that, but Heather and I..." he paused, taking a deep breath as he tried to bury the painful memory of their goodbye into the back of his mind. "We broke up. The same night that she was admitted to Edenbrook after her kidnapping, we talked and agreed to go our separate ways." 

Bryce couldn't believe what he was hearing, his knees weakening with the revelation. Amber eyes widened in shock and feeling like an idiot at the same time. 

He smiled despite himself, the nightmares of his imaginary rejection transformed into a wonderful dream. The door that he thought was closed is now unlocking, and he was determined to blow it wide open. 

With a hasty thank you and goodbye to Raf, he turned the soles of his leather shoes and raced to the door of the courthouse. 

Bryce didn't dare waste another minute to look back. 

Tags: @ramsey-lahela @eleanorbloom @openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations

#open heart #rafael aveiro #bryce lahela #open heart fanfiction #open heart fic #rafael aveiro x mc #bryce lahela x mc #choices fic writers creations #choices fanfiction #open heart 2 #choices #pixelberry #fics of the week

[imaginedisish]

Happy Together (Five Hargreeves x Reader) (The Umbrella Academy)

A/N: OOOOHHH MY GOOODNESS HELLO EVERYONE!!! So before y’all read...lemme say that Five is not 13/14/15 in this imagine!!!! He is a normal 20 something year old human...and so is the reader!!! This is kinda like an alternative universe sorta thing...idk...it was a request. (also my 17 year old self has a huge crush on Aidan Gallagher now uwu...he’s turning 16 this year...and we’re like a year apart so ITS OKAY YALL CHILLLLLLLL) I love The Umbrella Academy...and more imagines will be coming. ALSO THANK YOU FOR 900 FOLLOWERS AHHHHH!!!! Okay...now enjoy :)

Summary: After altering the timeline to save your life, Number Five gets in some trouble with The Commission...which prompts a not-so-welcomed visit from The Handler.

Warnings: LANGUAGE, angst, blood, fighting, implied violence/murder, FLUFFFFFFFFF 

Word Count: 2,413 holy shit i went IN LADIES AND GENTS

Rays of sun reach their fingertips through the ancient curtains above you. The dust particles that had accumulated upon the books surrounding you glow as each individual spec basks in the light. To your right, sitting properly next to you on the plush couch, was a well-read copy of The Great Gatsby, your favorite novel. 

You look down at the coffee that rested between your hands, the steam radiating off of it slowly dissipating, cueing you to finally take a sip of the bitter liquid. Grace hums a tune as she passes through the dark library, duster in hand. 

“Grace,” You call out, and Grace immediately stops to face you, “Do you know where Five is?” Just as Grace opens her mouth to answer your question, a loud clanging sound erupts from above you. 

“Goddamn it!” A familiar voice shouts, followed by the violent thumping of footsteps down the stairs. 

The footsteps continue, the sound of the dress shoes against the cold tile echoes throughout the academy, until finally Five appears in front of you. He looks disheveled, exhausted, and incredibly angry. You hadn’t seen him like this since you saved the world together. He looked so distraught, something was clearly wrong. 

Five begins to pace back and forth, his hands traveling to rub his eyes every now and then. You want to say something, but you know he’s far too lost in thought to answer. Finally, Five stops, and walks towards the bar at the end of the library. 

You hear Five rummaging through the bottles of liquor. You turn around to see an expensive bottle of whiskey in his right hand. With his left, he grabs a short, crystal glass, and he begins to pour away.  

“F-five, is everything okay?” You ask quietly. Five stops his pouring, and slams the bottle of whiskey on the counter. 

He looks up at you, a vulnerable haze of fear presents itself across Five’s face before once again masking itself in an angry and distant gaze. “Everything is just golden,” Five remarks sarcastically, taking a generous swig of alcohol from his glass. 

You decide to ignore his tone as to not start a fight with him, and instead stand up from the couch and walk over to him. You pull out a stool, and sit down. Five remains where he is, on the other side. 

“Are you going to tell me what happened, or am I going to make it come out of you?” You ask, jokingly. That was your power, you had the ability to make people tell the truth. You could also read minds and freeze time, which made you a perfect foil to Five, who could move through it. 

“It’s The Commission…” Five trails off, taking another sip of his whiskey. “They know what we did.” Your jaw drops. How the hell did they find out so quickly? You think to yourself. 

A month ago, you and Five had altered the timeline. To be more specific, Five had altered the timeline in order to save your life. While searching for Five, who had saved the world from the apocalypse once and for all, the Commission came across you. They knew that you were important to Five, and decided to kidnap and torture you. 

When Five had found you, it was far too late. But, that was a thing of a past. It was a memory that you were never able to experience, since Five took it upon himself to change the timeline and save your life. 

You two had grown close since Five had met you, since he had helped you learn to use your powers. But, you didn’t realize how much you meant to him. He risked so much by altering the timeline, and that was becoming increasingly evident. 

“Look, things can’t be that bad,” You say reassuringly. “There has to be some sort of way to fix th-,” 

Five cuts you off. “No, things aren’t bad, they’re terrible. They’re going to kill me,” Five’s voice is firm and filled with anger. “Or worse…” His voice is soft as he trails off, his eyes drifting down to the glass of whiskey on the counter. 

“Or worse, what?” You ask as you search Five’s dark brown eyes for some sort of an answer. 

But he gives you none, shaking his head in contempt, refusing to say a thing. He picks his drink up, and begins to walk towards the other side of the room. Just as you think he’s about to stop, the pacing begins again. You roll your eyes. 

“Five, stop, let’s talk about-,”

Five cuts you off a second time. “There’s nothing to talk about, (Y/N)!” Five shouts, his eyes widening. “Things are going to absolute shit!” He knocks back a final, generous swig of whiskey before violently slamming the empty glass on the end table to his left. Five darts back towards you. “We lost! Don’t you get it? They’ve won! They’re going to find me, or you, a-and, a-and…”

You shake your head. “You’re being ridiculous, Five,” You pause for a second, collecting your thoughts before continuing. “You just need to calm down, we haven’t lost just yet, we haven’t even started fighting.” 

“And there’s no point in fighting back to begin with. They know you’re here, they know everything, (Y/N),” Five says, swallowing harshly as he closes his eyes tightly. “And don’t tell me to calm down.” 

You scoff. “I’m just trying to help. We can fix this-,”

“Stop! No we can’t! I’m going to lose you. Don’t you understand that?” Five yells, his voice booming throughout the library. Silence looms over the room. You don’t know what to say. “I can’t lose you…not again. I just can’t,” Five finally croaks. 

Your heart flutters in your chest at his words. “Five you aren’t going to lose me,” You say, your voice is soft and sweet as a smile stretches across your face. 

“On the contrary, darling, I think he just might!” A sarcastic, shrill voice rings from the opposite end of the room. You look to where the voice came from. A tall, gray haired woman stands near the fireplace, holding a gun in her hand. “Hello, Number Five. Long time no see.” Her smile is wide, almost reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat. 

“I swear to god if you touch her,” Five points a finger in the woman’s direction, “I won’t hesitate to take you down, for real. In fact I thought Hazel already did that for me,” Five taunts.  

The woman cackles loudly. “Oh Five!” She slaps her knee. “God you crack me up! You know silly stuff like bullets, or grenades,” She raises an eyebrow, “can’t kill me. But it can kill you, or her.” The woman nods her head towards you, aiming her gun at your chest. 

A shot rings out, and a flash of light appears in front of you as Five pops in front of the woman, pulling his arm back to punch her in the face. But, before anything happens, you close your eyes tightly, clutching both hands into fists. Suddenly, time freezes. You walk forward towards Five. The bullet is inches away from his chest, suspended in thin air. You push it to the right, making sure that when time starts up again, it won’t even have the chance to hit him. 

The woman scoffs, surprised at your abilities. “Who the hell are you?” She asks, staring you down. 

“(Y/N), Number 8, also known as Eon, and you’re about to be so fucked,” You stare deeply into her eyes as you begin to search the woman’s mind. Her alias is The Handler, she’s killed thousands of people, and she isn’t one bit scared of you in this moment. 

Well, that’s about to change completely, You think to yourself. You tighten your hold on her mind, and you watch as the Handler winces in pain. 

Part of your mind reading ability was to allow the person you were reading to relive the memories you came across as you searched his or her mind. In this case, you went for the traumatic experiences; for instance, murders, attacks, and other crimes The Handler committed, watched, or experienced. You had found through previous ventures that making someone relive the past was overwhelming and draining, to the point of death.  

God I hope this works, You think to yourself, taking a deep breath as you swallow harshly. You had one shot, one chance to make this work. You begin to search through her mind, picking out memories that seemed horrendous, even to you.

“Wh-what the hell are you d-doing?” She stutters, her fingertips reaching up to either side of her head. You force her to see each and every person she’s ever killed, which slowly but surely begins to have an impact on her. “S-stop,” The Handler pleads. “I-It h-hurts.” 

But regardless of her pleas, you don’t let go. The gun in The Handler’s hand falls to the ground as she begins to tremble. You don’t know how much longer you can stay where you are. Your grasp on time begins to weaken, and things slowly start to move again. You’re losing energy. 

“F-fuck,” You whimper, trying your best to stay strong. You search deeper into The Handler’s mind, seeing even more murders, more traumatic experiences, forcing her to relive each and every one. 

The Handler screams out in pain. “Shit!” She screeches, collapsing down to the ground. She wheezes, and coughs roughly. Her breathing weakens, just as you thought it would. 

“How does it feel?” You manage to shout, regardless of the fact that it feels as though every ounce of energy has been drained from your body. You continue on nonetheless. 

“I-I c-can’t b-breathe,” The Handler chokes, grabbing her throat. “S-stop…” Her eyes flutter shut. “I-I’ll l-let y-you l-live…” She struggles to speak as her eyes open up again.

“Bullshit,” You say firmly, walking closer to her. “Any last words?” You question, going deeper into The Handler’s mind one final time. Her body seems to tense up, and she writhes in pain one last time. 

“I-I’ll b-be b-back, k-kid…t-trust m-me….I always e-end up c-coming b-back…” She trails off, her eyes shutting tightly. Then, the writhing stops. The tension in The Handler’s body seemingly disappears. Her body goes completely limp. You did it. It was all over. She was gone. 

You let go of your hold on The Handler, since there was no longer anything to see or do in her mind. It was blank, a black hole if you will. You let go of time, and things begin to move yet again. You collapse to your knees, absolutely exhausted. 

