#wc : 1633

[scriveyner]

gifts & curses 18

gifts & curses: 18/30 wc: 1633 rated: M

Masayoshi looked up when the door to his room clicked open. He wasn’t startled, he had heard the soft footsteps well before they reached his door but he had also registered the momentary hesitation before the door itself opened.

It had gone well past very late and was now very early, and Masayoshi had been sitting on the bed and staring out the window instead of resting; working out the best plan he could manage to get out of here. He had barely any clothes, no shoes…and very little idea what part of the city he was actually in. It would be a slapdash escape, but he’d made worse things work in his favor.

The intruder softly opened the door, and he watched as Akino closed the door behind her, a bag over her shoulder. “I’m not surprised you’re still awake,” she said, her voice as soft as the dim light.

He turned on the bed, kicking his legs over the edge as he faced her. “What are you doing here, Akino-chan?”

Akino touched the bag on her shoulder and then slid it off, setting it on the low dresser. “It’s a dangerous time out there right now, Masayoshi-kun. You already know about the werewolf hunters in the city, but there are larger things afoot than them alone.”

Masayoshi swallowed. The kids were in the city, Hidenori was in the city right now—hopefully, they were all together, but his family was in danger and here he was, unable to help protect them. Masayoshi watched the witch cross her arms and lean back against the dresser, heaving a soft sigh.

“Rian means well,” she said, and Masayoshi made a face. “He honestly does hate werewolves. Most werewolves,” she amended and made an amused noise to herself. “He was killed by one, can’t say I blame him.” Masayoshi opened his mouth to inquire further but she raised her hand to forestall the questions. “Later. If he feels like telling you, that is—it’s not my story to tell. But with the werewolf hunters in the city, neither of us felt it was safe to just let you loose unaided, especially when you let the moon sickness take you like it did.”

“The moon sickness?” Masayoshi asked. He let out an aggrieved noise. “Why won’t anyone just tell me what’s going on? I’m sick of all these half-truths and bullshit, Akino-chan.”

“Let me ask you,” Akino said. “What do you remember from the other day, when you first transformed without the full moon in the sky?”

Masayoshi remembered the panic, the fact that Keiko was limping, wounded—even if just barely—and the anger-turned-to-rage crystallizing in his chest. The split-second of broken chains, and—nothing else. He swallowed. “Not much.”

“The moon sickness is a bloodlust that drives werewolves mad,” Akino said. “They don’t come back to themselves after, and sometimes not even after returning to human form. They have to be put down like the rabid dogs they are.” She braced her palms on the edge of the dresser, cocking her head. “The only reason you’re still alive is that Rian was able to bring you here.”

“It won’t happen again. I have control over it now.”

“It will.” The casual confidence of Akino’s tone made him bristle despite himself. “Wolves who have been affected by the moon sickness once are at greater risk for a reoccurrence. That is the way of the moon sickness, and that’s my primary concern. If you falter…” She shook her head.

“So that’s your justification to hold me here against my will, huh?” He felt the first hint of that flame of anger in his chest again. “For keeping me from my family, for keeping everyone in the dark…” he touched his hand to his bare chest, where the chain would fall if he still wore his ring. The flame hissed and flickered brighter.

“This is not just about your family,” Akino said. “It’s so much bigger than that, Masayoshi, and you are one of the few people capable of stopping what’s coming.” She sighed again. “You of all people should understand that. You’re a hero, aren’t you?”

Masayoshi stared silently at her, fist still curled to his chest.

Akino pushed off the dresser and straightened. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry it shook out this way,” she said. “If the Blade found out about your moon sickness, you’d be dead already. So please remember that it was my decision to handle it like this, and no one else’s.” She gave him a little bow and turned to leave.

Masayoshi said nothing as the door to the room clicked close. The flame of anger in his chest had cooled, and he took a long breath before standing to inspect the bag on the dresser Akino had conspicuously left behind.

There was a wrapped package inside the bag, a fresh change of clothes. And at the bottom of the bag, wrapped separately—was a pair of shoes.

Nestled inside one of the shoes, a cheap flip phone.

Masayoshi’s fingers brushed over the small cell phone, and that ache in his chest grew again. He opened the phone and turned it on—no service here, which somehow didn’t surprise him, given the lack of electronics—but the empty phone book did. This wasn’t his phone, after all, he remembered the sound of the glass front plate of his smartphone shattering against the concrete. Then he laughed at the absurdity because he had no idea what anyone’s phone number was, all the contacts were saved in his old phone.

Well, it didn’t much matter at this point. He would find them anyway.

#

The door to the stairwell was open, just a crack, enough for Masayoshi to get his fingers in and pull the door the rest of the way open. There was no handle on this side, when closed it was completely flush with the wall, with no indication of the seam when the door itself was shut. More magic, Masayoshi figured, but it didn’t matter now. He hurried down the stairwell, lit only by emergency lights, the sound of his new shoes echoing so loud he figured he would be pursued.

There was no sign of Akino-chan or Rian, however, and before he knew it he was pushing out a door with a clearly labeled exit sign and stepping out into a side alley that fed into the main road. The sun was just now starting to emerge, daylight grey and growing brighter.

Masayoshi stood in the entrance to the alley, rooted in place, and just inhaled; basking in the scent of the outside world, of the city so sorely missed he didn’t even know where to start.

Hidenori.

Masayoshi’s heart beat harder at the thought. Hidenori would have found the cubs by now, rounded them up, and looked after them. He didn’t think of himself like that, but Hidenori was the leader of their little pack and the thought of it made Masayoshi smile. What would he think of this new revelation of Masayoshi’s, the fact that he had always been this, he just hadn’t known it?

He inhaled again, deep, looking for the threads of a familiar scent in the stink of millions of people, hundreds of thousands of vehicles, countless animals, trash….

Masayoshi’s eyes snapped open and he stepped out into the flow of pedestrian traffic, head down. He didn’t smell Hidenori or the cubs.

But he did smell a wolf.

#

Akino stood at a window looking down on the street. From this high up, the pedestrians were like ants but she liked to pretend she could pick out which one was Masayoshi even from here. She could sense the vampire in the shadows and sighed but didn’t turn around. “You don’t have to lurk any longer, he’s gone.”

“Letting him go like that is a bad idea,” Rian said.

“You wanted to kill him, I don’t want to hear about your bad ideas,” Akino reminded him, crossing her arms. “You and the Blade both. Come to think of it, you wanted to kill me, too.”

“I have bad luck with witches.” Rian slunk out of the shadows and stopped near the windows, just out of range of where the daylight was starting to emerge. “And werewolves, for that matter.”

“You have worse luck with other vampires,” Akino snorted, and Rian gave a low, un-amused chuckle. “I hope this is the right thing to do.”

“You’re still not sure?” He sounded surprised. “I thought you knew already.”

“Reading tea leaves is a party trick for those who pay for it,” she said and rubbed her hands up and down her arms before turning away from the window. “The future is always in motion, Martin-kun. There are many different elements at play, too many variables tangling the threads for me to keep proper track of how it plays out. Masayoshi-kun is the largest by far, and he pulls on the threads of fate himself.”

“You really think he’s the key to everything,” Kennichi Himura said, stopping on Akino’s other side, “don’t you?”

“He is capable of drawing the disparate elementals all together.” She tilted her head and regarded Kennichi. “That is, unless the Blade still considers him enough of a threat to be put down.”

Kennichi’s mouth quirked, and he glanced out the window. “Do you even think he can be put down?”

“Mm.” She looked to Rian, who was scowling again. “I’m not in a hurry to find out. Are you?”

“Not until we put an end to everything.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Rian said. “First things first.”

“Of course,” Kennichi said, smiling a tight, sharp-toothed grin. “Shibusawa.” He looked at Rian and Akino in turn, who both nodded. “Let’s get to work.”

<< Part 17 || Start || Part 19 >>

#samurai flamenco #gotoyoshi #masagoto #werewolf au 2022 #multipart #ongoing

[woogyu]

Can I please have 4,5 and 8 with hyunjae 🥺

4. You're staring again

5. Wow. You look stunning

8. Don't smile at me like that. You know it drives me crazy

»»————-　♡　————-««​

notes; MIGHT HAVE NEARLY SOBBED WRITING THIS, THIS IS SO CUTE, AM DYING, HOPE YOU LIKE. Tbz and royalty aus are just a perfect match in my brain.

Thank you for requesting!!

wc; 1633

Drabble Game Requests | OPEN | Drabble Prompts; fluff | angst | funny

»»————-　♡　————-««

“You’re staring again,” Younghoon elbowed Hyunjae in the side, nearly causing the prince to drop his drink. Hyunjae shot a glance at his oldest friend, eyes wide as he was caught watching the far door.

“Was not,” Hyunjae mumbled, his cheeks tinged a light pink as he quickly averted his gaze anywhere else.

“She’ll be here.” Younghoon told him, voice softening as he realized what the prince was doing. Hyunjae didn’t respond, his attention now very focused on the glass in his hand. He had already brushed off half of the ladies at the ball, wanting to save his first dance for the special one he was waiting for.

“We are late because you spent so long with those hair curlers,” you hissed at your friend, hurrying up the palace stairs. “Beauty comes at the cost of time, my dear y/n,” the girl responded, batting her eyelashes at you. A smile threatened to pull at your lips as you rolled your eyes.

You were honestly foolish for even coming here, for assuming that the prince would be expecting you. He had his pick of all the unwed ladies attending, there was no way he would want to waste his time with you. It was really a miracle you had even spoken with him at all, a chance of fate some might say.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You were here far too late, but the head baker had left you with a seemingly endless number of tasks to complete before you could leave. Granted, the tasks had been left to your entire team of bakers, however, as the youngest of the bunch they had graciously left them for you as an ‘initiation’. You supposed that taking advantage of the new staff was nothing new.

You worked on rolling out the dough for rolls, your arms screaming in pain after being worked for nearly 16 hours straight. Part of you wanted to leave, quit this job and go back to your town. Forget about your dreams of becoming head baker at the palace and admit to your family that they were right. Blinking back tears, you shook your head, no, you could do this. You wouldn’t let them force you out.

