#since i don’t feel the repercussions i haven’t really changed in that area either ^^; | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cherrynojutsu · 3 years

Text

Title: Like Gold

Summary: Sasuke grapples with love and intimacy regarding his developing relationship with Sakura after returning to the village from his journey of redemption. Kind of a character study on Sasuke handling an intimate relationship after dealing with PTSD and survivor’s guilt in solitude for so long. Blank period, canon-compliant, Sasuke-centric, lots of fluff and pining, slowly becomes a smut fest with feelings.

Disclaimer: I did not write Naruto. This is a fan-made piece solely created for entertainment purposes.

Rating: M (eventual nsfw-ness)

AO3 Link - FF.net Link - includes beginning/ending author's notes

Trigger Warning: Implied/Referenced Self-Harm

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Chapter 5/?: Housewarming

Sasuke spars with Naruto for the better portion of the afternoon into evening, until they are both sufficiently exhausted and slightly sunburned, on the condition that he will eat anywhere but Ichiraku’s and anything but ramen for the dinner his friend is trying to goad him into after. Naruto agrees all too quickly, grinning too much for his liking, and saying a little duplicitously, “That so? Happens that I know a place!”

The blond refuses to tell him where he’s leading him after their fight finally concludes in a draw, weaving tiredly through village streets around six at night with bruised ribs. Sasuke begins to suspect it’s an elaborate ruse to lure him to his house to eat. Sure enough, eventually they turn a corner and marigold, cobalt, and fuchsia invade his line of vision.

“You’re so stupid. I’m not eating anything you’ve put your hands on.”

Naruto laughs, evidently not the slightest bit offended. “Don’t worry, Hinata-chan made me a bunch of food for the next few days! There’s more than enough to share, and I haven’t touched any of it.”

Sasuke grumbles, but his friend assures him that at least some of it’s not ramen, so he acquiesces cautiously and follows him through the threshold of his home.

It is pretty nice, as Sakura said, though he’s sure that’s because of the dobe’s wife and not him, and what he’s comparing it to - Naruto’s old apartment, littered with trash and expired food items in the fridge - doesn’t set a very high bar in the first place. The house has wood floors, and a spacious kitchen with plenty of storage, at least from what he discerns when he first walks in. He assumes he’s going to be forced on the tour shortly to view the rest of it.

There is an absolute mountain of pre-prepared food in clear containers when his friend opens the fridge. Sasuke will admit pretty much everything looks good, though he’s not sure what specifically the dobe plans on them eating. He’s not sure Naruto knows, either; he stares at the contents of the fridge for a long minute, squinting as if making a life-changing decision.

“...Does she think you can’t feed yourself or something?” Sasuke deadpans.

Naruto laughs nervously, in a way that gives Sasuke the impression that Hinata Uzumaki might not be as quiet and reserved as most people assume, at least behind closed doors. His friend almost sounds fearful, as if there may be consequences for him if he doesn’t eat what his wife has prepared for him in her absence in its entirety.

“...Or she just knows you’d eat instant ramen the whole time she was gone, otherwise.” This time it’s not a question.

Naruto has the grace to at least feign embarrassment. “Well, uh, you know what they say… Quickest way to a man’s heart is through his food, or whatever!” Sasuke wonders for a short few seconds what kind of repercussion Hinata could possibly be holding over him, but then remembers Kakashi’s warning earlier in the day, and decides abruptly that he doesn’t care to further pursue that train of thought.

Eventually they decide on vegetable and shrimp tempura with plain onigiri, all premade. Sasuke is hungry, and tempura has a high caloric intake. Naruto dumps the tempura in a mysterious device called an air fryer to warm, and while they wait, the blond shows him around.

It’s commodious, with extra bedrooms as Sakura said. Most of the furniture is rich dark wood, accented with slightly vibrant colors, inclusive of the walls, that are perhaps a little intense for his own preferences. It is obvious that Naruto helped pick the paint colors, but he assumes Hinata must like them, too. The Hyuga are an old clan, deeply rooted in tradition as the Uchiha had been; Sasuke imagines that many of the interiors at the Hyuga residences are varying shades of white, gray, or brown, also with darker wood, as many of the Uchiha households had been; a more colorful interior would have been a change for her. He supposes a proclivity for brightness makes sense, given that she’d married Naruto. Their house overall smells vaguely like jasmine blossom and nectarine, though not overbearingly so. Naruto’s apartment had never smelled like that, so it must be Hinata’s doing. Sasuke spies a candle the color of honey that might be the source, perched on a corner table.

It sits next to a framed copy of their original Team Seven group portrait. Sasuke eyes it as they pass through the living room again to the back door.

It opens up to a sizable backyard situated on the north side of the house, framed with a fence for privacy and a number of lush trees, dangling greenery swaying in the breeze. A small garden sits in the far back left corner, the area with the least tree cover; it’s been recently tilled and sowed, small sprouts beginning to poke through the soil.

“We get lots of fireflies back here in the summer. Hinata-chan loves them, so we sit back here all the time! She’s thinking of getting a birdbath, too,” Naruto mentions fondly, a bit more hushed than his usual timbre; he must have some good memories back here already.

“It’s nice.” Sasuke remarks at the end when they go back inside, because it is, and his friend grins from ear to ear, stupidly proud. Then the timer dings from the other room, and they eat.

Hinata’s cooking is good. Sasuke sorts out all of the sweet potato chunks to shove onto Naruto’s plate, but eats the rest: squash, bell peppers, eggplant, broccoli, and shrimp, coated in spiced breading that tastes slightly of rosemary, along with the onigiri, more simple but also filling.

Naruto prattles throughout as always, but chews his food before launching into each new topic; it really must be a habit by now. Sasuke doesn’t hold the scroll over his head just yet; he figures Saturday night will be enough opportunity for that. Instead, he solidifies plans for another spar, this time late Saturday morning, because through the nearly endless chatter he has learned that Naruto’s schedule includes normal weekend days off, unless assigned a mission.

The dobe asks him to go drinking with him afterwards; he declines, but thanks him for dinner. Eventually, he departs, after his best friend reminds him for the fourth time today to meet up at Ichiraku’s on Saturday night at six.

As he walks home, lone hand in his pocket, Sasuke finds himself pondering once again what Sakura’s living space will be like. She doesn’t strike him as someone who would like darker wood, for some reason. It’s an apartment, so it will be smaller than Naruto’s house for sure. He assumes it’s probably one bedroom, like his own.

The cadence of crickets creeps in again as he leaves the more lively area of town, buoyed into something quieter by the swishing of leaves through the trees. It’s a sound he craved on his travels often. There are similar sounds elsewhere - insects and trees are not uncommon - but something about Konoha’s particular lilt sticks out in his memories. A clement wind from the north carries an aroma tinged with flowers and loam. When he turns the corner, the breeze blows just right to shift his hair away from his left eye, and his neck heats as he thinks of Sakura’s words from this morning, not for the first time today.

Once he gets back to his apartment, he strips, then tosses his clothing directly into the washing machine, before enjoying a long, near-boiling shower; after the workout he’s had, he needs it. He thinks as he scrubs that this way he won’t need another one until after he gets back from seeing Sakura tomorrow. He contemplates whether they will eat somewhere, since he’s meeting her at the hospital at four. He’d liked the tea shop; she probably knows of other places worth trying.

He is so exhausted that he saves washing his dishes for tomorrow and falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow. His last thoughts are of gentle jade eyes and kind words murmured in an exam room.

Sasuke is thankful that he doesn’t have another nightmare, but his brain decides to fill the time in other demiurgic ways involving soft fingertips, and when morning comes, he does need another shower, after all; this time, a cold one.

He pinches his nose guiltily as frigid water engulfs him, until his teeth are near chattering. Once that’s done, he throws on a black shirt and pants before grabbing a book. He huddles up under his comforter to chase away the chill, drowning his thoughts in icy history ripe with distraction rather than lasciviousness.

He finishes it eventually, convinced towards the end that he needs to acquire a small lamp; he doesn't like overhead lighting in general, but he especially doesn’t like it for reading. His teeth have stopped clacking together, so he gets out of bed and spends the first portion of the day washing dishes, sharpening his chokuto, and then making lunch, seared beef with green tea noodles and miso dressing. It’s simple, but good, and filling. His throat hurts less than yesterday, but he has another cough drop after, because it helps.

He washes and dries the dishes from today, putting them away before he leaves his apartment to pick up a few more groceries to fill the time. The market he visits is sold out of loose leaf sencha tea; the one he’d visited the first day in his apartment hadn’t had any, either. He settles for a small box of single-serve packets for the time being, and has a cup upon his return to his apartment. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t taste quite as fresh. He reads more of his other book for a bit, until it’s time to leave to meet Sakura at the hospital.

He leaves a little early again, because he’s eager to see her.

Sakura greets him cheerily, lovely with a tote bag on her shoulder that is starting to become familiar. She tells him that she dropped off his paperwork earlier today, and that his bloodwork has all come back normal. He thanks her, and they spend a nice late afternoon together, roaming around while she points out areas of interest, most of it new development on the more southern part of the village. Wandering with her is much preferable to solivagant ambling on his own, he is coming to find.

He learns that Sunday and Monday are indeed her days off, unless there is an emergency; she mentions that she has a standing date with Ino every Monday morning for training and lunch, but other than that, she keeps her free time pretty open.

“Would you… like to do something on Sunday, then?” He asks carefully, hand twitching a little in his pocket and stomach churning a little in nervousness, though she has given him no reason to be. He hopes he’s not being avaricious by asking for too much of her time. She might prefer to spend some time alone on her days off.

Glittering green eyes beam up at him in response. “Of course,” she answers, and the storm brewing in his belly settles while the vines reach upwards into his chest cavity, because she says it with an inflection that implies there’s nothing she would rather do.

“I think it’s supposed to rain,” Sakura tells him as they walk further southwest; they’re nearing the edge of the village now. “So we probably don’t want to walk around too much. I usually…” Her eyes flick to him, and then away, as if self-conscious. “I usually curl up inside with a book on rainy days. Or... watch documentaries. Sometimes I play go or chess.”

A ghost of a smile overtakes him, because reading on a rainy day is very characteristic of her, but so are the other two things, which he hadn’t known.

Then she’s asking, somewhat shyly, “What do you like to do, on a rainy day?”

It’s a good question; he hasn’t been home for a rainy day in a long time. When he was traveling, he would find shelter - an inn, or the inside of a tree or a cave - and do various tasks that needed doing, like sharpening weapons or writing a letter to her. On those days, he would also often read her old correspondence to him, too, but he’d be embarrassed to admit that to her.

When he was younger, though, he would complete any neglected chores in the morning, and then spend the rest of the day reading, though he did it mainly for productivity to the point of distraction. Sasuke did not like being cooped up in his house for long periods of time, for obvious reasons. Occasionally he would venture to a training ground anyway, if the rain was more light drizzle than downpour, but most of the time he opted not to, because getting sick would delay his progress more than sitting out a day; he could advance in other ways, look into new techniques and practice taijutsu forms inside, if he really focused.

If it rained heavily for more than a day or two consecutively, though, trapping him in the house, he tended to struggle more with it. Sometimes he would stare at a kunai or shuriken left behind in Itachi’s room for too long, and end up sticking his wrist out a back window to watch the water cleanse the wound he’d carved into his skin until it coagulated. It wasn't something he did often, because he knew it was stupid and weak despite the small semblance of control it afforded. It also wasn’t something he only did when it was raining, but being entombed in that house due to inclement weather poured salt into his baser self-destructive tendencies, irritation burning until it was too much and it had to escape his skin to go somewhere. When it rained, it felt like it was an opportunity to rinse it out of him, a tiny increment of relief, rivulets reaching down to turn him over in the grave of dark wood and dull paint colors it felt like he was suffocating in.

Sasuke would go get groceries most of the time, before it got to that point, even if he didn't need them, just to get out of the house for a bit and away from the temptation. He’d come back soaked, tracking water everywhere before curling up in his bed to try to chase away the chill with more distraction, books or scrolls or trying to watch something. Eventually he’d warm up on the outside, but his insides still felt icy for a long time, most days.

He's in an apartment now, though, a long way from what used to be the Uchiha District. He takes a grounding breath that he hopes is subtle, trying to emerge from the glaucous recollection and subsequent smothering feeling lining his lungs. “...I do any chores that need doing, and then I like to read, too,” he finally answers. It's the truth, now. Keen but soft eyes hold his for a moment, and he worries maybe he didn’t fully succeed at the subtlety, but she doesn’t press. He’s thankful for it; he doesn’t want to think about that when he’s with her.

They make plans to have lunch and spend the afternoon reading their respective books at her apartment. He might finish his other book by Sunday’s end; maybe she would go to the library with him again Monday afternoon, if she’s not too busy. He wouldn’t mind playing go or chess, either, if she asks him. It would be a challenge; he hasn’t played either in years. He’ll save it for Sunday, though.

“I can cook,” she offers, looking very pleased, which makes his heart flutter in his chest. “Maybe soup and something to go with it, if it’s chillier? I have a slow cooker I can start it in, the morning of.”

He agrees immediately; he likes soup, and it’s been a while since he’s had a good bowl. Most of the soup he made on the road was limited to whatever ingredients were readily available, with simple water as stock. The result was usually something bland, warming but not hearty by even the barest standards; soup made in a kitchen is much better. He’ll eat any kind, really, especially if it’s cold out. He wonders what Sakura’s cooking is like; she excels at most everything she does, so he imagines it must be good.

By just after five, they’ve ended up at a fairly new and distinctive quadrant of training grounds a little beyond the southwest edge of the village, sharp quartz rock jutting up from uneven ground in several spots and a small creek running down its center. Parts of it sit at a raised elevation, offering a unique vantage point of Konoha. Sasuke realizes as he eyes the surroundings that he would like to train here sometime; the craggy terrain could prove an interesting element to contend with, an exercise of both the mind and body. He’s glad she showed him; he wouldn’t have ventured to this side of town for a long time, on his own.

“Are you hungry?” He asks, thinking he could buy her dinner if she knows any places nearby. It’ll be busier now that it’s dinner time, once they get back into the village, but he doesn’t mind.

Sakura doesn’t answer at first, and instead starts to fiddle inside her bag. His brows knit in confusion, but then she pulls out two bottles of water, two bento boxes, and two pairs of chopsticks.

They’re in reusable containers, not takeout ones, which means she must have made them herself. Sasuke stares at the one she gives him, dumbfounded; it’s filled to the brim with cooked rice topped with black sesame seeds, tonkatsu with sauce, shredded cabbage, green beans goma-ae, and a large number of tomato wedges. Her own has less tomato; a few grapes round it out instead. He also notices the tonkatsu sauce is already poured over hers, but his is in a small sealed container, so he can eat the pork plain if he decides he doesn’t care for the tangy but also slightly sweet dressing.

“I thought we could eat these here... if you want. We could avoid the dinner rush that way. I made the sauce a little less sweet than usual, but I still wasn’t sure, so I thought I’d let you decide,” Sakura offers, soft and kind. He’s too stunned to say anything right away, so she adds somewhat sheepishly, “If... you’d rather get something else, though, that’d be fine, too.”

He thanks her very quietly, then, a little dazed and throat closing up, because he would not rather get something else; he hasn’t had a bento in a long time, let alone one that was prepared specifically for him. The training ground is empty, so they hop up one of the small cliffs and eat it there as she suggests, in view of Hokage Rock framed by trees. It is very good, clearly made with fresh ingredients; the pork is juicy on the inside and texturally crunchy on the outside. The sauce is good, too; not too sweet. He makes sure to eat all of it, as well as to tell her he enjoyed it at the end. She flushes at the compliment; she is very pretty, pink hair and pink cheeks to match.

"How long do you think it'll be before Naruto's up there?" She asks him after they’ve been sitting there for the better part of an hour, food long finished and eerily echoing his thoughts from a few nights ago.

Sasuke regards the mountain, empty space next to Kakashi's likeness. He recalls dinner yesterday at his friend’s home, Naruto sharing food with him made by his wife, and Ichiraku’s the day before that, how he no longer talks with his mouth full, and how he has not pressured him to share about Sakura. Sasuke is sure his rare tact won't last forever, and that he'll be hounded about his relationship with her eventually, but he has appreciated the space gifted to him. For all of their teammate’s fatuousness, he really has grown. If he can get an increment better at deciphering scrolls...

"Not long," he responds eventually. "Five years. Maybe six, with the sculpting."

Sakura nods in agreement, an evocative smile playing at her lips; she must suppose the same.

He speculates, then, tearing his gaze away from her mouth, who else they will see on the mountain in their lifetimes, in the empty space extending to the right. He thinks Naruto is the type to live to be pretty old, especially if Hinata is coercing him into eating balanced nutritional meals now; he might make it to a point where he actually retires from being Hokage, like Tsunade, or Kakashi, eventually.

The next Hokage could be in the village already, maybe in the Academy still, or a Genin. Sasuke remembers a scrawny kid with atrocious camouflage techniques who used to follow Naruto around and challenge him to battles over the position; it may have been the Third's grandson. He hadn’t seemed particularly talented at the time, but then again, neither was Naruto at that age. It’s possible that the kid has progressed since then. It’s also possible, though, that the next Hokage has not even been born yet.

Sasuke walks Sakura home a couple of hours later, dark violet light of dusk cast on her through diamonds on her doorstep. Her expression is the same as the other night, eyes sparking with gold affection, so he kisses her again, hesitantly hoping it’s okay, because he really wants to. Apparently it is, because she rests her hands on his shoulders and kisses him back without an ounce of uncertainty. His hand is free this time, so he rests it on her waist carefully, and enjoys a sweet breath of spring.

XXX

Sasuke arrives at Ichiraku’s at six on the dot to find both of his teammates already there, with an empty seat left between them and three glasses of water on familiar currant red counters. He is unsurprised to see that Kakashi’s not here yet. There’s an empty seat to Naruto’s left that is clearly being saved for their old sensei using one of Naruto’s sandals, off his foot; it’s pretty busy, being a Saturday night. He also notes Sakura’s tote bag situated beneath the counter, underneath the stool she’s sitting on; perhaps her afternoon with Ino went longer than anticipated, and she hasn’t had time to go home yet.

Both of them turn their heads as he approaches, brightening and greeting him in unison beneath fluorescent lighting.

“Teme!”

“Hey, Sasuke-kun.”

It is terribly nostalgic. He takes the place between them, responding, “Sakura. Dobe.” The streets themselves are busy, but within the actual enclosure of Ichiraku’s, it’s not as loud.

“We haven’t ordered yet,” Sakura tells him good-naturedly, smiling and pushing him a menu. His gaze lingers on her for a second before looking down at it. She’s pretty beneath fluorescent lighting, too.

“We’re not fucking waiting for Kakashi-sensei, though. I’m hungry , and who knows when he’ll turn up? He’s probably reading one of his stupid books and lost track of time again,” Naruto grumbles, peckish, from his other side. His friend’s stomach growls, as if on cue.

Sakura laughs, then sighs from his right. “He’s probably lost in a pile of paperwork. At least this time it might be true.”

“...He might be trying to finish breaking the cipher on that scroll you can’t seem to solve,” Sasuke quips smugly towards his left, eyeing the menu, though he doesn’t really need to; he knows his order already.

He is way too satisfied by Naruto’s huff. “Ugh, I’m fucking sick of staring at that thing. It makes me feel like my brain is melting. I wish he’d just give me a mission. I want to fight something.”

“I’m sure you’ll both get one eventually,” Sakura remarks with confidence. “Try to enjoy the peacetime a little. It’s a good thing. Besides, if you really want to, you can just go battle it out at the training grounds...” She eyes them both with a critical and calculating scrutiny now, a single pink brow arched and something in her tone shifting. “...Though by the bruising, I’m sure that’s already happened.”

There is a fist shaped smear of violet he knows is on his forearm, clearly visible from her vantage point. At least his ribs are hidden; there are nasty bruises on three of them from the first spar, and another two developing from this morning. Naruto looks a little scared, when he glances over at him; despite the fact that the blond is laughing nervously, his hand is held awkwardly, obviously trying to shield the bruise he has on his chin, turning purplish-blue by now.

It was another draw. Sasuke expects he’ll be able to beat him, next time. He’s found he’s a bit rusty, not having too many excuses to use his more advanced techniques in a long while.

Sakura rolls her eyes after a tense moment, and the spell is broken. “If either of you break anything, just don’t be stupid; come to the hospital or my place so I can fix it.”

“Sure, sure, anything you say, Sakura-chan!” The dobe responds next to him, hesitant laughter still tinged a little with fear. Sasuke nods, then thinks for about the fifth time today that he’s going to see her apartment tonight.

Once Sasuke slides the menu back, Naruto catches Teuchi’s attention; the blond orders garlic tonkotsu, Sasuke orders hakata tonkotsu, and Sakura orders shoyu ramen. It’s the same as what they used to get when they were kids.

It’s a nice evening for this, he thinks.

“So what’s new at the hospital, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asks conversationally. “Anything exciting?”

Sasuke shifts his gaze to his right, where Sakura looks as if she’s giving it a lot of thought, lips shifted to the side; he forces his eyes upward. “Eh, nothing too exciting, yet. Just appointments and research, for the most part. I’ve got some long-term projects I’m working on, but I’m just kind of waiting to see how the data pans out at this point while I monitor. It’ll be another month or so yet for anything concrete there, I think.” She cocks her head to the side a little. “I’ve got a transplant patient we’re waiting on an organ for, so we’ve been trying to prep her so she’s ready; different medicinal cocktails, testing, and such.” She pauses. “Tsunade-shishou sent over some things that arrived this morning, though, and one of them was a sample of a new poison found in a few Shinobi in Wind. I guess that’s… interesting. She’s going to work on it, too, so hopefully we get an antidote quickly, but I started some tests on it today.”

Sasuke’s lips turn downwards. That doesn’t sound good.

“Ehhh, between you and Granny Tsunade, I’m sure you’ll find an antidote soon!” Naruto chirps positively from his left. Then he quiets, in a manner that suggests he’s cogitative. “How bad?”

“Well, it’s slow enough progression-wise that they’ll live if we find an antidote in time; they’ve got at least a month, we think. Maybe more, if Tsunade-shishou keeps siphoning it out via the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique. It’s not... pleasant for the patient, obviously, but it works. She’s already run most of the preliminary tests; calcium chloride, pyridoxine, sodium bicarbonate, so we at least have some stuff ruled out.,, There might be others eventually, though, so it would be best to nip it in the bud and have an antidote readily available, really.”

“...What do you know about it so far?” Sasuke asks. “In terms of the type of toxin.” Having been dosed numerous times with poisons to build up resistance, he knows he is essentially immune to many of them, but a new one popping up is never something one should disregard in their line of work.

Jade shifts to him. “We suspect it might be a mixture of several venoms, plus a heavy neurotoxin. Epinephrine doesn’t work at all, though; that’s why we’re leaning towards it being a combo. Something has to be continuing the effects while that cycles through the system.”

Neurotoxins are troublesome; a mixture with it is nothing to scoff at. “It causes paralysis?” He questions.

Sakura inclines her head in a nod. “Immediately after Tsunade-shishou uses the Extraction Technique, though, they gain some movement back, so if we can find an antidote, it won’t be permanent.”

There is a contemplative silence.

“So what you’re saying is, you’re gonna kill a lot of rats,” Naruto finally jokes from his left, gauche as ever and clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“They’re mice, not rats,” Sakura responds, rolling her eyes. “But yes. We probably will. Necessary sacrifice, I suppose.”

There is a substantial length of time that feels heavy, even with the distant background noise of people going about their evening.

Sakura is the one to break it. “What about you, Naruto? Anything new? Hinata’s on a mission, I heard. What have you been doing to fill the time?”

Sasuke glances back to his left, where Naruto is grinning suspiciously.

“You mean other than kicking the shit out of teme?”

Sasuke narrows his eyes. “As I recall, both spars were draws, dead last .”

Naruto laughs, unbothered and waving his hand jokingly. “Eh, really I dunno. Mostly just helping Kakashi-sensei at the office. He’s torturing me with homework , since Hinata-chan’s gone.”

Suddenly their food is being placed in front of them. His smells good, charred pork belly swimming in spring onion, nori, mushrooms, noodles, and ginger. Sakura says thank you to Teuchi, and then he hears her break her chopsticks. She doesn’t miss a beat. “Hypothetical mission assemblages again?”

Naruto groans as he snaps his own chopsticks. “Yeah, it’s a nightmare. I know most of the people our age fine enough, but you basically have to memorize everyone’s abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, or you spend hours doing it because you have to refer to The Binder.” The way the dobe articulates The Binder makes it sound ominous.

“Huh. Now that I know it’s a nightmare, I’ll make sure to give you even more of it,” a familiar voice lilts behind them.

The three of them turn, and Kakashi is behind them, clad in simple Jonin dress instead of Hokage robes, for all appearances completely unbothered by the fact that he’s nearly twenty minutes late.

All three of them give him a withering look, slightly tinged with nostalgia, and say nothing.

“Sorry. Got lost in a pile of paperwork.”

Their old sensei removes Naruto’s shoe from his saved seat, and places it directly on the blond’s head. It promptly falls off and nearly lands in the idiot’s bowl of ramen as he splutters to catch it. Kakashi orders hakata tonkotsu without even glancing at the menu, same as Sasuke.

“So. Isn’t this nice,” The Hokage drawls. “How are we all? Enjoying the springtime?”

“It’s good! Hinata-chan planted a garden! We’re gonna have broccoli, and sweet potatoes, and maybe even pumpkin!” Naruto responds as he shoves his shoe unceremoniously back onto his foot before reaching for his chopsticks again.

“The weather has been nice," Sakura pipes up from behind him, though her tone of voice makes it sound as though more than that has been nice. Something in him twists pleasantly.

“...It’s good,” Sasuke comments last, before taking another bite of his food. It’s an understatement.

Kakashi looks content, head nodding in agreement. “Everything’s really greening up. I think it’s going to be a good year. No wars on the horizon, either, at least that I know of; that’s always preferable. Gets one into a reflective headspace.”

“About what, having time to read porn in your office?” Naruto quips sarcastically in between inhaling bites of bean sprouts and noodles, though Kakashi doesn’t seem at all fazed. Sasuke hasn’t seen any orange books in the times he’s visited the Hokage’s office so far, but he’d been sure they were stowed somewhere within easy access.

“Can’t a Hokage take a break to enjoy fine literature once in a while?” Their old sensei asks good-naturedly, but Naruto rolls his eyes as Sasuke, and he assumes Sakura, continue to eat their food at a normal pace.

“Fine literature? As if ! You forget I’ve read all those books. They’re full of good ideas, sure, but they’re still fucking porn ! And anyways, no, you can’t take a break. Not when you’re piling homework on me like I’m in the Academy still. I know , by the way.”

Now Kakashi’s smile turns a little nervous. To most people, the change would be imperceptible, but it’s there for those that know him well. “Know what, exactly?”

The blond’s eyes narrow accusingly. “That you’re actually using my homework to put together squads for real fucking missions! I shouldn’t have to find out from Shikamaru. In the Academy, they expel kids for that shit.”

Judging by the caught expression on Kakashi’s face, there is at least some element of truth to this, which means Naruto must be doing an okay job, at the very least. Interesting .

“So a sensei isn’t allowed to appreciate and value the advice of a cherished student?”

“Whatever. Just keep giving me days off when Hinata-chan’s home and maybe I won’t tattle to the other kages.”

Kakashi smiles. “I can do that.”

There is a beat where everyone besides their sensei is quiet, taking a few bites of their food. Sasuke’s is good; he’s hungry. Going near all out against Naruto has given him a little more of an appetite, the past few days. He’s been trying to eat more, as Sakura suggested.

“Sakura, I received an interesting letter from Tsunade today.” their old sensei drawls after a bit. Sasuke shifts slightly. She’s swallowing a bite, and looking curious.

“About the poison?”

Sasuke glances back to his left in time to see Kakashi nod. “The poison, and also other worthwhile projects. Let me know if you need any funding for such things, and I’ll find a way to take care of it.”

Sasuke wonders what kinds of projects, but assumes it might be rather confidential when Sakura blinks, then nods, answering simply, “Thank you, Kakashi-sensei; it’s greatly appreciated.” Perhaps it has to do with her research.

Naruto finishes off his first bowl, and orders another. Now that he’s not inhaling food, he begins chattering again.

“So anyways, when are you gonna send us all on a mission together again?! I feel like I’ve been trapped in that office with you like an old croney for eighty-four years.”

Suddenly Kakashi appears very tired, eyes narrowing in exhaustion. “If you feel trapped now, I’d hate to see how you feel in five years or so.” He pauses, as Naruto narrows his eyes at him and crosses his arms. “I have a lost cat mission you could complete, I suppose. Or would you rather clean up the river? It’s good weather for it. Water’s warming up.”

Naruto looks at him indignantly. “As if. I want a real mission!! One that suits our strengths.”