“(Y/N)?” Five calls out, and you hear the bullet you had directed away from Five hit into the wall. “What the hell happened?” Five chuckles a bit. You feel his hand rub up and down against your back. 

“I-I took care of things…” You say, breathing heavily. “You don’t have to worry about her anymore, or at least I don’t think you will.” You look up at Five, a confused expression spread across his face.

“How did you…” Five doesn’t know what to say as his eyes frantically search yours for some sort of an answer. 

“I made her relive every shitty thing she ever did, or experienced. It wasn’t a silly thing, that did the bitch in,” You explain nonchalantly. “It was natural causes, in a sense. She did it herself.” 

Five smiles widely, his brown eyes catching rays of light. Just as quickly as his smile appeared, it slips away. “They could still come after us…” Five trails off nervously, standing up and walking towards the bar. 

You shake your head, gathering your strength and following behind him. “Don’t worry about that, okay? With The Handler gone, things will be easier. We can take down whoever stands in our way.” Your voice is calm and reassuring. 

Five stops in his tracks, his eyes studying your face thoroughly. “All I can do is worry. Just because she’s gone doesn’t mean I won’t lose you,” Five says, his voice firm, yet still laced with fear. “I care about you too much to lose you again. Last time, my heart…it…” Five can’t seem to finish his sentence as his voice becomes shaky. His eyes become glossy, and he turns around so you can’t see his face. 

“You can talk to me Five. Please, just tell me what happened,” You beg, walking closer to him, extending a hand out towards his, your fingers colliding with Five’s. 

He turns around to face you. “Fuck I hate feelings…” Five complains before continuing on. He takes a deep breath. “My heart felt like it stopped beating. I-I sobbed over y-you…” Five tightly closes his eyes shut, a single tear falling down is cheek. He wipes it away with his free hand. “I can’t go through that again. I won’t, I refuse to. I care far too much about you…I-I…” Five looks down at the ground and back up towards you. He steps closer to you, the gap between you and he closing. His eyes drift back and forth between your eyes and your lips. 

Suddenly, a pair of soft, warm lips come crashing down on yours. The kiss is slow and languid. You can’t help but smile against Five’s lips. This was something you had wanted for such a long time. 

You’re left wanting more as Five’s lips part from yours. He smiles widely as he steps back from you. You’re almost a bit shocked, as Five rarely ever shows affection to anyone. 

“I didn’t know how to say how I’ve been feeling,” Five explains. “You know I’m terrible at emotional shit, but (Y/N), you make things seems so natural. I’m happy when I’m with you.” 

A smile stretches across your face. “So let’s be happy together, then. You don’t have to hide things. We can be a team.” 

Five nods, grinning as he closes the gap between you two once more. “Happy…together…two words that I’d never thought I’d use to describe my life.” 

“Well I suppose you’ll just have to expand your vocabulary, then Five,” You say sarcastically, giggling lightly. 

“I suppose so, (Y/N).”

#The Umbrella Academy #Number Five x Reader #Five x Reader #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves imagine #Umbrella Academy imagine #Umbrella Academy fanfiction #Umbrella Academy fanfic #Number Five #Five Hargreeves #The Umbrella Academy fanfiction #The Umbrella Academy imagine #Five Hargreeves fanfiction #Diego Hargreeves x reader #Diego Hargreeves #Grace Hargreeves #Vanya Hargreeves #Alison Hargreeves #luther hargreeves #Ben Hargreeves #Klaus Hargreeves #Klaus Hargreeves x reader #Klaus Hargreeves smut #Klaus Hargreeves fluff #Number Five fluff #Five Hargreeves fluff #Diego Hargreeves smut #Diego Hargreeves fluff #The Umbrella Academy au #Umbrella Academy alternative universe

[randomnotesofmyown]

Psycho Pass (13)

Episode 13 - Invitation from the Abyss

Ginoza discussed his coefficient with a counselor who, concerned by the rising number, suggested the inspector talk about his worries to people close to him, like his father. Yet, Ginoza didn't feel like talking to his father about those.

Ginoza met up the PSB Chief to discuss about Tsunemori's report. The Chief expressed doubts to its credibility. Ginoza affirmed by giving more details on the distance between Tsunemori and Makishima, and the events that happened. The Chief pointed out that the victim had been a close friend of Tsunemori and asked if there was any possibility of Inspector Tsunemori misoperated the dominator. Ginoza replied that Tsunemori was not that incompetent and her aptitude had been confirmed by the Sibyl system. The Chief remarked that she received a report that questioned Sibyl's judgment. "Ginoza...Today, the world has realized a stable prosperity and achieved the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. What on earth do you think is supporting it?" "That would be...the Ministry of Welfare's Sibyl System" "That's right. Planning one's life...Obtaining what one desires...When people make choices, no matter what they are, they ask for Sibyl's judgment rather than agonizing over it. Through the Sibyl system, we're creating an affluent, safe world that's unprecedented in human history." "That's exactly why Sibyl has to be perfect." Ginoza replied. The chief agreed that no mistakes were allowed with Sibyl. "However, think about it. If the system is absolutely perfect, it shouldn't even require humans to operate it. We can equip dominators on drones and have them patrol the city. But the Criminal Investigation Department exists in the PSB, and you Inspectors and Enforcers hold the dominators, Sibyl's eyes. Have you thought about the meaning of that?" Seeing that Ginoza had no answer, the Chief continued, "No matter how perfect the system is made to be, it needs a safety net to deal with unforeseeable circumstances. The ability to flexibly respond in an emergency, temporary measures for when the system malfunctions... The system becomes perfect once these things are included. For a system, rather than functioning perfectly, it's more important that people continue to trust that it is perfect. Thanks to that belief in the system and sense of security, Sibyl brings blessings to people even now." The chief then showed Ginoza classified information that people of his rank would have no right to access.

A profile of Touma Kouzaburou, an individual who was taken into custody without his coefficient being measured. Division 2, which captured the culprit behind the specimen case, was issued a gag order.

"Just like this current case. Despite the fact that he was practically caught in the act, and we had a great deal of evidence on his crimes, the dominators didn't react to Touma Kouzaburou because his coefficient didn't reach the regulation value. We call rare cases like this a 'criminally asymptomatic person'."

"It refers to the rare cases where the result of the person's" cymatic scan doesn't match with their criminal psychology. It's estimated that the incidence of this is about one out of every two million people. The case with Makishima Shogo isn't really surprising, either. There are some indications that he took part in the case from three years ago, right? Touma and Makishima...it is precisely because the two of them, who are criminally asymptomatic, committed crimes together, that we had so much difficulty with that case."  

Ginoza asked what happened to Touma.

"Officially, he's been declared missing. And I, as well, do not intend to say anything more on the matter to you. At any rate, all that matters is the fact that no one ever fell victim to his crimes again. He just disappeared." 

"His case didn't reveal a blind spot in the Sibyl system. It didn't shake the credibility of the system, either. He simply disappeared. You guys are at the tail end of the system. And people recognize and understand the system only through the tail end. Hence, the system's credibility is judged by seeing how properly and strictly the tail end is functioning. If you guys doubt the dominator, it could eventually cause all the citizens to doubt this society's order. Do you understand?" Ginoza response was that the report submitted was incomplete. "Good. Resubmit it by tomorrow morning. Naturally, you'll need to prepare an explanation that your subordinates will accept."

The chief then ordered that Makishima Shogo be captured, and isolated as soon as possible. "But don't kill him. Immediate punishment or execution requires Sibyl's involvement." Once Makishima got captured, the Bureau would take care of the rest and he would not threaten society again. The Chief added.

Kogami reading Heart of Darkness as he was recovering from his wounds.

Tsunemori came to visit.  

Kogami asked about the funeral. 

Tsunemori then said Makishima had to be captured. 

Before she left, Tsunemori added that she and Kogami could finally pursue the same goal together.

Kogami was told later by Kagari that Tsunemori would do a memory scoop--a process to visualize people's memories by reading them directly from their brain waves--to reconstruct Makishima's face. He reacted strongly to this.

Before the process began, Kogami called Tsunemori. She hung it up and, despite Ginoza's concern about what the process would do to her already affected Psycho-Pass, insisted to go ahead because--given that the Chief did not authorize a public investigation and clues were hard to find--a photofit picture (montage) was needed.

Tsunemori went through the process and Karanomori captured the image needed.

And the division got confirmation that Makishima was the art teacher known as Shibata Yurimori at Ousou Academy. They also found footage of Makishima appearing at the entrance of the apartment building in which Sugawara Shoko (Spooky Boogie) lived.

A relation chart was updated.

Ginoza asked Masaoka out for a private talk. Surprised by the request, Masaoka jokingly asked if it was going to snow the next day when he appeared next to Ginoza. After the brief small talk, Ginoza said he wanted to ask something about Tsunemori. "Why doesn't her Hue get clouded? How does she manage her stress?" "I don't have the answer. Well, one thing I can say clearly is that she isn't afraid of her crime coefficient at all. She is...she accepts things as they are. She forgives society, acknowledges it, and accepts it. On top of that, she doesn't mind taking risks... She probably believes in the meaning and the value of being a detective unquestionably."

The subject was then changed to Masaoka. The enforcer recounted how he felt the first day he was given a gun that talked and was told to do as the gun said. "That wasn't the detective work that I believed in." "If you questioned it that much...why didn't you quit being a detective? You made mom and I pay the price when you didn't even want to live that way?" Masaoka conceded and said the day he came to terms with how things had come to be, his coefficient stabilized. Before he walked off, Masaoka added, "Just like you were saying earlier, if you question your job, if you start feeling that something is amiss, be careful. Once you do, you might fall into the same pitfall I fell into.

"You've finally been identified. You're at the end of your rope, Shogo."

Alone in her office, the chief commented. 

End of episode 13

Comment:

Point A: From what I recently learned about body language, when a person looks away from the person he is talking to when he speaks, it's likely a sign that the speaker has something to hide. So what the Chief said about Touma might probably contained some false information: the chief might have lied about what happened to Touma, he didn't just vanished. Point B: the lengthy talk about how the Sibyl system worked, how it gained credibility and trust, what it took for the system to appear perfect and stuff made me think about one thing. If the Sibyl system was a metaphor, in it place I can put in the government, the various institutions, public bodies and the whole passage makes perfect sense. There would be no problem if no one ever raise any question and everything would work out just fine. That's what the chief wanted to sell, and Ginoza, doubtfully, bought it. Point C: Tsunemori's sense of determination came through unequivocally in this episode. In order to get a hold of what was needed for an investigation, she was willing to experience again the worst moment thus far in her life. That was an admirable strength in her character.

