#the other half is just vaguely confused but playing along

[heartfullofleeches]

[Toon Yan + G.N Babysitter Reader]

Word Count: 2.3k

-

"Jessie! Dinner!-"

"Five more minutes!"

You've been their age before. Five minutes will turn into twenty if you let them off so easily. Their obsession with that show is starting to become a bit of a problem, but you're glad they're finally leaving their room. Jessie had always been a shy kid according to their parents and what you'd seen yourself briefly before hire. The move to a new city had taken it's toll on the kid overtime and so they boarded themselves up in their room to cope.

Among the toys and old photos, one other relic of their past was able to withstand the test of distance. A cartoon centered around the adventures of a well intending yet mischievous main character of unknown species and origin. When interviewed by their parents the show had to be on for them to stay in the same room as you. You got them to slowly open up during the process by asking them about the show and the plush cradled in their arms. They went from hiding behind their mother's sleeve to speaking non-stop paused only by their parents informing them you'd be back next week to continue the conversation.

You grant them the spare time as you finish setting up the table - ready to call them as you walk over the living room entrance. Jessie sprints past you and climbs into the empty chair, arranging their doll in the seat next to them. You push both up to the table as Jessie pulls their plate closer.

"Hungry?"

Jessie tears the crust off their sandwich and shoves it in their mouth. "Cholly says I better listen to you since you're their best friend and I need to eat if I want to get bigger."

"Really? Well thank you, Cholly." Amused - you prevent the doll from falling when it tips over as you move its chair, patting its plush head in appreciation for the help. "Alright, Jess. Don't rush, but try to finish up before I come back. Your parents will be home in an hour and want you in bed by the time they get here."

You pick up the butter knife off the table to rinse it off when a small voice stops you.

"Y/n, can you make one for Cholly too?"

Their parents have told you about their recent chats with their favorite staring characters. They never did this before - even before the move. They figure Jessie was still struggling with the change plus the start of school being around the corner and asked you to just play along which you were glad to do without their asking.

"Cholly likes peanut butter and honey sandwiches?"

"They prefer orange jelly more than honey, but anything will do. They said watching you all day works up an appetite."

"....What are your parents letting you see when I'm not here?"

They shrug. "Same things I see when you're here."

You wait till the finish half of their sandwich before making another to make sure "Cholly" really wants it. You set it down in front of the doll as you head into the living room to clean up before their parents arrive. The television basks the room in a eerie blue shadow. You round the table and stare briefly at the puzzle you and Jessie had done earlier. Completed, it was a picture of the vaguely hare-like creature the kid adored wrapping their beloved scarf around a bundle of wild flower in a makeshift bouquet. A pulled frame from an episode where they'd done the same to artfully whoo their way into someone's heart to steal a telescope they saw from their window.

Picking apart the pieces, you note a few of them missing and already in the box. Jessie must've started taking it apart for you - but you can't find the absent piece making up their right eye between what few pieces filled the box and what was left on the table. You search the couch where you were sitting and the floor below with no luck. Running your hands through the fine carpet you find it at last - hiding beneath the TV stand.

"You're welcome, Gorgeous!"

Cholly, dressed as a mail carrier, passes off a large box to an equally as confused patron - standing straight as a pike and saluting customer once their hands are free of the package. You'd seen this episode with Jessie before. Didn't their sentence end with -

"Y/n, we're done!"

"Coming!"

You throw the puzzle piece into the box and place it on the top shelf of the book stand connected to the TV. Jessie shuts the dishwasher as you reenter the kitchen, Cholly tucked under arm. Left on the table is a napkin adorned with a crudely made heart drawn out with orange crayon - Cholly's alleged favor color and one missing from Jessie's pencil box. There was a C scribbled just below the drawing.

"Did you draw this?"

Jessie holds up the real culprit. "No, Cholly did it. They said that sandwich was better than any of dad's cooking and you'd be better as a chef, but we'd both miss you too much if you became one."

They squeeze Cholly to their chest, authenticating the truth of their statement as their voice shrinks behind the doll's fur. You gently grip their shoulder - offering a reassuring smile. "Well I guess the world's gonna have to miss out on another great chef because I don't plan on leaving either of you soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Jessie."

You usher them upstairs and into the bathroom as time ticks on, taking the Cholly doll to get them settled in bed while Jessie brushed their teeth. After sharing so much about the Cholly with you, you were the only one they allowed to take it from their sight. Their parents are too rough and nobody knows how to care for them better than their best friend. You tuck the doll into the sheets, pulling the appropriately themed blankets up to their chin as the bathroom lights flicker off. Just about everything in Jessie's room was themed after that show. The dedication was cute. They crawl into bed next to Cholly and get beneath the covers as you fit them around them both, freeing Cholly's hands and placing them on top as Jessie told you they liked.

"Y/n, how did you become Cholly's best friend?"

You turn off their lamp as you sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't know. You're the one who introduced us so I guess you're the one to thank for that. They're pretty funny too and who doesn't love a fun friend?.... You're not jealous, are you?"

Jessie shakes their head. "No, I'm happy that you get along. Cholly said they were lonely before they met and while playing with me is fun it's something different. Cholly hasn't smiled like they did when you promised to stay with us since they came out of the tv."

"Well it's a promise I intend to keep for as long as you both need me. Goodnight, Jess. Cholly."

You nod to them both, standing to leave. Jessie pokes their head momentarily under the covets before calling out.

"Can Cholly have a kiss before you go?"

"I think that can be arranged." You kiss the doll's furry head. It's warmer and softer than you remember, chalking it up to be the heat of the blanket and a recent wash. Smells like tangerines. You wish them both goodnight once as you exit the room, pulling the door shut behind you. Walking down the stairs, small steps join you as you reach the bottom.

"Jess? What are you doing out of bed?"

"Cholly wanted me to give their scarf. They said it's chilly outside tonight and you shouldn't leave without extra protection."

It's a miracle they hadn't tripped over the material in their decent. The burnt orange bundled in their small arms draped over their shoulders and around their torst like the body of constricting serpent. Even you would have some difficulty with its length less you wrapped it around your neck ten times over. The fabric was softer than silk and weighed like a feather in your hands. Amazed by the quality, your fingers run over a discrepancy in texture hard to ignore. The letter C drawn in black ink barring uncanny resemblance to one you had seen before."

"Jessie, this is so sweet, but I can't take something your parents obviously -"

"Mom's here. See you later, Y/n. Bye, Cholly!"

Jessie waves and runs back up stairs as the aggressive glint of a car's headlights bleed through the open curtains. You shove the scarf into your bag to save for another conversation as you open the front door. You step out into the blistering cold - arms bound to your chest to keep in the warmth of your body heat circulating through your jacket. Cholly was right. It's freezing out here.

You're sure Jessie's mother won't mind you using what was likely her scarf if you explained things to her. You take the scarf out as you walk, wrapping it snug while treading carefully down the driveway up to her car as she shuts the door. Jessie's mother dawns a smile through chattering teeth, pulling a hand from the deep pocket of her coat to bring you in for a hug as you near.

"So good to see you. Had to leave earlier than usual this morning so I wasn't around to see you come in. Love the new scarf. I assume Jessie had a good day and is on their way to bed?"

"From a good friend apparently." You excuse, too tired and cold to properly explain. "Glued to the TV as usual, but we played a few games and got a puzzle done to past the time until bed. I'll be sad to see them less when they start school."

"Well there's plenty of time before then. With our schedules I'm sure we'll still be needing your help with a few adjustments. Have a safe drive home, Y/n."

"Call when you need me." You bid their mother fair well as she walks up to the front door and you unlock your car door. Climbing in, a brief flash darts over the overhead mirror from the back seat. You adjust the lense and watch as the neighbor across the street pulls out of their driveway. You beat your exhaustion to the back of your mind temporarily as you insert the key into the engine.

-

Arriving home, you shed yourself of your belongings and outer clothing as you collapse on the couch. The scarf's impressive length allows it to cushion your body the same as any blanket it as you unwrap a few of its layers. You pick up the remote left on one of the couch pillows and surf through the channels for something to watch you as you fell asleep. Your eyelids weight heavier as that familiar show tune plays. As much as you loved the kid Jessie spoiled just about every bit of the cartoon when you watched it together, so you took the liberty of watching it at home to avoid spoilers and catch facts about their favorite toon. It had become a go to when you wanted to mindlessly unwind from a long day.

The title card reads the name of an episode engraved into mirror. "Looking Glass Lovers." The equincial episode in which Cholly flirts with a never seen home owner for access to the spy glass in their bedroom. The episode starts a little different than you remembered. For one, they already had the tool of such they sought after and strolled down the same street seen in the original run viewing the world from its lense. Pointing the lense directly at the screen their seeing eye bulges against glass - irises of both eyes forming pink love hearts as smaller ones float above their head as they drop the telescope and it rolls off screen.

Cholly approaches the house which the episode is based around and enter the scene of their brief love interest's yard, begins picking flower following the pattern of the original run. Another divergence to the plot is that they pick the array straight from the garden over the wild dandelions they'd plucked from the front of the house in other showings. Cholly goes to grab their scarf to complete the pocket only to find their neck exposed. They reach down their shirt, fishing out a stack of plates that clatter around them as they drop them, an actual fish, and a worn down orange crayon. They throw the crayon back down the hatch with a shrug.

"Huh, wonder where that old thing has gone. Wherever it is I'm positive it's in good hands."

Cholly gathers up the flowers and strides up to the porch. They brush their pointy ears flat with their hand, adjusts an invisible bow tie, and raises their hand to knock on the door. The credits roll as their hand meets the wood - three in rhythm taps drumming from your front door.

Hands swearing, you answer the door to find a fishbowl on your porch stuffed to the brim with bright red and pink roses. A note card with waxy ink sits next to it.

"Sorry, gorgeous! Despite all the time we spent together I still get cold feet at the very thought of ya seeing me. Glad to see you got home safe and that you like my little gift. Even mud would look good on a catch like you so to see my old rags on you fills me with joy. Promise I won't chicken out the next time we met. Thanks for keeping yours and being my sunshine at the end of the tunnel. You' never know how much you need someone to brighten those dark days when clouds are you see.

Stay warm - C."

Returning to the couch with more questions than your spent mind could process - a text message from Jessie's mother adding to your confusion.

"Sorry to bug you so late, but have you seen Jessie's fish tank??"

#yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere imagines #yandere headcanons #yandere insert #yandere scenarios #yandere blurb #yandere #yandere oc #yandere drabble #yandere writing #tw yandere #yandere stories #Cholly my oc #Toon yan

[pocket-jack]

Love Mail

Luffy climbing up to Victoria Punk: Love mail!

Killer playing along: Love mail? Oh! It must be a letter for you, Kid!

Kid: You're two are a dorks. The hell is love mail?

Luffy: It's a news report. Did you know that the sunflowers on the whole island are looking at the same direction? They're looking at you, sunshine! Get it? Because sunflowers are always facing the sun, and when there isn't any, they're facing each other. I guess they confused you with the sun, Juggy!

Kid, all red: "Drops his instrument kit" Ahhh... What a bullshit...

Killer: Aww, that's sweet

Kid: Shut up...

Luffy: I'll go spread the Love Mail to Traffy! Enjoy your day!

Kid: Mggghghhh....

Killer: I'll translate that: you too, Straw Hat!

Luffy, climbing in the Polar Tang: Love Mail!

Shachi: AAAH! Straw Hat! You scared me! Don't sneak up on us so suddenly! And what the hell is a Love Mail?

Luffy: Can't tell you! It's for Traffy!

Shachi: Ah-... Ooooh! I get it! Ooooooi! Captain! There's a letter for you!!

Law coming from the operating room cleaning his instruments: A letter? From who?

Luffy: From me :))

Law: "Smiling warmly" What is it?

Luffy: A love mail! S' a fact actually!

Law: A fact? A fun one?

Luffy: A really fun one! Did you know that I have a disease?

Law: Wha-? A disease? What is it? Why didn't you tell me? You know that your and Kids health are important to me! What are the symptoms?

Luffy: I know how it's called and I've had it for a while know... And the symptoms are... "Pressed his hand to his chest" Whenever I'm around Traffy my heart keeps beating faster and I may die if I stop looking at him! You know how it's called?

Law completely oblivious: I... Such a strange and vague symptoms... Are you sure there's nothing else? It can't be that I don't know it!..

Luffy: Te-he! The disease that I have is called... 'Traffy is so attractive that I can't look away from him"!

Law: ...

Law: "Turns red, but also sighs in relief" Oh... Oh! Straw Hat-ya, don't scare me like that! I thought you had something serious!

Luffy: It is serious! There is also a newpaper in the love mail! It's states that Trafalgar Law is the handsomest doctor in the world! And do you know who wrote the report? The future Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy! Can you imagine!?

Law: "Flatters" Aw! Stop! I need to work! Did you send the love mail to Eustass too?

Luffy: Of course! I'm the best love mail man in the world!

Luffy: "Leaves" Byee! Hope the love letter made your day!

Law: It sure did...

Shachi: Awww! Captain is smiling! This is the best day of my life!

Law: Shachi, I will split you in half.

Shachi: Got it! I'll shut up!

Robin: Hello, Luffy! How was your love mail plan?

Luffy: It's good! Traffy and jaggy were so red and happy when I told them about it! Thank you for helping with the quotes! And thanks to you too, Sanji!

Sanji: Repay me with stopping trying to break into the refrigerator. I know you tried to bite off the code lock

Luffy: But I'm hungry at night! How can I eat if the refrigerator looked?

Robin: "Spots Kid, climbing onto the ship" Oh, hello Kid

Luffy: Jaggy! Do you need something?

Kid: Yeah, just wanted to pass you the mail

Luffy: The mail?

Kid: Yes. It's the trinket. I know, you love them

Luffy: Wha- For me???

Kid: Yep! I can't do quotes, but I'd do anything to see you happy

Luffy: "Processing" ...

Luffy: "Covers his red face with a hat" Nishishishi! Thank you!..

Kid: "Rises Luffy's chin with his hand to see his red face" No prob! That's what the Love Mail means, right?

Luffy: "Got shy" Ahh!.. Y-yeah!...

Robin and Sanji: Aaawww

Law: "Teleports to them with a box" Hey

Luffy: Traffy? Why are you here?

Law: Don't act like I can't see my partner whenever I want. About the Love Mail thing

Luffy: Oh? "Hides his eyes with a hat" You too???..

Kid: I was first! Did he get you too?

Law: I just want to talk about his... 'Disease'. Not compete for his attention with you, Eustass

Luffy: What do you wanna talk about?

Law: Your diagnosis. First time I thought I don't know anything about it, but know that you named a disease, I think that I know exactly what too prescribe you

Luffy: Wha?..

Law: "Gives him a box" It may ease the symptoms a little bit. But the kisses and hugs will do the trick as well

Luffy: "Opens it" What's inside? A medicine?

Law: The best that I have

Luffy sees the inside full of chocolate that he loves: Oh!?.. OOOOH?????

Kid: Don't tell me he won! What about my trinket to you? It can be used as a fidget toy, puzzle, even self defens-.. Agh... Forget it. You already ate the chocolate... I'm glad you happy, monkey

Luffy: It was SO delicious! It had my favorite flavor and all! Oh!.. Wait... Was I suppose... To eat all of it in one go.

Law: You can eat as much as you want. That's kind of the thing. You can't get overdose. Truly a beautiful medicine for a beautiful patient

Luffy: Eh... Stop... That's not...

Kid: It is! You're beautiful! The prettiest out of the world! And also you, hot doc

Law: Hot doc? Did you receive the news as well?

Kid: I've figured you'd be! And you too! So adorable when you shy "Smooches Luffy"

Luffy: ..aaw.. "Covers his whole face with hat"

Kid and Law got K.O-ed momentetaly: Oh-...

Kid and Law proceeds to hug and kiss completely shy Luffy: Love Mail - the best thing in the world!

Straw Hats: AWWWWWW

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #trafalgar law #lawlu #eustass kid #kidlawlu #kidlu

[leonw4nter]

i was wondering if you had any general dating headcanons for re2r leon (and fem reader)? like how he would act in a relationship, treat is partner, etc (sorry if this is vague i just really enjoy your writing so when i saw requests open i ran here lol)

General Dating Headcanons with RE2R!Leon x Fem!Reader

RE2R!Leon x Fem!Reader

When you two were first dating, he was shy and didn’t initiate most displays of affection aside from kissing or wanting to hold hands but after a month and a half, he was a lot more himself now. He wouldn’t hesitate to ask for cuddles now and is a lot more comfortable with giving you kisses on the cheek or hair in public.

Once his coworkers catch a glimpse of the cutesy messages you two send to each other, he will start fighting for his life in the work group chat. There was one particular incident where you left work early in order to surprise Leon and pick him up. Throughout the day, he was quiet and reserved but as soon as he saw you out of the corner of his eyes, his eyes twinkled and the widest grin spread on his face. His voice raised in pitch and he practically skipped over to you for a big hug.

When you two are working in your shared bedroom, doing individual tasks, and he realizes that you two aren’t talking but there’s a peaceful feeling, he’ll point it out and say something along the lines of “we’re like a married couple because we’re doing our own thing but it feels nice and we don’t feel obligated to entertain the other because our presence is enough” and then follows up with some random sentence and gets back to typing away in his laptop or reading reports again.

While dating, he developed the habit of saying the most romantic and poetic thing ever only to get back to doing something weird; just a day ago, he said “In the vast expanse of outer space and all the stars and galaxies in there, my universe begins and ends with you” then proceeded to hit his elbow against the chair, which made him cry out in pain and curl up in the ground.

Leon also tends to play with your stuffed animals in a way that he makes them do flips or do a little dance sometimes, to heal his inner child that he never got to bask in because of his rough childhood.

In the unfortunate event that you and him got into an argument, he would be the type to walk up to Jill and say “I should set myself on fire”. Jill will definitely look at him all confused and concerned, saying “And why is that…?” and he will respond with “Y/N and I got into an argument. She’s mad and I need to set myself on fire to feel the turmoil I have caused in her heart.”. Jill doesn’t know how to comfort him in this time so she pats his shoulder, giving Leon a judgemental side-eye but she knows he means well. In the end, she will give him advice like treating you to ice cream or doing all the chores for an entire week to appease you and calm the storm in your heart.

Although he earns well, he saves up and doesn’t buy most of what he wants (for example, a Linkin Park CD) so he could spoil you and buy you things without worrying about the expenses. In the end, he ends up being at the receiving end of your spoiling because you felt that today was a good day and ended up buying him the CD he’s been eyeing for.

He’s also the type to scold other men for looking down on their partners and start fighting them to treat their partners right; before dating, he already did that but it was much more meaningful to him after you two started dating. If he was already the type to help his female coworkers ask for a day off due to cramps, he upgraded by petitioning to install sanitary pad vending machines in all the women’s restrooms in his workplace and offering to chip in some money for the said machine. At first, you were worried that he did all that just to get your approval or for you to cave in to giving him a chance but Jill and a few other female coworkers of his said that he’s been doing that ever since.

Leon kept the relationship secret for a little bit (he sucked at hiding it); Chris and Jill decided to check if you and him were dating so they said your name in a conversation they made sure Leon could hear loud and clear. In the end, Leon promptly turned around with the most dilated pupils, sparkly eyes, and a giddy ass smile and boom they caught him.

He won’t be the type to ask from you because he’s going to feel like a high-maintenance boyfriend; he’d hint but very subtly if there’s something that he wants and if you somehow managed to guess what he wanted correctly, he’d blush and then admit he did want it but he’ll always add “but I don’t want it a lot, it’s no big deal!”. If you do get him what he wanted, no matter how simple the thing you got him was, he’d always jump around and giggle before giving you a big hug and his “thank you”s.

He’s very cheerful and happy, he’d do his best to make you laugh and smile but if it’s not one of those days, he’d offer to stay silent and just listen to whatever you’re venting. He’d give his own thoughts and advice but he’ll make sure to listen to every single word you say. It would turn into a full-on rant + shit talk session and you always manage to feel a lot better afterwards and that enough is okay for him.

If you were sick, he’d be so worried sick. As soon as you say that your throat’s feeling a little weird, your head is pounding, and your temperature is above normal he WILL fetch you the most heavenly and refreshing jug of water and cook you chicken noodle soup or congee with bits of chicken. He’d bring a tray with your food, water, and Advil. Oh, he’d also have a trash bin ready if you’ll need to vomit. He’d help you up, propping pillows behind you so you’d be able to comfortably sit up in bed. He’d tell you that he’ll take a day off to look after you but you disagree, urging him to go to work the next day because you’re grown and can look after yourself. He’s hesitant but decides to go to work anyway. On the way home, he’d pick up some more pills and some warm food. He also wouldn’t forget to wring the wet towel on top of your forehead and adjust it if needed.

If he was the one sick, he’d try to play off what he was feeling. He’ll try to downplay the itching in his throat and how he’s so dizzy and on the verge of falling over. You’d catch on to him and tell him to get back to bed and rest, while you do the same thing he does for you: cook food, place a damp towel on his forehead, and try to help him out to the best of your ability. He wouldn’t ask for massages but you’d give him one anyway, a sigh of relief occasionally leaving his lips when you soothe the joints he didn’t notice was sore. He feels pathetic whenever he’s sick but he’s very thankful that there’s someone who’s willing to help him and take care of him until he’s back to full health.

When you two got into an argument, he’d feel bad. He got the last word but at what cost? You’re not speaking to him and the only look you’d give him is a glare and side-eye, if he’s lucky– sometimes, you wouldn’t look at him at all. He’d feel extremely guilty and he’d try to talk to you but the cold glare you’d give him was enough to make him forget whatever he wanted to say. He’d try to make up for whatever mistake he made by cleaning up the apartment, arranging your items, cooking you your favorite meals, or driving you to and from wherever you need to be.

He’d ask his female coworkers for help, especially his coworkers in relationships. He’d approach them with a pocket notebook and pen in hand, ready to write away whatever wisdom they’d give. That day, he got off work early and sped home in order to prepare a nice dinner and run a nice, warm bath. When you arrived, he offered to undo the laces of your shoes and pack away your coat and bag. When you were done, he served your favorite meal and watched you eat. He explained how sorry he was and swore to never plant the seeds of anger and resentment in your heart ever again and to be a better boyfriend for you. You chuckled and accepted his apology, giving him a peck to the cheek before continuing to finish your dinner.

If you’re on your period and the blood somehow leaked on the bed, he wouldn’t feel disgusted or get mad at you for staining the sheets. He’d always say that you don’t get to control when you want to bleed and that you have enough troubles for a week every month so cleaning the sheets and replacing them would be one of the things he can do to help you. If you two were somewhere outside and your blood seeped through your jeans, he’d take his jacket and wrap it around your waist. If he didn’t have a jacket around, he’d walk you to the restroom while rushing somewhere to get you some new underwear and pants, along with tampons or pads and some tissues.

If you didn’t own one already, he’d look for those heating pads that wrap around your waist like a giant band-aid in order to ease the cramps in your lower abdomen and back. He’d buy you whatever foods you were craving for and be in his best behavior; cramps could make you cranky and one wrong move from him could ruin the entire day, which he understood. In the entire week you’re bleeding and suffering, he’ll cuddle you as you watch something on the TV and ask if you need anything else. If it’s his turn to do laundry and spotted that you leaked some blood into your clothes, he wouldn’t feel disgusted to take it upon himself and clean it up nicely. It’s just blood and everyone has blood, why would this blood be any worse or any more shameful than blood from nosebleeds or wounds?

During ovulation week, he feels a little flustered that you’re flirting with him a lot more and eyeing him like he’s a tall piece of meat. You’ve also began to be a lot more touchy with him, giggling and breathily whispering into his ear. He feels a little shy, the tips of his ears reddenning because he’s not used to being called “handsome”, “pretty” or “hot”. He does his best to meet your needs but he still finds ovulation to be… interesting. He talked to Chris’ younger sister Claire about it and she said that it’s normal since the hormones are going haywire in that phase.

One night, you came home a little later than you normally do and found Leon in the restroom, trying out your skincare products in small amounts. He was putting them on in the wrong order and applying the wrong amounts, sheepishly grinning at you when he got caught. You offered to help him after changing into much more comfortable clothes, teaching him which creams to use and in what order. In the end, you both fell asleep in the masks you two were meant to wear for only half an hour.

He’d also let you do his make-up, straddling his lap with his arms around your waist as your tongue was poked out in concentration while you did his eyeliner, making sure it was heavy and dramatic with a sharp wing. You told him not to move after he already sneezed twice while you powdered his face, not wanting to mess up the eyeliner work you already did in order to really complete his look. Somehow, he looked so pretty in the make-up you gave him, his lips were even more plump-looking with the gloss and the eyeshadow complimented the frosty blue of his eyes. He’d let you take pictures but he won’t want you to send it out to his coworkers because he’d feel so embarrassed.

After discovering that you know how to manicure and do nail care, he stopped going to the nail salon to get his nails and hands taken care of and let you do it instead. Most of the time, he’ll only have you push back his cuticles and paint a clear coat on them. Every single time, after you finish up making his hands and nails look pretty, he would repay you with hugs and kisses. If you ended up getting your nails done with nail accessories and gems and all things shiny, he’d end up asking to look at your hands and just admire the intricate details on them. With permission, he’d gently run a hand through your nail and feel the textures on them. Sometimes, he’d end up staring for hours on end or repeatedly glance at them again. He’d be even happier if you seem very visibly pleased with the nails you got for yourself.

If you’re insecure about how you look and you’re not feeling very confident about yourself, he’s going to be there to reassure you that you’re not ugly and you’re better than how you currently perceive yourself. If you two were going out and he noticed that you weren’t visibly confident with the outfit you put on, he won’t hesitate to reassure you but he won’t push wearing the outfit on you if it’s really not what you want to wear.

Lastly, he’s probably the type to own reading glasses but not actual prescription glasses. When he does wear them if he’s reading reports or on his laptop, you can’t help but pinch his cheeks because he looks utterly and absolutely loserly and nerdy in them. Like he’d probably get rectangular black metal frames and he only wears it a handful of times. He doesn’t like wearing them because he doesn’t like the feeling of wearing glasses and doesn’t like how he looks with them on but you digress, encouraging him to wear them more often when he’s around you. Sometimes he makes you wear them and now, he finds you cute! He took so many pictures when he made you wear them for the first time, debating if he should change your contact photo on his phone to that one.

NOTE - Big, big thanks to the anon who asked for this!!! I hope I managed to write this one nicely :) I haven't been posting as much as I had when I first started writing bc I haven't been getting much inspo (hence me opening up requests ; I wanna write but my only issue is that I don't know what to write :'c) I still have my asks open so if anyone wants me to write something up, fire up the ask box <3 My bff is going to Japan soon and they said that if they manage to come across a Capcom store, they'll look for the Leon tsum!!!! WAEOWIRXYTGUS- I'm not going to force them to get it but I'd be rlly happy if they did :D I procrastinated doing my paper that's due tomorrow to be able to do this so I'm going to be rushing right after I post this :))) Anyways, thank you to everyone who likes, follows, and reads my fics, it means a lot to me :) I <3333 UUUUUUU !!!!!!!!!

The hanging star divider is made by @benkeibear , the images are colored by me (sourced from Pinterest).

#leon kennedy #resident evil #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x y/n #leon kennedy fluff #leon s kennedy #leon scott kennedy #fluff #biohazard #leon s kennedy fluff #resident evil 2 #resident evil 2 remake #resident evil headcanons #leon kennedy headcanons

[mellywritesstuff]

Hello there! I just saw your post and here I am! If you don't mind can I request headcannons for sumeru boys with an exchange akademiya student? Thank you so much :>

YES LET'S GO MY FIRST REQUEST

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Sumeru boys with an exchange akademiya student (GN reader)

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A/N: Sorry this is late, I lost the first draft because I forgot to save it but here it is. This was made at 2:03 AM and published in the afternoon that's why it's a little sloppy but I rlly did try ^^ I also haven't gotten to sumeru- I forgot what the akademiya was (it's a school right?) so its a little vague and ooc

Enjoy my first time writing a reader insert :)

warnings: small suggestive themes, but other then that pure fluff :)

Cyno

- Absolute life-saver be grateful you have him - Despite being the general mahamatra or whatever it is he is- whenever he has the time he's always there to help with your studies

- Have 15 papers due? He'll do them for you just watch.

- You met during your first time in Sumeru and it just sorta grew from there (lucky)

- Ok, hear me out...So your playing TCG right? Somehow this turns into an entire lesson "Alright so [insert akademiya stuff I'm too dumb for] is [insert more akademiya stuff I'm too dumb for]...Y/N are you listening?"