The way Kakashi considers Naruto then is fond. Sasuke vaguely recollects a time where Naruto begged the Third for a ‘real’ mission a long time ago; that must be what he’s remembering.

“Well, the problem with that is that Sakura formally outranks you,” he finally retorts. His food shows up a second after he finishes talking.

Naruto groans. “This shit again?” Sasuke assumes this must be a running thing Kakashi likes to hold over his friend’s head. Technically it’s correct; Sakura had told him she’d made Jonin at the exams in Earth Country a while back, in one of her earlier letters. He’s sure she could have made Jonin sooner, but she’d been occupied with things at the hospital, he thinks. Naruto and himself, meanwhile, had never taken the exams, though it hadn’t affected their ability to take A and S-rank missions, given their role in ending the war; they held honorary Jonin positioning in all but the actual title itself, and weren’t held back from missions because of it in any way, but still, Sakura is the only one of their team that has taken them officially and passed. Naruto had told him that Tsunade didn’t want to promote Sakura like that, despite her contribution in ending the war, too; he’d assumed it was because the Fifth didn’t care for Sakura’s promotion to be in any way weighed down by assumptions of nepotism, especially with her taking over the hospital. Kakashi hadn't, either; he'd assumed for the same reason. Naruto and Sasuke getting special treatment regarding what missions they can accept is fine, because currently they hold no official titles, but with Sakura heading the hospital, it’s a different matter.

“How many times are you gonna hold that over my head?! Quit fucking around already. It’s not my fault Granny Tsunade wanted to show Sakura-chan off to all five nations, and besides, I was literally there, so it’s not like I don’t know.”

Sasuke blinks in sudden interest, as Kakashi quips, “If you were there, why didn’t you take the exams yourself? I seem to remember someone getting banned from the Kage’s seating area. That looks great for a future Hokage candidate, by the way, and was fun to try to de-escalate with the elders of Earth Country. Maybe you could have set a better example if you had also been taking the exams… Though I suppose it would have been embarrassing for you when Sakura beat you in three seconds flat.”

Sakura laughs a little to his right as if she is amused as Naruto complains some more, while Sasuke considers that he has never been given a detailed account of her performance at those exams, though he’s sure it was excellent. He’ll have to ask her or Naruto about it.

Naruto’s still whining. “Come ooooon. Just ONE teensy little mission. No bullshit. We’re all back; you basically have to, it’d be illegal NOT to. It can even be a B-rank.”

Kakashi doesn’t miss a beat. “I have a nice C-rank you two could probably handle.” Sasuke twitches a little, because he knows that’s directed at him, too, now. “Simple escort to Sand. Don’t want to take a prestigious Jonin away from her important work at the hospital, though, for such a measly thing.”

Sakura’s laugh twinkles. “Send Shikamaru. I’m sure he’d love to go.”

Kakashi grins, as if he is in on a joke. “Yes, Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru. That would be an interesting team, to say the least, though perhaps a little overpowered. I’ll think it over… If nothing comes up that we desperately need Shikamaru for, that is.”

Naruto grumbles and turns to finish emptying his second bowl of ramen as Sasuke surmises inwardly, finishing off his own, that it would be an interesting team, even if it was just an escort. From what he knows, Nara is a capable leader and excellent strategist. He’s sure Shikamaru doesn’t like him very much, which is more than fair, but watching Naruto annoy someone else for a change would make the heated trek to Sand bearable. He wonders what Sakura’s comment was about, though. Maybe it was sarcasm, regarding most peoples’ general disdain for the sweltering weather there.

Sasuke notices, as he pushes his bowl forward, now empty, that Kakashi still hasn’t touched his food. He makes a mental note to keep an eye on that. When he glances to his right, he sees that Sakura has finished hers, too.

The restaurant is starting to clear out a little, it being closer to seven now. Naruto finally stops mumbling insults towards Kakashi, and instead peers at him as if he’s waiting for something. Maybe he wants to go home; his friend might have plans after this, though he’s not sure what they would be, given his wife is away.

“...Sorry to disappoint you, Sasuke, but we’ve been less than honest about dinner tonight,” Kakashi begins after meeting Naruto’s gaze. Sasuke’s brow furrows in puzzlement, and the dobe starts grinning smugly. When he glances the other way towards Sakura, she smiles, too, and looks a little guilty.

“It is also… a housewarming party.” The Hokage grins. “Though we thought we’d just have it here, and you could take your gifts home with you tonight.”

Sasuke frowns. “You didn’t need to-”

Naruto butts in, indignant and cutting him off accusingly with a pointed finger, “And don’t even TRY to say no, because I got you the best gift.” Sasuke has a brief premonition of his sparse kitchen cabinets suddenly filled with a month’s supply of instant ramen, and it takes everything in him not to roll his eyes. The dobe motions to Teuchi, gesturing towards the inner portion of the ramen stand, just below the counter. Sasuke then recalls the bag beneath Sakura’s chair, and frowns deeper, turning to her; though he’s sure the shoe box was free, she’s already given him the drying rack, which he’s sure was not. She didn’t need to get him anything else.

She just grins at him, eyes flashing with mirth as if she finds this amusing. He’s about to say something - he’s not sure what - when Naruto taps him on the shoulder. He turns, and the most poorly wrapped gift he has ever seen in his life comes into focus, a long thin mess of too much tape and intensely colorful paper, scrunched together haphazardly as if put together by a child with little motor control, and shoved directly into his face.

“...Why did you wrap it?”

His best friend rolls his eyes. “Because it’s a PRESENT, jackass. Besides, you guys wrapped yours too, right?!”

When Naruto looks from their old sensei to their teammate, Kakashi wears a jovial smile that tells him he didn’t, and Sakura doesn’t say anything behind him, but Naruto narrows his eyes, and that’s enough to tell him that she didn’t, either. “What the fuck, you guys are the worst! This is supposed to be a party!!”

Naruto sets the gift down on the counter in front of him, and Sasuke frowns at it stubbornly for a short while. The three of them are staring at him expectantly, though, so he sighs and reluctantly starts to peel the shoddy wrapping job away, curious as to where the idiot got instant ramen that comes in a long skinny box. He’s careful as he peels, so the paper doesn’t fly away in little chunks and litter the restaurant or the ground around them.

His brow creases as he peels away the final bit of paper and tape, because it’s not ramen, after all. Naruto’s gift is a paring board of a unique design, new from the store in an unopened box. The picture shows a maple wood finish, but with small skewers jutting vertically from it on the bottom center, on which one can spear vegetables or fruit to help hold it in place while slicing. It also has a corner guard on the upper left with an edge sealer to help keep other things one wants to slice, like bread or sushi, secure. In addition, it says it has silicone feet, so it doesn’t move around when you use it.

He didn’t know anything like this even existed. It is a surprisingly thoughtful and helpful gift, one that he’s sure comes from a deep understanding of the challenges that come with living with one arm, though Naruto has had the prosthetic, now, for a while.

Sasuke studies it for a long moment, genuinely touched. “...It’s nice. Thank you.” Truth be told, it’s more than nice, and will be incredibly useful. He won’t have to summon a clone anymore to cut things.

Naruto laughs and slaps him on the back, prompting Sasuke to glare at him. “Beat that, losers!” Kakashi smiles and casts his eye towards Sakura behind him, so Sasuke turns, brows furrowed again. She’s pulling a white container out of her bag, now in her lap, and then sliding it on the countertop next to Naruto’s gift.

He can see now that it’s a first aid kit. He looks back to her, meeting green eyes and slightly tinged cheeks. “I thought there might be some things you didn’t have, after traveling for so long.”

This is odd, because all ninja travel with a rudimentary first aid kit at the bare minimum, and Sakura of all people knows this; it’s an occupational hazard and frankly foolish not to. He stares at it as if it is a riddle, trying to figure out what could possibly be inside. Perhaps medicine or painkillers? Even those come in standard first aid kits for ninja, though. A hefty stock of food pills? He supposes he could take those on missions with him, if needed.

He’s sure both Kakashi and Naruto are thinking the same thing, but they don’t comment on it.

Finally, he responds, meeting her eyes, “Thank you.” He’ll open it later, when he’s alone, to see what’s actually in it. She really didn’t need to get him anything.

Her smile grows wider, and her eyes catch the light, gilded fervor that he thinks he could drown in. “You’re welcome.” After a beat, she glances at Kakashi, so Sasuke tears his irises away from flashing jade iridescent with metallic lambency and turns, too. When he does, he sees that Kakashi’s bowl is now empty. He tries to resist an annoyed twitch; he doesn’t know how he keeps pulling this off, after so many years.

Then his old sensei reaches into his vest and pulls out what appears to be a frame; it must have been tucked there this whole time, for safekeeping, out of sight.

When he reaches past Naruto to gift it to him, Sasuke realizes it’s their original Team Seven picture, in the frame he saw sitting on Kakashi’s desk the other day.

His eyes sting as it’s pressed into his hand, thoughts of mask hypervigilance forgotten in an instant in favor of an overwhelming sense of plenary peace and belonging. There is a small inner voice emanating from a house lined with dark wood and darker penchants, gnawing and protesting that he is deeply undeserving, but he extinguishes it for now, just for tonight; the world is not going to end because Kakashi gave him a picture rife with memories. Fighting to remain detached is what got him into trouble in the first place.

Sasuke blinks a few times, and a paper-thin layer of sediment peels away, messy and getting everywhere, like the wrapping paper he tried to collect earlier to avoid a similar problem. Then he utters, “Thank you,” quietly, but loud enough for all three of them to hear.

“No problem. I can get another copy developed from the village archives for my desk,” Kakashi replies, smiling. “It’s good to have you back.”

Time passes somehow both quickly and slowly. The four of them sit there for well over another hour, visiting casually about topics that aren’t as heavy as perplexing poisons. Sasuke moreso listens than genuinely communicates, but he comments every now and then.

Naruto chatters about an elaborate date he’s going to take Hinata on when she gets back to the village, involving feeding ducks at her favorite pond. Sakura mentions that he should bring cinnamon rolls, because that is Hinata’s favorite treat, and Naruto exclaims that he knows, but he also asks Teuchi for a pen to write a reminder on his hand, so he doesn’t forget to pick them up the day after tomorrow when she’s supposed to get back.

Kakashi mentions how he’s supposed to be getting some new mission requests in on Monday morning, so he might have something for Sasuke by then; the dobe is indignant when it doesn’t also include him, and launches into another five minute whining session.

Sakura tells a story about Sai and a misunderstanding involving an order of art supplies that she heard from Ino that morning; apparently, Ino works at the hospital on occasion, both to do some part-time medic duties and to help Sakura, which Sasuke was unaware of. Naruto shudders when Sakura brings up Sai, Ino, and art supplies; Sasuke gets the distinct impression that there is a story there, but doesn’t ask.

It is a little after eight when Kakashi mentions quite astutely that everyone is probably tired and should get going. Naruto laughs mischievously, then, meeting Sasuke’s eyes.

“Teme, what do ya say to all of us going out for a drink or two after this? There’s a fun place just down the road from here.”

Sasuke blinks, because that sounds objectively terrible on any night, let alone a Saturday, and it is not the first time since his return to the village that Naruto has mentioned going to drink; he really wants to get him drunk for some reason. Even though Kakashi has just said they should wrap it up, he looks at Sasuke as if waiting for a response anyways, as though he would actually go with them if they all chose to.

“Can’t. I have plans.”

Naruto huffs and grumbles under his breath about the plans probably involving training or reading or watching his laundry air dry. “Alright, alright. But you can’t escape it forever. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to accept.”

Sasuke smirks, then. “If you can beat me in a spar, I’ll go. Dobe.”

A fire has been lit in blue eyes. “You’re ON.”

Kakashi then sets enough money on the counter for all four of them, at which point they all begin to stand. Sasuke and Sakura both say thank you, but Naruto begins protesting that if he knew he was buying, he would have eaten more. Kakashi smiles cryptically. “Which is why I didn’t tell you. The Hokage position pays lucratively, but I know from experience you’ll eat me out of house and home.”

Naruto and Kakashi wave goodbye and set out to the west, in the general direction of their respective residences. Sasuke and Sakura both watch them go with something like amusement; he can hear Naruto complaining until he’s halfway down the street, which is a feat, because this area of town is still quite busy.

He turns to the gifts and stacks them carefully in preparation to leave, finally; they are all flat, so they’ll be easy enough to carry. They really didn’t need to get him anything... but he is appreciative, gaze lingering on them for a little longer than an instant.

Sakura is smiling at him when he turns to her, weight shifted to the side casually. “Do you want to drop those off first, or bring them with you?”

Sasuke thinks of the time; he still doesn’t know when she usually goes to sleep. “...I can bring them with.”

Her lips quirk upwards more, and she nods. They start walking east, him gripping the gifts carefully.

The moon has risen a bit higher in the sky by now; the streets appear much like a desaturated dreamscape, cloaking everything in a layer of alleviation. They pass under street lights casting flaxen ambiance, as well as other smaller hints of glow from various lit-up signage, tinctorial flashes washing over them both occasionally, only to be rinsed clean as they pass into astronomical dusk again. Sakura’s hair is surprisingly reflectant, brief notes of neons catching atop pale pink: electric blue, candy red, apple green.

“Naruto’s going to hold you to that bet, you know,” Sakura pipes up to his right once they’ve made it a block away, tilting her head upwards, expression soaked with mirth.

“Tch. Don’t remind me.” She laughs a little in response. It’s a lovely sound, dulcet in his ears.

They’re coming up on a bar that appears to be pretty crowded, people spilling out onto the street outside. Wordlessly, they both change course to cross to the other side of the street, avoiding the gathering of people, for which he is appreciative; he’s still not much one for crowds. They’re almost to the main stretch of road where they’ll turn south to go to Sakura’s; just two more blocks and the people should disperse a bit.

As they cross, Sakura informs him, “I’m pretty sure that’s the one he was talking about, by the way.”

“...Great,” He murmurs, frowning. He really doesn’t drink often. A place like that wouldn’t do much to encourage him to.

“It’s not so bad, if you go on a weeknight. Less people.”

He considers, then questions, “...Have you gone drinking with him?”

She averts her eyes, as if she’s a little embarrassed. “A few times... Usually it’s for celebrations, though, not just us. Birthdays, that sort of thing. I’ve gone with Ino more.” She ponders for a bit longer, as if shuffling through memories. “I guess I’ve gone with him and Kakashi-sensei a couple of times, though we don’t always go to that one. Once we went with Tsunade-shishou to that casino.”

Sasuke is pretty sure he knows the answer to his next question, but he asks it anyway. “...Is he any good at gambling?”

A short but rich giggle blooms from her throat that makes his lip twitch upwards. “No. His betting history is just as bad as shishou. He’s worse at baccarat than she is, actually, which is quite an accomplishment. She hadn’t won in a long time, before she beat him.”

It stands to reason that Naruto would be bad at table games, but the fact that he’s bad at arguably one of the easiest ones to learn amuses him more than it should. “...Will probably be awhile before I get dragged with him, then.”

“Probably,” Sakura agrees.

They turn south towards her apartment, and sure enough, the people milling about in the streets begin to thin. Being a Saturday night, there are more lights on than usual around this time, but they’ve arrived into an area of town that doesn’t really cater to a night crowd like bars do; the lit windows here are mostly residential.

Plants are continuing to unfurl everywhere in Konoha, though the rain tomorrow will probably be good for them. It stands to reason that it will get even more lush, after; perennials are starting to bud back to life, soon to join the annuals already adorning most buildings’ exteriors and windowsills. There’s a breeze picking up tonight, too, slightly shuffling leaves and the fabric of awnings attached to the buildings they walk past, a quiescent whispering that seemingly drowns out the usual sound of crickets. It might be cold enough for soup tomorrow; he’s looking forward to it.

Sakura notices, too. “Kakashi was right; everything is greening up. The rain will do some good tomorrow; we haven’t had some in a bit.”

“...Probably,” he echoes her words from earlier. Her hair is fluttering a little in the wind, too, eye-catching and gossamery. Sasuke wonders if it’s still soft like silk. He had accidentally felt it several times, on various missions when they were younger.

They reach her building, and she noiselessly opens the glass door for him. Sasuke steps aside so she can pass after she shuts it behind them. Then he’s following her up the stairway, something like anticipation unfurling in him, much like the greenery he noticed on the way here.

Sakura unlocks her door, glancing back at him for a moment with her hand lingering on the doorknob. Then she turns to push it open, and he trails behind her carefully.

He follows her into a small enclosed area - a dedicated entryway - with a threshold straight ahead leading into the rest of the space. It is dim until Sakura flips on the light of a compact but surprisingly luminous lamp to their right, and he sees that the entryway area itself is painted the color of pale cream. The floor beneath them is aged wood, light in color, that appears to extend into the rest of the dwelling. A single wall-mounted shelf floats to the left that holds several multifarious storage containers: one woven, one white, one that looks like an antiquated rice basket. Out of the top of the last one peeks the well-worn handle of a spade; it must be gardening supplies. Beneath the shelf are hooks studded to the wall; Sakura is stepping towards them to shrug off her bag and hang it from one of them, next to a green jacket and a red and pink coat with fur trim.

There is a console table made of aged wood that near matches the shelf - white oak, he thinks, because it’s not as richly colored as normal oak - to the right. It might be an antique; it is close in color and stain to the flooring, though not an exact match. Her fiction book from the other day sits atop it, a bookmark protruding from around halfway through its pages; he assumes she must keep any non-work-related library books there, when she’s not reading them. Beneath the table is a patterned rug in neutral tones, on which rest a small collection of sandals that are not entirely lined up straight, as well as a pair of green rainboots. It is the only part of the entryway that does not appear overly organized.

Sasuke begins to toe off his sandals as Sakura does, too. She crosses over to the table and opens up one of the drawers, placing her lanyard of keys inside. “You can set your gifts here, if you’d like,” she offers helpfully, gesturing to the table and sounding almost shy, so he does. He turns to grab his sandals and sets them neatly on the rug beneath the table.

She reaches beyond the enclosing wall to the other side, flipping what must be a lightswitch; the rest of the overhead lights in the next area of space flood on. She angles her head back towards him, shifting her weight to the side a little. “I’m afraid it won’t be as long of a tour as Naruto’s.”

It’s small, but cozy. They step into an open space with a wall trailing to the right and openness extending to the left, which houses her living room. The ceilings are high for an apartment this size; it makes it feel bigger. Two towering bookshelves line the west and south walls, and a small dining table sits in front of the window on the north end, over which hangs a simple but worn pendant light, sap green in color; it is reminiscent of the kinds one usually sees at indoor markets. Between the two spaces lies a comfortable-looking sage green couch, classic but also well-worn, placed in front of a small entertainment center. He notices that the furniture pieces are all of slightly different construction, not a matching set, though the colors of everything are very similar to the flooring. On top of the surfaces are various decorative knick knacks: little glass jars in varied colors with dried flowers, another lamp, a candle. The entire open area is painted a pale, pale desaturated viridian; Sasuke likes the color. From what he can see of the room past the expanse of wall to their right, it is painted a different color - linen white.

“Sai and Ino helped me with the paint colors when I moved in.” She pauses. “Well, Sai helped. Ino mostly just helped narrow down color selection. It needed painting anyways; my landlady said I could do pretty much anything as long as it wasn’t black or something.” She walks over to the lamp on the end table by the sofa, and switches it on. Then she wanders over to switch the pendant light over the table on, too.

Sasuke nods, still absorbing. There is an expanse of framed photos to his right, on the space leading up to what must be the kitchen. There are many, leading all the way down the wall, arranged in more of a collage fashion than straight across. He scans them quickly, and is surprised to see that their original Team Seven photo isn't among them. He knows it must be elsewhere in her apartment; she is too sentimental to not have it displayed somewhere. It makes him consider where he’s going to put the one Kakashi has given him.

“The layout is kind of unique,” Sakura continues, walking back towards him through the living room area. “There’s not really room for a dining table in the kitchen, so that table over there-” She motions towards where she just was, in front of the north window, “-is used for that. It’s kind of nice, that way; you can look out the window when you eat.” Sasuke notes upon further inspection that there are a few small plants sitting in the window there, similar coloring to the ones on her doorstep. A thriving jasmine plant is hung higher up, against the glass, fronds twisting downwards. He finds he can picture Sakura eating there easily.

Sakura crosses over into what he assumes is the kitchen; he follows, and notes as he does so that there is a faint aroma of tea, though it is a challenge to place the flavor. It’s simple, but with nice floor to ceiling white cabinetry, aside from a single area in the corner where there is open shelving of the same wood finish, as well as a window on the east wall, over the sink. This one appears to be lined with a small herb garden, more mismatched terracotta pots perched in the windowsill. The countertops here are also wood, in a similar colorway as the rest of the wood he’s seen so far. Most of what’s stored on the open shelving appears to be general dry goods, flour and sugar and oatmeal in clear containers. There is also a fern-colored teapot, decorated with a white floral design, sitting on the end of the shelf for easiest access; she must make tea often. There is a knife set on the counter, as well as a few ceramic containers holding various utensils such as whisks and wooden spoons. Nothing appears out of place, and there are no dishes in the sink; she must keep it pretty tidy. In the only empty corner, there is what he assumes is a pantry door, as well as a small wooden stool. He realizes then that she must not be tall enough to reach the top of the cupboards.

“Sai said keeping it a lighter color would make it look bigger. I think it helps. It’s pretty nice, otherwise.” She glances at him, then away, slightly flushed as if she’s nervous. He realizes, reciprocally, that he is kind of nervous, too, being in her space with her alone.

“Not much left but the hallway,” she adds after a moment, leading him out of the kitchen and further, to a hallway leading east. There are three doors towards the end of it; one to the left, one in the middle, and one to the right. Two of the three are sitting open; the small room straight ahead holds a stacked washer and dryer, as well as cabinets that match the ones in the kitchen. Once he follows her a few more steps, he sees a hamper, as well. The walls appear to be painted a lilac color in the laundry room, slightly darker in hue than the rest of her space thus far. The flooring is different, too, in the laundry room; a white tile, inlaid with a touch of black sparingly in a symmetrical pattern. The style of it is very in tune with the age of the building, reminiscent of an older time.

“Left door is the bedroom.” She gestures towards the closed door, then points to the next one. “Middle is the laundry room; that’s also where I keep any cleaning stuff, like the broom or mop.” She nods then towards the bathroom, so he steps closer to peer inside; it is painted a light sand color, with the same white tile accented with black, only here it also goes halfway up the wall. “And that’s the bathroom.” The same white cabinets appear here, too. It has a tub/shower combination, and a plain white shower curtain. It appears spotlessly clean. A window lies above the sink on the east wall, with another hanging plant dangling in front of it, towards the corner so it’s not in full light all of the time; it looks like a satin pothos. There is also a small wicker stool, on which are folded powder-white towels, and a small glass tabletop lamp, an interesting statement in a bathroom.

He remembers that there are three lamps she’s turned on already. She must not like hard lighting. He tries to resist the urge to smile, because neither does he.

“It’s nice,” he compliments as they make their way back to the living room area. It’s more than nice; he really likes it. Everything about it is as her as he expected it to be, more of a home than an apartment, eclectic combinations painting a picture very indicative of the life she lives here. Sasuke muses that it is especially characteristic of her that she would like different colors throughout the rooms, and that the colors fit their respective spaces well. He finds himself wondering what color she selected for her room, what color she deemed the most calming, though obviously he would never ask.

A deep blush inks it way onto her skin, and she smiles, seeming very pleased. “Thank you, Sasuke-kun.” Her gaze flits away, then back again. “Would you want to maybe watch something? I could make some tea, decaf, if you’d like.”

He nods.

“Okay; I can show you what I have.”

They go back into the kitchen. She opens one of the cabinets, the one nearest the teapot; the entire bottom shelf is filled with packaged tea, labeled jars of loose leaf, sugar, and a container of honey. The shelf above it contains teacups that match the teapot, and more jars of loose leaf, though these ones are labeled caffeine free. There are a few small boxes of packaged tea there, too; she must sort them separately based on caffeine content. The third shelf contains a few miscellaneous mugs and glasses. It’s quite a collection; he understands the mixed aromatics of different tea flavors he noticed earlier. It’s unique, enjoyable without being overwhelming, small hints of sweet spice and citrus drifting into the kitchen space more now that the cabinet door is ajar.

“Most of my packaged teas have more specific flavors, desserts and things like that,” Sakura mentions. “For loose leaf, I’ve got quite a few; caffeine-free ones are oolong, chamomile, lemon ginger, jasmine…” She shifts some of the jars to the side of the middle cabinet to reveal the ones behind it. “Silver needle, white coconut creme, Earl Grey, caramelized pear…”

“...Earl Grey sounds good,” Sasuke murmurs, moving slightly out of the way. She tips her head in acknowledgment before pulling that jar down, then reaching for the teapot.

“I’ll make some; I like Earl Grey at night. Do you want any cream or lemon or anything like that in yours? I have some in the fridge.” She moves to start the water boiling, removing the strainer from the teapot before she fills it. After it’s on the stove, she begins sifting loose leaf from the jar into the strainer so it’s ready.

“...Lemon would be good.” He likes adding lemon to Earl Grey; it makes it more tart. He feels like he should help, so he adds, “I’ll get it. Do you want cream in yours?”

Jade eyes flick to his, and her cheeks color a little. “...Yes. It’s on the top shelf of the door. There’s…” She pauses, as if embarrassed. “There’s normal creamer there too, but I have a coconut milk sweet cream that I like with mine. Just a little bit. It’s… meant for coffee, but…” When he smiles knowingly back, she looks away, back towards the teapot.

He opens the fridge; it’s extremely well-stocked. He doesn’t hover too long before he reaches to grab a lemon and the creamer she mentioned from the door’s upper shelf, but he notes there is a large container of strawberry topping on the top shelf towards the front, as well as a clear container with what may be banana nut muffins. She really does have a sweet tooth, he thinks, amused.

He shuts the door, and she procures a small cutting board from another cupboard and a knife to slice the lemon into wedges. She’s also grabbed two teacups, the ones that match the teapot.

“Thank you.” She’s smiling as he sets down the lemon and the creamer. “I can finish making this, if you want to maybe pick what we watch?”

“...What would you like to watch?”

Sakura blinks. “I’m honestly fine with anything. I’ve got some movies in the cabinet of the entertainment center… Otherwise I have cable to flip through, too.”

She must not go to bed too early, since she mentioned movies. He decides to ask. “...When do you usually go to bed?”

Something in her eyes softens. “Usually ten or eleven. It’s my weekend now, though, so I can stay up late, if you pick something longer.”

He nods, and she turns to slice the lemon halves into quarters, so he pads back to her living room. When he opens the cabinet below the television, he finds it nearly filled to the brim with movies. He settles down to siphon through them, skimming through various synopses. He comes across five or six shoved to the corner of one side haphazardly; those must be the ‘bad’ movies she watches with Ino. The rest of them that he finds sound fairly interesting. He ultimately picks one called A Tale of Archery; the summary makes it sound like a period drama with a twist. As he sits there, he tries to remember the last time he watched a movie; it was probably after he returned to Konoha but before he left for his journey, a rather stupid one with Naruto in his old apartment.

This one should be better. He hopes, brows furrowed, that it’s one she likes; he assumes she must like most of them, given that she owns them.

Sasuke stands with it as Sakura comes out with the tea, cups placed on small plates with dainty teaspoons. “Oh, that’s a good one,” she mentions. His heart flutters, and he feels a little less nervous. He puts it into the player on the next shelf before standing as she sets her plate and cup on her coffee table.

“Thank you,” he says softly when she hands him his, two slices of lemon perched on the side.

She smiles at him, dimple appearing, before grabbing the remote and flicking on the television so it starts setting up. “Do you mind if I shut off the overhead lights? I’m... not much one for hard lighting.”

“Not at all.” The space will be well-lit without it, with the lamps.

He takes a seat on the sofa while she walks over near the entryway. Sasuke realizes now that the couch isn’t terribly big; probably just enough for one person to lie down on, if they wanted to. It’s comfortable, as he’d anticipated. He sets his plate and cup on her coffee table so he can squeeze the lemon wedge into it, grabbing the spoon to stir as the overhead lights go out.

With the lights off, it is very cozy.

Sakura takes a seat next to him, not too close, but not the furthest away she could be, either. She fast forwards through the opening portion of advertisements as he stirs.

By the time he brings the cup to his lips to take a sip, the opening credits are playing. She sets down the remote and stirs her own cup once more, before also taking a sip.

It’s good; flavorful but not too intense, with a hint of bergamot orange rind and maltiness. The lemon gives it a slightly more acidic twist. He’s not much one for creamer, unless he’s in a rare mood on a cold fall or winter day, but he can see how the coconut milk sweet cream would compliment the taste, if one liked sweet things.

“It’s good,” he murmurs, meeting her eyes for a moment.

She glows at the compliment; he can make out a blush in the dim lighting. He feels his own neck heat up.

