#((For some reason and was an idiot and didn't check my messages... ;-;))

[hitomisuzuya]

hi again, teehee. my request is just reader and scara who are enemies that got forced on a road trip by their mutual friends. the two are sitting at the back of the van, but reader has to sit on his lap cause theres not enough people!! that leads to reader cockwarming scara pretty dejectedly, cause she wanted a peaceful car ride; which ended up with her squirming in discomfort on his cock!! but of course, no one can see them cause they still have their clothes on!! byebyee 🫶

- 🎧

scaramouche x fem!reader. smut. cockwarming. some humor. enemies to lovers. a bit of degrading sexting.

this request was a fun challenge for me to write since the situation doesn't offer room for dialogue😌

scaramouche hates you for a number of reasons. he hates that you smell good all the time. hates how your hair always looks so pullable. hates how soft your skin looks. hates how hard he can feel himself getting when argue back with him, and call him out on being on an asshole when he is in fact being an asshole.

and you hate scaramouche for plenty of very valid reasons. he is selfish, arrogant, and incredibly egotistical. rude and a bit self absorbed. you swore he purposely picked fights with people because he thought it was fun. he legit stuck his tongue out at like child, with this stupid fucking smirk that just wanted to kiss right off his face.

normally, you like being a passenger on road trips at night. there was just something so peaceful about just sitting and looking out the window and listening to music.

unfortunately for you, you got to enjoy none of those things.

sometimes, with road trips more people ended up coming along than there was even room for. which in turn left you sitting in scaramouche's lap. you are sore, there are so many so many ways you could sit in someone's lap. all you wanted to do was get to the hotel, check into your room and fall asleep cuddling your jeff the shark plush.

and to top it all off, scaramouche would not stop texting you. he was impossible to ignore, especially when he could clearly see you were trying to ignore him.

'you know, you can turn the other way if you want. i can brace my arm behind your back or you could rest it on my shoulder." you grit your teeth reading scaramouche's text message.

thing is he wasn't being nice. doing any of that would require you straddling him. this wasn't the first text you'd gotten from him like this. he much preferred this position. he could feel the heat between your legs right on his cock. the bumps in the road were easily felt sitting in the back of the van, shifting you in his lap and causing you inadvertently rub on his cock.

'are you cold?'

you sighed and texted back 'i am good sitting the way i am, thanks. and no, i am not cold.'

'okay, well i am so grab the blanket for me.'

you reached over and yanked the blanket back to you over the seat, and threw it at him. "the hell you are cold," you said your first words in hours outloud. you swore you heard him laughing even though you had ear buds in.

scaramouche maneuvered the blanket around the both of you. he wasn't an idiot, in fact he was very sure of a lot of things. you were undoubtedly sore, especially in your neck and back. and you are most definitely cold. you would have to change positions sooner or later.

you felt your phone vibrate in your hand again. 'look i am not exactly comfortable either.'

'didn't say you were.' you texted back, squirming a little in his lap. your body had been crying for awhile for you to change positions. you sighed heavily and moved so that you are straddling him. for the third time that night.

scaramouche sincerely thanked whatever stars aligned in his favor for the fact that you'd chose to wear a skirt that day, which was no doubt hiked up more than little hidden underneath the blanket. he was positive he could feel your panties up against his jeans, especially when the van went over a bump. especially.

'exactly, what with you grinding on my lap,' came another text.

you rolled your eyes, your hand tightening on your phone. 'oh like i plan every bump in the road,' you were more than aware of him between your legs, and feeling he was hard at times was unavoidable. and top it all off your phone battery was half way drained, being sucked up by scaramouche's texts.

you heard him sigh as a bump shifted you in his lap. 'you sure sound comfortable.' you texted.

'awfully concentrated on me, aren't we? you like this, don't you? or maybe you have thought about this?' you knew his text was a taunt. he knew he was close to stamping on your very last nerve.

'get over yourself.' he could feel how scathing your text was. and it was such a turn on for him.

'you really haven't thought about fucking me? not even once? be honest.' you grit your teeth, and looked up at him to see him raising at you with a smirk on his face. god he is so smug.

'no,' your response was quick and simple. but truth is, you had. you hated how smug he looked just knowing he was right. you had spent some long night thinking about him. shamelessly.

'i don't mind being in this position,' you admitted in a text back, feeling a little bad about how snappy you'd sounded. you thought he felt pretty good between your legs, becoming more than a little away of thick he really is. 'yes, i have thought about it,' your heart pounded realizing you had pressed send.

scaramouche looked up, surprised at your text. you hadn't given him a inch this entire time. you look so fucking adorable looking away from your phone screen shyly, an embarrassed flush on your cheeks.

slowly you looked down at your phone when scaramouche texted you again. 'you wanna cock warm me for awhile? it would be more comfortable for both of us.' it was ideal that a blanket was around the both of you.

'..are you serious?' you texted back, hardly believing how this had happened. your pussy has clenched just reading the text, as infuriating as his text was. scaramouche was making you realize how touch starved you were.

' ...yes.' you texted back. he made you realize just how badly you wanted his cock inside of you. you squirmed knowing it was probably going to be uncomfortable after a few hours, but the thought was making you wet.

scaramouche knew in a few hours you wouldn't care how uncomfortable it felt. you wouldn't feel any discomfort. you would be wet and squirming, soaking on his cock because the van going over bumps would nudge his cock head into your sweet spot at random consistency. he couldn't fucking wait.

no one noticed you shifting into a position to peel your panties aside, the blanket concealing your movement. to everyone else it would look like you were trying to alleviate stiffness in your muscles from sitting in one position to long.

scaramouche freed his now straining cock from his jeans, silently swallowing a groan as he maneuvered his cock inside of you. you lowered yourself back down into his lap. it helped he saw the struggle to not make noise in your eyes as his stretched you apart.

'remember to keep quiet, slut. or everyone will hear how good you feel to finally have my cock inside you,' your pussy clenched reading his degrading text. texts he kept on sending you. the van went over a well placed bump, nudging his cock right into your sweet spot.

your toes curled as you squirmed a little. scaramouche on the other hand was in heaven. his cock was finally inside the girl of his dreams in a very erotic way. he could sit back and enjoy your tight warmth squeezing around his cock, your pussy oozing juices feeling it throb.

he couldn't resist idly playing with your clit underneath the blanket while he scrolled through his phone. you had to thankful to be turned away from everyone. the throbbing in your swollen clit was almost unbearable, making his cock feel twice as good inside of you.

'go ahead, kitten. roll your hips a little, no one will notice. it will make you feel better.' he pinched your clit, wagging his finger on the sensitive nub while he texted you with one hand.

the shock of pleasure made your thighs quake under the blanket. you moaned loud in your head as your hips twitched to roll down onto his cock.

'you slut. fuck that felt good. do that too much and i am gonna cum inside you.' scaramouche texted back.

your breath hitched in your throat reading his text. more wet pooled onto your pussy reading his text. your hand shook as you texted back 'promise?' you could barely even think with his cock buried that deep inside you. you want to rub and grind against him, nuzzling his neck and licking at his mouth submissively while you told him how good his cock felt.

his response was quick. 'when we checked in at the hotel, you are coming to my room and i am fucking you raw.'

'yes, please.' you texted back. he knew you couldn't wait judging from how tight your pussy felt on his cock.

scaramouche gave you break after awhile. he would have to have his cock back in his pants well before arriving at the hotel. he kept you straddling his lap though.

[stinkyturd]

Your Fragrance

Pairing: Romeo Lucci/Reader

Comments: It's Romeo, so it's gonna be a little possessive and weird. If that makes you uncomfortable, this probably isn't your cup of tea. Also, I absolutely hate naming throwaway characters, but I did here to avoid confusion, haha. So, if for some reason you're second guessing if you're misremembering a canon side character, you're not. 🙂‍↕️

Working for Romeo could be exhausting.

The Sinostra vice-captain always had something for you. Be it helping out with casino security, sending out reminders for outstanding loans, or doing menial errands like fetching him various products he may need to keep his skin hydrated or his hair in mint condition. Sometimes he'd even message you at ungodly hours when you were tucked away, seconds from slumbering at your cathedral. 

Overall, you didn't mind. It's not like you HAD to do it. Darkwick hadn't been quite as needy with sending you out on inspector related errands, so you had the time, and you didn't mind Romeo's company. Sure, his personality is completely abrasive and an acquired taste, but underneath it all he had some redeeming qualities. And for some reason he chose you to hire as an assistant. You didn't get paid much. In fact, it was lower than minimum wage. You're pretty sure you could get a part-time job around the campus that would be far more fruitful with less work. 