“Gods! You scared me half to death,” a voice cut through the silence, your eyes darting to a figure in the doorway. It was nearly 3am, no one should be awake right now.

“Don’t the baker's shift end at 6? You are either here very late or very early.” The voice commented, walking toward you. As they entered the light you realized, to your horror, that it was the prince. You were very aware of the fact that you were covered in flour and probably had horrendous dark circles under your eyes. You quickly wiped off your hands and bowed, your shoulders tensing up.

“Your Majesty” you greeted, voice wobbly and uncertain. He waved a hand, leaning against the counter you were working on.

“No need for the formalities…” he smiled at you and you could have sworn your heart jumped at the sight. “I don’t believe I’ve met you before… and I am a frequent visitor of the kitchens” he hummed, reaching under the counter to retrieve a glass before filling it with water.

“I just started working here… my name is y/n, your ma-“ a quick glance from him cut off your honorific. You shut your mouth and relaxed a little bit. You had always heard wonderful stories regarding the prince, both in reference to his kindness and beauty.

“You can call me Hyunjae” he said smoothly, chuckling when you quickly shook your head, mouth open in shock. You could never.

“So Miss y/n, what keeps you here so late or early?” he inquired, his eyes fixed on yours, nearly causing you to choke when you began to answer him. Why did your name have to sound so pretty on his lips?

“I stayed late to finish the work assigned to my t-“ you quickly cut off your words, you couldn’t rat out your team to the prince, that wouldn’t look good on you. “Assigned to me today” you quickly finished, hoping he did catch your slip up.

“Hmmm, a bakers’ assignment shouldn’t take into the night to finish” he mused lazily, moving around to stand next to you. He was quiet for a moment, sipping his water, either waiting for you to explain further or giving you time to think of a better answer. When you didn’t say anything he simply smiled and set his cup down, you were thankful he didn’t press the topic further.

“Would you like some help? I haven’t been able to fall asleep so perhaps a little bit of work might be good” he explained, causing your eyes to widen. You quickly shook your head, struggling to find out how to respond to such an offer. What sort of prince offered to help those working in his castle?

“I simply couldn’t… It wouldn’t be fit… You…” you struggled to supply, mind reeling with how close in proximity he was to you. This prince was going to be the death of you if he kept this up, your heart couldn’t handle it.

Hyunjae merely smiled at your weak protests, rolling up his sleeves and dousing his hands with flour. “An extra set of hands will make the work go faster” he offered, pulling off a piece of dough you had been kneading and began working it on the table.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You had been in shock that night, and the weeks after only showed you that the prince would not run out of ways to shock you further. Your nightly rendezvous in the kitchen became nearly a daily thing, him helping you with your tasks and the two of you chatting about everything and nothing.

You hadn’t planned on attending the ball, unsure if you would even be allowed to do so. Then Hyunjae asked, and you were learning that it was impossible for you to say no to him. He looked at you as if you weren’t a baker and him a prince, but as if you were just another lady and him just another gentleman.

That being said, you knew how foolish it was to come here tonight. Stolen moments in a dark kitchen were one thing, but a ball where there were dozens of other ladies in beautiful ball gowns… you wouldn’t stand a chance in your simple white lace dress. And yet, you found yourself utterly excited about the event, about the possibility and of course, about the prince.

“Thank you… for attending with me” you told your friend before the two of you stepped through the doors. “I don’t think I would have been able to do this alone” you admitted, sheepishly looking down at the floor.

“Don’t let the other ladies intimidate you y/n, you look absolutely stunning” your friend said with absolute certainty before pushing the large doors open.

You stepped through, the bright lights filling your vision before the ball came into view. Many eyes snapped up to yours before retreating, but as you slowly descended the stairs you found a pair of eyes focused entirely on you. Your cheeks flushed as you focused on not tumbling down the staircase, the prince maneuvering through the crowd to meet you at the bottom of the stairs.

Upon reaching the bottom you took Hyunjae’s outstretched hand, your eyes focused on him as the rest of the guests faded into the background.

“Wow.” He swallowed, his eyes momentarily flashing down to your feet and back to your eyes. “You look stunning” he breathed as your heart raced. You smiled softly, nervously glancing down at your gown.

“It was my mothers,” you said softly, unsure if why you had even said that as if he would care. He simply smiled at your words, leading you out onto the dance floor.

“She must be proud to have such a beautiful daughter” he commented, his eyes sparkling in the brightly lit room. You flushed once more, allowing him to lead you onto the ballroom floor.

“May I have this dance?” he asked, his eyes trained on you as he held out his hand. You nodded a little too quickly, not trusting your voice to provide him with a verbal answer. When he pulled you in close, you could have sworn that time itself paused around you. You were entirely unaware of what was going on outside of you and the prince.

“I saved my first dance for you… I am so very happy that you decided to come” he admitted, his lips close to your ear. Your breath hitched and you nearly tripped over your own feet. Not only had he been waiting for you, he hadn’t danced with anyone else… If your heart hadn’t been racing before it certainly was now.

When you didn’t answer he leaned back a little bit as he looked down at you wearing the most dazzling smile you had ever seen.

“Don’t smile at me like that. You know it drives me crazy” you breathed before you could even register what you were saying. You flushed and his smile only grew… gods you could have sworn there were stars in his eyes.

“Like what?” he promoted, amusement swimming in his gaze. You look a steadying breath and brought your eyes back up to his, getting lost in the depth of them.

“Like I’m the only girl in the room” you answered, voice barely above a whisper. He let out a breathy laugh, his arms tightening around your waist.

“In my eyes, you are” he stated, the sincerity in his voice washing over you.

#hyunjae imagines #hyunjae scenarios #the boyz x reader #the boyz scenarios #the boyz fanfic #the boyz imagines #hyunjae fanfic #lee jaehyun #the boyz #the boyz hyunjae #tbz #tbz x reader #hyunjae x reader #the boyz drabble game #tbz imagines #tbz smut #the boyz fluff #tbz fluff #the boyz drabble #tbz drabble

[scuttle-buttle]

Chapter 10

WC: 1633

Rated: E

Chapter Tags: anxiety, angst, brief fears of infidelity, discussions of childbearing and marriage/gender roles, psych theories, some manipulation, age difference, brief mention of domestic violence (there is none)

A/N: If you have any questions regarding the tags for this chapter and want to ask me about it before reading please do so! The chapter is not necessarily dark but I understand that some may want me to give a more detailed warning/context. I want all my readers to be as comfortable as possible 💙

🧠

It started out small. He would bring up Dr. Stratton during conversation more and more often. Three times now he had been late to office hours, causing you to have to wait outside his room, nervously checking the time. But it’s nothing, you continue to remind yourself. They’re just good friends that haven’t seen each other in years. And you trust them both.

When another Friday night passed with Laszlo skipping drinks in favor of meeting with Karen, you decided to stay in as well. It had been a month since they reacquainted with one another. In those weeks you had seen less of him outside work. Your sex life was stagnating too, much to your annoyance. He had even canceled at the absolute last minute on a dinner date. Naturally, you had begun to feel a twinge of jealousy at his lack of attention. He kept saying it was work related. Nevertheless, the sullen temperament you'd adopted went unnoticed by the doctor. You felt foolish; you weren’t so needy that you had to make a big deal about it. So you said nothing on the issue.

You sat on the old couch in your apartment. Bitsy was getting ready to go out with Lucius for date night. Picking at your fingers, you decide to ask your roommate for advice. “Hey Bits?”

“Yeah?” she called from her bedroom.

“Can I ask you a question about Lucius?” you start.

“Sure, what’s up?”

You pause as you think of how to word your thoughts. “Do you ever, like, get jealous? When he hangs out with other girls I mean.” Her head pops out of the door frame as she finishes fastening her earring, eyebrows raised in question. “It’s just that Laszlo has been spending a lot of time with Dr. Stratton now that she’s back in town. I trust them and everything, but I’m starting to feel a bit left behind I guess…” you trail off.

“Oh honey, that's normal.” She waves a hand through the air as she speaks. “There’s this girl at the lab that Lucius works with and for the first month I was convinced she was trying to steal him away from me. Turns out she just wanted Marcus, his brother!” Bitsy lets out a cackle.

“Right…” you pick at the skin around your fingernails. “I just feel silly about it. I’m sure I’m overreacting to the whole thing, though. Laszlo would never do anything, and I don’t think Dr. Stratton would either,” you remind yourself outloud. "There's just this thing John said to me about them having a past and I can't get it out of my head."

“It's not silly.” Bitsy had moved further into the bedroom, causing her voice to be slightly muffled. “But if it bothers you that much, talk to him about it. He’s a psychologist, it’s kinda his job to understand emotions and things like this. And if he loves you like you say he does then he’ll put a bit more effort into giving you his attention.”

You marinate on what she’s told you. Bitsy is right, if it bothers you that much then you need to bring it up with him. Be an adult, use communication, and all that. “Why’re you always right and level-headed about everything?”

“Someone’s gotta be, with a hot head like you,” she snarks. Her phone buzzes letting her know her date is downstairs. With a squeeze on the shoulder she bids you goodbye, telling you to let her know if you need anything.

_

The atmosphere in Dr. Stratton’s office felt off. What was usually so open and warm had felt forced and awkward. You were still ignoring the guilt of your jealousy at the doctor. She wasn’t as talkative today, unlike usual. Instead, it was strictly business. You chalked it up to her having an off day.

The two of you discussed in more depth the fetishes and kinks from the list you had compiled. Unfortunately, due to spending less time with your boyfriend the last few weeks you hadn’t had much of an opportunity to try any of the new tricks you were learning about. Therefore, you had little to really talk about in that regard. You found that you didn’t particularly mind, as you were feeling less inclined to want to share about your love life due to your envy towards the woman in question.

Dr. Stratton quietly gathered together her notes from the session and placed them into the folder. You were about to ask if she needed anything else from you when her lips parted before closing again. She leaned forward on her desk towards you. Her fingers steepled under her chin.

She licks her lips. “There is something I wish to discuss with you unrelated to the study.”