The movie is pretty good. It tells the story of a bygone feudal era a long time ago, peasants and samurai and daimyos with estates sprawling across countrysides lined with rice paddies. An archer passes away, and his son follows in his footsteps and becomes respected competitively. The twist is that the father actually went into hiding, and returns at the end of the movie.

It’s close to eleven when it’s over. Their teacups sit on her coffee table, long emptied.

Sasuke feels very content, and a little loath to leave, if he’s being honest. She seems slightly tired when she meets his eyes, though, so he slowly stands and reaches for his plate and cup. She does the same, and he trails after her to the kitchen, following her lead; she empties the lemon rinds into the garbage, so he does too. She then rinses her cup clean in the sink, extending her hand for his after.

“...What time should I come over tomorrow?” He asks in a hushed tone, when she turns to him. He’s not sure if the walls are thin or not, and they’re in the kitchen, so it’s not against her neighbors’ unit or anything, but he still somehow feels he should speak quietly; it’s somewhat dark, dimly lit only by cast light from the lamp in the other room.

Her countenance changes to one of consideration. “I was thinking maybe around eleven? I should have lunch ready around then.” Her eyes flicker to his, and her lips curve upwards; he tries not to look at them too long. “If that’s okay.”

He nods. “I’ll be here, then.”

Her lips curve upwards more. “I’ll walk you to the door,” she offers softly. He turns, and she follows.

“Do you like avocado?” She asks him as they shuffle into her entryway, where he stoops to retrieve his shoes. “I was… thinking about making avocado grilled cheese, to go with the soup.”

He glances upwards. “...I do.” He’s never had a grilled cheese sandwich with avocado before, but it sounds like it would taste good. He wonders again what kind of soup she’ll make; she knows his food preferences well, and she hasn’t asked, so it must be something she knows he’ll like. It makes his heart flip behind his ribcage a little.

“Oh, good. I’ll make that, then.” Her eyes drop down to her feet for a second as he rises back to his full height, sandals situated; it’s hard to tell in the lack of light, just the one lamp turned on in here, but he’s pretty sure she’s blushing again.

Her next words are near a whisper. “Thank you for… hanging out.” Multi-faceted jade seeps into him again, seafoam ebbing around dark pupils. He doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of it, after yearning for it for so long. “I had a nice time.”

He takes a quiet step closer to her, heart suddenly twisting in his chest as he tries to swallow his nerves, because she looks so happy, and it’s making his breath get stuck inside his lungs.

“...Me, too,” he whispers, barely audible before his lips brush hers gently.

It feels different, kissing her in the privacy of her apartment rather than on her doorstep. It’s like they can finally take their time, no real chance of interruption. His mind comes up with the word intimate, and his neck warms. Her mouth is all plush affection, bergamot and lemon and a subtle sweetness, stirred, that isn’t too much, accented by berry. It makes him want to try all of the varieties she has in her cabinet, even the sweet ones, just to see what they taste like on her lips in the hours that follow.

Delicate hands brush his shoulders, fingertips skimming the lower part of his neck, subtle beckoning but also gentle, respectful of boundaries, so he decides to corrode, give in and do something that he has wanted to do for a very long time. He cups her cheek with his hand, careful and barely there, gingerly sweeping a thumb over flushed skin, gliding atop a freckle that rests further back on her cheekbone. He’s had it memorized since they were kids.

The strands of pink he inadvertently touches are as soft as he remembers.

Her face is ablaze when they draw back from each other, tender smile and viridescent eyes laced with ardency just for him. Warmth pools in his belly as he studies her, decay long soothed and forgotten as he carefully strokes her cheek once more before he pulls away.

“...Good night, Sakura.”

The dimple makes one last appearance for the evening. “Good night, Sasuke-kun.”

XXX

Sasuke opens the first aid kit upon his return to his apartment, having been curious about what was in it all evening. Vines grasp his heartstrings as he discovers what’s inside.

There are two jars of loose leaf sencha tea that he’s sure came from the tea place they’d visited together a few days ago; one is labeled caffeinated, the other decaffeinated. Along with it is a basic tea infuser, new in its package. There are also three blue packages of cough drops, mentho-lyptus flavor, so they won’t be sweet.

Jade irises, he thinks, are also mollifying, for when the corrosion is done, an aether easily risen into, floating to the top.

Sasuke brews a mug of the jar labeled decaffeinated to enjoy before he goes to bed, a helpful succedaneum with which to conclude an evening well spent. It's not exactly the same shade of green, he thinks, before taking it to his living room so he can look out his window as he savors it, but it's close.

#naruto #sasusaku #ssfanfiction #cherry writes #like gold #fanfiction #longest chapter to date lmao #tw: self harm #tw: implied/referenced self-harm

28 notes · View notes

geckolady · 3 years

Text

Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - First day on the job

Stephanie woke up in the morning to an empty room but the sound of a lot of activity. She groaned, remembering exactly what a blubbering mess she had been the day before, but then she remembered that this was her house and her friends were here and they owed her a lot of hugs, especially now they were her brothers. How dare they be her brothers for – she checked her phone – twelve hours and she only got a hug from anyone but Skulduggery!

She stomped from the room and found them scattered in the hallway with various pieces of furniture and objects.

“Unacceptable!” She shouted at them. They all went silent and looked at her nervously. “How dare you!”

Dexter stepped forwards and put his hands up when she glared. “Stephanie, we thought you wouldn’t mind if we did some changes. We thought you would like it if you didn’t have to move home, you see, and we were moving out things–”

“Unacceptable! You did all this, made plans, and I haven’t even gotten any hugs. It’s not fair!”

She stepped forwards and clutched Dexter in a hug as tight as she could. “I love you!” She shouted into his chest.

He started laughing and hugged her back. “I love you too.”

She moved onto the others, getting better hugs as she went down the maturity scale, leaving her finally with Snake. “I got you a present,” he declared and looked around. His grin was replaced with a frown. “I lost it.”

Stephanie laughed and left to get herself breakfast since all they were doing was moving boxes into the bedrooms next to hers. When her stomach was full, she went back up to find the place clear of almost everything and the big man was carving names into some of the doors expertly. They were really nice – Erskine, Saracen, Ghastly, Anton. “Whose Anton?”

“Me,” he grunted.

She grinned. “I like that name.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve always called you Bear.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I gave you all nicknames. They’re fun, and I was little when I did it.”

He nodded and got back to his work so she left him and used the bathroom at the end of the hall – there was one on either end, luckily, and the rooms were large enough that they were not actually that close to each other. She’d have to really shout to get someone’s attention if they were at the other end of the hall. When she was ready, she went downstairs to the living room to find her friends sitting in there looking quite at home. It made her smile. They looked like a family.

Her smile faded.

She felt a little excluded with them looking so happy and close. They knew each other from every angle. She couldn’t compete with that type of friendship, couldn’t dominate that type of love. Where would she fit now Gordon wasn’t here to help her?

“Steph!” Dexter said, spotting her first. “What are you doing standing around? Come sit.”

There were no seats so Stephanie dragged the bean bag into the middle of the room and sat in the centre. Gordon said she if she was unsure, get right in the middle. She was probably misunderstanding but she was doing it, right?

“What are we doing today?” She asked them.

“Well,” Skulduggery, Crow, said, “I think a talk is necessary before we do anything.”

Ghastly, Panda, nodded. “Your uncle wanted to wait but this is different.”

Crow nodded. “Usually I would try to respect Gordon’s decisions even when he is not around but in this case our hands are simply being forced. Stephanie, do you believe in magic?”

And that was how she learned about magic. About skeletons and mages and fire and Elementals and Adepts and that her uncle had tried to keep her from such incredible things.

“Why didn’t Gordon want me to know about this?” She asked, feeling a little resentful.

“Your Uncle wanted you to understand the repercussions of making life decisions before you had to make one. I know that it may seem like he held you back from this, but he really just wanted to make you happy.”

Stephanie mulled it over in her mind. She supposed that was possible. It sounded like something he’d said once, so…

“Okay. So what are we doing today?” She asked again.

“Well, there is one more thing we need to tell you,” Panda said, scratching the back of his scared head. “Your uncle…”

“He was murdered,” Stephanie said. The others were incredibly quiet and looked almost guilty. “Yeah… I sort of got the impression when you started talking about that Serpine man, and how angry you are, and how much you all hate him, and how he keeps killing people. It was suspiciously stressed upon. I mean, it feels like you sort of wanted me to work it out. But Gordon told me you guys take down bad guys all the time. So you’re going to track him down, aren’t you?”

There was a long silence. “Fuck, this is going to be fun,” Wolf laughed, standing and pulling Stephanie into his arms. “Come along little brothers, we have a case to solve!”

Stephanie laughed and banged her head against the top of the door frame and laughed even more, falling over Wolf’s shoulder and just sort of hung there laughing. They were followed out to the cars. Panda’s van was there and so was Crow’s beautiful Bentley.

“So,” Wolf said when they were standing in front of their options. “Do you want to go with Skulduggery and visit China for information or do you want to go with Ghastly and help him make you some awesome new protective clothes?”

Stephanie pretended to think about it. “Crow. But I want to help afterwards.”

“That’s my girl,” and she was let down to get in the car. Wolf opened the door and pulled down the front seat for her. “In you get.”

Stephanie looked at the car. She looked at Wolf. “No.”

He hesitated. “Why?”

“I call shotgun.”

He grinned and she almost grinned back. “But I want shotgun.”

“I called it first,” she informed him. “Now get in.”

He sighed but did get in and Stephanie allowed herself to grin. It was a silly victory, but it was so fun to boss Wolf around.

Crow joined them and the three drove into the city to a residential area to park. Stephanie wasn’t worried about the car as she was too busy laughing with Wolf as he showed her his purple electricity magic.

“Aww, come on Crow,” she said, looking over her shoulder. He looked grumpy. “It’s not all that bad.”

He shook his head. “I promised Gordon I’d raise you into a respectable young woman with good prospects and without bias. Dexter is ruining that.”

“Are you saying Wolf is going to ruin me?”

“Yeah, don’t be so mean to my Cub!” Wolf defended her, putting an arm around her shoulder.

“I will not be ruined by anything. I am quite happy here. I’ve wanted to get to know you all since I was a little kid and go on adventures and solve cases and have fun. I’m doing that. Isn’t that exactly what Gordon would have wanted?”

He sighed. “Of course,” Crow admitted. “But not like this.”

Stephanie didn’t have an answer to that. She just asked Wolf if he could electrocute her if he used his magic with his other hand if he was holding her. He laughed but she felt like electricity would flow through him to her – it wasn’t that bad of a question.

Crow went ahead of them into the dingy old building and the two made a ruckus laughing and joking about falling through the stairs. “You two need to quieten down,” Crow told them. “China won’t be happy if you don’t stop.”

“Whose China?” Stephanie asked.

“China is a lady I often go to for information. She is the most beautiful lady in the world and people fall in love with her on sight. She abuses that love and makes them bring her things for her collection. She owns a library, you see.”

“Oh. She doesn’t sound the nicest.”

“She isn’t,” Wolf said, more serious than she’d seen that day. “China isn’t to ever be trusted, but she is a good ally, and very useful for getting information. People talk to her you see. And one more thing before we go in,” he said as they stood in front of a man with a bow tie. “Do not tell anyone your name. If you do they can control you, remember?”

She nodded. “Never.”

“That’s my Cub.”

They went silently through the aisles of the library in search of the beautiful lady. Stephanie had been worried she wouldn’t know it was her but as soon as the woman was in front of her she could do nothing but stare entranced by her. She wanted to fall to her knees, kiss her feet, do anything and everything for her.

“China,” Crow said, “stop it.”

The wonderful creature laughed, making Stephanie think of little crystal bells blowing in the breeze, and the feeling of absolute devotion lessened to a minor obsession. “I’m sorry, I forget what effect I can have on new people, especially the young. Allow me to introduce myself: I am China Sorrows. And you are?”

Stephanie almost told her but Wolf squeezed her shoulder, where his arm still lay, and she shut her mouth again.

Wolf rolled his eye. “She’s too smart to fall for that.”

China grinned, and Stephanie felt she was being mocked. It certainly let her shake off a little more of the overpowering emotions she was feeling.

“Don’t you have anything for me today Dexter? Not even a hug?” China asked.

“Naa, this is my only girl now.”

“I see I’ve been replaced then, and I don’t even get to hear her speak. So, tell me, why are you visiting me today?”

Crow took over. “We have reason to believe Gordon was murdered.”

“By who?”

He was silent.

“Oh, no,” China said with a gentle laugh. “Not Serpine again? Skulduggery, you think Serpine is guilty of every crime you stumble across.”

“That’s because he usually is.”

“Well I still can’t help you. I have heard nothing but nonsense rumours that don’t even deserve to be called rumours,” she said with a smirk. “I imagine it would make you laugh.”

“What is it then?” Stephanie asked, getting annoyed at the back and forth.

China laughed. “The word is that Serpine has begun believing in fairy tales. In the Sceptre of the Ancients.”

Crow was silent for a moment. “Has he found it?”

“Skulduggery, dear, the Sceptre is a legend and nothing more. There is nothing to find no matter how much he searches.”

“If he’s looking it has some value.”

“That doesn’t mean it exists though, only that he has become more insane.”

“He doesn’t sound like a stupid man,” Stephanie said quietly. “If he thinks it’s real, there has to be a reason, and you said he was looking right? So, he has an idea of where it was. Does that mean he killed Gordon for it? Did Gordon have it?”

The adults looked at each other. “I think you found a lead,” Skulduggery said after a moment of consideration.

They left quickly, trotting down the stairs and out to the car. Crow called the others and put it on speaker, letting Stephanie hold the phone up for him while he drove to Panda’s tailor shop.

“What did you find?” Panda asked when he picked up.

“He’s searching for the Sceptre,” Crow said.

“How did you figure that out?” Weasel, who was really Saracen Rue, asked confusedly. “I never would have thought up that.”

“I didn’t need you to,” Crow said. “My partner in crime did.”

There was a short silence. “Why does she get to be yourapprentice? I want a prodigy too.”

Stephanie grinned and tried not to start giggling as all six men started bickering over her. Eventually it was too much, and she started laughing uproariously at them, making them stop. She could feel them get embarrassed and probably defensive, but it just made her laugh more.

“Oh, please, stop!” She choked out between her laughs. “I’m gonna pee.”

“No! Ghastly, she’s yours,” Crow said in a panic.

She snorted. “I’m not really.”

“She’s mine.”

“You never said about what I thought.”

“Ah, yes. Stephanie realised that Gordon must have had it in his possession at some point, or else had information on where it must be. That’s why Serpine killed him,” Crow said, working it through. “Remember the legends. There can only be one owner of the Sceptre. If Gordon found it after centuries of it being lost, then he was the owner. Upon his death, the Sceptre became free for the taking again, making Serpine able to take the Sceptre with no problems.”

“That means it must be in the mansion,” Stephanie said. “There’s so many trap doors and spaces in the walls, and he never let me in the basement or loft or most of the third floor, or the fourth at all. It could be anywhere in there.”

Crow nodded. “Exactly.” He pulled the car to park on a dodgy looking street. Crow told them they were coming to the shop and they hung up, Stephanie letting Wolf out the back at which point his protective arm returned to her shoulders. It was fun having a big brother.

The shop was grey and a little run down, like the rest of the area, but when they entered it was bight, open and nice looking, if a little like a bachelor pad that had clashed badly with silk, chiffon, tweed and every imaginable button, thread, colour and material. It somehow was still masculine, made better by the muscles on Panda as he run a black as night material through his sewing machine with tender care. She couldn’t help but grin.

“Where in the mansion?” Snake, really Erskine, asked when they had locked the door. They were sprawled around the room, leaving Stephanie the only person standing. They had even taken the table space. She sat, instead, on the arm of the sofa next to Anton.

“Under the mansion is a cave system,” Crow admitted. “Gordon said when he was looking for his home that it was the only place with a magic history – he only wanted one steeped in as much magic as possible – that had only a negative history attached to its magic. Of course, he loved the scandal and bought it, and said once that it had a cave system beneath it. He found a journal from the owner a year later and was raving that he got in and there’re magic creatures. I agree he could have decided to hide the Sceptre anywhere, perhaps to trick someone into going into the caves, but it doesn’t seem his style.”

“If Gordon loved magic as much as you say, and he has a magical cave system with magic security, why wouldn’t he hide it there? It sort of makes sense he’d decide that.”

“Precisely. The Sceptre is free for taking so long as you can get into the caves, so long as you can get passed the monsters and whatever other traps have been set up, if you can get out afterwards. It can be done, but can he do it before us?”

“Nope,” Stephanie said. “We have the house, we can get it today.”

“How do we get in?” Bear asked.

“We need a key. I doubt Gordon would have left that around the house,” Crow said, rubbing his bone jaw.

“So the key is to find the key,” Snake said, smirking. “Any ideas.”

They were silent thinking it through.

Crow cleared his non-throat. “Gordon said what I searched for was right in front of me.”

“Oh fuck,” Stephanie said, sagging. She got looks of shock and scandal, and a few winks. “Fergus and Beryl have the key.”

2 notes · View notes

ilguna · 4 years

Text

Belamour - Chapter Seven (f.o)

summary: they say the odds tend to favor those who need them. well, they were wrong.

warnings; swearing, MURDER, CHILD MURDER

wc; 9.8k

NOTES: i give reader a last name to fit the world.

–

You wouldn’t exactly say that you’re lucky to be alive. More that you’re lucky you had actually gotten back to the cornucopia when you did, that you were sponsored, and your allies hadn’t killed you.

Had you laid in that grass, you would have died. There’s no question about it There’s no way that they would have moved out of the cornucopia after everything that had happened in those trees. Even this morning they’ve seemed to be apprehensive. They won’t admit they’re afraid, but it’s all in their eyes.

Also the sponsor gift that Anchor had sent in. You bet that Mags was already sleeping by then, letting Anchor take the night if she could take the mornings. It would make the most sense. Mags tends to take a lead on things. You noticed that on the train and inside of the Capitol. Anchor mostly sits back and chimes in when he thinks it’s necessary.

Anchor sent in the healing cream, a huge tube of it. Which lets you know that you weren’t getting sponsored by any person, it was someone rich that’s betting on your win. Because of the cream, your back is mostly healed. By tomorrow, it should be nothing but a huge, pink scar that stings.

For now, each time you move your arms and shoulders, it hurts pretty bad on your upper back. It’s no longer bleeding, but it’s open. And so is the back of your blue-grey shirt and the thin, white jacket. Every time there’s a breeze, you can feel it. You need to find a change of clothes.

Although, you’re not really complaining. The cold wind is a small remedy to how hot the wound feels. You aren’t too concerned about it, you vaguely remember the first aid expert in the Training Center telling you that when it feels hot, it means your body is doing it’s job. It’s not going to be infected, not with the healing cream. But your body is still going to act like it is.

Honestly, you’re surprised that you hadn’t died from how much you bled. Not only is your shirt torn, but it’s stained a deep maroon color. Similar to the color of the dress that Trink had worn on the night of the interviews. Only, this time it’s terrifying to see, knowing that it came from your body.

You wonder if your brothers had seen it. Had watched you stick by that tree, catch a breather, and find Eytelle. If they were screaming at the hologram, begging you to keep moving instead of inspecting the scene in front of you, and then grabbing the knife. You know you’d be extremely upset.

You can almost hear them now, how loud and desperate they’d be. Alon with them would be anchor, and maybe Elysia if she’s up that late. All wondering why you didn’t just keep moving. It’s not your problem, it’s not your district mate. It’s an ally that’s offering you a safe escape. The bears will take her as entertainment in trade for your departure.

But then you mercy killed her, taking the entertainment away, and shifting the attention to you, the substitute.

And then you ran, and nearly made it out of the woods without any repercussions. You were two steps away from freedom, from beating the mutations and showing the Capitol that not only are you merciful and kind, but you’re quick too. You can slip out of their grasp and they can’t do anything about it.

Unfortunately you weren’t quick enough.

Also, in all honesty, you’re not even entirely sure if you killed Eytelle out of mercy, or because when you did make it back to the cornucopia, you just didn’t want to listen to her scream all night. Your allies--and probably the entirety of the Capitol and then some--think that you did it because of mercy, but you don’t care about any of that.

At least it’s kept Allio, Trink and Lennox off of your already shredded back. The last thing you need is them being suspicious of you, and watching every move you make. You think they’re already like that, after how you handled Horace. There’s no reason to fuel it.

If you can take down a seventeen year-old boy, who’s like three times your size and reminds you of the sports players back home, it’s a wonder what else you can do. The moment they start testing those limits is the moment you should probably run, and run far and fast.

For now, you just have to continue being careful with what you say.

Flipping over another box lid, you lean in and rummage through the stuff. More canteens, wire, some rope. Nothing too important. You close it, and move onto the one next to it. You know that the Capitol typically provides two boxes of spare clothes, but you didn’t know how hidden they’d be.

Wincing, you pull the lid open.

“Are you sure you don’t want help?” Trink asks.

“I’ve got it.” you tell her, “It’s a good pain, a nice burning sensation.”

“I’m not sure if that’s normal.” She laughs, “But it’s nice to see you moving like this, last night was pretty awful. At one point, Lennox was sure you stopped breathing.”

Yes, you remember her telling you this when you woke up. She admitted how relieved she felt. She said you’ve grown on her, you’ve earned your spot in the group multiple times. And when Allio walked away with Lennox to go check out the beach area straight from the mouth of the cornucopia, she told you Allio wanted to find a way to repay you.

It’s nice to have someone in your debt, but you doubt that he’ll actually end up doing anything. He might just thank you or something. You don’t know just yet, they haven’t come back in a while. For a while, the two of you watched them through the trees until you couldn’t anymore.

“I bet.” you say, catching the box lid before the entire thing topples over onto its back, “How badly did I scare you when I came around the side?”

There’s clothes in this box. You can finally change.

“Honestly, we thought you were the one that was caught and Eytelle was the one walking around the corner. We realized we stopped hearing your backpack jostling when we thought about it. We thought that Eytelle had taken some other part. Allio’s always said that she’s slippery when she runs.”

Not enough. She was slow last night. All that boasting of her being able to outrun you all in any situation, was for nothing. You had a heavy sword and a backpack full of supplies and you still kept ahead of her. Had you not tried to slip between the narrow path between the trees, you would have still been ahead of her.

And maybe had even left her to suffer. If you had ran out of the trees with the others, you definitely wouldn’t have ran back inside to shut her up. You would have suffered with the rest, listening to her screams, sobs and pleas for anyone to end it for her. You’re stupid, but not that stupid.

Although, in that hypothetical situation, you can imagine yourself not carrying literally everything on you. It would only be your small knife. No heavy sword, no backpack chocked full of the goodies in the case of you getting separated. In that case, you might still have your backpack and not some shredded fabric and unusable items.

The claws on those bears had to have been long. Because it was enough to tear that backpack straight off your back and still reach your skin. In just one swing of its paw, too. So terrifyingly impressive and it could have cost you your life.

You can’t remember actually seeing that long of claws on the bears last night, though. Of course, it was dark and hard to see enough as it is. All you can remember the most vividly is how bright their eyes were. But when you looked back that one time while running, you were able to see that they were bears before Eytelle announced it.

It’s weird, for sure. Last night doesn’t even seem real to you, and the only things that actively proved it happened is the scratch marks on your back and the fact that Eytelle is nowhere to be seen.

Out of the box, you pull out a new shirt and jacket. You rummage a little more, trying to find a sports bra too, but there’s none. You’d say that you’re annoyed, but it’s not a mandatory thing that you need. The fabric is a little torn towards the bottom, other than that it still does it’s job.

Before the boys come back, you pull the shirt off and toss it into the wood for the fire pile. You pull on the new shirt, Trink helps to make sure it doesn’t catch in your wound on it’s way down. And you tie the new jacket around you waist, since it’s too hot during the day to wear. It’s mostly for the nighttime.

It’s not too cold at night, but it’s not hot either. It’s really riding that line. It’s like springtime in Four, when it’s about to hit summer at any moment. Watching how the temperature rises every weekend, until it’s time for tank tops and shorts again and preparing to sit out on a boat for all hours of the day.

If you win, you’ll never have to fish again.

Right as you close the box and head back to the cornucopia to grab another safe-keeping knife to keep on your belt, Lennox and Allio come back around. Swords in hand, and they’re sweating.

Lennox nods in your direction, “It’s definitely salt water.”

You told him that just before they left. They insisted on double-checking, as if your nose and the years of you living off the west coast smelling the salt wouldn’t be good enough. Then Allio added that they’d check for other things too, so it’s not just the salt water that they were checking.

“Fish?” you ask.

“Think we saw some.” Allio says, taking a seat and pulling out his water. You can vaguely hear it slosh in his bottle. You’re almost out, and it’s time to take a trip down to the pond, “We can’t be sure, though. Who knows what's out there?”

Plenty of water mutts, you’re sure. You tuck the new knife on your belt and then reach for an empty backpack that’s laying against the wall. Their attention doesn’t stay on you for too long, and it eventually fizzles into a debate on whether or not you all should be going out to hunt tributes again.

It’s around the same time the games started yesterday, which is ten. You think it’s a little past that, maybe eleven to twelve? There’s really no way to tell, there’s no clocks in the arena, and it’s not like you can just make them either. All you really have is the sun, and where it’s positioned over the sky.

Considering that you guys took hours to get to where you did in the woods, only to rubber band all the way back here, you think it’s useless to go and try to get out there again. However, you all were messing around on the way there. It’s not like you were just walking in a straight line, every now and then you were taking breaks and chasing each other like a group of friends would.

If you go out today, you’ll have to keep on track for a while to make sure that you get passed where you were the first time. And it’s not even guaranteed that you’ll come across anyone. It would be nice to, just so the games aren’t dragged on for too long, but none of you are in control of that.

Then again, you need water. You’re down to half your canteen, and you should have been done with it by now and halfway through the next. One or all of you need to get moving out there. Gather the water and come back and start planning on what’s going to happen for lunch and dinner.

They seem to be on track with your thought process, “We need to find something to eat, though, Allio.” Trink argues, leaning up against the wall, “I’m hungry, and we haven’t eaten since yesterday. It’s noon.”

“That’s not too bad.” Allio says, “If we could hold out a little longer--”

“It’ll just create an unmanageable eating schedule.” Trink flicks a rock at him, and it nails his forehead. You watch his face turn pink, and you think it’s from anger with how his lips are turned downwards like his eyebrows already are.

“Alright, so what’s your brilliant idea?” Allio asks, crossing his arms, “Go ahead.” and when she looks like she’s thinking up a plan, he says, “Right, that’s what I thought.”

“Chill out.” Lennox tells him.

You stuff the backpack with a pocket knife, a fire starter, another first aid kit, a rope, and some other things that you think will be important. Water bottle, small fleece blanket, a change of socks. You cycle through the boxes until you think you’re fine, then you remember your healing cream.

“We need water.” you stab the sword into the sand, pulling it out and doing it again as they open up to allow you into the conversation, “The pond is an hour away. I think I saw fish yesterday, so here’s an idea; I take one of you with me down to the pond to get water and food.”

Trink motions your way, “See?”

“That’s her brilliant idea.” Allio says, “I’ll go with (Y/n).”

“We’ll get stuff for fires.” Lennox says.

Trink yawns, sliding off of the black box she was sitting on, “And I’ll look for a backup plan on food while we’re at it.”

Problem solved with no conflict. You’d hate to see how they’d tear each other apart. There’s still fourteen people left in the games. Four of those being you guys, and the other ten being everyone else. You think if a fight were to break out between Allio and Lennox, Lennox would kill Allio because he knows Trink better.

You think you’d kill Allio too. And even though it would be a perfect time to kill him on the way to the pond, you’ll have to hold back. Killing Eytelle was looked at for mercy, if Allio died, there’s no doubt that Trink and Lennox would be suspicious. It would ruin the thin cover you have already.

On the way out of the cornucopia to go behind it and straight to the pond, you’re able to see how the sand is stained red from the blood of yesterday’s events. Obviously, the gamemakers had collected the bodies after the bloodbath when you all left, but that doesn’t mean they had to clean up the sand too.

It’s a gross color. It’s not like the color that had been on your old shirt. This time, it’s a washed out red. It’s obviously blood, and when Allio walks over a patch of it with no remorse, it crunches beneath his feet. So, not only is it a deadly color, it’s also hard and crunchy and the thought alone makes you gag.

And just before you reach the trees, officially leaving the battlegrounds, you see where you had landed in the sand early this morning when the bears had chased you all the way to the treeline. You can see little shreds of fabric scattered over the sand, and where blood had run when you walked over to the cornucopia to hold yourself up.

After that, you’re in the trees and starting your treacherous walk all the way to the pond. You know you volunteered for it, but the sun beating on your head from above isn’t exactly a pleasant feeling. In fact, you think you liked it better inside of the cornucopia, even though it too, has been baking in the sun and it feels like the inside of an oven.