And now that you were on consistent speaking terms, it was a lot easier to find ways to get under his skin. It was kind of fun pushing him to that level of irritation just before it all boils over. Oddly enough, a scrunched up scowl really highlighted his devastatingly pretty features. You're not sure you've seen anything quite like it on anyone else before. 

Right now, you are sitting next to him on the massive sectional sofa in the VIP room, listening to him rant about trivial anecdotes while you check his email for him. 

"I don't want to deal with these degenerates speaking to me any longer!" Romeo huffs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You need to establish a precedent in this place that no one should talk to me without pre-approved incentive!"

Your eyes remain locked on the laptop in front of you as you attempt to read over a document sent to you by one of the vice-captain's subordinates, while still acknowledging Romeo's ramblings. "I can give it a shot. What happened this time?"

"A fool from Frostheim came in this morning. That USP told me that the new cashmere divan I purchased for the lobby is tacky! What the fuck does he know about quality luxury...?! That buffoon probably washes his face with hand soap, if he does at all!"

You smirk a little at that, clumsily scrolling the page in front of you with just a trackpad. "Is he a regular?"

"Yes, it's that idiot that always sits at the table by the high limit slots! The one with those shitty, thick-framed, square glasses!" Romeo leans back into the sofa, folding his arms across his chest. 

"Oh...?" Your lips tug into a mischievous smirk. "I think I remember that guy. Dark hair, super clear skin? Has good taste in cologne?" The student he's referring to does actually have dark hair. You remember because it's not the first time Romeo has complained about him. The rest of the description you gave is entirely fabricated. 

You catch a glimpse of the vice-captain's reaction in your peripheral vision. If looks could kill.

Romeo narrows his fuchsia eyes at you. "Have you lost your mind?! Clear skin?" The vice-captain leans in close, jabbing a gloved finger to his face. "This! This is clear skin!"

"Oh, for real?" You don't look up as you suppress a shit-eating grin, tapping away at the keyboard in front of you. 

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, nitwit! I can't have my BB of an assistant prancing around thinking that some Frostheim pig's face even compares to mine!" Romeo removes the laptop from your lap, setting it on the low-profile table in front of you.

You flick your gaze over to his face that's less than a foot from yours. Placing a hand on your chin, you pretend to examine his skin. "Hmm... really? I don't see the difference." 

You did. No one's skin glows as much as the man in front of you.

Romeo clenches his jaw so tightly you're almost concerned he's going to grind down his perfect teeth. "You don't see the difference...?! Perhaps we should get your eyes checked! And you're supposed to be the one surveying the EITS?!"

"But you agree his cologne is pretty solid?" Your lips twitch as the vice-captain's face comically becomes more animated with each snarky comment you make. 

"That fool may as well be rolling around with a wet dog! Whatever bootleg fragrance he wears does not match his pH! How far away were you from that imbecile to draw that conclusion?!" Romeo shouts indignantly.

You're no longer able to keep up the act, your lips peeling into a full on grin as a giggle escapes you.

This only seems to irritate Romeo further. "And what's so funny?!"

"I was only teasing you. I've never been close enough to smell him. Definitely not close enough to see his pores."

"Y-You...!" Romeo's face flushes in a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. "For what purpose, fool?!"

"You look cute when you're all mad," You say like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Sorry, Boss. You make it too easy."

"Do you know how much my collagen cream costs? If you expedite the rate in which I obtain wrinkles, you will be my servant until the day you die to pay me back!" Romeo growls.

"How scary," You tease, tearing your gaze from the man shouting at such close proximity. If he stays like that any longer while you face him, you may actually start blushing. Reaching forward, you set the portable computer back in your lap.

"Fucking right, it's scary! I'll make sure your income is so low that you'll be taking residence in my private office," Romeo huffs, finally sitting back as he was before. 

You snort. "Are you going to make me stay in my underwear too, like you did with Kaito?" 

"You'll be lucky if you are even granted that amount of decency," Romeo spats. 

Heat crawls up your neck at the implication. 

"...Wow. Pervert." You're barely able to say it without your voice nervously cracking.

"Tch...! Don't flatter yourself," Romeo counters. A vibration, followed by a ringing sound emanates from his dress pants. The vice-captain stands, pulling his cell phone out. Before he answers it, he shoots you a glare. "You're in need of some serious TLC in order for that to be any concern of yours."

"Oh? That's okay, you're not my type anyway," You lie, as you return your attention to the email in front of you. 

"Excuse me...?!" Romeo flits his furious gaze from you then back to the phone. "This conversation isn't over! Just you wait…!" The Sinostra vice-captain drags a finger across his phone's screen, then brings it to his ear. As if the caller on the other end is physically present, Romeo relaxes his face with his tone before replying. "Hello...? Right, when…?" 

The vice-captain paces around the room mumbling vague replies to the mystery receiver. After a minute or so, he hangs up and stalks back in your direction. 

You pretend you don't notice him as you continue working, anticipating verbal outlash. Instead, you feel a weight sit alarmingly close to your side. Your hand stills on the track pad in front of you when Romeo wraps an arm around your backside. 

"(Y/N)~" The vice-captain speaks so close to your ear that involuntary chills run up your spine. 

You weren't that startled by the gesture. Romeo did this occasionally when he wanted something. Trying to act all sultry to fluster you to the point of accepting his request. That was further confirmed by the rare use of your actual name rather than an acronym disguising an insult.

Usually, you would do whatever he wanted anyway as long as it wasn't too out of your comfort zone. Any time that you'd decline he'd have a fit about it and ignore you for a while after. 

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to ask me to do something ridiculous?" You ask with a sigh. 

"Oh, it's nothing too crazy. But do you think you could get a permit and make a delivery for me outside campus, pretty girl? I know you have enough rapport with the Chancellor to do it by now," Romeo drawls, tucking stray hairs behind your ear. 

"What are you trying to get me to deliver? And where?" You ask, flicking your gaze to his suspiciously.

"It's not important, I will give you the address. All you have to do is drop it off in a mailbox. It's not too far from the station," Romeo explains coolly, his minty breath tickling your nose. 

"Hmm..." You hum contemplatively, turning your head back to the laptop. "I dunno... sounds kinda sus. I don't want to lose my honor student privileges, you know?" 

"...There is nothing sus about it! And you won't. Just say you want to make a delivery to a friend." The demanding impatience in Romeo's tone is already starting to rear its head as you continue to question him.

"I dunno. What's in it for me?" You persist nonchalantly. 

"Continued employment and my approval, obviously! What more could you want?" Romeo argues.

You weren't stupid. He was probably fully intending on sending you off with illegal substances. It would be easy to do it and not get caught, but it's not like you were gung-ho about making runs like that. And it's not like Romeo could do it himself with Sinostra's suspension. What could you request in return that he would be deterred from ever asking you again?

"I might consider it if you do something for me," You reply as another impish grin threatens to peel back. 

Romeo clicks his tongue impatiently. "Asking me for favors now? What could you possibly want?"

"Kiss me," You request, making a point to sound as deadpan as possible. 

The room becomes uncannily still for several moments once the words fall from your mouth.

You smirk, taking your time before you look back at Romeo to assess the damage. The Sinostra vice-captain is boring a hole through you with his eyebrows furrowed. You watch his smooth lips part marginally, as if something is just on the tip of his tongue. 

It's almost hilarious. The way that he just came onto you with the intention of coaxing you to do his bidding, but when the tables are turned he's at a loss for words. You let out a short laugh, deeming this to be your victory as you refocus your attention on the laptop in front of you yet again. "Looks like my hands are tied, Vice-Captain. Maybe you can blackmail Kaito into doing it."

Romeo clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Imbecile, did I say no?"

Well, you can't say you were expecting that. 

You laugh awkwardly, looking at him like he just lost his mind. "What, you're going to agree just like that?"

Romeo nods. "If you wash your face and do a proper skin care routine beforehand. And make sure your mouth is entirely scrubbed clean, if I taste anything foul on your lips, so help me god...!"

"Woah, woah, woah...! I didn't say anything about the lips," You reply, your voice slightly panicked. "Also, you gotta kiss my face as is. It's part of the stipulation. And I haven't washed it in, like, five days. I probably got blackheads galore. You seriously wanna go through with that?"

You had washed your face and put on products previously recommended to you by Romeo this morning. The more affordable ones, anyway. Not that he needed to know that. 

Romeo squints his eyes as he closes in on you, stopping just inches from your face. "You're lying. Why? I don't have time for these games."

How did he immediately call on your bluff?

When you struggle to formulate an excuse, Romeo leans forward, cupping his gloved hand on your chin. You don't have time to react before he presses his plush lips against your cheek. The vice-captain stays that way for a second too long, the kiss past the point of being chaste. When Romeo pulls back, he's quirking a perfectly groomed eyebrow at you. 