#psycho pass

[elisaphoenix13]

Disappearing Act

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

Quill's scream has Tony and Stephen jolting up in bed and waking Valerie, and the engineer sighs as he gets out of bed to retrieve their wailing daughter. Stephen looks to the foot of the bed, finds it bare, and sighs when he finds their bedroom door part way open and hears snarling and growling from outside the room. Quill had been out in space when Athena joined the family, and was the only one she hadn't been told was a friend yet because of it. So now she was cornering a supposed intruder and if Stephen didn't take care of it soon, one of them was going to die. He would put money on the wolf being the victim because she wasn't really a match for a god.

"Take care of that so Porcupine can babysit since he woke up Valerie." Tony grumbles as Stephen gets out of bed.

"Good morning to you too."

Tony sighs. "Sorry...I didn't sleep well last night." He meets Stephen by the door and kisses him. "Good morning. Please take care of the dog?"

"She's a wolf."

"I was talking about Quill."

Stephen snorts in amusement and walks out of the bedroom and descends the stairs. He finds Quill in the kitchen, holding out his hands to placate the snarling creature in front of him, and the doctor steps up next to Athena. The celestial gives him a baffled look when Stephen gently pats her head and then rolls his eyes at the sorcerer's next words.

"It's okay. He's a friend." As if a switch had been flipped off, the white wolf instantly calms and lays down next to the counter as Stephen starts some water for his tea.

"Is she a new pet?" Quill finally asks once Stephen turns on the stove.

"In a way. You get to watch Valerie for a little while, by the way. You woke her up."

"Sorry. To be fair, I wasn't expecting a freaking wolf!" Tony joins them at that moment and doesn't waste time in handing Valerie to Quill...with a diaper. "Diaper duty? Seriously?"

"You woke her up. You suffer the consequences." Tony snarks and the celestial walks into the living room muttering under his breath. "Ah...I don't miss changing diapers."

Stephen grabs a clean bottle from the dish rack and fills it with water before adding some formula. "I don't either. That's one thing I don't mind making the others do."

He closes the bottle and shakes it up to mix the contents before handing it to Tony, and the engineer throws it into the living room to Quill who catches it without looking. Show off. His Celestial powers were growing if that was anything to go by, and he heard the whole thing about keeping Scott looking young…

Ugh. He could have lived without knowing that.

Once Stephen made his tea, he started on making breakfast, and it didn't take very long for the smell to rouse the rest of their children. Peter took to using the ceiling to get to the kitchen and tried to snag a sausage until Stephen smacked his hand away, Harley made his way over to the fridge to look for something to drink while still half asleep, and Diana went straight for Quill and Valerie. The god had moved to the ground so the five month old baby can play on her mat, and Dia barrels into Quill with a hug before sitting in his lap and chattering endlessly.

"Should I be concerned that our daughter went straight for Quill?" Tony questions and both Peter and Harley snort.

"With how often she's with Cassie, not really." Peter says as Harley grabs some raw meat out of the fridge and tosses it to Athena after he unwraps it.

Tony scratches at his beard and starts the coffee machine. "It's been a while since it was just the three of us." He pours some coffee into a mug when it's finished brewing and Stephen turns off the stove. "Maybe I'll take them out today."

"There's a carnival in town." Stephen suggests. "I'm sure they'd like that."

"Huh...that's a good idea. FRI...have Cassie come up for breakfast." Quill clears his throat and Tony rolls his eyes. "And the flea I guess."

"Yes Boss."

Quill scoffs as he grabs Diana in one arm and Valerie in the other, and the older girl giggles when the celestial stands and makes his way into the kitchen with them. Stephen smiles when Valerie coos in curiosity and Quill deposits her into her high chair before setting Diana at the table. Stephen, with the help of the boys, carries plates and food to the table and Cassie and Scott arrive just as everyone sits down. Athena, of course, moved to lay at Stephen's feet since she didn't seem to like being away from him when she could help it. The exceptions being when he went out on errands and she couldn't accompany him, or when he opened a portal for her to the lake house so she can run around.

Otherwise, where Stephen went, she followed. With the help of some magic, the sorcerer made sure she understood that certain commands were to be obeyed if the family or even a team member were to give them. Once again though, Stephen was the one she listened to most. Everyone else could at least tell her no, back down, or to come and she obeyed without issue.

Stephen only allowed her by the table because she wasn't begging for scraps.

"How does a day at the carnival sound? Just the three of us?" Tony asks Diana and Cassie before taking a bite of his eggs.

Cassie looks at Scott with a smile. "Can I?!"

"Sure." Scott replies with a shrug. "I was just going to run some errands and get some work done."

Quill sputters. "So much for my plans!"

"Later big guy." Scott winks and all of the teens exclaim in disgust.

 When breakfast is finished, Cassie and Diana leave with Tony to head to the carnival, Scott and Quill head back down to their floor when Stephen relieves the celestial of babysitting duty, and Stephen starts cleaning up. At least until Harley and Peter surprisingly take over. They did have a point though. He made everyone breakfast so someone else should clean up, and he left them to it to watch tv in the living room. Valerie was once again set on her mat to play and Stephen sat on the couch with Athena at his feet. Tibbs joined the baby to play, and when the boys were done, they actually sat on either side of the sorcerer and cuddled up with him.

It was nice, but also suspicious. They never wanted a cuddle session this early in the morning unless they were sick.

Stephen sighs. "Alright...what do you two want?"

"Since Dad took Cassie and Dia to the carnival, can we go to the mall? They have this new-" Harley starts and Stephen holds up his hand.

"There's a new something or other you can't afford and want to know if you can borrow my card." The doctor finishes as he pulls his wallet out of his pants and hands the card over to his oldest. "Get whatever you want. Within reason."

Harley and Peter whoop in excitement and scramble off of the couch to go upstairs and get dressed, and Stephen sighs again when they disappear onto the elevator. They barely managed to toss a thank you over their shoulders before the doors closed, and it left Stephen feeling pretty lonely. Valerie wasn't much for conversation (any really), and the him before his accident would have loved the silence. The Stephen now though? He was used to the chaotic energy of his family and the team. Even with the tv going and Valerie babbling around a block she's chewing on, it was too quiet. If he wanted quiet, he would have opened a gateway to the cabin. Something he did on the rare occasion when the noise did get to be too much.

"You're not going to ditch me too are you?" Stephen jokingly asks the infant on the floor and she looks over at him with drool covering the block and her hand. "I wouldn't be surprised if you skipped crawling and went straight to walking."

Nothing of the sort happened. Valerie was happy to continue gnawing on her block and drool all over it and her hand. Tibbs grew bored of it and decided to wander off elsewhere and Stephen didn't blame him. Stephen was a little bored too. Then he remembered the book he left in the kitchen last night and got up to retrieve it from the counter it was sitting on. A mystery novel. He always liked to try and guess who committed the crime and how. It was also nice to do some reading that didn't have to do with the mystic artes.

He turns to return to the living room and looks toward Valerie and his eyes widen as his book falls out of his hand. The mat was empty. The baby was nowhere to be seen. Nonono, Stephen screams internally as he rushes forward to look for his daughter. There was no way Valerie got very far in the two seconds he had his back turned, but he couldn't find her in or under anything nearby. She was barely scooting for Vishanti's sake!

Every hiding place he checked that he found deprived of his baby just added more stress until he was finally hyperventilating. The doctor and the sorcerer in him were being thrown to the far recesses of his mind while Mom took over, and Mom wasn't thinking straight.

No, Stephen was currently having some mom panic.

Some very small part of him that was still aware of FRIDAY and VICTOR asking him if he was alright, and even Athena was nudging his leg with a worried whine. They all likely detected his sudden spike of distress, but he was too busy trying not to black out from lack of oxygen. He knew he should be looking for Valerie, but his body wouldn't let him. He was frozen on the spot. Did Tony have to go through this with Diana? Maybe it was worse with her because she was a baby with magic. The engineer never complained about anything, but for all Stephen knew, Diana could have sneezed and disappeared on him.

Maybe Valerie was a magic baby after all?

Oh god. What if she managed to throw herself into another dimension? A hell dimension-

"...phen...STEPHEN!" The sorcerer gasps quietly when the shout disrupts his panicking thoughts and he finds Scott standing in front of him looking concerned. "Hey. There we go. Breathe."

"I-I can't find her." Stephen stammers as the younger leads him to the couch and makes him sit down. "I looked everywhere! I only looked away for a second--"

"It's okay. It happens. Quill's looking right now."

Stephen looks up at the celestial and notices the galaxy colors overtaking the entirety of his eyes, and then he walks off toward the kitchen. The sound of a chair being moved is followed by the god speaking softly before he returns with baby Valerie in one of his arms, and the remaining black in Stephen's vision finally ebbs away when he heaves a sigh of relief. Quill hands her over to the sorcerer and Stephen holds his daughter close to his chest as he wills his heart to stop pounding.

"Let me just say, we never want to see a panicking Mama Bear again." Quill says as he rubs his eyes. "If you lose your shit, then we all lose our shit."

"Quill." Scott warns.

Stephen swallows thickly. "I didn't mean to. I looked for her...but then the panic managed to take over."

"FRIDAY called us up. Apparently we're the only ones in the tower right now and she said you were in distress." Scott explains.

"We hauled ass up here, saw you freaking out, and Victor told us it happened after Val army crawled into the kitchen right behind you."

"Why do all of my kids have to be exceptional for their age?" Stephen laments.

"Because their parents are." Scott responds with a smirk.

Stephen was used to chaos, but this scare was not what he had in mind. Now he was exhausted after his panic attack, but he continued to hold Valerie close and she miraculously was content to stay in her mother's arms. Quill and Scott stayed to keep him company, and before any of them knew it, Stephen had fallen asleep with his back to Quill's side after the celestial sat on the couch next to him to watch tv. He didn't dare move either. They didn't disturb him until his hold on Valerie started to loosen, and Scott finally stepped forward to carefully take her from Stephen and then throw a blanket over the sorcerer.