For the first ten to fifteen minutes of the initial walk, it’s quiet between you two. You spend the time stretching every bit of your arms until your back hurts because of it. Allio stares at the ground, and you begin to notice that you’re taking the exact path you took to escape the bears, but backwards. You begin to urge him to move right, because the pond is in a little dip in a cliff area.

Another ten minutes, and Allio has decided to break the silence, “What did Eytelle look like?”

Your face twists immediately when you go to look at him. You’re sure it’s not a real question until your eyes land on his face. He’s not kidding.

“I don’t…” you shrug, you’re not sure how he wants this question answered.

You remember. You saw her stretched out, back on a rock as claws dug into her skin. You saw the blood running down her skin, the ripped clothes stretched too far. Her mouth open wide in a never-ending scream. It was like she was being tortured for them all to see. It wasn’t nearly as bad as seeing Horace’s skull cracked open, but it was still a sickening sight. Right up there with the decapitation.

“Well, you saw her, didn’t you?” he asks.

“Yes,” you say slowly. How are you going to let him down easy?--assuming that’s what he wants.

“How did she look?”

You should have asked for Trink or Lennox to come along, if you knew that he’d be pulling some shit like this you would’ve.

“In pain.” you say simply, hoping that’ll be enough.

It’s not, “Come on, (Y/n). You saw her, what did she look like?”

“Ugly.” you finally spit, which has him whipping his head back in your direction, “Covered in her own tears and blood. Her skin and clothes were ripped to shreds, she looked like the type of tribute I’d click my tongue at back home and say ‘a damn shame’.” you look at him, “You happy now? Death is not pretty, it’s gruesome and traumatizing.

“No matter how pretty you are for the cameras, you’re always ugly during death, especially in the arena. I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but stop romanticizing it. She’s dead, Allio. She knew it was coming. Let her rest.”

“That’s how you really feel, huh?”

“It’s the truth.” you swear to god, if he tries to spin this on you later, you’ll tear him down. Forget him and Trink butting heads, if he even tries to get rid of your spot in the alliance, you’ll make sure it’s his last words.

This all reminds you of what you thought earlier. If you pulled half the shit that they do in here, you’d have your hands slapped and be reprimanded by nearly everyone. Naida’s family, your brothers, people in The Square, everyone at school. They’d all think that something is wrong with you or whoever parented you.

You knew there was a culture difference between the districts, but you didn’t know exactly how bad it was.

You swing the sword in your hand, and you’re glad that Allio doesn’t continue to bring it up. You said what you said, and you’re not going to hand out apologies. And so long for him being in your debt, because you might have just ruined that between you and him.

At the pond, you take the task of filling up the waters, while he adds the iodine drops to them. He shakes, and then moves on. When you’re done gathering water, you go a little further down the pond with him. He helps clean the dried blood off of your back, and when the water stops running pink, you pull your shirt back on.

With the water and fabric combined, you can feel just how good the breeze is against your skin. With the new information, the two of you dunk your shirts in the water, squeeze enough to leave the shirts damp and then wear them. You drink your cleaned water, and figure that Allio can gather more by himself while you wander along the water.

Yesterday, you remember not finding any good spots, but it’s nice to check anyway to ease your mind. If you don’t find any tributes, it’s just insurance that no one will come running later tonight or whatever. Tonight, all the other tributes will know that you’ve lost someone in your alliance. It will be tempting to come and attack.

You’re about to call it, wanting to go back to Allio since you can’t hear him humming anymore. But there’s a rustle in the bush in front of you, that would be to your back if you turned around. You hesitate for a moment, because whatever is in the bush now knows that they messed up. You know that they’re there, and they know it’s any moment before they get hunted.

They shouldn’t have weapons though, and you think it’ll be more tempting to pounce on you, if you turn your back. A dangerous plan, but you’ve got to bait them out of the bush without jumping in there, yourself. The bush and whatever could be behind it, like a trap.

You turn, “Stupid animal.” and pretend you don’t hear the leaves after that, either.

A couple steps back towards Allio, you hear the twig snap, and go to turn back around again, sword weighted in your hands. But there’s a pair of arms around your neck and legs around your hips, like a hug. The arms are small and you think you can break them free, but they’ve got an iron lock. And with how they’re pressed against you, they’re rubbing against the open wound on your back.

You reach for the sword, which is now laying on the bank and is teetering over the edge. And the moment you do go to grab it, there’s yanking on your hair to keep you up, a loud and screaming pain in your temples.

Fuck.

You inhale as much as you can through your nose—which isn’t a lot—turning your back to the water. You can hold your breath for over three minutes. These other tributes? They’ve never seen bodies of water deeper than puddles in their districts. Without a single noise coming from you, you throw yourself back into the water, holding onto the arms around your neck.

If you’re going down, someone is going with you.

The cold water engulfs you. For a moment, it’s like you’ve parted the sea, until it all comes crashing over you. In that time, you can hear the tribute holding onto you, gasps. They must have realized their mistake. Not even a second later, they’re trying to struggle out of your grasp.

Too late, they’ve dug their grave, now it’s time to lay in it. If they were smart, they wouldn’t be struggling like how they are. They’d be playing dead, and they’d have a better chance at holding their breath. And they would have had a chance at escaping.

They loosen their arms just big enough for you to slip out of which causes a nice, searing pain to go through your back because of the friction. When you turn them to face you, hands on their wrists and eyes glaring in their direction, you can hardly make out their face. You can’t tell who it is, but you guess that doesn’t really matter. Either way, it’s going to be painful on their part.

They’re kicking their legs, trying to get their wrists free from your hands. You just hold on, occasionally kicking to keep yourself near the surface so it’ll be easy to reach when they do die. You realize this is like teasing them, knowing that if they could just get free, they’d be able to breathe.

They’re yanking, and you watch as they go to kick your stomach. You turn them to the side, watching their leg go right through the murky water. You kick to get back up again, but they’re beginning to drag you down.

You knew that the pond was going to be fairly deep, but you keep sinking way past the point you thought you’d stop. The light above begins to have trouble making its way through the dirty water. And you finally watch the tribute in front of you take in their first breath of water.

And they choke, you let go of their hands and watch as they immediately go to grab their neck as if it’ll help the pain that’s beginning to flare. With each gulp comes a more panicked look, eyes wide and almost bulging from their sockets.

You don’t watch anymore, feeling a deep burning pain in your own chest. It’s a good burn, reminds you of all the times you’ve held your breath to beat your past score. As you swim to the surface, you think you can make out the figure of Allio, standing over the water.

Trying to swim up while wearing the boots is hard, but it’s even worse with all the clothes and jacket you have on. Had you been barefoot, you’d be above water by now.

A hand plunges into the water, outstretched in your direction. You give a few more hard kicks before you’re reaching up too, grabbing onto the hand. They pull you out of the water, hand first and then your head.

You gasp through your mouth, grabbing onto the grass to keep yourself from sliding back in. You’ll remember this, how deep the water is. You just kept sinking and sinking. If one of the others had jumped in here, thinking that they could just float, they would have ended up like that other tribute.

A cannon sounds, and Allio is pulling you up the bank a little more. When you’re halfway onto land, he leaves you to do the rest. Underwater you can actually feel how heavy you are, but on land you feel it all, and then some. The jacket around your waist is weighing you down.

With one hand, you push the hair out of your face, still taking deep breaths, “I saw them in the bushes but I didn’t know that they’d do that.”

“Who was it?” He asks, crouching down. He’s pulling your sword away from the edge, “Did you see?”

“No, the water is so dirty down there.” You turn over, sitting on your butt as you squeeze the water from your hair, “It’s deep, Allio. Anyone who can’t swim well can easily drown. It just kept going and going.”

“We’ll stick next to the shallow end for now on.” He says.

You get to your feet, not liking the way the inside of the shoes squish and how the water runs out through the seams. You remember that you packed dry socks for a reason like this, but there’s no point to put them on. The shoes will just get them wet again.

You squeeze the shirt, and then as much as the jacket as you can. While you’re gathering your sword in your hands again, you and Allio watch the body appear at the top of the pond. For a moment, you can’t seem to register the fact that they’re facing upwards because of how bloated their face is.

And then it clicks. A boy who can’t be any older than thirteen is floating on the water. There were only two tributes that were younger than you and Finnick, and it was the District Twelve tributes.

No matter who it is, it’s bad either way. The girl was only twelve, and the boy thirteen. It doesn’t matter, that one year doesn’t matter. You just killed someone that’s so young, it’s sickening. Their parents back home in Twelve are crying over them, and you’ve just been labeled a child murderer.

It was luck that they managed to survive past the first day. Had the boy--you think it’s the boy in the water--not taken the bait of you turning your back, he would still be alive. Might even be running far away from the pond. But he didn’t, he jumped, and you killed him because of it.

It’s survival of the fittest. It’s not your fault.

“We should start heading back to the cornucopia.” Allio says, watching the gallons of water leave your jacket. It’s holding more than you anticipated, and it actually seems to be where the bulk of the weight is coming from. Of course.

“In a second, what if the Twelve girl is around?” you ask, regripping the sword in your hand. Then, you use the blade to very gently scrape off mud from the back of your jeans.

“How about I handle her?” Allio asks, holding the backpack out to you.

You take it, pulling the straps around your shoulders, “Don’t fall into the water. I’m not going to save you.”

“Good to know.” he says, “We’re even now, by the way.”

He starts walking around the area, stabbing through bushes with his sword. Even? For what?

“What do you mean?” you ask, shifting on your feet. You can feel the water squish between your toes.

“Eytelle.” Is all he says, and it’s enough for you.

After checking around the area for a final time, the two of you regroup and head right back for the cornucopia. There’s no reason to fuck around, your feet are already going to hurt enough as it is by the time you reach the cornucopia. Why make it worse?

The conversation back isn’t much better than the Eytelle conversation, but at least he’s not asking you what it was like to watch Twelve boy drown. Instead, he’s asking you about your own personal experiences with water.

“District Two is pretty dry.” he says, “No water.”

“There has to be water somewhere, you’re just not allowed to see it. But I believe you on the dry thing, you’re mostly desert, right?”

“Yes.” he says, “Makes for hot summers and freezing winters with barely any snow unless you live up north.”

“Sounds miserable.” you snort.

“What about you? What’s it like in Four?”

You shake your head, looking up, “Well, up north it’s freezing and it gets the most weather. That’s where I am, but down south there’s intense heat and humidity and all that.”

“You get rain?”

“Frequently during the spring and fall, snow in winter, and barely any hot weather in summer.” you slide the sword into a small fabric piece on the side of the backpack, making it so you don’t have to carry it all the way back. When you reach over, you find the handle easily.

“Sounds a lot more exciting.”

You shrug, you wouldn’t say that. Your district may get nice weather and pretty views, but with how much fish you’re bringing in and the way that you live next to salt water, there’s some smells that are permanently stained into you. Salt water, fish and sweat is how Cleo had loudly said on the day you first met them all. And honestly, you thought you did a good job with trying to mask the smell.

The night of the interview, she told you that you’d done a complete one-eighty. You’d gone from smelling like home to smelling like the Capitol. Which is extremely strong and expensive cologne and perfume that you’d have to sell your house a hundred times over to even begin to afford the cheapest selection.

Although, with how Allio has described District Four, you think that they might have it worse. Back home, you’re all used to the smell because there’s no real… variety… so to say, with how the district smells. Of course, in the south it might smell like hot, baking fish that’s been sitting in the sun all day, compared to just sweat and fish.

But in District Two--as Eytelle had proudly stated hours before her death--they’re all able to afford perfumes. And it’s not like you’re saying that Four can’t afford perfumes, but the higher class don’t necessarily associate with lower class unless it’s for business. So typically, you’re not smelling anyone with perfume unless it’s some kid wearing it to school.

Anyway, back to what you’ve tried to say; you have a feeling that District Two citizens smell like sweat, labor and perfume and cologne combined. Which is an awful smell, you can imagine. The perfume, shampoo, body wash and all of that, that your prep team had chosen all either smelled fruity or expensive. And you’re already getting a headache at the thought of mixing a fruity smelling perfume with sweat.

Deodorant exists, but like… there’s a huge problem with those scented ones too but you won’t get into that. You’ve already made your point. While Two might have low poverty rates and winning tributes, they smell like sweat from baking in the sun and try to fix it by spraying on perfume. That’s what you think, at least.

Naturally, a lot of Four people spend their time in the sun--the boats and fishing, hello--but you’re all used to it by now. After spending hours and hours in the sun, and watching people around you do the same, you’ve all managed to form the same habit to keep yourselves from smelling too bad.

But then again, Cleo proudly saying you smelt like sweat could just mean that all of this was futile. You’re not as nice smelling as you like to think. That, or the smell has been permanently etched into your skin since the day you were born, and the only way of escaping it is to not live in Four anymore. Which definitely isn’t going to happen.

There’s no more talking for the rest of the way back to the cornucopia. By the time you see it through the trees, you’re starting to feel a bit sick because of how hungry you are, and the shirt and your jeans have dried.

Before you walk into the sand, you have the mind to pull off your socks and shoes to make sure that they won’t make mud on the way to the cornucopia. The good news is that Trink and Lennox have food cooking by the time you get inside. They immediately noticed how disheveled you are, though.

“What happened?” Trink asks.

“Drowned the Twelve boy in the pond.” you pull off the backpack and set it next to where you’ll be sitting at. Then you start squeezing out the water off to the side, “You guys need to be incredibly careful, it’s deep.”

“How deep?” Lennox asks, “Waist, throat…?”

“Fifteen and deeper. Way past your head, obviously.” you put a box out into the sun, lay your jacket on it, and then your socks. On either side of the box is your shoes, and all you can do is hope that the sun will have them dried fairly quickly.

You pull out your ponytail, and then gather it all back up messily into what it was before. You sit between Lennox and Allio after that, watching as another pig is cooked over the fire.

“So that was the cannon.” Trink leans against the wall, “For a second, we thought it was the other tributes fighting it out.”

“Hardly.” Allio says, “(Y/n)’s on a roll.”

Lennox is bobbing his head along, “Yeah, how many is that now?”

You’re uncomfortable, and you trace patterns into the sand, not answering the question. Your silence doesn’t matter to them, because they start marking off the tributes they killed during the cornucopia and trying to pinpoint which ones belonged to you.

By the time that the food is ready, they’ve got Horace, Eytelle and the Twelve boy under your name, completely missing the mark with the Ten girl. They’ve got pretty hefty numbers themselves, but you already knew that. Lennox with the Ten and Six boys, and Trink with the Five boy. You’re not entirely sure with Allio, because he’s not exactly giving up numbers or names. You think his is zero.

“I actually think I got that Seven girl, too.” she draws another line next top her, “Me and (Y/n) are tied.”

No, not tied. She’s just under you, and it makes her just as dangerous as you are. You wonder if you can downplay your kills down to one or two, and not even three. Makes you less of a threat, doesn’t keep their eyes on you. Turns their attention to Trink next.

“I didn’t even kill the Twelve boy.” you reason, and Allio’s eyebrows are drawing in, because he clearly watched you come up victorious, “Just because I dragged him under, doesn’t mean I killed him. Honestly, it’s the water that did all the work. I couldn’t even get a hold of him, I just kept making sure he stayed under.”

“So two and a half, then.”

“No, with that logic, Eytelle isn’t even a kill either.” Lennox says, “He’s half, like an assist or something. The mutts did most of the job.”

You don’t think that the gamemakers are playing along in this case. All kills are final under a tributes name. You finished off Ten girl, and Horace, and Twelve boy. Those are all fair and square, those were under your conditions, you bent them to your will. With Eytelle it’s a little more sketchy, because you weren’t fighting her directly, but you guess it could count because you ended her life.

Four deaths already and it’s only been two days.

“So, two then…?” Trink asks.

“Might as well give her one, at this point.”

You shrug, “It makes the most sense.”

“Fine, (Y/n) gets one because of Horace. I get three,” Trink puffs her chest, “Lennox gets two and Allio gets... “ her face twists, and then she looks at him, “Half because he killed a pig last night.”

His face twists angrily, but you and Lennox let out a laugh at the same time. It seems to diffuse the tension enough to make Allio’s face relax, but he’s clearly not happy with what Trink has said. She giggles along, smiling down at the sand.

“I got someone.” he says.

“Yeah? Like who?” Lennox asks, he’s slicing his knife through the skin of the boar, and on the inside you can see that it’s cooked.

“One of the nobodies from Nine, I think.”

“Boy or girl?” You ask, you can’t remember their names and you can hardly remember their faces.

“Boy.”

“You’re just bullshitting at this point.” Trink says.

“Shut the fuck up.” Allio snaps, and she’s raising her eyebrows, and then giving you a wide-eyed look like she’s saying, ‘someone’s got their panties in a twist’ and she’s totally right.

“It’s ready.” Lennox says, and you all fall into silence as you tear into the pig.

The rest of the day is spent inside of the cornucopia. When it starts hitting the evening, you go out to check the salt water to see if there is fish. The moment you peer into the water, you know that it’s almost a lost cause. You’d have a better chance of fishing in the pond, but you don’t remember seeing any fish in there either.

The other’s aren’t too worried, saying that you’ll just kill boars and eat crackers until you run out. What happens after that? Lennox says he’ll start hunting for the smaller animals after that. For now, there’s no reason to bother if there’s food at your fingertips.

Almost an hour before the faces in the sky show, you’re pulling your socks and shoes back on. The socks are dry but the shoes are pretty wet, even after you’ve been squeezing the water out of the soles in uneven intervals. The jacket has been dry for a while, so you pull the stiff fabric back over your arms and zip it up to your chin.

You find a nice spot towards the back of the cornucopia that’s behind a pile of boxes. You make it your hope, and have everything set up in arms-length. To your right, at the same height of your hips is your small knife. The sword is off to the left, which will be easy for an intruder to see.

During the anthem, you’re nibbling on your crackers, watching the faces appear. First is Eytelle, naturally since she’s from Two. Now, everyone knows who was screaming early this morning. Everyone knows you’re down to four. Finally, the boy from twelve. The anthem finishes off with a flourish, and the sky goes dark.

Lennox volunteers to watch this time around, and after Trink helps you apply more of the healing cream, you’re laying down in your cozy spot and sleeping for the rest of the night.

In the morning, you wake by yourself. Allio has got his knees pulled to his chest, bags beneath his eyes as he rests his chin on his knees. Every now and then he yawns, as if you guys have woken up early into the morning, but by judging the sky, you can clearly tell it’s nowhere near early. It’s ten or later.

“Where’s Trink and Lennox?” you sit up, scratching the back of your head.

You can feel the sand falling from your hair and down the back of your shirt, which is so damn gross. Not only do you have shit from the pond yesterday stuck in your hair, you also have sand. Sounds like you need to go down to the salt water and ‘wash’ your hair.

Allio yawns again, this time struggling to tame it. He closes his eyes, and places his forehead on his knees, “Out. They’ve been gone for thirty minutes, now. They should be back soon.”

“Right.” you say, picking up your knife, “Well, I’m going down to the beach to scrub my hair.”

“Don’t want to wait for a buddy?”

“Nah.” you pull off the jacket, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“‘Kay.”

You roll your eyes, stretching your arms on the way to the beach, and you realize immediately that your back doesn’t hurt at all when you do. It’s a good sign. You knew that it wouldn’t be open for much longer. For good measure, you should apply one last layer, you think. No matter what happens, there’s going to be a scar on your back but you want to make sure that it's completely closed.

It’s a two minute walk to where the beach is. And since you learned your lesson yesterday with the pond, you take off your socks and shoes and roll your jeans to your thighs. The water is pretty cold when you wander in, you’re sure to watch your step and when you find yourself knee-deep in water, you pull your hair out.

You leave the tie around your wrist as you flip your hair over, not exactly thrilled when you watch the debris fall from your hair. You scratch for a while until there’s nothing coming from it anymore. Then, you find a new spot to stand and dip your hair in, again scrubbing with your nails. Your hair isn’t exactly greasy just yet, but it’ll get there soon.

You run your hands through your hair to fix the snarls, and then with your head still being upside down, you gather it all into a ponytail, and stand up straight. You wrap the tie around your hair twice, letting it fall into place. When it’s still too loose, you tighten the ponytail, squeezing out the water immediately after.

It’s not much better, but your scalp isn’t as itchy, and you don’t have many options. You carry your socks and shoes back to the cornucopia, and right through the hot sun. You and Allio wait a while, and when your feet are dry, you brush off all the sand and put your socks and shoes back on.

Finally, Lennox and Trink come out of the trees to the left of the mouth. Over there should only be beach, so you’re not sure what’s taken them so long. It isn’t until they’re within earshot, do you hear that they were scoping out the area to check for camps. Last night, Lennox said he thought he saw someone but he couldn’t be sure.

“It’s clear, I think.” he says, Trink doesn’t bother to sit down, “We took two laps, looking everywhere and didn’t find anything.”

“That’s good.” Allio says, “What’s next?”

“I’ve got to pee.” you say, pushing yourself up from where you sit, “And we need a water refill again.”

Lennox picks up his canteen, and then swishes around the water inside, “Got most of mine left, I’ll be fine.”

“Not me.” Trink says, “You should be drinking more.”

“My funeral, not yours.” Lennox leans back, yawning now too, “I’m going to take a nap.”

Trink picks up her silver water bottle, your canteen and Allio’s in one big swoop, “(Y/n) and I will go and get more water, then. You two stay here. We’ll find something while we’re out.”

“Sounds good to me.” Allio says, “There’s not much to do, anyway.”

“Actually, there is.” Lennox is barely keeping his eyes open, “We should gather a lot of food today so we can go exploring tomorrow. There’s still… what? Thirteen tributes out there?”

“Eleven.” you say.

He motions in your direction lazily, “I’m going to nap, when I get up, me and you are going to go out looking for shit. While I’m sleeping, you can go through the boxes and find crackers and useless shit like that.”

“Sure.” Allio says, “Looks like we’ve got the easy half today.”

Trink shrugs, “You can think that.”

You go ahead and grab your stuff, now. You slide the water bottles and anything that Trink wants to bring along into the backpack. Then the sword, and you’re on your way out and back towards the pond. An hour trip like this everyday is going to take out your water weight from how much you sweat because of it.

“We can find a spot for you to do your business.” Trink says, diverting the two of you off the path, “Preferably not in the way we’ll be walking back.”

You laugh a little and she smiles.

When you’re done, you and her get right back on track to the pond. But unlike Allio, she won’t let it settle into a silence. No matter what happens, she’s on top of conversation and she’ll switch topics when she realizes that it’s failing or you don’t have much to say.

It’s a fun conversation, and you’ve come to realize that there’s a difference between her and Allio. Allio is down to talk about the dirtier stuff, the type of shit that makes him qualified to be a career. Trink on the other hand is… deceiving. Obviously she’s got her muscles and brute strength like the other boys, but she’s so… girly.

Reminds you of the annoying girls back home, except she’s different. She finds a way to dance between the lines between flattering and irritating, keeping you from truly hating her. She’s likable, but not entirely. You’re sure it’ll be a matter of time before she accidentally finds a way to get under your skin.

For now, you’re just glad you have someone to talk to.

Trink twists her blonde hair between her fingers, making it into a spiral. Then, she ties a ponytail at the base of her neck. She gives you a quick smile before launching right back into what she was saying before.

At the pond, she finally eases up and let's you explain to her where everything had happened yesterday. She says she’ll keep the deep end in mind, and gathers the water and lets you do the iodine drops. She doesn’t want to go back just yet, wanting to rest so the two of you sit in the shade beneath a tree and eat enough food to settle your stomach and keep the nausea at bay.

“What was going on between you and Finnick?” she asks, “If you don’t mind me asking. I’m just curious on why he didn’t join us.”

You hum, “We were in an alliance, originally. Him and I have known each other for a pretty long time. I think he didn’t want to be allies with you guys when you came over after the chariot ride.” you rip grass from the ground, making a pile, “Maybe he didn’t like your vibes or whatever. He is fourteen, so maybe it’s a thought process thing.”

“Yeah, I was just curious as to why he chose them over us.” she picks at her nails, “I mean, they’re not going to be much help, and I can’t imagine how they’re going to help him win.”

“They’re not.” you say, shaking your head.

Finnick’s best bet was you. The two of you might have scored fairly high, but you clearly knew better than he did. Had he latched on, he would be doing just fine. Wouldn’t have to worry about dinner or watching his back. Assuming that he didn’t meet up with Blaire and Thyme.

He might have, you don’t know. What you do know is that Verda died, and if Finnick had been around, he would have had a friend to rely on, and vice versa. Having Finnick on your side at all times would have been nice, just in case things do start to get choppy with your career friends, he would have been there to even it out.

You think you’re doing fine for now, so there’s really no reason to worry.

“You think he’s going to die?”

“He’s fourteen.” you say, “The youngest victor ever was fifteen. If he were to win, it would be unheard of and break the record. Give hope to the future twelve and thirteen year olds that get chosen. I hardly doubt that they have a chance, though. I didn’t when I was that age.”

“Neither did I.” Trink says.

You’re not that surprised. No one should be ready for the games at twelve and thirteen. Not even at fourteen or fifteen, it’s just so young. At your age, your brain is still developing and it holds onto the trauma. Every time you close your eyes when you go to sleep now, all you can picture is their dead faces.

It’s your fault. You caused every single one of them. And somehow, justifying the deaths as a benefit to your survival, or so that you could live is so much worse. You don’t want other people to die so you can live another day. You don’t want that blood on your hands. But you don’t have much of a choice.

It’s your life or them. It’s seeing your family again, or dying a death that will haunt them forever. The baby sister that fought for her life many times, but in the end she couldn’t make it out alive.

“Well, Eytelle and I thought you and him were dating with how close you are.”

Figures, the other girls had thought this too, “Yeah, you’re not the only one. We’ve just known each other for a while. I hate that Four will lose one of us.”

Trink’s eyebrows draw in, “One of you? What does that mean?”

“One of us is going to win.”

“We’ll see.” She says, suddenly getting stuffy. She gets to her feet, brushing off her jeans. You get up without her help.

The two of you wander through the woods for a while, quiet with no conversation. You find out quickly that you’re a lot more quiet on your feet than she is. Eventually, you decide to call it and send her back to the cornucopia, saying that you’ll stay out here by yourself.

“And what if there’s other tributes?” she asks.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Remember what happened the last time you did that?” Trink motions to her back.

You sigh, “Do you want meat other than pig or what?”

She doesn’t argue, you pass off the waters and then watch her disappear through the trees. You go right back to the pond, pulling out a nice branch and getting to work on some makeshift fishing pole. The wire that they provide at the cornucopia isn’t the best, but you make do for it being the fishing line.

You use a small bit of wire to make a hook, and then dig around in the dirt of the pond bank to find a single worm. You apologize to the worm, and then skewer it through the hook. It’s nowhere near the worst thing you’ve done in your life, and nothing like that is going to come close for a while.

You throw the stupid thing into the pond, the only reason why you’re even doing this is because you think you saw a ripple earlier when you and Trink were talking. You’d say you wish you had a spear, but spearing fish here would be useless. Like completely useless, since you’re not standing up and doing it, and the fish won’t appear at the shallow end.

After about ten minutes you think, you’re sure that this is futile and you’re only making a joke out of yourself to the Capitol and everyone back home. So long the idea of impressing everyone with your stupid fishing pole. But then there’s a tug, and a large part of you is hoping that it’s not a mutt, and the other has a feeling it’s a fish.

You’re hesitant with the wire, now realizing that it could slice through your hand if you’re not careful. So, you pull out the metal water bottle that’s halfway empty, and wrap the wire around the bottle as if you’re pulling in the line. And slowly but surely, whatever it is is being dragged up.

Then, you can see it. And you’re yanking the whole lot of it backwards and onto land. It’s a fish alright, and even though you can’t name what it is--you’re mostly used to salt water fish, not fresh--you think it’s edible, so you let it flip around until it’s done moving. After that, you wrap it in your jacket because you smell like fish anyway, and tuck it into the backpack and try for a round two.

It’s a lot harder this time. The wire is in a coil and it takes you a hot minute to even get it straighted out again. Finding a worm is pretty hard too, because you need a damn bait to even get the fish curious. When you find one, you’re plunging the wire back into the water and playing the waiting game again.

You hum an old fishing song that your father used to sing on fishing trips with your brothers while you wait. You vaguely remember Reed singing this back home. When he does, it’s always because he’s trying to focus on something. Normally when he’s making dinner or he’s fixing something in the house. He’s a hands-on type of person.

You manage to get a second fish up, and right when you think you should test your luck with a third, you hear a cannon blast. You pause, hands slowly folding the fabric over the second fish, waiting for another cannon but there is none. Knowing that it could be someone back at the cornucopia, you tuck the fish back into your backpack at the bottom. You fill your water bottle up again, and then toss the fishing pole in a bush so that you don’t have to carry it back.