"Cyno, I know what I'm doing I'll be-"

"Basically..."

*insert confused y/n noises*

- He may or may not be a cheat sheet (hehasbigbrain)

Tighnari

- You two met completing your first assignment, and boy was it confusing. First time going anywhere in Sumeru,youtotallydidn'tgetlost - But hey you got a pretty bofie out of it

- Really impressed your an akademiya student like really impressed

- anyways he tries to help you out and relieve your stress, lets you pat his ears and comb your fingers through his tail

- Doesn't want you to be overworked (not really work just studies, which is work WAIT) so he'll drag you along on small outings through the forest whenever you and him have freetime

"Take it slow Y/N."

"Oop watch your step! Be careful!"

"Isn't the forest lovely today?"

- let's be honest your trying to complete your paper the whole time and Tighnari is NOT happy about it. Please pat his ears

Alhaitham

- He was quickly alerted of your arrival in sumeru, word gets around quick and once he met you he feel head over heels for you

- You two are almost always in the same building, and always interacting. Do you even spend time apart from him?

- He doesn't pay much attention to you being an akademiya student, all his focus is just on loving you

- although he's always happy to help you out! - study sessions that really just turn into cuddle sessions. On second thought maybe these sessions aren't effective

- convince me other otherwise you two haven't made out in the corner somewhere

Kaveh

- Your relationship just straight up spawned lol

- tries to help you study but it turns into the most crackhead conversations

"Y/N if we were worms would you still love me?"

"...no"

- ends up clinging to your waist offering no help whatsoever

- please give him attention

- you try to explain to him your essays, but he zoned out when you mentioned the essay was half an hour long

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totallydidntgetlazytowardstheend

also my request are open in case you want to request something idk. I'm just rlly bored all day

#genshin impact #genshin x y/n #genshin x reader #kaveh x reader #cyno x reader #alhaitham x reader #tighnari x reader #genshin fluff #genshin requests #genshin kaveh #genshin tighnari #genshin cyno #genshin alhaitham #cyno #tighnari #alhaitham

[fatuismooches]

(Extending the Dottore sugar tax)

That one fatui chef who is half-decent in confectionery (specialises in rations/large batches of easy food): Becomes the saviour of half the platoon after learning how to make Sumerian desserts

But... one day Dottore has to find out, a lucky streak never lasts with him around, and he finds out in the worst way.

It happened during a meeting with Pantalone, with him haggling the banker to just increase the damn budget, give him five percent at least— you know what?! Twenty-eight percent actually for wasting his time like this! His projects are far more important than whatever capitalist endeavour Pantalone is stirring!

Then he drops it, with Dottore huffing, barely snipping back a snide comment and instead with a haughty simper, states that he knew what Pantalone has been doing these past few months: The whole sweets debacle? Ha! He figured that it had been the Regrator from the very beginning, how dare he think of him an easy fool? And if he really wanted a new device to sell, he should have been a proper business man and went to him directly instead of playing around with childish antics like sugar bribing.

And Pantalone, for the first-time since this meeting - falters, his beguiling smile twitching down for a moment as his brows furrowed.

Three ticks from the time-piece on the table, and Dottore's grin drops. Why does the banker look so... confused?

Then Pantalone hits the final nail on the coffin with a genuine question: "I have not, Doctor... You mean to tell me that it hadn't been you purchasing those shipments of sweets?"

And there they are, two confused Harbingers sitting around a tea party spread in silence, looking at each other blankly (coincidentally, Pantalone had set it up to ease Dottore's inevitable sour mood during their deal)

Thus begins the recounting, with them trading facts and comparing the timeline. Pantalone had noticed the uptake of sweets/ingredient imports from Sumeru a while ago, and that salaries of agents (especially the new recruits on Dottore's side) spend their pay checks on those orders. How did they know that he liked those?

The investigation commences, this is simply far too bizarre for the Doctor to leave alone. Cue in the poor recruits suddenly getting a vaguely veiled interrogation. They haven't done anything wrong, so they wouldn't be hurt. Maybe.

That's where Dottore is reminded of his... fanclub. He knew that they existed, he just didn't care for them. What caught his interest however are these Fatui handbooks that were edited to have unofficial rules. A good lead.

Hilariously though, the moment he got ahold of one - he doesn't even make it onto the first page. He just sees the title: Everything we know about our Lord Harbinger Il Dottore thus far [And his lover (name)] Version 78

He just stares at it... stares at a specific name, and with a defeated sigh, it all clicks together. Of course, of course it had been YOU.

Excuse him, he has to look beyond the windows of the palace for an hour at least, to watch the snowfall of the eternal winter as he ponders on how the FUCK did he not figure that out sooner—

Does this hurt his pride as a perceptive scholar? Yes. Did he embarrass himself in front of the Regrator with a false accusation? Yes. Is he going to bite you now? Yes.

(Reader: *sensing foreboding* ... something just happened.)

AHHHHHHHH *screams* The idea of Dottore embarrassing himself right in front of Pantalone is absolutely hilarious. He thought he was being so smart too, trying to expose the banker for the little scheme he's been pulling for so long. What? Did you think he wasn't going to bring it up, that he was silently going to go along with it? Well, this is what happens when you decide to be greedy and unrelenting, in fact, this whole thing is far more embarrassing for Regrator than himself, Dottore huffs, waiting for a reaction and response from his co-worker. Because Dottore thinks he caught him.

Only to be met with nothing. The silent blank looks the two men give each other are almost comical, and when Pantalone replies with genuine confusion, Dottore can feel a little headache coming on, but he needs to know what is going on because even he is confused, and that's something that doesn't happen every day. He only grows more and more baffled but interested. Why was this information leaked in particular... by who...? He keeps this fact quite hidden from others, if they found out about this, what else do they know?

Getting questioned by Il Dottore himself is bound to shiver some boots... but to his luck, he ran into a group who was... almost excited to see him? He thinks so at least, he can differentiate shaking from nervousness and excitement. And that's when he remembers his... fan club, is what they call it. Even he thinks it's strange but whatever. However, he does find out that each of these clubs has their own handbook. In reality, Dottore has only read the general Fatui handbook once in his life, and that was when Pierro recruited him and made him read it just as a general procedure, and the Harbinger never picked it up again. But he doesn't even need to open the book (given to them by a member who was simultaneously terrified but proud to present the masterpiece to their Lord Harbinger) to check the differences due to the title.

Everything always led back to you, didn't it? You always have to cause trouble, don't you? He's exasperated. All this running around and pointing fingers when the root of the problem was snuggling up to him every day like they did nothing wrong. Dottore, for once in a long time, feels incredibly stupid. Why did it take him so long... you and your big mouth... ugh. He's going to teach you how to keep it shut now (lots of biting and kissing)

At the very least, the one thing he can respect is how the agents refused to expose you as their secret contributor, despite the clear evidence... he can respect their loyalty to you. (Maybe if he makes you tell his agents stuff instead, they'll be more efficient with it. He didn't know they liked you this much...)

(You probably sneaked that one Fatui chef some good recipes and tips, because you felt bad at all his failed attempts. They're all eternally in debt to you.)

Reader: *sneeze* i think someone is talking about me... (also instantly had a bad feeling when Dottore came to your room with that smile on his face)

#smooches talks #dottore love notes <3 #AHHHHH I LOVE THESE ASKS SM!! I LOVE THE FLUFF AND COMEDY!! #ughh PUTS THIS IN MY MOUTH AND EATS IT. ur writing is amazing. #pantalone's “capitalist endeavor” I CANT. poor dottore he just wants his experiments

[leonhardt-simp]

The Girl Who Wrote Me Letters VI.

[post-canon/canonverse] | series masterlist

— Annie x Mute! Fem! Reader.

summary: The ungrounded mystery grows restless and tensions grow higher with every passing moment.

Author’s note: After 9 different drafts, I have this one lmao. Thank you for everyone sticking close to the story and those who have been anticipating chapter 6. Here it is! and I hope you enjoy. 🍧💕

“This one.” The Commander said pointing down at the files on his old desk, the decision creating quite a stir between Hange and Levi.

Hange looked at Levi before they approached Erwin’s desk, picking up the document to see what was beneath. They felt their breath catch in their throat, eyes widening before taking a look over to their commander.

“You— You can’t be serious…” Hange was almost speechless. After everything that’s transpired, this man was still marching on his feet.

Levi walked over, questioning the judgement… Until he saw the name on the planner documents…

“Field Medics…?” He took the paper, looking through them to see Erwin’s plans of incorporating medics beside the scouts. These plans seemed vague, but the idea was there in the form of messily drawn pictures and arrows. He wasn’t expecting this and neither was Hange.

“With all due respect, we can’t afford to pull medics out on the field… Do you really think we’ll even get our hands on even ONE?” Hange expressed, motioning with their hands while they spoke. The idea was completely ridiculous! They were practically the clean up crew. Just waiting for the dead to pile up.

Erwin knew their concerns… But, it wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about it before. He turned his back to look out the window, holding the spot where his arm used to be…. The painful reminder of time loss because of injury. Time that could’ve been spent focusing on many other things… Those days, hours and seconds.

“No…But, I know one person that they’ll likely let go.” He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Levi, who slowly went through the next page.

It was a list of names. Names of many of the more proud names within the Medical Regiment. So many good choices, but one was circled amongst these names.

ELINOR VIVIANNE. ← SECONDARY PICK.

LUTHER WAGNER. ← THIRD PICK.

Y/N L/N. ← PRIORITY PICK.

DENIS PENCE. ← KEEP AN EYE ON THIS ONE.

JOHNATHAN ADLER. ← FOURTH PICK.

Hange’s expression grew confused, “But, this one–”

“I know. However, I want this one as a mere test run.” Erwin clarified, showing that nothing was concrete yet. This was just the foundation.

Levi couldn’t seem to get behind it. The factors of this made for a dangerous situation, especially with the rumors. “…I don’t think this is a good idea.” He expressed, his eyes looking up from the papers.

Erwin found himself playing with a fountain pen he had on his desk. “We had them for the expedition. This will be no different.” He reassured, giving a head nod. He seemed to be convincing himself as he spoke along.

“We also lost Levi’s entire squad and then some. Do I need to remind you that this medic in particular is also suspected of being in contact with the titan girl that tried to run away and destroyed half of Stohess?” Hange’s voice slightly raised, a hand extended towards the door as if pointing at Stohess itself. The risks were way too high, but that never stopped Erwin.

Erwin stood up a little straighter, “Then it’s the perfect excuse to use to keep that one close… Isn’t it?” He looked between his two most trusted allies. His hand reached to the paper, pointing down to the name. Hange didn’t know what to say… and Levi? He just followed along. The idea of a on field medic fulltime was an idealistic idea… One that made any one more comfortable… That security.

But, he was not prepared of the other regiment names that would soon come in to deny the idea. They took to a vote; Pixis denied the possibility of wasting medics and soon after, Nile had also denied. His denial was more out of lack of interest than genuine concern…

Not even Zachary approved of the new idea, stating that it would be “Unwise to take away from the sub-regiment when it already lacked.”

In defeat, Erwin would place those plans in a drawer his desk. Letting that ideas seem to sink away with many of the others he had. He had to keep moving forward though, no time to waste. That was until death stopped him like a brick wall. So close, yet so far from the truth…

Y/N followed behind Levi, her eyes scanning around to hallways of the commander’s building. The wood creaked beneath their weight, making the building feel so… Hollow. That was expected though, wasn’t it? An important life was lost… One that used to fill this building.

“Y/N L/N…?” Hange questioned, seeing the young girl enter the room.

Y/N saw papers scattered around the old commander’s desk, a lot of red seemed to point to various things and occasionally the big letters. Her nervousness seemed to only grow from that. I mean, it’s not everyday you get pulled from your job.

With a cautious nod, Y/N stood across the desk, keeping her weight shifted off of her still recovering leg. The pain was dull, but she knew she couldn’t overwork it.

Levi reached over for a particular paper, sliding it in front of the nurse. She leaned down, looking over the paper with a watchful eye. The words were confusing, but when she noticed her name in bold letters… She shockingly backed up and looked at Hange and Levi with a look that asked them what they were planning.

“…A test run. And not one you can refuse either.” Hange explained, picking up another paper to slide over to the new field medic.

Y/N took a sneaking glance back, seeing Levi standing by the door. His eyes bore into her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

There was that feeling again. That helplessness… Her eyes shifted back up to Hange who seemed to have the same look on their face. She really didn’t have much of a choice here… So, she just nodded. Hange nodded, looking over at Levi to see if he was satisfied. He just nodded his head, being the first to leave.

The weight was on her shoulders now after seeing this idea that was left behind by the old commander…

She couldn’t help but look down at her leg, shifting a bit to see if weight could be applied, but when she felt the buckle of her knee, she shook her head.

‘…I can do this…’ She thought to herself. It’s not like she had a choice here. It was either this or end up in a some fucked up situation… She had enough on her plate already. E/C eyes skimmed through the basics, finally landing on the name of the idea.

“Operation Support.” Her eyes seemed to read over and over again…

——

There was that helplessness again… That weak feeling that bubbled beneath her gut and overwhelmed her straight to the core. She even felt that pain in her leg again… Like every feeling and memory came flooding through from the back of her head…

Her eyes widened upon hearing that familiar voice call out her name… But, she didn’t see Annie… Just the monster that had ruined her…. That beast that haunted her night in her dreams from time to time. Some nights, it would stare down at her. Other nights it tried to grab her, pick her up in its muscly hand.

“Y/N…” Annie called out, her tone hushed and desperate. Hands stayed up in surrender, taking a cautious step forward but immediately stopped when Y/N’s hand adjusted around the grip of the gun. E/C eyes looked through those apathetic blue eyes, The ones that softened at the idea of this being it.

This was her chance… To settle their score. To make up for everything. This was her chance. This was her chance.

Her hand firmly grasped the gun, pointing it up higher towards Annie’s head. Her heart pounded in her ears accompanied with ringing and buzzing… Her breathing became shallow and uneven… Then she felt it.

Her vision grew blurry, her hand reaching up to touch the wetness that started to form there. She was starting to cry… Her throat had that familiar lump in it, making it hard to keep composure.

‘No… Stop…’ Her heart started to yell, but she tried to push the feelings down. Her hand wiped them away, not wanting to show this…This weakness. She wasn’t that pathetic girl writing in a book anymore. Those days were gone.

Annie felt her heart break at the sight. Her hand reaching out, but that made Y/N point her gun more firmly at the ambassador. This made her hands shoot back up to keep them visible. Annie knew that she had to work for Y/N’s trust again. It wouldn’t come easy. Not after what she did.

Annie closed her eyes tightly and braced for whatever was to come. She deserved it, didn’t she? She was the cause of all the troubles in Y/N’s life… The reason she ran away… Hell, she was waiting for her luck to burn out. And now? It seemed to be it.

This was her chance to get back for all the hurt and suffering. her breathing became uneven and her heart pounded in her ears. The white noise. It felt like she was drowning. Y/N couldn’t deny she was panicking…

But then Dakota’s voice pulled Y/N out, the writhing body on the floor let the tunnel vision clear up a bit. Her eyes looked down to the body on the ground.

“We’re… We’re here to help…” Dakota strained, holding her head in her hands from the throbbing pain that lingered. Kota couldn’t let Y/N kill Annie, not when they needed her for this whole thing… The main problem. “She’s…She’s with me… Marley’s Ambassador…” Kota stressed, seeing double when they tried to push themselves up. Hell, it felt like a brick just slammed into their head. What the hell were they feeding these doctors??

Her grip around the gun shook further, her heart telling her to stop while her brain told her it was for the best. Reluctantly, she forced her hand down and took in the sight of the newly made ambassador.

“Y/N—” Annie spoke with a calming reach out, but then they heard the sound of more people coming into the building and speaking.

BAM!

The noise made both Annie and Kota look over towards the door. Dakota was quick on the draw of her own firearm, eyebrows furrowing down.

Whoever wanted Y/N dead was very adamant on it. Especially, since it didn’t sound like just one persom this time. That alone pissed Y/N off.

The doctor had to fight with herself to keep from giving that ambassador a feel of her pent of frustration and anger… But, now wasn’t the time. All she did was give Annie a glare while she helped the bandit up from the floor, Kota taking it without much of a second thought and standing to her feet with a bit of wobble.

The glare was met with Annie’s softened expression, taking a moment to watch as the woman she once had so close to her, farther than ever before. The limp-walk past her made the weight of her actions heavier than ever. The sound of leather and metals kept Y/N’s right leg stable, helping her move properly with some minimal strain.

“She might develop a little limp… If you can convince her to stay in bed for her full recovery then maybe she might recover better... She’s always so eager to help out.”

Her hands clenched at her sides, as the memory of a bedridden Y/N laid in the infirmary bed. The way her face glistened in sweat and her head threw back in pain…. She couldn’t convince her… Not when she was trapped in that crystal…

She didn’t even notice the other two already rushing the window, Kota pulling up the window and checking below into the alleyway for any signs of a threat. It was empty. Nothing but a few stacked up crates and barrels below.

“Good enough.” The gang leader debated, shaking her head at the thought of Y/N potential falling a few feet down. Hell, they were sure she would land well… She guessed.

Annie’s mind was still dazed out. It felt like they stood on completely opposite sides of a canyon. The bridge being deliberately burned away, Y/N holding the matches that burnt the ropes thinner and thinner.

“Annie! Help her down.” Kota called, holding open the window. That snapped Annie back into the moment, her eyebrows furrowing down. She can pity herself later… Hopefully.

Without any time to waste, Annie rushed over to Y/N’s side. “Pardon my hands…” Annie softly spoke, keeping her hand on Y/N’s waist while she focused on ensuring she didn’t fall or trip. Y/N wasn’t used to the closeness, but she knew she couldn’t be annoyed about it.

“We know you’re here, Doc Let’s not make this harder than it has to be, hm?” One of the intruders spoke, a few laughing along. The sound of wood creaking beneath every step that drew closer and closer to the office.

The rugged man looked back at his men, placing a finger to his lips. He gave three fingers, signaling that on the count of three they would rush the office and take whoever was in it.

Slowly, the fingers counted down, the tensions growing higher before finally they rushed inside. Guns pointed up, sweeping before noticing that the room was empty. Nothing but a few disarrayed item and one of their own on the floor.

“Sir?” One of the goons spoke, rushing to the side of the corpse on the floor. Another goon joined beside the other, placing a hand to the fallen member’s pulse, shaking their head when all they felt was a cold vessel.

The man grimaced, putting his gun back in his belt. “I want this entire building checked. Nothing remains unturned or touched. You hear!?” He commanded, unaware of the shadows outside the windows that were already pushing through the alleyways to blend in.

“Whoever you pissed off, did not let it go.” Dakota muttered as they pushed through a wooden gate, leading them out into some cobbled street that had a few drunks walking up and down it.

Y/N just rolled eyes, taking a moment to ditch her uniform coat in a nearby bucket that seemed to be filled with a questionable liquid. Her face grimaced in disgust, turning back to catch up. She won’t be seeing that particular coat again. Unfortunate…

Annie stayed behind, keeping a look out to ensure no one followed them. “That didn’t seem like a matter of anger… More like a…” She seemed to trail off, turning her attention back to see Y/N looking back at her with a frustrated expression. “…Like a job.” She silently spoke, watching the doctor turn her head back forward.

The tension between the two even made Dakota uncomfortable. That was between them though, this bandit knew better than to try and step into a fight between a couple. Were they a couple…? Was that how it worked? She wasn’t sure.

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Dakota rubbed the side of their head. They could still feel that sting, more dull but it was still there. “Doesn’t make sense for them to target a random doctor, though.” They added, taking a stop by some old building pub.

Dakota leaned against the brick, enjoying a moment of rest. Annie needed it too as she felt her wound from a few hours ago to feel achy and fatigue was surely pushing her.

She took a look upwards, only seeing the dark sight of the ground that lingered above… The underground didn’t have a sky… What time was it? Even she wasn’t sure… But, it felt like the days seemed to prolong. If she had to trust her gut, then she was sure that Pieck and Reiner were likely resting.

With that thought in mind, she took a moment to take a seat down on a bench placed against the brick like building, her hand rubbing at her shoulder. She even took a sneaking glance over at her old lover, watching as the young woman took slight offense to the comment. Y/N’s stance seemed to straighten up, her expression one that Annie knew all too well.

That look when she wanted to prove herself. She had it back in Trost… She had it here too.

‘I’m not a random doctor.’ Y/N signed, the look of surprise hitting the bandit and the ambassador. The blonde looked at Y/N with her eyebrows slightly raised in surprise, not expecting the change of communication. Though, that would make the most sense why she didn’t carry an old book around and a pen, wouldn’t it?…

Dakota knew there was something about how Y/N stood, her demeanor… It wasn’t like the other doctors she had been speaking to. Not Vivianne. Not even Adler..

Pushing themselves off the wall, Dakota approached Y/N, stopping just in front of her and looking down at her with an overbearing demeanor. “…Then who are you?” Dakota finally asked. There it was, the golden question. Everyone knew her as Y/N L/N above ground… But, who was this persona? This mask? Dakota was careful in approaching the mute doctors. One couldn’t be too hasty to learn the truth.

The bandit seemed to want the same answers as Annie, but even then the ambassador seemed to want to respect the boundaries her old lover clearly had. She still kept a close eye.

The doctor stood there, clenching her jaw a bit from the sudden interrogation. It even had her thinking to herself, wondering who exactly she was… But, she knew… She was a lot of things… Became a lot from nothing too.

So, seeing a smug bandit try to slightly intimidate her into spilling her life out on a map irked her a bit. It showed on her face too. Her tongue licking the inside of her cheek, she looked away briefly before she looking back up at the tall woman with more than just a little amusement. A woman who knew her position, she was. Perhaps, she picked up a few things from Dr. Vivianne.

‘The same person who slipped you a crate. Same person you want to stay on good terms with.’ She signed, her eyes challenging.

The action made Annie raise her brows, looking over to Dakota. The crate.. Then those names flashed into her mind for a few seconds. Denis and Luther…. They were all connected. The bandit seemed to suddenly have a moment of realization as well, her face contorted with a bit of confusion from that end statement though.

“…Is that a threat?” Fabel flabbergasted at the mere thought of some medic threatening to fuck off in the middle of something so important. They took a threatening step forward, feeling almost offended.

Hands started to make the argument more clear, her body turning to the two. ‘Take it how you wish. Just know you need me since I’m the only one willing to break the rules to help you.’ She reaches into her vest pocket, pulling out a letter. Her eyes stared at it before flicking her wrist to toss the letter over.

Annie watched as the letter descended gracefully down to the ground, her curiosity getting the better of her. “…What?” Annie questioned, standing up from the bench and walking over to pick up the paper from the ground. Her eyes looked up to meet her old lover’s E/C gaze, her hands gently unfolding the letter.

‘With much consideration, Main Medical has decided to postpone the distribution and cooperation with other outside parties. All medics and medical researchers are advised to stay in their offices or main buildings until further notice.

— Signed, Elinor Vivianne. Head of MM.’

Y/N shook her head, her eyes averting away at the mere thought of even getting her position revoked. ‘Everyone is completely at a standstill… Dr. Vivianne is more concerned with how much we’ve been losing because of these crates being either stolen or damaged. Every doctor, besides a few, are completely in agreement with Dr. Vivianne. They want out. This attack on my building will only solidify their stance on the matter.’ Her gestures seemed to be punctuated, her mouth moving along to mouth certain words and phrases. The doctor even started to pace a bit, needing to get some pent up feels at bay. She wasn’t happy about the decision either.

Dakota couldn’t believe that bullshit. Face contorted into frustration, feeling a bit betrayed. Hazel eyes took a look over the letter again, shaking her head in slight denial.

What ever happened to being the ones to show up for people? The heros that kept morale up? What the hell were doctors if they weren’t doing their job?

“Vivianne… That son of a bitch.” Dakota cursed under their breath, hands clenched at her side while she looked away.

Annie wasn’t sure what to make of this… “…She’s right about one thing,” Annie spoke, folding the notice back up before holding it out back at Y/N. “Those men don’t seem to be very fazed with the idea of taking lives. That crate you sent us was attacked… I… Uh.. We barely made it out. It was as if they already knew.” She watched as Y/N hesitated to reach out and take the letter back from her.

Fabel nodded, pacing a bit with a hand to their mouth as they tried to make sense of all this. “Annie here got shot… Those men aren’t afraid of any kind of consequence. Seems like everywhere we go, they’re always one step ahead.” The gang leader found themselves running a frustrated hand through their hair, stopping to look back over at the Medic.

Y/N felt her throat close up at the idea of Annie getting shot, her eyes shifting back up to meet with Annie’s gaze. Annie wasn’t sure what she saw in those familiar E/C colored eyes. It was softer than anything she’s seen all day though...

“I’ll be fine… Just a scratch…” She tried to play it off, getting a more concerned and less angry look from the other girl.

Y/N didn’t find it funny. If anything, that would make everything so much more complicated. Hell, she didn’t even know where to start… She carefully took her letter back from Annie’s fingers, pushing the paper into her vest pocket once more with a heavy exhale.

‘If they’re not afraid of consequences, then that means they’re either safe in what those consequences are… or, these people are more ruthless than I thought…’ Y/N explains with punctuated gestures. Hazel and blue eyes watched carefully as the doctor seemed a bit… Hesitant.

Dakota crossed their arms over their chest, “You have any idea what gang this is?” The gang leader asked.

Y/N shook her head, ‘Only lead I have so far is that they’re uniformed in black and red.’ Her head turned back in the direction of her medical building. She felt a little run from her own home… That was the building she used whenever she wanted to have control. She knew it would probably be burned to the ground when she came back.

“I don’t think standing around is be the best idea. More of them could be patrolling around.” Annie spoke up, standing up from the bench with a bit of a tired exhale. She cracked her neck, rolling her shoulders back as if it would relieve her.

Dakota nodded, “You’re right. Hopefully, this all starts to make sense when we’re actually in the safety of a room and not the street.” The bandit sighed, reaching for her gun and handing it over to Annie. “Try not to get this one shot out of your hand, yeah?” The gang leader teased, watching Annie flush a bit with embarrassment as she accepted it.

‘Let’s take a carriage or a wagon… I need a place to lay low… I can’t just go back to the MM if my trail is still hot.” The mute doctor gestured, fixing her leg brace a bit. The damn thing always needed to be adjusted, working and walking so much always didn’t help.

Annie waited while Dakota whistled up for a wagon, watching some old man ride up to side of the street.

“Do you need help?” Annie finally asked, getting waved off by the mute doctor. There was no direct rejection, just a wave of the hand while she approached the wagon.

“Take us Northwest. I’ll stop you when we get there.” Dakota asked as she jumped into the back, holding her hand out for Y/N to grab. Y/N took it without much of a complaint, allowing herself to be helped into their ride.

The coachman nodded, “Will do.”

Dakota got seated besides some sacks of imported goods, knee bent with an arm on it. “We’ll stop by my Uncle’s… I’m sure he’ll be glad to take up some company…” She explained, running a hand through her hair.

Y/N nodded, finding a comfortable spot near a barrel of what she believed was probably wine. At least she hoped so, a drink right about now sounded nice.

“Northwest is near the entrance to the city, isn’t it?” Annie asked, holding onto the strap of her satchel before finally getting settled up into the back of the wagon with the others. So much has changed since then… But, she couldn’t complain. She didn’t really have the right to.

‘And Main Medical. It’s some ways from it… Smack in the middle of this city… We actually cleared out one of the old brothel buildings for it… A big one. When we’re rested and ready, we can head there… Get us all on the same page with Dr. Vivianne and Dr. Adler.’ Y/N signed, her head leaned against the barrel beside her.

Dakota motioned with their hand, agreeing along with what the doctor said. “A meeting was long overdue…. She’s always avoided speaking with me directly. Dr. Adler and I are practically best buddies with how often I’ve seen him.” There was a spoken sarcasm that made Y/N shake her head, understanding what Dakota meant perfectly. Vivianne was practically a book of tasks. Always sending others to do the things she didn’t want to… Perfect example was this… Though it was deliberate, Y/N didn’t mind getting her hands dirty if it meant doing the right thing. Vivianne’s word wouldn’t stop her.

Annie hummed, taking a sneaking glance over to Y/N, who seemed to want to rest a bit on the ride to Dakota’s Uncle’s house. She didn’t want to stare, but it was strange…Seeing her again after such a long time… She looked good. Annie still liked how she styled her hair… How her E/C closed to just… Rest and breathe for a moment. Of course, she was pulled out of her moment when she saw Dakota smirking at her. That knowing glance the bandit made her way ruined it.