You didn’t like where this was going. Dread pooled in your gut at the concerned look on her face. “O-okay.”

“Now I want you to understand that I only bring this up out of concern for your wellbeing and emotional health. But some of the things you have told me over the course of this study have me worried.”

What on earth could you have said that would cause this sort of reaction from her? She was the most calm and collected person you had ever known. To have her speaking out made your heart race in your chest.

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before opening her mouth again. “In truth I worry about your current relationship. I fear that-”

Brows furrowing, your mind goes to the worst conclusion. You blurt out “what? No! He doesn’t hurt me or anything, I don’t know what would have given you that impression but I- ”

The doctor reaches out with her hand to settle on your forearm. “My dear take a breath, I meant no such thing.”

You take a deep inhale to compose yourself. “Then what are you talking about?”

“Speaking as your friend, and as an alienist, I fear that this boyfriend is potentially using you for your youth,” she begins the tale she concocted, unbeknownst to you. “In my experience as a psychologist, the young women such as yourself that I encounter with significantly older male companions find themselves locked into the relationship. Typically, it is from dependence on money at first. Over time, the male pressures the woman to be compliant in things like marriage and childbearing. I understand how difficult it is for a woman as driven as you to balance your aspirations with relationships and domestic matters. Do you want children?”

Her statement and question take you back. Confusion is written all over your face. Marriage? Children? Neither you nor Laszlo had ever brought up either subject. You didn’t even know if it was something he was interested in. “Wait what? I'm not sure I follow…”

“Men around his age go through an identity crisis in which they begin to become aware of their mortality. A change in priorities. The most common desire is to procreate, to start a family in which to pass on their wisdom is strongest here. Are you prepared to give him children soon? Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a mother, it is a very noble role. Yet you do not strike me as someone ready for such a large step.”

You can barely form a coherent thought at her onslaught. The whole conversation was so out of the blue that you felt incredibly lost. Did you want children? Did he want children? Now? You wrap your arms around your torso to stave off the uncertainty and anxiety you feel creeping in. No words come to your defense at her interrogation. You are speechless, jaw dropped.

She stands and crosses the room, placing her cool hands on your cheeks. “My dear you are still a child yourself. This is something you need to consider. To… consider the possibility that you can’t give him what he needs. That he may need someone closer to his age with the same priorities, someone more willing to give in to his needs now. I don’t think you’re ready for that. I’ve seen the cost that these girls face. And the societal pressures and judgement you would face being with someone so much older? I think it could throw you into a state similar to after your friend passed. I wouldn’t want to see you in that position again. I want you to have your freedom."

Dr. Stratton looks up at the clock suddenly; “oh! My, I’m going to be late for a meeting, you’ll have to go. I don’t believe we need any more sessions for the study, but I will let you know if anything changes.”

You are too in shock trying to process everything she said to you as she ushers you out of the door with a “think about what I said, dear.” The door shuts behind you.

Karen sat with a huff. She felt a tad guilty for what she had said to you. She had no idea if Laszlo wanted marriage or children, he hadn’t when they were first together. But times change. She hoped that by using the angle of kids and identity crises that she could subtly plant a seed of doubt in your mind. Strike quickly and overwhelmingly, plant the doubt that you weren’t right for him, then push you out before you have the chance to seek answers or reassurance from her. It seemed you bought her false concern as actual worry. You were a great girl. But you were just that - a girl. You couldn’t give Laszlo what he needed, not like she could.

Now she simply had to wait and let your mind eat away at itself, leaving him for the taking.

Tag list

@hardlyinteresting @lorna-d-m @livvyshmiv @somethingthatsaysbubbles @greeneyedblondie44 @unbeatablecurlgirl @apparrio @marchingicenotes7 @anteroom-of-death @bruhidaniel @lemairepstuff @thehuiabird @zemosimp05 @alindeluce @iamnotthecatladynextdoor @laura-naruto-fan1998 @trelaney @boneheadduluc @i-am-dead-inside-666 @fictionlandslanddreams @thatoneartgalsstuff @hb8301 @fandom-princess-forevermore @foggycandywitch @creme-bruhlee @andy-rocks @nonamec0s

#psychopathia sexualis #the interpretation of dreams #laszlo kreizler x reader #laszlo kreizler #laszlo x reader #laszlo kreizler fanfic #the alienist #the alienist angel of darkness #daniel brühl #daniel bruhl #daniel bruhl laszlo kreizler #tw anxiety #tw infidelity #tw psychological manipulation #gender expectations #scuttle-buttle

[bokutosworld]

for the love that i’ve lost | miya atsumu

pairing: miya atsumu x f!reader  wc: 1633 words, angst with happy ending (maybe? lol) summary: when the past finally catches up to him, atsumu decides to make long overdue amends.

Atsumu lives life with no regrets. In all his years, he’s been careful with his choices and decisions; no hint of hesitation in his actions as he’s never too fond of the idea of looking back and beating himself up over the chances that he didn’t take. 

But with this invitation in one hand and his brother on the phone in the other, he gets an unsettling feeling. The one mistake that he has been running away from all these years has caught on to him. In his palm, his greatest fear has materialized. 

“‘Tsumu, are you still there?” 

For a minute, the setter was frozen in place, the hand holding the piece of paper was shaking and his eyes frantically reading and reading the contents of the letter. His strong resolve crumbles, the feelings he has locked away in his heart comes crashing in waves and he’s overwhelmed with the bitterness of longing and regrets – the very emotions that he has been concealing for the past years. 

Osamu is still talking in the other line, filling the silence that his twin brother left. When he came home from work, the other half of the Miya brothers saw a suspiciously decorated envelope on the mailbox. Ripping it open, he carefully reads the words written in cursive letters and when he processes it, his mind instantly flies to Atsumu.  

And with Atsumu's prolonged silence on the phone, he figures that he's looking at the invitation right now. 

"—don't have to go, you know that, Atsumu. I can attend in your stead. You're probably busy with training anyway, especially with the exhibition match against Schweiden Adlers happening soon." 

"’Samu," Atsumu's voice wavers as he contemplates what he's about to say next. "Did you know? About her engagement?" 

He sinks down on the sofa, closing his eyes and remembers the day she texted about the news. "Yeah, she informed me. I'm sorry I didn't relay the news to you." 

Atsumu chuckles bitterly, the tight grip he has on the letter slowly crumpling the paper. "You're mean, you know that?" 

"Oi, shut up," Osamu raises his voice in his defense. "You're the one who asked me not to tell you any updates about her. I wouldn't have known that she'd send you a letter directly."

A beat passes before he continues his statement. He knows his brother best, and if his intuitions were correct, Atsumu’s currently sulking and wishing for a way to undo his past. 

"She still cares for you, ‘Tsumu. She misses her friend.”

--- 

The setter retires to the comforts of his soft bed, laying on his stomach and groaning loudly on a pillow. He’s still reeling from the aftershock of receiving the news that his ex – the one and only love of his life, his sunshine, his high school sweetheart – is getting married. 

Not to mention the cold hard truth that Osamu dropped on him. 

“You’re my brother, but I can’t keep taking your side. Atsumu, she was your, our childhood friend first before being your lover. She’s been in our lives for so long, you can’t just cut her off as if you were ripping a band-aid. You immediately left town when the two of you broke up so you can pursue volleyball and you didn’t see how heartbroken she was,” Osamu spat, the words stinging his twin’s feelings more than he intended. 

“’Tsumu, you left her to grieve on her own. She made me swear not to tell you but every day, she kept asking me about you and how you were doing in Tokyo. It was like that for years until she met him.” There’s a brief pause before Osamu proceeds to dump the truth on Atsumu. “He healed her and showed her what it’s like to love again. Now, she’s happy. That is what you want, right? For her to be genuinely happy? 

Atsumu’s lost count of how many times he’d wished he had never let you go. It’s the only choice that he regrets – one that always keeps him up at night when he’s lying in bed and staring at nothing but the darkness. It’s during those wee hours when a familiar pain creeps in; it’s a pain that brings him back to the moment that he released your hand and walked out of your life. The words this is what’s best for us ringing constantly like a desperate chant, a vain effort to convince himself that he made the right choice. He’d hoped those words would bring some sort of ease in the aftermath of the breakup, but he was royally wrong. 

He reaches for his phone on the bedside table, opening his social media and searches for your profile. It’s been a while since he visited your page and when he does, he is greeted by a picture of you and your fiancé, happily smiling in each other’s arms and looking oh so painfully in love. As he continues to explore your page, he has half a mind to press on your contact that he’s saved. He wonders if you’ve changed your number, but it doesn’t take him long to decide as his thumb that was hovering over your name has now pressed the call button. 

Closing his eyes in anticipation, he can feel his own heartbeat in drumming in his ears and he almost ends the call but your voice brings him back. “Hello?” 

As soon as he hears you on the other line, Atsumu jumps up in surprise and he has to look at his phone to make sure that the call actually went through. 

“—mu, is this you? Hello?” 

He quickly puts his phone to his ear and clears his throat before saying his greeting. “Hey,” he laughs nervously, fiddling with the loose thread of his blanket. “How are you? I’m sorry, oh my god, did I wake you?” 

You chuckle, “No, I haven’t slept yet. I was arranging things for the wedding.” 

Silence overtakes the conversation for a moment, and Atsumu is thankful that you can’t see the way his face has fallen, sadness ghosting over his features. “Congratulations, I got the invitation.” He wants to ask why you even bothered to send him one, call you out on how insensitive you were because it felt unfair. Unfair at how it took him years to forget you; but it only took you mere seconds, just one letter and one hello, and you were back to his life again.   

“Do you remember that time we sneaked out and spent the evening looking at the stars? The skies were clear and we watched the most beautiful meteor shower,” Atsumu asks, suddenly feeling nostalgic. You reminisce the old times and think how could you forget that memory when it was that special moment that made you realize of your strong affection for the boy?

“Of course, I do,” you confess and Atsumu could hear the faintest of a smile in your words.  

“That night, when we saw the shooting stars, do you want to know what I wished for?” 

“What?” 