After that, you’re starting your way back, being sure to watch your back. You don’t want to be the second cannon that goes off today. It takes one person to kill you to get their hands on your goods for the games to turn in their favor.

You make it back to the cornucopia in record timing, you think. You shout Trink’s name, letting them know that it’s you. Her and Lennox round the corner, swords out and ready. When they confirm that it’s you, they ease up.

“Thought it was you.” Lennox breathes.

“It won’t be that easy.” you joke, and watch as they crack a smile, “I’ve got fish.”

Allio is skinning a rabbit, and there’s already a squirrel hanging from the ceiling. He looks up at your approach and gives you a gentle nod before going back to what he was doing.

“That’s good. I caught a rabbit on my way back.” Trink is proud.

“And she butchered it.” Allio says, shaking his head.

You sit down in your cove, unloading your water bottle and placing your knife and things back where they belong. You pull the fish out of your jacket, and begin to descale it.

“Who do you think it was?” Allio asks, and you bite the inside of your cheek.

Yeah, you figured he’d ask a question like this. He was the one prying about Eytelle, after all. You keep quiet and let the others fill in for your silence. You all come to an agreement that the fish should be eaten first so it doesn’t smell too badly tomorrow.

You cook the rabbit and squirrel anyway, wrap them in a clean shirt. Then, Trink clears out a small box just for the food. Once it’s closed, it’s an agreement between the four of you that it won’t be touched until tomorrow. The sun seems to set a little faster this time around.

Tomorrow you’ll all be out in the woods looking for other tributes to take down. You don’t think that you’ll be coming across anyone, but you don’t take the night shift anyway, letting Trink take it by herself. You all wait for the death recap in the sky, and only one face shows up. The girl from Twelve.

Only twelve tributes left in the arena.

You and the two boys go ahead and settle for the night. In the case of Trink being exhausted, she’s to wake Allio. You’ll be getting a full night’s rest tonight. You pull the thin, white jacket back onto your body and curl up in your sandy cove. This time, you pull up your hood to keep the sand out of your hair.

You stand no chance against the exhaustion.

#ilguna #finnick odair #finnick odair imagine #finnick odair oneshot #finnick odair fanfic #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair lacuna #lacuna

67 notes · View notes

shesawriter39049 · 5 years

Text

|FAMILY TIES| M| MAFIA AU| 5.1

MOB/MAFIA AU

(Can be read as a stand-alone...it’s a solo one-shot within a series.. BUT there will be subtel hints/foreshadowing which could be useful in the future chapters)

-NOTE- Tae is a HEALTHY lol shade of blonde now

UNDERBOSS TAE & OC

1.3K cheeky little sneak peek the full thing will be between 5-6k

There both sassy/snarky/and boujee AF

IF your new here....there both from Boston...the OC’S accent is A LOT thicker than Tae’s though....

****Tae and the OC are apart of the same alliance..and the pair are a slightly dysfunctional FWB situation that’s lowkey trying to transition into more…

ABOUT- While headed to the aiport for a trip to Vegas, to celebrate Tae’s restaurant’s grand opening, Mel lets Luxx know shit’s feelin a little off with one of their allies over in China. Then, Tae surprises Luxx, on the flight, they have slightly tipsy, needy sex in the bathroom of his PJ....with all of there friends sitting the main area...they also pop into Luxxy’s club at like 1am...were of course nothing’s going to plan!

***Mel is one of Luxx’s launders and Luxx is the OC’S NICKNAME, and Joon who is mentioned briefly is Luxxy’s bodyguard/right hand! ****

WARNINGS: In this sneak peek just...dirty talk/phone sex ish but not really but kidna

FINAL NOTE (OPTIONAL) -If your familiar with the series your prob scratching your head as to why it’s 5.1 because your all waiting on part 5! BUT at the end of part 5, it will be noted that there's about a 3-month gap between 5-6..meaning shits kinda.. “normal” for a little while. So in between that...I decided if I had the time and inspo I’d write mini one shots..smut mixed in with plot. There will ALWAYS be mob influences..it’s just apart of there lifestyle. The point is nothing crazy(Shootouts don’t count..that’s noraml lol) will take place during the gap between 5-6 ...

I'm starting with this because I haven't written about them in damn near 3 months! So this allows me to get reacquainted with the pairing in a “lighter” setting because part 4 &5 are angsty AF…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5:30PM in route to Boston Logan International -

OPERATION: Taehyung’s Las Vegas Grand opening

Boston to Vegas

“Okayyy..sooo what are you trying to say?” Glancing up slightly in between sorting out the multiple stacks of 20’s,50’s,and 100’s along the backseat of the blacked out truck. Both Mel and yourself alternating between running them through the money counter, double checking the amounts and the authenticity. Sorting the money into briefcases to be picked up by one of your guys before you board your flight within the next 20 or so minutes.

“FUCKIN HELL! Can we NOT play fuckin bumper cars Chris!? Not like I’m doin shit back here or anything... ” Nothing subtle about the bite within your voice in complaint to that wide ass turn he took, making the stack of twenties slide off you lap and onto the floor. Eyes attempting to slip through the partition and lock with hsi though he was desperately avoid you at all cost! Reaching down with a grunt, also managing to knock your hot pink Birkin off the seat as well “Yup, let’s just toss a 6 figure bag on the ground too while we're at it!” Eyes rolling to the back of your head more times than you could count!

“Yeah, let’s totally ignore all the money that fell.and now needs to be recounted.....the bag is more important...” The crass more than evident in Mels voice as your eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Daggering in her direction

“Eat my ass Melissa!” The words slipped out of your mouth on almost autopilot...not even giving it a second thought which only earned an amused chuckle. Mel’s known you far too long to take anything to heart.

“I mean I would butttt...not too sure how Tae would feel about that.” Shrugging a little too noncohlant and smug for your liking!

Grabbing the band of twenties to your left and chucking it directly at left boob, yet you still didn't wipe the smirk off her lips! “Count…now!”

“Ask nicely..” The pout in her voice let you know she was pushing all negative 2 of your buttons…earning an exaggerated sigh in response.

“Did you know Chanel makes garter belts?” Brow arched at your own implied question only to be greeted by a slow nod. “Hmm well now you know...wanna take a wild guess at what I’m hiding in mine?” The playful tenor within your voice was riviling a more..dominant one..which let Melissa know how much room she had to play..and she could tell she was running out of leeway right now!Assuming her lack of sass menat she was finally silently waving that white flag….

“Now let’s try this again...what the fuck happened in China that has you so damn spooked?”

“Oh fuck off don’t say it like that..I’m not spooked I’m a Mangjuhl for fucks sake! It was just odd..that’s all! You would have sworn I was just some random bitch off the street with the way they were damn near stalking me the entire time…” There was a slight pause as she threw the band into the briefcase. “Ahh fuck!How much money is in here already?” Tone hopeful because Mel really wasn’t trying to recount all that damn money!

Brow arched instantly in curiosity “Mmmkay, how about you define ''Stalking” ? And there's...1...2...6...ugh..12k in it right now...that one's going with Yoongi so it has to cap out at 16!”

“Exactly that, it was all eyes on deck 24/7 every time I moved through the compound someone was over my shoulder, I wouldn't be surprised if they were outside the door when I went to take a piss. But I mean...I didn't really say shit because I didn't have anything to hide, but it’s just odd.I’ve been dealing with them for damn near 6 years and it’s never been like this…”

A low hum left your throat at that, the first thing that comes to mind was the last conversation you had with Henry where he admitted to killing Wei in self-defense. Granted as far as you know they still don’t know about it and that alone just feels grimy as fuck, considering the relationship your suppose to have! But, the day that secret comes rises to the surface..the repercussions alone would inevitably start a war that your not ready to fight just yet! So regardless of how your heart feels about the situation, your brains leading you in the smartest direction right now. You're already shielding Marco...you guys can’t handle another war, you're not BURYING any more bodies anytime soon!

It just clicked that Mel’s been the first one back in China alone, since the funeral ...which has you more than curious if maybe they know more than their leading on. You’d never forgive yourself if something happened to her because of a mistake one of your men made...even if it was an “Accident” you don’t lead your soldiers blind! But at the end of the day, this was a decision far bigger than you! If it was going to be known within the alliance that Henry Killed Wei Zhao, who was apart of your most SOLID and trusted Chinese alley.,either your father or Taehyung’s had to make that call..NOT YOU!

“Mel..I-fuck…” A deep sign leaving your chest, there was so much you want to say that you couldn’t “Alright, when we get back I’ll brainstorm with my dad...I mean yeah I wanna blow your left tit off 90% of the time but I love you . I I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, maybe we can see if Hoseok can do that route or fuck I dont know man...” Towards the end of all that your tone ended up coming coming off more biter than indented and she picked up on it instantly.

“Whoa, Luxx stop! I’m not sitting here bitching and moaning I’m a big girl, I can handle myself, I don't need you to change my route! I just felt like I’d be a shitty friend to not at least let you know that the vibe was off..that’s all..” God did she really HAVE to take it there!? As if you needed to feel even worse! “I’m still fine to go next month...relax and hand me that last case”

Melissa’s tone was warner than you wished right now because it just made you feel like trash, there was no way in fuck you were letting her make another drop to China until you had a better feel of the situation! If you can't tell Melissa the issue you were going to protect her in the only way you knew how which was keeping her OUT of their terrority!

Like she said..she's been doing this for years...why now the cold shoulder all of a sudden? Everything is done for a reason. Every vibe is strategically set, if she felt uncomfortable or watched it’s because they wanted her to feel that way!

“No, I know, I’m sorry I’m so damn snappy I’m just tired and fuckin stressed...” Pausing slightly, for some reason you actually felt like you wanted to cry, hastily raking your fingers through your scalp. You’d barely been sleeping,partially because you’d been reworking deals and partially because you’d gotten used to sharing a bed with Kim Taehyung. Who hasn’t been around, so your bed feels empty..but we will leave that part between us!

“Let’s just talk about this later okay? Right now I need to make sure this money is solid for pickup, and get you all squared away before we board this flight…” Your smile was forced but she didn't press the topic, the two of you worked in silence, and just like clockwork your phone buzzed against your right boob. Currently sitting stuffed between the silk cup of your dress and your skin...your earpods letting you know it was Tae.

Almost as if he could sense something was wrong…..

“Will be at the plane in like 15, I think we’ve actually been stuck in traffic......I’ve been to busy to really pay attention but the flights barley 5 hours. I should be to you by at least midnight…” You swore you could almost hear him rolling his eyes through the phone, the huff that left his throat proved that was the wrong answer...

“I’m sorry at what part of me breathing on the other end of the line said, “Where the hell are you!?” His tone indicated he really wasn’t looking for a response but well..your you sooo..

“You may not have asked YET, fuckin smartass! But I know you..you're impatient so I already knew it was coming...” Throwing the last band of hundreds into the briefcase to your right before snapping it shut, sealing the deal with the passcode!

“K, Are you done making up unnecessary excuses for why you felt the need to explain yourself orrrrr….” Purposely letting the last symbol just rollllll off his tongue, just enough to erk you!

A dry scoff leaving your lips at that, god you hated and loved him all at the same damn time!

“You really must not want to get your dick wet tonight huh?” There was still a smile in your voice though, you couldn't even help it. Mel's eyes narrowed in your direction with a smirk, not even remotely phased by the two of you anymore.

Nothing but arrogance laced within his laugh as it fluttered up to his chest “Yeah, okay good luck with that, you could bring every toy, get yourself off all night in every hole and it wouldn't be enough because it ain't me!”

Why was he right?! God you hated that he was right….

“ It’s s been a week, your bodies not use to that anymore, not when you usually get it whenever and wherever you want. Actually, that’s probably why your all angsty to begin with…”His tone was just as much condescending as it was sensual effortlessly slipping into his bedroom voice.

“Fuck..remind me to buy Namjoon as many drinks as he wants this weekend..he’s been stuck dealing with your bratty ass all week without me to keep you in line...” This may or may not be true...you may have ran that poor man ragged but luckily Joon loves you..but your not in a position to confirm or deny! Though that’s probably why he’s sitting up front with Chris right now instead of with the two of you….

“Alright,fuck you Kim Taehyung…” Even if he couldn't physically see you, you knew he could still “see you” so you didn't hesitate to let your eyes flutter to the back of your head multiple times.

“I mean yeah baby that’s the plan if you’d stop being a fuckin brat and get your ass on that damn plane. So yes, to clarify I’m still getting my dick, tongue, face, and fingers wet...unless you have some sort of rebuttal and it doesn't sound like you do. You're probably too busy squeezing your thighs together right now to focus!”

“Ya know..I’m currently painting very vivid picture of me smothering your face between my thighs until you pass out!” Just as much a threat as it was a promise, but the hits of flirtation laced within your voice only added fuel to the flame…

In true Kim Taehyung fashion he made sure you heard the deep breathy moan that fell from those pouty lips of his! “Mmm..ya know I’m having the same visual Luxxy...my face between your thighs until your coming down my face…”

Fuckk...

You had to bite your lips so damn hard to suppress the moan that was rolling up your throat, almost forgetting Melissa’s to your right! Fuck, why do you do this with him!?

“On that note, I have a really important business call to get to on the other end so ugh, yeah..I’ll see you in a couple hours baby...have fun..to Mel I said hi..”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahhhhhhhhhhh I know lol I know.it’s been a minute ...if you liked it...like it! Come lemme know..the goal is to have this up by the end of the weekend...and to roll right into finishing part 5 which is why I did this...as a way to get me back into the groove!

Also, note there will be a little more plot prior to Tae bending her over the sink lol they havent seen each other in a week...he’s been away for business! They also pop into Luxxy’s stip club which Kook manges...he’s getting ready for a drop night tomorrow...so..of course there will be a little drama there...because nothing goes to plan!

#taehyung #taehyung smut #taehyung mafia #taehyung mafia au #kim taehyung #kim taehyung smut #kim taehyung mafia au #kim taehyung mafia #bts #bts smut #bts au #bts mafia au #kpop #kpop smut #kpop au #kpop mafia au

123 notes · View notes

logansanderslove · 5 years

Text

Logan 3.0 (2/?)

CO-AUTHOR: @demented-dukey

Summary: Remus is an incorrigible flirt, and Logan can only bear the innuendo for so long until something has to give. Passions erupt, but there are more lasting repercussions than either could have predicted, including a significant transformation to Logan himself! How will these new changes affect the delicate balance of Thomas’s mental state? When a new dark side threatens the lives of several of the other sides, will Logan and Remus’s love be strong enough to save everyone, including Thomas?

Ships: INTRULOGICAL

Sanders Sides: Logan, Remus, Thomas, Roman, Virgil, Patton, Deceit

Fic type: Drama, Romantic, Action, Flirty

Trigger Warnings: No character deaths, but a lot of very close calls. Consensual knife play and bloodplay, and lots of bloody fighting and monster attacks. If you’re sensitive to unsympathetic characters, some parts flirt pretty close to that, but there’s also a lot of extenuating circumstances to explain the situation, and there’s a happy ending once you get through the angst and misunderstandings. Self-harm and references to such, and suicidal tendencies.

MASTERLIST

Chapter 2: Gotcha

Logan walked into the Common Area to see Remus sitting on the floor, fussing over something. “Remus?”

The Duke was distractedly making butts out of green play-doh, then he looked up, a smile spreading on his face. “Oh! Hey, pocket protector.” He offered him a buttock. “Check out this ass!”

Logan sighed. “Remus, how old are you?” He asked in a slightly nagging tone.

Remus gave him a wide grin. “Sixty-nine. Give or take a few decades?”

Logan then smirked. “Really? I would have said forty-two because you're the meaning to my life.” He winked.

Remus splayed a hand to his chest. “I’m flattered!” He jumped up and sidled closer to Logan. “Don't panic... but I've got a towel with your name on it.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Logan raised an eyebrow with an amused grin. “Goodness, Remus, someone is rather excited today.”

Remus put his hands on his hips. “Can't help it, Lo-beau. One look at your gorgeous face and you've got me all aquiver.” He said as he shimmied.

Logan offered a casual smile. “Remus, I cannot help it if I make you 'aquiver' as you say. However, I can do something to remedy that.”

Remus’ eyes sparked. “Oh yeah?” He asked excitedly. “What are you plotting in that deviously magnificent big brain of yours?”

Logan stepped closer, running his fingers through Remus’ hair. “Oh, I just thought you might desire a bit of affection, that's all.” He leaned forward to press his lips on Remus', one hand on his waist and the other holding the back of his head.

Remus shivered, going pliant and boneless in Logan's arms. “You thought right.” He kissed Logan back, sucking and nipping on his bottom lip, tongue seeking entry to Logan's mouth.

Logan gladly accepted, his fingers grabbing at Remus' messy hair, loving the feeling of his tongue sliding with Remus' and the hand on his back that held him close. “You're fantastic…” He pulled away for a moment, meeting his love's eyes. “Have you told anyone yet? About us?”

Remus moaned at the taste of Logan's tongue against his. All the years of talking had given the man tongue muscles to die for, and Remus got flushed just imagining all the things that tongue might do to him. He blinked as Logan pulled away, and it took him a moment to pull enough blood back to the correct brain in order to process the question.

“Hmm? Oh, no, not yet. Been busy in the Imagination.” It wasn’t really a fib, the Others rarely sought out his company, so he mostly spent his time distracting himself from the boredom. He bit his lip nervously. “Have you?”

Logan shook his head. “Of course, I haven't. I wouldn't have told anyone due to your reaction about us initially being together. But as I said before, I don't care what the others think. If they look down on me for this, so be it, that is their error because nothing could be better for me than you, Remus.”

Remus bit back his first thought (a lot of things could be better for Lo) and his second thought (of course Logan hadn't told anyone, he was ashamed/embarrassed/humiliated by Remus's feelings, he'd changed his mind and hadn't figured out how to let Remus down easy yet) and his third thought (What if a meteor fell and hit the earth right now and the ceiling fell and Thomas became a quadriplegic - would the Sides lose limbs too???) and settled on his fourth thought. “How... how did you want to tell them?”

Very little actually scared Remus, but the thought of the others knowing was on the short list of things that downright terrified him. But Logan was a Good Guy, he'd want his friends to know his boyfriend. Logan wasn't the kind of guy to date someone in secret, and Remus wasn't exactly subtle on the best of days. It was only a matter of time before Remus made a dirty joke or accidentally said something in front of the Others, so it was better to break the news to them first.

Logan scrunched up his face. “Well, in all honesty, I hadn't thought that far. I believed that just for now we could attempt to hide it, but I can tell when you are nervous about something, and upon my very mentioning it, you seemed to react. So I am not sure, but if you think we should tell them, then perhaps we can find a way.”

Remus cursed himself. Spending so much time alone in the Imagination, he'd gotten out of practice hiding his feelings (not that the embodiment of Intrusive Thoughts was ever good at hiding anything when his job was the opposite). “No! No, it's fine. There's no rush, right? We can hide it for now.”

Logan still looked suspicious. ‘Fuck! Need a distraction’. “Besides, I'd rather have you all to myself for a little longer.” Remus' fingers threaded through Logan's hair, tugging his head back, and Remus licked a long strip up that delicious, pale throat, before kissing his way back down to suck a hickey onto Logan's Adam's apple.

Logan's breath drew short in surprise, then a smile twitched the corners of his mouth up as he moaned. He wrapped his arms around Remus and pulled him back, stumbling backward to fall onto the couch. “R-Remus…” He bit his lip as the other sucked harder. “You'll al-always have me to yourself.” He turned his head, leaning back against the couch with a sigh, twirling Remus' hair between his fingers.

Remus had quickly decided that straddling Logan's lap on the couch was the BEST IDEA EVER and his boyfriend was BRILLIANT for thinking of it. He didn't bother arguing with Logan's words - Remus might be underused himself, but he had a general idea of how much the Light Sides worked and how often Thomas called them forward for the videos. Remus knew there was a lot of Logan's time consumed by the host and the Others, but he was inclined to be selfish for the moment. Fingers in his hair short-circuited his train of thought, and Remus moaned, tilting his head towards the touch.

Logan chuckled, rubbing Remus' head gently. “You're enjoying this, aren't you, Remus? Being with someone, I mean. I understand how you've been...well…” He didn't want to use the word 'alone' for fear of hurting his boyfriend, so he just avoiding speaking it altogether. “...Since you and Roman were together. But you don't have to worry, Remus.” He moved his head to kiss the forehead of his lover. “I'll make sure that you are never alone again.” His hands scooched Remus closer to him, rubbing his back gently.

Logan's words were gentle, but Remus hated being bared emotionally when he'd much rather be bared physically. A tiny voice in the back of his mind told him he was wasting time - Logan was bound to come to his senses eventually, for they were in the common room, christ, one of the others could walk in on them at any second. Remus let himself be scooched closer, capturing Logan's mouth with his own. He explored the warm cavern with his tongue, taking the time to lick each of Logan's teeth.

“I love your cuspids…” Remus moaned, poking the sharp canine teeth with the tip of his tongue. Meanwhile, his fingers drifted down to Logan's tie, tugging the knot loose.

Logan was happier than he had been in a very long time. Perhaps ever. He had never known the warm embrace of another, the soft lips against his that were heaven, the taste of his love filling his heart with joy. Logan closed his eyes as he leaned into the kiss, Remus removing Logan's glasses for him when they drifted down his nose. He just held Remus closer, never wanting to let go. His fingers tangled in Remus' hair, curling the few silver strands in the very front around his index finger. He contently smiled as he felt the tie around his neck slide off, the top button of his shirt undone. He ran a hand across Remus' chest, caressing the exposed skin.

“God, I love you…” He murmured, biting Remus' lip gently.

Gods above, Remus had never seen Logan look this disheveled outside of his fantasies before. Hair in disarray from Remus's fingers, glasses and tie set aside, Remus kissed the patch of skin revealed as the second button came loose. “More than your precious Crofters?” Remus teased, “Or is there a bear in Canada I'm gonna hafta hunt down in a jealous rage?”

Logan laughed, a sound he hadn't genuinely made in years. “No, you're FAR above that. There's no need for you to be worried about anything like that, Re.” He kissed Remus' forehead, his hand sliding down under the back neck of his shirt, past the tall collar to rub Remus' back, his fingers circling each vertebra as his boyfriend continued to kiss his chest. “Nothing in the universe could take me away from you, Remus. Nothing. This...this is perfect. You're perfect…”

A wider smile grew on his face as he nuzzled his head into Remus' hair, loving the unique smell. It wasn't bad like anyone else would have assumed. It was...Remus. The part of him that Logan adored. Not the Remus everyone else saw. This was his Remus.

As they embraced, a small sound made Logan look up to see one of the doors to the common area open and someone walk through. He couldn't see who without his glasses, but all he knew was that they froze immediately.

Remus preened under the praise, arching into Logan's touch like a cat. He was unused to so many compliments and they were going to his head, making him feel drunk and reckless. His entire world had narrowed down to the man in front of him, the strong arms holding him close. The previously-imagined meteor could crash down, the ceiling could fall, and he wouldn't notice. Remus concentrated on sucking a hickey onto Logan's chest, nose pressed against the open V of the black polo shirt. Logan smelled like ink and dusty old books, like forbidden knowledge and berry jam, and Remus breathed it in deep, worrying the small patch of skin to a darker red than Logan's favorite flavor of Crofters.

He smirked as he murmured, “Pity, I could use a new bearskin rug, I'd quite like to fuck you on one. In front of a roaring fire... make you roar…”

Logan heard the words his boyfriend had spoken, a smile wanting to break across his face, but he was unable to do anything as he just stared at the person staring at the two of them “R-Remus?...” said Logan warily.

Remus hummed in response, oblivious that they were being watched. He nuzzled Logan's chest, teeth closing around the third and final button. He considered biting down hard, ripping the button off Logan's shirt and crunching it like candy between his teeth, and idly wondered how mad Logan would be if he did just that.

Logan pulled Remus' head up and looked him dead in the eye, then over his shoulder, giving a silent nod with his slightly panicked eyes. He didn't say a word, still unable to see who it was; his glasses were out of reach, and with Remus on top of him he couldn't stretch to grab them. So he just nervously swallowed, his heart skipping about four beats. “Remus…”

All the warmth building inside Remus died in an instant, cold fear flooding through him as Logan's panicked gaze drifted to something(someone) else in the room. Now that Remus had been brought back to reality, he recognized the itching tickle in the back of his head that always grew in intensity whenever his twin was near. He'd been so distracted it must have blended in with all the other sensations, or else he'd have noticed the moment Roman had stepped into the room. Without turning, Remus muttered loud enough to address Roman,

“Are you here for a reason, brother, or did you just rush right over 'cause you sensed I might be experiencing some actual joy?”

Roman stared at the two with wide eyes. “Wha...Remus....WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO LOGAN?! AND WHY?! What are you even doing here?!”

"Don't be stupid, brother." Remus tossed a devious grin over his shoulder. "I assure you, it is exactly what it looks like."

Roman spluttered, "What it-what it looks like?" He stormed forward, grabbing the back of Remus's tunic and yanking hard - Remus sprawled on the floor on his back, the wind knocked out of him. In the blink of an eye, Roman's heavy boot was on the middle of his chest, pinning him to the floor, and Roman's sword was manifested and pointed at Remus's throat. "It looks like you were molesting the Microsoft Nerd. Is it not enough to violate our space with your revolting presence, you dare to force yourself upon Logan's person, you villainous degenerate?"

Roman then felt a hand on his shoulder, and he spun around just in time for Logan's fist to fly right into his face. Both Royal brothers gasped, Roman stumbling back as Logan pushed his glasses up with an infuriated glare. “Don't make snap judgments about what was going on, Roman. And don't you dare say anything against Remus.”

His harsh icy cold glare never wavered, such a contrast from the warm and smiling eyes he had only moments ago, before the Prince had barged in. “If you have a problem with this, ROMAN, then speak now.”

Remus had never been more turned on in his life. His brave, sexy boyfriend was defending his honor - it was better than unicorn porn. Speaking of unicorn porn, he'd seen Logan's onesie before, and idly wondered just how freaky Logan would be willing to get with it…

Roman looked between the two, from Remus's soppy smile to Logan's icy glare. His face hurt - Logan had never punched him before... something was wrong and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. "What did you do?" Roman hissed at his brother.

"Won the lottery," Remus said, dreamily.

Giving that up for a lost cause, Roman confronted the more immediate threat in the room. He de-manifested the sword, and held his hands up, palms out, showing he was weaponless. "Logan..." Roman said, as if approaching a wild animal, "I'm not sure what's going on, but Remus... his powers... You might be under his control and not be aware of it..."

Logan rolled his eyes, scoffing. "You only perceive things in black and white, don't you, Roman? Well, in this instance, all you're seeing is black. Either your brother has done something bad, or he's done something worse." He crossed his arms. "Did it ever occur to you that I could have been the one to initiate it? That I could actually be with someone for the first time in my entire life?"

He shook his head and dropped his arms to his sides, closing his eyes. "Of course it didn't. Because Heaven forbid I ever receive the chance to be happy."

Logan? Initiate it? Roman wrinkled his nose, trying and failing to imagine it. "Logan, you don't know what you're saying. I've seen Remus do things like this before - he can control actions, manipulate the mind..."

From the floor, Remus groaned, letting his head thunk against the floor. It had been a joke, a childhood prank, and at the time Deceit and Virgil had been willing to play along, pretending to be his "victims" and follow his commands so that he could pull one over on his brother. His stupid brother, who apparently never realized it had been a game, or wondered why Remus's powers never extended to any of the light sides.

Logan groaned, shaking his head. He stepped closer to Roman, his eyes dead serious. "I'm going to put this as simply as I can for your judgemental, clearly denying brain. I LOVE REMUS. I am the one who asked him if he would be with me. I AM THE ONE WHO PULLED US ONTO THE COUCH. We didn’t want anyone to know because of the EXACT reaction you are having!"

Logan's hands shook. "And don't you think that if Remus actually COULD manipulate someone's mind, he'd have done it to one of us already? You're so quick to judge others that you're just willing to forego all logic and reality and instead CONJURE YOUR SWORD TO SWING AT THE NEXT PERSON WHO MIGHT BE SAYING SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE!"

His face was wrought with fury, and the other two in the room had truly never seen him even close to that mad. It was honestly almost terrifying.

Roman was astonished, mouth agape. He thought he'd seen Logan furious before (the nerd was kinda fun to tease), but this was something else. It was dangerous to poke Logan when he was riled up, but Roman lived for danger, and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Says the nerd who hit me in the eye with a vocab card! And- And Remus conjures his morningstar way more often than I do my sword!!!" Okay, that last bit had come out in a bit of a whine, but Roman had come out into the commons to have a good time, maybe watch a Disney movie, and honestly he was feeling so attacked right now.

Logan raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms and forcing down his anger. "You're throwing a temper tantrum? Really?"