It made her embarrassed, making her turn her head away with her cheeks growing red flush..

With a snap of the reigns, they were on their way. Thankfully the cover of the wagon would provide them some relief from anyone who could see them pass by.

——

Adler bursted through the door, panting and pointing behind him. He was so out of breath from running everywhere, still empty handed though.

Dr. Vivianne placed her clipboard down and just waited for the theatric display to end, leaning a hand against her desk while the other rested on her hip.

“Eastern Building…. It… Phew…” He started his sentence, leant forward with his hands on his knees. He couldn’t even hold enough air in to make a cohesive sentence.

Of course, this just annoyed Vivianne. “Spit it out.” She urged, tone stern and punctual with it.

“Eastern building got raided.” Adler finally spit it out, holding a hand to his chest. The news made Vivianne’s eyes widen a bit, her expression growing a little confused.

“Raided? What do you mean "raided?” The ash haired doctor questioned, her head tilted forward as if demanding some kind of explanation.

The blonde doctor just shook his head, standing up a bit straighter. “I was doing what you said… Trying to find Y/N… So, I went to her building…But then, I noticed a whole bunch of men rush the building… I booked it out of there….” Adler explained, pacing a bit while he spoke. His conscience felt guilty. He ran off like a coward and probably let these… Rats kill one of their own.

Vivianne seemed lost for words. Her eyes looked away as she processed the news, feeling a sinking feeling in her gut at the thought of one of the original three being gone to something so…. so preventable. Her brain wanted to think logically about this, but her heart didn’t seem to agree.

“…Do you know for sure that Dr. Quil was in that building?” Vivianne questioned in a monotone voice, her head tilting slightly.

Adler couldn’t say for sure. “…I… I would like to hope not… But, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re starting to hurt the supply at the source.” He said his thoughts, his shoulders slumping slightly as he stood. His eyes grew worrisome. The idea of anyone becoming a target… He avoided the war for that reason… He didn’t want to be a target.

Vivianne felt bitter, her eyes closing for a moment. “…Start telling the staff to start closing everything up.” She says, standing up straighter. “Tell them that it’s urgent as well. I don’t want a single doctor left behind.” Her hand pulled a document from her desk, pushing it into one of the drawers with a slight of hand.

Adler looked at Vivianne with a confused expression, his eyebrows knitting together. “…What about the crates?… Surely, we can’t just… Leave them?” He asked, curious if they were going to just leave them there.

Vivianne nodded, “Don’t worry about that. Until we get definite confirmation that Dr. Quil is dead. We will proceed with clean-up here. Priority documents come first. Crates can collect dust for all I care. They’re not worth the sacrifice of the other good doctors here.” Her way of explaining the situation made Adler feel a little more at ease. He nodded his head in agreement. The earlier they got out, the better.

“Now leave me be… I need… Uh…” Vivianne looked around a bit lost, her eyes looking down at her desk. “I need to be alone for a little while…” She took a seat in her chair, her elbows resting on the surface of her cluttered desk and her hands clasping together as if in prayer. Her heart felt heavy. It felt like everything was going downhill from here.

Dr. Adler nodded his head, immediately leaving to go start the prep up for evac. There was a lot of equipment to be packed away. Transportation was also going to be a little tight, but as long as people were able to leave then it didn’t matter.

Vivianne stared at the door of her office, her eyes closing tightly as flashbacks to when she first met Y/N had suddenly triggered.

——

“Luther, Denis, Vivianne, and Adler. You’re being requested over to The Scouts Main Quarters. Please go ASAP.” The head medic spoke, flipping through a wooden clipboard as he stood at the doorway.

Vivianne pulled her mask down and looked over, her expression growing confused. “Wh-What do they need us for…?” She questioned, taking off her blood soaked gloves.

The man looked up at Vivianne, shaking his head in disapproval. “Does it matter? If I say to go, you go.” He spoke firmly, making the girl slightly purse her lips together as if to hold back on being disrespectful.

She only nodded, looking back down at the soldier that was missing an arm from an expedition… Survived, but now retired… It was unfortunate. “Rest easy…” She softly spoke, patting his shoulder before she turned and left the room.

In the hallway, Luther and Denis seemed to be messing around a bit, pushing and shoving each other. Adler stood with his hand adjusting his glasses, keeping a cocky explanation on his face as they waited for Vivianne.

“You coming, slowpoke? We’re waiting on you.” Denis said, wrapping an arm around Luther’s shoulder.

Adler scoffed, “At least try to act professional, Denis…” The blonde man spoke, his expression showing his disdain for how casual the two were being.

Luther rolled his eyes, “You act like we’re seeing the Queen. Get your breeches untangled and let loose, will ya? I swear, all I ever hear you do is complain.” The taller man spoke, Denis laughing a bit from his friend’s observation.

Adler just gritted his teeth, shaking his head. He adjusted his glasses once more, “You ready?” Adler asked Vivianne, wanting this done and over with as soon as possible.

Vivianne gave a quick nod, catching up with the three.

She remembered the debriefings they were subjected to with Commander Hange. The eccentric way the commander handled themselves made Luther and Denis more excited for this sudden call.

But, Vivianne was very… suspicious. Becoming a field medic sounded crazy… All this confidentiality also rubbed her wrong. What the hell were they hiding?

“Given the circumstances, I will give you the opportunity to back out… However, you 4 were hand picked because of your overall evaluations back when you were in training as well as your medical expertise. This is for progress… A trial we conducted a few time before. It will be the first on field medical team.” Hange explained with a more serious tone, pushing a paper towards the four medics.

Luther was the first to raise his hand, “Is it just us…? Or will there be more?” He asked, making Vivianne give him a side-eye.

Hange paced a bit, nodding their head. “I will only say that you have a captain.” They stopped, motioning towards the door. “Unlike you all, she didn’t necessarily have a choice in the matter whether she joined or not.”

Adler shook his head, standing up. “I rather value my life. I would find it a waste to leave it in the hands of some… Scout. Thank you for the offer though. Hopefully, you can find some other fool to take my place.” His reluctance made Vivianne want to leave as well, finding the idea of fighting alongside The Scouts to be so foolish. A death sentence handed down on a gruesome platter, that’s basically what it was.

As Adler left, Vivianne debated with herself. She too could live a comfortable life.. A life with no worries besides the worries that came in through doors in the arms of fellow comrades…

“Damn… I really thought I sold the idea. Anyone else?” Hange sighed, pushing up their goggles to rub their eyes. Handa landed on their hips, looking amongst the younger men and at Vivianne.

The room stayed quiet, Luther soon reaching to the table to grab the paper of the plans. Vivianne watched him debate it, soon just nodding. “Fuck it… I’m in.” He stood up, tossing the paper back onto the table. Vivianne just watched as Denis followed through too.

“Me too. I’ll join too!” Denis said with a confident fist to his chest. His lips held a self-assured smile too, pushing Luther with his arm, who then pushed him back.

‘What the…’ She thought they were crazy. Why the hell would they want to go beyond the walls? The safety was all here. They had the easy part of just sitting and waiting, cleaning and tending…. But, she hadn’t denied the offer yet… So, was she crazy too? Was it some weird curiosity?

Her eyes then met up with the commander’s, “What about you?” Hange asked, holding out a hand to her. Vivianne wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she grabbed that hand, sealing the deal of her participation.

She remembered how the team was escorted throughout the barrack building. Faces that were familiar passed by, making Vivianne stare more with interest. She didn’t expect them to be so close to such big names… Hell, she even thinks she saw Mikasa there.

“Holy hell, that’s literally Levi.” Denis grabbed Luther’s arm, shaking him slightly. As they approached the closed door that Levi seemed to guard, his back leaned against the wall.

“Is this them?” Levi asked, Hange nodding their head. “One didn’t take the offer, but we’ll still have 4.” Hange answered, adjusting their uniform coat. “Baby steps as they say.” Adding to the conversation, they looked back at the squad behind.

Vivianne saw how Hange placed a stack of papers in Levi’s hand. “Perfect.” He said, looking through them briefly before he finally opened the door.

Vivianne looked around, taking in the sight of the lab that seemed to have been built there. A lot of beakers… A lot of scrap metal too… It felt like they just walked into a madman’s science experiment.

But, it was a lot crazier than that.

The figure at the desk lifted their head up and turned to look over their shoulder, soon meeting eyes with her. And suddenly, she felt breathless.

Hange ensured the door was closed behind them, taking the initiative to walk over to the desk.

“Your captain for this operation is Y/N L/N.” Levi spoke, his hands at his sides. He kept it short and blunt, there wasn’t a need for everyone to be getting comfortable. Not yet, anyways.

Vivianne watched how the quiet persona in the room pushed back a pair of goggles from her face before turning to look at the group before her. Judgemental eyes stared, nodding as if she was satisfied.

“You’re the—” Vivianne spoke up, recognizing that face from the bulletin board. The mute doctor placed a finger to her lips and just hushed.

Y/N stood up, the sound of a heavy boot came with every step. Vivianne wasn’t sure what she felt… Was it envy? There was something in how Y/N carried herself despite being the one with the greatest disadvantage in the room.

She wanted to capture it. She wanted it to herself.

——

Annie stayed seated on a small bed that Uncle Miles provided, a hand covering her chest while Y/N took a look at the wound on her shoulder. She felt a few stings whenever the mute doctor touched the surely scarred skin.

‘Whoever did this was surely an amateur.’ Y/N gestured, looking over at the bandit that was enjoying a little meal that her uncle had provided. It felt good to be back at home eating all this good food.

“…Sorry, not everyone has experience.” Dakota said, licking their thumb from the sauce that the stew had. Nothing like a good meal to end the day. They stood by the window, looking out at the street. It was always entertaining to see people interact while they ate.

Y/N was thankful she had the proper supplies to start cleaning the wound. So, she started with that first. Having to remove stitches was a bit of a pain, but she knew it was better than letting Annie walk around with busted up looking stitches.

Annie had trouble keeping her eyes averted, always finding herself unconsciously getting distracted by how Y/N would occasionally bite her lip or how her face concentrated on cleaning the inflamed area with a washcloth. The touch enough to make Annie slightly wince and squint her eyes away.

“I just wished it didn’t hurt so bad.” Annie softly muttered, staying still while Y/N worked.

From a professional standpoint, Y/N was a bit concerned about a potential problem. The wound was definitely not correctly treated, and the old sutures were practically loose and tied too big. But, personally, she couldn’t say that Annie didn’t deserve it. A little mean, but she was allowed to be angry.

“So when are we addressing the problem with Vivianne?” Dakota asked, tossing her plate down on her desk with the others once she was finished with her meal. Her hands wiped themselves on her pants, walking over to stand over the doctor and ambassador.

Y/N finished up the cleaning, putting her washcloth down in a bucket beside them. Her attention moved over to Dakota, not sure what they were expecting.

‘Whenever I can get back. I should be able to talk to her about this… She cannot know about the attack on my building though. If she does, I’ll be stuck in the offices and I won’t be able to help you.’ Y/N explained, standing up from the bed and using a small cloth to wipe her hands. ‘She won’t be easy to persuade, but she’s never been easy.’ Y/N signed once more, sighing at the fact she needed to go head to head with her of all people. Adler, she didn’t care much for. She could debate with him whenever and wherever… Vivianne was more hardheaded. A woman bound by a weird sense of leadership. She held every nurse with an iron grip. Not her though. She could never hold her down.

Dakota hummed, “Tell me about it.” her eyes looking back over at Annie who seemed to be checking out her new sutures. However, her eyes were focused a bit more on Y/N.

Annie was stuck in a little world of her own at the moment, trying to process everything that’s happened. Everything that will happen. “Who is Dr. Vivianne?” Annie questioned, her head tilting a bit. She hadn’t heard of the name. Nor did she read about it… This was someone completely new.

Y/N could’ve answered that question in a multitude of ways, but she didn’t. She just stood there and shook her head, ‘Head of the Medical Division. She took after Henry Belis when he died after the war.’ She gestured, not very fond of the history. Especially, not when her and Vivianne had so much of it.

“…So she’s your mentor?” Annie stood up from the bed, adjusting her clothes to cover up with just the fix of some buttons on her shirt.

Y/N shook her head once more, almost finding that idea a bit funny. ‘No. If anything she’s just a person in the big chair.’ Her hand gestures showed a little more of the sadder truth of this story.

A constant shift in power always made its way between Adler, Vivianne and Y/N. Either it was a battle of different approaches to certain things, or just Vivianne putting her foot down…. Y/N always had no choice but to listen.

Dakota took a step forward, a hand gesturing towards Annie. “What she means is, she’s a hothead with too much power. Haven’t thought of one instance where she’s not sending Adler to me. A control freak. Always up my ass about quite literally everything that happens as if I don’t have it all under a watchful eye.” The bandit scoffed.

Y/N knew that Dakota and Vivianne were also on opposite sides of the fence. It wasn’t anything new though.

“…She doesn’t sound… nice.” Annie commented in a weird blunt way that made Y/N give a small exhale of amusement. The blonde’s interest suddenly hyperfixed on that little action, her mind blanking a bit.

Y/N then shook her head, ‘She’s the product of someone who lets expectations cloud judgment… Someone who let their promotion go straight to her head.’ She signed with her eyes averted, crossed her arms after while making her way over to the window. Her mind always drifted back to the past… How, she constantly felt the weight on her shoulders as she did back then. Why was it always her making tough decisions? She never had a moment to just… Be.

“Y/N, I want you to lead the Medical Research Council.”

That offer was the downfall of the bonds they used to hold. When it became more about competition than about actually helping. Who was better and who could fill the shoes that were left. Y/N remember denying the position… Wanting to live a quieter life. The occasional job here and there… But, now here she was. Fighting against her own moral compass and risking her job because she’s never been one to leave others behind. Not now, not ever. She was thankful that Luther and Denis shared that principle.

She was tired.

Dakota could see that look in Y/N’s face. How her eyebrows furrowed down, a look of lost confidence. “…You two have history then?” She finally asked, making Y/N’s head turn away.

Annie stayed quiet, just wanting to know anything that Y/N would give her… Anything that book never told. Those continued chapters. She just… She needed to know.

And Y/N told them.

‘We worked together for a while. I was under the watchful eye of Commander Hange, placed to be a field medic and soon captain for a squad … She was… my partner. Someone I could trust at the time… A voice almost.’ Her gestures were careful, her face showing a mixture of emotions. But, she didn’t miss those moments. ‘At least, that’s what I thought at the time… But, when you’re running for someone else, you forget to walk. She forgot to walk and instead took the opportunity to fly… Hasn’t come down since.’ Her way of telling the story made Annie feel like she got a good punch to the gut. Like she was too late.

Dakota was surprised, head almost jolting back a bit from the information shared. That made a whole lot more sense now…. Why couldn't they find anything based on the missing parts of this “case.”

“You were been quietly stationed…? Why the hell would they do that?” Dakota was so fucking confused. In what universe, does making someone go missing create a benefit?

Annie was struggling to understand as well, her expression contorting with its own confusion. “That doesn’t make sense…” Annie started her thought, pointing towards Y/N, who in turn turned to look directly at the ambassador.

“I was working with the scouts during the rumbling… They said they never saw you...” Annie could remember it easily. Jean didn’t know. Connie didn’t know. Mikasa was the one who told her that Y/N’s been… Armin even said the same thing….

Y/N took a step forward, ‘What did you expect the friends of a former enemy to do?… I was working and had you come after me, you would’ve been killed.’ She knew her words were coming off a bit hostile, maybe even a bit bitter… But, she was… She was allowed to be. That was the truth. She had bigger responsibilities than

Dakota stayed quiet though, taking a place against the wall with her arms folded over her chest. She wanted to see how this entire thing unfolded, but kept a watchful eye on if it got… Too heated between the two.

Annie shook her head, “You weren’t my…” She then stopped herself, because at the time… They were enemies. They fought on different sides of the walls. Y/N stood a little taller, her eyes looking into Annie. The same way they used to when she couldn’t promise anything. It made Annie speechless.

There was a pregnant pause before Y/N tilted her head, hands signing her thoughts. ‘I liked to keep my whereabouts private… That was until recently… With the war over and a lot of the members no longer here… Now, I am just a doctor and rep for medical research.’ The mute doctor’s footsteps grew closer to Annie, the two eventually standing face to face. As much as it pained her to mention the death of her mentor and practically her guardian Hange, it was true. After the war on Marley… Y/N’s squad was disbanded to focus full time on other things.

Annie’s eyes softened up, her eyes unconsciously moving downwards towards the lips of the other woman. “And what was so important?… I could think of many instances where people needed a medic and you just weren’t there.” Annie questioned with a more sharpness in her tone. Her eyes looked back up into Y/N’s eyed again, their gazes strong enough to probably light a flame.

‘Who do you think delivered the queen’s heir?’ Y/N’s response made Dakota have a little outburst, her head shaking in disbelief. She pushed herself off from the wall and approached the doctor with an accusatory tone. “Bullshit! Everyone knows that Dr—” Her voice stopped immediately, eyes showing a shocking realization. That’s when Dakota’s hand soon pointed directly at the mute doctor, the doctor holding a prideful smile.

Annie’s eyes shifted to Dakota, trying to understand what revelation they had just came upon… Then she heard it. A name she’s heard of before.

“Dr. Quil…” Dakota’s realization rang in her voice, expression showing the new information boggled her mind. The documents were shredded because Y/N didn’t exist in the corp…. Y/N and Dr. Quil didn’t exist at the same time. They couldn’t.

“Dr. Quil helped me out with my bent out leg. I’d recommend seeing her if you need a check-up.”

The memory made Annie’s body feel suddenly cold. Her eyes finding themselves downcast and her hands at her sides in the shape of fists. Hiding in plain sight… Then she remembered what Dakota said to her when she was tied up in that chair.

“Name has been dead for a long time….” Annie spoke under her breath, trying to take in everything… But, It was too… Too much.

‘Marley was lovely, by the way. I find it crazy I made it there before you did.’ Y/N was just fucking with Annie now, the tension starting to grow the more that Y/N revealed. Annie immediately grabbed Y/N by her shirt collar, staring at her old lover with a more cold gaze. Was she mocking her?

The threatening look didn’t make Y/N flinch, she wasn’t the same person she was before… Annie had to accept that… There was no journal writing, no walks through the snow, no late night visits that ended up in a tangle of limbs… They were strangers. A clean slate. They didn’t recognize each other. That’s what years did to something that wasn’t fully established.

“Amby…” Dakota placed a hand on Annie’s chest, keeping her voice steady to calm Annie’s overwhelming emotions. But, It was all just too much to take in. Her fists clenched harder, her eyes wide and she was spiraling a bit.

But, it wasn’t. They were just battle-hardened creatures now… Both had their secrets. ‘Be mad that I lied, Sure. But, you can’t be mad at me for doing the same shit you did to me.’ Y/N was right. She wasn’t any better… They were the same coin, different sides. Annie couldn’t be mad that Y/N took a more respectable route of things.

“Annie.” Dakota’s voice raised, stern and hushed as to not disturb her uncle who was probably in his own sorrows with his mourning.

“You act like I didn’t care.” Annie’s voice wavered in their justifications. “I didn’t fucking leave you because I wanted to!”

‘You left because you knew you couldn’t stand to tell me the truth. You couldn’t even be honest with me when I got hurt because of you.’ Y/N’s words struck into her like daggers. And they were right… Annie was the biggest coward. The one that ran away because it got too complicated and the fact Y/N saw that and looked down on her… She didn’t know what to say.

Dakota’s hand pushed against Annie’s chest again, “That’s enough.” The bandit wasn’t going to let this continue, making Annie finally let go of her old lover’s shirt. Y/N even swatted Annie’s hands away, the sounds of breaths heavy coming from the two lovers. Dakota pushed them away from each other, pointing a finger at the blonde then at the H/C as if they were dogs. Both just back off, staring at each other from past Dakota.

The doctor fixed her collar, dusting herself off while she took that moment to breathe. She knew Annie could easily overpower her, did she care? No. She knew she had the upper hand. They both were in a position that couldn’t be replaced. Both were important people… With powerful names…

“Let me remind you both that we don’t need this. I get it! You’re pissed off at her. She’s hung up on you… But, right now??? We have shit we got to do.” The gang leader motioned between the two, hazel eyes meeting up with the doctor’s. “Doctor?” Dakota spoke to move the attention from Annie to herself, cautiously holding out their hand to the disheveled woman. Y/N just looked down at it with a stubborn glare. A little parley on their personal matters… How fun.

“We get this done, you both can sit… Maybe, have a nice coffee above ground about it. Hell! Kill each other afterwards if you really want to! I don’t give a damn. Now, we know what we need. We need to rest, wake up and have that meeting with Vivianne with no delay.” The way Fabel spoke really showed that they knew how to keep the game fair. That’s how they liked it. Fair, sweet and short. None of this back and forth.

Annie licked the inside of her cheek, still feeling that bubbling annoyance in her gut. She was also smacked with guilt and doubt. She just nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. It’s not like she wanted to fight her. and Y/N didn’t want to fight her either… She was exhausted.

“Deal?” Dakota asked, eyebrows raising to show a more neutral face to the doctor. She didn’t want to seem like she picked a side, there was no sides.

With much contemplation, Y/N reached over to shake the bandit’s hand. She can play nice for a bit. E/C eyes met up with blue soon after, ‘I know a nice cafe we can go to when this is all over. I’m guessing you like it with extra sugar?’ The doctor signed to Annie, making the ambassador suddenly look taken aback.

“How did you—?” Annie was caught off guard, head turning to follow as Y/N walked past her to start getting their stuff together for bed. She might not have realized, but Y/N still remembered her sweet tooth. Not that she would admit it.

Dakota shook their head, rolling their eyes as they left the two to get their shit together. The bandit was expecting a cute reunion, maybe some fighting with a little bit of declarations of love… No, just got a headache. A massive one.

“Hey, Uncle. Do you have rope?” Dakota asked, coming down the stairs to see the older man at his workstation. His eye looked over to the younger Fabel, placing down an axe head he was sharpening.

“What do you need rope for?…” He asked, watching as Dakota made her way over. She stopped across the work bench, hands in her pockets with her eyes looking at all the new things her uncle had been busying himself with.

“I got two dogs that need to get along. Figured I would just tie them up until they did…” Her hands picked up a shiny blue steel knife with a beautiful redwood handle. She gave it a few practice swings, testing how the blade hid away before flicking it out again.

Miles softly hummed, “Is that what I heard upstairs…?” He turned back to his work, sanding down a handle for an axe he was making.

Dakota nodded with a dramatic head nod, folding the knife back into itself. That’s when Miles held out his hand, “Makes the place a lot more lively… Can’t say I hated it.” He said with a short laugh, making Fabel feel a little guilty. They knew what he meant, it wasn’t just him that felt that way.

She gave him the knife, watching him pull away from the desk to place it into a little sheath he had made for it. A pretty thing, lovely dark leather always looked good. “I’m sorry for not being around much, M…” She apologized, pulling a chair out from his desk that was cluttered with ideas and projects. She sat across, leaning back in it.

He took a deep breath, looking at her with tired eye. “You're all good, D… I know you’re busy with managing the gang. I gave you that responsibility after all… I know how much it takes away.” He looked back down at the wooden handle in his hand, placing down the sandpaper to test how it felt in his hands.

Dakota sighed, “…I’m working hard to stop it… I mean.. I’m not going to say much, but I’ve been establishing quite the connections.” She saw how he shook his head.

It didn’t matter how many connections a person had. For some reason, this place always took and took. It took his left eye… It took his wife… He was stagnant… Just a guy who made tools for a gang he used to run.

“Hmm… Just don’t get swept up in it, D.” He simply said, his voice quiet. It pained Dakota to see him this way… Watching him adjust that eyepatch on his face, sometimes she could see his hands shake.

“It’ll have to catch up to me to sweep me up, Uncle.” Her voice softened up, watching as he sighed and shook his head. “I’m serious.” He replied, looking up at the young bandit. Despite her being older now, he still saw that little girl that enjoyed watching him make new things.

“I know.” She exhaled, standing up from the chair. “I promise. Once this is all over, we can take a trip above ground… get some fresh air. Maybe, we can see the water too. I know you’ve always wanted to do that.” She promised, holding a soft smile. It was one of those smiles that made Miles feel at ease.

“…Sure… We’ll go see the water.” He agreed with the pretty thought. Maybe he needed to get away from all of this… But, nothing could ever fill his missing piece… Not even water. Dakota gave a wink, motioning towards the kitchen as she started to head for head. “Make sure you eat, Uncle. Don’t need you passed out on your workbench again.” She advised, footsteps echoing as Dakota went up.

The older man’s eye looks over at the urn on the shelf, “What are we going to do with this kid, Kate?…” He asked before he shook his head and got back to work on making his axe.

——

“LUTHER! RUN!” Denis yelled, sprinting down the alleyway behind his best friend. Luther was running just like he was told, looking back behind them as men started to rush them.

“I want them alive!” The man ordered, stopping his chase and pointing at his men to go after them. His lips lifted into a proud smirk, hearing the bullets fire and the feet of men running at his demand… Was this what it was like to have power Instead of being kicked to the ground?

Denis followed close behind, pulling down barrels and crates to obstruct any path. Luther knew something was fucked when they saw those bastards were starting to block off streets. They had to ditch the wagon because of it and It fucked with him, he knew what they were looking for. Their faces were well known from the papers.

BANG!

Luther found himself ducking his head, scrambling into another set of alleyways behind some brothel. Bugs and rats scurried past his feet. His heart racing in his ears made it feel as if his head was underwater. He couldn’t hear anything. Just kept running and running.

“Through here!” Luther said, finding an old building they could run through. He looked at the old doors on it, taking a step back before using as much momentum and adrenaline to kick the damn thing open. Once the door broke open, Luther pushed himself through the splintering wood. The place was dark and dusty, but he could care less…

“Denis, I think we should—” He turned behind him and saw no one. Her heart dropping instantly, all he could hear now was the sound of his own heavy breathing.

“Denis?…Brother?” He helplessly called out.

taglist; @cess02 @the-camilucha @tsukidrama @scouts-stuff

#TGWWMLs #annie x reader #annie leonhart x reader #aot scenarios #aot imagines #aot fanfiction #annie leonhardt x reader #annie leonhardt #Annie snk #annie leonhart

[magicshopaholic]

Flipped (Jimin x OC)

Summary: Jimin meets his childhood love in his childhood hometown.

Pairing: Jimin x OC

Genre: Exes; humour, banter, flirting, fluff

Word count: 2.1 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: none

A/N: I may as well have denounced editing. Still, I've been looking forward to this little drabble for a good while now, so here it is. Since it's a drabble, it can be read standalone. Set about three months after Near Misses and a couple of weeks after Helping Hands.

This contains a little detail from a super popular movie that I watched on a flight after forever so kudos to anyone who can identify it :)

Tagging: @bbl32 @quarter-life-crisis2 @meirkive @faearchives @margopinkerton @dreaming-with-happiness @confessionsofamarshlily @jiminjhang purpleseoul7 @sumzysworld

Listen to: "heart“ by stars

jimin masterlist | main masterlist

The moment Jimin knew that he was in it, bad, was when he first saw Kim Sooah at a volleyball match.

It was against a neighbouring school and while the girls’ matches rarely pulled in the crowd that the boys’ matches did, somehow, the crowd was almost as large that day. Jimin attributed it to the fact that Sooah was playing; it was, after all, the only reason he was here.

That, and the fact that Taehyung had dragged him along. Although Jimin would never admit it to him, he was glad he came, for the atmosphere was incredible. There was at least a hundred people there, from several schools in the district, cheering and hooting with tiny bottles of water in their hands.

“Imagine if we get even half this crowd when we debut,” muttered Taehyung to him in a low voice. Despite the sardonic tone, Jimin could detect the longing in his statement.

His focus reverted to Sooah fairly quickly, however. The match was midway, as far as he could tell, and the girls on both teams were amped up and energetic and sweaty. Jimin didn’t even know which team was winning; all he could tell was that Sooah looked serious and in concentration as her team gathered before a serve, discussing something and pointing vaguely at each other.

Her hair was in a ponytail at the top of her head, the ends damp and sticking to the back of her neck. Jimin watched in awe and something else as she brushed it away absently, exposing the glowing skin and making his cheeks heat up. Her legs were lean and toned under her shorts as she jogged on the spot, but when his gaze moved up to her face, he frowned.

Was she crying? It was a hot day, but her nose was red. Even from this distance, it was unmistakable, the redness at the tip and the sniff that followed it. But her eyes seemed dry… Jimin watched in confusion as she sneezed and one of her team members snickered and patted her shoulder comfortingly, while Sooah rolled her eyes but smiled back, tapping her nose with a cupped hand.