Athena took the opportunity to jump onto the couch now that the baby wasn't with Stephen, to lay between him and the couch, and gently rest her head on his stomach. At least that's what he woke up to a couple of hours later. His wolf lying next to him both to protect and comfort him, his shoulder no doubt digging painfully into Quill's ribs, and the baby missing again. He didn't panic this time because he heard Scott talking to her and quite possibly tickling her since she was laughing pretty hard for a baby.

He was lucky to have friends like them. Friends that would step in to babysit without being asked after he had a small meltdown and needed to rest because of it. Friends that wouldn't complain about the shoulder jabbing into their ribs because he was comfortable...and even the wolf that refused to leave his side when she had a say in it. If she had her way, Athena would never leave it.

"Val's going to be the next one to pass out if you keep going Sugar." Quill jokes

"She's fine." Another adorable baby laugh. "She could probably use a nap herself though." Scott admits.

"Whatever helps keep Stephen asleep." Quill mumbles. "I don't think he knows what relaxing is anymore. Even Tony was getting concerned."

"He does a lot. He's a husband--"

"Wife." Quill corrects with a snigger."

Scott ignores him. "A mom, the Sorcerer Supreme, a housewife, a doctor, and yes...even though it started out as a joke, he's our matriarch. He does a lot for us as well as his family."

"He needs a day off."

Scott snorts. "We've said that and he said, and I quote, 'If I take a day off, I will undoubtedly come home to a disaster and there will have been no point to my day off.'"

"Well with Harley as one of his kids, he has a point--ow!" Quill hisses at the elbow to his spleen and Stephen sits up, making Athena lift her head. "I was kidding!"

"Harley is a little weasel sometimes but only me and Tony can say that about him." Stephen half threatens. "Sorry for falling asleep."

Scott waves his hand at him. "It's fine. You needed it...and you don't need to worry about dinner either. Tony called and said he would pick something up after he got the boys from the mall."

"He called you?"

"No. He called you, but you were dead to the world so I answered your phone." Quill corrects. "He asked why I had your phone and I told him that your mouth was too busy-"

Disgust and mortification make themselves known on Stephen's face at Quill's implication, and Scott rolls his eyes as he picks up Valerie and places her in her playpen. Afterwards, he approaches Quill and smacks the back of his head with an annoyed look.

"I would never-" Stephen starts to argue.

"He never said that in the first place." Scott quells the doctor immediately. "He told Tony you had a bit of a scare but everything got handled and you were taking a nap."

Then Stephen got an idea and a wicked grin quickly replaces the mortification as he directs the smile at Quill. The celestial looks at him nervously and then bolts for the stairs next to the elevator when Stephen turns to Athena and gently pets her head. As soon as Quill disappears through the door, Stephen points toward the stairway.

"Get him...but be nice."

He and Scott watch Athena jump off the couch and chase after the god, and Stephen smirks when he hears Quill call him an asshole before the door to the stairway closes.

"Am I going to get my husband back in one piece?" Scott wonders.

"Of course. She just needs the exercise." Stephen assures him as he stands up. "Juice? Beer?"

"I could use the sugar."

"Juice it is."

#supremefamily #tony stark #mama bear stephen strange #stephen strange #ironstrange #harley keener #peter parker #peter quill #diana stark strange (oc) #valerie stark strange (oc) #cassie lang #scott lang #antlord

[thesilverstaganddoe]

The Beginning: Psychology and the Law (Killing Eve Fic) Chapter 10

AO3 Link Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Chapter 10: Hx & Dx

As was becoming typical, Oksana appeared in Eve’s office on an early Monday afternoon and plopped herself down in the extra chair next to Eve’s desk.

“Well, hello there,” Eve said without looking away from her screen.

“What are you doing?” Oksana asked without preamble. “It looks boring. I can suggest something better.”

Eve looked sideways at her. “I’m sure you can, but I have to finish this lecture.”

Oksana leaned on the arm of Eve’s chair so she could read the powerpoint slides on Eve’s computer.

“Hmm. Antisocial personality disorder. Characteristics of psychopathy. Interesting.”

“Yes.”

“You know a lot about that, don’t you? It was your speciality at MI6.”

“Yes, it was. Did I tell you that? I didn’t think I did.”

“No...I googled you.”

That earned her Eve’s attention.

“You did? When?”

“After I watched your lecture. I was curious. The videos of you from that big case years ago said that you were a profiler and you specialized in serial killers with psychopathic traits.”

“Yeah, I did.”

Oksana nodded and leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head. She didn’t say anything for a while, and Eve returned to her typing. Then she rather suddenly broke the silence.

“You know I was diagnosed with that.” She said it completely casually, as if she was simply commenting on the weather.

“What?” Eve stopped typing and swiveled her chair to look at Oksana.

“Well, not exactly, you generally can’t give that diagnosis to a child. It was implied though, I was given the preliminary child versions of that diagnosis, at least. The psychologist in primary school diagnosed me with Oppositional Defiant Disorder when I was six. I overheard them talking to my parents and went and looked it up in the library. And then after my parents died, before I was sent to boarding school, I got assessed again. They never said anything to me but I stole my file and in there it said I had Conduct Disorder. Apparently, they were supposed to keep a close eye on me. Well, and then when I left the firm - or, more accurately, was ‘encouraged’ to retire - there was some sort of implication that they thought something was...wrong with me in that regard. I don’t really know why they would care though. I think it was useful for what they were trying to do there.”

Oksana fell silent and stared at Eve, waiting for her reaction.

“But...that doesn’t make sense. You’re not like that.”

Oksana smiled just a bit and there was something achingly heavy about it. Tired, maybe even a bit sad. “Am I really not though, Eve? You’ve never thought that I was...at least a little bit off? You've never jokingly told me not to be an ass, but really meant it and had no comprehension of how I could be that much of a jerk, how I could have so little empathy for other people? Something I did never creeped you out just a little bit?”

Eve glanced away. There had been moments. Occasional ones, brief flashes where Oksana threw her off. But they were always over so soon and then Oksana would be back to being funny and charming and wonderful. Eve had never been concerned. Not really. She did remember when she’d first met Oksana and there had been something unsettling about her. Something small and indescribable, something about her eyes or her expression. But it, too, had been gone in a moment and Eve had forgotten it until the topic brought it back into the light.

Oksana spoke again, her voice softer, “You called me manipulative, that time you yelled at me.”

“I didn’t mean it.” Eve forced herself to look at Oksana, trying to show her that she was telling the truth.

Oksana briefly closed her eyes, pressed her lips together, and shook her head head. “I think you did.”

When she looked at Eve again her stare was penetrating. She was clearly trying hard to maintain a cool expression, holding strong to a lighthearted half-smile. But it looked fake and it wasn’t hard to notice the slight tremble to her lips or the pained look lingering behind her cool demeanor.

Eve didn’t respond, so Oksana continued, “And you’re right. I am manipulative. I manipulate people on purpose and I’m okay with that, Eve. That’s what made me especially angry. That you were right, at least about that. And that you said it like it was such a terrible thing.”

Eve studied her, trying and failing to read her. “Is that...is that what this is? You and I? You’re just manipulating me and I don’t even realize it?”

Oksana looked taken aback and a little horrified. “No. No, Eve, not at all. If that’s what I was doing, we would have slept together the first night we met. I wanted you to genuinely like me, by yourself.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said you don’t think there’s anything wrong with manipulating people, so why not do it to me?”

Oksana shrugged and her eyes drifted across the room. She looked like she was having a hard time coming up with an answer. “I don’t think it’s wrong to use your skills to work people in order to get what you want. But it’s fake and I know it’s fake. It’s not as fun. I like when you come to me, when you beg me, when you tell me what you want. It wouldn’t be the same if I’d led you to those things. I like...attention. Real attention.”

Eve didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure what to say. Oksana leaned forward, looking at her in earnest.

“Do you believe that, Eve?”

Eve studied her face. “Yes,” she said finally. And she did believe it. Oksana nodded, clearly satisfied. Eve continued, “But that’s not the whole story. No one would have diagnosed you with those things just because you were a manipulative kid. And you’re not running around committing violent crimes and getting yourself involved in scandals and other trouble. Unless there’s a lot that I don’t know about.”

Oksana sighed. “No. Not now. I’ve come a long way, I’ve learned to control myself. But when I was younger...yeah, I behaved like that. I killed cats as a child, that’s cliche isn't it? I didn’t skin them, though, I dissected them. I liked black ones especially, something about the drama of it. I was a total kleptomaniac, I stole anything and everything I could get my hands on it. I was really good at it. I had all sorts of nice clothes and fancy jewelry as a teenager and lots of stupid, little toys when I was younger. Also snatched all my classmates pocket money and rock collections and whatever else they had in their pockets. I had a whole collection of wallets, for no good reason, just to have them and prove that I could.”

Oksana stopped and waited for Eve to say something, but Eve was busy processing and had no response, so eventually Oksana just continued. “I beat up kids on the playground, whenever someone said something nasty to me or was just annoying or whatever. I had a friend back then, or at least something close to a friend, and a kid broke this porcelain doll she had. So I broke his nose. No one really talked to me after that, including her. Supposedly they were scared of me. After my parents died, I set a house in town on fire. They never proved it was me, but I think everyone suspected. They sent me to the boarding school after that.”

Eve reacted to that, giving Oksana an only somewhat constrained look of horror.

Oksana immediately defended herself. “No one died! It was an old, empty house. They were about to tear it down, anyway. I really probably did them a favor.”

Eve stared at her and realized it was exactly one of the moments Oksana had been talking about, where she couldn’t entirely comprehend how Oksana could have just said what she said and truly believed it. But she really seemed to think there was nothing wrong with her statement.

“I...think they would disagree,” Eve told her. It was the only thing she could think to say.

Oksana shrugged. “Yes, they seemed to.”

Silence hung heavy in the air. Ultimately, it was Eve who broke the tension.

“But you said it’s not like that anymore?”

“No, not since boarding school.”

“What changed?”

“I wanted...some semblance of normality. I wanted what other people had. Well, something like it. I wanted more exciting than most people, but something close to normal. And I realized that if I wanted that I had to...act normal. Or at least try to.”

“And you just did? Overnight?”

“Kind of. For the big stuff, pretty much. It took a while to shake the stealing and anger outbursts. But basically, yeah. And I know I’m still manipulative, like I told you. But that’s fine.” Eve nodded. “You know, nothing in my head changed, though. I still think like that. I still…want those things. I just don’t act on them. I behave myself.”

Eve studied her fingernails. “Everyone has dark thoughts sometimes.”