"I'd recognize that scent anywhere. Did you put on Tatcha cream this morning?"

You can feel heat gather at the apples of your cheeks as you gawk at him wordlessly. 

"I suppose you're not entirely hopeless after all." Romeo smirks approvingly as he gives you the backhanded compliment. 

"Shit," You mutter, sighing in defeat.

"Looks like you will be my delivery girl. Don't fuck it up, BB," Romeo says derisively, before getting to his feet and walking off to retrieve the parcel. 

--

Days pass after you begrudgingly follow through with the delivery without anything particularly eventful happening. Currently, you're seated at a bench in the courtyard just outside of campus helping Kaito prepare for an upcoming test in a class you both had. Your phone has been vibrating in your pocket for a hot minute, but you're so determined with focusing on helping Kaito, you ignore it for the time being.

"Jesus effing Christ! I don't get this shit at all, I'm totally gonna bomb this," Kaito whines. The Frostheim student has his fingers wound in his hair as if he's ready to yank it out in clumps. 

"If you hold that attitude the entire time, you just might. A lot of this test is going to be memorization. If anything, I can whip up some flash cards really quick for you," You offer, shooting him a sympathetic glance. 

"Hah... y-you'd really do that? You're seriously an angel." Kaito's voice cracks and he dramatically begins to sprout tears from the corners of his eyes. 

"Pffft, it's nothing. If anything, I still owe you for helping me out so much when I first got here." You pull out a stack of blank index cards from your messenger bag and peer over at the highlighted material in the notepad settled in Kaito's lap. 

Picking up a pen, you begin scribbling the most important bits on the cards that you presume will be on the test. It takes you around ten minutes, but when you finish you hand the stack over to the Frostheim student. 

"Just study it before bed for at least twenty minutes every night until the exam. That's what I always do when I don't retain enough," You remark with a reassuring smile. "Easy peasy."

"T-Thanks so much, (Y/N)." Kaito looks at you with a melting expression, his lower lip puckered into a pout. "I'll get a permit and take you out to my favorite ramen place if I pass this thing, for real."

"Oh? I'll hold you to that," You quip, smirking at him.

Kaito holds out his pinky, nodding fervently. "Pinky swear! It'll be super fun."

You latch your own finger with his. "I bet. I've been craving those marinated eggs lately. It's like you read my mind. Maybe we could bring Lucas, too?"

"Uh... m-maybe. Or it could be..." Kaito giggles nervously, scratching his blonde mop. "Like a d-d-date...?"

"A date...?" You tilt your head, eyeing your friend curiously. 

Before Kaito can present his case, a black gloved hand swats his out of yours in the blink of an eye. 

"A date?! Don't make me laugh, leech! If you don't pay EPB you will be lucky to be still breathing come the day of your exams!"

"GYAAAAH...!" Kaito stumbles back from his seat, landing butt first on the stone ground. "W-What the hell are y-you doing here...?! And how long were you listening?!"

Romeo places a hand on his lip, glowering at Kaito with disdain. "Long enough." The vice-captain briskly snaps his head in your direction. "And just how long did you think you would continue getting away with ignoring me, BB? While fraternizing with this fool who owes me money? You want to take permanent residence in my private office that badly?"

You blink at Romeo owlishly. "Huh? Ignoring you? Since when?" Then it dawns on you. Your phone was vibrating in your pocket like crazy earlier. 

"Don't play dumb! I know your phone is on you!" Romeo yells, jabbing an accusing finger in your direction.

You snort at that. "How do you know that? Maybe I left it at my dorm."

"Are you so daft that you think I'd let my assistant frolic around OTG?"

You avert your gaze upwards, pondering what the acronym could possibly mean. "...Alright, you lost me. OTG?"

"Off. The. Grid...!" Romeo retorts, enunciating each word with biting emphasis. 

You stare at his sour face blankly for a few seconds as you belatedly digest the implication. Scratching your cheek, you quirk an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me you're tracking me, Boss?"

"Of course I am!" Romeo admits shamelessly. "And don't even think about finding the application and removing it! I made sure that your access is restricted from such tampering!"

You sigh, not particularly perturbed or surprised by the revelation. "You're a real weirdo, you know that? If this were a legitimate job with human resources I could totally report you if I wanted."

"S-Since when did you start working for this nut job?!" Kaito asks, now scrambling to his feet. "Jesus Christ, just work at the campus!"

Romeo glares daggers at the blonde. "Unless you'd like to spend the night being hung up by your toes, I suggest you make yourself scarce! And I expect a money order by 12pm sharp tomorrow, or I will be making an appearance at your dormitory."

"Urk...! F-Fine...!" Kaito hastily grabs his messenger bag from the bench. "I'll see you later (Y/N)! Text me...!" The blonde flicks a wary glance in Romeo's direction before scampering off.

"Now that the fool has left, you are coming with me, BB! I have a job for you. And turn your audio notifications on for my number, FFS!" Romeo orders.

You roll your eyes before getting to your feet. "Fine, fine, I hear ya." 

--

After announcing that Romeo had your location tracked, you swore that you had begun to notice that he was making more frequent appearances where you didn't usually see him. When you went to eat at the weird diner Ren works at with Lucas, Romeo showed up in the middle of your meal, requesting you return to Sinostra as soon as possible. A day later you saw him on the main campus in the second year wing of the building to fetch you after class. Another day, you went to help Alan with some paperwork and the Sinostra vice-captain was there, too. Romeo had claimed that he was just there to speak with Leo, but then insisted that you come with him once you had finished up, anyway. 

It's not like you had a set schedule to work. Sometimes you wouldn't help him for a day or two in the event that Darkwick needed something that took priority. Who knows? Maybe it really was all a coincidence. 

You sat in the VIP room again, a few of Romeo's goons were talking amongst themselves across the room, while you were waiting for whatever task the vice-captain had planned for you that evening. Romeo had texted you earlier in the day, and he had made it seem as if it were something urgent. 

Eventually, the double doors burst open and Romeo made a beeline for you. 

You lift your eyes to meet the Sinostra vice-captain's as he approaches, stopping to a halt right in front of you. “Heya, Boss,” You smirk up at him. “What's good?”

“(Y/N),” Romeo starts, his voice as sweet as molasses. The vice-captain is looking down at you with a jovial smile. ”Just In time~”

“Ugh…” Your expression falters to a tired one in an instant. Standing up, you make an attempt to slide out from in front of him. “Just realized, Cornelius asked me to do some stuff at Frostheim, so if you'll excuse me–”

Romeo holds your waist firmly in place, narrowing his eyes sharply at you. “The Chancellor sent you no such notification. I should know.”

“C'mon now you're hacking into my phone to read my messages?” You ask in disbelief, irritation rising in your voice. “I'm starting to think you're in love with me.” 

“Idiot! Now you're just blowing smoke up your ass! I have my reasons,” Romeo counters vaguely. The vice-captain is close enough that you can smell every fragrant product he had on today.

You click your tongue, sitting back down with your arms folded over your chest. Debating with Romeo was like talking to a brick wall, so you weren't about to waste your breath. “Fine, what do you need?”

Romeo turns his head to the group of his lackeys behind him. “Fools! You better have that box with you.”

“Sorry, right here, Boss!” One of the students hurried over to Romeo's side, handing said box over to him. 

Romeo takes it, then tosses it in your lap. It's not that heavy and it has a white lid. “Here! This will be my gift to you, should you do what I ask.”

You eye him skeptically, to which he nods. Despite the usage of the word gift, knowing him, there was a pretty big catch. Hesitantly, you reach out and lift the lid in front of you. 

The scarlet fabric immediately catches your eye. Silk? 

You lift the item out of its box, extending the piece of clothing enough to where you can really judge what you're looking at. It looks to be some type of halter neck evening gown. Formal, yet not too formal. The way the fabric feels against your fingertips tells you that this is worth several months' pay at least. Just beneath the dress is a set of accenting jewelry at the bottom of the box. You don't know enough about that kind of thing to even begin to guess it's worth.

“...What the hell is this?” You ask, completely bewildered. 

“A dress, obviously. Do you have eyes?” Romeo snaps.

“Okay, but why?”

Romeo exhales, steeling himself like he's about to make a sales pitch. “...Tonight I have a guest. A former colleague of mine, for lack of a better word. I have a list of tables I need you to lead him to and goad him into playing. The fool likes to bid high.”

“And I gotta wear this to do it?” You prod, creasing your eyebrows. 

“That GFNS has a type and if I work my magic, you will fit that,” Romeo explains, placing a hand on his hip.

“You can't seriously expect me to flirt with some rando. And what, are you gonna cheat him out of money? I thought you were against that!” You argue. 