It happened one more time - the sneeze, the sniff, the tapping of her nose which seemed to be a habit she wasn’t even aware of – before Jimin realised what it was. It was allergies. Kim Sooah - perfect, popular, dream girl Kim Sooah - had allergies. To what, he did not know, but he could recognise the signs and moreover, could feel his chest fill up with a warm admiration and amusement that despite being a bit of a hot mess, she’d not only shown up to play but was visibly enthusiastic and focused on the game.

The team dispersed and got into their positions, Sooah somewhere on the side as her teammate got ready to serve. Just before play resumed, Sooah sneezed again.

And Jimin’s heart flipped.

—

The sky is still light when the sun disappears over the horizon, across Sooah’s parents’ house. She snaps a picture that does the sight no justice and stretches her legs where she’s sitting on the pavement in front of the house. The street is quiet and empty, which is why even the slightest movement causes her to look up.

“Tell me it’s a coincidence that you’re in Busan the same weekend you knew I’d be here.” Jimin raises his eyebrows as he approaches her, a smug hint of a smile on his face.

His hair is a gorgeous silvery blond for the upcoming Europe leg of his tour. He’d sent her a picture of it while the stylist was still colouring it, and Sooah had spent the rest of the night wondering if it would feel like silk.

“Tell me it’s a coincidence that you’re on this street when your parents’ house is two blocks away.”

He smiles sheepishly and sits next to her, smelling clean and light and floral. “Totally a coincidence.”

“Same here.” She nudges his shoulder with hers. “How’s tour going?”

“You aren’t keeping up on social media?” He feigns shock. “I’m hurt, Sooah.”

“I have a job now. I can’t remain a teenage fangirl forever.” But she gives him a playful smile along with it, which he returns.

“So this is where you lived before Seoul, huh,” he remarks after a few moments. “One of my childhood friends used to live right down this street, somewhere at the end.”

“We might have crossed paths, too,” she offers.

“Nah, I would remember.” He plays absently with the loose laces of her shoe. “But I’m glad you moved to Seoul when you did.”

“I’m glad you did, too.” Sooah feels her stomach flutter slightly at the memory. “I wish you’d introduced yourself sooner.”

“We were in the same class, Kim Sooah,” he points out. “You could have noticed sooner.”

She nods, not missing the defensive note. “Yeah, I could’ve. Sorry.”

There is silence for a minute during which Sooah looks out at the horizon in her childhood neighbourhood, sitting beside her childhood love.

“Taehyung told me you went to Jeju with Hyeri and her gang a couple of weeks ago.”

“I did. It was nice. A little hot, but fun.”

“Yeah? Partied hard?”

“Kind of.” A smile flashes across her face. “It’s getting harder to pull all-nighters in my old age.”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” he says teasingly, before pausing. “I heard you guys booked a whole villa.”

“Hyunjin got a great deal on Airbnb or something so he booked it. It was huge.”

“That’s cool. I heard all the couples got their own rooms.”

“They did.”

“Hmm.” He nods. “Rooming is overrated.”

“I agree. I don't think I managed a single shower in my room before the hot water got over.”

There’s the distant sound of children playing in the park down a couple of streets over. Sooah glances at Jimin out of the corner of her eye; he’s looking straight at the horizon, his jawline sharp and eyes partially hidden by his bangs.

“Glad you had fun, I guess,” he says after a moment, still staring ahead.

“Yeah. Hyeri is a much better friend than a roommate, though, for future reference.”

She doesn’t pretend to miss how he visibly catches on. “For future reference?” he asks. “You mean in case I ever want to room with Hyeri?”

“You never know. I know how much you love rooming with friends from high school.”

Jimin nods, but Sooah doesn’t miss the twitch at the corner of his mouth. He glances at Sooah and presumably sees her much more obvious smile, and rolls his eyes. “I hate you,” he states, shaking his head but failing to hide his sheepish grin.

Sooah giggles. “Jesus Christ, Chim. If you want to know if I’m single, just ask.”

A small patch of pink appears on his cheek. “Historically, that hasn’t always given me the answer I want.”

“Let’s try it. Repeat after me: ‘Sooah, are you in a relationship?’”

He gives her a look but decides to humour her. “Sooah, are you in a relationship?” he asks deliberately.

“No, Jimin, I am not. But hopefully I will be, soon enough. Are you in a relationship?”

“This is a coincidence but I’m not either. But if things go well, I’m hoping I will be, too.”

“Interesting. Why aren’t you right now?”

“Well, the girl I have a thing for is a bit of an enigma, if I’m being honest.” Jimin tosses his hair out of his eyes and smirks slightly. “She’s very popular and we never seem to get the timing right.”

Sooah can’t help but smile, feeling her face soften at the confession. “You’re bound to, eventually. Right?”

He nods slowly, his grin fading but not all the way. “I hope so. The problem is…” He looks away and ducks his head. “I don’t know. I guess part of me always feels like a quiet nerd around her, no matter how much time passes.”

“Lucky for you, I have a thing for cute and shy nerds,” she says after a moment, dropping all pretense and resisting the urge to rest her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“M-hm. Even when they get all ripped and start wearing designer clothes and have hoards of fans in love with them,” she says, “I find myself very fond of the person they are underneath all that.”

Jimin swallows and lets out a soft chuckle, before meeting her gaze, his eyes swimming with a hundred different thoughts. “I really feel like I’ve messed it up too many times with her, though,” he admits quietly.

Sooah nudges his shoulder again and this time rests her head on it as well. “She might share some of the blame for that, too,” she murmurs. “But you’ll never know if you don’t try.” She feels him nod, slowly, and she holds her breath as he starts to say something. Instead, she suddenly sneezes.

“Oh, God, no,” she grumbles, brushing strands of hair out of her face. “What - what is that? Are you wearing a new perfume or something? Because I think I might be allergic. What?” she asks, catching sight of his big grin that only widens when she frowns.

“You do this thing when you get your allergies,” he tells her. “This thing with your hand.”

“What thing?”

“Like this.” He mimics it, tapping his nose with his cupped hand. “It’s extremely cute.”

Sooah feels her face heat up in both pleasure and embarrassment. “Oh. I didn���t realise.”

“I know. But you’ve always done it. You did it when you were front row at our debut,” he reminds her.

At this, she smiles as well, reliving the old but clear memory. “Yeah, I was having allergies then, too. Can’t believe you noticed me in the crowd.”

“It was, like, thirty people.”

She nods in agreement, but then shrugs. “You still put on a hell of a show, Chimmy.”

“Shut up,” he mutters bashfully. “You should come for a concert now. There are actual lightsticks so you don’t have to wave the torch on your Nokia.” He flashes her a smile. “I’ll send you a flying kiss from the stage. The other girls there will hate you.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she says dryly. “Although I think it might be harder to spot me in a crowd of thirty thousand.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll always spot you.”

Sooah’s heart flips. “I might just take you up on that offer. But you have enough girls in the front row, chasing after you.”

The same grins flickers on his face before he looks down at the road. “As long as you’re the only one who comes backstage with me, I’m good.”

“Really? You don’t think we’ve grown out of making out backstage after your show?”

“Never. We even have private rooms now. Where do you think Taehyung and Namjoon disappear for twenty minutes after every show?”

“And you want to join the club?”

“Depends. Are you joining me backstage?”

“Depends. Are you asking me to join you backstage?”

Jimin sighs hugely, giving her a look the whole time. “We can’t just let anyone backstage, you know? They only started making exceptions once Namjoon and Kaya started dating. Jungkook isn’t allowed to bring his flings back there either.”

“So it depends on whether I’m a girlfriend or a fling?” Her stomach flutters with anxiety at her own words. “Choose wisely, Jimin.”

The half-hearted smile tells Sooah that he’s picked up on the loaded statement. I feel like I’ve messed it up too many times, though. She bites her lip at the reminders, the slew of memories of both she and him drawn to each other multiple times, only to push each other away before anything could come of it.

On the pavement, Jimin slips his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. “I don’t know. I didn’t think I’d be the guy to whom Kim Sooah says yes twice.”

She bites her lip and smiles, wide. His fingers feel steady in between hers. “Sometimes it happens,” she says, tilting her head up and meeting him in a soft kiss. “Yes,” she whispers, her eyes staying closed, their noses still brushing against each other. 

Jimin doesn’t pull away immediately, but she feels him squeeze her hand. “Will I see you at the next show then?” he murmurs. “I can get you a ticket.”

“Front row?”

“I’ll be looking for you,” he promises, pressing a kiss to her forehead before sitting back in his original position but somehow feeling closer than before.

Sooah nods in assent. Sitting before her childhood home with her childhood love, she drops her head on his shoulder. A moment later, she feels his head rest on hers.

—

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review :)

#jimin x fanfic #jimin x oc #thebtswritersclub #bangtanwhq #micdropnet #k-vanity #wkcnet #bts jimin fanfic #bts jimin fluff

[meara-eldestofthemall]

Now it’s been months after the fact and likely the spoilers are out there;

Batfamily Response to Godzilla Minus One? Their favorite scenes from it? Their viewpoint on the special effects? Commentary on its setting and plot? Etc?

This is an excellent and timely question now that Godzila: Minus One has won an Oscar for special effects. Hmmmm...

It's tradition that Dick and Tim go to see any new Godzila movie on its opening night for the midnight showing. They even do cos-play (the original 1954 movie) since the crowd is usually filled with young adults and college students. Dick dresses as Ogata (the young, handsome protagonist with perfect teeth and lush, muffiny hair). Tim is Dr. Serizawa, complete with a white lab coat and an eye-patch that Tim tends switch from eye to eye. It confuses people and he finds that amusing.

After seeing the fun these two were having the viewing party has grown over time. Jason decided to come and Damian insisted that he be included. Duke was asked to join them and thought it sounded cool. Barbara, Stephanie and Cass were also invited along. Barbara simple gave Dick a look he knew all too well and he tendered her regrets to the others. Stephanie decried it as too much in the nerd zone whereas Cass doesn't like subtitled movies ("bad translations hurt my soul") but said to ask her when the dubbed version comes out.

Jason and Damian walked several paces behind Tim and Dick (pretending they didn't know them) but Duke got an old T-Rex costume and joined in on the cos-play as Godzila. Duke wasn't the only Godzila there and the management had to remind the various kaiju in the audience to remove their heads so as not to obstruct the view of the screen.

While Dick and Tim were fully expecting a remake of the 1954 classic they were not prepared for just how good it was. The acting was top notch, the music was excellent and the special effects were mind blowing.

Being Godzilla purists, Dick and Tim loved the kaiju's first destructive romp through the Ginza. They particularly loved seeing the reenactment of the classic commuter train scene, applauding loudly along with half the audience when Godzila had the passenger car in his teeth. They both cheered at the specticle of Godzilla's atomic breath and agreed that it was even better the Legendary movie version.

Duke was enthralled by the special effects. He declared the scene where the old battle cruiser Takao takes on the monster epic and seamlees. He cheered when Godzilla swallowed the mine and then regenerated (after a rather satisfying explosion). In fact both Duke and Tim were happy to enjoy the massive property damage in the movie since they could not be blamed for any of it. The two spent the ride home trying to calculate how many new kaiju were going to come out of all of the various chunks of Godzilla from the movies' ending. Their laughter as they talked about how many cities the herd of Godzillas could demolish was vaguely disturbing.

Jason was honestly surprised how good the movie was. He declaring that, unlike the 2014 Legendary movie, he actually cared about the squishy human's stories. Considering himself the family's preeminent movie critic, Jason gave the flick his top rating of five bullets.

Damian, unsurprisingly, found himself sympathizing with Godzilla. After all, the kaiju was only doing what his instincts prompted him to. Damian's opinion that it wasn't Godzilla's fault that humans were in his territory and were attacking him.

Having been schooled in the principals of Bushido, Damian also appreciated Shikishima's need to atone for his past and the guilt he felt at surviving when his comrades did not. It was what happened to Noriko and Shikishima's vow of revenge that seemed to truly speak to Damian. He and Dick had a deep conversation on the way home about how revenge is a double sided blade that hurts you when you wield it. If the suicidal pilot had followed through with his plan then he would have denied himself the very thing he craved the most - love and a family. Of all the things Dick hoped for from the movie, a life lesson for Damian was the most welcome and the most unexpected.

#dick grayson #tim drake #jason todd #damian wayne #duke thomas #batbros #batfam #godzilla minus one #i only inflinct my kaiju nerdiness on you because Paladin-of-Nerd-fandom65 asked #i'm old i'm odd and unlikely to change at this point in my life

[nonclassyparty]

Starring Role- ACT I (C.S; S.MG)

title; you don’t love me, big fuckin’ deal

summary:

We’ve all read about the infamous player who falls in love with the good girl that manages to make him change his ways…but what happens to the other girl? The pretty, popular one that has warmed his bed before the good girl came along and took him away.

Well, no one cares about her. After all, she’s just a side character.

It almost feels like a joke to play a part, when you are not the starring role in someone else’s heart.

pairing: choi san x reader, song mingi x reader

wc: almost 9k

warnings: smut, angst, fluff (if you squint), cursing

a/n: y/n has a really active imagination so there are some parts that might seem weird or make you confused lmao

taglist: @joonsthethicc @marievllr-abg @cookiechristie @purenjuniverse  @hwaist @littleparkseonghwa @hwasong @hwadump @hongshines @kitty4hwa @knisterlicht @flamingi @revehosh @gayliljoong @naiify     @btshook @atzcoke  @circusjanreblogs @baguette-atiny​ 

the intro / masterlist / act ii

“Because what’s worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?” - James Patterson, The Angel Experiment

You stared at the ceiling of your bedroom, tracing patterns with your eyes that strangely reminded you of planet Earth getting blown to tiny bits and pieces across your ceiling, the oceans dripping down your walls and the lava from it's center splattering across your furniture and burning holes through the expensive cushions your mother placed on your window seat.

You vaguely felt like the world was coming to an end today.

Okay, so that might've been a tad bit dramatic but you wouldn't be you, if you lacked your knack to blow things out of proportion. Your brother often called you a drama queen and if you were still on good terms with him, you may have agreed but ever since your last little spat in the kitchen- Seonghwa could argue that the grass is green and you would be calling it blue just to spite him despite knowing he's obviously in the right.

But back to the end of the world.

There should be an introduction of some sort for the biggest cause of all your current ordeals. And that cause goes by the simple name of Choi San.

You met him at your first ever college party in your freshman year and, for reasons you don't wish to discuss right now, you both ended at an empty balcony of a frat house sharing a cigarette.

You were too frazzled by previous events at first to even notice how handsome Choi San is.

It's when you've successfully calmed down, half of the cigarette gone, that you notice his magnetic eyes that pulled you in and dimples that decorated his cheeks when he smiled.

"I study electrical engineering." He responds to your question of what he majored in. "I'm a third year."

Two years older than you. You were always into older guys.

"You?" San asks with a soft smile, eyes attentively glazing over you. The air is surprising chilly for an August night.

"I'm an art major." You respond, hands stopping their shaking finally as you finally relax.

"Cool. First year?" He asks, taking the cigarette from your hand and taking a drag himself. You watch his lips part as he breathes out the smoke.

"Yeah."

"Do you paint or?" San asks, head cocking to the side as he flicks the ashes off the cigarette.

"I mostly focus on painting, yeah, but I do other stuff as well."

"Hm, that's interesting. I'd like to see some of your art sometime, if you'd allow that." He comments confidently and your cheeks pathetically flush.

You watch him for a second longer and it's then that you realize that you want this guy to be yours.  You don't know anything about him but you want to. You want to know him inside out. You want him. Just like that.

He was handsome. He was sweet. He was intelligent. And he had to be yours. It was all it took for you to get your act together and stop being so squirmy and shaken up.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" San chokes out a laugh at the sudden question and you smile as well, knowing how forward that was even for you.

"No." He shakes his head with another pretty laugh. It's such a light and soft sound that makes your insides flutter. He's single. "Why do you ask, Y/N?"

"Just curious." You shrug with a faint smirk but you both know it's more than that. You confirm it by asking the next question. "Are you looking for a girlfriend then?"

San's smile widens and it makes his dimples pop and eyes crinkle and holy fuck, he has freckles on his neck and he's looking at you so playfully that it makes excitement pulse through your veins.

"Are you volunteering?" He counters your question with an eyebrow raised and smile still intact. You bite your lip, looking away for a moment to stop the smile from appearing on your face.

"Maybe I'm just asking for a friend." You say, feigning disinterest that makes him chuckle. You smile sheepishly, a giggle bubbling out of you.

San hands you back the cigarette, watching you take a drag and then skimming you up and down. His tongue swipes over his lower lip as his eyes stay on your short mini skirt barely covering your thighs for a second too long.

"Well, maybe you should give me your number. You know, so I can text you when I start looking for a girlfriend and you can let your friend know."

And that you do. You give him your phone number with a flirty smile and the smile he gives you back stays in your mind for the rest of the night.

It started innocently, you'd see him around campus after that party and he would throw you that irresistible smirk that makes his dimples pop with a "hey, Y/N" uttered in his mellow voice. His fingers brushing your waist enough so it would seem accidental but drag the point across that he was trying to get your attention as he passed you by. They were simple incidents, sneaky gestures that you couldn't even call flirting properly but it's how he was slowly pulling you into his web. Soon enough, you were seeking him out on your own, waiting and wondering if today would be the day that something would actually happen.

In the end, as always, you had to take matters into your own hands.

A month passed since you met him and San still hadn't made a proper move on you by then- you were impatient, horny and extremely curious about him.

And you're not the type to sit around and wait, if Choi San wasn't planning on coming to you- then you would go to him.

He worked at a mechanic repair shop near campus and no, that wasn't information you stalked out of him. San mentioned it at the party during your brief conversation. 'It's hard work, but I learn a lot and the pay is good', he had said with a charming smile.

The shop is easy to find, true to what San said, it's just a ten minute drive off campus. There's a boy with bright red hair sitting in front of the shop when you park your car and get out, your heeled boots clicking against the pavement making his attention turn to you.

He looks young with big eyes and round cheeks, oddly reminding you of a teddy bear.

The boy has a cigarette stuck mid-air in his hand as he watches you with his jaw slightly agape, carefully following the swish of your short skirt. You glance at him with a dazzling smile.

"Hi." You greet him simply, passing by and he simply stares with round eyes and parted lips after you, mind too bamboozled to come up with anything to say. You enter the darker, stuffy space that smelled like oil and whatever else they used in these macho, no-women allowed places. You wouldn't know.

There are posters and calendars of naked women on the walls and music is playing from the old radio. Shelves with random tools are littering the walls and a small door with 'office' on it is smacked in the middle of the main space.

Locating San is easier than you thought because it seemed like only him and the red haired guy were here today. You find him under the hood of some car, arms flexing as he uses his little tools to fix whatever needed to be fixed, you presume.

"Hey." You greet softly, lips pulling into a small smile as you walk further into the space and near him.

San's head whips towards you with furrowed brows. He looks utterly confused by your appearance but nonetheless, a smile pulls on his plush lips as he straightens out his tall frame to look at you properly, gaze roaming over your cropped sweater, short plaid skirt and down your legs that sported leather boots which reached your knees.

"Y/N." He responds, licking his lips as he stares at you for a second longer. "Hey."

You clear your throat, his gaze making you feel hot all over as you turn your attention to something else.

"That's a nice...car." You have no idea what kind of car it is. To you, it's just a car. A red car, at that. You were never interested in them, if you were honest. It was only important that the car was able to take you from one place to the other, the brand or year or whatever didn't matter at all to you.

San's chuckle rings through the dimmed space and you circle around him, trying to seem unbothered when you were in fact, a little bit embarrassed to not knowing anything about cars.

"Do you have a car that would require any of my services, princess?" He asks, going back to his work below the hood of the car as you stand by the side, careful not to lean on the wall or brush up against anything that would leave a stain on your outfit.

"No." You answer simply. "I just came here to talk to you."

"Talk to me?" He asks but by the teasing tone of his voice and the smirk on his face, you know what he's playing at. San didn't want to seem desperate for anyone, it always had to be the other way around. "About what?"

"Just, you know...stuff." Shrugging, you pursue your lips slightly in thought before deciding to bite the bullet. "Like, when you're taking me on a date."

You take pride in knowing that you caught him by surprise because his head whips to you for the second time, his eyes wide, brows raised and lips parted. It all falls into the water fairly quickly though, once he lets a laugh leave him.

"A date, huh?" And he's back to his fucking work, screwing something in under the hood. His arms have oil stains on them and you shouldn't find it as attractive as you do.

"Yes." You say with the most confidence you could possibly muster, not letting your eyes falter for even a second from him.

"I don't date, princess." And San says it so softly, almost as if he's trying to spare you the humiliation. But you never wanted to be spared.

"So what? You just fuck around then?" You ask boldly, although you have to admit, your chest deflated a bit after his statement. So, he wasn't ever even looking for a girlfriend.

"Pretty much, yeah." San nods quietly, before his sharp eyes meet your own. "If you're interested in that, we'll gladly work something out."

"You mean, like,..." You slowly walk closer to him, sitting down on the side of the car and being extremely aware of his gaze on you. "Friends with benefits?"

So he was that type of guy. Interesting. You were in so much fucking trouble, you knew then and there.

"Yeah, something like that." He nods simply, lips quirking up and showing off his dimples. His eyes roam over your frame, sitting at not even an arms length away from him. "You'll get dirty sitting there."

Your eyes meet his and a new fire sets ablaze inside of you as lick your lips, thinking over how this could go.

"I don't mind getting dirty."

Something flashes across his eyes and he let's out a breathless chuckle at your words, gaze unmoving from your from your face. You gulp down the nervousness because everything with him feels like getting thrown into the deep end without knowing if you can make it back.

He straightens out again, no longer hunched over the hood of the car and he grabs a rag to clean his hands with best effort. "Is that so?"

In your head, this is where you're a gazelle, prancing around the prairie and he's the sharp lion, circling around you in the tall grass, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. He expects you to jump up and run when you hear the rustle of the leaves.

But you won't fight. You won't run. You'll sit on the soft green and wait for him, a meal set on a silver platter.

San drags his nose up the column of your neck and you cock your head to the side to give him more access as you grip the side of the car to steady you. His calloused hands grip your thighs and spread them apart easily with your permission as he steps between them.

"You wanna have some fun, princess?" He asks in a hushed tone, hooded eyes staring down at you and making warmth pool on the bottom of your stomach.

"Yes." You whisper against him. He's so close, his lips a couple of inches away from your own.

"Then you came to the right guy." And if anyone else used that line, you would've rolled your eyes but it was San. You couldn't even mind if he was a little corny.

Instead, your hand reaches up to the back of his neck so you can finally kiss him- your patience running thin. Just as your lips are about to touch his, he dodges them and they brush against your cheek instead.

"No kissing on the mouth." He says against your cheek, squeezing your thighs a little bit.

"Why?" You're not even ashamed that you ask it through a pathetic whine. You want to kiss him.

San takes his time with his answer, placing hot, open-mouthed kisses down your neck that makes you sigh out loud as his hands travel up your mini skirt and fingers curl around the elastic band at your hips as he steps back so you can close your legs. He tugs the stretchy collar of your sweater down with his teeth, revealing your bra before looking up at you and releasing the material from his mouth. Your legs quiver a bit.

"We can have fun without that."

And he pulls the panties down your thighs, stopping them at your knees and his fingers flutteringly glide over the bare skin at the back of your knees as he stands up straight, gripping your legs a bit firmer, now.

"Y/N, do you want that?" San asks seriously and you swallow down the saliva that gathered in your mouth before licking your lips, "If you don't, there's no problem. We'll just act like it never happened."

"I do." You nod deciding that if you're choosing doom then at least it's with Choi San. A gazelle sitting pretty on a silver platter.

San nods his head slowly, a gorgeous grin stretching across his lips that makes your heart (and pussy) flutter as he continues where he left off and starts dragging your panties down your calves. Once the thin, flimsy material is off of you- San tucks it in his back pocket.

"You're not getting these back." He whispers to you teasingly before dropping to his knees on the dirty floor.

You notice his hands aren't completely clean of the oil because of the stains they leave on your thighs, it serves as a reminder to where you exactly are.

"Wait," You say and he looks up at you. You turn to face the door before returning your attention to San. "I don't want anyone walking in-"

"Princess," San stops you, spreading your legs wide apart that has you gasping, "Jongho knows not to let anyone in here when I have company."

He presses kisses up your thighs, eyes watching as you finally allow yourself to relax.

And then his mouth is between your legs and he's suckling and licking and twirling his tongue around in just the right way that you can't even be bothered to question what he just said.

Jongho knows not to let anyone in here when I have company. Which would mean he does stuff like this often. With other girls.

"Oh-" You choke out a gasp, hand ending up twisted in San's midnight hair as you throw your head back and grind down against his face. All thoughts of how many girls he had like this before you are completely gone out of your head because it's you that's feeling that good now.

"San-ah..." You, at least, try to be quiet but San is probably the most experienced guy you've been with so far. Which fair enough, there weren't a lot, you only had two boyfriends before this. But he picks up on where to touch and lick fairly easily, his hands never leaving his grip on your thighs as you moan and groan in wanton while he devours your pussy like he'll never have it again.

"Oh, fuck, I'm gonna-" You whine, back arching off of the side of the car where you were perched up at and your orgasm washed up and down your body as San's name in moans and sighs leaves your lips.

He licks up your release and you twitch and whine at the sensitivity before he stands up and levels you with another smirk.

"Is that how its going to be?" San questions, cocking his head to the side as he observes you with hooded eyes and arms caging you against the car on each side. Your confused face gets him to elaborate on his question. "Are you going to come in less than 2 minutes every time I go down on you?"

You blush ferociously at that, looking away to the side as a small whine escapes you which makes San laugh. The sound of it is smooth and melodic, it makes your heart flutter.

"S-sorry, I-"

"No, don't apologize for that." San interrupts you with another chuckle, brows furrowed almost as if he found you ridiculous. Did he find you ridiculous? "We can work on that now that we'll be seeing each other often."

That sentence causes you to gulp as you look up at him again. You're reminded of the 'work something out' part he mentioned earlier and it strangely felt like you're about to sell a piece of your soul to the devil. And maybe you will, only this devil didn't have a three piece and horns but a beautiful smile and fucking dimples.

You're about to reach out for the button on his jeans, as a means of returning the favor after the mind blowing orgasm you just experienced but he's quick to gently push your hand away.

"Not today." San says, his voice sounds deeper and raspier than usual. "Look at this as payment for having to drive all the way to here."

You wordlessly nod because you're not sure what to say. Is that what sex is to him? A transaction?

"Do we have an agreement though? On the having fun together part?" He asks, cocking his head to the side as his dark eyes bore into yours. He was too fucking handsome. A dream guy.

"Yeah." You respond after clearing out your dry throat.

"Great, I'm happy to hear that, princess." That makes butterflies erupt in your stomach because you don't know that he's always 'happy to hear that'. You think you're special. "I'm going to need your phone number."

Your heart drops at that as your lips pull into a small smile at the corner of your mouth while your eyes drop to the floor.

"You already have it. I gave it to you at the party, remember?" If he's surprised or embarrassed he doesn't show it, only nods with the same grin meaning he doesn't give a fuck that he got caught not remembering.

"Right, well, you should go now." San says, placing a small kiss to your forehead. "I have to finish this before my boss shows up in an hour."

"Okay." And you're turning on your heal and walking away. Until San calls you after a couple of steps.

You turn around to find him watching you with those dark, hooded eyes.

"Pull your skirt down." He says, as if he has any right to order you around.

With a scoff, you pull on the waist of your skirt and hike it up even further up your body, revealing more of your thighs which now had grey oil stans on them before you're turning around and walking away after giving him a small smirk.

His laugh rings through the stuffy and darkly lit space.

Jongho, as you learn his name is, doesn't look at you in the eye when you walk out but you can see him jump a little when you open the front door to find him not moved from his seat. His cheeks are flushed red and he clears his throat. You find him adorable.

"See you around!" You sing to him with another dazzling smile, completely unashamed that he probably heard you have an orgasm not even five minutes ago.

"B-bye." Jongho stutters out, and you know his eyes are trained on your long legs with oil stains on your thighs as you walk to your car.

San texts you three days after that, he doesn't even beat around the bush a little and instead, simply asks if you want to hang out in his dorm around nine. You say yes, of course.

San's frat had an entire apartment building for themselves so it was three guys on one apartment and it was a pretty neat living situation for a college student (not that you would know, you lived at home still). He quickly gave you a tour of the apartment and then took you to his room.

And then, he fucked you. Really, it was that easy.