“For you to be the one that I’ll spend the rest of my life with.” His sudden confession takes you aback, and you can’t help but feel pained. You feel like crying, your voice is strained when you quietly mutter his name but he continues. “I know it’s too late for regrets, but I really shouldn’t have given up on us like that. Up to this day, I think about what could have happened if I fought for us the way you did. I keep looking back and I miss you.” 

“Every day, I wake up and wish that you were in my arms. I get off from practice and hope that you’re waiting for me at home. I’d love to experience all that with you, but here I am,” you hear his voice break. “I realize I never really said sorry for how I left you so suddenly, I hope you can still forgive me.” 

“Atsumu, I’ve forgiven you way back.” That’s all the affirmation he needs so he can put to rest his regrets and break free from his haunting past. The two of you settle in a comfortable silence as you wait for him to collect himself, the sounds of his sobs undoubtedly breaking your heart. When he does, he surprises you with his question, 

“So this fiancé of yours, does he treat you well?” 

You let out a hearty laugh and it elicits a smile from him. “He does, Atsumu. He’s a real gentleman and I know you’d get along.” From there, the phone call proceeds with lighthearted chat, catching up with each other’s lives, telling him the story of how you met your soon-to-be husband and the mood has shifted and it feels like two best friends reconnecting.  

There’s a question you were afraid to ask since the start of your conversation, “Will you be able to come to the wedding?” 

“What if I don’t want to?”

“It’s your choice. But it’s a special day and I’d want all the special people in my life to be there.” You admit. “You’re still that person to me, Atsumu.” He hates it when his brother was right, but he can’t deny it. He wants to be back in your life, even if it means just staying as a friend. 

“Isn’t that too cruel? Inviting your ex to your wedding? Are you sure your fiancé is okay with that,” he teases but he’s already decided that he’d be flying home and staying over at Osamu’s for the weekend of your wedding. 

If he can’t be the one waiting for you at the altar, then he thinks he owes it to you and to himself to see you off with a big smile. 

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #atsumu x reader #haikyuu angst #haikyuucreations #haikyuu one shot #atsumu scenarios #atsumu angst #haikyuu drabbles #miya atsumu x reader #haikyuu fics #hq x reader #hq x you #haikyuu x you #haikyuu!!

[chaosangel767]

Hi, can I request for Edgar x Alice NSFW about Edgar being jealous of seeing Alice talking to another man? Thank you.

I finally finish it!!! I think I was facing Smut burn out because it took me forever to write it. Enjoy!

❤ Too Close: Edgar x Alice ❤

Prompt: Jealousy -Alice talking to another man

Fandom: Ikemen Revolution

Type of Oneshot: NSFW

Pairing: Edgar x Alice

Warnings: Edging, sex toys, overstimulation, jealous sex

WC: 1633

Asked for by: Anon

This also counts as Day 5 in the Edgar Birthday countdown.

The rivalry between the Jack of Hearts and the Ace of Spades is public knowledge. Why they hate each other, not many know. Edgar is not pleased when the Black Officers invite Alice, his Alice out for Lunch in the Central quarter, an invitation she is happy to accept.

She is only gone a couple of hours before she returns to Edgar's side, happy and humming as she enters their room and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"Did you have fun my love?" Edgar tries to ask calmly and Alice hums as she wraps her arms around him.

“I had so much fun, how has your day been?” Alice asks, but squeals slightly as Edgar pulls her into his lap and cages her between his arms, pressing kisses along her forehead and cheek. He ignores her lips and moves straight down her neck, nibbling and sucking along the soft skin.

"I've missed you today, it feels like forever since I've kissed you." He lies, praying Alice doesn't catch on to his true feelings. He brings his hands down to her waist as he harshly continues to nip and soothe her neck, encouraged by her moans, but careful of not leaving marks.

A loud knock on the door interrupts them and Edgar growls, ignoring the knocking. The knocking persists and Edgar stands up, clearly annoyed and throws Alice to the bed, and answering the door with a growl, Jonah is standing on the other side.

“We have the dinner party in a couple hours. Dress well and make sure Alice is gorgeous. Do not be late, you’ll make our King look bad.” Jonah turns and Edgar shuts the door with a huff. His eyes look to the bed where Alice stayed put and he rakes his gaze over her body.

He takes a box out of his desk drawer before approaching the bed with a mischievous smile. Crawling on top of Alice he continues where he left off, nipping down her neck, careful to not leave bruises and he opens her dress, letting her assist in taking it off before using the gold ribbon in her hair to tie her hands to the headboard.

“E-Edgar, ahh, we, ahh, have to get r-ready” Alice tries to scold him, but Edgar takes a breast in his mouth and sucks harshly, dissolving her argument into moans and cries for more.

“We’ll be ready in time for the party Alice, don’t worry.” He reassures her as he brushes his fingers along her entrance, teasing her folds and causing her to moan against his lips. Edgar is gentle but firm as he plunges a finger into her, his thumb rubbing against her clit. He is careful to capture her moans in his mouth as he quickly works her up to the edge. Just as she is about to come, there is another knock on the door.

“Sir Edgar, Alice’s dress is outside your door whenever you are ready” The servants voice calls from the door before steps recede. Edgar stops his movements, pulling his fingers from Alice’s core, while she cries out in protest. Edgar kisses her softly and she feels something cool pressing against her folds.

“Shhh Alice if you are good during dinner I will reward you.” He promises, as he inserts the cool round object into her and turns it on. Vibrations fill her, causing her to moan and thrash against the binds.

“Edgar, what the hell” Alice hisses as she writhes against the feeling, it felt so good, but it was nowhere near strong enough to make her cum.

“I want to make sure all your attention is on me tonight during the party. It’s bad enough you were gone all day, I don’t want to have to share you tonight too, especially since the black army will be there.” He tells her, briefly turning it up to bring her back to the edge. Once she was there he lowered the vibrations until she was just hovering over the edge. Edgar leaves the bed long enough to get her dress and lays the box on the end of the bed. Edgar watches as Alice continues to writhe on the bed for a while before releasing her hands from her ties, keeping her hands away from her core.

“Now Alice, rewards wait for you if you don’t touch yourself and don’t take out the toy.” Edgar kisses along her ear and releases her completely, lowering the intensity of the toy so she can function.

Alice slowly gets off the bed, still not entirely sure how or what the vibrations in her core are. She notices a tiny remote looking item on a bracelet around Edgars wrist. She is a little unsteady on her feet so Edgar holds her until her legs get used to the vibrations going on.

“Let’s get ready for the party shall we?” He asks, as they change into their formal wear, Edgar in his formal uniform and Alice in a beautiful ball gown of peach, pink and yellow shades. She follows Edgar out to take a carriage to the Civic center where the dinner party is being held, Edgar occasionally turning up the toy during the right causing her to moan. She was happy that they had a carriage to themselves.

“Remember Alice, think only about me and behave” Edgar whispers in her ear before entering the garden. The party is between the King-Jacks and the Aces of both sides only. Alice is seated between Edgar and Zero, happily chatting with both sides. Her hand goes under the table to dig into Edgars leg a couple of times whenever she isn't acknowledging him.

Edgar has matters to discuss with the King and he leaves her side for only a few moments. When he returns Fenrir is whispering something in her ear and she breaks out into a huge smile and nods laughing at him.

Edgar feels the Jealousy pull at him as he turns up her toy, and appears at her side causing her to cry and grip his arm.

"Alice, are you okay? " Fenrir is worried for his friend but Edgar smoothly cuts in.

"She's going to be fine. Excuse me gentlemen, I am taking her home." Lowering the intensity to where she can walk he leads her to the door and hails a carriage. Once in the carriage she glares at him.

"Fuck Ed, you couldn't wait could you" She whines, grinding against the seat a little. Edgar watches her writhe, lust clouding his eyes as he plays with the intensity the whole ride back. Alice is a mess in the seat, sweating, panting and grinding the seat, moans and pleas falling from her lips.

Edgar chooses to ignore common courtesy and keeping the intense vibrations going he carries Alice into his room, slamming and locking the door before throwing her on the bed. He pins her to the bed, kissing her mouth deeply and grinding against her core causing her to cry out.

"Edgar, please, please let me cum." She begs, tears falling down her cheeks. He looks down at her, she is an absolutely stunning mess under him. Pressing his lips to hers he quickly removes all of their clothes and he moves to kissing her nipple as he tests her entrance. Letting out a guttural groan when he feels how soaked she is from all the teasing.

Edgar removes the toy from her and quickly replaces it with his cock, causing Alice to whimper from the loss and moan from the intrusion. With only a couple of strong thrusts Alice cums around his cock, crying his name and digging her fingers into his back. He hisses at the sensation, loving it even though it was sudden. He reaches over and grabs the toy again, holding it to her clit as he continues his brutal thrusts, chasing his high. Alice moans his name, bordering gibberish as she comes two more times from the intense sensations along her clit. Her last orgasm clamping down on Edgar helps thrust him over the edge and spiraling down into his own pleasure. Slamming his lips down on hers, he rides his orgasm slowly pumping into her.

Turning off the toy he looks down to see Alice is in quite the state, arms still above her head, her hair messed up. Her eyes are closed and her legs are still shaking.

Edgar leaves her side to grab a washcloth, carefully and softly cleaning her up before running a bath. Once she was in the water she seemed to be alert enough to kiss his jaw and run her fingers across the scratches on his back.

"Ed? What was that all about?" She whispers, nestling up into his chest as they rest. Edgar is silent a moment before redirecting her question.

"What were you and the Ace of Spades talking about?" Alice turn to look at him, wincing past the pain and straddling his lap so they were face to face.

"Ray's birthday is in 2 weeks and we were discussing a surprise party and maybe a prank gift to give him" Alice explains, before realization hits her.

"Edgar, were you jealous?" She meets his eyes and holds his gaze, running her fingers along his back, arms and shoulders and he nods.

Alice surprises him with a kiss as she settles back into his lap.

"I'm all yours Edgar Bright. I love you more than anything in the two worlds. Please talk to me when you feel like that." Alice kisses him deeply. Edgar agrees with a hum, supporting Alice while she starts to wash his stomach and arms, following the washcloth with kisses, causing Edgar to throw his head back and groan. The moans and cries last late into the night.