Romeo clicks his tongue disapprovingly. “You don't need to seduce him, just act as you normally do. Pretend you recognize him. The idiot has a meager amount of fame in the outside world, so it won't be odd. As for cheating him– the piece of shit deserves it. He did the same to me and still believes I am unaware. It's a wonder I haven't killed him already.”

You pause, taking a moment to process everything. “How the hell am I supposed to convince him to follow me around?”

“Start by offering him a drink, and tell him you're my cousin. I will provide you with a list of what to do from there. The majority of men are simple meatheads,” Romeo states matter-of-factly. “Throw a pretty woman in front of them and they will fold like a deck of cards.” 

You roll your eyes. “So now I'm pretty? What happened to ‘basic bitch’?” 

“...You're not repulsive,” Romeo admits, averting his gaze. 

“Such a charmer,” You say sarcastically.

“So, will you do it?”

It didn't sound like the most fun task in the world, but if you weren't pressured into behaving a certain way, it really wouldn't be so bad. Plus, you kind of want to have Romeo doll you up. The vice-captain has referenced it enough in passing, but had yet to follow through.

“I really don't have to hit on him?” You reiterate. 

“Be friendly, that's it,” Romeo insists. 

“Do I get another kiss for this?” You joke, wiggling your eyebrows.

Romeo's flicks his gaze over you fully, as if he's genuinely considering your question. “...Ask me again when you clean up.”

You nearly choke on air at his nonchalant reply.

“Joke! That was a joke!” You insist with a nervous laugh, waving your hands wildly in protest. “My next kiss, face or otherwise, will be reserved for my future partner!”

Romeo's lips pull slightly downward and his expression wavers like he has more commentary to throw back at you. Instead, the vice-captain pushes out an exasperated sigh as he turns on his heel and waves you off dismissively. “Go and put that on. Don't keep me waiting.” 

“Okie dokie. You got it, Boss.”

When Romeo handed you a mirror after he applied makeup on you and styled your hair, you almost didn't recognize yourself. It's not as if you hadn't dressed up before, but it never came out quite this well. As it turns out, the vice-captain wasn't all talk with his stylistic choices. 

You were thoroughly impressed. Romeo had also brought shoes to you before he had gotten started on your makeup, that matched the dress and accessories. Everything fit perfectly, too. Which, you did wonder how that was possible without Romeo somehow invading your privacy again. You didn't bother touching on that subject. 

“Woah, you really know your stuff,” You compliment Romeo, as you admire the rouge lip color he had applied to your face. It complimented the dress perfectly. 

“I am offended that you ever doubted me,” Romeo retorts. He's sitting on a stool in front of you and the couch in the VIP lounge. “I have a feeling this will go according to plan. Just look over your notes beforehand, got it?” 

You nod, lowering the mirror onto the table in front of you. “By the way, is this guy really going to make up what it cost to get me this stuff? This looks crazy expensive.”

“Of course,” Romeo insists, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. “You think I intend to support a charity case? As long as you do what I say, this will be a miniscule dent in the return.”

“That's good at least. I almost started to feel bad.” You stand up, with the intention of getting the ball rolling. 

“Hold on,” Romeo stands with you, pulling a golden vial out of the pouch of makeup that rests on the table. The vice-captain opens it, a strong, but inviting fragrance permeates your immediate surroundings. Leaning in close, Romeo dabs some of the liquid from the wand that's attached to the lid onto your neck. 

“Oh, that smells nice…” You murmur, pretending like the close proximity of your gorgeous tyrant of a boss isn't making your heart beat rapidly. 

“As it should. It's of high quality.” Romeo brings a pale hand to your neck, spreading the oil-like perfume across the expanse of your neck gently with his fingertips. 

The Sinostra vice-captain's expression is completely unreadable at the moment. And for reasons unbeknownst to you– you struggle to take your eyes off of him. Maybe it's because he looks more peaceful than usual? If you had to guess, this kind of thing might be fun for him. 

“Thank you,” You say impulsively, beaming at him. 

Romeo removes his fingers from your neck, flitting his gaze to meet yours. His eyebrows are furrowed in confusion. “What are you thanking me for?” 

“I dunno, this is kind of fun. I think it's better than you making me go on a drug deal,” You tease. 

“I never admitted to making you do anything of the sort,” Romeo counters. 

“Never admitted,” You emphasize with a coy smirk. “Even if you're doing this for your own agenda, I still appreciate your creative efforts. So, thanks.”

Romeo stares at you with an indiscernible  expression for a few beats, his face alarmingly close to yours. It feels strange. Since when was he so comfortable being this close without reason? Especially when he's not visibly pissed about something.

“...Thank me by doing your job correctly,” He finally says. 

Romeo increases the distance between the two of you, placing the now closed vial of perfume back where he got it. “Now scram. I have things to do.”

It feels like you can finally breathe. What is this strange feeling?

“Yeah, sure thing…”

The guest Romeo had told you to tag along with was turning out to be a seemingly decent guy. He had dark hair and was handsome enough, but compared to the ghouls at Darkwick, he didn't particularly stand out. Based on the information Romeo wrote down for you, he is well known on social media for creating and promoting a pretty successful clothing line. His actual name was lost on you, but Romeo just told you to refer to him as Zomo. You weren't sure if it was a public nickname for him, or one given to him by the vice-captain himself. 

Everything Romeo had told you to do had seemingly worked. The influencer initially had been confused by you approaching him, until you labeled yourself as Romeo's close cousin. From there it was relatively easy to converse with him. You showed him around and you didn't have to try very hard to get him to participate at the table games. The first table the list told you to take him to was a game of roulette. And you couldn't help but notice a familiar red-headed captain seated at the gaming table. 

You knew basic casino etiquette, courtesy of Romeo. Since you didn't intend on playing, you observed from behind Zomo's chair. 

“Say… don't I know ya from somewhere, Kitty?”

You glance over at Taiga. He's leaning on the table in a languid posture, his head resting on his fist. The Sinostra Captain is smirking at you impishly. 

“Yeah. Don't you remember? It's me, John Titor,” You joke, though you intentionally keep your expression serious for the bit. 

“...That what it was?” The smile never leaves Taiga's face as he stares at you, likely trying to figure out if it's actually the truth. After a long pause, he starts laughing. “...Gyahaha! Ya don't seem like a John. Feel like ya gotta have a beard for that one!”

Romeo's guest looks between the two of you skeptically. You wonder if he knows Taiga already. If not, you could only imagine the confusion, especially considering you introduced yourself with your real name. 

“I'll just call ya Johnny for now, how ‘bout it?” Taiga holds a fist out to you, like he intends to hand you something. Curious, you reach your palm out to him. 

Without warning, Taiga slaps several orange chips directly into your hand. A familiar tingling sensation lingers on your palm at the contact. You blink, meeting Taiga's gaze dubiously.

Was it part of Romeo's plan for Taiga to use his stigma, then? Guess it only makes sense if they're trying to screw this guy.

Taiga grins at you wolfishly for a moment before pulling back and leaning onto the table again. “Get me a drink will ya? Think I'm in the mood for an Old Fashioned.”

“...Sure,” You say. Looking down at the Zomo guy, you speak up again. “Want anything?”

“Same thing, thanks,” He replies.

Hours went by of spectating as Romeo's guest fails each and every one of the games he participates in. A constant throughout the evening was Taiga making an appearance at every table that you influenced Zomo to play at. If you had any doubt that Romeo and the Sinostra Captain had collaborated in the scheme together, that was long gone. 

Throughout it all, Zomo continued requesting drinks, and you retrieved them every time he asked. He was either so trashed that he didn't realize how much money he lost, or he just didn't care. By the time you reached the finale of the last game on your list, Zomo was completely out of chips. 

“Damn… lost again, eh? That's embarrassing.” Romeo's guest lethargically scratches his head at the Baccarat table. The rest of the players had already made themselves scarce, leaving the two of you alone for the moment. Aside from the dealer who was busying himself in idle chatter with another casino employee.

“Oof, damn!” You say, doing your best to feign shock for the umpteenth time. “That sucks, buddy. Maybe next time?”

“Buddy…?” Zomo repeats, his brow creased. You hear him curse under his breath. And only seconds after that, you feel a hand grip your wrist and yank you forward. 

“Woah…!” You trip over your feet and nearly butt heads with the man seated at the table. Zomo stretches a hand out, stilling your shoulder in time with his free hand. 

“Here I thought you were gonna cozy up with me for the night. Turns out you're just a fuckin’ tease, eh?”

Oops, looks like you made the wrong dialogue choice. Creeper alert!

You attempt to yank your hand back, but the man's grip is firm. Zomo's face is just inches from yours, and his breath reeks of brown liquor. Taking a deep breath, you narrow your eyes at him. “Let me go, fuck face.”

“Don't think I'm gonna do that,” He says, his voice slurring over his words.