You didn't know if it was some sort of special treatment he gives to girls when he has sex with them for the first time but it was the best sex you will ever have with him.

He made you come four times that night. Once on his tongue, once on his fingers, once on his tongue and fingers and then, on his dick.

You remember leaving his place at around three in the morning, worn out and sore but so fucking satisfied and happy because you had him. You had Choi San.

Except you didn't.

Or maybe you did in a way. Yeah, you did have Choi San but so did a dozen of others. You didn't care to remember their names except for one. Seo Yeojin.

She was his favorite one. Or at least, that's what your friend Minjung told you. Now, Minjung was usually a backstabber and someone you could absolutely never rely on- but she knew her gossip.

It was a first to hear about this Seo Yeojin, though. Never met her, never heard of her. But you did allow a shot of satisfaction to run through your system at the fact that she knew about you and she didn't like you.

Usually, you didn't care what people thought of you. You grew up surrounded by the upper class so if you let everyone's opinion affect you, you would be six feet underground a long time ago but knowing that Seo Yeojin disliked you without ever even meeting you could mean only one thing- she was threatened.

Something about that made you feel giddy, if you were honest.

The first time you come face to face with her is at a party a week after you hook up with San for the first time.

You're in the spacious bathroom of some college house, fixing your lip gloss when a girl walks in the room. You make eye contact with her through the mirror and can see her stare you up and down but you don't do anything about, typically used to people sizing you up.

It's when she steps towards the sink and fishes out a cheap drug store lipstick which she begins applying to her lips, that  you get a hunch on who is next to you.

"You're Y/N?" Her voice is higher than you expect and you turn to her, to look at her properly.

"Who's asking?" You ask simply, turning your attention back to your reflection in the mirror.

"San's girlfriend." Her response makes you let out a loud laugh and you can tell it pisses her off with the way she flushes and her hands clench into fists. Terrible manicure, you notice.

"San's girlfriend?" You counter with a tiny smirk, eyes crinkled at the corners. Playing indifferent and being obnoxious is something you have mastered by now and yes, you put it to good use most of the time.

"Yeah. I'm the one in his bed almost every night, so you could say that I'm his girlfriend." She says flicking her damaged hair over her shoulder and you have to stop your eye from twitching at her admission. This was Seo Yeojin. You refuse to let her know that she has any sort of effect on you. It would be humiliating.

"Well, shit. I guess I'm San's girlfriend, too." Is what you say, leaning against the sink by your hip and crossing your arms over your chest, a smirk still playing on your lips.

"Don't piss me off, kid-"

"Is there a reason why you're talking to me right now?" You interrupt, fuse running short the moment she uttered the word 'kid' as if the fact that you're younger than her, gives her the upper hand somehow.

"Yeah." She nods, crossing her own arms over her chest. "Don't let him giving you attention get to your head, you're not anyone special to him. You're just a little freshman who still doesn't know what she just got herself into."

"It seems like you're not anyone special to him either, if he's fucking me. A little freshman who doesn't know what she got herself into." You draw out, smirk dropping for once as you glare at her.

It's fucking embarrassing, arguing with another girl in a bathroom at a party over a guy who doesn't give a shit about either of you. But you have too much pride to be the bigger guy and walk away from an argument, especially an argument with a bitch who thinks she has any claim over the guy you were currently infatuated with.

"You have some balls, I'll give you that." She chuckles almost in disbelief as she glares at you equally hard. Before her face softens and an annoyingly pretty smile grows on her lips. "But I'm his favorite one. Always was and always will be."

"Not for long." You mutter before you could stop yourself and if you cared that she heard you, you might've been a little bit nervous.

She takes a step towards you, arms falling to her sides.

"I'd take the attitude down a notch or two, freshie." She whispers with a knowing smirk that causes your jaw to clench in annoyance, the indifferent facade easily cracking. "You'll be interesting to him for a week and then you'll get put on the back-burner while he returns to someone who actually knows what they're doing."

She's a year older than San which means she's three years older than you and you should respect her, she's a senior after all. But the catty part of you just doesn't allow it, her words filling up a new type of rage because; is this the type of girl that was San's first choice?

She was pretty but not that pretty and definitely not prettier than you. Her face was regular, there were a dozen of girls that looked like her at this exact party. Boring, cheap clothes and with the way she articulates herself and moves, she's not particularly smart or classy either. What was there to favour so much?

"Maybe you're used to being placed on the back-burner Yeojin," You utter, jutting your chin out in confidence that looks very real to everyone but yourself. Her smile falters when she realizes that you know her name. With a snarky smile, you take a step forward. "but not me. I'm not forgotten so easily."

Yeojin lets out a disbelieving chuckle, her eyes narrowing as she stares you down with her jaw slightly dropped.

"We'll see about that, freshie." And she's walking away, leaving you to stare at your own reflection in the mirror. The hinges are so close to coming off and for the first time, you think that you bit off more than you could chew with Choi San but....But.

You were never a quitter. Ever since you were little, you were taught that if you wanted something you should stop at nothing to make it yours and you fucking wanted Choi San.

But seeing and hearing all of this about him. About his reputation. It caused something heavy to sit down at the bottom of your stomach. Days passed and you saw the other girls, heard the other stories and got enough warnings- all very helpful in building an image in your head of who Choi San really was.

Heck, even he himself told you he doesn’t fucking date.

You realized very early on that you could never be the only one in his book and sometimes even you had to settle with the next best thing . So in this matter, if you couldn't be the only one- the next best thing was to be the favorite one. To take Seo Yeojin's place.

And maybe, from there, you could meticulously work and plan on how to become the only one.

So you slowly started going up the list of his girls. It was such a disgusting label. San's girl. But that's what all of you were. A pretty girl that he fucked around with and the one that sometimes got the privilege to be let into his small, elite circle of friends. You fucked him the way he liked, left when he said to leave and pretended like you were completely okay with everything being San's way. It's what the favorite one did, wasn't it?

And being the favorite one meant being one step ahead of the competition at all times which, and you don't say it to be mean, wasn't hard at all.

The girls San usually slept with were so...basic. If you lined them up next to each other, you would think that they were all variations of the same person. The same very basic fashion style that they probably saw their favorite Instagram influencer wear bought off of Shein, the same eyebrows, same lip liners, same cookie-cutter mold that made none of them stand out in the mass of girls he had flocking around him.

They all looked like each other. Which wasn't a bad thing, they were pretty (he wouldn't fuck them if they weren't pretty). But you were simply better.

For starters, you never wore the same outfit twice and your jewelry didn't leave blue prints on your skin because it wasn't fake. You looked pretty with or without makeup and a bottle of your perfume costed almost as much as their three monthly rents. You didn't look like you got picked off of someone's Instagram feed and you actually knew how to apply your bronzer and trim your eyebrows to suit your face. In looks, you easily triumphed over the rest.

They were superficial reasons, you were very aware and San didn't care for any of that. A pretty girl was a pretty girl to him, he didn't give a fuck about her outfit unless when he was planning on taking it off of her. The real reason why you were the favorite one was because in San's book you were listed under 'The Rich, Spoilt Brat That Not Everyone Could Have', and he had you.

Men always liked knowing that they were special enough to attain something which was otherwise considered untouchable and San was no fucking different. Knowing that he had the rich girl who didn't fuck around with just anyone under his thumb got him going.

You could tell he liked it when you walked into the room and everyone's attention went to you but you were looking at him. He enjoyed knowing that he was the only one taking you to bed and you often wondered if you didn't have the old-money name to back you up; would you be on the same pile as the rest of the girls you surpassed?

Thinking about what made you special to Choi San was a dangerous game. Was it the sex, the high-fives he gets from his friends for fucking the granddaughter of one of Korea's richest CEOs or could it ever be just you?

Still, you enjoyed it. He didn't love you but at least he knew you were better than the rest.

And boy, did that feel good as you stared back into Yeojin's eyes with a smirk pulling on your glossy lips as you placed a soft hand on San's arm which was draped over your shoulder in the smoky, crowded room almost two months after your first meeting in that bathroom. He was conversing with Yunho, not paying an inkling of attention to you but at least, he wasn't paying attention to anyone else either.

Especially not Yeojin.

'I win.' You mouth to her, and you know there's a mean look in your eyes but you knew that if Yeojin was in your place, she'd be gloating just as much (if not more) to your face.

So you don't feel all that bad about it.

You were the new favorite now.

And you remain the favorite one all through your freshman year and the summer after it.

There are other girls, of course, but they're all one-night stands and flings that come and go. You're the only one he keeps by his side, no matter how many times he's fucked you. It's a burden as much as it is a relief because while San wants you around, you're constantly looking over your shoulder to check if someone else caught his attention for the night. It's pathetic and demeaning.

It's even more demeaning when you're in the presence of his friends when he decides to hook up with someone else for the night. His friends, Yunho and Yeosang, hate you.

Yunho is two-faced and at least pretends to be nice to you when you're in their presence at a party or share a lunch table at the cafeteria, even though you know he bad-mouths you the moment you turn your back.

Yeosang on the other hand, well... he is just nasty to you to your face. If he didn't outright despise you, you might've liked him a little bit. You might've even tried to be his friend because you always had a thing with people for no filter.

Also Yeosang gives off the vibe that he's maybe killed a man, but if you were to ask him directly about it, any answer would feel like he's lying. Which makes him even more interesting.

But San's friends weren't the only problem. Your own friends weren't any better because they were trying to fuck San.

Now, everyone must be thinking; Y/N, with what kind of people do you surround yourself with? And the answer is pretty simple- terrible people.

You didn't really care how honest or trustworthy anyone was because almost every single one of your friendships was for the sake of connections and climbing up the social ladder. Also at the time, you had Seonghwa. He was your best friend.

But your friends were actively trying to fuck the guy you had some serious feelings for and the worst part is that one of them succeeded. Jennie fucked San almost half a year after you started hooking up with him and she rubs it in your face to this day.

You were hurt obviously but not so much by Jennie because you didn't give a fuck about her. You were hurt by San. Why would he sleep with your friend? Even if you two weren't together, surely there must be some sort of rule in the friends-with-benefits rulebook that says you can't fuck each other's other friends.

And you could get back at him, you know you could go and fuck someone else but why would you? San wouldn't care in the slightest and you'd only give yourself away to someone to try and spite someone else.

If nobody concluded by now, your life was kind of a mess but San was the hurricane in the center.

When you thought about him, you imagined the two of you in a whirlwind of tangled hands, twirling in the middle of a steep hill. Your hair is whipping you in the face from the speed of your movements, white dress clinging to your body as you stare at him from across from you.

Big, beautiful smile with dimples popping and eyes crinkled. Black, soft hair falling dancing with the wind and revealing his handsome face. White button-down shirt getting swayed by his each movement.

He's yelling; "Let go, Y/N! Let go of my hands!" with a big smile on his face, "Let go of me, Y/N!" But you never do, instead you stubbornly hold on as both of your feet pick up pace and you twirl even faster.

But you handled it well. The unrequited love, the traitors you call friends, the snarky remarks from his friends. You took it like a champ because you were the favorite one and no-one could take that from you.

Until Son Boyoung walks into the picture, or rather bumps into it.

Like every plot-shifting, drama- starting event in Gossip Girl, it all starts with a party. The first party of your second year of college to be precise.

A party you didn't even want to go to if you were honest, you might've just preferred to fuck San in his dorm and then leave because that's how the night will end anyway. This entire tradition of getting ready for two hours to be surrounded by horny college boys trying to get with you while San partied around got old a long time ago.

"Wanna go?" San's breath coasts over your ear and it makes you shiver lightly as you nod in response. His breath smells like beer but he's not drunk, you can tell because his eyes are still crystal clear and he wasn't tripping over his tongue yet.

You let him lead the way, his pointer finger wrapped around your own loosely so he doesn't lose you in the crowd as you both make your way through the dimmed room.

You both don't make it three steps forward before someone is bumping into San and causing you to bump into his back when he stops in his tracks suddenly.

You're more focused on the fact that there's beer spilled all over his shirt now rather than who spilled it on him as you gasp lightly.

"Watch where you're going." San says darkly to the smaller figure in front of him and for the first time you turn your attention to the girl who was hold an, now, empty cup in her hands and looking absolutely mortified. You kick yourself to this day for feeling bad for her.

"You're the one that bumped into me." Your brows raise in surprise at the sudden bravery in her voice. She still looks small and slightly nervous, but she's stubbornly holding her own and you can't help but respect her a little for it. "You watch where you're going."

And she's pushing past both you and San with him only left staring at her back with his jaw slightly dropped and gaze pissed off. His jaw clenches, eyes on the unknown girl for a second longer before he's nodding for both of you to head to the entrance.

As always, you both walk side by side to his dorm which is just a three minute walk from the place where the party is held. Usually, this is your favorite part because it's when San is the sweetest to you.

His attempt to woo you out of pure courtesy because you both know he doesn't have to since you would sleep with him with or without the sweet words but he still does, maybe he knows how much you like them.

Tonight, he's agitated by something and it doesn't even cross your mind that it might have something to do with the girl from earlier.

"What's up with you?" You ask lightly, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt teasingly. It seems to snap him out of the staring contest with the pavement because his head snaps to you.

"Nothing important." He replies with a crooked smile. His finger gets hooked around the belt hoop of your mini skirt and he pulls you closer to his side as you both walk down the empty street. You let out a loud laugh at that, attempting to push him off but only ending up with his arm draped across your shoulder.

"You want something to drink?" San asks as you enter his unit. You push off the high-heeled boots off of your feet, leaving them by the door and immediately going to his room.

"Water!" You shout back, knowing that you're alone in his apartment because you've seen both Yeosang and Yunho at the party tonight.

You tune out San's shuffling in the kitchen as you take your jacket off and throw it across the chair next to his desk. You turn on the desk lamp, not bothering with the ceiling light and look over his cozy bedroom. It's messy but in a very organized way and you always find some new detail in it to nitpick over, all in hopes to learn something new about him.

Tonight, it's his small collection of records which sits in a neat row at the bottom of his small bookshelf. It's a mix of old school bands and RnB records with an occasional indie artist that you're not familiar with. You wonder if he plays them while studying or does he use them to impress girls?

Two hands hooking below your elbow catch you by surprise and with a small squeak you're lifted to your feet, back coming in contact with a firm chest.

"You're always snooping around my room." San comments in a hushed voice against your ear and you know he's smiling. His hands lightly skim over your hips before they rest on your stomach. You huff.

"I'm not snooping!" You defend yourself with a pout, watching over the little knick-knacks scattered over his desk. "Just...observing."

He chuckles against you before you feel him reach for something behind you.

"Your water, princess." A bottle of water comes to your view and you take it with a 'thank you' before opening it and taking a couple of gulps. "And if you're done with your 'observing'..."

San's hands return to your front only this time, they don't rest on your stomach but starts fiddling with the button of your skirt until it's undone and he's tugging on it until it slides down your legs and hits the floor.

"I was observing. Don't get a big head." You giggle with a small whine, worried that you'll spill water over the floor because of his wandering hands and kisses pressed to your neck.

It doesn't take long for you to get in the mood with San simply because you always want him. Something about him is so irresistible and so magnetic that something as easy as a pretty smile can turn you to mush.

You place the water bottle down on his desk and relax in his hold, relishing in his touches and kisses pressed to your skin. With his hands wrapped around your middle, he walks you both backwards to his bed and pulls you into his lap.

The kisses to your neck turn hotter and slower as one hand dips between your thighs, fingers running up and down your clothed heat while the other feels hot and heavy on your waist. A sigh leaves you, head lulling back onto his shoulder and giving him more access to your neck as you start grinding down on his lap while his fingers continue to tease you.

"God," San sighs lowly into your ear, lips at your temple as you grind down harder on him.

"San, do something." You whine against him.

Suddenly, you're picked up and placed on the bed with him hovering above you. He tugs your panties down and throws them over his shoulder before quickly spitting on his hand and spreading the essence over your cunt, slicking you up with parted lips and watchful gaze.

"Fuckin' pretty." He mutters and you whimper a little as his fingers start carefully rubbing your clit, the motion making your hips jolt.

His fingers dip inside of you, stretching you out and making you moan softly as your back arches off of the bed.

"San, please." You whisper through a moan, looking up at him and letting out a loud groan when his thumb brushes your clit. "J-just fuck me. Please."

"Whatever you want, princess." And his fingers slide out of you.

You watch him remove the black shirt he had on, admiring his broad shoulders and toned stomach. A silver necklace decorates his chest, hair swept to the side and lips flushed and you can't stop the staring. He's beautiful.

When he catches your eyes on him, San laughs lightly and grazes your hip with his fingers before rummaging through his bedside table to find a condom  and it makes you smile sheepishly as you adjust yourself on the bed.

Soon enough, the rest of his clothes are discarded and you remember you still have your top on which you quickly slide off of yourself and throw to the floor.

San pulls you towards him by your ankle and you squeak in surprise before it turns into a laugh when his fingers dig into your waist, tickling you. He puts the condom on swiftly before nestling himself between your legs.

You mewl when he slides inside of you, the delicious stretch overwhelming you accompanied by the torturous kisses to your neck and collarbones that turn into soft bites when he starts thrusting into you.

"Always feel so good." He mutters, hips snapping into yours as you grip his shoulders. Soft whines and whimpers leave you as the familiar feeling in your stomach starts building and your nails dig into the skin of his back.

"Fuck, San..." You sigh when his lips wrap around your nipple, tongue rolling over the sensitive bud. He pulls away with a groan, lips trailing upwards before his face is buried in your neck, breath coasting over your sensitive skin and making goosebumps rise.

"Say my name, again." He whispers against your neck, hips bucking into yours which causes you to moan loudly.

"San..." You whisper, hand getting tangled in his dark hair. His name continues to leave your lips like a prayer with each thrust and his lips trace your skin.

And that's how both of you lose yourselves in the moans and shared breaths, skin on skin, profanities and lewd noises filling his room until the coil in your stomach is snapping and you're coming undone underneath him so hard that you see white in front of your eyes. San finishes not long after you, filling up the condom with a low groan against your skin and all that's left are heavy breaths that fill up the silence and cold air meeting, now, sweaty skin.

You often think how if this was some other guy, you would probably be kissing him while he fingers you, while he's balls deep inside of you, after he makes you come and you've come down from the high and in a daze. But not with San. He doesn't kiss.

You found it peculiar and wondered why because if he's willing to eat you out, why was he so against something as innocent as kissing? And after days of pondering over it, you finally understood.

Kissing is way too intimate for him.

Sex was something incredibly normal and daily for San. Well, sex is normal in general. Everyone fucks. But to San, it was just an action that he did with the means of getting off and it didn't represent anything special to him.

Kissing, on the other hand, didn't always lead to sex. Sometimes you just kissed people because you wanted to kiss them. Wanted to have them close like that, wanted to feel that tender moment of when your lips disconnect and you look into each other's eyes, wanted to express how you feel towards them through tongues.

San never kissed you. He only ever had sex with you.

And sex didn't mean anything to San so it subsequently followed that you didn't mean anything to him either.

The end of the world that you were currently mulling over though, happens on the first Monday after that night.

It was the first day of classes of your second year of college and after four hours of classes, you find yourself in the campus cafeteria. Coincidentally, San has lunch at the same time as you. Well, Yunho and Yeosang are with him as well but who gives a fuck about them.

"Hi guys!" You greet cheerily, sitting down at an empty seat and placing your lunch box in front of you. San gives you an amused eyebrow raise while Yunho nods at you in greeting, neither saying much. Thank God Kang Yeosang is there though.

"Oh, Jesus." He mutters and you sigh, suppressing an eye roll as you open your lunch box and take out your chopsticks. "Don't you have a Twice video to stream or something? Why are you here?"

"I did that last night while I was doing my nails, Yeosang." You reply simply, taking a bite out of your salad. "I'm having lunch just like you."

"Well, can you take your plated grass somewhere else?" He asks with a sarcastic smile as he eyes your salad with distaste and you clench your fists, holding yourself back from lashing out at him the way you want to. They way you always want to but don't, for the sake of staying in San's good graces.

Instead, you fix yourself up in a polite smile.

"There's plenty of space here."

You only get an eye roll in response and he turns to Yunho, starting a conversation about some topic you don't really care about.

You open your mouth to ask San how his first day of classes was but when you turn your head to him, you're completely gagged by the expression on his face and it quickly makes you clamp your mouth shut.

San looks determined and intrigued, which wouldn't be anything out of the usual, if his attention wasn't directed to something over your shoulder. Or rather someone.

You follow the direction of his gaze, eyes scanning the almost empty area and wondering who he was looking at so intently and so wistfully. The red head? The tall girl with a wolf cut...she might be his type. The girl that's rumored to model for Calvin Klein?

It's when she catches your attention. Sitting behind an empty table, in a sweatshirt that swallows half of her body, hair braided and falling over one shoulder and earphones plugged in as she writes something down in her notebook, is the girl from the party. The girl who spilled her beer all over San.

She's sitting alone, a little bit to the side and she's got a pretty face but in the sea of pretty girls surrounding her, she is completely unnoticeable and plain. You turn to face San again, his eyes would fly behind your shoulder too often for your liking.

Surely, he couldn't be...?

"I'd be worried if I was in your place, princess." Kang Yeosang whispers in your ear and you jump a little, surprised by the sudden closeness. "It seems like you're about to get replaced by a nerd."

Your eyes connect with his and your stomach twists at the annoyingly pretty but vicious smirk on his lips, eyes dancing with mirth.

You want to laugh in his face. You want to tell him that a girl so mediocre could never be even up to your knees. Even the fact that you’re comparing yourself to her is ridiculous. You were you and that Plain Jane could never be a threat.

But words fail you because this doesn't feel like all the other times a pretty girl would catch San's attention. The fact that she doesn't fit San's type of pretty girls makes you clutch the chopsticks firmly and you can't find yourself to respond as you turn to San once again and your heart drops.

That's how the world explodes on the ceiling of your bedroom later on, this afternoon as you replay what happened at lunch over and over again while laying on your bed. From San's intrigued gaze to Yeosang's words to the way even you felt something shift during that lunch because...

While you were looking at San, San was looking at her.

#san x reader #mingi x reader #san smut #ateez angst #ateez x reader

[golby-moon]

oh no I accidentally started making fakemon for the first time since my fake Fidough and Lechonk evolutions. these were designed for a few people from their discord usernames and from their own vague description of things they might wanna see

-

first up is @whitster-lizzy

I think by the end of a somewhat confusing back and forth that I was supposed to make a combo of Bulbasaur, Medusa, and poison ivy. I took inspiration from the last two, but just could not get Bulbasaur's plump little front half to look good morphed into a tail. instead, I went for more of a 'protector of the forest' thing and added a maternal vibe that Whitney kinda gives off and ended up with this. I wanted to put an emphasis on three for the three leaves of poison ivy, so even its tears (which may or may not be from sad edits and the inability to hug anything without poisoning them :(() carry that, as do the scales sporadically thrown around there. the arms became vines when I was too tired and frustrated to keep trying to redraw actual arms to get them to look right (oops) and the hair is just a mess as I'd expect vine-hair to be

-

next is @rauko-is-a-free-elf, who started this whole thing with a comment about someone mispronouncing their name as 'Rocco'

for whatever reason, I came up with an ice bird instead of something that screams 'rock type' idk why either. took inspiration from blue jays (one of their favorite birds) as well as peacocks with the tail and tried to go for sort of a crystal structure on there (along with dots that were supposed to be snow but failed to look like it) while still including the distinctive dark swoops blue jays have on their tails. the wings were supposed to be icicles and that was actually the first thing I designed rather than the head or the body. it really does make use of diamond shapes so I did try to add some rock type elements to it mostly in color scheme though maybe it would've been better without. I'm not really sure why it has a mask other than I wanted to give its face some dark lines like blue jays have but my brush was too thick to add too many little details. so mask👌

-

now we have @bleuzombie

I didn't have any sort of a prompt or direction for this one and based it entirely off of their username. I originally took inspiration from Machop in the way of body shape and went from there, developing a vaguely reptilian form somehow that looked a lot more lizard-y before the dark typing came out in the form of skeleton-bits not unlike the Cubone line. the spiky bat there is a reference to The Walking Dead ofc, which led me to develop more of a baseball vibe with the dark line under its eyes representative of the grease baseball played use to reduce glare and with the sorta long sock-like design for the feet, along with the baseball stitching pattern that doubles as what's supposed to represent the stripes like all baseball uniforms have. its hands have always looked boxing glove-y from the very first beginnings of the sketch so I just colored them to match the rest of the color scheme and oh no now it's a fighting type oops

-

now @nickelkeep

this one is also inspired by their username, which at first had me thinking about how dragons hoard coins but then somehow got turned into c a t and I don't really know why. either way I tried to keep a coin theme going (especially with its eyes, which are supposed to look like coins) while also making it a dark/fairy as sorta requested and it became a representation of the duality of cat: both angel and devil (also a twist of money being the root of evil and all that). so it got fluffy and spiky at once and now has pitchfork-themed whiskers and a few occult symbols to offset its scarf and heart motifs. I think this one was actually the first design I worked on and to the relief of everyone, I actually used a reference of a cat to get the pose right 🎉

(idk why there's a bad drawing of a nickel I think I was originally gonna make that into a background but I did decide against it in favor of making these look more like official pokemon character reference sheet things. enjoy the bad nickel anyway)

-

next one up is @anyreiart

idk what happened with this one. I don't know much about anyrei and their username doesn't inspire much in the way of fakemon (beyond a few seconds where I thought of making a sun-inspired something with the 'rei' becoming 'ray'), so I went with a theme based on what I do know, which is that they paint, along with two pictures that they sent, one of which was Gothorita (the other was for a hairstyle I think but I did steal the funky red and black checkered tie from that because reasons). going off of that, this one is supposed to look like a paintbrush with its body and its edgy anime hair, and its belt continues carrying the paintbrush motif. since I was provided with the request to make it goth, I added thick eyeshadow-esque lines under its eyes and kinda used the hairstyle from the picture while also turning it into a paintbrush that utilizes their favorite color as the paint color. carrying the gothic art idea, I tried to make its lower half (originally meant to be a blobby sort of easel shape before I changed it) into something resembling stained glass windows that was famous at the time (I got confused multiple times while making the stained glass design so it's not all that consistent uh). it was supposed to be dark type, but ended up giving off more of a ghost/fairy vibe after I realized I accidentally made it a ballerina paintbrush (oops)

-

moving on to @as-lost-as-sams-shoe

this one is heavily inspired by their username, starting with the scallion, which is a kind of oniony thing. they themself actually added the 'wrapped' part to push the pun a little further, which made me think of Swadloon and its cozy little leaf blanket, which naturally led to the scallion with its massive head and slimmer body (to match the shape of an onion more than a scallion admittedly) to be all wrapped up. scallions have leaves that look like they were cut straight across, which lead to the development of its 'bangs' (which was also inspired by the fact that scallions themselves grow underground and only the leafy parts are seen, adding a 'shy' element) as well as the tassels along the bottom of its leaf-wrap. the lines along its body are made to represent both the rings inside of an onion as well as the word 'rapscallion,' which is a term that can be used to mean villain or bad guy, earning it prison-esque stripes. its eyes are massive as a play on onions making people cry, and the smaller parts of its eyes that I can't remember the names of are based off of onion rings. the skull and crossbones shape is just to make it pirate-y, which is what I can't not picture when I read the word 'rapscallion' for one reason or another

-

and finally @zybynarx, who gets a finished one as well as a sketch I scrapped and started anew

I actually had a lot to work with for this one, as they specifically asked for a fire type puppy pokemon. first instinct is ofc to go for a dalmatian, which is the firehouse dog or whatever, and I wanted to make the lower half black as a reference to that scene from 101 Dalmatians where they coat themselves in ashes to appear completely black. I made some firefighter-y stripes and tried to make its back legs look almost like boots which looks, in a couple of word, super weird. I then added tinder fluff on head and a kindling sort of thing on the neck, but when I tried to develop the back half's design, my brain sorta died and I couldn't decide what to do, so I went back to the drawing board fully intent on making like a complete copy of what I'd already tried

instead I ended up with this personification of tinder that's just all fluffy all the way down instead of the almost lion mane of tinder design I was originally picturing. I carried over the themes of adding firefighter stripes to allude to a firefighter's jacket as well as the kindling collar thing the other one had. I kept the bottom half black but made it more like wispy smoke than ash that trails behind it when it moves (which is a lot because puppy). the eyes are two pieces of coal and the nose is supposed to look like a match but doesn't. it looks very fluffy but is probably too squirmy to make a good lapdog. it just has that squirmy ball of energy vibe to it

-

whether people really like these or not, it was definitely a learning experience, and I did pick up on a lot of things to keep in mind for future fakemon designs (particularly not to overcomplicate things and go more for consistency, which I did not originally do as I wasn't planning on make them into character sheets at all and didn't plan beyond the main drawings of the fakemon)

this craziness is a result of the @deancasanimebang (which is still accepting artists until October 1st :0)

(08/28/23)

#my art #pokemon #pokemon fanart #fakemon #art made for other people #in a more literal sense #like these are gifts #unwanted gifts perhaps but still gifts #my bang legacy #spn anime bang #deancas anime bang #my requests

[macravishedbymactavish]

any hcs for ajax (cod: ghosts)

I initially was going to do the "3 pros, 3 cons" thing. But I haven't seen very much content for Ajax, so here's a whole list of random SFW HCs for him.