He glanced at Remus on the floor, then shoved past Roman to grab his hand, hoisting him to his feet, the logical side much stronger than the others knew. He hugged him, leaning his forehead against Remus'.

"I'm sorry, Remus, but do you mind if I teach your brother some 'manners'?"

Roman shuddered at the word and the way Logan had spoken it, with no remorse and a hint of malice.

Remus bit back a moan, shivering against Logan. Violence as foreplay? His boyfriend was PERFECT. "Please do!"

Roman's fingers itched to yank Remus away again, to re-manifest his sword, but that hadn't worked so well the first time and Roman did learn from his mistakes. Then again, Logan's voice was awfully threatening, maybe re-manifesting his sword wasn't that bad of an idea…

Logan spun around with stern eyes and stared down the Creative side. Stalking up to him, he grabbed the front of Roman's tunic and dragged him close, inches away from his face.

"Listen carefully, Princey, or you'll meet my fist again. You will not say anything bad about this. Understand? I do not care if you think that Remus is somehow 'controlling my mind', your stupidity can reign free all it wants. But we," he gestured to himself and Remus. "Are very real. And you will not mock us." He snarled, meeting Roman's eyes harshly.

Roman never did react well to being called stupid, which was why it was one of Remus's favorite insults for him. With a growl, Roman shoved Logan back, "You don't know what you're saying, Logan." The sword was back in his hand before he even consciously called for it. "You'll thank me for this later."

Roman braced himself in a fighting stance, sword up in defense. "Logan, if you can hear me underneath whatever spells my brother has cast on you, I'll set you free. You have my promise."

Remus glanced between Roman and Logan. His own morningstar could be in his hand in seconds, and he was ready to manifest whatever deliciously sharp weapon Logan might desire to teach his brother a lesson. Class was in session, baby! Of course, Logan could totally just use his bare fists. That was hot too - Remus wasn't complaining.

Logan shook his head slowly, bewildered at how absolutely thick Roman was.

"Wha...Roman, how many times do I have to SAY IT?! And how stupid can you be?! Remus can't actually manipulate people and take control of them. I know how every single one of the sides works, and that is one ability that is not in his roster. So why don't you take your ignorant head out of the sand and TRY USING YOUR BRAIN FOR ONCE!!" He snapped.

He just couldn't hold that anger back any longer. He had been trying to truly not lose his temper, but somehow whenever it happened, it was always Roman who had provoked him.

He gritted his teeth, his breath hard and angered. "You imbecile."

"That's what he WANTS you to think!" Roman spat back, "I've seen him do it! But of course, you can't be wrong, you're LOGIC, how dare I know something that you don't!"

"You're such a child, Roman! You throw these temper tantrums all the time, and nothing comes of them. And, if I remember correctly..."

He closed his eyes, his eyelids flitting, the other two staring at him with curiosity and concern. Then his eyes snapped back open with a smirk.

"Just as I thought. Deceit, Virgil, and Remus all played a joke on you. Remus pretended to take control of them, and they acted along to mess with you."

He then snickered. "I cannot believe that you actually still thought it was real!! How idiotic and gullible can you GET?!" He laughed.

The sword had lowered while Logan was checking his memory banks, or whatever, but now Roman was getting royally pissed, and hot shame at being deceived was washing over him. How the hell was he supposed to know it had been a trick? "Stop calling me an idiot!" Roman screamed, fist flying to punch Logan's smart mouth.

Logan stumbled back, holding his jaw, then his eyes narrowed as he licked back the blood from his lip. To say he was amused by Roman's anger would be an understatement. Roman had always been the one to rile Logan up, why shouldn't he have a taste of his own medicine?

Logan chuckled, wiping the blood that was dripping from his mouth away with the back of his hand. "Am I making you mad, Roman? Can you not handle yourself? Or are you like me, where you LASH OUT viciously?" His eyes grew a taunting nature.

"You're getting angry. I can see it. Is it from being tricked as a child and believing the lie all the way to adulthood, or is it from me calling you a blundering, idiotic buffoon?" He drew out each word, a dark smile crossing his face.

Roman’s fist curled, his fingernails digging into his palm. Logan wanted to see him lash out? He'd SHOW him lashing out. With an incoherent scream of rage, Roman brought the sword up and drove it through Logan's right shoulder, drawing a pained shout from the scholar. Instants later, Roman reeled from the impact of a morningstar hitting the back of his head. Staggering a few steps back, Roman still clutched his sword, now with crimson blood dripping down the blade.

Logan cried out, bringing a hand to the bloodstain that was slowly growing across his shoulder. He stared at the blood that dripped from his fingers, snapped his head up to Roman with wide eyes, then he shook his head as he clamped his hand down on the wound.

"I didn't think that you would lash out that much, Roman." His dark grin returned, worrying his boyfriend as a new side of him started to appear. "It felt good, didn't it? Cathartic? Justified?"

He stepped forward, pushing down Remus' hand that held another star. He smirked as he stopped a foot away from Roman, then he flicked his eyebrows up.

"If it felt so good, take another shot. I dare you."

Remus stroked the ninja star between his fingers, ready to fight but willing to let Logan run the show for now. He was angry at his brother for damaging Logan, but he couldn't deny that the sight of a fierce and bloody Logan was getting him all hot and bothered. He wasn't too worried about the wounds themselves - he knew from experience that any damage was only temporary. He wanted to lick the blood away, ingest Logan into his body, wrap his lips around Lo's shoulder wound and suck on it. The darkness emerging in Logan's voice and body was as thrilling as it was terrifying - Remus had had his suspicions at what it would look like if Logan ever released his tightly controlled calm, and the reality of the storm brewing was a force of nature that threatened to blow Remus away.

Roman back-handed Logan and the resounding crack echoed like thunder. Remus shivered, his whole body electrified with the violence, breathlessly anticipating Logan's revenge.

Logan stumbled, falling to the floor from the force. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, then slowly rose to his feet with a chuckle, running the back of his hand under his nose to wipe away a line of dark blood.

"Oh, you're good and angry now. How's it feel, Roman? To finally be able to hit me after all these years I've gone off on you?"

His eyes seemed to grow a more sinister, darker shade of blue as he tilted his head with a devious smirk.

"Come on, Roman. Let's see how far you're really willing to go."

Roman screamed again, dropping his sword and attacking Logan. Within seconds he had tackled Logan to the ground and was on top of him, bare hands squeezing Logan's throat. "SHUT UP! JUST! SHUT! UP!"

Logan's eyes shot open, choking as Roman's hands constricted his breathing.

His vision began to blur, growing dark around the edges.

He had gone too far. He knew he had. He had prodded the sleeping dragon and now he was suffering its wrath.

His eyes began to flutter as his head pounded. Was Roman going to kill him? Had he angered him that much?

Perhaps he had.

As Roman's screams grew muffled to his ears, Logan's eyes rolled back in his head as the whole room went dark.

Remus stopped grinning as Logan blacked out. Okay, yeah, time to end this. Remus grabbed his morningstar and WHACKED Roman over the head with it, knocking his brother unconscious. He didn't bother cleaning up the room - Logan's tie was still discarded on the couch, and there were blood spatters soaking into the carpet. Heaven knew what it would look like if any other side walked in, Remus didn't care. He picked up Logan's limp body, cradling it to his chest, and sunk out.

In the safety of Remus's room, he laid Logan out on his black silk sheets, careless of the blood soaking into the green embroidery (he could always wash it later, or cut it out and save the stained fabric as a souvenir). He removed Logan's shirt, cleaning and bandaging the wound (and restrained himself to licking only a little bit of the blood). He mopped Logan's brow with a damp washcloth, murmuring to himself, "You did so good. I am so proud of you. Such a fearsome, vicious fighter. No wonder I fell for you so fast."

#sanders sides #logan sanders #remus sanders #intrulogical #roman sanders #deceit sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #thomas sanders #blood #gay #love #pain

75 notes · View notes

eldritchsurveys · 4 years

Text

574.

Do your eyes change colors? >> Not that I know of. Why do you hate your ex? >> I don’t hate any of my exes, I just don’t want them back in my life. Do you think good things come to those who wait? >> Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Waiting isn’t a condition for guaranteed future happiness, but then, nothing is. Are you sad? >> Yeah, seasonal depression is moving in for the winter. Have you learned from your past mistakes? >> I’ve learned from some of them, I’m sure.

What do you want to be when you grow up? >> --- Do you hate when people lie to you? >> I’m sure a lot of the time I’m not even aware of it. But if I am, then yeah, it can be annoying. Are you fond of anyone? >> Sure. Do you like being single? >> I haven’t been single in a long time, so I don’t remember what it was like. Do you want to move out of the town you’re living in when you turn 18? >> I did move out of the town I was living in when I turned eighteen. Do you show your feelings? >> I strongly prefer not to. Do you think you push people away? >> I think I just don’t make myself available to begin with. If you could have any celebrity’s hair, who would it be? >> --- Are you above the influence? >> I assume I’m not above any influence. Are you happy with life at the moment? >> Yes. I’m fighting the crushing weight of gloomy skies and the promise of more of the same until April, but I’m glad to be in a position where I can fight (instead of being overwhelmed by it). Are you nice? >> I don’t think “nice” describes me too well. I don’t really think “nice” means anything, anyway. There are more specific descriptors out there. When do you graduate? >> I graduated in 2004. Do you worry a lot? >> No. Do you think you’re smart? >> I do. I also think I’m dumb in certain areas, which is only logical. It’s like D&D stats -- if you’re high in some areas, you’re going to be low in others by default. What do you think about girls putting out too soon? >> I think a lot of that can either be prevented, or the repercussions can be less damaging, if the adults in girls’ lives were open and honest and did not heap unreasonable expectations and misogynistic social conditioning upon them. (To say nothing of the conditioning that the boys are often receiving from the male figures in their lives, which leads them to pressuring girls for sex...) Obviously kids will make mistakes and do things without thinking of the consequences, but learning those lessons doesn’t have to be a horrible experience if they feel supported and have access to the resources they need. Do you get annoyed easily? >> When I’m already at a low mana level, yeah, I get irritable. When I’m feeling more like myself, then I can be pretty chill about shit. Do you like talking on the phone? >> No. How much do looks matter? >> Most of the time all I’m doing is looking at people, so it matters to my eyeballs, which like to see pretty things. If it comes to befriending someone, then no, their looks aren’t the criterion I use. Do you find yourself thinking negatively often? >> Only when I’m depressed. Would you date someone outside your race? >> It’s been done. Have you ever seen the Passion of the Christ? >> No. Don’t you hate it when people assume things? >> Well, sometimes, sure. If it affects me, especially. Would you like to read minds? >> Absolutely not. Are you funny? >> Sure, I can be. Where are you ticklish? >> I’m not. How do you feel about death? >> Awe. A lot of awe. What hurts your feelings more than anything else? >> The last scene in the series finale of Hannibal. How long has it been since you were single? >> Uh... at least eight years or something like that. Do you want to get married? >> I already am. Do you think you have a deeper insight on life than most people? >> I think this is worded in a way that suggests superiority, and that’s not something I agree with. I think my insights are unique to my experience and brain chemistry/development, but I don’t think those insights are necessarily “deeper” than anyone else’s, and I think believing that makes one uncharitable and contemptuous towards others -- which prevents any possibility of learning from anyone else’s insights. Have you done something just because you felt bad? >> Yeah, I’m an impulsive self-harmer, so. Has peer pressure ever influenced you to do something? >> Probably. It’s difficult to avoid social pressure entirely, unless you’re a bona-fide hermit. Do you often get confused about life, and frustrated with yourself? >> Yeah. Can people really be high on life? >> I assume so. When you look back, do you think your life story will be a good one? >> I think it will be beautiful and terrible and awful and exultant. I think it will be a lot of things, and evoke a lot of feelings, and reveal a lot of insights, which means, yes, it will be a Good Story. Do you like being praised for your hard work or go unnoticed? >> I’m a little avoidant about this -- I don’t always like people to notice when I do things. It’s definitely nice to feel appreciated, and all, but that’s not always the feeling I experience when I’m praised for things. Sometimes it just feels like being a bug under a magnifying glass on a sunny day. I don’t know why that is, but it is, so. You’d agree that everyone makes mistakes and makes some stupid decisions in their life, wouldn’t you? >> Absolutely. Reading a lot makes you smarter, does it not? >> I’d assume that depends on what you’re reading. Reading a lot of Daily Mail isn’t going to do much for your intelligence. Does it make you sad to think about the things you want but can’t have? >> Yeah -- intangible things, usually, that I can’t experience because of how I’m wired. Have you ever had to swallow the lump in your throat, to keep from crying? >> Yeah. How do you feel about the people who have come and gone throughout your life? >> It really depends on the day. Have you gone out with someone you didn’t actually like? >> No. I’ve gone out with a lot of people I’ve had no feelings about one way or the other, though. Can a good relationship make your whole life seem better? >> Probably. Are you quiet or loud? >> I’m more quiet than I am loud, in general. I just don’t like loud, even if the loud is me. What would you change about yourself if you could? >> *shrug* Is summer your favorite season? >> No. Do you smoke weed? >> Not at present. Do you think it makes you weak if you cry? >> Sometimes I feel that way, but that’s because I was taught very badly, not because it’s the truth. Do you think you’re emotionally strong? >> I don’t know yet. Are you an open person? >> I’m an open-minded person, but not always an open person. I feel a strong impulse to keep myself close to prevent injury. Do you dwell on the past? >> Not so much. I’ve usually got my hands full enough with the present. Do you think it’s better to be honest with yourself and everyone else? >> Sure. Is there someone you wish you were closer with? >> No. I can’t really fathom how that would work. Do you hate being the first person to start a conversation? >> No. Are there certain things that can’t be joked about with you? >> Mm... it’s usually just a matter of trust. Like, Sparrow can make fun of me for just about anything and I’ll let her. But if some rando that I’m only vaguely acquainted with tried to joke with me about the same thing, I’d shut them down. I don’t know you like that, don’t get too familiar. Do you trust your gut instinct? >> Meh. What do you think about cheating? >> I don’t have any personal thoughts about it because it isn’t really relevant to me. Is it a good idea to run away from your problems? >> Well, I mean, you can’t run away from them... they’re like that creature in It Follows. They always catch up. And by then, you’re tired and weak from all that running, and that’s when they really get you. Do you deal with more things than people think they know you do? >> Sure. Do you help people with their problems? >> If I’m asked, if I have at least a passing fuck to give about the person, and if I have the ability to help. Are you hard to please? >> In some ways, but in most ways not. Are you close with your family? >> --- Have you ever been so hurt that you wanted to stop feeling completely? >> Yeah. That’s mostly why I’m the way I am now -- too much mental anaesthesia. Do you honestly think age is nothing but a number? >> Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. The thing is, when it isn’t, it really isn’t. Do you hold things back? >> Yeah. Do you really care about someone? >> Probably. What state were you born in? >> New Jersey.

#survey #surveys #random survey

1 note · View note

austral-taur · 5 years

Text

Still Daydreaming: Mini-scopes for Mercury’s Direct Station + Venus in Pisces

After 3 confusing weeks of Mercury Retrograde in Pisces, Mercury will finally move direct starting on March 28th! Though the worst of the confusion is over, we will still have to deal with the aftermath and Mercury will station conjunct Neptune. You may still find yourself feeling quite dazed and confused since the station occurs right on Neptune. This may correspond to the release of important information, but perhaps the details surrounding precisely what is going on are not fully clear yet and it is very easy to jump to conclusions at this time. Mercury will be moving through its shadow until April 17th, when it finally moves into Aries.

The good news is that Venus will be moving into Pisces on the 26th, allowing us to begin cleaning up the mess that Mercury retrograde might have left in its wake as it moved through the latter half of the sign. Regardless, Venus in its sign of exaltation will provide some relief even if its positive impacts will be a lot more subtle until it comes closer to mid-Pisces. Rather than overthinking the confusion that Neptune is bringing to the parts of our lives that Pisces represents, Venus will give us the opportunity to trust our more intuitive faculties, and see opportunities for creating harmony if not finding creative inspiration from some of this confusion. As mentioned on the March forecast episode of the Astrology Podcast, Venus’ initial ingress into Pisces will provide a gentle reintroduction to the themes that Uranus in Taurus is going to bring for most of the next decade, so it might be worth paying attention to whatever subtle opportunities show up to bring some necessary change to liberate you from certain patterns you might be entrenched in when it comes to the part of your life represented by Taurus. Regardless, Venus will provide some important inspiration to pick up the pieces left behind by Mercury Retrograde and turn it into a work of art.

As I always like to mention ahead of time, I write these from the perspective of the rising sign, but feel free to check for your big 3 in terms of how this might affect certain parts of your life.

Aries

Having Just experienced your the Sun move into its point of exaltation, you have probably largely put Mercury retrograde on the back-burner and have thrown yourself into your more creative pursuits if not the pursuit of romance. Though your communicative abilities and ability to keep up routines might start to be coming back to you more or less, you may find yourself a bit lethargic if not also tongue-tied when Mercury stations right on Neptune. Rather than rushing to fix disputes with coworkers, siblings, or just people you have to interact with on a regular basis, it is probably best to sit this one out and really reflect on what went wrong at various points during the last three weeks. With Venus moving into the same sign, you may find yourself slowly finding the inspiration you need to say and do the right things to make amends. Considering that your creative and romantic energies, are at an all-time high, it might also be a great time for using your new found solitude or estrangement from certain people to reflect on relationships as well as how you can turn difficult times into prosperous ones. If you don’t work for someone but rather with someone, you may find that you need to re-evaluate this partnership, especially if it is a business one before you figure out how to proceed next.

Taurus

Challenges with friendships affecting your finances, values, hobbies, but also maybe even your romantic pursuits may have been rife for you the last three weeks. Though the early days might reveal some important information about people that makes the status of your friendship with certain people kind of up in the air, you may find yourself needing to pause before doing further damage and jumping to conclusions. With your ruler moving into its exaltation, you may begin to feel a lot more like yourself and begin acting as more of a force to minimize drama. Though part of you also has more private family matters and home challenges to deal with at this point in time, you may find that you have to play peacemaker between friends that may be fighting over lovers or money. However, this will not necessarily be a stressful situation for you. If money issues were causing rifts in friendships, or perhaps difficulties with networking were preventing you from finding a new job, possibly jumping ship into a new career, or even finding new hobbies or love interests, Venus moving into Pisces will help you tap into more of your essence to smooth things over with some of these people. Perhaps you may find your friends either getting jobs so that they will no longer be financial drains, or maybe meeting the right people can land you a new job opportunity you never would have thought of. Since Uranus is shaking up major aspects of your identity, you may find opportunities to align with people that encourage growth in this direction.

Gemini

Though you may begin to feel a lot more like yourself with your ruler stationing direct, it is important to note that in some respects you are not out of the woods yet! Mercury is right on Neptune as it goes direct, and since Pisces relates to your reputation and career, you might find yourself still lacking clarity about your direction in life right now, if not having to also clear your reputation up if you found yourself in the middle of some very public drama, especially where the structure of your family or home situation is concerned if not just how much your actions reflect upon you in general. You may have found out some information about your family or someone you live with if not people finding out important information about you, and you may have to spend the rest of the shadow period clarifying important things. The good news is that Venus moving into its exaltation in your public sphere might make it easier for you to smooth things over. Perhaps in getting opportunities to win people over if not also negotiate some kind of peace between family members, you may be able to do some damage control if not gain some kind of freedom to do a bit more of what you enjoy. Rather than using this to maximize the most favorable outcomes for yourself, it might be in your best interest to play it cool and lay low after the worst of the drama blows over.

Cancer

You have generally been struggling with clarifying your beliefs if not your desire to travel or seek out the truth this last few weeks. You may find yourself uncovering some important secrets or information through the grapevine that you will have to spend the next three weeks making sense of. Considering the struggle bus that has been your relationship sector for the longest time, you may find that this revelation may have some trickle down effects on your experience of your love life and desire to commit to others. Venus moving into this area of your life might allow you to fall back on your more intuitive nature, if not having you also rely on your support systems of family and friends to really help you regain a sense of what is important to you. Also, if this secret that you uncover through local gossip or something to that effect does have some impacts on your love life and experience of romance, you may find that the next three weeks will serve as some kind of reminder about who is really there for you or not. If you are for some reason longing for a more familiar experience and find yourself feeling estranged from where you are, I think that this next three weeks will also serve as the ability to recreate familiarity in a strange place, especially if you find yourself living somewhere that is very far from your typical neighborhood or own backyard.

Leo

You have probably been going through it this last three weeks, with confusion about debts, inheritance, shared money, and secrets affecting your network or friend groups as well as your finances. Though the dust will seem to have settled in terms of potential rumors going around or having to deal with financial repercussions of having fallen out of favor with certain people, you may find yourself having to do some damage control when it comes to fixing your standing within friend groups or clear some things up with groups you may have had some join financial ventures with. If you haven’t paid your debts already, you may find yourself needing to spend the next few weeks doing that, if not having to play the waiting game with people who may need to cough up the goods. With Venus moving into this sign and ruling the areas of your life connected to your reputation as well as your communicative abilities, now would be a good time to regain favor by making good on certain promises. You will likely be able to create some opportunities to turn the tides back in your favor if you have indeed fallen out of someone’s good graces recently. You may also find that some unexpected financial assistance comes thru if you have been struggling, which might help you to balance your checkbooks if not make it up to certain people you might owe.

Virgo

Your relationships have put your to the test the last few weeks, and with the direct station you might find some important revelations being dropped that leave you more confused now than ever with respect to your relationship status with certain individuals. This big reveal might also have the potential to affect your reputation if not how you have been moving through the world for some time. You may discover some important facets of your identity in navigating some of these relationship problems, and now you will probably need to face the music and see if you want to live out some important truths about your relationship, even if they can present challenges for things moving on track versus not. If you have been fighting with a lover and considering a breakup if not thinking about reconciling with an old lover, Venus moving through this house will provide the chance to possibly patch things up and smooth things over. This might be a good time to see if shared values and beliefs are still in place, or if issues around money might have been cleared up so that you can focus more on what brought you together in the first place.

Libra

With the direct station, you may find that your beliefs about people having it out for you in the workplace to either be unfounded or find the root of those suspicions. However, this might leave you at a crossroads for how to proceed going forward. If you have been experiencing some disillusionment with work or health because of how certain practices do not align with beliefs that you have, you may find yourself needing to reconsider some of those beliefs or practices you have been engaging in, especially if you decided to take some wacky health advice recently that ended up making things worse. You may have to spend the next few weeks unlearning some of those practices and finding someone reliable to undo some of the damage that may have been done. If tied to a work situation, you may need to think more clearly about whether or not your work situation is really toxic or if there are just certain potentially avoidable behaviors that could make things a lot more productive. With Venus moving into Pisces, you will likely feel a bit more like yourself and ready to use your inclinations towards harmony and balance to achieve some of these aims.

Scorpio

You will likely begin to realize some of your needs for romance but also the creative pursuits and hobbies that you might actually want to be genuinely invested in. If you and friends or colleagues have been having disputes over who gets credit for what or just the general direction of where joint pursuits need to be going, you might need to spend the next few weeks trying to put together the best ideas rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater. When it comes to love and romance, if you and a friend are having some difficulties with defining your relationship, especially if it is a secret one, you might have to deal with the repercussions of how it will affect your friend group since it might be revealed to you. Venus moving through Pisces will be great for harmonizing especially because it rules your relationship sector, through which your ruler has been transiting and creating all sorts of drama. Some of these challenges in relationships in general might also be offset so that you may properly engage with people in a much more harmonious way, giving you the ability to minimize drama in that regard. It will become less about boundaries and trying to be anal and precise about who gets what, but rather you will be able to focus on what feels good or does not.

Sagittarius

Your relationships and reputation have likely been through the wringer when it comes to disputes about home and your living situation. Either you and your partner could not see eye to eye about certain things when it comes to moving in together, or if you are living with someone you might be having conflicts at home that have you consider needing to possibly go your separate ways. The direct station may coincide with a revelation that might make moving in, staying or going a lot more complex than it seemed at the time, and you will have to explore the repercussions of that over the next few weeks. However, with Venus moving into Pisces, you may find that you will be able to find more peaceful solutions that might benefit all parties involved without doing anything drastic, even if things seem quite up in the air for now. Venus is in charge of the areas of life connected to friendships but also work and routines, so some of these negotiations might revolve around certain rules about friends visiting, maybe having to alter routines and house work in a way that suits everyone, while also possibly recruiting new housemates or something to that effect to take the financial edge off of the rent burden if that is a source of arguments.

Capricorn

If learning or thinking about your beliefs, you may have had a hard time clarifying them due to being flooded by all sorts of information and factoids that possibly seem to good to be true. If you had also been planning some long commutes, you may have had some difficulties with methods of transport that have been keeping you stuck in a situation that complicates your work but also stressful for your physical and mental health. You might be able to get some clarity as Mercury stations direct, but since Neptune is nearby, it may seem like there is no end in sight to all the options you might have to explore to get where you might like to be. With Venus moving into this sphere, you may find yourself more prone to hearing more balanced sources of information, if not trying to piece together the most satisfying tidbits of information that can help you move forward. If you have been having travel issues, you might receive some assistance that can help you get things moving a lot quicker. Through dealing with some of these challenges, you may find opportunities for personal transformation or to take charge in some of these situations in a way that might build some confidence when it comes to feeling like you are eventually headed on the right track.

Aquarius

Financial troubles may have kept you from having fun or stockpiling as much money as you would have liked this last two weeks. You may have found that children, lovers, or creative pursuits created some challenges that led you to acquire surprise expenses that you had to spend some money on. It is quite possible that you may find out how certain people you shared resources with may have pulled a fast one on you financially and you may find yourself having to work yourself out of a debt hole if not trying to figure out how to improve your financial situation. With Venus moving into your money sector this year, you may find that family members or people you live with might be a little generous when it comes to your finances. You may also find that changing your beliefs and relationship to money might also be the first step in trying not to get down about what happened.

Pisces

If you have not been causing confusion for romantic partners, business partners, or family, these people have been causing all sorts of headaches when it comes to their demands about fixing their problems. If you are also looking to move in with a partner or separate from a partner and move out, you may find that some information might come through with the direct station that may leave you very confused about how to proceed when it comes to some of these factors. With Venus moving into your sign, you might find that you will be able to smooth over conflicts with family members if not people you form some kind of close partnership with. This might free you up to learn new things, require you to travel quite a bit, but also involve some shared resources and secrets that come through to help you make your decisions.

#mercury retrograde #pisces #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #venus in pisces #mercury conjunct neptune #neptune #venus #mercury #horoscopees

7 notes · View notes

charlotteroseessex-blog · 5 years

Text

Paedophile Hunters, how bow dah?

Everyone loves a little bit of online gratification, to have a successful post probably means more to you than getting a Facebook comment from your mum telling you what a 'wonderful young woman' you've turned into. A hundred or so likes on a photo maybe, ten or twenty shares on a Facebook post or maybe even a few hundred new subscribers on your YouTube channel is craved more nowadays than any other form of complementation.

But when does this desire to be 'liked' stop? When will the obsession to get fulfilment through the intangible consumption of likes be officially granted as the pointless self-gratification it truly is. I mean, likes aren't reflected in person. They're simply an effortless gesture of a double tap on a shameless selfie which then proceeds to enhance the dopamine of the 'poster' to gage temporary happiness, unattainable by a real life, real time, REAL COMPLIMENT given by an individual consuming more importance than 3/4 of the followers maintained on the account. Why do we all require such desperation to get affirmation from people, let's be honest, we don't really care about? It's an addiction. We, as the suffering generation of online gratification, need to be 'hit' every so often with the social media drug also known as dopamine.

Virality is a socially constructed repercussion (mostly) of when a social media post blows up and becomes a legendary product through the power of sharing. Despite the fact that not every video or photo that goes viral does so due to it's shocking or crude content, it is however a rarity these days to discover a genuinely enlightening or admirable post that would receive the same amount of attention as something that would raise eyebrows rather than hands (in applaud). It is fair to say that social networking platforms encourage and allow the ability of an individual to create a profile whereby they feel free to express themselves separate from the realms of reality. Users may post or share content they found entertaining in the hope that the same gratification is met for their followers. Through the mechanism of sharing, popular posts pursue the process of diffusion whereby they are more likely to have increasing views in a shorter duration of time.

Now, undeniably not every post will embark on the journey of virality. Who's to say what videos will be popular or not? It is not always easy to recognise the specific elements of a post which increases its potential of virality when posted online as, truthfully, we are all viewers and have as much power as the next person reacting to the same post. However - and almost in the same breath - it is more easily identifiable which content is most likely to provoke popularity amongst which groups due to our interests and influences posed upon us by who we follow.

The internet enables society to have access to an abundance of information which allows for individuals to broaden their knowledge around desired topics. Through the normalisation of being online and the excess of such we indulge ourselves in, we have now opened ourselves up to an information rich world whereby the amount of content discoverable by one simple search stereotypically provides us with around 150M search results in 0.6 seconds.