#ikemen revolution smut #ikerev smut #edgar bright #edgar birthday countdown #jealous Edgar #smut

[itsjustmyfantasyroom]

Slipped Disk

So this little fic was requested from my lovely @the-baby-bookworm​ who requested this:

<Do you write for Dodds? Taking care of reader when she’s having problems with her back?>

Well my lovely, here it is- I hope its what your looking for. It was fun writing for him actually.

Warnings: Usual SVU, SVU crimes, Barisi, hurt reader and fluffy fluff.

WC: 1633

Enjoy x

It was early in the morning and Mike was the first one to his desk. He picked up his phone when it vibrated with a notification for his Instagram that you had accepted his friend request and started to follow him back. He scrolled through your pictures smirking to himself looking at your selfies and the multiple photos of you just doing life looking so happy, the few of you and Rollins and Jesse and so many photos of you, Barba and Carisi. Vacation photos, important holiday photos, random nights out and weekend breakfast, lunch and dinner photos. If Rafael and Sonny weren’t together he would have been jealous that you spent so much time with them, but he knew how close you all were and from your page it didn’t seem to show you had any love interests.  As he kept scrolling he came across all your rock climbing photos, but they were old and he wondered if it was still an interest of yours.

Just then he heard your laugh and could almost hear the roll of Rafael’s eyes as the three of you rounded into the bullpen, he quickly locked his phone facing it down on his desk and spun on his chair to face you all,

“Are you three ever apart?” Mike look between the three of you.

“Not as much as I would like” Rafael rolled his eyes smirking.

“Hey” you and Sonny both said at the same time.

“I better go” Rafael lent over to you kissing you on the forehead resting a hand on your waist and then lent up to Sonny cupping one cheek kissing him on the lips “I’ll see you both later. Dodds” Rafael nodded at Mike and walked towards the lifts.

“How was your weekend Mike?” You looked over at him as you sat down at your desk

“It was good” he got up from his desk walking over to sit on the chair next to your desk “How was yours?” he smirked at you after sitting down.

You lent onto your desk closer to him, Sonny sitting across from you both watching on to what was happening in front of him, a half-smile on his face. Mike had told Sonny in so many words that he had feelings for you. It was Sonny who had pushed him to add you on Instagram. “It was good, thanks for asking” you winked at him.

“So- do you still rock climb?” Mike smiled at you sitting back in the chair.

“Wow that was quick” you giggled back, Sonny chuckling “Not anymore, I had a fall last year and hurt my back, been having slight problems with it since”

Mike went to open his mouth when Fin came rushing into the bullpen almost out of breath,

“Get your vests we have to go, I’ll fill you in on the way. Y/N get Liv’s and Rollins vests too.”

Liv had got a funny phone call from an old victim, only being able to hear what was going on, on the other end of the phone, which unfortunately was an assault in progress. Her and Amanda were on the way to her apartment and had called you all for back-up. You guys arrived at the apartment block after Sonny rushing you all there in the squad car,

“Y/L/N, Carisi you guys go around back, Dodds and I will go to Liv and Rollins. Watch your backs” Fin looked at you both wide eyed as him and Mike rushed off into the building.

You and Sonny walked close to each other down the side alley next to the building. Just as you rounded the corner you both seen a young male climbing down the last few stairs of the fire escape making a run for it towards the stairs at the back of the building, “Stop Police” You yelled out. You and Sonny dashed towards him to try and catch him before he got too far. Just as the young male got to the top of the stairs, you were hot on his heels and you lunged for him grabbing him around the waist, as you went to pull him back for Sonny to help you, he spun around in your grip, grabbing the tops of your arms throwing you down the stairs, “Y/N” you heard Mikes voice screaming.

Mike, Fin and Amanda had seen the whole thing as they ran around the corner, Liv watching from the open window of the apartment. Sonny managed to grab the perp and had him pinned down on the ground, Fin coming over to cuff him. Mike and Amanda made a run for you, Mike taking two steps at a time. You had finally stopped at a landing crying in pain and feeling blood running down your face. You went to sit up but screamed when a shooting pain shot through your back.

“Y/N don’t move” Mike cupped your cheek with on hand and grabbed your hand with his other “Rollins call a bus now”

****

“Y/N, Mike's here” Rafael walked into your bedroom handing you your pain med’s and glass of water “I’ll just be in the kitchen working, call if you need me” Rafael kissed the top of your head “I’ll send him in ok”

You nodded at him and smiled “Thanks Rafi”

You had spent two days in the hospital after getting stiches in your forehead, had too many scans and a treatment plan set up for your slipped disks in your back. Really you were grateful that a cut to the head and slipped disks was the extent of it, when it could have been much worse. Liv gave you two weeks off for bed rest and then 4 weeks desk duty till you were cleared by your doctor and physio.

Your heart skipped a beat when you looked to Mike standing in your door way with a big bunch of white flowers in a vase and a coffee,

“Hey Mikey, you can come in” you smiled at him.

Mike smiled back, walking over putting the flowers on your bedside table and handing you the coffee. He lent down and kissed you on top of the head.

“How are you feeling?” Mike said just above a whisper.

“Better now your here” you smiled at him “Sit” you tapped your hand on the bed “The boys have been looking after me and Amanda brings Jesse to cheer me up” Mike looked down and nodded with an almost sad look on his face, “and I’ am glad you finally came, thank you so much for the flowers, they are beautiful and the coffee” you grabbed his hand. Mike gave it a light squeeze and looked up at you “I wished you had come sooner though, I haven’t seen you since I was in hospital.”

“I’ am sorry I didn’t come sooner. Carisi told me you were in a lot of pain and I didn’t want to disturb you”

“Mike you could never disturb me” You squeezed his hand and smiled.

“How about I tell Barba to go and I’ll look after you tonight, I can sleep in the couch”

“I’d like that” you smiled again.

****

Mike cleaned up after the dinner you both had in the bedroom, bringing you a tea and your next lot of pain medication.

“Thanks Mike, did you want to watch a movie with me?”

“I would love that” Mike smiled at you “I’ll go and get a chair”

“Why? You can sit next to me on the bed”

“You su-“

“Yes Mike” you giggled

“Just let me change” Mike walked out of the room to his bag that was on the couch. When Mike had spoken to Rafael about looking after you that night, he sent Sonny to his apartment to get him some cloths for the night and the next day.

Mike walked back into your room in light grey track pants and a navy t shirt, making his way around to the other side of the bed sitting down leaning his back against the head of the bed. Settling in for a movie on the internet, you both decided for a comedy.

Half way through the movie a really funny joke was made, you forgot for a moment how sore your back was, leaning forward in a fit of laugher. You cut your laughter off mind laugh and whimpered in pain,

“Hey you ok?” Mike started to rub your lower back.

“Yeah- it was funny and I forgot about my back” you chuckled.

Mike was still rubbing your back when you lent back into his side. He moved his hand from your back, wrapping his arm around your shoulders so you could get more comfortable, you resting your right hand up on his arm.

“I like having you around” You said softly

“I like being around you” Mike said into your ear. You craned your head around so your eyes could meet his. Mike lifted his free hand to your cheek, lowering his lips on yours for a sweet kiss. Your lips connecting together like a puzzle piece.  Mike pulled back rubbing his thumb over your cheek with a smirk “That was nice” he ghosted your lips “Once you’re up and about, I want to take you out”

“I’d like that” you rubbed your nose with his “Tonight- stay with me, in here”

Mikes lips landed on your again, you could tell he was trying to be gentle so he wouldn’t hurt you.

“Ok- can I- maybe- spend the weekend with you too? Give Carisi and Barba a break”

“Only if you keep kissing me like that” you bit your bottom lip looking up into his beautiful eyes.

Miked smirked and gave you a wink “I don’t think that will be a problem”

Tags: @detective-giggles​ Barisi your my babes @beccabarba​

#mike dodds #reader insert #one shot #request #law and order svu #SVU fanfiction #SVU FANDOM #svu fan #nbc svu #mike dodds x reader #mike dodds and reader #fantasy #fanfic

[tinsley-goldsworth]

band-aids don’t fix bullet holes (chapter 1)

read chapter 1 on ao3!

 summary: from the start, ricky and c.c. were the best of friends but ricky didn’t know c.c. wanted to be more than that and in the end, everything came full circle

Wc: 1633

Tw: Graphic Descriptions of a murder

a/n: this is set in the buzzfeed unsolved universe and i kind of tweaked the canon (even though it hasn’t fully been established) to fit the plot!

~

From a young age, Ricky Goldsworth and C.C. Tinsley were the best of friends. They grew up together in a small neighborhood and spent the majority of their childhood running around and wreaking havoc, in an innocent, child-like way of course. Ricky was the one who always came up with the ideas and C.C. always tagged along, glad to help out a friend. The adults in the neighborhood found their friendship endearing and never really got mad at the two friends for the troubles they got themselves into.

As they grew up, Ricky and C.C. discovered their interest in mystery books and furthermore, murders. They loved reading Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes books and while C.C. was more invested in the detective work and the forensics behind certain cases, Ricky was more interested in the creativity of the murders. When they graduated elementary school and moved onto middle school, the duo began reading about murder mysteries that occurred in real life and enjoyed watching detective shows.

In 7th grade, Francesca also joined their small friend group because she also loved murder mysteries and detective books and introduced Ricky and C.C. to the world of secret agents and spies. She explained that she wanted to be a spy one day and got Ricky and C.C. hooked on a great spy television show. During Halloween, the trio decided to dress up in loosely related costumes so Francesca dressed up as an FBI agent, Ricky dressed up as Jack the Ripper, and C.C. dressed up as Sherlock. Their costumes captured the true oddball nature of the friends.

Many people would assume that C.C. and Ricky would grow apart and branch off to find new friends in high school but they were still the best of friends in high school. Their love for murder mysteries didn’t die either and C.C. and Ricky took a forensic science class together during sophomore year. One day, when they were doing DNA analysis in class, Ricky had turned to C.C. and mused, “Isn’t ironic that as you’re learning how to solve crimes, you’re also learning how to commit a crime and get away with it? Like with all the stuff we learned this year in forensic science, I could, hypothetically, murder somebody right now and not be caught.”