Eve had dark thoughts sometimes.

“I suppose so”

“It’s your actions that matter.”

“I’d like to think that.”

The silence fell again and Eve plucked at a hangnail. It was an avalanche of information and she didn’t even know where to begin in regards to dealing with it.

“I...don’t really know why I’m telling you this, you’ll probably be done with me after hearing it.”

Eve jerked her head up to look at Oksana. “I have no desire to be done with you.”

Oksana met Eve’s gaze and allowed a small smile to form on her lips. “Are you sure about that? Because it would probably be the smart thing, you know.”

Eve shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you haven’t tried to kill me yet. You have taken a knife to me, but I liked that so if that’s a symptom of this then I guess I'll just have to be cool with it.”

Oksana grinned. “You know that it’s probably also evidence that you’re a bit fucked up yourself, right?”

Eve sighed. “Yes, probably.”

Oksana got up and came over to Eve’s seat, placing her hands on the armrests and leaning over her to whisper in her ear. “Do you want me to do it again?”

Eve’s pulse sped up instantly.

“Yes.” The answer didn’t take a second thought.

Oksana’s breath ghosted her neck, sending goosebumps across Eve’s skin.

“Hmm, well, unfortunately you’ll have to wait. But I’ll remember to bring something sharp in the future.”

And then, before Eve could respond, Oksana pushed herself away and headed for the door. She winked at Eve over her shoulder and left. Eve sat there in silence, far too flustered to even think about returning to her work.

————

Sitting in bed later that night, Eve drummed her fingers against her laptop and mulled things over in her mind. Eventually she opened up a browser tab and logged into the university’s journal article database. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment and then she typed in “functional psychopathy”. The search turned up 4,689 results.

The majority of them were in regards to functional neuroimaging of people with antisocial personality disorder or varying levels of psychopathic traits, but Eve eventually found one that got at what she was looking for: “Challenging the ‘urban myth’ of psychopathy untreatability”. She bit her tongue and opened it.

She skimmed the beginning and it told her much of what she already knew from her past work. The majority of the literature to date showed that there was no effective treatment. People with psychopathic traits, especially those that appeared in early childhood, did not get “better”, they did not improve. If anything, they got worse with time.

But the article was different than most of what she had read in the past. It challenged the validity of the old research and, not only that, it suggested that some sort of improvement could occur. Of course, it was reviewing a specific, very intensive treatment program. Oksana had done nothing of the sort, so Eve couldn’t really make a comparison - and maybe she was being naive to do so. But the description of the techniques used in the program had a striking resemblance to what Oksana had told her about the work she’d done to push herself in the direction of normalcy. At no point did the program ever try to change the thought processes of the people in the study; rather they simply taught them ways to control and change their behavior.

It was what Oksana had claimed she had successfully done. And, at least in that study, there was evidence that it was something that worked.

Eve saved the article and pushed her laptop to the side. She rolled over, wrapped her arms around her pillow, and closed her eyes. She fell asleep without turning off the lights and slept fitfully through the night, dreaming of Oksana holding a knife to her throat.

#killing eve fic #killing eve #killing eve au #killing eve ao3 #killing eve university au #killing eve teacher au #villanelle #Eve Polastri #oksana #eve x oksana #oksana astankova #eve x Villanelle #my posts #my fics

[natsuhikoshidou]

Life Cheating Game - Chapter 1: Tomorrow Afternoon... (Part 1)

Prologue | Chapter 1: Part 2

natsuhiko barfs :(

This article was in the ‘Society’ section in the corner of the local newspaper.

A short article, less than about 20 lines after the heading, it looked like it was hiding from the other articles.

‘Former actor publishes memoirs from prison’

The man currently serving time collected the memoirs written about his life while in prison into a book, he plans to publish them at the end of next month.

The crime he committed was a hit-and-run incident, it claimed the lives of two people

But in his book, he’s saying the judgement of ten years of service was wrongly accused and it seems like he’s going to repeat the lawsuit.

The name of the inmate who wrote the memoirs is Itsuki Shindou.

He is the man that killed my parents in a car accident 7 years ago.

◊

Inside the bus from Hachiougi station to Kurihara East Highschool overflowed with the commotion of chatter, from pupils wearing the same uniform as me.

I sat on the window seat of a seat for two, watching the scenery flowing behind me.

The bus window was wet with cold rain and drops of condensation.

Sitting next to me was my childhood friend, Sora Fushimi. She calmly cast her eyes down, though it looked like she was sleeping, she was probably thinking about something troublesome again.

“In the newspaper this morning, there was an article about Itsuki Shindou ”

I said, whilst my eyes followed the streaming drops on the glass window.

Sora opened her eyes, I knew from the sign that she looked towards me.

“They’re gonna publish the memoirs he wrote in prison. Though it looks like the title will be called 'Mistakes’, that probably means ‘Justice’s Mistakes’, not ‘My Mistakes’”

I spoke with a flat voice that surprised myself to an extent. Like a robot spoke with a sample of my voice.

Sora also knows about the accident 7 years ago. At that time, Sora’s house and my house were built next to each other so our parents were good friends before we were born.

After the accident, we grew apart after I was taken into custody by my grandparents, so I was honestly happy when I found out we had both enrolled into the same high school.

"Right.”

Sora said, with a voice that felt especially as if it had no feeling. As I looked out the window, I didn’t know what facial expression she made.

“So… when you read that article, what did you think? Natsuhiko.”

“…I don’t know.”

After thinking a little, I answered.

“When I saw the article, I was a little surprised though…..It was probably the first time I had seen the name "Itsuki Shindou” in a really long time. “

If I give an example, it felt like seeing an acquaintance at your destination after a long journey.

"I thought, 'him again’. Shindou always said he was innocent, because of that the trial had to be prolonged. ….But, I don’t get mad at that….I think. I myself don’t really know.”

At the time of the incident, I was a kid, so I didn’t even know what feelings of hatred were, what I felt was, being unable to see my two parents again, only like a crushing sadness.

Therefore, if you asked me if I hated a man named Itsuki Shindou, I would be unable to nod my head with confidence, but saying that I would be reluctant to shake it either.

Many people would call the incident that happened 7 years ago an accident rather than an incident.

According to an eyewitness, a few hours before Itsuki Shindou was arrested, unbelievably drunk, there was no evidence that he pushed his breaks down at the time of the incident.

But then, in the trial, it seems Shindou claimed to have drunken alcohol in order to calm down after the incident, though.

“Natsuhiko, do you not hate Shindou?”

“I don’t know… I wonder if that also makes me unloyal to my parents.”

On the wet glass window, my face distorting with a self-deprecating smile was reflected.

I wonder if I met Shindou personally that would change, I thought. I witnessed my parents being hit before my eyes, but with consideration from the attorney in charge, I didn’t appear in court as a witness in the trial. It didn’t seem necessary, it seemed there was lots of evidence supporting Shindou’s crime

The man named Itsuki Shindou that I saw, was a young actor being praised extravagantly on the TV screen during a sudden rise of popularity.

Although I’ve seen the same images on TV many times after the incident, in the end, I’m not convinced he’s the man that had killed my parents.

“I hate him, Itsuki Shindou”

“….Eh?”

“Because of that man, I was separated from you.”

Reflexively, I looked at Sora’s face.

Sora was staring straight at me, expressing a mischievous smile.

“If the accident hadn’t happened, we would have gone to middle school together.”

"That’s, true… I guess.”

Certainly, if my parents hadn’t died in the accident, I hadn’t been taken into custody by my grandparents, and Sora and I would have remained neighbours, it’s no doubt we would have spent a lot of time together until now.

However, not knowing Sora’s true intentions, I blinked in confusion and turned around.

“Do you have to go home early today?”

Sora changed the subject abruptly.

“If memory serves me correctly, today is the day that an author that Momiji likes is releasing a new book.”

“Eh, ah, ahh…. right. She must’ve asked you to buy it yesterday.”

Without doing something like hiding her embarrassment, Sora did acrobatics with old topics.

Though I should be used to something like this, though my head was switched around today, it took time. My pounding chest was uselessly consuming energy.

“Because I have to go to the bookstore on the way home I won’t be attending club, can you tell the club leader?”

Sora and I belong to the same board game club. As the name suggests, though it’s a club only for playing board games, it always publishes a summarized club journal each month, it does well within school.

However, without any valuation because a good amount about Buchou and his partner became well-known, we don’t have many members.

(*Buchou - the leader of a club)

“Aah, no problem. Even you’re too nice to hurt Momiji’s feelings.”

The so-called Momiji is my little sister turning 10 this year. Unlike a child she’s calm, usually reserved and also lacks facial expression. Though I worry she doesn’t express herself at school with such a personality, it seems she unexpectedly has lots of friends.

"I guess. If you go against what she wants once, it’s really difficult to get her back in a good mood. When she ignored me for about a week once, I just had to put up with it…”

"She was probably taking advantage of you.”

I said, dropping my shoulders, Sora expressed a gentle smile.

“I think she has trust in you, because she expresses discontent in that way.”

"You think so?”

“I think so.”

When she said such silly words, the bus arrived at the high-school bus stop.

As soon as it did, the cold November air poured through the open door.

“Right, let’s go”

Prompted by Sora, once I breathed a sigh as if my determination hardened, I got up.

◊

“Morning, Akito”

I called out, the person changing his shoes in front of the shoe cupboard, stopped moving for a moment, and widened his eyes while looking at me.

“Oh? Oooh, Natsuhiko. And Fushimi too, good morning!”

A cheerful smile. It was a fresh smile, the complete opposite to this morning’s weather.

Akito Mamiya. My friend, who belonged to the same class as me.

“It’s really cold today”

While I also changed my shoes, I safely brought up the subject of weather.

“I know right. I don’t know if it’s because of the rain, but it suddenly became really cold. You’re ok right, Natsuhiko? Don’t you hate the cold?”

“I regret it, I wish I brought my gloves.”

“Hm, if you want I can lend mine to you? They are goalie gloves, though.”

Akito laughed heartily as he joked. It made me laugh too.

While me and Akito spoke, Sora quietly put her shoes away in front of the next classes shoe cupboard. By nature, I’m not the type that forces myself to speak when there’s no subject, but I realized if I’m with Akito I don’t talk excessively as much.

“Huh? Now that you mention it, didn’t you have morning practice, with the soccer club?”

Since we were freshmen, Akito flourishes as the ace of the soccer club, it’s no wonder that he has lots of popularity from girls.