Alex "Ajax" Johnson SFW Headcanons

| Blog HQ | Call of Duty: Ghosts Masterlist |

TW for some mentions of overthinking, arachnophobia, vague mentions to the latest Stranger Things season finale

Comes off as calm, cool confident but in all honestly overthinks damn near everything

"He's a natural, almost too natural" Hesh commented, arms crossed over his chest. Watching as the man continued light conversation with the barista making their drinks.

The brothers standing off to the side, watching as their friend managed to get them free banana bread slices with his smooth talking. Smiling politely and thanking the barista for their time.

With excited expressions, the younger men began asking for tips and tricks. Still in awe of how cool he was during the interaction.

Eyebrows raising in surprise, Ajax nodded along. Listening to the praise being fed to him. Forcing down the thoughts that he came off too strong and made the poor worker uncomfortable. 

'They have enough people to deal with, and probably a lot of creeps but have to be nice to everyone. They had to be trying to usher him out of there and dropped some hints asking me to stop. Like that awkward half laugh, oh I overdid it. Shit'

"Playing it by ear is key, boys" Ajax laughed, taking a bite of his food. Hoping that it was given in good spirits and not a desperate attempt to make him leave.

Major acrophobia. "Ya'll are killing the spider"

A shrill scream caused you to jump, rushing into the other room. Grabbing a broom on the way as a mock-up weapon.

Eyes scanning the room, your brows furrowing in confusion as there was no obvious danger. Just Ajax in the corner, pressing himself against the wall as he lightly chuckled at you.

"Hey, how've you been" he asked smoothly, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. Eyes cast down to one specific spot on the floor. You followed his gaze, focusing on a small black spot.

It couldn't be.

"Was, was all that because of a spider?" You initially laughed, jumping back as the bug moved toward you. "Shit. Elias!" You called, broom dropped and teammate abandoned.

Binge watcher. Him and Keegan watched an entire season of Stranger Things in one night once.

"Are….are you crying, dude?" Ajax snorted, receiving a glare in return. The two men finishing off the latest season of Stranger Things.

"No. I'm just enjoying the heartfelt reunion and cliffhanger. Are you crying?" Keegan muttered, shifting further into his spot. Eyes trained on the screen, as his friend continued staring over at him, eyes lit up with amusement.

Guilty pleasure that he won't let anyone know (minus Logan, who accidentally found out and they bonded) but loves rom coms.

[ 1:33AM ]

[ SAN DIEGO ]

Laying in the dark, eating handfuls of chips slowly as he silently urged the two characters to finally admit their feelings for one another. Sighing heavily at the obvious attraction they were both oblivious to.

"They really should've made a season 2" Ajax all but jumped out of his seat at the quiet voice from behind him. Scrambling for the remote to shut off the TV, keeping his guilty pleasure mostly hidden.

Shrugging at the younger male, "Logan, why are you awake?"

"I'm not judging. I love Oran High School Host Club, put it back on" Logan urged, slipping down onto the other side of the couch. Settling back into the cushions. 

Arguably the best passenger princess of all the Ghosts.

A carefully curated playlist filtering through the speakers, your group drove out to the lake lot the Walker family owned for the weekend. 

"Alex, what do you got for snacks up there?" You asked, peering up from your phone. Situated in the backseat with Keegan and Kick.

"Would you prefer sour, sweet or salty?" He started, sifting through one of the many insulated bags at his feet. 

A Nintendo Switch kind of guy. Especially the Zelda games. He's been playing them since childhood, and still has the gold cartridge Legend of Zelda NES game.

Rocking lightly on his feet, he eagerly waited in line. Game in hand, impatient to start playing it the moment he got home.

"Is this everything for you sir?" The cashier asked, noticing the 8 bit design on the man's wallet. Commenting on how they thought it was interesting.

"It is, thank you. Can't wait to play, I've been pretty into Zelda since I was a kid" Ajax smiled, focusing on the machine in front of him as the two fell into conversation about modern gaming vs retro gaming.

Retro gaming came out on top overall.

If you're dating, he gives the sweetest gifts. More into DIY than store-bought.

A jar was placed in front of you, inside contained multiple colours of folded up paper. Eyebrow raised, you opened the lid and pulled a light blue star out.

Heart melting as you unfolded the paper; seeing a small note about when the two of you first met. Jar and note placed to the side, you launched yourself onto the man. Feeling him chuckle as he held you close; whispering about how much he loved you, and felt so blessed that he could call you his.

Does the "huh?" then promptly answers thing.

"Hey, Alex. What time is that movie you wanted to go to tonight?" You called from the bathroom, to your fiancé laying on the bed. 

"Huh?" He started, phone dropped on the bed beside him. Right as you were about to repeat the question - "it's at 6:45, so I figure if we get there by 6:20, 6:30 we should have enough time to buy snacks and find our seats"

BLANKET HOG

Blinking awake, you sighed. Body shivering as you became aware of the cold air settling around you. Hand feeling around for the blanket, you grew increasingly confused as your search came back unsuccessful.

Rolling over, you groaned. Seeing your boyfriend cocooned in the shared quilt, sleeping rather soundly. 

Pulling at the material, you pouted. He had it wrapped taught to his body, leaving your tired limbs very little chance at unraveling it. Another tired sigh escaped your lips as you pushed yourself from the mattress, grabbing your own blanket from the closet.

#call of duty ghosts #cod ghosts #alex “ajax” johnson #cod ajax #call of duty ajax #ajax headcanons #alex “ajax” johnson headcanons #cod headcanons #cod ghosts headcanons #call of duty headcanons #call of duty ghosts headcanons

[sage-nebula]

I'm replaying the Hero Story of Sonic Adventure 2 for the first time since I was a teenager, and it's wild to me how funny the plot of this game is when you play Hero Side. Like if you didn't know anything about the plot, and you started with the Hero Side, you would have literally no idea what's going on or why. Like you get vague things like "Shadow is working with Eggman" and "Eggman is operating from the Space Colony ARK" but you don't have any of the background information, because Sonic & co. don't have that either. They have no idea why this is happening! Tails just wanted to break Sonic out of jail. Sonic just wanted to not be confused for Shadow, and then wants to stop Eggman from blowing up the earth like he did half the moon. But so much of the context is just missing, no one on the Hero side knows why any of this is happening, it's so funny.

And then there's Knuckles! Knuckles is there but honestly he has no reason to be? Like the Master Emerald really just has no bearing on any of this. Eggman didn't want to steal it for a reason, he just stumbled across it and was like "well might as well." Rouge just wanted it because it looked pretty. Knuckles only ends up with the others because he happens to come across them when he comes up from a sewer grate, and just decides to tag along because why not. Heck, you don't even really know that Rouge is working with Eggman and Shadow . . . there's nothing on Hero Side to suggest that. It seems like just a random non-sequitur that ended up happening along with the main plot, which has a lot of holes missing from it.

Between this and how the camera controls in this game are just so bad, I'm realizing that a lot of my love for it really is nostalgia. Like, I still love it, but damn. This game could really use just a full remake from the ground up lmao.

(But if they do that, please get David Humphrey back for Shadow. Please. I'm begging. He's still the best Shadow voice by far.)

#literally tho it's like #Shadow is there bc he wants to use the Eclipse Cannon to nuke humanity as revenge for Maria #Eggman is there bc he wants to threaten to nuke humanity so he can take over #Rouge is there bc she's spying for GUN #Sonic is there bc he was accused of Shadow's crimes & also he wants to stop Eggman #Tails is there bc he's the one who actually KNOWS how to stop Eggman & has the tools to do it #Amy is there bc she wanted to follow / be with Sonic #& Knuckles is there bc . . . bc. he just happened to come up from the sewer at the right time lmfao #tbf he did allegedly see Rouge go into the pyramid base to get to the ARK & he knew she had Master Emerald shards but like #so flimsy. once he got the Master Emerald back he could've just gone back to earth lmao #but no. he's there regardless. and i'm glad bc I like him! but it's just so funny #sth

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

imagining an alternate eotd where when asked about her confusing gay crush under threat of daleks one neuron in yazs brain fired differently and instead of going with "i dont know what you mean" she said "yes". same but opposite energy of when the doctor asks if shes a bad date and yaz super boldly just says "no". same but opposite.

because like imagine youre dan. he probably already had a good guess about what the situation was but his assumption being wrong is not out of the realm of possibilities. the idea that they could have talked about is not out of the realm of possibilities! if youre dan! if you just got here. if you didnt see all of s12.

like just imagine that scene! yaz just baldfaced lying as a way to like, bounce the idea off of him plus double duty to affirm her own beliefs that like the doctor never would plus triple duty paralleling 11x4 for 13 to ensure dan is never gonna ask about this again.

and WE'D KNOW. WE'D FUCKING KNOW. it'd be such a doctor move.

"have you ever told her?" "told her what?" "how you feel about her" "...yes." "well what did she say?" "i think you can guess" yaz snaps because she thinks she can. she has guessed or assumed or sort of correctly inferred a while ago that like, nothing is going to happen here, theres no point in her saying anything because the doctor isnt interested. and dan is like "i find her kind of hard to judge actually" because he still wants to hear an actual answer from yaz but yaz just laughs and goes "tell me about it" and then shes saved by a dalek.

of course we still want dan forcing their hand but thats easy to arrange by instead of him going all battering ram with "she likes you" in the next scene he just has to mention it. and i dont really know how he'd mention it because im not really sure how this would look to him.

so particulars to be determined but he does mention it In Some Way and now theres the doctor in a situation yaz indirectly accidentally put her in where shes suddenly having a Lot to process and also shes gonna lie about :) shes gonna lie about it so hard :)

maybe dan's guess is that whatever the doctor said was less-than-definitive ie vague as fuck because hes known her for like a week and has already seen how good she is at explaining herself and also because of yazs bitter "tell me about it" so maybe what he says is like "you better not be stringing her along"

and the doctor, in her perfectly inscrutable grey area between true What The Fuck Are The Humans Talking About This Time and a carefully crafted mask of obliviousness, goes "string her along what"

"i just mean that you gotta make sure your intentions are clear because it's really not fair to keep her guessing, and hoping"

and the doctor says "i dont understand what youre saying dan" because she really doesnt <3

and dan can still say his canon line "i think that you do, but you pretend that you dont" and in this case hes wrong, but he still hits the mark, wrong calculation right answer because the doctor is still like Fuck.

because she does know, of course. she does know about yaz and shes knows about herself and she knows what shes avoiding. and she will still do the same thing in sea devils. and this weird little lie yaz told will probably never come out. the doctor and her talk, dan isnt there, never sees how New this all is. the doctor has no reason to find out what yaz said to dan.

but we know. we know!!! we get to see this whole comedy of errors play out and still somehow arrive at the same answer. we have to live with how clearly none of them correctly assume each other's understanding of the situation. it'd be frustrating as fuck and such a nice encapsulation of what thasmin has been since the beginning. these half-communications that bounce off each other kind of painfully like billiard balls.

they would never find out. sea devils and potd play out exactly as they did and nobody would ever know. except us. it's a portrait of their shared fatal flaw finally laid out for us in broad daylight at the exact moment they come together. and only we can see it.

#thasmin #rewrite notes #now that ive imagined it i like this more than canon fhkjghjkg #it adds something and takes nothing away #and also it doesnt give dan like. perfect insight #bc like. idk i just like it if their neuroses are like all so tangled up together that they cant really see it #but also theyre right? #like theyre not right but like. both 13 and yazs choices in their relationship make total sense!! #it's not like oh haha they cant talk to each other lesbian sheep syndrome it's #a fucking tragedy #the decisions theyve made the ways theyve responded to circumstances and each other make sense you can totally see the reasoning #you can see how they got here #like this accidental hole they dug #and it's BECAUSE of this shared flaw of Im Just Gonna Keep It All Right Here In My Chest And Then One Day I Die #anyway #not that dan just like. intuiting the situation and moving it along Necessarily implies all that #just that i like it more when he Cant actually intuit the entirety of whats going on here bc it's like 5 years of Complicated #in so many ways #so he still moves things along but his assumptions are wrong and he gets lied to by yaz just as hard! #you know! #bc yaz is the doctor and the doctor lies and hes his companion so. she lies to him

[alabasterplasterart]

Parabiosis : Stanley Parable longfic

I've been writing up a Stanley Parable fic all with my own interpretations and ideas of the wider world beyond what the game explores. I adore the dynamic between The Narrator and Stanley and all of the vague gesturing towards how their digital space functions.

So I've put my own spin on a bunch of it, including themes and concepts inspired by other uber cool creators in this fandom like @queenburd , @alexis-royce , and @qcumbersodazz !

I've got the first few chapters written up, so I'll drop those in gradually. I'll be posting those future chapters on A03. The first two short chapters are under the cut. Thanks!

Prologue

He let out a breath and metaphorically dusted his hands off as he looked over his story. He was confident now that it was full-proof. It had been padded, sealed, and locked up everywhere that had caused problems before. Nothing was getting through the cracks this time.

He turned his attention to the screen.

A man was leaning back in an office chair, head dropped back, eyes closed as he slowly turned himself side to side. He should’ve been working, but every day he spent almost a collective hour of every shift doing this. Daydreaming or zoning out or whatever was going on. Boredom, likely. A complete disinterest in the work he was supposed to be focused on. A disconnect from his world.

The man’s unseen watcher smiled and reached himself into the screen.

Show time.

-----------------------------------------------

Loop 2

At first, he hadn’t been worried. Just..confused, but willing to play along with this weird lucid dream. But as his eyes darted around the massive screen, watching big bolded red numbers counting down, it really struck him that something wasn’t right.

“And believe me, I will be laughing at every second of your inevitable life, from the moment we fade in to the moment I say: Happily Ever A-”

And then, Stanley experienced a sensation of loss. Like watching a dropped coin roll into a grate. Then he woke up.

Stanley shot back in the chair, nearly toppling it from the force. He sucked in a breath so sharp in hurt his throat and he clutched at his chest. For a half a second, he’d heard it. The sound of tremendous force ripping through concrete and steel. But he wasn’t gone. He was back in the office he started at, staring at an empty, outdated computer monitor. And omnipresent around him, the disembodied voice that had just berated him for several minutes was repeating dialogue.

But Stanley didn’t follow it this time. He just sat there, taking stock of what had just happened. There was no way this was a dream anymore, not with how..awake he felt. What in the holy hell could this be otherwise though?!

“You’re in a story Stanley. A story, I’ll remind you, that you veered off track at the very last step. Do you know how absolutely rude that is? How disruptive it is to go all the way to the end of something before deciding you’ve got better things to do? The least you could do to make up for it would be to listen this time. Are you capable of following through to the end this time, or are you going to get cold feet again?”

Stanley pushed up hard from the desk, sending the chair spinning away from him. He opened his mouth to yell back and-

Nothing. No words. He mouthed them, but stopped himself a word into the sentence. He grabbed at his hair and growled in his throat before throwing the office door open. He could still make noise at least.

“Oh good, you’re out of your office. A great first step, Stanley, you’re well on your way to a marvellous second attempt. Bra-vo.”

He yelled out again and spun around, gesturing up to nobody at the ceiling. What the fuck was going on, why couldn’t he talk? And where was this condescending sonuvabitch coming from? Because if he fucking showed himself Stanley would be throwing hands.

“You’re in my story, Stanley, I’ve already told you that. My, you’re proving to be a very poor listener. I’m The Narrator, and my job is to tell you where to go next. Your job is to follow those simple orders. Have you got all that or need I repeat myself, again?”

Stanley was about to snap back when he locked up. Hold on a minute. He hadn’t said anything. How did..?

“I can hear you just fine Stanley, voice or not. Though, I’m not sure why you’re unable to speak out loud. You should be able to..” the voice faded backwards, as if leaning away from a microphone. A moment later it came back clear. “Oh well. I’ll be honest I’m not in a hurry to solve that particular problem. You seem to be a handful enough as it is, without being able to talk back out loud.”

Stanley blinked and set his jaw firm. This asshole was..reading his thoughts? That was insanely fucking invasive!

“Well it’s how you’ll be communicating to me from now on, so get used to it.” The voice- or, The Narrator, as his puffed up ass had called himself -dipped his tone low and Stanley glowered nowhere in particular. No. There was no fucking way he was just going to go along with this, this was delusional. He was delusional, he had to be. Where the hell was he and where was the exit. He spun around and, after looking over his limited options, just decided to start trying doors.

“Oh, fantastic. Wasting more time that we could be using to get back on track. They’re locked, Stanley, all of them. If I wanted you to go in every single office I would’ve left the doors open. It’s a very clear system to indicate where to go next, I’m not sure why you’re having so much trouble understanding it.”

Can you shut your trap for one goddamn minute?! Stanley didn’t give a flying fuck about this Narrator’s ‘story’, he just wanted out. And one of these doors somewhere was bound to take him there.

“Did you consider that perhaps the ending I had planned and was taking you to was the exit, Stanley? You were right there, one button press away! Freedom was within your reach and you squandered it at the last moment. All for what, a sense of control? Of agency? Well I hope you got your sense of control, Stanley, because your death is about as much agency as you’re going to get here.”

Stanley looked up at the ceiling and stopped. Was that a threat?

“A promise, Stanley. I’m in control here. You should get used to that as soon as possible so we can get back on schedule.”

Stanley ground his teeth together and turned away from the doors, stomping off down the office hallways. If death was his only way to establish agency then so be it. It didn’t seem to take, so he’d shoot that bullet at this self-important Narrator as many times as it took to, to..fuck, he didn’t know. He just knew he was angry and where a very easy to jump off bridge was in this godsforsaken place.

There was a sigh. “Well, if you’re headed back to the Mind Control Facility, then at least you’ll have the chance to correct your previous mistake. Maybe try taking some soothing breaths on the way there, calm yourself down before we reach that crucial point in the story.”

Stanley started towards the door on the left but stopped as The Narrator was talking. His chest was rising and falling fast and heavy and his mind was working overtime to have a clear coherent thought. But he had enough clarity to make the calculated decision to go as out of his way as he could from that predetermined path The Narrator was trying to take him down. Stanley pivoted on his heel and entered through the door on the right.

“No, no, no, what are you doing? Argh, you’re being so difficult, you know that Stanley? I put a lot of time and work into this story and you’re just spitting in the face of it before you’ve even seen it all! Do you make such snap judgements about everything you come across or did you save this particular treatment for me?”

Shut up!! Shut! UP! Stanley swung his fist hard into the wall beside him, shaking a painting nearby and hurting his hand like hell. But the tingling in the side of his hand wasn’t at the forefront of his mind. He just heard ringing in his ears and felt a hot tightness in his throat. He stood there, waiting for another sarcastic comment, another condescending insult. But this time, there was nothing. At least for a few moments.

“Hm. Well..” The Narrator finally said, prompting an exaggerated eye roll and sharp sigh from Stanley. He kept on forward, and as he rounded a few corners and passed through a very blue themed break room, The Narrator tried to rectify.

“Listen Stanley, I see that we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here. By now I’m sure you can see how wrong of you it was to veer my story off track at the last moment, I needn’t go on about it any longer. But perhaps you’ll be good enough to work with me to make up for it. To set things right.” Ahead of him, down a long hallway, a door on the left opened of its own accord. He slowed but didn’t stop walking entirely.

“Cut through here Stanley and we can get back on track. I can acknowledge that perhaps I was too quick to expect a perfect run from you on your first go around. That was unprofessional of me, I deeply apologize.” Stanley scoffed at the lazily hidden sarcasm and continued past the opened door. “But if we can just- Stanley, Stanley no the meeting room is this way- Stanley!”

But Stanley didn’t stop. He stepped down a few concrete steps out of the small room the hallway connected to and found himself in an OSHA agent’s nightmare of a warehouse room. Floor to ceiling shelves with boxes all the way up, easily a few stories tall. And with not nearly enough guardrails.

Stanley grinned to himself and strode with purpose towards the platform’s edge.

“W-wait, Stanley, Stanley think about this. Do you really want to leap to your certain death, simply to spite me? There’s other solutions to this, I implore you to really stop and-”

Stanley gave a middle finger salute to the ceiling and swung a leg out over the edge, letting gravity do the rest. He heard the first note of a ‘No!’ before it all went black.

And he experienced a sensation of loss. Like something falling out of your pocket without you realizing it. And then he woke up.

The ghost sensation of pain lingered faintly across his body but dissipated as he adjusted. He was back at the desk, staring at the empty monitor. He heard The Narrator clear his throat.

“If that’s out of your system, I’d like to move on now.”

Not so tough now huh, fucker? Stanley chuckled to himself and stood up, rolling up his sleeves and ditching his tie on the ground as he briskly moved through the office. The Narrator, with an edge of unease to his words, tried to slip back into the usual script of each area. Though again, Stanley took the right hand door upon reaching the junction.

This time though, he didn’t get back talk. Just another few scripted lines trying to get him back on track. As Stanley ignored the shortcut again though, there was a curt sigh.

“Stanley, honestly, this is..well, it’s uncalled for.”

What do you care, I don’t seem to die here.

“That isn’t the problem Stanley, it-” The Narrator grumbled in his throat and huffed. “Stanley I feel that we can sort out this problem with talking. A quiet, calm discussion between two mature minds. You don’t need to resort to this to make your point. I truly do want the best for you Stanley, honest, and if you’d just give me the chance to prove it, I can show you. You just need to step back from the ledge.”

The plea seemed genuine, but Stanley wasn’t about to forget what else The Narrator had also said in earnest. Not half an hour ago- or however long it was, with these odd resets -The Narrator had gleefully blown Stanley up because he’d pressed the wrong button. Didn’t matter if death was permanent or not, that was terrifying and beyond sadistic. This moment of ‘maturity’ wasn’t overriding that.

“I understand your reservations Stanley, I hear them loud and clear, and believe me I intend to fully make up for all of your grievances in due time. Here,” Stanley heard a door open back in the small adjoining room. “Come back through, we’ll get back to the two doors, and we can work off a clean slate. New beginnings, a fresh start, doesn’t that sound nice Stanley? It seems a much better option that hurling yourself to your death over and over, does it not?”

Stanley glanced back through the window to the hallway now reopened for him. Then he looked back down. What was waiting for him back at those doors, really? What was The Narrator hoping to gain here? It really seemed like he just wanted to send Stanley through the same looping story over and over, never deviating, just to satisfy his own ego. Stanley didn’t know if there was anything else to this office. But he certainly wasn’t going to find out by walking the same path ad infinitum.

No, he had to make a choice now. Right here, Stanley had to decide where he stood. He didn’t know how he got here, he didn’t know how he kept resetting, he didn’t know how to get out or if he even could. But he knew one thing. He knew it with more certainty than anything right now.

Stanley looked up into the air and tightened his jaw.

Nobody tells me what to do.

And he stepped off the ledge.

-----------------------------------------------

Loop 8

Stanley’s office door was slamming against the wall before his vision had even fully settled and he angrily stumbled into the hallway. His tie was tossed to the ground and half the first office space covered before he suddenly halted in his steps and threw a furrowed glance at the ceiling.

Silence.

Fucking finally. It had taken seven plummets to the warehouse floor but maybe that windbag was finally done. Stanley scoffed, barely believing that even possible, and continued forward.

Each reset brought him to a default state in more ways than just physical. Each time his emotional state evened out. But for the last half a dozen resets it had taken just a few moments for his mind to catch up and send a surge of anger through him. He was on an adrenaline rush, a rage-fueled spite spree. The Narrator had said death was Stanley’s only way of establishing agency over himself. If that was true, then that would be the only thing Stanley ever did.

He didn’t even have to fight his body’s self-preservation now. With very little pain experienced before the reset and the total lack of a real consequence, his instinctual fear response was all but gone. As soon as Stanley was in the warehouse he could damn near do a jumping dive off the platform to meet his impermanent fate.

Going every other step down into the room, Stanley strolled chest puffed up to the ledge for the eighth time. But something that wasn’t a fear of death kept his feet glued to the yellow caution tape just before the drop. A different concern was bubbling. A worry caused by an unexplained change in the environment. Once again, he cast his eyes upwards.

Absolute silence.

Stanley sighed heavily and gestured sharply upwards. C’mon, at least put up some sort of a fight. This is just pathetic.

Nothing.

His brows came together and he set his jaw firm. He took a step back. Hello?

Complete and utter quiet.

Stanley’s chest tightened and he squeezed his fist. What was this then? A guilt trip? A ploy to get Stanley to apologize or feel bad? It wouldn’t work. Best give it up while you can still back out or Stanley would never let The Narrator live down this cheap manipulation trick.

...

Nothing. Not a word, not a breath. The oppressive soundlessness of the warehouse left him able to hear his own heart beating in his ears. Only dead air surrounded him, and the jarring shift from just a few minutes ago was..not sitting well in his twisting gut.

Stanley stood there for maybe a minute, just listening. Straining to hear anything at all. Any sound of movement, of a person just holding their breath behind a microphone. But it was impossibly still. He gave in, moved away from the ledge and started back to the lounge, slowly. Cautiously. Distrusting even more of the bland hallways of this non-euclidian hell. Each checkpoint Stanley stopped and projected a questioning thought at..wherever The Narrator was. And each time was the same. Silence was all she wrote.

With a grumble in his throat Stanley picked up his pace, cutting through the two doors intersection, back through the large connecting office space, back through his small starting room, all the way back to his office. Normally these doors would all be closed, but they were left open, giving him a free backtrack this time around. He dropped himself into his office chair and rotated stiffly back and forth, hands holding the arms of the chair tightly. Another upward glance, another questioning thought. Another lot of nothing at all.

He waited a minute. Then two minutes. Then four, then ten. He watched the hand tick away on the clock on his wall, the only sound aside from his own shallow breathing. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tic-

Fine! Stanley threw his hands up and stood from the chair. He began to pace, only able to take a few steps in this tiny office space before sharply pivoting. Fine, fine! He was done, he was done with the warehouse now. Is that what The Narrator wanted? He wasn’t getting an apology. Stanley was not even going to lie about feeling sorry. But he’d concede on this. He was done throwing himself off the warehouse platform.

He stopped pacing and folded his arms anxiously. His eyes locked onto a worn part of the carpet that hugged the doorframe. One tick. Two ticks. Three ticks.

What the fuck was he supposed to do?! Stanley didn’t regret killing himself over and over. The Narrator deserved to irritated. To have his path ignored. He blew Stanley up on his very first run through this place, before Stanley even knew that he wasn’t in an inconsequential dream. What kind of fair was that? It wasn’t! And so if The Narrator wasn’t going to play fair, neither was Stanley. He wasn’t going to apologize for hitting back.

But he was done! That was the best The Narrator was going to get so he better be satisfied with it quick. Stanley would promise to not jump off the warehouse platform again. That was his offer. His compromise. He’d do that if The Narrator would give up this stupid, childish silent treatment.

One tick. Two ticks. Three.

Stanley groaned out loud and sped out of the office again. He was still riddled with aftershocks of anger, but quickly replacing it was the shakiness of anxiety. He was assuming a cold shoulder here but for all he knew The Narrator had up and left and wasn’t hearing a word he was saying. Or, thinking. Whatever.

Stanley rounded the corner of the hall towards the two doors. He stopped at the crossroad and stared at his options. His nails pressed into his palms and his eyes jumped between each doorway with nervous indecisiveness. He almost wanted to go back to the lounge to try and wait this out somewhere at least mildly comfortable. But the worry that, if The Narrator was listening, he would think Stanley was going back on his offered deal, kept his feet planted. Maybe going the correct way would break him out of this? If he’d at least talk back to Stanley they could discuss this for real. 

Stanley sighed and pursed his lips. He hadn’t really given the opportunity for discussion before. He was so quick to react, so quick to jump down the throat of the only other person- person? Being? -that was here that not once had the thought crossed his mind to just..try and talk about it all. Stanley had opted to be hostile right off the bat, and could he really entirely blame The Narrator for not backing down from that? Was that not was Stanley had just done? Refused to back down? Stanley was stubborn, but so was The Narrator it seemed. It was beyond hypocritical for Stanley to criticise The Narrator’s uncooperation when Stanley had behaved in the exact same way.