“If our forensic science teacher heard that, I think she would have a heart attack,” C.C. responded and the two laughed before returning to their work, never addressing that remark again.

It wasn’t until junior year when C.C. realized that he was crushing on his best friend. He never consciously thought about how attractive Ricky and thought that wanting to hold your best friend’s hand was normal which, to his surprise, apparently was not. C.C. found himself constantly admiring Ricky, no matter where he was or what time it was. He thought that Ricky looked beautiful when he was stressed about the chemistry test when he was laughing, and even when he was simply watching television.

Because the town C.C. was in wasn’t very progressive and kind of homophobic, it was difficult for C.C. to accept his feelings. He found it difficult to accept that he liked boys in addition to liking girls and it took him about half a year to finally come out to himself. After moving on from that obstacle, C.C. had to accept that he was crushing on his best friend and that his best friend probably was unaware of this development of feelings. Even if Ricky did know, he probably didn’t feel the same about C.C., which is why C.C. never ever wanted to admit his feelings aloud.

Francesca used her abnormally accurate observational skills to quickly determine that C.C. had a crush on Ricky and C.C. knew that Fran knew, but didn’t want to admit it, partly out of shame. On a sunny afternoon, Ricky, C.C., and Francesca were studying for finals together and Ricky had to bike back to school because he left his notebook in his locker, which left C.C. alone with Francesca. The moment Ricky closed the front door, Francesca took her opportunity and excitedly asked, “So, when are you going to ask him out? You clearly are into Ricky! You need to confess your love!”

“Fran, have you been watching spy dramas that are centered around romance lately? Sorry to break it to you but love in real life is very different from fictional love,” C.C. awkwardly replied, frowning a bit as he returned to studying. Francesca pried the notebook away from his hands and continued on as if she hadn’t heard his words.

“I’m pretty sure Ricky is into you too! I can’t really read him but I think he likes you back. You should totally ask him out!” Fran was speaking a mile a minute, a habit that became evident whenever she was overly enthusiastic. She looked like a little excited puppy, clearly ecstatic about the idea of C.C. and Ricky dating.

“I’ll do it when I’m ready,” C.C. lied, hoping that would make Fran drop the subject and she did, dialing her excitement levels back down to the minimum. Fran didn’t mention C.C.’s crush on the oblivious Ricky Goldsworth but would always raise her eyebrows anytime C.C. began staring at Ricky with lovestruck eyes.

Much to Francesca’s dismay, C.C. wasn’t ready to admit his crush on Ricky even after they finished senior year. He knew that he might not ever get the chance to admit his love for Ricky after graduation but decided to bite his tongue and hold his peace forever, hoping that he would be able to move on and find a girl in college that would help him get over this dumb crush of his.

Regardless of C.C.’s remorse, graduating from high school was a sentimental experience. The three friends were going to different colleges and parting ways so they tried to make the best use of their last few days together. Fran was going to New York to study sociology, C.C. was going to Boston to study forensic science, and Ricky was going to California to study criminal psychology and the three had consulted with each other before choosing majors. They spent the last few days together up all night, going through photos and taking a stroll down memory lane. When they officially had to part ways and move into their college dormitories, Francesca, C.C., and Ricky held a party for themselves, promised to stay in touch, and went off to college.

Unfortunately, C.C. lost contact with Ricky halfway through freshman year but occasionally texted Francesca. C.C. tried contacting Ricky several times but his texts never sent and Francesca couldn’t get a hold of him either. Even Ricky’s parents didn’t know what was going on with Ricky and claimed to not have seen him for weeks. C.C. knew this was a red flag and something was wrong but was too busy with school work to take time to investigate.

It wasn’t until C.C. got a job as a private investigator when he looked into the case of Ricky Goldsworth. He searched all public records and every lead he found led to a dead end. C.C. finally gave up on the case, deciding that Ricky probably moved to a new country to start a new life.

Then, he was assigned to a new, intriguing case at 11 pm on a Monday night. The investigation agency refused to disclose the particular details of the case, insisting that he showed up to the crime scene before looking at the gathered information so C.C. drove to the crime scene. When he arrived at the crime scene, he was greeted with one of the most gruesome sights he would ever see in his entire life.

The victim’s body was sprawled on the body, limbs splayed out and bent in crooked positions. His mouth was agape and his eyes were open and devoid of any emotions. There a giant hole in his chest where the murderer tore out his heart strategically, reminding C.C. of the Jack the Ripper murder. Dried blood had formed a dark pool around the victim’s body and there was no murder weapon around. The murder was so bizarre and unique that it was almost poetic and outlandishly creative.

The victim’s name was Harold, according to the secondary, who was also assigned to this case, at the scene. He was enjoying his Monday night by watching some television when the murderer came in at around 9:30 pm and killed him. Harold was a relatively boring man and didn’t seem to have any reason to be the target of such a horrific murder but here he was, flesh rotting by the minute. The secondary also claimed to have been interviewing witnesses and neighbors to gather a list of suspects. C.C. was thankful that the secondary already did all the heavy duty work and left C.C. the most exciting part of the case.

“Who are the suspects?” C.C. wasted no time getting straight to the point. This case was the first case that had intrigued him in a while and he was itching to catch the suspect and get a confession. Solving this case would certainly look good for his reputation at the investigation agency.

“We don’t have many suspects,” The secondary frowned, glancing at his notes and circled a note. “But we do have one suspect that we should look into.”

“What’s their name?” C.C. glanced over at Harold’s corpse, wondering who could ever have the audacity to perform such a grisly murder.

“Ricky Goldsworth.”

~

chapter 2 is out!

#fics #ricky goldsworth #bfu #buzzfeed unsolved #c.c. tinsley #tinsworth #francesca norris #buzzfeed unsolved cinematic universe #high school #bfucu #pining #murder #high school au #fanfiction #buzzfeed #mentions of sherlock

[tangerinewrites]

DAY 16: RICKY

11/16/2020

wc: 1633

ac: he deserves a better writer tbh JIOFWEJIFO

The stress of being president of an entire league is more than what Ricky could handle. Not only did it strain his relationship with his boyfriend, but it also brought in a lot more mental troubles than he could have asked for. Back when Jaebum was president in both timelines, it looked as if the world was in a better condition than what it is now. It almost makes him believe that the moment Ricky would take lead of an organization, shit would only go downhill from there.

If that already wasn’t an insult on his own, the amount of responsibilities doubling up for him would be. He sighs deeply as he sits at his desk looking through the current magical events that have happened in the city of Busan, as well as urgent messages from other League presidents in the nation wondering what the hell was going on with the world. The longer he looks at everything, the more he feels a headache coming on as he scrolls through each article on his tablet:

“LEAGUE OF PARIS EXPERIENCES CHAOS WHILE FIGHTING OFF A STRANGE FAMILIAR IN THE CITY: 19 DEAD (INCLUDIGN 8 HEROES), 50 INJURED.”

“LEAGUE OF HANOI ALMOST WIPED OUT FROM FAMILIAR!”

“ARE MAGICAL HEROES SLOWLY GOING EXTINCT?”

The longer he looks at them, the more stressed out he feels. So he turns his tablet off to look back on the urgent messages that he needed to send out to the other League leaders. He wasn’t exactly sure of what to send, otherwise his thoughts on why this could be happening. And though he had many thoughts on how this could’ve happened, he and all the other leaders knew that the Crooked Man was involved with it. As he writes out a message to the League of Korea group chat, he gets a knock on the door.

Curious as to who that may be, Ricky looks up from his screen and calls out to the person. “Come in!”

The person that opens the door is someone he doesn’t expect to see. Not for anything personal really, but because of the fact that he assumed the other would be busy hanging around Sunggyu, his team leader, instead.

Still, Ricky greets his brother. “Danny, hi,” he says with a small nod, acknowledging his exist. “What did you need?”

“Nothing much,” his twin brother says to him. “I was just checking up on you. Like… if you were okay, and all.”

Ricky is typing out a response to the group chat at this point when he hears that response. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Taehyung, you haven’t really been acting like yourself,” his brother responds with a small pout. “A lot of people have noticed it, too. Ever since you got this position and shit started getting more stressful in the magical world, you’ve become more distant than you usually are. Like… you don’t seem as happy and carefree anymore like you were back then.”

“Define back then,” he says, continuing to type up his response about his assumptions.

“When president JB was still around,” Danny describes. “When you first got with Yoongi. And… when you still lived with Vinny and I.”

Taehyung suddenly stops typing and he looks up at his brother with a look. There’s no way the other was assuming that there was something wrong with him, right? The fact that he went as far as to bringing up his own relationship to him as if there were issues with it. How Ricky was the one who has “changed” since then? Was his little brother even aware of what was going in the world right now?

He squints at him. “What are you trying to say? That there’s something wrong with me?”

His brother immediately shakes his head. “No! I’m not saying anything… that exactly,” he responds, trying to assure the other. “It’s just that… we all know about how this promotion has been affecting you for the last year. We know that because of all this responsibility, you’ve been more stressed out and you haven’t been like yourself anymore.” The boy walks closer to his desk so that he could be able to have a more face-to-face conversation with the other. He looks at him with a thoughtful look before he says something. “Are you sure that you should continue living like this?”

With this ‘intervention” of sorts, Ricky already feels himself losing his patience. He looks at the other and wonders if he is even right to say all of that to him. With how the world is right now, there was plenty of reasons to stress out. Ricky could easily show Danny the newspaper article he was looking at earlier to show that he had every right to be acting the way he is right now. Not only that, but it’s not like he could exactly just up and quit his job now. There had to be someone responsible enough to take care of the city falling apart due to the Crooked Man’s evildoings and if Jaebum and Kihyun trusted him to be that person, he was not going to let them down.

He should’ve known that. Everyone should’ve known that.

“I appreciate your concern, Taewoong,” he says, referring to the other by his real name now. “But people are counting on me to continue doing what I’ve been doing. Are you aware of what is going on in the magical world right now? The world is slowly falling apart for some odd reason and I have to be responsible enough to get to the bottom of it if other people won’t. And I can’t exactly just up and leave just because I’m not talking to everyone.”