Contrary to that he doesn’t listen to their flirting, though he’s surrounded by girls, the impression he has of fooling around with boys is strong.

“It was cancelled. Because we couldn’t use the pitch with yesterday’s rain. I got an text this morning, I was honestly saved, because I totally overslept.”

"That unexpected text woke you up?”

“That’s right.  When I looked at my phone when I woke up, I got the text from Buchou and I jumped up like ‘oh crap’ because I wasn’t in morning practice, but then I went back to sleep in relief.”

Akito shrugged his shoulder jokingly when he spoke. Those swanky gestures, tallness ,the finely chiselled looks of a person from somewhere other than Japan that he had, he was really good-looking.

"Anyway, Natsuhiko…”

As I put my taken-off shoes in the cupboard, Akito continued calmly.

“Did something happen? You seem kind of down.”

For a moment, words wouldn’t leave me, I stiffened.

The feeling of being happy that he considered my feelings. At the same time, the feelings of not apologizing for making him worry were established inside of me.

“N, Nah. It’s nothing. I’m fine”

“Really? If that’s the case, then that’s ok. I was sure you and Fushimi might have had an argument.”

He was trying to get my spirits up. Akito spoke jokingly.

“That’s not true. Firstly, I wouldn’t want to come to school together with someone I had an argument with.”

“I’ll invite them out so I can make up with them- something like that?”

“Sorry, but there’s no reason why me and Natsuhiko would have an argument.”

Sora, who had changed her shoes, butted into the conversation.

“We get on together as well as clinker and gypsum. When mixed together, we form a firm bond like cement. Like this”

*(clinker and gypsum are two properties that form cement when mixed together)

As she said that, Sora suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Wai, Sora?”

With her soft touch and warmth, and I felt my cheeks gradually become hot.

“This way, I’ll be able to warm up Natsuhiko’s cold hands”

“Ooh Ooh. Warming up, right. He’s burning.”

Sora speaking with a serious look, Akito mocking me.

My face was definitely bright red. I looked down in embarrassment.

“There’s no need to be so embarrassed. You two have a beautiful friendship, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes. I’m glad Mamiya has the same opinion to that extent. When we were small, we would go to school holding hands almost every day, didn’t we. If you like, we can continue with these customs starting tomorrow”

“No, that’s, still…”

I smiled wryly, as I scratched warmed cheek.

But I never thought I would try and shake Sora’s hand off.

As I withdrew my hand from Sora, we went up the stairs, continuing on to the classroom together.

Deep in my heart certainly kept feeling a similar heat passed down from Sora’s hand.

◊

It became home time, and I hurriedly hopped on the bus home.

I was headed towards a large bookstore which was a short walk from Hachiougi Station.

The book Momiji asked for, was placed at the end of the “New Books” corner. The piled up pile was quite small, I had a meddling worry, what if it didn’t sell well at all.

Leaving the bookstore, I walked to my house in the rain.

The house me and my grandparents live in is two stories and made of wood, me and Momiji’s rooms are on the second floor. Though it’s an old house built almost 50 years ago, Grandma and Grandpa frequently tend to it, so it doesn’t look as old as it was built, it’s a tidy house.

On the walk about 15 minutes from the bookstore, in a space between new, modern looking properties, I came to see an anciently installed, black tiled roof. For a long time, the family living there have pride in their chests in continuing to protecting the house, it stands imposing and proud, my home resembles Grandpa’s stubbornness.

However, as my house appeared before me, my feet stopped.

“That car…”

Parked in a place you couldn’t see from my house was a black passenger car. A man wearing a shabby suit seemed to be leaning on it and smoking a cigarette.

When I looked in that direction, I felt disgusted.

Turning around to take a different path home, when I tried to turn on my heels, the man noticed me, and began walking towards me as he extinguished his cigarette in a portable ashtray.

“Hey. Natsuhiko-kun. It’s been a while.”

An unshaven face in a crooked necktie, the sloppy looking man expressed a cut-and-paste ingeniune smile and spoke.

His name is Jirou Asai. The man is a magazine journalist for some publishing firm. I don’t remember any of his magazines, nor do I care to do so.

“…What do you want.”

I glared at Asai right in front of him, speaking with as much displeasure as possible.

If it was Asai from a few years back, he would have hit talkatively with “Don’t be so cold~” here and then “Why do you hate me~”, but today he cut straight to the chase without that prelude.

“Did you know that Itsuki Shindou is releasing a book?”

I didn’t answer.

“I see. So you do.”

“…So why are you talking to me.”

“I think it’s unforgiveable.”

His friendly smile disappeared, a sharp light dwelled in Asai’s eyes. I thought, that’s a hateful light.

“But in the book, Shindou tried to run from his own sin. Things like his prison sentence were half-hearted punishments, they won’t be able to fix that man’s character. Doesn’t it annoy you? In court, you know how many times Shindou repeated his selfish testimony.”

Of course I know. The prosecutor in charge of the accident worried about us one way or another, they were a person that properly explained even the smallest things.

Silent, I didn’t care, and Asai continued to speak on his own.

“Shindou is evil. The evil of the despicable world. I don’t feel remorse or anything for him at all. That guy also claims your parents were a mistake. It’s like he’s insulting your parents.”

I know. So be quiet. I don’t want to hear this story.

"But, there are people that are trying to release that villainy into society again. Shindou’s fans are the people that gathered together, and made an appeal for a penalty reduction.”

Asai seemed to spit as he spoke.

"It’s an unbelievable story, but I’ve heard rumors that a reasonable number of signatures have been collected. If Shindou’s memoirs are published, there’s a chance that these numbers will increase even more.”

“…What do you want me to do?”

No more, I don’t want to hear any more, I spoke.

“Let my write an article. An article to denunciate Itsuki Shindou. I want to put your feelings into it, as a victim in the bereaved family”

It was that after all. Since I first met this person he’s always asked the same thing.

So then, I’ll keep telling him the same thing.

"I told you before, I won’t let you.”

Because the accident from 7 years ago contains considerably scandalous content, the amount of attention the mass media paid to it was unusually high.

However, when Itsuki Shindou caused the accident and was arrested, his agency shut out all the coverage, Shindou’s family had to disappear, the mass media that craved a partner to pass the mike onto, the bereaved family of Momiji and I, were swarmed.

Every day and every night, by the press, surging like waves. Our home phone has broken countless times trying to hold them down, after leaving my grandparent’s house, I don’t know the amount of times my old-school grandpa has chased them away with a wooden sword in one hand.

Anybody would start to hate the mass media if they experienced that.

This was a serious thing to the man called Asai, you knew if you looked in his eyes. However, that seriousness he had was, in the so-called justice of wanting to denounce Itsuki Shindou, also the wish to gather attention with writing a newsworthy article, so I couldn’t make a decision.

“Why? Don’t you hate Itsuki Shindou!? Don’t you want him to be punished!?”

This again, Asai must also have that similar feeling.

It’s unusual for him, who was always aloof from the world, it was a force that seemed to grab me.

“That’s what I wanted to ask. Why are you so obsessed with me? Don’t you have a job to do?”

I asked whilst taking a step forward,  Asai yelled with rage.

“Because I’m the same as you! I lost my daughter!”

Asai’s eyes had a look like he had been possessed by something.

“My daughter was 5 years old. The driver of the truck she was hit by was under the influence of alcohol. Her body got caught under the tire, her body couldn’t maintain how it originally looked.”

I had no words. Not saying anything, I just looked at Asai’s eyes in surprise.

"As soon as my daughter died, me and my wife didn’t work out, and we eventually separated. I had lost everything. But, the truck driver that robbed all of my happiness from me, only got a 5 year sentence. He’s still living carelessly today….!”

Asai looked at my eyes too. However, I wasn’t reflected in his. There’s no mistake that , simply, the body of the truck driver that killed his daughter was reflected.

Given the situation, he’s a person obsessed with hatred.

Even if that’s the case, still, I’m different.

“You should feel the same. The sin of drink-driving is too light. Drinking alcohol, and driving afterwards is the person’s intention. If they do drive, and if they then cause an accident and kill a person, it’s not intentional murder, though.”

"So…punishing Itsuki Shindou for me…?”

Asai, quickly regaining his composure, nodded strongly.

I understand the reason. The reason Asai is obsessed with me. It, perhaps, might be a reason supported by a large group of people. I’m not sure if I should support it too.

But, well, that’s…

“That’s wrong.”

“What?”

“You’re only using me because you want revenge. No, not even that. After all, the person that ran your daughter over wasn’t Itsuki Shindou.”

Asai checked that I had a desire for revenge, but it was only because he wanted to justify his own desire for revenge. Then, if he got justification, that man obsessed with revenge would, surely, want to take his own revenge… That’s what I think.

It was when Asai opened his mouth to try and respond with something.

The shrill sound of breaks echoed followed by the sound of a severe crash. And then, screams.

"What?!”

Lured by Asai, I also looked around for the source of the noise.

It was at an intersection. On a one lane road, where an alley without a sidewalk intersects. And at the heart of the intersection, a young woman had fallen over. There was a crushed bicycle frame next to her, the contents of her bag had been scattered around her.

Close to the girl was a mini-vehicle. The front of the car had been dented.

The face of the driver, who got out while shaking, became pale.

"There’s been a crash! C-Call an ambulance!”

Somebody shouted out, and Asai broke into a run towards the intersection without saying anything.

I stood still on the spot.

“Ah…. Ah….h!”

The sound of breaks. The sound of a crash. Screams. Those sounds furiously raced through my head.

Soon enough, the violent rush of sounds met and mixed in with the sounds from the bottom of my sea of memories, going hand-in-hand with my visual memories, the shallow sea turned to raging billows and advanced closer.

I saw the color red.

A red car. Red blood. Only the traffic lights were blue.

Stained bright red and lying on the ground were my mom and dad. They wouldn’t budge.

I heard somebody’s screams.

Before I knew it, that red car was nowhere to be found.

Dad, Mom- The shouting came closer. They were both motionless.

A smell. What’s that smell?

It’s the smell of burnt rubber, this is, this smell is, blood-

“Uuh….gu-!”

My memories from 7 years ago, my repressed memories were resurrected, I covered my mouth.

The lowest, worst flashbacks, as if they beat up my 5 senses, awakened intense dizziness, at the same I felt something rising slowly from the bottom of my stomach.