A slow clap startled him out of his train of thought and he winced at just how hard he’d been clenching his fists. He folded his arms back over his chest as he expectantly looked up to the sudden sound.

“You got there quicker than I had expected, great job Stanley. I really did believe it might take you a few loops of not dying to begin to feel bad, but perhaps I was too harsh on your ability to empathize. Maybe you do have a heart in there after all.”

Stanley blinked. His mouth parted slightly and his thoughts came up blank with a response. The Narrator went on.

“If you do mean it and you are quite done with this whole business in the warehouse, I would very much like to move on. There’s so much more here you haven’t seen yet. I’d of course prefer you take the intended route but honestly at this point I’ll simply take any path that isn���t to the warehouse, I’m not particularly picky. Whenever you’re ready just go ahead and pass through the door on your left. Much appreciated Stanley.”

..Wait. Wait, wait, wait, so The Narrator was here the whole time? He was just ignoring Stanley on purpose? Why?! “To wait you out. To get you to realize the error of your ways, acknowledge them, and apologize for them. You didn’t explicitly state an apology but I’ll count it, all of that self-beration was close enough for me.”

Stanley saw red. This whole time, this WHOLE time, The Narrator really was just using a shitty manipulation tactic to drag an anxious, guilty thought stream out of Stanley. Who the fuck did he think he was?! Stanley stormed through the door on the right. He’d show this all-important Narrator what the fuck he got when he fucked with Stanley like that. He wasn’t going to get a meek little ‘sorry’ and an obedient puppet that walked his stupid path. He’d told Stanley to get used to The Narrator being in charge? Well The Narrator better get used to Stanley never following orders.

There wasn’t a second of hesitation this time. In a heartbeat, darkness overtook his vision, consciousness stamped out with the heavy thud of his body on concrete. And he was gone.

#alawriting #fandom char #the stanley parable #the stanley parable fanfic #tsp fanfic #tspud #tspud stanley #tspud narrator #tw suicide #a03 fanfic #a03 fic #a03 writer #a03 #read on a03 #archive of our own #fanfics #fic writing

[whumpacabra]

45. Play

Panic, anxiety, confusion, fear for others safety, past trauma, dog mention, implied past dog attack, implied past self sacrifice, implied minor character deaths, implied military activity, blood

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

Harrison’s brain caught up with his body after he tackle-hugged Wolf - half relieved and half enraged as he pulled back to grip the taller man’s shoulders. Wolf looked down at him, glassy eyes blinking to brightness as he avoided Harrison’s stare.

“Never do that again.” He didn’t look away until Wolf finally gave a stiff, unsteady nod. Harrison hugged Wolf again, surprised how desperate he was to know Wolf was still there, how terrified he had been.

(Not for himself, not for Thomas, but for Wolf.)

Who was barely breathing, the dull thump of his heartbeat too fast in his chest.

Harrison could tell Wolf was looking at Anders, the dog -

Fuck. Right. There was a fucking dog.

Harrison spun around, back to Wolf’s chest as he stared at the animal. Big - it was bigger than any dog he had seen, but vaguely husky-ish. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was part wolf. It wore a now bloodstained vest, pale white and beige camouflage wrapped over the dog’s tawny coat. (The white of it’s throat was dyed red, jowls dripping with blood and saliva.) It stopped growling over Anders’ bloodied body long enough to look up and meet Harrison’s eyes - it’s own a startling yellow.

Definitely part wolf.

Now Harrison was barely breathing - short gasping breaths - and his heart was racing against his rib cage. Because all he could see was that rabid mutt snarling over Merrick’s still breathing body and all he could hear was the screams echoing against stone and steel -

And a short, sharp whistle that had the dog dutifully and delicately trot away from where Anders lay bleeding to sit next to the person who was helping Thomas stay upright.

It didn’t calm the (rational?) panic blooming in Harrison’s chest to see that it was well trained and loyal to the mysterious soldier. Wolf didn’t seem to find it comforting either, a tentative hand on Harrison’s shoulder, peering over his head. Their eyes met briefly, a question and an answer.

Are you okay?

I don’t like the dog.

(Funny, how fast you learn to read a stranger when you’ve seen each other bloodied and near death.)

“Dog is good. Don’t mind him.” The soldier leaned over to scratch behind the dog’s ear. (They didn’t have to lean far - the massive animal sat higher than their hip.) Harrison squinted at the stranger, short and stocky in their pale camouflage. Between the sun glare glasses covering their eyes and the scarf pulled up to cover their mouth and nose, he could hardly tell more about them beyond the tactical vest filled with knives, glow sticks, grenades, and - apparently - dog treats, which they gave to the beast by their side.

“If they’re touchy about the pup he can ride with me. I don’t mind your coileáinín - he doesn’t shed does he?” His eyes drifted to follow the redhead who had dropped her admittedly impressive Russian accent for a thick Irish brogue. She shot Harrison a smile, emerald eyes chipped with something between curiosity and…sadness? “Regardless we best leave before those fuckers get their heads on straight.”

“Solid copy.”

“W - wait - who - ” Thomas stumbled over his words, weakly trying (and failing) to escape the mystery soldier’s grasp.

“RJ. She’s Liza. Sniper is Walker.” They looked Harrison and Wolf up and down unsubtly before looking at their dog. “This is Dog.” (Was it’s name really just ‘Dog’?) “We’re the ones that want you alive.”

“That’s encouraging.” Harrison could feel his hackles raise, sarcasm thick in his throat. Wolf’s presence at his back was steady, comforting, emboldening. “Why do you - ”

“I already told you. Jaybird asked for you alive.” There was a dull impatience to their tone as they half dragged Thomas along toward the truck. Harrison’s brain finally caught up with their words, suspicion flagging to relief.

“Jennings sent you?” Harrison had only ever heard Jennings' grandmother call them ‘Jaybird’ - it was unnatural hearing them called all these years after her death, let alone to hear it from the mouth of a stranger.

“Yes.” They paused, Thomas groaning as they settled him into the passenger seat. “Liza is here because - ”

“Because you pulled me off a bloody Vegas job to help you ruin some Yankee’s day. Which I’m happy to do, but you owe me.” Liza gave a quick whistle, Dog bounding to her side and jumping into the convertible with practiced precision. Harrison couldn’t help but flinch at the movement, but Wolf’s hand gave his shoulder a firm squeeze, grounding him.

“Put it on Ghost’s tab.” RJ shut the door with surprising softness, quickly making their way back to the circle of corpses in the street. “What are you two waiting for? Get in the truck.”

“We can’t - how do you plan to outrun them? The helicopters - ”

“We have exfil secured at the property with the cattle fields to the south. We’ll be airborne before you know it.” They gave Liza a nod as she stepped back into her convertible, the sports car’s engine purring as it turned over. “Regrouping at Duck Creek with Jaybird and your contingent of refugees. I assume that’s where they’re headed?”

“Y -yeah. Yeah, okay. Alright.” Harrison took a deep breath, looking up at Wolf. “Sound good?”

He gave a nod, eyes sharp as he glanced between the stranger and Harrison. Harrison smiled, nodding to himself as he glanced around -

“Right - the - the files - hang on, let me grab the hard drive.” Harrison broke away from Wolf (already missing the warmth) and stepped over the corpses to reach the duffel bag abandoned by the garage door. The heavy brick of the databank in his hands felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders as he clutched it to his chest.

Looking back, Wolf had taken the initiative to gather the paper files, the folder splayed on the ground and spattered with Anders’ blood -

Anders wasn’t dead yet.

His intact arm twitched, and Harrison felt his heart drop to his feet.

“Don’t - ”

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

(An AU of my Freelancers series)

Taglist: @i-eat-worlds @whumpy-daydreams @stargeode

#whump #panic #misunderstandings #fear for others safety #past trauma #dog mention #self sacrifice #minor character death #military setting #blood #freelancers au #we’re so close to the finish line TvT I don’t want this story to end #hi. long weekend. gonna be a longer week. ough. #o7 I forgor important paper work and might drive 6 hours there and back later today so I have them for tomorrow.

[itsuki-minamy]

"AYAKA – SIDE STORIES 11": JINGI, A DREAM AFTER A DREAM

TRANSLATION: NARU-KUN

* List of Chapters

Deceased.

(I'm definitely dead.), Sagawa Jingi thought.

He could feel the boundaries of his body becoming blurred.

He could feel his heart getting thinner.

He was sad and lonely.

But more than that, he for some reason felt a refreshing sense of fullness.

A long time ago, Makoto Yanagi took Yukito to Ichinoshima to attend to some business, and while he was away, he and two of his brothers went out to sea. That was when Kurama Haruaki and Ibuki Aka were even closer than biological brothers.

He put on a swimsuit and a small jacket, carried his backpack and headed to the beach where he could swim. He asked Momoko to prepare rice balls for lunch, filled his water bottle with plenty of barley tea, put on a straw hat, and planned to play for more than half a day.

In fact, that day was great.

The summer sun was intense, but once they were in the shade of a tree, he blew a cool breeze. When he looked out to sea, he could see small fish swimming and seaweed swaying. On the way, he took a sip of cold barley tea from the ice-filled water bottle and soaked it all over his body.

Having thoroughly enjoyed their summer vacation, the two brothers began to jump into the sea as if to take their last dips, just when it was time to retire. They dived one after another from small rocky areas that could not even be called cliffs to the surface of the sea.

Its height is about three meters. Aka had a bold form and Haruaki had graceful movements, landing headfirst into the water beautifully.

"Jingi, you too!"

As he swam, Aka covered his mouth with his hands and called out to him. His tone was as if he was scolding his younger brother.

"Jingi. There's no need to force yourself!"

On the other hand, a smiling Haruaki simply waved at Jingi from the sea. Jingi was lost. To be honest, he was scared.

But...

When he received the expectant and worried gazes of his two brothers, his heart naturally calmed down. Swallowing heavily, he ran, kicked the rocky area and raised his arms high as he jumped into the clear sky.

It was very similar to how he felt that day.

It may be a strange way to put it, but he felt as if his two brothers had "shown him how to do it."

His two brothers also swam to Jingi and praised him when he sank under the water and then surfaced again.

That's all.

He did what he had to do.

He always ended up doing what he was supposed to do.

Just when his consciousness was about to disappear, he remembered that glorious moment that summer and Sagawa Jingi's existence disappeared.

It was supposed to be like this.

But that didn't happen. Strangely and mysteriously, his inner world, once completely obscured, suddenly took a new form and regenerated while retaining clear cognitive abilities.

(Huh? What happened?)

Long before he was happy to have regained consciousness, he was simply wondering.

(I'm dead?)

After his vague senses began to function properly, he slowly looked around him. (So this place is definitely in my neighborhood!)

There is no doubt that this is Ninoshima, where Jingi lives. A peaceful rural landscape with rice fields stretching as far as the eye can see. From there, it takes about ten minutes to reach the house where Momoko, Jingi, and now Yukito lived.

In the midst of the confusion, Jingi suddenly heard voices approaching from ahead and directed his attention towards them.

Upon seeing them, he saw that two older ladies from the neighborhood, whom he knew well, were approaching while they were talking.

"Oh! Tanaka Oba-chan! Nomura Oba-chan!"

He greeted and called faces he had known since he was a child. However, neither of them responded to Jingi at all, instead they walked directly towards Jingi while smiling and chatting with each other.

And...

They passed through him easily.

Jingi was surprised.

Without a doubt, the two ladies passed through Jingi's body and continued away from Jingi along the path behind him.

Jingi suddenly noticed a possibility and looked at his hands.

"Wah!"

He was still semi-transparent. He quickly checked every part of his body. Before he knew it, he was wearing a pure white suit that he didn't remember ever wearing. It is the so-called death costume worn by classic ghosts. As a courtesy, he even had a triangular piece of cloth over his head.

Nowadays, that is rarely seen, not even in comedy parodies.

Jingi sat on the spot, exhausted.

"Oh, I'm dead after all."

And then he became a ghost.

Jingi was stunned for a while, but the change was relatively quick. He spontaneously said:

"Well, it can't be helped since I'm dead."

Thinking like this, he slowly got up from the ground. He dusted off the dirt that had stuck to his clothes like a habit since he was alive (although it wasn't actually stuck to him since he was a ghost) and headed towards his house with light steps.

He was now curious to see how the people of this island spent their time after his death. It's obvious, but it's a sight he could never see if he were living a normal life.

There was a plan in Jingi's head.

After all, he did a great job hiding the mission he had set out to do and, in the end, he single-handedly put an end to the disaster.

Isn't it safe to call him the hero who protected this island?

He was sure that everyone would praise him and mourn his death. Maybe they'll even make a bronze statue.

"Or "Jingi-san Memorial Day", a holiday for islanders?"

As Jingi slowly walked forward, feeling a little encouraged, he noticed a familiar figure walking ahead of him.

A person dressed in the traditional priest's costume. That's Kurama Haruaki, Jingi's older brother.

Jingi became happy and shouted loudly.

"Hey! Haru-nii!"

However, Haruaki did not respond to the call at all and moved forward at a fast pace.

"I see, you couldn't hear me."

Jingi desperately tried to chase him, but he couldn't control his body. Maybe it's because he is a novice ghost, although he has some speed, if he takes a step forward, he feels like he is just floating in the air.

His steps were like those of an astronaut landing on the moon. He had no choice but to take a big leap.

"Hehe, I got it."

He landed on Haruaki to carry him on his shoulders. Haruaki stopped for a moment and put his hand on the back of his head suspiciously, but he didn't seem to notice that a ghost had attached itself to him.

He turned his head and started walking forward again.

"Go, go."

Jingi let himself go and patted Haruaki on the head. It didn't seem like he was aware of Jingi's existence, but Haruaki kept tilting his head in confusion.

As Jingi expected, Haruaki went directly to the house where Jingi, Momoko, and Yukito lived.

There is a sign in front of the entrance.

"Meeting to remember Sagawa Jingi."

That's what it says. Jingi read the words and nodded once. On the other hand, Jingi was still impressed.

After all, everyone remembers him. Maybe Haruaki also came for that purpose. He got off Haruaki, who he had been using as a horse, and stared at the sign.

On the other hand, Haruaki, who used to live in that house, opened the sliding entrance door in a rather casual manner.

"Momoko-san? I've come to visit you. Momoko-san?"

He called the house.

Then from the kitchen...

"Ah, Haruaki-kun! I'm sorry. I can't get out of here right now. Could you come up?"

A response came along with the sound of something stir-frying. It seems that it was in full cooking.

The essence is...

(You haven't changed, Momoko-san.)

That's what he was thinking. Haruaki put a smile on his lips.

"Ok, excuse me."

He took off his setta, placed them carefully in the entryway and walked down the hallway to the living room. Jingi followed him.

When he entered the room, the first thing that caught his attention were the buckets of sushi and the large plates of food on the long table, as well as the rows and rows of beer cans, shochu highs, and plastic soda bottles.

The scene was reminiscent of a memorial service held in a country house.

However, Jingi was not impressed and frowned. Since it was a memorial service for someone who protected the island, he thought there would be more people from the entire island, but there were only three people inside: Yashiki, Saruwatari, Mitarai, and other loyal friends.

This isn't much different than drinking at an izakaya, when it comes to those men.

They were sitting cross-legged in a completely relaxed atmosphere, eating chips and jerky and drinking beer, but when they saw Haruaki, Jingi's older brother and a local celebrity, they straightened up a little.

"Ah, Kurama-sensei, hello. We're starting now."

Mitarai, who is the eldest, bowed his head slightly.

Haruaki immediately smiled and stopped him with his hand.

"Please take it easy."

Haruaki also took a position near them, took a can of beer and opened the tab.

"Jingi liked this kind of thing, right?"

He made a toast. Yashiki and Saruwatari's faces broke, and Mitarai also had a smile on his lips. Everyone made a toast with the beers they were drinking together.

"A toast to Jingi."

"Hurrah."

"Wow."

(Eh?)

Jingi thought those guys were strangely bright, but since he didn't really like humid weather, he decided to keep an eye on them for now.

Before he knew it, the memorial gathering had begun, which was too small for the hero who saved the island.

"By the way, what happened to the others?"

Kurama asked those who were remembering Jingi. Yashiki, a dear friend of Jingi, was drinking beer.

"It seems that a new enka singer is coming to sell at a nearby supermarket, so all the grandparents are heading there massively."

"Enka singer?"

"Apparently, this is a third-generation Japanese-Brazilian singer named Solemio Togashi, who wears a Mongolian sumo suit and whose special skill is singing while juggling."

(Eh? What? I lost to a singer like that?)

Jingi was surprised.

Saruwatari put his hands behind his head.

"Well, for a moment I wondered if I should go there or not."

"Do not miss!"

Although he couldn't hear it, he was pushing him.

"He's been my friend since you were a child!", Yashiki added.

"And the other neighbors generally said, "If I can go, I'll go"."

It seems like the memorial service for the person who risked his life is being treated like a party for college students.

Jingi's eyes widened in shock.

Haruaki nodded.

"Everyone is busy with various things. Apparently, the mayor, Inou-san, also has plans to get bugs out of the futon and get a haircut."

"He can do that another time!"

Unable to contain himself, Jingi screamed again. Then they began to happily remember Jingi.

However, when he heard them, they did not speak well.

"He drank a lot and was bad."

"He was gathering food."

"He was trying to commit a loan scam against elementary school students."

"He lost so much playing pachinko that he rolled on the floor screaming."

(Hey, you guys...)

Jingi trembled with anger.

(They are saying things that are not true!)

Actually, most of it is true, but he would like them to limit their memories to only the good ones. So, as if they felt that feeling...

"Well, I feel a little sorry for him. Next time, let's say something nice about him, okay?"

Jingi nodded vigorously.

Then, the atmosphere that had been so lively a moment ago fell silent. A heavy silence. In fact, the current environment is more appropriate for a memorial gathering. Everyone looked at each other and was silent.

Haruaki, who had been thinking with his arms crossed, finally spoke.

"No, that's right, Jingi... he always cut his nails properly, right?"

"Ah..."

Everyone started screaming as if they had been saved.

"Yes!"

"I'm sure that guy's nails were pretty good!"

Everyone congratulated him as if they had fulfilled his responsibilities. Jingi screamed irresistibly.

"I guess that's all I can do if I try to figure things out!"

However, the tsukkomi did not reach him. Instead, he heard a voice coming from the hallway.

"Oh, everyone is in high spirits."

A calm and meek voice came from the hallway. Jingi looked at the Goddess of Salvation with a desperate expression.

(Momoko-san!)

Unlike those heartless people, he was sure that she would be saddened by his loss and praise his bravery.

Even now, she made preparations for the memorial meeting (laughs) and even cooked the food. Momoko was the only kind woman who hadn't changed.

But...

"......"

Jingi's mouth dropped open.

Momoko had changed a lot. Although she was inside the house, she was wearing a thick fur coat, a dazzling diamond ring on her finger, and a pearl necklace around her neck. The decorations alone would cost millions.

However, her facial expression was still the same kind smile as before, so it was a strange mismatch. The men in the room were not only depressed by the impressive outfit, but also fell silent.

Before long, Yashiki and Saruwatari were secretly whispering to each other.

"Look, Momoko-san, it seems that she has taken out a considerable amount of life insurance for Jingi."

"I see, that's why she made a lot of money."

"Keep it real!"

Jingi paled.

"This is the first time I've heard it!"

Momoko heard whispers from Yashiki and Saruwatari.

"Hey, listen. I haven't changed at all. Look."

She grabbed a plate of freshly prepared food from the tray and placed it on the table.

"Slow-cooked caviar and foie gras and fried truffle."

"She's changed after all!"

She was not the kind of person who would prepare incomprehensible dishes with such extravagant ingredients. Money is scary.

Saruwatari and Yashiki were talking secretly again.

"By the way, according to information from a construction company I know, it seems that this house will be renovated in a big way and will be eye-catching in the near future."

"I see. That's why Jingi's belongings were sold at Memekari the other day. There were a lot of things that got in the way."

"Momoko-san, the change is too fast!"

Momoko probably didn't hear Jingi's voice, but she laughed and said:

"That kid did a really good job in his final moments."

She was whispering that.

"Momoko-san!"

Jingi is now terrified by the darkness of her. So, Haruaki said to take it easy.

"By the way, what happened to Jingi's grave?"

"Eh? A grave?"

When Jingi seemed to suspect something, Momoko looked at them with a knowing expression on her face.

"Ah, over here."

With that, she put on her sandals from the terrace and went out into the garden. Others followed her example.

So...

"Here it is."

Momoko had a big smile on her face and pointed to a small, thick clay bun. A shamoji was glued on top and the words "Jingi's grave" were written on the front with a marker.

"My name is spelled incorrectly!"

Jingi was screaming.

"No, nowadays, if your pet turtle dies, it will have a better grave! If you have the insurance money, at least make it a little more elaborate!"

However, Jingi's statements went unheeded, and Haruaki, Yashiki, Saruwatari, and Mitarai closed their eyes with solemn expressions on their faces and clasped their hands towards the shamoji.

"Hey! At least one person should have doubts!"

So there...

"Please take it easy!"

A young, raw and angry voice was heard from behind. When Jingi turned around, he saw Yukito Yanagi standing there with a manajiri in his arms.

Jingi slowly shed tears of joy. That's all. That guy was there. Yukito, who was his favorite disciple and loved him more than anyone.

He's sure it's him.

But...

"Please, Kurama-san. We're supposed to start training today, right? I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Haruaki smiled and apologized.

"So, let's get this over with and get started, shall we?"

"Thanks, teacher."

Yukito was leaning beautifully at an angle of almost 45 degrees.

"He changed teachers!"

Jingi screamed loudly.

"It's too early for many things!"

Finally, Yashiki lost his balance, staggered towards the clay bun, and kicked the Shamoji to the ground.

"Tehe."

Yashiki put his fist to his forehead and stuck out his tongue.

"Hey, don't do that! Fix it properly! Oh, don't step on it! Don't step on it! You idiot! Ah! You're all idiots!"

Jingi shouted.

It was already a tsukkomi from the bottom of his soul.

Immediately, the image of Haruaki, Momoko, Yukito, and their friends chatting loudly in the garden became blurry, his hearing became distant, and his vision narrowed.

And Jingi's senses...

Once again it was painted an overwhelming gray color.

The first thing he felt was strangely similar to the summer day when he went to the beach with his two brothers, jumping from a cliff into the sea.

At that moment, sea water entered his nostrils and he almost panicked. That time he couldn't breathe for the first time either and waved his arms and legs involuntarily. He couldn't tell what was up or down, he was disoriented and felt like he was going to scream.

He opened his eyes,

"Ah? Eh? Huh?"

He looked around frantically. He tried to breathe, but he stopped reflexively. He felt like he was underwater.

But...

(What is this place?)

The area was filled with a color that was neither gold nor ocher. It was not cloudy at all, but visibility was not very good. Although he was still short of breath and felt like he was drowning, Jingi gradually regained his composure.

(This place... maybe...)

His experience and knowledge as a person of connection naturally taught him the answer.

(Am I on the line of life?)

A torrent of life where all lives return and become one stream. The source of all power. A large underground flow of energy that penetrates underground on Ayaka Island.

He was floating inside it.

No, he was slowly but surely disappearing.

What fills his environment as liquid is life force. Looking up, down, left and right, there was no end, just an enormous amount of life surrounding Jingi. As he trembled, he felt a surge of power that made his body tremble.

(In other words, what happened before was a dream, right?)

And the response was natural.

(Guess I'm dead after all.)

Right now he was probably about to be immersed and assimilated into the life cycle. Before long, his consciousness will completely dissolve into the life energy and his ego will eventually disappear. He seems to feel that fleeting moment, which is like a slight illusion.

(But...)

He couldn't help but smile bitterly.

(What a dream.)

It was quite an advance.

(If I had a dream, I would like to have a better dream.)

Probably the more he sleeps, the more his disappearance progresses. However, the more he struggles within that life line, the more his consciousness recedes.

His body felt warm and his mind became flat. Then, feeling the most intense drowsiness he had ever felt, Jingi closed his eyelids again.

The next thing he knew he was back at the Ninoshima camp. The place was exactly the same as when he first woke up. However, the surrounding landscape changed from day to night. A faint moon adorned with clouds hung in the sky, and the cries of frogs and insects could be heard loudly in the surrounding rice fields filled with black water.

And one more thing.

The biggest difference from last time is that Jingi himself is very aware that this is a dream he is having in the middle of the life line. He checked his limbs and took a closer look at what he was wearing.

Instead of the classic ghost costume from last time, he was wearing the green hoodie that he normally likes to wear.

"Well, it's happening again, I guess I'll just have to get up and walk."

He knew it instinctively. The more often he dreams, the more likely it is that he will become absorbed in the cycle of life and eventually completely lose his sense of self.

And, at that moment, he would await pure harmony with the vital energy, that is, a definitive death.

"But how did I wake up?"

It was then that he crossed his arms and was lost in his thoughts. He noticed two figures slowly approaching him from the darkness.

"Onya?"

Jingi strained his eyes. There were no streetlights around, so it was difficult to see who the other person was. However, as soon as the clouds passed over the moon and the area was once again enveloped in soft light, he realized it.

"What? Tanaka Oba-chan and Nomura Oba-chan?"

That was the same dream as last time.

In his previous dream, he met those two old ladies from the neighborhood.

"Hey!"

Jingi waved his hand tentatively. He thought he would ghost herself again, but this time they both responded to his voice. Everyone seemed surprised and turned their heads towards him.

Jingi became happy and tried to wave even more vigorously.

But...

He immediately noticed something strange and stopped moving.

Before he knew it, the sounds of frogs and insects had stopped.

"Eh?"

Jingi backed away a little, still smiling. Something was wrong. First of all, the two ladies were acting strangely.

They stiffened their arms and legs and walked towards him with extremely clumsy movements.

The advancement was strange, as if all the joints were broken.

And...

"Uuuh~"

"Aaah..."

Their eyes were blank and they were constantly making noises that didn't make any sense.

(I don't like it very much, but... I've seen movies and games that feature something like this several times.)

Jingi slowly withdrew. Meanwhile, the ladies extended their fingers towards him and closed the distance.

There was a hint of longing.

They called Jingi, like fresh human meat.

"Hahaha."

Jingi turned his back on them.

"See you later, ladies!"

He ran as fast as he could.

They were zombies.

No doubt.

The two ladies had turned into zombies.

So...

"Gaaah!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Both Tanaka-chan and Nomura-chan have been carrying out the mission together.

And they were quite fast.

(It's the type of zombie that comes running depending on the situation!)

Jingi screamed desperately in his heart as he ran across the furrow with the speed of a sprinter, his fingertips immobilized.

(This is a dream! This is a dream!)

However, his most sincere wish did not come true and he continued to be chased by two old zombies while he said things like "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah."

The place Jingi jumped to was a two-story barn that was right in front of him.

That's the kind of place you would normally keep your farming tools. It smells like hay and a little moldy. Although out of breath, Jingi desperately turned his body, raised his shoulders, and closed the door.

It wasn't long before he heard the sound of zombies crashing outside.

"Ah~"

"Eh~"

Jingi was scared and horrified, so he sank to the spot, leaning his back against the door. He was shaking.

(I am very aware that it is a dream I am having on the line of life.)

The situation seemed too real.

Knowing it was a nightmare was one thing, but knowing it was enough to cover the trembling fear was another matter.

It's that moment...

"Jingi-san?"

A faint voice came from deep within the darkness of the barn. Jingi looked at him surprised.

A boy stepped out into the moonlight shining through the second story window. Jingi shouted the boy's name with an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Yukito? He is Yukito?"

That person was definitely Yukito Yanagi. The moment Jingi saw that delicate face with a sad expression on his face...

(Good! Nice to see you!)

That feeling suddenly grew and he didn't even pay attention to the long, thin object in his hand. He tried to run towards Yukito.

At that moment...

Zudon.

A trembling roar echoed through the area, and Jingi was on his butt. There was a hole in the ground a short distance from his feet and a slight amount of smoke.

"Y-Yukito?"

Jingi finally realized it.

Yukito was holding something that looked like a rifle.

Besides...

"Jingi-san."

"Eh?"

"Now say the tongue twister."

He held the barrel of the gun pointed directly at Jingi's forehead. The explosion that sounded earlier was the result of him firing a single shot.

"Okay! Tongue twister!"

Yukito shouted in a strained voice. Seeing his finger press the trigger, Jingi panicked.

"Na, Namamugi Namagome Nakakago."

"......!"