“Dude, seriously!” You growl, moving your other hand forward to attempt to peel the man's fingers off. 

The sound of a gun bolt sliding back and locking into place sounds from your right. 

You glance up. The Sinostra vice-captain is training a rifle less than a foot from the man's head. Your breath catches in your throat as you watch his finger linger dangerously close to the trigger. “W-Wait Romeo, don't–”

“Get the fuck out,” Romeo seethes, his words come out far more venomous than you ever thought possible. “Unless you'd like me to contact Darkwick's medical facility to relay details for your death certificate.”

“W-Woah, chill man…! I w-wasn't gonna do anything,” Zomo sputters out as he releases your wrist to hold his hands up in surrender. 

“Not only are you a thieving weasel, you're lying through your teeth,” Romeo balances the butt of the rifle against his shoulder, using his free hand to wave over a member of security. “Escort this BFL out.”

The security member quickly makes his way over to grab Zomo's shoulder and carries out Romeo's orders. The vice-captain's old acquaintance doesn't make a fuss as he's led towards the door. If he did, you may actually think he's insane. You wouldn't put it past Romeo to actually pull the trigger. The Sinostra vice-captain had shot at Ritsu before, after all. 

Romeo lowers his gun once Zomo's out of sight, and turns his head to look at you, his gaze cold. “VIP room, now.”

“Uh, sure.”

You follow Romeo back to the room you can never seem to stay out of nowadays. The vice-captain says nothing the entire walk there. It was a little unsettling not hearing him rant angrily about one thing or another. You weren't sure what to expect when you watched Romeo close the massive double doors behind the two of you. A distinct clicking noise makes you double take in his direction. 

Did he just lock the door?

A brief surveillance of the room tells you that you're the only two people inside. 

“Sit,” Romeo demands, waving in the general direction of the sofa. The vice-captain doesn't wait for you to reply before he stalks off towards the back of the room with his rifle, presumably to stow it away. 

You make your way over to the sofa, plopping down. Deciding it's been weirdly awkward for long enough, you speak up. “You're being quiet. Are you mad?”

You hear something click shut from behind you, and a few moments later Romeo walks back into view. The vice-captain makes his way over to you, taking a seat relatively close to you. He looks at you with a hard gaze.

“Would it kill you to take my word and just follow the script I gave you, moron?” Romeo finally reprimands. Though, he sounds almost nice compared to how he usually berates.

“How the hell was I supposed to know that ‘buddy’ would set that weirdo off?” You argue. “You really know some odd people.”

“...You should be grateful I was using the EITS to watch over you,” Romeo spats, his arms folded over his chest. 

“It's okay, I would have karate chopped him,” You insist, holding your arms out in a playful representation of what you imagine a proper karate pose would look like. 

“Don't make me laugh,” Romeo starts, though the agitation in his tone tells you he's not actually in a laughing kind of mood. “You couldn't even peel that pig's fingers off of you!”

You pivot your body to face him, leaning your cheek on the back of the couch. “You worried about little old me?”

“Worried…?” Romeo repeats, his intense gaze burning a hole through you. “The only one who should be worried is that weasel. So long as you are in my LOS, no one will touch you.”

You feel your cheeks burn at Romeo's words. “Uhm… line of sight?”

“Obviously.”

“Geez. Can’t tell if you sound delusional, or romantic,” You mutter, averting your gaze to a random spot on the couch. 

Romeo scoffs. “I said it exactly as I meant it. Attributing further sentiment is a waste of time.”

You laugh a bit, in spite of yourself. “Yeah, don't I know it. I'm getting ahead of myself, sorry Boss.”

“You should be. Now make up for it by canceling your extracurricular plans this week to work for me.” Romeo's lips peel into a devilish grin as he makes the absurd request. 

“That hardly seems like a fair shake,” You say with a snort. “What are you gonna do when I'm not around one day?”

Romeo's expression slips into a puzzled one. “What do you mean?”

“Well, one day I'm gonna return home if I break my curse. I doubt Darwick intends on giving me permanent residence here. I'll have to help you find someone to replace me when that happens,” You explain, flashing him a bittersweet smile. “You forget?”

Romeo frowns, eyeing you dubiously. “I don't plan on forking my assistant over so easily.”

“I didn't realize that you had any real say in it,” You tease. “Are you going to convince Hyde that I will be a valuable asset for the foreseeable future?”

“If that's what it comes to. That DOF owes me anyhow, always nagging at the most inconvenient of times!” Romeo pauses, holding your gaze. “...Don't tell me you actually have been looking forward to going back to your mundane life?”

Did you? 

Maybe in some ways. Though, Darkwick and the people in it have become your second home. Initially it wasn't a choice, but for the moment you wouldn't trade it away. Not yet. 

“...There are things I miss. People,” You admit, doing your best not to sound like a sad sack. 

“Like who?” Romeo persists, the frustrated look on his face not budging.

“Family and friends,” You reply vaguely. “I miss the normalcy sometimes. The routine, being able to put time into things that aren't important, and going out when I want with whoever.”

Romeo clicks his tongue irritably. “...What a stupid sentiment. You can basically have all that here. Why not just stay here and visit there?”

You snicker at his persistence. This might be the most interest that the Sinostra vice-captain ever showed in how you feel. Though, the bar is still low considering he's using that information to try and manipulate your actions.

“Why not just visit me if I can't stay here?” You counter. 

“I have far more important things to do.” 

You sigh, feigning a wistful expression. “Well, that's alright. I guess I'll just invite Kaito over.”

“What…?” Romeo sits forward, his fuchsia eyes glaring daggers at you. “You intend to let that blubbering fool into your home alone?!”

“Sure, why not?” You ask, your lips curling into a coy smirk.

“That leech still owes me money! If he's around you with that much freedom the hormonal fool will spend my cash impulsively,” Romeo explains.

“Oh, right…” You mumble, wearing a pensive expression. “...Then I guess Alan could visit.”

“That behemoth will cause a mess bumbling around in your dinky home,” Romeo argues.

“Hm… Towa, surely.”

“Have you lost your mind? Do you have flood insurance?!”

“Okay, Boss. Tell me– who is suitable for me to invite into my home?” You ask, stifling a laugh. 

“No one,” Romeo answers with conviction. “So stop considering it, BB.”

You sigh. “You know this ongoing territorial Boss bit is totally gonna scare away any potential love interests for me in the future.” 

“Good,” Romeo remarks impassively, narrowing his eyes at you. “Let there be no other distractions.”

“That's totally not fair. Unless you're planning on doing the charity work of being my boyfriend, I think I'll pass,” You retort, puffing your cheeks. “As a hopeless romantic, there's some things I won't sacrifice.”

“I will do it,” Romeo declares pointedly. 

Your eyes widen and you lift your head from the back cushion of the couch, gawking in disbelief. “...What?”

The vice-captain's expression is serious. Romeo's words are not to be taken lightly. 

“I said I'll do it, idiot,” Romeo insists. “But I will write up a list of guidelines you must follow consistently in regards to hygiene and skin care routines. And for outings together you will not give me any push back when I select your outfits, or how I choose to style your hair. And you must be prompt when I invite you out, no excuses.”

You gape at him in shock. “...You're serious?”

“Does it seem like I'm joking, nitwit?” Romeo snaps. 

“Okay… what about, uh…” Your cheeks turn bright red, you can just feel it. “Intimacy? Physical touch? Is that really something you'd be open to…?”

“So long as you're not filthy, I will accomodate,” Romeo answers, like it's the simplest question in the world. 

“Er… But is that something you want or just something you'd be willing to do just to keep me here?” You prod, brows tented. 

Romeo gives you a prickly stare. “Obviously, my intention is to keep you here.”

Ouch. 

There's a couple ways you could interpret that, if you think hard enough about it. But since it wasn't the answer you were looking for, it was difficult to not take personal. You weren't particularly interested in trading intimacy with someone who just wanted you around for business purposes. Even if it seemed like it could be fun, it would inevitably be a disaster in the long run. But it was Romeo, what did you expect?

Shifting your gaze off to the side, you speak in a near whisper “...I'm sorry, that's not really something I'm interested in. I'm gonna have to pass on this one. I like you and all, but I think this is seriously gonna blow if I get attached to you romantically, ya know?”

Romeo stares at you pensively. Even as you shoot up from your seat seconds later. 

“I'm gonna head home now!” You announce, somehow managing to keep your voice steady. “You can call me whenever you need me in the morning though, since there's no classes tomorrow.”

Just as you wave Romeo off and turn heel, an arm snakes around your waist, pulling you backwards.

“W-Woah…!”

In the blink of an eye, you're sitting back on the couch, with your thighs overlapping Romeo's. The Sinostra vice-captain is gripping one of your wrists and his left arm is looped around your backside.