While covering my mouth, like I was falling over I ran to a nearby park, though I usually wouldn’t want to go in, I rushed in a hurry to the filthy and filled with graffiti public toilet cubicle.

And then, clinging onto the toilet, I threw up everything that was in my stomach.

“Uh…ugh…*cough cough*! …..Haah, haah…uuh!”

I threw up twice, the nausea lifted.

After I had done that, the memories from 7 years ago poured into the toilet, though I couldn’t do anything.

“Haa…Haa…haa…haa……..”

How much had I thrown up. When the nausea finally subsided, my throat hurt like it was burning, the inside of the toilet was full of vomit.

I stood up staggeringly and flushed the toilet, someone was knocking on the cubicle door.

“Oi, Natsuhiko-kun! Are you ok?!”

It was Asai. When I heard his voice part of my memories were rehabilitated, dizzy, I leaned against the door. The nausea didn’t return, because I had nothing left to throw up.

“Natsuhiko-kun. Don’t you remember the accident from earlier?”

Asai’s voice throbbingly echoed inside my head, it was annoying.

Shut up. Shut up. Stop being so noisy. Please be quiet.

“You do, you do, don’t you! You’re trapped by it too, the accident from seven years ago! Because you ran over here, punishing Itsuki Shindou should…”

"Shut up!”

I shouted out, it became silent.

“Please go home! I don’t want to talk to you! Go home… just, I….I want to be left alone….!”

The last part was with a teary voice. I realized I was crying, as soon as I did all power left my body, while my back dragged against the door, I sank to the floor.

After some time, I heard the sound of feet moving away to the door.

“Uuh…Kuh…huguh. …! A,aah…!”

When there was nobody left in the toilets, in a way that seemed unlike me, the crying of a child that had lost their parents echoed out.

◊

I came home, greeted by Momiji, asking “Did something happen?”

As I passed her the book she requested I answered “It’s nothing.”, it wasn’t nothing, I think my little sister surely saw through that.

Yet, Momiji didn’t say anything, I thought “She’s truly a kind girl.”

She’s constantly squinting because of her short-sightedness, if she wore glasses, for example, there’s no doubt that she’d become popular at school.

Without exception four people gather round and eat, at 7pm, for dinner.

I couldn’t bring up the accident that had happened close by at dinner. Grandpa and Grandma shouldn’t know about it, we worried too much about other people. On the way home from the park, I heard some girls talking and holding shopping bags, the victim of that incident seems to be suffering from minor injuries.

I was still under the shock of the flashbacks, dinner was more than I could eat. I was scolded by my grandpa, Momiji and my grandma worried.

I returned to my room and laid down on the tatami without spreading my futon.

My room is a Japanese room made of six tatami mats. A room with only a small window, next to that a writing desk and a zabuton*. (*a cushion for sitting on)

I don’t like TV, raised my grandparents, I don’t care about what amusement I indulge in. ‘I don’t need it’, my grandma would say and gave me pocket money every month, but without using it I saved it up.

As I lay down, I looked up at the ceiling.

When I was small, I saw monsters in the ceiling’s grain texture, I remember being really scared.

I was incredibly tired today.

Why is it like this. Today, yesterday, tomorrow- they seem like the same days. Waking up in the morning, going to school with Sora, joking around with Akito, attending club, coming home and sleeping. Simply, that’s just natural, why won’t every day repeat.

I want peace- I thought.

I don’t want any kind of events in my life. Because things like the death of my parents was enough.

“What’s going to happen tomorrow…”

I don’t know if I’ll see Itsuki Shindou’s name in the newspaper again.

I don’t know if I’ll meet Jirou Asai and talk about publishing the accident again.

I don’t know if herds of the mass media will surge me like 7 years ago again.

I don’t know if I’ll lose someone important in an unpredictable accident again.

I slowly closed my eyes.

My field of vision enveloped in darkness, but I couldn’t fall asleep. Since my parents died, I’ve never had a good sleep once. My sleep is always shallow, and during the night I jump up from having nightmares, it’s repetitive.

It’s surely from the fear of not knowing what will happen tomorrow.

“It would be nice if tomorrow didn’t come…”

I’m scared of tomorrow. The unknown tomorrow is dreadfully unbearable.

There’s surely a monster that will devour the people close to me lurking in the darkness known as tomorrow.

“…?”

Suddenly, a pain ran through my right thumb.

I opened my eyes and looked, my thumbnail became rickety, blood ran from my fingertip. Without realising it, I had bitten myself.

I started immediately after my parent’s death, but recently I almost completely stopped the habit- My counsellor said that it’s a habit that forms under immense stress.

I raised my right hand up, when I looked up at the ceiling once more,

“…Eh!?”

I noticed something abnormal in the room.

Everything was in black and white. The wood grains in the ceiling, the fluorescent lights, everything, it was like I had been thrown inside an old silent movie. It became monochrome.

“W-What is this”

I got the upper half of my body up in a hurry, and looked around the room.

Everything was monochrome after all. But, the right hand I saw a few minutes ago had color. Looking around my body in the monochrome world, only I maintained colour.

I rubbed my eyes thinking something was wrong with them, but the world didn’t change.

-If it’s not my eyes, is it actually something wrong with my head?

The next moment after I thought that,

“Heeey. Do you know who Ruma-chan is?”

Speaking from right next to me, my whole body jumped in shock.

Looking towards where the voice came from, a girl I didn’t know was sitting on the tatami mat, grabbing her knees.

There was color in her. She had red colored hair, close to pink, her white-ish skin, definitely was the color of skin.

“A-And you are…?”

“Whaaat? Did you just wake up? Ruma-chan, tell me.”

Not answering my question, the girl pouted in discontent and spoke.

Though she seemed to look not so different in age from me, I really don’t know this girl. On her black shorts, she wore a black vest, and above that her white shirt opened on her large chest, she wore the same black and white as the world right now. Somehow, I associated her with a card dealer in a casino.

“Ru,Ruma…chan?”

“Yes! Ruma-chan! Do you know her? Where is she?”

“Eh, a, no, wai-…”

She smiled, the girl leaned over me without hesitation, my body was placed opposite to her.

I didn’t know what or why this is.

Who is this girl? Why am I in this world? Who is this Ruma-chan?

“Hey, are you listening!?”

As she said that, the girl reached her hands out, as I was confused, she pinched my cheeks.

The fingertips of the girl touching my cheeks, though they were covered by black gloves, were cold like ice.

“O-oi, are you listening-?”

Muni muni muni*. My lack of response was a good opportunity, she began playing around, pulling and stretching my cheeks in various directions.

(*onomatopoeia for the sound of mushing your cheeks around)

It was a scene like reality didn’t exist. The world was monochrome as ever, this girl I didn’t know who I was most likely meeting for the first time, was laughing as she touched my cheeks.

This is, yes, it must be-

“Am I dreaming….?”

It seemed like I had seen them since my parents died, absurdly terrifying dreams.

What I’m seeing right now, it’s no different from one of them.

“A dream? Hmm, well, that’s one way of seeing it-”

Hey, the girl said it. This is a dream.

If this is a dream, there’s nothing to fear. Until now I’ve had lots of dreams where I see my own death, at this point with the way this dream is going I won’t die. Besides, I have to wake up from this dream at some point.

“Um… Who are you?”

-I tried to ask, for the present. My cheeks were being pinched, so I said it with weird pronunciation.

“Me? I’m Maki-chan”

“Maki, chan?”

“Yup. The wind up Maki-chan.”

The girl that called herself that, smiled innocently, and released my cheeks.

Doing something like referring to herself with the “-chan” honorific, compared to her appearance, it was childish. The expression on her face looked more considerably childish than was appropriate for her age.

(*-chan honorific connotes cute or smallness, sometimes used between girls, often used for children and animals. The English equivalent would be -ie)

If this is my dream, she’s created by my mind or something, it’s possible in my deep psyche this kind of girl is my taste. …No, don’t think like that anymore. It’s not healthy.

“Well then… Ma-Maki-chan, what did you want from me?”

“Huuuh? I’ve told you so many times since earlier. Are you stupid?”

Genuine amazement, with that expression, Maki spoke

“Natsuhiko knows who Ruma-chan is right? Tell me where she is, quickly!”

How come you know my name- I didn’t think that. But because this is my dream, it’s not a mystery that a person appearing in my dream, Maki-chan, knows my name.

“No, I don’t any Ruma girl, but…?”

“Eeeeeeh~? You’re joooking!! Then just give me a hint about Ruma!”

"Y-You’re looking for a hint…”

I really don’t know her. The name Ruma, there’s no way I could forget it, because it’s so uncommon.

“By any chance, are you hiding Ruma-chan, Natsuhiko? You aren’t keeping her in confinement somewhere and trying to do dirty stuff to her, are you?!”

"I-I wouldn’t do that!”

Why are you saying such scandalous things.

“You’re serious?”

Maki-chan, with half-opened eyes, glanced at my eyes.

Though the gaze was intense, I was definite if I averted my eyes it seems I would be certified as a criminal, I firmly looked back.

“…It doesn’t seem like you’re telling a lie.”

Maki-chan said, after 10 seconds of staring into my eyes.

Somehow seeming to be clear of suspicion, I sighed. Why did I have to be suspected as a criminal or something in my own dream.

“But, hey, you aren’t hiding her, but you’ve met her, right?”

“Even though I keep telling you ‘I don’t know’…what kind of girl is Ruma-chan in the first place?”

“Hey! A transcendently beautiful girl, just like me!”

Eheh, she puffed her chest out and spoke. Although the girl in front of my eyes certainly was beautiful enough to put an idol to shame, she wasn’t embarrassed to call herself something like ‘transcendent’.

However, if she’s a splitting image of Maki-chan like she says, even so I’ve never met this Ruma girl before. I don’t think I could ever forget such an impressive appearance, even if I only saw it once.

“Well, unlike me, she’s in a round container.”

“Huh? A container?”

A beautiful girl in a container, what?

Is she a doll or something? Or is it a metaphor for her leading a sheltered life?

“F, for the time being, let me ask something… Is Ruma-chan a human?”

“Uuh, that’s, complicated?”

Maki-chan put her finger on her forehead, and spoke while tilted her head to the side.

“I’ll say one of them, human! If I’m forced to say one of them, human!”

"What a vague existence…”

I began to feel greatly perplexed.

How much have I been dreaming, anyway, even though I don’t have a clue it’s gone on too far. My soul was cornered having to imagine such an ambiguous character.