In outlining the obvious realms of virality and the content shared for entertainment, it is important to also recognise the usefulness of pages and organisations which rely on the concept of virality to engage supporters and increase awareness of underlying issues. The recent online phenomenon, known as the Paedophile Hunters, take the purpose of virality to a whole new level by using the application of Facebook to seek and achieve lawful justice. Across the UK there are around 566k Facebook pages working as exposure platforms and ensuring the safety of their local community, but more specifically, children.

The groups actively function as a justice system and upload live stings of suspected paedophiles operating in their area in order to provide a safer online experience for children. These specific pages, operated by who the police describe as vigilante's, have seen a dramatic rise in the last decade when public dissatisfaction was placed upon the police force and their capturing of child predators.

Facebook is used to broadcast live stings once a suspected paedophile is approached as the reliance on virality is the main concept which enables these vigilantes to expose the individuals and prosper in keeping their community safe. Paedophile Hunters gain huge followings and viewing audiences through their live exposures of suspected predators in order to broadcast otherwise undetected criminals to the police. In uploading content to Facebook, viewers - most likely those occupying in the featured community of the video - are able to share the content and in doing so are making their audience aware of the information they feel important to expose to more viewers.

The diffusing of information allows for videos to embark on the journey of virality and access a broader audience than those it was originally made viewable for, like followers or likes and the first audiences exposed to the video through sharing. Viral videos are created by the diffusion process and through the effects of this, causes the community to support such groups as Paedophile Hunters, in raising awareness intended for a national level to make a change in increasing police action. In videos that receive the impact of virality, it engages more people with the dangers prevalent in their local communities and solidifies further support in future stings which intends to force the police in recognising the growing demand and attention for such crimes against children.

Paedophile Hunters in a nut shell:

Paedophile Hunters present in various areas of the country distribute various job roles in gaging leads in potential offenders, one of which being an individual, usually a woman, to pose as a young child online in order to attract the men. In order to avoid the police accusing the vigilantes of entrapment, they await their fake profiles to be actively contacted by predators and then pursue the case after communication is instigated. To successfully carry out the process of catching suspected paedophiles, vigilante groups will engage in online chats with the suspect over the course of several conversations which then provides the police with solidified evidence in the form of chat histories, once they are exposed during a live Facebook sting. Once this happens, the case and all relevant findings are passed over to the police in order for true law and order to be enforced.

(Or this is what they hope to achieve anyway as many cases fail in succeeding courts as the accusations of vigilantes are often portrayed as a nuisance to police and the groups are regularly warned against continuing their services with a fine or caution.)

As the crime of Paedophilia rises citizens clearly feel required to take on the job of policing themselves. Since the rise of vigilantes, the rate in imprisonment of sex offenders has taken an unprecedented rise so therefore, without speculation, the work of vigilantes should not to be undermined. Despite the police force opposing the element of live Facebook stings when targeting a suspect, it must be outlined that the footage is then provided as evidence or used as protection if the suspected person was to create false allegations in the treatment of his citizens arrest, endangering the ethics and validation of vigilante evidence. Therefore documenting stings prevail a saviour for the vigilante groups as well as exposing identities of the paedophiles to the community.

Virality is a powerful tool which controls the material that receives the most attention in the smallest amount of time. Content which proceeds the diffusion process allows the exposure of important information to those concerned and vulnerable to the matter, most specific to Paedophile stings are groups like parents and local schools. The effects of uploading any viral video can receive masses of welcome or unwelcome attention - depending on the video itself.

Popular videos like Danielle Bregoli's featuring on the Dr. Phil Show, where her proclaimed phrase 'cash me outside, how bow dah' made Danielle famous (now known as Bhad Bhabie) with a net worth of $600k. Since the clip of her on the show went viral, she has launched her music career by featuring in Kodak Black's song 'Everything 1k' as well releasing a few of her own songs like 'Trust me' and 'These Heaux' (yeah, I haven't heard of them either)…

In outlining the impact of virality, pages like the Paedophile Hunters expose individuals on a regular basis so it is important to appreciate the power of such stings on unsuspecting local people. As of recently, the consequences of exposing innocent people has made headlines as well as the pursuit of inexperienced civilians taking the law into their own hands. In such cases whereby the concept of embracing the right of a citizen's arrest and retaining a supposed criminal fails to preserve the justice desired. Some people have acted out in taking not only the law into their own hands but the lives of the accused. Through the dangers of virality and propagation falling into the wrong hands, the chances of a successful reconstruction is unlikely due to inexperience and naivety which is especially risky with groups mimicking the process of Paedophile exposures.

An incident reported in May 2016 revealed the act of a 15 year old girl ending the life of an innocent 42 year old man, Darren Kelly, based on false convictions and entrapment. The 15 year old used the dating profile of her own mother to lure a man into meeting what he thought was a woman his own age, due to her preconceptions that he was in fact a paedophile. Despite Kelly pursuing the meet up with the assumption he was meeting an adult female, and NOT in fact an underage girl, the 15 year old had already arranged for a mob of 4 men to strip, beat and then stab the man to death which was recorded on camera. Through the method of recorded stings, it is obvious that the girl conjured inspiration from observed live exposures as posted by vigilantes on Facebook prior to the attack.

The consequences of pursuing false or inaccurate information can be detrimental to those falsely accused and can (and have) cause tragic life changing circumstances, much like the case of Darren Kelly. It could be suggested that the element of virality encouraged the young girl to embark on this specific case of injustice, merely through previous vigilante videos which attempted to enlighten the internet on police failures in protecting children against sex offenders. However it can be seen in this murder case that if the young girl hadn’t of been exposed to such live Facebook stings, she may not have taken as such drastic measures as she did in using such explicit techniques in recording the murder - but that’s just speculation.

Virality is a powerful mechanism in spreading and sharing information found to be entertaining or useful to other people. In the case of Paedophile Hunters, it is justifiable to ascertain the usefulness of their videos reaching a virality status in urging for change and exposing issues currently hidden from the public. Despite the dangers of virality it is important to understand that the internet only gages a crisis when the content shared is harmful or threatening to others. Unlike in the clip below whereby the only posed dangers are for those susceptible to falling victim to the predator...

LIVE STING: DARK JUSTICE

youtube

7 notes · View notes

princessknightt · 6 years

Text

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Review so far

So I've played roughly 18 hours of gameplay already and I'll give a semi-review for people on the fence about getting the game.

It's fucking good yo. It legit feels like I'm playing The Witcher 3 but with Asassin's Creed mechanics but set in Greece. Which is a good thing since Witcher was fucking phenomenal. I'd even say the game mechanics are much better than The Witcher 3, especially since you can climb everything AND swim everywhere, which was something you couldn't do in The Witcher. The verticality adds soooo much to gameplay, and the multiple routes to assassinate and take care of an area is very good too. There's a fuckton of replayability because of that.

So gameplay is a 10/10. The combat itself is also very good, and I'd compare it to Bloodborne since I was just playing that before playing this game. There's a parry you can do that will stun the enemy for a second and a dodge that will slow down time if you time it right. There's all types of weapons you can use that will all have different movesets depending on what it is. I usually stick to the spear and sword since those are my preferred weapons. And there's a lock-on that you can use when you're fighting 1 vs 1 which you shouldn't really use in 1 vs many. There's also just a lot of things you can do that is done very well. There's naval combat, with your own ship, crew, and upgradable content alongside with recruiting people to become lieutenants. You can ram into other ships and shoot them with arrows or javelins if they're close enough. There's combat against wild animals and even LEGENDARY animals that spawn minions to help fight you that is part of a questline for The Daughters of Artemis. Which is scaled all the way till level 39 I think. There's arena battles which I haven't gotten to yet and just so much content that will take all your time. And then the big conquest battles that are definitely fun and will earn you epic gear and you can side with either faction. There's a lot of things that you do that lead up to the conquest battle, involving destroying war supplies, stealing national treasures, killing captains, and killing soldiers to reduce nation power. The funniest thing is you can choose to side with the side you literally fucked over LOL.

Now for the story. No spoilers but I'm very satisfied with it. It's definitely supposed to be like a Greek tragedy and there's a lot of things that happen that make you go, "well fuuuuck, your life fucking sucks Kassandra/Alexios." The main story so far has already revealed a huge conspiracy and something that made my jaw drop. Legit couldn't believe they did that but well, you'll see once you play the game. ;) The side quests themselves, there's good ones that are marked with exclamation points on your map, and are "character" quests. Those actually give story, but there's multiple types of quests you can do. There's the bounty quests that just have you hunt down bandits mostly, contracts where you hunt down bandits or mercenaries, world quests where it's something to do with the Spartan vs Athenian thing going on, naval quests that usually deal with sinking ships or killing sharks and of course, the Odyssey quests that are the main story. The bounty quests are really tedious and continually come up so like, don't do them unless you need money and xp. I'm overleveled right now so you definitely don't need to do them. Contract quests can sometimes lead to something interesting, so I'd recommend taking those. I'd take naval quests too but shark killing quests are a pain when you can't find any sharks. You can spot them using your eagle but like... It's tedious. Other than that, the quests are done well, especially the character and main quests.

There also aren't that many bugs, I've only encountered 1 where the animals walk into a wall and just keep walking into that wall. Other than that, I don't remember anything else happening.

I'm not really sure what else to give my thoughts on besides the gay romance I suppose. It's been fun, the romances are fucking hilarious tbh and you can make terrible decisions that are just hilarious. For instance you can have sex with someone and immediately just invite them to your crew afterwards, which is Y I K E S if it was real life, but funny as fuck in a game. The romances are also not like, super fleshed out so far, but I haven't encountered Kyra yet so we'll see if my opinions change. You can flirt with a lot of people though, and I've even had sex with an older lady because she had a voracious sexual appetite and her husband literally paid me to have 24 hours sex with her. He sat outside the house and waited as Kassandra went to town for literally 24 hours. And then he thanked me and gave me money. Like damn that was so fucking funny I almost died laughing. There's also the Daughters of Artemis that you can uhhh, have promises for something interesting in the future once you complete Artemis's challenges. So there's no shortages of romance, except it's more of a "this is war so romance will involve you liking their face as opposed to meaningful reasons for a romantic relationship" kinda deal. Though I do think there's supposed to be an epic romance with Kyra so we'll see there. Overall though, I'm pretty satisfied since you can make Kassandra or Alexios as gay or straight or bi as you want. Though I will say that I personally don't flirt with any men in the game cause there has been an option for this one healer dude who seemed nice enough but I just ain't into that. It was also an interesting questline that connected to Kassandra's past.

As for the character you play as, you can make Kassandra or Alexios into whatever you want, though there's a certain tone and flavor that they'll always keep. I didn't play as Alexios so I can't speak on that, but Kassandra is kinda snarky and exasperated with the idiots she has to deal with. She's also very much "I don't take shit from people" and a very strong character overall. She's confident and you can go the route of "I'm God's gift to mankind" if you want so even MORE confidence. She also can give very insightful nuggets of information on certain subjects like the morality of doing something. I was pleasantly surprised by those options so the dialogue choices are actually quite good. And Kassandra's voice acting is actually well done, some spots are iffy and you can tell the voice actress wasn't aware of the context of what she's voicing so it's out of tone but most of the time, it's pretty good.

Oh yeah, one last thing before I give it an overall score. Your actions have consequences in this. I literally restarted the game because I got some Bad News about something I decided to do that seemed like the right thing at the time but well, I wasn't thinking too hard about the repercussions. So I felt really bad and restarted. And I heard there's 8 endings or something, probably something having to do with the overall state of Greece, whether you sided with Athens or Sparta, decisions you make in the main story, and however much character side quests you completed. Which is really good since that means it really is your own Odyssey, exactly like the game advertises. It's also fucking long like the Odyssey.

So yeah, I'd say overall I'd give it a 9.5/10.

#assassin's creed #assassin's creed odyssey #ac odyssey #game review #ac odyssey game review #kassandra #you should totally get the game #its actually really good

29 notes · View notes

dayxdayaly · 4 years

Text

July 16, 2020

Sometimes... most times I tell myself I'm fine. I tell myself that I am strong enough, smart enough, positive enough... whatever enough to get me through the day. How many times do you fake something until whatever you really are fades away? It's a weird realization knowing that I would rather be joyful, funny, energetic for everyone around me rather than being sad or honest with my true feelings. The feelings I suppress so deeply that I can hardly recognize them at times. I accepted recently that it's ok not to be okay.. that sometimes too much positivity can be toxic too. I go on with my days just trying to "get through it" or make the best of it when maybe I'm just doing whatever I can to make it as pleasant for me as possible. And I think that at this point, I've done it for too long and got too good at it, because it is really difficult for me to get in touch with myself and to feel vulnerable and just honest with my real desires. There's so many things I am sure/aware of... What I want in life, what I stand for, who I stand for, my strengths, my shortcomings. I have come a long way... But when it comes to being really present/there for myself, I can say that that area needs a lot of heart-work. My intolerances and inconsistencies have been bleeding into this relationship and so before I go into that same dark hole or negative/angry train of thought that I always go on, I am going to give this opening up/vulnerability thing a try. I owe it to you if not for us.

I was certain that you were IT back in 2018 after we found each other again that summer. You were so sweet, forgiving, and so vulnerable that all my anger/remorse for you (80% of why I cheated on you besides our failing communication) wore off and I felt true love for you again. And since then I've tried my best to be committed and really give our relationship whatever I had. And I know I really have. I do whatever I can for you and our relationship. But needless to say, the past few months have especially been hard because I can see/feel you getting shorter and angrier at me, and it's very discouraging. I don't want to, but when you're like that it brings back all the old trauma/bad memories and makes me want to regress into the "old me" (the very angry, impatient, verbally mean one) really makes me want to care less, only I know that it won't do us any good and so I just try my best to understand, and if I can't I just tolerate it

Well no my patience/ability to tolerate your anger/shortness is wearing thin and I don't really know what else to do. I hate getting into yelling matches. I hate storming off. I hate sleeping angry/upset. And with you being on bad terms/hating my dad and me making the commute to your place to spend time together for the past 7 months, my spirit and energy are really burning out. And I start doing things like telling you less because I want to avoid a fight. Or just making love because maybe if we have a real conversation we'll fight. And so now it's just foreign for me to feel vulnerable/open with you because I keep stressing out about you and how you feel you've "outgrown" this relationship/me. I mean for fuck's sake I haven't even been back from vacation a whole day and I'm stressed out already.

And I'm not trying to sound spoiled or ungrateful, because that isn't so. I'm very thankful and I know how lucky I must be to be shown the finer things in life. But I would rather have a good foundation of us just enjoying each other's company, or more like you enjoying mine, without all of the distractions. Simplicity over luxury. And if I'm being 100% honest it has really opened this door of you and your demands/expectations that you continuously remind me I don't make. Either because I can't or personally won't because it's not within me or I lose being true to myself in the process. I need to do/be who I am, and the desire/motivation to meet your demands/expectations should be something I initiate because I want to for you/us, rather than you telling me so - it makes me think your love is conditional and even makes me rebel out of anger/spite because why would you want to change me so much if you loved me for who I am? I won't know what to do anymore so I just take your shit until I can't anymore, and while I'm looking for way to try to understand you or hear you out better, you telling me I'm a bitch or that I'm a child or that "you're done with me" is distracting and overwhelming and makes me want to give up altogether because the fight just isn't worth it.

Are you still that sweet, forgiving, and vulnerable guy? There are times that I can still see myself with you forever. Getting married. Raising a family. Taking care of you. But when we fight now, it gets really bad and the shit you say is starting to really fuck with me and despite how good of a place we are at times, I still get confused and question many things. Would you blame me for not being confident in your love and respect for me?

I am just trying my luck at this honesty/vulnerability thing without feeling bad about the repercussions. I know it in my heart that you love me and want us to work out. But no matter how much I try to understand you, reason with you or just take different approaches I keep getting the same results or worse (your anger/impatience)... and trust me when I say you are getting more intimidating/unenjoyable to be around in those times (which is exactly why I left last night) and that doesn't help your cause if you really mean that all you want is to be understood.

I really want to work this out. I do. But I don't feel safe anymore. I don't feel "fine" about this any more. I feel like my every move/word choice gets picked apart. And I constantly feel like I am not enough. And if that is really the case then maybe I am just trying to force a square peg in a round hole.

0 notes

yourdailykitsch · 7 years

Photo

Taylor Kitsch will never do a Friday Night Lights movie – and please stop throwing out your cigarettes

In 2006, Taylor Kitsch auditioned for a new TV show called Friday Night Lights by downing two Lone Star beers on camera, giving the now infamous Texas Forever speech, and hoping for the best.

Eleven years on - and six years after the critically acclaimed cult TV series ended - Kitsch only has three words for those rumours about a film reboot.

‘Oh my God,’ he laughs.

‘Oh my God. I’m not doing it. I don’t think it will happen to be honest.

Kitsch has come a long way from those days of Riggins, tall boy beers and Texas but now, at aged 36, he’s finally getting into his groove, working on his directorial debut, a mix of TV and film work - and drive motorbikes across the American plains.

‘I drive motorcycles and I just went through Montana and Wyoming and it just eats me alive when people just throw cigarettes out [their window] when they’re done,’ he tells Metro.co.uk.

‘If you’re camping, everyone wants a fire - but you’ve got to listen to the fire bans! And yet you still see people doing this, and it kills you that people don’t understand the repercussions of that.’

Kitsch’s anger comes as we discuss his new drama Only the Brave, which immortalizes the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who died as they battled the raging Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona on June 30, 2013; the greatest loss of firefighters in a wildfire in eight decades and the greatest loss of firefighters in the United States since the September 11 attacks.

The film is a devastating look at the Prescott Fire Departments hotshots - elite teams of 20 wildland firefighters who battle the most serious fires across the US - and their real life friendships, romances, and family lives of those same brave men.

Miles Teller portrays McDonough, the fire’s lone survivor, along with Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, and Kitsch.

The Yarnell fire was started by lightening, however wild fires have increased in numbers and severity in recent years, and although NASA admits that ‘climate change has increased fire risk in many regions’ there is also a large role played by humans in the risk.

‘I hope there’s a level of consciousness that will be raised with this film, that you can easily start something with just “that”,’ he adds.

‘It only happened three years ago so it felt really raw and we celebrated the third anniversary while we were shooting. You just want to do everything in your power to play these guys honestly.’

‘[This film] couldn’t be more relevant - my hometown a few years ago had a huge wildfire and even this year there’s 100 different wildfires around that area, my best friend had a cabin near there and they got evacuated this summer three times. They’re getting worse - an hour away there was a big one when we were shooting in Albuquerque and you could see the flames from on top of the mountains.’

The Canadian actor stars as Christopher MacKenzie, a 30-year-old California native who had always wanted to be a firefighter, like his father.

He gets emotional and clearly cares about this role when he talks about the prep involved, which included spending time with Mac’s father Mike - ‘we still text back and forth’ - and hanging out with McDonaugh.

‘I had the best source in McDonaugh, his roommate and the only survivor,’ he says.

‘So we would hang out and have a beer and he’d tell me these amazing stories of them going out and just filling in as much as you can - any time you want to get the real info on someone you go to their best friends first, so it was an awesome experience.’

‘You needed to get to know who these guys were, when they’re not in their yellows, who are they and what makes them tick,’ he says.

The cast and crew spent two weeks on a training course before the film began so they could get a feel for how the Hotshots worked - ‘it was a boys club!’ laughs Kitsch - hanging out with each other.

‘We really made the most of the two weeks before filming with the Hotshots, hanging out before and after set. Miles would put basketball games together and everyone would show up,’ he says.

Kitsch says 100% of his scenes were filmed on location, with the crew building a ‘three plus acre set with aluminum trees that they filled with huge propane tanks so they could turn it on and off.’

It sounds terrifying but it’s clear that for Kitsch nothing but getting his hands dirty and getting a real sense for who these men were would do for him.

In the 11 years that Kitsch has been working steadily, he’s appeared alongside names such as Brolin and Bridges, Hugh Jackman, Liam Neeson, and Mark Strong.

‘I think any actor will tell you longevity is the most flattering thing you can have,’ says Kitsch when asked about what he’s learning from these men, ‘and when you’re working with the Liam Neeson’s and Josh Brolin’s and the icon Jeff Bridges...one, they haven’t changed which I love.

‘Brolin is Brolin and what you see is what you get, they don’t turn it on, and I’d like to think I don’t either, and so I think that’s the biggest attribute.’

He admits that he was still green when he went to work on X-Men: Origins as Gambit but that working with Hugh Jackman made him realize that ‘work ethic is the most important thing you need to have if you want to stick around.’

That ethic is something Kitsch clearly thrives on as he hasn’t stopped working since.

Up next is his directorial debut, which he says will start shooting on November 27, and which is based on a short film he made in 2014 called Pieces.

‘It took me a couple more years to be happy with where the script is now,” he says, ‘we have 80% of the cast so when I’m done with press we’ll go into pre-production and take a swing.’

He’s got his good friend Peter Berg on board as producer and the two go way back; it was Berg who produced and is therefore responsible for Kitsch starring as Tim Riggins in the cult classic Friday Night Lights.

It’s a friendship that changed his life, and something Kitsch is fully aware of: ‘I wouldn’t be here without Pete.’

#taylor kitsch #only the brave #friday night lights #Pieces

33 notes · View notes

taikoturtle · 7 years

Note

Either "Bitch better have my money" or "Zero fucks given. Next please" for the five word prompts.

Pairing: Trimberly

“Bitch better have my money”

read it on AO3

Trini’s sneakers pound against the pavement as she scours the entire school grounds at the end of the day. Her eyes scan the passing areas acutely but fail to yield the results she’s seeking. Fingers fly across her phone’s screen as fast as her feet are carrying her across campus.

[Trini 2:44]

zack, you better b at school today

She checks his usual stomping grounds: the secluded utility shed near the football stadium, the bathrooms on the farthest outskirts near the chemistry labs, and the outside area at the back of the school. Each place is emptier than the last causing Trini’s scowl to deepen with every strike out.

[Trini 2:48]

this is really important where tf are you

Slowing to a stop near the flagpole out front, Trini sucks in gulps of fresh air to catch her breath. It’s quite possibly the worst day for their truant friend to be elusive, but Trini’s always had shitty luck so she can’t exactly blame him. After becoming a Power Ranger he has steadily upped his attendance, but the bar is set pretty low when you’re starting from completely absent all of the time.

Her phone buzzes and she whips it up to read whatever excuse he has cooked up for her.

[Zack 2:52]

was taking a dump. can’t a guy get a break?

[Trini 2:52]

you’re so gross why are we friends

[Zack 2:53]

you tell me crazy girl

Her lips crack into a smile before she shakes her head and remembers the urgency.

[Trini 2:53]are you at school today?

[Zack 2:54]

you’re lucky I was feeling studious today

[Trini 2:54]

studious my ass. fridays are pizza day at school

[Zack 2:54]

potato potato

[Trini 2:55]

what?

[Zack 2:55]

that was way less effective through text

[Trini 2:55]

whatever just come to the flagpole now and bring the money you owe me

[Zack 2:56]

sooo about that…

As soon as she reads his last text, Trini feels her blood pressure rising like a bubbling volcano. A couple of weeks ago she had lent him some cash to take a girl out on a date. Partly because it was satisfying to see him beg so desperately because he really liked this chick, but mainly because she was happy that he was happy. Honestly, she would have lent him the money regardless simply because he’s her friend, but the groveling really was a nice touch.

[Trini 2:57]

SOS

It’s their code for when shit is real, and now is the time to cash in on that debt because Trini has a date of her own—with none other than Kimberly Hart.

Yes, the Kimberly Hart.

The very girl who she’s been pining for ever since they stumbled across the power coins on that fateful night that changed their lives forever. The very girl who she initially despised when she had first transferred because of ignorant stereotypes that shaped how Trini thought Kimberly was as a person without even getting to know her first.

The very girl who stole her heart after she realized just how wrong she was.

And one would think that when a girl tricks you and pulls you down off a seemingly bottomless cliff, the friendship would be over before it even started, but such was not the case with Kimberly. Maybe Trini’s just a glutton for punishment but something inside her that day compelled her to come back, and it certainly wasn’t Jason’s mildly rousing speech—all she knows for sure is that she fell into more than just that ravine.

Trini doesn’t do emotions very well. Anger maybe, sarcasm most definitely, but love? As far as she’s concerned, love is as foreign to her as advanced physics. She loves her family, but it’s a delicate and complicated love that’s riddled with frustrations, so navigating the complex feelings she harbors towards Kimberly is a treacherous endeavor to say the least.

But it’s worth it—it’s always worth it.

She’s always worth it.

Trini had finally mustered up the courage today, fueled by Billy and Jason’s supportive encouragement and inspiring pep talk, to ask Kimberly out on a date. It was the most nerve-wracking moment of her teenage life, standing so closely beside Kimberly as she unfolded the tiny note that Trini slipped into her locker that morning.

Passing notes is kind of their thing, so it only seemed fitting that she asked her to dinner with a note. She even tried to draw a picture of a pterodactyl and a sabre toothed tiger but Kimberly ruined the moment by asking why she scribbled a pigeon and a dog on the paper. Trini knows she’s no Michelangelo, but come on.

Despite Trini’s apparently poor fine arts skills, Kimberly beamed at her and breathed out a relieved “finally!” before pulling her into a warm, inviting hug. Kimberly always gives amazing hugs too, the kind where her arms wrap fully around Trini’s body, not too tight but just close enough to make her feel safe, to feel enveloped by affection.

They’re the kind of hugs you never want to end, but time waits for no one and the school bell rang so they had to go their separate ways. Trini still felt the lingering warmth from Kimberly and her body hummed with vibrating excitement, eager for the day to end so they can go on their date.

It wasn’t until her next class when Trini opened her wallet to determine where they would go later that night did her heart plummet into her stomach.

It was empty.

Sure, insisting to pay for the whole bill is an antiquated notion, but Trini doesn’t care—she wants to treat Kimberly on their first date, to really make her feel as special as she makes Trini feel, but how is she going to do that with no money whatsoever? There’s no way she’s going to have Kimberly pay for the entire dinner when the date was Trini’s idea to begin with.

Which is why Zack needs to get his ass over to the flagpole before she kicks it so hard he won’t have anything left to sit on.

“Bitch better have my money,” Trini mumbles under her breath as she crosses her arms, her foot tapping the ground impatiently.

Her phone buzzes again but before she can glance at its contents an arm slings around her shoulders out of the blue and startles her.

“Here you are!” Kimberly exclaims as she leans heavily into Trini with a broad smile on her face. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Sorry, I had uh… stuff I had to do after school,” Trini replies vaguely with her gaze averted downward.

Trini feels Kimberly tense up, the air thick with silence before her voice tentatively asks, “Are we still on for tonight?”

“Yes!” The word blurts out louder than intended and a blush overtakes Trini’s chagrined expression.

“Oookay, cool. I was just checking,” Kimberly responds quietly. “I mean, if you’re having second thoughts or like, you don’t feel like going out tonight I totally understand. The last thing I want is for you to regret anything or force you into something you’re not ready for or–”

“Hey, no no, stop.” Trini turns swiftly to face Kimberly and shakes her head earnestly. “Believe me, I do want this–” her hands motion back and forth between them animatedly “–I had something I needed to take care of first before we leave, really.”

The tension in Kimberly’s thin expression releases as she exhales, the worry and anxiety leaving her body upon hearing her words. “Sorry, I’m a little nervous I guess.”

“Aw, I make you nervous?” Trini grins smugly which garners a playful slap on the arm from Kimberly. Her pocket buzzes again, but Trini disregards it in favor of paying attention to the situation at hand.

“Seriously though, I haven’t really put myself out there since the whole Ty Flemming thing and I just don’t want…” Kimberly pauses, her eyes shifting left and right, heavy with the pain of her past and searching for the right words to continue.

…to get hurt is what Trini thinks to herself, because behind all of the confidence and bravado, romance is still very much a sore point for Kimberly. She knows she’s made mistakes and if you ask her what compelled her to do it, even she has no idea, but the repercussions of her actions still echo to this day and they’re impossible to escape.

Trini throws her arms around Kimberly and pulls her back into a close embrace. Her hugs may not be as good as Kimberly’s, but damn it she can try. She’d hug away Kimberly’s ghosts if she could, but life doesn’t work that way and it’s never that simple, so Trini offers her truest self and hopes it’s enough to keep the demons at bay.

Smiling softly in the crook of Kimberly’s neck, Trini breathes out barely above a whisper.“For what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty cool.”

A choked laugh escapes Kimberly’s lips and her grip around the smaller Ranger tightens. “Thanks.”

Trini ignores the questioning looks that the other students are conspicuously throwing their way because they don’t matter–nothing else matters right now besides the fact that Kimberly is in her arms and that they fit together as if it were meant to be and everything feels absolutely perfect.

“Trini!”