You stare up at him in surprise, and he's glaring daggers back at you. His pretty lips pressed into a thin line. 

“I cannot believe you have the audacity to reject me,” Romeo says, his jaw clenched as if he's struggling to maintain his composure. 

“Hey, reject?” You echo, your eyes wide like saucers. “T-That's not my intention.”

The vice-captain's eye twitches in vexation. “Not your intention? How else could I possibly interpret that?! Do you have any idea how lucky you should feel that the thought even crossed my mind, THD?”

“I do feel lucky,” You argue, your brow creasing. “I-I just don't think the way we feel about each other is the same.”

“If that's the case or not, what difference does it make? There is no one better suited for you, I can assure you that,” Romeo asserts. 

Heat rises to your cheeks at the bold statement. You open your mouth, but find yourself grappling with your brain and heart to the point where nothing slips out. 

“Is there someone else? Is that what this is about? One of the fools you rattled off earlier? Do tell me their name,” Romeo rants. Despite the vice-captain's voice not being as elevated as it usually is, his expression isn't any less venomous. “If you try to weasel your way out of it, I will find out eventually.”

“No…!” You nearly shout in disbelief. “C'mon, you're being completely unreasonable! How would there be? I'm with you during most of my free time!”

Romeo lifts a skeptical eyebrow. “On four separate occasions this week, you were spending time with other ghouls. And I've seen the way those Frostheim fools look at you!”

You let out an exasperated sigh. “Seriously, Romeo it's not like that…!”

“Don't! Don't call me that…!” The vice-captain tears his gaze from yours, his eyes settling somewhere on your lap. “...Take some responsibility, BB! You're the one that started this shit with that idiotic kiss nonsense!”

Huh…?

“That's what this is about…?” You ask, your jaw slack as you stare at Romeo's conflicted expression.

As far as you could tell, the Sinostra vice-captain had been completely flippant about the interaction. Was that really the catalyst for his possessive behavior? Your attempt to mess with him?

“It infuriates me,” Romeo starts, his posture tense. “You had remnants of sweat on your face, and you looked as if you just rolled out of bed, putting no thought into your appearance whatsoever. Other than that moisturizer, there was no fragrance lingering on you.”

You give Romeo a tired look, wondering where he could possibly be going with this. 

“...It infuriates me that I didn't hate it,” Romeo admits, his grip on your wrist tightening marginally as the confession leaves his mouth.

Oh…

“...You mean you like the way my natural skin smells?” You ask, eyeing the vice-captain curiously. 

“Must I repeat myself in another language, fool?” Romeo snaps, his steely eyes darting up at you. 

It wasn't that unusual to like the smell of someone's natural oils. But you suppose for someone as finicky about scents and hygiene as Romeo could be, it was probably pretty important to him. 

A giggle slips past your lips involuntarily.

“And what about this is so funny…?!” Romeo snaps. 

You smile at him, finding the beautiful ghoul in front of you particularly endearing right now. “That's just the best compliment I think I may ever receive from you. And it's super common. Science might say that it means you're attracted to my pheromones. You're so cute.”

“Cute?” Romeo repeats, looking at you like you've lost your mind. “I have been reduced to falling prey to primitive behavior that does nothing to serve me! There's nothing ‘cute’ about this, FFS!”

So, Romeo likes your smell so much that it's been making him act like a possessive basket case all week? That explanation didn't entirely track.

“Do you like me, Boss?” You ask, sporting a lopsided smile. 

“Like? Who fucking knows,” Romeo grumbles, leaning back into the couch as his grip falls from your wrist. 

“Well…” You look down at your legs that were still on top of his. “I gotta say, I don't think I would have ever thought you'd let me be on you like this. You want me to move?”

Romeo doesn't give you a verbal reply, but the arm around your waist stiffens. 

“No, then?” You prod.

“You're not leaving. Not like that. Not now,” Romeo decides. The vice-captain looks at you like he's daring you to go against his orders.

“I won't go if you don't want me to,” You reassure.

Romeo must believe you because his arm relaxes slightly. 

“...Hey,” You start. “If you're not sure how you feel, can I try something? Maybe it will help you determine your feelings. And then we can discuss the whole dating thing again.”

“...Try what?” Romeo asks, raising an eyebrow. 

You take a deep breath, steeling yourself for a potential adverse reaction. “Okay, here me out. And feel free to throw me off for my brazen stupidity if you're against it…”

“Spit it out, idiot.” 

“Okay, okay. Can I kiss you…?” You blurt out, wincing preemptively.

Romeo stares at you with an unreadable gaze, and your stomach flips with anticipation.

“...Fine.”

“Oh, for real?” 

“Do it before I change my mind, BB,” Romeo demands. 

“Oh, yes. Of course. So, uh… like before?” You meant the cheek kiss. Hopefully the vice-captain would catch on to save you the embarrassment of explaining.

Romeo clicks his tongue. “Do I have to hold your hand through everything? Just do it.”

Okay, cheek kiss to be safe. That shouldn't be too intimidating. You've kissed your friends and family members cheeks, nothing but a cinch!

You sit up and inch your face closer towards Romeo's. It doesn't help your nerves that he's staring at you expectantly. Has this guy ever been on the receiving end of a kiss before? Couldn't he at least close his staggeringly pretty eyes so your heart would stop pounding against your chest like a jackhammer?

Knowing how bothered Romeo would be if you chickened out now helps you regain your composure. You shut your eyes and close the distance, pressing your lips against his devastatingly plush cheek. After an appropriate length of time, you pull back and assess the damage. 

Romeo shoots you an unimpressed look. “What? That's it?”

You twiddle your thumbs nervously, an awkward laugh spilling from your mouth. “Uh… what, you want me to do it again?”

“Yes! Would you like me to write it in crayon?” Romeo snaps, the faintest hint of pink dusting his cheeks. 

“Okay, okay!” You impulsively reach for Romeo's gloved hand, intertwining your fingers with his. 

The vice-captain shows no sign of protest at the gesture, so you proceed with the second kiss, this time landing your lips closer to his temple. 

By the time you pull back, Romeo looks nothing short of impatient. “Are you so caught up in the role you played earlier that you forgot we aren't actually related? Is this supposed to entice me?”

You puff your cheeks, your face burning from his criticism. “You're such a turd! You really want me to kiss you for real?”

That's the only conclusion you could draw from the vice-captain's words. If your lips were even slightly chapped, or breath even a little off there would surely be hell to pay. You don't recall eating anything sinister. 

You don't have time to make any further advances, nor does he grant you the courtesy of a verbal reply. The arm around your waist effortlessly draws you closer, to where you're sitting fully on the vice-captain's lap. Romeo pulls his hand from your grip, drawing it towards your shoulder. 

You nearly gasp when you feel the wandering hand ghost over the expanse of your collar bone. “What are you–” 

“Quiet,” Romeo interjects softly. His fuchsia eyes rake over you in admiration as his fingertips travel upwards towards your neck. You feel his thumb gently brush against the length of your throat, eventually tickling your jawline. 

“Exactly as I pictured it,” Romeo murmurs vaguely. “...Don't wear this around anyone else.”

“...W-Well, to be fair I was already seen in this by countless people,” You argue, struggling to hold his gaze. If someone would have told you just hours before that the Sinostra vice-captain would be leering so suggestively at you right now, you'd surely laugh in their face. 

Just what did you do to catch the attention of the most self-assured and vain man you'd ever met in your life?

“A severe lapse in judgment on my part. Don't anticipate it happening again,” Romeo retorts bitterly. 

Without warning, the Sinostra vice-captain cups his hand against your neck and pulls you forward. Your eyes flutter shut unconsciously and the warmth of his lips reach yours. 

In spite of the intense nervousness you felt just moments prior, the kiss has you melting on impact. Maybe it's the way his touch is so characteristically deliberate, yet delicate at the same time. You knew his lips were soft, it's obvious at just a glance. But it was clear to you now that having them pressed against your own is far more satisfying than you could have ever imagined. 

You wrap your arms around Romeo's neck in your mindless search for a closer touch. A passing insecure thought that you're doing too much materializes, but is quickly quelled when you feel his lips part and reconnect with yours again. You feel a hand grip the side of your hip, his digits going in for a tight squeeze. Involuntarily, you whimper against Romeo's mouth.

The Sinostra vice-captain pulls back from the kiss, his face beautifully flushed. His right thumb strokes the contour of your jaw languidly as he surveys you with half-lidded eyes. “I've made up my mind.”

You feel completely malleable under his deceptively soft gaze. Drawing your arms back ever so slightly, you press him further. “...And?”

Romeo regards you voraciously, his lips curling into a smirk. “You're mine, (Y/N). It would be in your best interest to remember that.”