Danny quickly shakes his head. “Taehyung, you’re misunderstanding me-”

“Please leave,” he commands in a calm, yet stern voice. “I have to contact more people. Jaebum, Kihyun, and Aku are counting on me to lead this league to peace. And so is the rest of the leaders in the nation.”

His brother looks defeated when he is told to leave, but he complies with his brother’s wishes. He turns around and makes his way to the door in silence, his head down even after he closes the door behind him. And though Taehyung feels guilt, he looks back on his laptop screen to continue doing his work.

“Taehyung, we need to talk.”

It’s not often that Ricky hears his rela name being used. Even with Yoongi, he usually heard “Tae” instead of the full thing. From his time of dating him, he knew that the other only called him that whenever he wanted to be serious.

The fact that he does it in the middle of nowhere while the both are at home in the evening is what he finds most confusing, but he still decides to hear the other out. “What is it?” he asks, looking at him with a curious look.

“I want to break up.”

The sentence hits him harder than he would expect it to, but it’s not like he wasn’t expecting it. It’s not like he was blind to the fact that the both of them had been slwoly drifitng apart, especially after Taehyung got promoted to a new role in the League. With the fact that Yoongi himself also has a grudge to the League and was beginning to see less and less of him, it made sense.

After that argument from a few nights ago, he wasn’t surprised that this was the end result of it. But even still, it hurts him a little more than it should.

“Is it because of me?” he asks.

Yoongi nods his head.

“And how I’ve been spending less time with you? And talked to you less?”

He nods again.

"Did you know that, with my personality towards the League, this wouldn’t change at all?”

Yoongi hesitates when Taehyung asks that question, but he nods to that as well.

“Do you want to move out, too?”

“I don’t mind who does it.”

“Okay.” Taehyung stands up from the couch and walks to his room. “I can go back to living with Vinny and Danny, since it’ll make things easier,” he replies. “And I can get out of your way starting tomorrow.”

As he goes to walk to his room, preparing to pack his stuff up for the rest of the night, hew hears Yoongi call out to him again. “I have a question for you.”

Taehyung looks back at him, wondering what the other would say.

“Did you love me at all?”

The question stunts Ricky, mainly because he knows that his answer would hurt the both of them if he said it. But in his entire relationship with the other, he had never lied to him and he didn’t exactly plan on doing it even after they officially end things.

So, though it pains him to say, he spits out the truth anyway. “I did,” he begins. “I still do. But you and I know that you deserve someone better than me. Someone who will give you the love and attention you deserve. And maybe if I wasn’t the way I am, you wouldn’t have to worry about finding someone new.”

Yoongi smiles, though it looks forced. Even though he’s looking at it from a distance, he could tell that the other was broken from hearing that. “I still love you, asshole.” As he says that, Taehyung can hear his voice break and he swears he’s about to cry as well, but he holds it together. “I wish we could go back to the way things were.”

Taehyung smiles bitterly and gives a nod. But then he turns around and continues on, letting the other cry in the living room on his own.

#( * NANO! ) #( * MTM:U - RICKY ) #⎣I'M JUST A WILD ANIMAL⎦

[stupid-richie]

Into the Dark (2/12)

Summary: Richie and Stan have seen and dealt with a lot of cases in the years they’ve been working together, from cults to cartels. A case in Derry, Maine, proves to be one of the most horrific for them and for the two local officers they’ll be working with. And on top of it all, Richie keeps remembering things he’d rather forget.

Read on AO3

WC: 1633

<<Previous//Next>>

After the plane lands, they go through security, get their suitcases, and manage the drive to Derry, Stan drops Richie off at the precinct on his way to their temporary apartment. This is always the most nerve-wracking part, for Richie. New people find him odd, or annoying, or both. They want him gone as soon as possible, and he’s often more than happy to oblige.

Derry’s police headquarters are in a small brick building. It’s one story high with a thick glass door at the front. To the left of it hang tarnished metal numbers of its street address. When Richie walks inside, several faces turn to stare at him. The main room has an entryway desk, and behind it are six more desks with paperwork stacked on them. Three of the desks are occupied, and people are milling about in the area. One walks through a door into what must be a break room or something.

Richie goes to the young woman who must be a receptionist and smiles at her. “D’you know where I could find Officers Kaspbrak and Denbrough?”

“Can I ask why?”

“My son’s gone missing.”

The lie rolls off of his tongue too easily, but it does the job. All the color drains from the receptionist’s face and she directs him to a door on the other end of the main room, almost indistinguishable from the walls. He thanks her and goes to it, keeping his head down to avoid making eye contact with anyone. Its knob turns easily under his fingers, and the door swings open silently.

Sitting on the gray couch in the office are Denbrough and Kaspbrak, both poring over a stack of papers. Kaspbrak is the one who looks up and tells him to sit down and they’ll talk to him in a moment.

Richie tosses himself down on the couch and drinks in the sight of the room. It’s warmly decorated, and the desk has two pictures on it. One is of a little boy in a yellow raincoat who looks something like Denbrough, but not quite. The other picture is a group of kids, maybe twelve or thirteen, standing in a living room. There’s five of them- a boy in a huge hoodie, a girl with orange-red hair and a bright smile, a boy with his focus on the book in his hand, and a pair that are very clearly Denbrough and Kaspbrak when they were younger. The two of them go way back, then.

“You said your son went missing?” Kaspbrak asks, glancing at Richie and holding a pen poised above a notepad.

“I don’t have any kids, actually. Richie Tozier, at your service.”

He sticks out his hand for Denbrough to shake and receives a mildly irritated look in return. “And your partner is…?”

“Stan’s dropping off our shit, he’ll be here soon. Care to introduce yourselves at all?” Richie tries not to laugh at the face Denbrough makes when he curses so casually, or the way Kaspbrak hasn’t looked away since Richie first opened his mouth. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s kinda rude to stare?”

“I’m Bill Denbrough and this is my partner, Eddie Kaspbrak,” Denbrough- Bill- says before Eddie can respond.

Richie nods thoughtfully and gets to his feet again to go to the desk in the room. The drawers are unlocked, easy access to dig through.

“Relax, Big Bill, I’m just looking for a pen and some paper.”

Another easy lie, mostly because it’s half true. He is looking for those, but he’s also doing a brief search to make sure that the cops can be trusted. Later, Stan will probably conduct a more subtle and thorough one.

Richie finds a cheap plastic pen and takes a sheet of copy paper from the tray in the desks printer. Uncapping the pen with his teeth, Richie draws a line across the paper. “Can you make me a timeline? First disappearance to last. Include when you found witness statements and where everything happened. Thanks.” He hands the paper to Bill. “Eddie, take me to the morgue, I’d like to examine the bodies firsthand.”

“Can you prove you are who you say you are?”

For a moment Richie panics looking for his badge, but then he remembers Stan slipping the lanyard over his neck before leaving the car. He fumbles beneath his shirt and produces his badge, the leather warm from his skin but the metal cool to the touch. Eddie examines it closely, and still doesn’t look convinced. Bill looks at Eddie, tilts his head to the side, and scrunches his eyebrows. In response, Eddie nods. They turn back to Richie, and Bill grabs one of his arms, Eddie the other. He tries to move but their hold is strong.

You’re only hurting yourself when you struggle.

“If you wanna have kinky sex, just ask. Consent’s key, you know,” he says with a slight quiver in his voice. Richie tries again to get out of their grip, but still can’t. Panic fights it’s way up his chest, clenching around his lungs and making his heart beat double time before he crams it down. “Seriously though, let go of me.”

His arms are wrenched behind his back and Bill cuffs them. He’s the one who grabs Richie’s collar and drags him from the room, Eddie right behind. They take him to another room, one that’s undecorated and hasn’t been cleaned well in quite some time. Most of the room is taken up by an old, pockmarked wooden table with three chairs at it. Two face the door, and the third opposes them. Bill shoves Richie into one of the chairs facing the door, then backs away to stand beside Eddie.

“You have nothing to arrest me for.”

“You lied to a police officer,” Bill says.

It’s hard not to laugh. “I didn’t lie to you. I lied to your receptionist. There’s a difference.”

“Just tell us why you’re actually here,” Eddie says. His arms fold over his chest and his foot taps against the ground. “And when you plan on going back to whatever hole you crawled out of.”

“I work for the government- your boss’ boss’ boss’ boss’ boss. I’m here about the murders. Weren’t you told I was coming?”

Bill and Eddie look at each other again. This time, Eddie shakes his head, and makes an annoyed face when Bill turns back to Richie.

“We were told that their two best agents would be helping.”

“That would be me and Stan!” Richie exclaims with a grin. “Wouldn’t call us the best but we are pretty damn good. Stan’s great at seeing weird obscure details and getting people to talk to him-”

“And you do what? Annoy suspects until they confess?”

Richie shrugs, ignoring the bite of Eddie’s insult. “Go check your office, Stan should be here soon.”

More silent communication between the two police officers. They keep glancing at Richie, and Eddie looks like he might punch someone. It’s almost like they’re arguing about something, probably whether or not to believe Richie that he’s one of the agents coming to help. Or maybe who’s going to go look for Stan.

Bill seems to be the winner, judging by the satisfied smirk on his face. He opens the door and steps out, leaving Eddie and Richie alone.

“You wanna uncuff me, Eds?” Richie asks, raising his hands so they’re above the table. “These are kinda uncomfortable, and like I said, if you want kinky sex you just have to ask.”

No reaction, not even an upward twitch of Eddie’s lips. Which, Richie notes, are kind of chapped, and a little pouty. There’s no time like the present to take a look at Eddie, is there? Not like Richie has anything better to do.

His hair is a little longer than in the photo on his profile, with curls tugging at the ends. There’s more of a tan to his skin, including freckles across the bridge of his nose and tops of his cheeks. Eddie’s clothes look slightly too large on his body, just like bags are beginning to sink in beneath his eyes. This case is taking its toll on him.

“Stop staring at me like that. And never call me Eds again.”

Richie sticks his tongue out at him.