"No, that's not true! Wait! I just took a bite. Raw wheat raw rice raw eggs!"

He understood it immediately.

Yukito was checking if he had turned into a zombie. He was relieved to be able to respond for the moment.

"Next. Roll, roll and keep rolling, six rolling."

There was another question from Yukito. Jingi grew impatient.

"Eh? Wait a minute. I can't say things like that normally."

"Then, red capybara, blue capybara, yellow capybara, red paprika, blue paprika, yellow paprika. Either apologize to Aya or your parents. I apologized to Aya and the greengrocer. A singer comes and tells me to sing, but I can sing well enough to sing, I will sing, but since I can't sing well enough, I won't sing, but that's okay."

"Ah, can you say Akakapibara? Well, you're very good at tongue twisters!"

"Suspicious."

Yukito looked at Jingi with suspicious eyes and tried to shoot him. Jingi shouted without caring what he was doing.

"I'm Sagawa Jingi! You're Yukito Yanagi! I'm your teacher. I'm the one who picked you up on this island! You remember, right? I was waiting at the school gate, drinking sake. I was the one who threw you into the river! What I said at that moment was "Just fly!"."

Yukito's body stiffened for a moment. In an attempt to dissuade him, Jingi rolled up his sleeves and hiked up the hem of his pants, showing every part of his body.

"Look! Look! There are no bite marks anywhere, right? There are no scars, right? I haven't turned into a zombie at all! I'm a human!"

A drop of water fell down Yukito's cheek.

He lets out a sob.

"Uh, uh. I'm sorry. Jingi-san, I guess you haven't been bitten yet, right? I was really scared. I'm sorry. I was very suspicious."

"No, it's fine."

Jingi said as he broke out in a cold sweat.

"If your suspicions are cleared, could you put down the gun first?"

Yukito regretted it with tears streaming down his face, but he didn't move the muzzle of his gun and kept it pointed at Jingi.

He had the air of a trained soldier.

Yukito looked scared.

"Ah, ah. Sorry, sorry."

He finally abandoned his stance. Jingi took a deep breath.

"So what happened?"

He asked Yukito with a bitter smile. Yukito began to respond with tears streaming down his face.

"Yes. At first, I went to Inou-san's house for some business. But then those guys came in, and Inou-san was bitten, and his group joined Inou-san right in front of me. So, I had no choice."

(I see. That's why he killed Inou.)

Jingi felt sorry for Yukito.

It was understandable that he was nervous, since he had done something to someone he knew.

He tried to put a hand on Yukito's shoulder to comfort him. Yukito continued speaking.

''Then after that, I shot the city hall employees one by one, and Ichijou-san, Yako-kun, Chatarou-kun, the police officers, the supermarket employee, the head priest of the temple, and the thief who he was hiding. I knocked down the people who seemed to be attacking me at random, and also Mitarai-san, Yashiki-san, Saruwatari-san and everyone else.''

Jingi gently removed his outstretched hand.

(This boy, Yukito is the crazy type.)

How many people has he killed?

Jingi thought for a moment. Then, he cleared his throat and placed his hands on Yukito's shoulders again.

Looking into his eyes.

"It's okay, Yukito."

"What?"

"Listen carefully."

He paused for a moment.

"This is a dream!"

At that moment, Jingi felt an incredible shock on his cheeks and was impressed. After a while he realized that he had been hit with the butt of a rifle.

"W-what?"

Jingi sat with her legs diagonally like a girl, put his hand on his cheek, and looked at Yukito with teary eyes. Yukito let out a sigh and said sadly.

"Jingi-san."

He smiled slightly.

"Please, faces reality."

(Damn.)

An alert pulsed at a dangerous level in Jingi's head.

(This guy, what's worse, he can't understand anything at all!)

When Jingi was stunned...

"......!"

Yukito looked surprised and turned towards the door. Attracted, Jingi also directed his attention there.

He immediately understood why Yukito had reacted.

Mishi.

The barn door began to creak. Outside, he heard multiple moans of "Aaaaaaaaaah~". He felt like dozens of zombies were gathering.

"......"

"......"

The moment Jingi and Yukito looked at each other as if to say, "This is bad", a strange explosion sound was heard and the lock that had been closed broke in two. Since it was an ancient item, its strength was probably lower from the beginning.

And the worst...

The zombies ran into the room in an avalanche. Some of the zombies in front fell forward too hard, but those following them calmly stepped over the pitiful zombies and defeated them, rushing towards Jingi and Yukito like a murky current.

"Ah, here! Yukito!"

When he saw Yukito, he was running up the stairs to the second floor, carrying a rifle.

He didn't think twice about Jingi, that he was depressed.

Naturally, Jingi wanted to do the same, but...

"Awah! Awawawawah..."

His hips gave way and he couldn't get up properly.

If he panics, there is nothing he can do to save himself.

"Ah~"

"Uh~"

The smell of rot reached his nose and the zombies came so close that he could almost see their empty eyes.

(We're screwed!)

At that moment, Jingi closed his eyes as he thought.

"The softest and most solid things in the world are conquered and nothingness enters nothingness."

A gust of wind broke out and Jingi's body floated in the air. Surrounded by pure white light.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

Jingi's body turned and flew into the sky from the door opened by the zombie. For a brief moment, zombies could be seen being dragged, rolled, and crushed against walls, farm tools, etc.

Jingi realized it immediately.

(This is Haru-nii's technique!)

When he looked to the side, Yukito was flying in the sky in almost the same conditions. The local tornado took Jingi and Yukito to a large pine tree growing on a small hill, and the roaring sound there was carefully dispersed, as if it were a lie.

At the same time, Jingi and Yukito suddenly fell on the spot.

He hardly felt any shock, as if an invisible giant had pinched him with his fingertips and gently placed him on the ground.

"Hey, I'm glad I made it on time. Are you guys hurt?"

A person sitting near the base of the pine tree called to them in a low voice. Jingi recognized his face and immediately let out a cry of joy.

"Haru-nii!"

As Jingi expected, it was Kurama Haruaki, the priest of Kaizumi Shrine and Jingi's older brother.

"You really helped me!"

He must have known about Jingi's situation and went to rescue them. The same skill as always. He was a model of a reliable older brother. Just as Jingi came over to express his gratitude.

"Do not come!"

Came a sharp scolding voice that was uncharacteristic of Haruaki. Jingi stood there, surprised. Haruaki laughed weakly.

"No, I'm sorry for yelling, Jingi."

Looking closely, he could see that Haruaki's face was sickly pale. A large amount of sweat dripped down his handsome face, as if he was enduring some kind of pain.

"What's wrong, Haru-nii?"

Jingi was upset.

"Kurama-san..."

Yukito, who was standing next to Jingi, also frowned worriedly.

He had a somewhat sinister feeling. With a smile on his lips, Haruaki calmly gave instructions.

Pointing in the direction with trembling fingers,

"If you go straight down this hill, you'll reach your house. Run away, both of you. Don't worry about me, I'll stop the zombies here."

"What are you talking about?"

Jingi cleared his throat.

"What will happen to Haru-nii? Why...? Won't you come with us?"

There were no words beyond that. Haruaki laughed a little. He took off his clothes and exposed his collarbone to the moonlight.

"They took me by surprise. It means I still lacked training."

There were painful scars there.

It's probably a scar caused by a zombie.

"......!"

Jingi was speechless. Haruaki corrected his messy clothes and continued to press the area with the palm of his hand.

"Hurry up!"

He looked Jingi in the eyes and spoke harshly.

"I don't know how long I'll be conscious! Hurry up and leave before I join them!"

A kind older brother. The oldest and most trusted member of his class. Even if it were only in his dreams to abandon such an important person who had been with him since he was a child, there was no way he could do it so easily.

However, Jingi...

"I understand! Haru-nii! I'm sorry. I'll leave you here for now! See you again!"

There was a reason why he hurriedly pushed Yukito's back and started down the hill.

Yukito.

He saw him open the barrel of his rifle and check to see if it was loaded with bullets.

He was trying to kill him.

"Hey, Yukito."

Jingi asked as he moved to a small trot.

"Where the hell did you get that rifle?"

Yukito, who was running ahead of Jingi, turned and smiled briefly for a moment.

"It was in a weapons cabinet that I found by chance at the police station I was at. Is there a problem?"

The look in his eyes was scary. He was gripping the barrel of the gun tightly, as if he was trying not to have it taken away.

"N-no, not really."

He decided not to broach the subject further.

The two ran for about five minutes and managed to reach the house where they lived. It was locked, but Yukito opened it with the key he took out of his pocket.

Jingi took the initiative to enter, followed by Yukito, who closed the door from the inside. Then, as he took off his shoes and was about to go up to the front door, Jingi was caught in his tracks.

"Wah!"

He lost his balance. Maybe he was just tired. He managed to grab the corner of the shoe box with his suddenly protruding hand and managed to keep from falling.

"Haha. I'm confused."

He lightly scratched his palm and a small amount of blood flowed out. He showed Yukito the small amount of bleeding that couldn't even be called a scratch with a shy smile.

"......"

The expression suddenly disappeared from Yukito's face.

"Eh?"

His blood suddenly ran cold.

"Ah. Are you a zombie?"

"No, no, wait! You were watching! Don't you remember that I almost fell?"

"Zombie. You, enemy."

"Why are you speaking in one sentence?"

"Zombie. Kill..."

Yukito then raised his rifle and suddenly pulled the trigger without warning. There was a roar. Jingi narrowly avoided it by ducking. It was an impressive headshot that targeted the zombie's vital point, his brain.

He heard the sound of the wall breaking behind him.

"Tch."

Yukito clicked his tongue. Jingi left the place running while he stumbled.

"Awawawawah!"

(Yukito is broken!) Jingi thought.

He ran for his life down the hallway. Yukito, who had become a killing machine, slowly began to follow the trail.

"Jingi-san!"

Zudon.

"Let's talk!"

Zudon.

"It's okay. I'm sure we can understand each other!"

Zudon.

"Aren't we master and disciple? It's so sad to have such a suspicious relationship!"

Zudon. Zudon. Zudon.

Rifle shots were interspersed with tearful lines.

(He's much scarier than zombies!) Jingi thought.

It was several times worse than zombies, given his emotional voice. Desperately running through the house, Jingi finally found himself in a corner of the hallway with nowhere to escape to.

"Wawawawah!"

He sank, leaning his back against the wall and scratching his feet desperately, but it was a dead end and he could go no further.

"Booboo..."

Yukito approached, gently replacing the bullets in his rifle like an experienced soldier.

"Jingi-san."

He prepared his rifle.

"Jingi-san, finally, Ayakai, is there a proper way to use it?"

"Who knows, idiot!"

At that moment, Jingi closed his eyes as he thought.

"Guh..."

Yukito suddenly made a strange noise. Jingi widened his eyes suspiciously. And he was left speechless.

Just now, a woman was biting Yukito's neck. A completely unexpected ambush appeared from somewhere.

"W-why?"

Yukito collapsed with a tearful expression on his face. The woman stepped over Yukito and slowly approached him.

Momoko was dripping blood from her mouth.

"Ah~ uuh~"

Zombie Momoko opened her mouth wide and charged towards Jingi. Furthermore, she wore beautiful fur and precious jewelry.

"Why is it the same dream as before?"

Jingi shouted.

There was nowhere else to flee to.

Jingi woke up, still screaming. He looked around his with a start and realized that he was once again in the dense flow of life.

No, he had been floating in the flow of life for a long time, perhaps the correct expression would be to say that he had awakened from a foaming dream.

However, the dream he was having was so real that he felt as if his body had been instantly transported from Ninoshima, which was dominated by zombies.

And although he knew it was a dream, he was so afraid that in the end he screamed.

"Anyway, it was a terrible turn of events."

Jingi was sad. Yukito and Momoko still do not appear in minor roles.

Maybe deep down he has always considered them dangerous people?

"I just want to dream of being pampered, relaxing, eating delicious food and drinking quality alcohol."

If he was going to continue melting into the flow of life, he would at least like to end his life with good thoughts. Jingi held his breath and tried his best to close his eyes.

He wanted to have a pleasant dream this time.

When he came to, he found himself back in the Ninoshima camp. It was probably in the afternoon.

The sun rose above his head, casting a warm light, and he could smell the faint scent of flowers.

Although the times and seasons were slightly different, the two shadows were slowly approaching each other on the road.

(Are those ladies in my dreams by default?)

They were Tanaka Oba-chan and Nomura Oba-chan from the neighborhood. Last time, they turned into a zombie and attacked, so Jingi kept his back alert so he could escape at any time.

So...

"Ah..."

"Oh, Jingi-chan?"

The two looked surprised and ran towards him. For a moment, Jingi struggled to make a decision, but from the expressions on the ladies' faces, he didn't feel there was much danger, so he stayed where he was for the moment.

When they got to Jingi's left and right...

"Were you in a place like this? Everyone was worried, you know?"

"Well, if you're going out, you have to let me know."

They started walking, dragging Jingi with them.

Whenshe returned to his house with the two ladies, he was surprised to find his older brother, Aka Ibuki, standing there.

No, he wasn't the only one.

All the members of "Ayaka Security", including Ichijou Ibara, were there. When they recognized Jingi, everyone seemed surprised or relieved.

"W-what? What's going on?"

Originally, they were mainly active in Ichinoshima. It was rare to see so many members gathered in Ninoshima.

"What's wrong, Aka-nii? Has the entire company gathered here?"

When Jingi asked curiously...

"Uh."

Aka shook his head with a bitter smile. He tapped Jingi on the shoulder with his hand.

"There's nothing I can do about it. You're the cause."

"Eh? Me?"

Jingi gaped and pointed at himself. Ibara said with a rather harsh voice.

"Sagawa Jingi. We came together in a hurry to find you. I want you to feel responsible."

"Don't say that, Ibara."

Aka gave a quick warning to Ibara and looked at his subordinates.

"We're leaving. Apply for a special subsidy later."

"Wait a minute, Aka-nii. Are you leaving already?"

When Jingi called him...

"It looks like I'm going to meet someone I don't want to see. As long as I can confirm that you're safe, it's fine."

Without looking back, Aka walked away from him, hands behind his back. The members of "Ayaka Security" did the same with a slight nod. Ibara was the only one looking at him with an expression that seemed to want to say something, but she quickly turned her back on him and ran after her friends at a trot.

Both ladies...

"Well then, Jingi-chan, see you soon."

"Your body is important."

After saying that, they headed home. Jingi looked at them in shock.

Then, he tried to switch places with Aka and the others.

"Jingi-san!"

He heard Yukito Yanagi's voice from inside the house.

"Ah, Jingi-chan!"

Then he heard Momoko cheering and the two jumped. For a moment, the nightmares of last time and the one before returned to Jingi, and his body stiffened, but there was no sign that they had transformed into the Yukito and Momoko of before.

The two cried with joy at Jingi's return, took him by the hand and invited him into the house.

Jingi was thinking as he let himself go.

(I wonder why? Did I disappear for a long time?)

It was a great welcome. First, they forced him to take a bath, and when he came out of the bathroom, he put on freshly laundered clothes and was taken to the living room. Yukito took the initiative to uncork a bottle of beer and pour it.

"Uh, oh. That's bad."

"What are you talking about? As a disciple, it's natural!"

For Yukito who said that with a smile...

(This is a bit unpleasant.)

He thought about it for a moment, but he didn't feel bad about it. Before long, Momoko brought a variety of freshly prepared homemade dishes from the kitchen.

Braised bonito marinated in sesame oil, seaweed cream cheese, japanese-style salmon and avocado tart, gizzard ponzu sauce, lightly pickled tofu, chicken breast with chili sauce and fresh squid carrots.

It wasn't something like "caviar and simmered foie gras and fried truffles" that he had seen in his previous dream, but rather Momoko's repertoire of dishes that he especially liked.

All of them combine perfectly with sake.

While he happily ate those delicacies and drank beer...

"Hello, Jingi. I'm glad you returned safely."

Haruaki arrived with a bottle of local sake hanging in one hand.

"Hey, Jingi."

"Hello!"

"Hey, don't make me worry so much."

Also appearing is the trio of bad friends, Yashiki, Saruwatari and Mitarai. Besides them, Momoko and Yukito, who had finished cooking, also joined the banquet and everyone toasted again. Everyone praised Jingi.

"Jingi is actually quite manly."

"I'm so glad to be your friend."

"He is my proud little brother."

"The guidance he gave me was precise and I have nothing but respect for him."

Even if it was just a dream, it made Jingi happy.

Because that's exactly what Jingi wanted.

Good sake and delicious food.

Sometimes...

"Being able to drink alcohol so carelessly and non-stop is, in a sense, a talent."

"Not thinking about anything is the best way to manage stress. Jingi is ahead of the times."

There were some comments that he didn't know if they were praise or criticism, but he didn't care. Besides...

"Jingi-san, you are so cool!"

"Okay! Good drink!"

The way they praised people was becoming more and more careless, but for the moment he would close his eyes.

Just when he thought that...

Although it was a dream, he still didn't understand why everyone was so worried about him. What's more, if Jingi showed even the slightest sign of leaving his seat, everyone would turn around and ask why. In the end, he was annoyed that Yukito even followed him to the bathroom.

It's like they're watching him...

The rest was Momoko.

For a moment now, she had been shedding tears from time to time, and was constantly wiping them with her handkerchief, which made him feel really uncomfortable.

The person claimed that onion juice got into her eyes while she was cooking...

That is not true. There is definitely something behind that banquet. Even with that in mind, Jingi continued drinking in a good mood until he completely lost consciousness. In a way it was an escape.

It was easier and more fun to put an end to the doubts that had arisen in his mind.

And the behavior of that principle of not doing everything has had serious consequences and has turned against Jingi.

After waking up from his intoxication, Jingi realized that he was tied to a grid-like board. Carefully, not only his wrists and ankles, but also his neck and torso were tied tightly with rough ropes.

With his legs spread, Jingi was stretched out against the board.

"Damn! That's what I thought!"

Jingi screamed, but Yukito quickly gagged him.

"Tch. It seems that the drug was not as effective as I expected, Kurama-san."

Yukito clicked his tongue with an evil look on his face. The situation was different from when he was a zombie, but it seemed that this was also Dark Yukito.

Apparently they had given him something strange to drink.

Before he knew it, he saw not only the people who had been at the banquet earlier, but also Inou and other islanders he recognized. They all wore white robes similar to those worn by mountain priests. As they looked at Jingi, who was lying there...

"Jingi. Please don't hold a grudge against me."

Haruaki said with a serious face.

"Now you can offer yourself to the fire dragon."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jingi-chan."

Momoko said as she wiped away her tears.

"It's to protect the island. If you sacrifice yourself, everyone will be saved."

"Alright, let's throw him into the crater and go back home."

Yukito said as if he was throwing flammable trash.

(He's the only one with a strange personality!) Jingi thought.

It's true, but his gag prevented his from complaining. Among them, the islanders, led by Haruaki...

"Okay!"

"Let's do it!"

He shouted and lifted Jingi onto the board.

"Noooooo~! Stop it!"

The group then walked around the volcano (probably) in Shinoshima for a while.

"Jingi!"

"Bye!"

Jingi was suddenly launched into the air from what appeared to be a volcanic mouth. An overwhelming feeling of falling. And a sense of urgency approaching behind him.

(Swallowed by fire!)

The moment he thought that...

Jingi's body bounced violently from the depths of the earth and then rose into the air again.

As he rose slightly from the crater, he saw Yukito, Momoko and the others applauding loudly.

"So, there's actually a trampoline inside!"

Jingi let out a tsukkomi cry and woke up in the middle of the life line.

"What is this?"

Thinking about it a little...

"Is there a system where you can't wake up unless you scream out loud from the bottom of your heart?"

Jingi was complaining in the middle of the life line.

He had enough time to cross his arms and frown because he was already used to it.

But it was another nightmare. It seemed like he was being sacrificed to quell the fire dragon, but the people around him were too dangerous. Especially Yukito.

"That's why everyone was so excited, damn it!"

Jingi has been wearing down little by little. Even when he dreams, he feels that his existence is gradually shrinking. At this rate, it won't be long until he is completely immersed in the life line.

"Oh, no. What I want to see is... that's right. It's fine, as always. Yukito is a little cheeky, but honest. And Momoko-san is kind and a little natural. And..."

Just one thing.

If he is allowed to dream in the truest sense.

"I guess I'd like to see Haru-nii and Aka-nii getting along like before."

Jingi closed his eyes, withdrew all the strength he had left in his mind and body, and surrendered to the flow of life. And while he slept, he had a new dream.

By the fourth time, it was much easier to realize that it was a dream and understand the situation. Rural landscape as far as the eye can see. White storm clouds and dazzling sunlight. Although there are slight variations in seasonality and timing, so far they have all appeared in the same location in Ninoshima.

(Maybe it's like the starting point of the game?)

And the two ladies in front of him.

(I guess those people are default characters too.)

The mission is to run.

"Tanaka Oba-chan, Nomura Oba-chan, hello!"

He ran between the two, greeting them.

"Oh, Jingi-chan."

"Hello. You're always in a good mood."

They both smiled and waved. He had a kind of premonition. He was sure that his wish would come true this time.

He was in a good mood with the pleasant (probably) summer scenery. He kept running all the way home, breathing lightly, stopping in front of the entrance and taking a few deep breaths.

After making sure that his breathing was normal, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and entered through the front door.

The first person he met in the hallway was Yukito.

He was a little nervous because in all of his dreams so far, Yukito had a terrible personality.

"Eh? Jingi-san, where have you been?"

He seemed like a normal Yukito, the same as always. He pouted and protested.

"You promised to watch me train in the morning! You drank too much yesterday too. I'm going to tell Kurama-san and Ibuki-san that you're being too casual too!"

A naive and sensitive boy. Even though he was hated and slapped, Jingi could see that he really respected him.

"......"

Without realizing it, Jingi extended his hand towards Yukito's head and was playing with his hair.

"W-what?"

Yukito rolled his eyes and walked away. While he held his head with both hands...

"Hey, are you still drunk?"

He looked at Jingi accusingly. However, Jingi did not respond and looked for his next target.

He went to the kitchen and found Momoko cooking. She set the bowl she had been using to taste in the sink and looked at Jingi.

"Eh? Jingi-chan, are you back? Wait for me. Lunch will be ready soon."

Momoko Amamiya.

She is like an older sister who has always lovingly watched over Jingi. Without her, not only Jingi, but also Haruaki and Aka would have lived completely different lives.

Has he adequately expressed his gratitude to her?

He now deeply regretted it.

"Momoko-san, thank you as always."

Jingi took Momoko's hand and bowed cordially to her.

And...

"I'm sorry."

He couldn't even apologize for passing away first. She must have cried a lot.

Momoko is kinder than anyone. Yukito too. He was sure that, although he complained, he cried profusely.

Suddenly, Jingi understood. The reason why Yukito and Momoko were so scary and abnormal in his dreams was because Jingi feared that from the bottom of his heart. Since they were such important members of the family, everything seemed to turn into a nightmare.

"Jingi-chan?"

Momoko frowned and tilted her head slightly.

"You're drunk?"

She came to almost the same conclusion as Yukito. She glanced at Yukito, who followed Jingi, but Yukito simply shrugged, as if to say, "I don't know what's going on.".

Meanwhile, Jingi staggered towards the living room. He opened the sliding door and waited to see the scene he always wanted.

Haruaki and Aka.

Seeing his brothers get along.

"Hello, Jingi."

"What happened? Did something happen?"

Kurama Haruaki and Ibuki Aka were definitely there.

Two adults live in that house. Things like that haven't stopped since his teacher, Makoto Yanagi, passed away.

"Haru-nii, Aka-nii..."

Jingi's voice became hoarse with emotion and then he said:

"Then why are you both dressed like that?"

He asked, his face suddenly half serious.

"Eh? Are you acting really weird?"

Haruaki, who was only wearing a swimsuit and a T-shirt, looked at himself curiously. He usually wears the solemn costume of a priest, so seeing him in a simple figure with so much skin feels even more strange.

"We're going to the beach, so it's natural, right? You should hurry up and change your clothes."

Aka, who quickly put on his snorkel and underwater goggles, ordered Jingi to do that. Again, instead of the tight suit he always wears, he wears a t-shirt and navy pants.

Then the two began to talk happily about what they would do when they went to the beach.

"Alright, let's swim as hard as we can!"

Haruaki said as he turned his body around and did something similar to gymnastics.

"Let's use the harpoon to hit the fish, okay?"

Aka, who was trying to contain himself, but looked clearly more excited than usual, suggested that. Together, the two remembered their mission.

"Come on, Jingi, let's go!"

"Let's play as hard as we can!"

Sparkling eyes. The innocent smile of his childhood. However, both of them had the same faces and physiques as the adults. Jingi held back, trembling slightly.

"Jingi!"

"Look!"

His two brothers who had become adults pulled him left and right.

"They get along like before!"

Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and snapped. The awakening trigger activated and Jingi woke up again.

Jingi finally lowered his head in despair. He realized that the energy that made up his consciousness was running out.

"Damn, I have so many incomprehensible dreams..."

He whispered that resentfully. He couldn't help but feel sleepy from before. As it was, he would break into small pieces and be swallowed by the flow of life energy.

The next time he falls asleep, he will never wake up again.

(Damn.)

The last dream was the one that touched his heart the most.

Well, leaving aside Haruaki and Aka.

(That made me realize that I had a lot of unfinished things.)

He had more things to teach Yukito.

He wanted to thank Momoko.

Why couldn't he tell Haruaki and Aka to get along?

He wanted to hang out more with his bad friends. Enjoy a glass of sake while he enjoys the peaceful scenery of Ninoshima. Being able to go fishing or play pachinko.

He wanted to apologize for causing trouble for Inou.

He wanted to see everyone's faces.

He wanted to see them smile.

(Damn.)

Tears fell. He bit his lip and let the tears fall. Suddenly, the words of his teacher Makoto Yanagi came to his mind. He commented on the qualities of his disciples as connections:

"Haruaki is, well, a genius. I guess it's a matter of lineage, but there's something he's born with. He'll be able to fly to the heights as easily as a gust of wind."

He continued.

"Aka is a theoretical person. One by one, he practices what he can't do and shapes it. Since he can see his surroundings clearly, I am sure there will be many people who will admire him in the future. He will surely become a pillar thick and strong that will never break."

Makoto laughed as Jingi asked, "What about me? What about me?"

"Maybe you don't have much talent. Even at this age, you're still lazy and, surprisingly, cowardly and careless."

That's what he said. Makoto pouted at Jingi.

"That's why you look more like me."

He ruffled Jingi's hair and stroked it with his large hand.

"Jingi. Even if the road is ugly, get up. Being in good shape is not the style of people like us."

In the middle of the life line, Jingi silently opened his eyes again.

"I understand... Master."

Even if he is in the mud...

Maybe it's a murky stream of life. Even if it's ugly...

(I'll hold on to life until the end!)

Jingi began scratching his hands and feet frantically. Imagining levitation, he did his best to hold on to his fading existence and began to swim frantically, aiming only for the top. Every time he felt like he was about to break, he thought about Yukito, Haruaki, Aka, Momoko and his master. The only thing he thought about was his family and his friends.

(Once again, just one more time.)

Then, with all his strength, he finally surfaced from the life line and took a deep breath.

However, the current is too fast and buoyancy is almost ineffective.

"Gaaak! Whoops!"

If he does not move his limbs with all his might, the flow of life force will engulf him in no time.

"Shit! Damn!"

At that moment, Jingi felt as if he heard the interesting voice of his master in his ear.

(Here, Jingi. It's time to take a breath. Good luck. I've prepared some help.)

Jingi regained his strength and crawled. Somehow he had a hunch. He was sure that a helping hand would be waiting for him when he swam there.

And what he saw was...

"Master! Is this?! This is it!"

It was a giant pipe protruding from the inside of the life line. It looked familiar. Although it is larger than the standard, it is definitely a masterpiece that master Makoto Yanagi loved. He felt so homesick that he felt like crying.

Jingi held on to the Kiseru and used his remaining strength to skillfully climb up the body.

Note: Kiseru is the Japanese term for the ancient Japanese pipe. Kiseru were used to smoke a wide variety of substances, including tobacco, cannabis and opium.

Then, he came to a place where he could maintain his posture and shouted as loud as he could.

"Yukitooooooooooooo!"

He called to the being in which he had to believe the most.

"Help me!"

Beyond life.

He felt that he could see the face of a child who was destined to become a water dragon through a very faint slit that connected to that world.

Without hesitation, Sagawa Jingi decided to simply live.

#ayaka #jingi sagawa #ibuki aka #kurama haruaki #yanagi yukito #amamiya momoko