[lopsicle]

••A Summer’s Worth of Tickles••

AN: @blushyeleven having to hide that you were my Squealing Santa this whole time was so hard!! But I really do hope that you like this fic, I wanted to make something extra special for you since I thought you would need it!! Your one of my closest friends and I love you so much, I hope this makes your Christmas a little bit better!!

Summary: After a long Summer break without Wednesday, Enid returns to Nevermore and appears to be more needy to her roommate. Wednesday finds out way after finding a story on Enid’s phone.

Word Count: 4603.

Warning: SFW Tickle Fic, a whole lot of Yuri bitches be gay,

•••••••••••••••••

Being the social butterfly of Nevermore, Enid thought that summer vacation might just be the death of her. Sure, she could still talk with and meet with most of her friends, but there was a certain, darker stained part of her that couldn't be filled. Ajax's gossip sessions over the phone and going out to eat with Yoko only gave her a fraction of the bliss she felt being cooped up in that tense, raw dorm room with Wednesday Addams. She didn't sleep the first night back home, or the night after that; the never-ending noise coming from her brothers was only partly the reason why. Enid longed to hear dramatic violin pieces from the balcony paired with the chilly air that sprawled into her room from the open door, she wanted to be annoyed at the incessant tapping at a typewriter, she wanted to feel the chilling embrace of Wednesday's arms wrapped around her skin at least once more.

But, Wednesday had secluded herself to the Addams Manor for summer vacation, something about trying to discover the identity of someone who wanted her dead. Enid never thought that she'd be bitter about being left out of something like that. She had tried texting Wednesday many times, but she learnt in the first few days that her roommate was an incredibly dry texter. The fact that she signed each of her messages never grew old to Enid though, but trying decipher the seemingly random strings of emojis she used was a text that not up to her expertise.

Being without Wednesday for months was torture. It was almost funny considering she didn't even know that the goth existed until a couple weeks prior, now she couldn't imagine her life without her. Now, the only way she could get to sleep was laying on her side and brushing her hand against her arm, pretending it was Wednesday's touch. Now, she was getting herself ready on a brisk, painful September morning, triple checking her hair, makeup and uniform just to make sure she'd be perfect upon seeing her crush again. Now, she got herself to Nevermore before the Sun even came up, waiting in her untouched dorm room, devoid of light or closeness.

The door opened with a gentle creaking, Enid’s heart spiked with excitement she never once felt before. There was a clicking of heavy boots as Wednesday made her way into the room, looking exactly as Enid remembered her. The werewolf herself had changed a little, sporting a shorter haircut with more prominent hair dye. Passionate light shone through Enid’s eyes as she skidded across the floor to her roommate, who remained stagnant other than a light expression of surprise.

“Howdy Wednesday!” Enid cried out joyfully, touching Wednesday’s wrist to which she did not recoil. Instead, she observed Enid, noting down all the little changes in her mind, as well as how it only took her a few seconds to get close to her.

“Enid. You’re here earlier than normal.” Wednesday commented, a familiar sense of annoyance and relief filling her. She too had missed her roommate and all of her aggravating habits, as much as she would hate to admit it, she found a certain comfort in Enid. Someone who was as odd as her yet was so, so different, but still found a way to like Wednesday either way. It was illogical to her first, causing her to write off Enid as a nonsensical, idiotic lapdog. She still found some truth in that, but she thought it to be more admirable.

Enid remained unfazed by Wednesday’s lack of emotion, that bright, wide smile never leaving her face. It felt natural. “I cannot believe it has been so long, I have so much to talk about, so much to ask-did you ever find out who was trying to kill you? How’s Thing? Is he here? What about-?”

Enid was silenced by Wednesday’s placing a cold finger to her lips, promptly shutting her up with a small blush on her cheeks. Sure, it was rude but Wednesday initiating any kind of touch was a blessing to Enid.

“Enid, it’s 8:00am in the morning. Please.” Wednesday commented sarcastically, halfheartedly swinging her bag down from her shoulders and placing it on her bed. As she unzipped it, staring down at her belongings, she called out. “But, Thing is…comforted to see you again. You had an impact on him.”

Enid easily deciphered Wednesday’s emotions morse code, resigning herself to a silent victory. Wednesday missed her too, and that’s all that mattered.

••••••

From then on, the two of them automatically slipped into her usual dynamic, but couldn’t help to notice the differences. Enid wasn’t letting Wednesday walk all over her anymore, she had just embraced who she was and she wasn’t just going to put her life on hold for whatever Wednesday wanted. But, it was now rare that Wednesday would call on her for something like that. It would be hard to see for anybody else, anybody but Enid, but she has grown more affection, at least to Enid, in her own ways. Taking down notes for classes Enid had missed, giving her lessons on the best ways for werewolves to kill people, waiting for Enid to fall asleep first to make sure she wouldn’t spend her night doomscrolling instead of resting.

But, there was something else on Enid’s mind, something nagging and clawing at the back of her brain nearly all the time she was with Wednesday. A craving, a neediness, a desire to be physically close to her, just in a…particular way. A way that made her cheeks break out in blushes if she even tried to say it, a way so childish she was certain Wednesday would be even less keen to indulge her than normal, a way that had been on Enid’s mind all of Summer. Being away from people, away from Wednesday, left Enid with a certain coldness. Now, being back with Wednesday felt like she had a fire right next to her, she just had to reach out and get closer, only that was the scariest part.

Why would Wednesday Addams even do something as silly as tickling? It was beneath her, it was stupid really. Enid felt like a lovesick idiot whenever she caught a glimpse of Wednesday’s perfect black nails, or whenever she caught herself leaning in towards her touch. She just couldn’t help it, the poor girl had been in a killer lee mood all Summer, with her only way of getting through being fantasying and fanfiction. But now, Wednesday was here, right next to her all the time. The nagging, burning request had bounced all about through Enid’s throat at this point, desperate to be released but never quite having the will to do so. The closest she’s gotten was acting Wednesday if she was tickling, to which she got in response,

“The last person who tickled me lost a finger.” Wednesday left it at that, much to Enid’s disappointment but she was riding the high of Wednesday at least saying the dreaded T-word…no matter how pathetic that seemed.

So now here she was, cozied up in her colourful pink bedsheets surrounded by an army of cutesy stuffies, a sharp contrast to Wednesday’s darkened bed, of which she was dissecting a rat on with Thing’s help. Enid didn’t need to pay attention to that though, she found herself with her head half poking out of the blanket, hand idly gripped onto her phone which was merely a few inches from her face. Fanfiction helped her through her lee moods before, she had to keep going. If anything, reading with Wednesday in the room made it even better, Enid would just take little glances up at her impassioned, serious face and promptly go back to her reading, with an even greater flustered feeling in her heart. There was always the fear of being caught in the very back of her mind but that too just made things more exciting for her. Eventually, she had to take a break, since the passage,

“…she felt her nails dig into her hips, clawing against her skin like she was looking for treasure. A distinct gasp was forced from her, followed by some mix of whiny, high pitched laughter.

“Aww, what’s the matter, little lee? You were the one begging for this a moment ago and now you can’t take it? Sorry, baby, but I’m having too much fun and your gonna get it!”

…proved too much for her to handle. A little look up at Wednesday proved that, her heart spiked as if she was scared for her life. Heat rose noticeably to her cheeks; Enid grasped her blankets and peeled them off of her carefully, stepping softly onto the dorm room floor. She prayed that Wednesday wouldn’t notice her as she scurried off into the side bathroom and locked the door, but she was sorely mistaken. Wednesday had noticed Enid’s peculiar behaviour long before this, but this was the only time she had grown concerned for her. She wrote off all of Enid’s quirks as a byproduct of her being needy and clingy, but something seemed…different about just now. Interpreting Enid’s morse code was difficult for Wednesday, their could be a million reasons as to why she was happy right now and just as many that could make her upset. It honesty made her feel like something of a detective to try and figure out what she was thinking. And it seemed like her first clue was on Enid’s bed.

Wednesday silently trod over to the other side of the room, sitting delicately on the side of Enid’s bed as she went to grab her phone. Snooping wasn’t a good look on her, but her rational thinking wasn’t at the forefront of her mind. Something about the way Enid was blushing as she left the room sparked a curiosity, almost a hatred towards whatever had caused it. Wednesday had to know what it was, even against her better judgement. But instead of finding Ajax begging to get back together with her, as she assumed, she instead found that Enid was reading. An improvement to the soul sucking nature of social media, but still one that left her as a slave to technology. Curiosity struck her once again, Wednesday awkwardly fidgeted about with the screen, scrolling up to try and get a better idea at what Enid was reading. She did grow weary that Enid might return soon, so she simply elected a paragraph to read.