“Real mature. I’m really supposed to believe that you work for the government?”

Just as Richie opens his mouth to answer, the door breaks open again behind Eddie. Bill comes in first, with Stan right behind him, arms full of file folders.

“Can’t leave you alone for ten seconds, can I?” He asks, the sigh evident in his voice as he turns to Eddie. “Stanley Uris, I’m his partner- unfortunately.”

Stan gets a genuine smile from Eddie as Bill uncuffs Richie- and it doesn’t annoy him at all. Really, it doesn’t.

The second he’s free, Richie scoots his chair back so he can kick his feet up on the table. Like always, his first instinct is to project confidence, hide weakness that can be used to destroy him. Nerves are what get you killed in a job like this. Stan sees right through the act, and gives Richie a look that means they’ll talk about it later.

After a quick chat that Richie doesn’t bother to listen to, the four of them split ways. Eddie and Richie are going to the morgue, and Bill’s taking Stan to interview the witnesses again. Great way to spend a day, looking at dead bodies. Eddie’s face is scrunched up at the thought of it, and his foot taps in annoyance against the hard floor.

“My company that bad, Eds?”

“Don’t call me that.”

Richie smiles to himself as he gets to his feet. That’s a nickname he’ll definitely stick to.

@heterophobic-thezoomer @ariamalik19 @bobert-newby @pucaaaaaa @thavwrecka @sodaoutsiders @bxxpbxxprichie @bitchierrichie @bleepbleeprichie

#reddie #stenbrough #it (2017) #it movie 2017 #fic #itd #mine

[scriveyner]

then they begin: 24 (2022)

then they begin 25/36 wc: 1633 rated: M

Apr. 16th

Masayoshi woke from a restless sleep to daylight decorating the far wall of the apartment. He blinked muzzily at sunbeams and tried to catch the tail end of his dream—it felt important, weirdly important, in the way barely-remembered dreams felt, but it eluded him.

His wrist ached, low and dull in the muscle, and he lifted his right hand off the pillow and stared at it. The redness from the previous night had faded, same with the weird green lines. He had no idea what to make of either, but aside from the ache remaining in his arm there was no physical evidence of what had happened, so he dismissed the concern.

Gotou was rattling about in the kitchen, and Masayoshi sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes with one hand. “Gotou-san?” he called, and Gotou’s head popped around the doorway, looking far too relieved for Masayoshi to be comfortable with.

“You’re awake, finally,” he said, and Masayoshi squinted at his phone.

“Is it really almost six?” he said, galled. “Why did you let me sleep so long?”

“I didn’t. You wouldn’t wake up.” Gotou ducked back into the kitchen for a second—there was the worrying clatter of dishes—but then he reappeared, wiping his hands on his jeans and sitting heavily on the mattress beside Masayoshi’s legs. He leaned forward and put the back of his hand against Masayoshi’s forehead, which seemed odd because Masayoshi certainly didn’t feel feverish. “Are you feeling okay?”

Masayoshi blinked slowly, and Gotou dropped his hand. “I feel fine, Gotou-san. A little warm, and my head hurts from sleeping so much, but…”

Gotou picked up Masayoshi’s right hand and held it, palm up, before lowering his head and inhaling. Masayoshi felt tingles shoot up his spine at the behavior, but Gotou dropped his hand and made a face, like he had caught a whiff of something sour.

“You’re sure you’re alright?” he asked, looking at Masayoshi intently, in a way that made him feel weirdly nervous.

“I guess I’m hungry,” he offered, and Gotou nodded, standing up.

“I can do something about that.”

#

They ate at the table as they always did, but Masayoshi couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed. While he slept Gotou had apparently called in a tip to the police about the body at the shine, but there was nothing in the news cycle about it. “I’ll ask about it at work tomorrow,” Gotou said, voice neutral, his back to the bed and bowl in his hand.

Masayoshi looked down into his own bowl. The noodles hadn’t tasted quite right to him, but he ate a little more anyway before setting the bowl down and nudging it away. “Should we talk?” he said and looked up at Gotou’s expression to judge. “Things…happened.”

“It’s done,” Gotou said, almost gently. “The pack is done now, no one else should ever come looking for me.” He gave Masayoshi an uncertain smile. “Things can go back to normal.”

Normal.

Masayoshi looked back down at the bowl of noodles, unsettled. He wasn’t scared of Gotou—quite the opposite, really—but this had been something else entirely. He’d asked for peace and by all accounts the Will of the Universe had told him the world would be boring, with no new enemies for him to fight, but…this flew right in the face of everything it said.

(They’re not your enemies.)

“Yeah,” Masayoshi said. “Normal.”

#

Masayoshi was subdued, and it worried Gotou.

He’d slept through the day and was already in bed again, having never dressed or showered and already yawning. Gotou kissed the top of his head. “Leave the door unlocked?” he said, and Masayoshi squinted up at him, clearly confused. “I’m going out.”

“Don’t kill Kiri,” Masayoshi said, and paused.

He didn’t say what Gotou expected, which was some variation of “bring him to justice/arrest him.” “I don’t plan on killing him,” Gotou said. “Not unless he tries to kill me first, at least. We just have some unfinished business between us, and this might be our last chance to wrap things up.”

It was clear that Masayoshi was trying to hide how often he touched his arm, shifting around so that Gotou couldn’t see him holding his wrist loosely. He wanted to strangle Masayoshi, to yell at him for being an idiot—this is why he tried to leave him behind in the first place, damn it all—but until he knew for certain what Sanae had done, how she had cursed him, he couldn’t bring himself to.

Kiri knew something about witchbreed, clearly. He just had to hope that Kiri hadn’t taken the first train out of the city just yet, because he needed some answers.

Gotou sat on the bed with Masayoshi for a while, brushing his fingers through Masayoshi’s hair as he drifted off, smiling into his pillow. Gotou swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat.

This was so dangerous. So, so, so dangerous. Masayoshi had been hurt now, actually hurt and Gotou didn’t know just how much more of it he could take. This was his fault for not keeping Masayoshi safe. “Sleep well,” he said softly, and Masayoshi didn’t stir when he got up off the bed to leave.

#

Gotou stood outside and smoked in the twilight, felt the soft pull of the moon under his skin. It was early yet, but he knew Kiri was out there, and his feet let him to the park, where he found Kiri sitting on the swings. “I was wondering if you’d show up,” Kiri said, hands loose on the metal chains. “And without your mate, tonight.”

“If you touch him, I will kill you,” Gotou said, standing at the edge of the play area and out of reach of the swings. Kiri rocked a little, dragging his bare feet in the dirt and watching Gotou. “I mean it.”

“I know you do.” Kiri kept swinging for a moment, letting the natural motion of the swing rock him back and forth. “You can’t save him from this, though, Kage. That’s a witchbreed taint. It’ll kill him.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know a lot of things, actually,” Kiri said idly. “I’ve been around a long time, you know. Longer than you think.” He tilted his head back and stared above Gotou’s head, at a dusk-kissed sky, the moon still out of sight. “Your mate isn’t long for this world, you should focus on him.”

Gotou sat down heavily on the other swing. “You say that,” he said, “but you don’t know Masayoshi like I do. He’ll pull through, somehow, he always does.”

“For his sake, I hope you’re right.” Kiri looked over at him. “I don’t want us to be enemies. We have enough of those as it is.”

“I don’t really want us to be enemies either,” Gotou said. “But you killed Sanae. You can’t stay here.”

“I didn’t plan on sticking around, anyway,” Kiri tilted his head and looked over at Gotou. “You’ll run with me tonight. For old time’s sake.”

Gotou leaned forward on the swing, looking over at Kiri with inhuman, golden eyes. Kiri grinned a too-sharp grin, and after a moment, Gotou grinned back.

#

Masayoshi squinted in the bright morning sunlight, one hand on the strap of his Gotou’s knapsack and the other holding a can of cold coffee. He’d hung on to Gotou like a lifeline as they’d maneuvered the crowds, still having trouble waking the rest of the way up. Now he was standing just slightly behind him and supervising as they saw Kiri off at the train station.

“Where are you headed?” Gotou asked, and Kiri shrugged loosely in response.

“I just picked a destination at random,” he said. “We’ll see where it takes me. I’ve always been a nomad, staying in one place too long just isn’t my style. I don’t have roots like you do now, Kage-kun.”

“The pack is gone,” Gotou said. “My name is Gotou Hidenori.”

“Really,” Kiri said, mouth quirking. “I had no idea, Gotou-san.” Gotou sighed and Kiri laughed and held out his hand. “Shirogane Koji, at your service,” he said. Gotou took the proffered hand and clasped it, and they both grinned at each other.

Masayoshi looked between them and raised the hand that had been holding onto Gotou’s knapsack. “I’m Hazama Masayoshi,” he added unnecessarily, and Kiri laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Keep a leash on your mate,” he said. “Don’t let him be too rough with you, yeah?”

“Gotou-san would never hurt me,” he said defensively. “Not even when I want him to.”

“Masayoshi.”

Kiri chuckled as he fished around in his own knapsack. “Shit, I just remembered…” he produced a well-worn leather travel notebook, stuffed full to bursting with clippings and wrapped in cording. He held the notebook out to Gotou. “This was Kaze’s, once,” he said. “I…inherited it, I guess. The old man liked me for some reason, but I never saw much use for it. I try not to get involved, you know?”

Gotou took the notebook. “What is this?”

“Haven’t really looked through it much, but it’s got a lot of lore and information about werewolves and the night world. Kaze was deep into research about some weird shit, and other odds and ends he’d collected over his considerably long life.” Kiri shrugged. “The world is wider than you know.”

“I’m beginning to grasp that,” Gotou said, amused. “Thank you for this.” He looked down at the worn leather notebook, remembered now, seeing it in the older wolf’s hands. When he looked back up, Kiri had already turned to board the train. “Stay out of trouble,” he called after, and Kiri wave a hand over his head in acknowledgment and didn’t look back.

<< Part 23 || Start || Part 25 >>

#samurai flamenco #gotoyoshi #masagoto #werewolf au 2022 #ongoing #multipart