The moment ruined, Trini’s brow furrows upon hearing her name being shouted in the distance and both girls turn to seek the source of the noise.

Kimberly squints to get a better look and her mouth parts open slightly in confusion. “Is that… Zack?”

True to her observation, Zack is barrelling towards them at full speed from across campus like a charging bull, his arms furiously pumping at his side and long legs putting in work. If his attendance at school wasn’t so poor, Trini could picture him on the basketball team or track and field.

He closes the gap in an impressively short amount of time, coming to a halt several feet away. Doubled over with his hands on his thighs as he heaves in and out haggardly, Zack angles his head up and stares at Trini incredulously.

“This is your SOS?”

Sweat drips down the sides of his face and Trini nods seriously. “Yeah.”

Zack straightens up and lets out an exhausted laugh. “Oh this is great.”

“Dude, you can laugh about it later. Do you have it?”

He shakes his head, “Nope.”

“What?!” Trini nearly shrieks and Kimberly flinches out of reflex, taken aback by her unusually loud outburst. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why’d you even run over here to begin with if you didn’t have my money?”

Zack shrugs casually with a shit-eating grin still plastered on his face, “You stopped responding to my texts.”

“What money?” Kimberly inquires, her head tilting to the side curiously.

“Oh, Trini didn’t tell you?” Zack starts, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “She’s fresh out of cash, which I’m assuming she needed for whatever she’s doing tonight, which, by the looks of it, might be you–OW!”

Trini cuts him off with a swift punch to the chest mixed with a little Ranger strength for good measure.

Kimberly snorts humorously and looks at Trini. “Is this what was bothering you?”

Too ashamed from being exposed, Trini could only stare at the ground and nod her head dumbly.

“You’re adorable.” Kimberly links their hands together and gives her a little tug. “You don’t have to pay for me.”

“But I wanted to!” Trini protests with exasperation. “Besides, I asked you out on a date. That’s just messed up that you have to pay when I was the one who proposed it.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Kimberly says nonchalantly with a cheerful smile, “tonight’s on me.”

Zack smirks, “That’s not the only thing that’ll be on you tonight.”

Trini punches him again, her face as red as a tomato, as Kimberly’s bright laughter rings in the air.

#trimberly #trimberly fanfic #power rangers #pink lemonade #trini x kimberly #asks #anon #myfanfic #thanks for the submission!#on to the next one

113 notes · View notes

ilguna · 4 years

Text

Tacenda - Chapter Fourteen (f.o)

Summary: you’ll never truly be free from the Capitol.

Word Count; 3.5k

Warnings; swearing

NOTES: i give reader a last name to fit the world.

–

You sit on the edge of Finnick’s bed, watching as he plays around with a rope. He’ll untie it and retie it into knots to keep himself entertained. Here, in District Thirteen, it feels like almost nothing happens. Especially when you’ve been sitting in a bed for a while.

You had thrown a whole bitching fit when they tried to take Finnick away from you. Put you in a different room away from where he was. You told them that they couldn’t do that, and made sure that the message was very thorough. You respect, and you’re very thankful for them saving you from the arena, but Finnick is all you have right now.

You don’t have your two brothers, you don’t have your sister. Finnick is your only lifeline right now, as you think about the endless possibilities that could be going on with your family. Because Snow had taken one nice stop in District Four and with one foul scoop, took your siblings and Annie right the fuck out of there.

You have no clue what’s happening to them right now.

You told the doctors that you wouldn’t be difficult if they at least accepted your plans. That you want to be put in the same room as Finnick, and you don’t want to be hooked up to any machines if it’s possible. It’s not like you’re dying, and there’s nothing inside of you right now that would hinder your abilities to do anything.

You have a few cuts here and there on your body from running through the jungle, and from tripping and accidentally cutting yourself and so on. But those aren’t important. You understand that they want to double check on your body because of the poisonous white fog you had encountered.

As far as you’re concerned, though. If it isn’t broken, don’t try and fix it. You’re running just fine. You can breathe, your heart still pumps, and you’re taking down food like a champ. So far, you body hasn’t even shown a hint of trying to end itself, and that’s why you think the doctors shouldn’t try and experiment, unless they know that they’re doing.

Because all it would take is one damn screw up. A little experiment of seeing if they can draw it out of your bodies and all they do is end up making it worse. Your liver can handle it, if it’s handled all the other shit that you’ve put in your body, then you’ll be fine. And it’s not like you guys hadn’t gone ahead and washed it off when you could.

Regardless, you promised to try your best and be cooperative as long as you got what you wanted, in a sense. So you took the cream that they wanted you to spread on the areas that had been affected by the fog, and moved right along. They had decided to bring you to him, since he wasn’t resisting treatment.

You twist your wedding ring, trying to keep your hands from shaking.

“Finnick.”

You look over to where the voice had come, and there stands Katniss. She had to have just woken up, because you haven’t heard a word come from her room, which is literally next door. She looks angry, and she alternates between glaring at you, and Finnick.

It’s quiet between you three for a moment, before Finnick answers, “I wanted to go back for Peeta, and Johanna. But I–I couldn’t move.”

You keep quiet, staring at the floor slightly. There wasn’t much you could do in that situation either. You were just barely able to drag yourself onto Finnick. Then again, she could always be mad about what came after. When she had woken up inside of the hovercraft and tried to stab Haymitch with a needle.

She has all the right to be angry. You guys more or less directly defied what she had wanted, knowingly. She wanted Peeta to be saved, she wanted him to be the one that came out of the arena alive. Not her. Haymitch had told you all of this, which is also a good reason why you couldn’t let her in on the plan. Because it involved getting her out first.

“They have (Y/n)’s family too,” Finnick says, as if that helps. As if it’s supposed to make her feel better about her situation. So the both of you can suffer together, “They took them, along with Annie. They’re uh–they’re in the Capitol.”

You look up to Katniss now, to see how much her face has changed. There’s tears in her eyes, and you laugh, turning to look away from her. You’ve cried your tears already, you just want it to all be fake by now. One big dream and at any moment, someone is going to rock you awake.

Just like at the beach. Just like how Finnick had shook you awake. You want it to be exactly like that.

You wonder if you are stuck in a dream right now. Or maybe you’re dead, and this is your own personal hell. Knowing that your family is stuck in the captivity of the Capitol, with the full knowledge of the fact that Snow will go great lengths to make sure that you’re in pain. He’s going to do what he wants to your family, and he’ll do it because he has no repercussions.

Snow got Finnick’s family ten years ago. You suppose it’s your turn to suffer in the same way. After speaking out against Snow like that during your interview. After actively participating in the rebellion. This is going to be his way of getting you back.

You reach up, wiping your eyes with the heel of your hand. A laugh bubbles out of you, as you look at the ceiling.

“(Y/n)?” Finnick asks.

You laugh a little harder, shaking your head as you look to Katniss, and then Finnick.

“I thought I was untouchable.” you press your lips together, and then look down at your wedding ring, “I thought I couldn’t be affected, because it wasn’t me who was going to be the leader of the rebellion. I should have known.” you look at Katniss, “I’m really sorry, Katniss.”

A nurse comes down the hall, catching Katniss standing there. They move her back to her room, and it’s just you and Finnick in the room, back in silence.

“They’re not going to hurt them, (Y/n).” Finnick says quietly, “And you don’t need to be thinking like that.”

“Finnick, Snow went out of his way to go to District Four and get Annie and my family,” you shake your head, looking at him, “You’re being absolutely ridiculous if you think for one single second that he’s not going to do something.”

“Come here.” he says, his tone means it’s not up for debate. He sets down his rope, and holds out his hands for yours. You sit down, facing him and placing your hands in his, “Look at me.”

You’ve seen Finnick serious before, it’s not an outrageous thing. You’ve seen him determined, and angry, and fearless, and war-driven. You’ve seen him worried, and caring, and loving, and free. Throughout these years, you’ve seen everything you can come from him.

You look at Finnick, and you’re already getting emotional, because it hurts. And he sees this.

“Remember during the first games, and you kept telling yourself that you need to look up and not down?” he asks, “Because if you look down for too long, you’re going to think down? You’re going to think that none of it matters if you end up dying, anyway?”

You nod.

“This is the same thing.” Finnick says, “You thinking that they’re not going to make it out, is going to make something bad happen. You’re going to force those bad things to happen, instead of thinking up.”

Finnick’s right, as he normally is.

You laugh, looking down at the bed for a moment, “Thank you, Finnick.”

He yanks you towards him, letting go of your hands just in time so you face plant straight into his chest. He laughs at his antics, and wraps his arms around you for a hug. You do your best to hug him back.

“Tell me one of your favorite stories about them.” he demands.

You readjust yourself so you’re a little more comfortable. Even then, it doesn’t help, “Finn, you know all our stories.”

“Not all of them!” he says, “I didn’t know the one about the tree!”

“It was a useless story.” you giggle.

Finnick shrugs, “Then tell me the useless ones.”

You think for a moment, because all the stories to you, are just memories. None of them seem to stick out like a sore thumb. They all blend together, and you can’t even seem to find a funny one at first.

“Oh!” you say, “Let me sit up.”

“Got a good one?” he asks, letting you go.

You laugh, “Kinda. Did I ever tell you the first time I went to the square?”

Finnick begins giggling too, “No, but I have a feeling it’s a good one.”

You move Finnick’s left arm up, as you lay right next to him on the bed. He scoots over a little bit, and readjusts the pillow so you can be comfortable. His arm is wrapped around your shoulder, and he looks down at you, since you’re laying and he’s sitting up.

“It was before my mom had died.” you begin, “I was roughly twelve when Alyssum had been born, so I must have been ten or so. Reed was fifteen, Mox was fourteen, and I was the runt at the time. Obviously, that meant I would have to endure a ton of torment, no matter what.

“Don’t get me wrong, okay? I love my brothers as much as the next person, but what they did one day was cruel. The day I had first gone to the square, we had run out of the essentials. Like shampoo and soap and all of that. Of course, we could go to one of the local stores and try to buy what they have but–you know how the old lady was.”

Finnick laughs, “Cranky, and everything in there was overpriced.”

“Exactly!” You laugh, “And the soaps were specially scented, and that’s why she made them overpriced in the first place. The only times we would buy from her, was either for weddings or funerals. Which are the two most important times for a person. Not birth!

“Anyway, Reed and Mox knew full well that I had never been to the square before, and since I hit double-digits they thought that sending me by myself to get soaps was the perfect way to do it. Even if I had no idea on how to navigate, or bargain, or know what I was after specifically.

“Mom and dad didn’t even think to stop them, because they didn’t know!” you laugh, “Reed and Mox left the house with me to make it look like they were going to do it, because it was their job to do. But they handed me the money, told me the basics of what I was looking for, and left me on my own.

“And when I mean left–” you giggle, and Finnick is laughing too, “I mean, they fucking left. They somehow knew that the wrath of our mom was going to bite them in the ass so fucking hard, that they fled halfway across the district to be out of reach. And they didn’t come home until it was late at night. But that’s for later.

“My brothers were so fucking cruel, they had sent me there at one of the busiest times of the day, because there’s three. One, really early in the morning for the people that want to get the good stuff. The afternoon to two o’clock for those who have nothing better to do during those times of the day. And right after work for everyone has ended. Can you guess which one they chose?”

“After work?” Finnick is still laughing.

“The place was a shit show, Finnick!” you motion with your hands, “Mostly fishermen that stunk of rotting fish that had sat in the sun all day. My dad had plenty of friends back then, his buddies that he would go on the water with during the day, so a few of the guys had obviously recognized me. They didn’t say a word, though. Because they thought I was on a mission.

“I was clutching twenty dollars like it was the last thing I had to my name, wandering around the stalls. I nearly got stepped on almost a hundred times. Do you know how many times I heard ‘oops, didn’t see you there, sweetheart!’? Too many! And yet none of them had thought to ask me what I was looking for.

“I ended up finding the stall that I was looking for, and I waited in line patiently. There was constantly people weaving in and out and occasionally stepping in front of me because I was too timid to tell them otherwise. I’m sure had I told them that I had been standing there, waiting, for almost an hour, they would have moved, but I didn’t have the guts.

“We both know how big and burly the fishermen in District Four get.” you settle down again, “Somehow, by some fucking miracle, I had gotten to the front of the line with the twenty dollars. And with the little knowledge that I had, I told the lady that I needed shampoo and body soap enough for five people with the twenty dollars that I had.

“At first, she tried to treat me like a regular person, because she’s seen the faces. They come in and out, and it’s hard to keep track of people in four, because we replicate like bunnies.” Finnick is in stitches at that comment, “But then, after I had answered one of her questions, she ever so slowly looked at me.”

You do the same, looking at Finnick as slowly as you can, “She looked me up and down, and then said, ‘honey, you don’t belong here’. As if I didn’t fucking know!”

Finnick shushes you, but he’s laughing too hard.

“I told her my brothers sent me in, and she asked me where they were. I told her that they left, and if she wanted to find them for me, that she could be my fucking guest because I knew that they would be ‘out of sight, out of mind’ far. We went back and forth for a while.

“She asked me if I had gone to any other stalls, and I told her that I was only allowed to get shower stuff. She told me I was smart for not falling for any of the candy displays, but to be honest I was so fucking scared of getting stepped on for the thousandth time, that I hadn’t even realized that there were any.

“She gives almost double the amount that I should have been given, and leaves enough money for me to go and get candy from one of the stalls. She gave me a bag, and right on top, wrote a nice note for my mom and dad and she told me not to read it. I got to the candy table, told them that the lady had sent me and she said that she would pay for it.

“The guy gave it to me on the house, of course, and then I was on my way home. I enjoyed my chocolate, but still semi-oblivious to what had just happened, I tucked some of the sweets away for my brothers when I would see them at home.” you grab onto Finnick’s arm, shaking him, “Because it had been almost three fucking hours since I left the house, and I figured that they would be there already. But guess what?”

“They weren’t there.” Finnick answers.

“They weren’t there.” you repeat, “I gave my mom the note that the lady wrote, and I’ve never seen my mom so caring before. She made me, her and our dad, my favorite dinner, and made basically bones for my brothers for when they would come home. My mom told me she was proud of me, and that I did a very good job inside of the square, but not to do it for a very long time.

“She found the chocolate that I had been saving for my brothers, and cut up some even pieces that were absolutely way too small to enjoy and placed that with their dinners. I allowed them to have the rest, and then after that, it was a waiting game.

“I stayed up hours past my bedtime with them, as they waited in the living room with me. Dad was reading a book, I was coloring, and mom was coloring right alongside me. The thing is, about our old house, is that it was two stories. My bedroom, and their bedroom was upstairs, but my brothers slept downstairs. Making it more than easy to come in through the window for them.

“They must have waited a while, because when they did come out of the room–” You’re laughing now, shaking your head, “–they were dressed in pajamas, and clearly ready with a flashlight to come and raid the fridge. Did I mention that we were sitting in the dark, though?”

Finnick is chuckling again, “No you didn’t, I have a feeling where this is going, though.”

“They shone the flashlight right on us.” you tell him, “Forget deer caught in headlights, they were light a couple of truckers that had caught the fucking deer! Mom jumped up and off the floor in two seconds and she tackled the both of them to the floor before they could escape to their room.

“Dad lit a few candles, and just like that, they were in giant ass trouble. They got yelled at for nearly an hour for doing that to me. And to make all the matters worse, they had shoved the chocolate in their face. Not in a way of ‘she got it and you didn’t’ but more of ‘even after you did this to her, she wanted to give you something nice’.”

You snort, “I think that’s when Mox became so sensitive, it’s because of me. Because I was the runt of the group, and they teased me relentlessly, and treated me like ass and even though they did, I still would do stuff like that. Get them their favorite treats, buy expensive toys with my own allowance and all that.”

You sigh, placing your hands on your stomach as you stare at the ceiling, “Unfortunately, two years later I would be taking trips to the square more often. Dad had gotten busy, trying to take care of Alyssum and providing for us. The days that Reed and Mox didn’t have school, they would be on the boat trying to help.

“And then it would get so much worse when dad had died, and I was suddenly put in charge of the square and Alyssum at the same time, since they would be busy with the boat and all that. It’s how the people of the square learned me more, and learned to respect who I was and all of that.

“I was twelve or thirteen, still getting used to it all. And then two years later would come the games,” you look over to Finnick, “I think you remember how that goes.” he nods, “I didn’t really have a reason to go back to the square after that. Too much money to know what to do with, I could have bought everyone out every single day, but it just wasn’t fun, y’know?

“I could have bought anything I wanted. The expensive bread, and meat, and the fancy perfumed soaps and shampoos. There was no need for the cheap stuff in the square, but I ended up going there anyway. I would basically shower people with money and tell them to keep the change.”

It’s quiet in the room, “You’ve always been adaptive.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” you tell him, “It’s luck that I hadn’t been taken in the square that day. Or have had my money gouged off me.”

“Do you have any more worthless stories?” he asks, sinking down on the bed with you.

They’re not worthless to him, you realize. He thinks that they’re fun and interesting, and he wants you to keep going. You look over to Finnick with tears in your eyes, and a frog in your throat, “Hundreds.”

#ilguna #finnick odair #finnick odair imagine #finnick odair oneshot #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair fanfic #finnick odair tacenda #tacenda

34 notes · View notes

simkjrs · 7 years

Note

Hi please PLEASE talk to me abt the socioeconomic state of japan in bnh verse I am SO interested to hear ur thoughts? I'm a poli theory major and let me tell u im a SLUT for fic that deal w the political/social repercussions of fictional happenings

sure thing!

disclaimer: i only just graduated high school so i’m pulling all of this out of my ass one semester of macroeconomics i took in senior year. feel free to add onto or correct any of this

edit: if anyone wants to use this for reference when writing boku no hero japan, feel free! i’d appreciate any credit, but it’s not necessary.

what really got me thinking about the socioeconomic state of boku no hero japan was probably the difference between orudera junior high (bakugou and izuku’s school) vs. yuuei, both of which are in the same city, musutafu. orudera junior high gives off the feeling of a school that’s a bit run down; not terrible enough that it obstructs the kids’ education, but enough that you think the school probably can’t afford to keep it in good repair.

here’s a screenshot of bakugou and izuku’s classroom:

and then here’s izuku’s desk, which has details indicating that it’s in slight disrepair:

if you go back through the chapters and look at the setting at yuuei, it’s spic-n-span. just super clean and well-kept. it’s an entire world of difference… so already there is this huge disparity between the junior high school in izuku’s neighborhood, and yuuei, which is a 40 minute subway ride away (chapter 3).

makes sense that yuuei would be so nice and expensive if it’s the most prestigious hero academy in the country, right? but there’s more details too, like this brief exchange between bakugou & iida right at the very beginning:

bakugou’s resentful comment about iida being an “elite” really only makes sense to me in the context of economic disparity. let’s infer that soumei junior high is better funded, better equipped, better everything in general. of course bakugou will resent iida for that, especially coming from the more ill-maintained orudera junior high. the difference in their economic status is already apparent.

this isn’t even going into the difference between yaoyorozu’s incredibly rich status vs the rest of the class vs uraraka, who has decided to become a hero because she wants the financial security, and who also lives in an apartment by herself and skips meals to save on money. so even within the class itself there’s a huuuge difference in economic status.

you could just think of it as the individual circumstances of the characters, but i think it’s more of a systematic problem – see, again, the difference in infrastructure quality between the different schools (the public school is not doing so great but yuuei is doing fantastic). maybe the city is poor, or maybe all of its funds go towards repairing the constant property damage from villain attacks, or maybe there’s just some areas they don’t care to maintain. either way: just by traversing different parts of the city you’ll probably see big differences in how well the neighborhoods are kept.

and now, for a different question: if this is the golden age of peace, why are there still so many villain fights?

looking at chapter one (the first villain we see is a guy who stole a purse and then tried to fight back when he was caught) and chapter 115 (villain activity increases sharply after all might’s retirement), i feel like… these attacks are driven by financial need. look at this:

a group of adults gathered to commit crime… just to steal a register from a convenience store. that’s such a small sum of money! but they were so elated to get just that amount. it seems like the kind of thing that would happen if you were strapped for money, right?

and then the villain from chapter 1: why would he fight so hard just because he got caught stealing a purse? he stopped the trains, for pete’s sake. all i can think is that a) he needed the money he’d be able to get by selling the purse, or b) he knew he wouldn’t be able to afford the fines, and that’s why he fought.

maybe i’m reading too much into this, but based off these crimes, plus the other details provided above, i really feel like there’s a growing problem in boku no hero japan where there’s an increasing disparity in wealth.

another thing to consider: in the golden age of peace, you’d have to be pretty stupid, pretty reckless, or pretty desperate to commit a crime where heroes frequent. (or you’re a black market dealer and/or evil.) if you’ve got an increasing number of people who are poor, who are dropping from the middle class to under the poverty line, or who have no upwards economic mobility, then you’ve got plenty of people desperate enough to try some petty crime for the sake of just a bit more cash for rent this month. that would be enough to explain the frequent villain fights that heroes get into – which are common enough that people will stop by and watch the show on their way to work. (chapter 1)

this is really just a theory… but what could you use to explain why there’s a growing number of people struggling to make ends meet?

here’s some factoids about japan (this article is from 2016):

its real wages were falling, and as such, had weak domestic consumption; people buying less & saving more, or people just not having the money to spend in the first place, resulting in less money circulating in the economy and causing the economy to slow down. efforts to stimulate wage growth in 2015 did not make it down to the workers

there was an increasing number of people with non-regular jobs, part time jobs, etc. as opposed to full time jobs, so they couldn’t get the financial security of a full time job (source)

one in six people in 2014 were living in relative poverty. this rate is higher among single mothers and among middle aged men without families, i believe.

japan was like, 39th of 41 developed countries in terms of child poverty (the higher the number, the worse it is). something like that

this is despite japan having a high labor participation rate and a low unemployment rate, and also a low violent crime rate

basing boku no hero japan off of actual real world japan’s current economic problems: we could surmise that, in boku no hero japan, although nominal wages are rising, real wages are falling; infrastructure spending is poor and disorganized, geared towards repairing villain-inflicted property damage and not enough towards everything else; and people are finding difficulty holding onto jobs (as seen with uraraka’s parents) and are forced into low-paying, part-time work, and may find themselves struggling with debt.

oh, and here’s a quote from the guardian (jan 2017): “experts say programmes to help needy children are underfunded and held back by bureaucratic inefficiency and political apathy.”

so it’d actually be quite viable for boku no hero japan to be doing quite badly, economically, and to be struggling with wealth inequality and other super fun things like that.

boku no hero japan is also like centuries in the future, one where villainy is commonplace, so it’s not a surprise that people’s response to struggling to make ends meet would be “well, i have a pretty good quirk. if i’m lucky, i think i’ll be able to steal some cash, and i’m desperate enough to do it, too.” SO, my personal guess, is that this is a biiiig portion of the crimes that heroes fight.

i mean, it doesn’t really make sense for villains to do so much… villain-ing… when there’s footage almost every single week of the heroes taking down yet ANOTHER criminal. why do they keep coming out of the woodwork? why’s there still enough criminals to keep all the heroes in business? ‘cause they’re desperate and need the money, probably. which is understandable. so even if you eliminate a villain, you haven’t addressed the economic problems that drove them to become a villain in the first place; hence, there’s always someone else rising up to take their place.

on that note, let’s take a closer look at the hero industry!

in chapter 1, horikoshi gives us a brief history of heroics. quirks emerged, the government wasn’t sure what to do to combat quirk-related crime, heroes emerged, and heroes eventually became sanctioned by the law. and when that happened:

so that’s pretty cool! seems like heroes aren’t specifically a government institution, but they are affiliated with & rewarded by it. makes sense, since heroes have to work closely with law enforcement on some matters, anyways. heroes =/= police only because heroes are specifically there to combat quirk-related crime.

but times have changed since then, as shown in the latest manga chapter:

“it’s all about entertainment and approval ratings and whatnot.”

we know from the stain arc that heroes are still paid by the government:

‘given my status’ – in other words: his hero ranking? popularity? how respected he is as a hero? hmmm.

uraraka’s mentor that arc explains that heroes are sort of “paid on commission” by the number of crimes they can resolve, but said commissions usually get sent their way by the police:

but to get your name out there (both to the police and to the public), and to become higher ranking in the popularity polls, you need to cultivate a public image, too. get yourself some attention.

so to cultivate a public image, one thing that heroes can do is to conduct a fight in a public, open space where anyone can see. apparently this happens often enough that izuku would actually regularly run into one of these fights on his way to/from school, and would stay to take notes and learn from them. villain attacks are ALSO frequent enough that apparently all might keeps arriving at yuuei late because he stops to help out:

in other words, villain attacks and fights are a regular, almost quotidian experience. more on that in a sec. for now, just think about how the heroes benefit from public fights: they get to show off, and their fights are broadcasted, and they can get a boost in their rankings. fighting against a villain, they don’t just have a motive to do their job and save people; they have a motive to grab the spotlight and show off. popularity boost! we actually see this happen in chapter one, when mount lady leaps into kamui woods’ fight and defeats a villain in one kick.

so, as a citizen, you may be grateful to the heroes for saving people – but you might resent them for turning these situations into a spectacle for showing off. incidents sometimes turn into competitions between heroes. if you take that a step further, you might think some of the heroes are only helping because they want to look good. and hey, that’s not the kind of person you’d want to entrust your life to, right?

because heroics is now partially driven by entertainment and image, heroes are all forming their separate hero agencies to try and differentiate themselves. for example, this list:

while they work together to fight crime, they have to battle for popularity and attention… they probably even have to vie for commissions/crime cases from the police. they all need to make themselves stronger, cooler, & a better choice than the other hero agencies. it’s something of a conflict of interest. you can imagine sometimes that gets in the way of cooperation (i.e. endeavor’s forever grudge against all might. y’all should read the illegals spin off.)

and if you’re battling for popularity and attention… it would also make sense for you to center your hero office somewhere with lots of crime, and lots of people to see you fighting crime. right? urban centers would provide plenty of both. what about slums, and the underground, and the outskirts, then? these are places that news reporters and cameras can’t reach easily – and possibly might not want to travel to at all. these are also places where passersby and onlookers might run away instead of praising you. you won’t get a lot of return (in terms of publicity) by working here. so if you’re business-minded… you’re not going to conduct your hero investigations here.

i mean, yuuei even has a business department. heroics is a business. you make money off of this, and you have to sell your image to the police and the public. if you focus more attention on places that are profitable to you, then the other areas lose. there’s no way around that.

so poor neighborhoods, bad neighborhoods, camera- and television broadcasting-inaccessible places get the short end of the stick. the heroes don’t go here as often, because it’s not profitable. (well, the heroes probably come down here if they get a police commission. but where are they if a spontaneous crime happens, hm?) meanwhile you turn on the t.v. and you see like five heroes show up at one battle downtown, which is complete overkill. you’d feel pretty resentful, right? do the heroes think your area of residence isn’t worth protecting, just because it doesn’t get them as much attention? do the heroes think it’s okay to just ignore your area of residence? fuck that, right? heroes are supposed to serve the public, and you’re still part of the public too, right?

that’s gonna build up more resentment between bad neighborhoods & areas v.s. the areas that heroes frequent (often urban, downtown, lots of people to witness their good deeds). and it definitely builds up resentment towards heroes who aren’t so discreet about the money-making aspects of their businesses.

like: all might sells merchandise. okay, understandable. present mic has a radio show (which probably gets paid to run advertisements). okay, that’s pretty cool! but then you get things like this:

a hero using their public service, publicly paid hours… to shoot a commercial and make themselves a little bit of cash on the side. if you’re in one of those areas that heroes don’t frequent so often – wouldn’t you be pretty furious to find out that the person who’s supposed to be fighting crime in your neighborhood just made $500,000 by filming a commercial instead?

you’re going to turn on the television and see ads with pro heroes in them – pro heroes who used their public service hours to do something for their own profit. this isn’t to say that heroes can’t film commercials, or make money on the side. if they’re helping people, it’s great that they can make a living! but they’re making that living by pandering to the entertainment industry when they’re supposed to be… you know… helping people. even kendou (in the picture above) comments that it’s not very hero like. the next page, momo replies that this aspect of the hero business is ‘unavoidable.’ ads, entertainment – it’s all part of the hero industry now.

and they don’t feel that good about it.

if all this conjecture is true, then – as grateful as people are to the heroes – they might be quite critical of the hero industry itself, and the heroes that embody the worst parts of it. i’m not surprised that there are a whole bunch of people who feel “othered” by heroes, and by society as a whole.

like… that’s no excuse to be a villain. stop that. but it would certainly be a reason for people to dislike the hero industry. AND it would explain why it is that stain’s ideology resonated so deeply with other people.

AAAAND that’s basically the rundown of what i think the socioeconomic state of boku no hero japan is like. sorry this was horribly long

#teasdays #readmore because this is unbearably long #meta #i guess?#i don't really have a proper tag for this stuff #ask

592 notes · View notes