“Natsuhiko, you don’t who Ruma-chan is?”

“That’s what I told you since the beginning, isn’t it?”

“That’s really weird. Even though I feel her close by….”

Maki-chan furrowed her brow, she folded her arms and began to ponder.

“Hey… why are you looking for Ruma-chan, Maki-chan?”

“Hmm, for some reason?”

“Ah, ok..”

It appears, trying to understand this girl seems like a useless effort. Maki-chan personally, was acting like she was thinking to herself, but it looks like she doesn’t understand. But then, people that completely understand what they think themselves or anything like that probably don’t exist.

“Aaah. I dunno, I guess it can’t be helped.”

Fuu, Maki-chan breathed a sigh.

“Honestly, Natsuhiko is so useless.”

As expected, her tone sounded annoyed. You’re the one that misunderstood on your own accord, though I wanted to say that, I endured it. Losing my temper in my own dream is just sour.

“But hey, leaving like this…. ah, oh yeah!”

Maki-chan clapped her hands.

“I’ll grant Natsuhiko’s wish! That was the next thing!”

”…Wish?“

"Yep. There’s something you want, right?”

Her body leaned forwards as she smiled with her whole face. The eyes that stared straight at me, were a colour that reminded me of the deep sea, returning the gaze I felt like I was being sucked in.

What the heck is this girl.

Appearing suddenly, getting unexpectedly angry, suddenly smiling, and granting my wish all of a sudden.

In absolutely being an inhabitant of my dream, a product of my imagination, she was too abnormal. If this is a dream, if she’s been created from my memories, I have no idea why even one part of Maki-chan exists inside of me.

“You’ll grant my wish?”

“You got it! Because I’m a God!”

With confidence, she laughed, “Fufun”. Surely, an expression like this is what you would call the ‘Doya-Face’?

(*ドヤ顔/doyakao, a self-satisfied or triumphant look. Usually characterised by raising your chin and looking down at others with a smirk.)

“God? You are?”

“Maki-chan is God. God is Maki-chan. Though both are right, both are wrong.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Who knows? Isn’t there no reason?”

God. She’s God. If God really was here, though I think he’d be a considerably ill-natured guy, I get it. She’s not ill-natured, she’s just unintelligible.

Well, if she is God, there’s what she said, though.

“Wish, huh…”

What a convenient thing she said, what a convenient dream.

If this is a wish-granting dream, I’ve had these lots of times up until now. A dream where my parents are alive, and we now live together. Usually, it turns into a bad dream in the middle.

But, this is probably the first time I’ve been told I’ll get my wish granted in the dream.

“I can wish for anything?”

“That’s fine. But if the wish I grant for you is for 100 more wishes, that’s a no-no.”

Maki-chan made a cross in front of her face.

Anything.

At any rate this is just a dream, despite that feeling, I tried to think a little seriously.

Please revive my parents, that’s no good. To bring someone back from the dead, if something like that happened it would cause a huge uproar again. What’s more, in some manga, if I wished to revive the dead, they would be resurrected with the body they died with, that could happen.

Well what about, please make it so that my parents never died? Those kind of problems won’t happen if I wish for that. Living together with my parents and my little sister, I also wouldn’t be separated from Sora again.

"No, I can’t..”

If I lost them again, what would I do?

I don’t know what’s lurking in the unknown tomorrow.

Can I be sure that there’s no possibility I won’t lose my parents in an accident again?

That scene from 7 years ago. Red blood, the red car, those detestable smells.

I don’t know if those will happen all again. There’s no guarantee that it won’t happen.

Yes. My true wish. That is, surely…

“I want to live in peace…”

“Peeeace?”

“Yeah. I want a peaceful future. Without any kind of unfortunate incidents, I want a calm, unchanging, peaceful future.”

Where I won’t suddenly lose people important to me, that future.

"Hmmm? Is Natsuhiko scared of tomorrow?”

Maki-chan spoke like she saw through my heart.

“You’re weird. And you’re also scared. But hey, it’s better than pooping yourself”

“Pooping myself…?”

“That’s another story. …Well then, here you go.”

While she sat with her knees together and legs on the floor, Maki-chan held out her right hand to me.

In the palm of her hand, produced out of somewhere, was a single cube.

“This is?”

“The device that will grant Natsuhiko’s wish”

The cube I received was a regular hexahedron, about 5cm on each side.

Feeling it with my hands, I didn’t know which material it was. It was as heavy as metal, the feel was smooth.

“But, be careful.”

Like Maki-chan was looking at my face from below, she said.

Her facial expression had completely changed from earlier, her childishness had disappeared, and bewitching-ness had drifted over.

“When you use magic, you mustn’t use up your MP, ok?”

“That’s…do you mean I’ll need to pay?”

“Compensation, cost, recoil, rebound, the names and meanings are all the same.”

A sweet voice. She was like a different person.

“That’s what the box is”

“Box?”

“If you think about trying to put something in the box, the thing you put inside has to come out. Because the box is always full. Otherwise, the box will break. The box is the same as the world. Though you could also say the world is the same as the box.”

The box came first? The world came first? When she said that, Maki-chan chuckled.

”….I really don’t understand"

“Natsuhiko’s stupid”

While she laughed, Maki-chan drew closer to the base of my neck, and sighed,’Fuu’. I couldn’t react at all. I was just captivated by her wet-looking eyes.

Expressing a disparaging smile to me, Maki-chan stood up.

“See ya Natsuhiko. Tell me if you meet Ruma-chan.”

Part 2 –>

#ikasama life game #life cheating game #kemu #kemu voxx #pandora voxx #panvoxx #イカサマライフゲイム

[myheroacademia-headcanons]

Romantic headcanons for Best Jeanist, Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Twice, Dabi & Stain? P.S. Your romantic headcanons were so good ^^

Ah!! Thank you!

For this ask though, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to skip Twice. I haven’t read the manga, and so I know very little about him. I can answer short blurbs about him (for example the previous request about him hearing his crush practicing confessing) but, I really have to read the manga to write longer quality content regarding him. I apologize!! I will get on reading the manga ASAP!!

Best Jeanist:

-the most….gentlemanly gentleman to ever gentle

-one wouldn’t expect it but he wakes up with the messiest freaking bedhead ever it’s so adorable

-also like he’s all about being put together and whatnot…but he took off his hero costume and his s/o saw that he doesn’t freakin shave. his collar covers up his whole lower face so it’s not necessary and he got SO embarrassed and redfaced when his s/o saw and they just laughed and kissed his stubbly chin. he’s such a sweetheart omg

-loves buying his s/o gifts for no particular reason. there will be a bouquet on the table one day or his s/o will have mentioned breaking something and then the next day he’s replaced it. he never tells his s/o “oh look I got you this” they just find it and look at him and he averts his eyes and blushes and just GOD I want to date Best Jeanist now????

-His love language is definitely gifts. his secondary one is quality time

-likes to take his s/o out on fancy dates and treat them like freaking royalty bc he loves them

-he does enjoy pda but it’s not The Most Important thing to him. enjoys a good cuddle at the end of the day though

-likes having his hair brushed. very easy to put him to sleep this way. Not combed through with fingers though, he specifically likes the brush. He doesn’t know why.

Shigaraki:

-ah yes. my villain son. my villain child

-loves when his s/o gives him lazy kisses anywhere but his face. also loves just feeling his s/o

-enjoys absentmindedly touching them. like running his hand along the back of their head (especially if they have short hair and it’s all fuzzy) or rubbing his thumb against the back of their hand

-prefers being the big spoon, but doesn’t mind switching sometimes

-will cuddle the hell out of his s/o with no remorse

-love language is definitely touch. second is probably acts of service

-doesn’t actually really like him kissing his s/o cos of his lips being all scarred and whatever, he prefers just exploring his s/o

-s/o has to like video games or they have to at least like watching him play. Favorite gaming position is on his bed, with him leaned up against the wall and his s/o curled up in his lap with their back to his chest

-a soft boy. except when he’s being villainous.

-will commit heinous crimes with his s/o. couples that kill together stay together

Kurogiri:

-again, more like Best Jeanist rather than anyone else. except evil. and also mostly not touchable.

-so, his love language is definitely not touch

-he’s mega into quality time. loves to just. sit and talk for hours

-He likes affectionate nicknames when he’s doing it (my love, dear, etc), then one time his s/o called him ghastly and he was like ?????

-he thought it was funny once his s/o explained it tho

-very gentlemanly, not pushy, very careful about consent and communication (again if he wasn’t a warp gate and also evil he would be a hero I bet)

-likes to brag on his s/o all the time. (“listen kurogiri if you weren’t our only warp gate and also mostly impossible to touch I would have disintegrated you by now” -shigaraki after listening to kurogiri for like an hour)

-most important people in his life is his s/o and shigaraki. would die for both of them no hesitation

-warp gate dad???

Dabi:

-Is half bad boy and is half soft boy

-he’s Very dom

-big spoon 100% of the time. no switching. doesn’t like switching.

-if he’s sleeping with his s/o he’s curled around them with his arm around their waist. but if he’s sleeping alone he’s stretched out across the whole bed. no inbetween

-He likes to act all bad boy most of the time but every once in a while his s/o will catch him looking at them like they hang the moon (and also like they’re gonna make a tasty snack later, simultaneously. it’s a very odd look) and his s/o grins at him and he takes a moment to shake out of his reverie and jokingly narrows his eyes at them

-genuinely enjoys just sleeping with his s/o. especially on couches, with his s/o on top of him and their head resting against his collarbone/tucked under his chin.

-would kill anyone for his s/o no hesitation

Stain:

-doesn’t outwardly really show a lot of emotion, PARTICULARLY in public/with anyone around

-anyone who saw him and his s/o out together would just think they were friends/acquaintances

-occasionally has these really weird dreams where he’ll talk in his sleep but none of it makes sense? it’s so violent though that his s/o will wake up and hold him

-pretty much the only time he’ll show weakness is at these moments. he doesn’t cry or say anything but he curls up against his s/o’s chest and just takes deep breaths until he goes to sleep again. he doesn’t tell his s/o what the dreams are about and his s/o knows better than to push him

-would kill anyone/die for his s/o with no hesitation, but he doesn’t show it like the others do. He knows his s/o can take care of themselves and he trusts them.

-again, couples that kill together stay together ;)

#boku no hero academia headcanons #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha #kurogiri #shigaraki tomura #best jeanist #bnha stain #bnha dabi #dabi #friggen. warp gate dad