“Being a brat isn’t gonna get you anywhere, hun. We both know how much you just loooove getting tickled, so sit still, no need to get all squirmy~!”

Wednesday’s curiosity more so turned to confusion. Was it just Enid having an affinity for tickling that was causing her to act strange? Sure, it was odd, atypical of societal standards but this was Nevermore, where expectation came to die. No, no, it couldn’t of been just that, Enid wouldn’t hide this from Wednesday unless…it had something to do with her. Unless Enid wanted something from her.

Oh. So that’s what this was all about. Wednesday felt a grin coming on. She was never one to indulge others for the sake of it, but this specific method could be rather…interesting to use on Enid.

Oh. This could really be something fun.

••••

End came out of the bathroom after splashing her face a good few times, trying to retain some semblance of normality. Taking deep breaths in and out, she clicked open the bathroom door satisfyingly and made her way back to her be-

Why was Wednesday sitting there?! Enid’s heart dropped to her stomach, arms growing still and heavy like dead weight. Immediately, she scanned around for her phone, not seeing it anywhere on the bed. Then, back to Wednesday, who eventually turned to her as Enid warily approached.

“Hey, Wends,” Enid said in a high pitched tone, trying to appear like everything was fine. She stood in front of Wednesday, wanting to feel a little bit in control as the goth girl looked back up at her. “Whatcha doing over here?”

“I thought I could use a change of scenery. I was getting too comfortable over there.” Wednesday stated, as she noticed Enid’s eyes glancing around the area of her bed around Wednesday. Looking up at her with interest, Wednesday reached beneath her thigh and held out Enid’s phone. “Looking for this? You left it out here when you ran out in a hurry.”

Enid quickly snatched up the phone, not minding the light accusation that was thrown at her. She felt some relief fill her when she realised that it was locked, but that Wednesday still could’ve read it. She glanced back over to Wednesday’s face as she cautiously sat down next to her, unable to read her expression.

“Yeah, you know, I just-had something to do..” Enid answered vaguely, her mouth moving faster than her brain could. She stared down, avoiding eye contact with Wednesday. She couldn’t handle that right now.

“Are you feeling well, Enid?” Wednesday asked, carefully reaching over and grazing Enid’s side with her nails in a manner that could almost pass as an accident. With a sharp inhale and a startled look in her eyes, Enid recoiled back from the touch, her soft pyjama shirt not protecting her sensitive midriff that well. “You certainly seem jumpy.”

“I’m fine, just a little-sensitive, is all,” Enid responded sheepishly, rubbing her side preciously. “Since when did that worry you?” She quickly followed with, the subject of tickling felt a little like holding her hand over a fire. A few moments would be nice and cozy and warm, but if she remained there for too long, she was gonna get burned.

“You’ve been acting different ever since Summer break, Sinclair. You’ve been insistent of sitting next to me in every class, standing closer to me than normal, constantly blushing while looking at your phone and now running out the room for what? No reason?” Wednesday pushed her suddenly, placing her full attention onto Enid, who felt like shrivelling up beneath the spotlight.

“I just missed you, obviously! It’s been months, Wednesday!” Enid blurted out, in a tone that didn’t even convince herself, even though she technically was telling the truth. Wednesday still wasn’t satisfied with just making Enid squirm, she leaned closer to her, placing her right hand on the other side of Enid’s body. Tensing, Enid let a whine get caught up in her throat, dividing her attention between Wednesday’s face and that dangerous looking hand.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to, Enid, do you know what happened to Pugsley the last time he tried lying to me?” Meekly, Enid shook her head, shying away from Wednesday’s intense gaze. A rare smirk appeared on Wednesday’s face as she leaned in closer to Enid’s ear, whispering a barely audible,

“I tickled him.” It was enough to make Enid’s hair stand up, an icy hot rush coursing through her veins and doing laps around her heart. She couldn’t even process it fully before Wednesday’s hand jabbed into her right side, making her jump closer to Wednesday’s body instinctively.

“Ah! W-wehehednesday!!” Enid shrieked loudly-was this really happening?! This had to be another dream, right?! But no, she could feel Wednesday’s cold body against her own burning one and the way he side tingled and buzzed was too…vivid. Wednesday’s fingers worked meticulously on her, finding a balance of being delicate and rough, a light but sharp touch, like needles sticking into her body. She wrapped her other arm around Enid’s waistline, trying to stop all that messy squirming of hers.

“You seem to be even more sensitive than him, he could at least hold in his laughter.” Wednesday commented as Enid’s grip on her pyjama shirt tightened. Almost in reprimand, she dug her nails into Enid’s hips while her other hand remained squeezing at her side. Enid couldn’t help but smile widely, eyes squinted as helpless giggles escaped her mouth.

“Ho-hohohold on, I’m nohohot reahahahady!!” Enid squealed, bouncing about against Wednesday’s hold, pounding her feet against the floor. All those little, adorable reactions of hers just encouraged Wednesday more and more; she was enjoying this a lot more than she thought she would.

“Oh, really?” Wednesday purred. “But I thought you loved this, Enid.” She said in a smug tone, one that made Enid pang with realisation. Wednesday knew. But…she wasn’t being mean about it…well, she was, but she wasn’t being cruel. She was indulging Enid with nothing more than a few light teases here and there. That thick sense of dread and worry fizzled away into a feeling of relief; Enid was getting everything she wanted.

“You-you lohohoked at my ph-eeeeek-phone, dihihidn’t you?!” Enid squealed out in a challenging, teasy, confident tone, which was interrupted by a ear piercing squeal once Wednesday’s hand burrowed their way beneath Enid’s thin top and scratched around at her tummy.

“You were going to keep hiding this from me unless I did something. And by the looks of things, you seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit.” Wednesday relished in the way Enid’s cheeks lit up in a hot red, she didn’t know why but seeing her all flustered and smiley and giggly like this caused her insides to…soften up a little. Not like she’d ever admit that though. Instead, she slipped her other hand into Enid’s shirt too, dragging and tracing those powerful black nails of hers about.

“M-mahahAHAHAHAYBE~!!” Enid lightly teases, clutching onto Wednesday for comfort, twisting her body about on the spot. She pressed her forehead down on Wednesday’s shoulder, shrieking with laughter.

“Don’t hide that smile from me,” Wednesday ordered, jabbing her pinkie against Enid’s navel. She shrieked and drew her head up, hair all messy, sticking out in every which way. There was a look of exhilarated fear in her eyes, like someone going down a zip line, and a gaping, delighted smile spread across her face. “It…suits you.” Wednesday decided on. Enid didn’t have time to appreciate the compliment before Wednesday started scratching and pricking her nails against her navel again.

“I didn’t know about this adorable little spot of yours. Does it really tickle that bad?” She asked in a light, mocking tone, as Enid reeled back, laying down on her side, hearty laughing pouring from her mouth. Her body occasionally twitched whenever Wednesday really dug one of her wicked nails into her belly button. Wednesday followed her, leaning over and rolling up her shirt just enough so that one could mistake it for a crop top. She then scooted over to be straddling Enid’s thighs, resting her hands limply on her bare tummy.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Enid heaved, gazing down brightly at Wednesday’s predatory hands, her own fingers kneading away at her duvet like a cat.

“Trying to decide whether you deserve a countdown or not.” Wednesday responded, a sly sense of enjoyment laced within in her voice. She looked back up to Enid’s face, crimson and excited. Slowly, she decided on nodding, a little smile appearing on her face which almost convinced Wednesday. “If you insist. You’ll have until 0.”

“Three,” Wednesday began and Enid took in a deep breath, nerves eating away at her skin.

“Two,” Suddenly though, Wednesday’s nails found themselves scribbling all over Enid’s tummy, scratching along her belly and then plucking at her sides. She scraped her nails against Enid’s poor stomach and hammered them down against her navel.

“TH-THAHAHAT’S CHEAHAHAHATING!!!” Enid exploded with laughter, limbs flailing about like a headless chicken. Everything felt hazy yet vivid, she wheezed for air, vision becoming blurry with tears but she could still make out Wednesday’s face, fitted with a small smile.

“Aw, is it? Poor you.” Wednesday smirked, her hands felt like they were moving faster than ever before. Each second she was pressing down, clawing, kneading, tapping at a different spot on Enid’s torso, but she made sure to give extra attention to her navel, adoring the squeaks and squeals that it produced. “But we both know that your loving this.”

Enid hid her hot face beneath her elbows, grinding her heels down against the mattress. She loved hated how Wednesday was clued into her little secret now, knowing she’d hang it over her head whenever something like this happened.

“IHIH’M GOHOHOHOHNA KICK YOHOHOUR AHAHASS AHAHAFTER THIS!!” Enid howled out, her elongated, sharp werewolf claws pricking out. Her leg kicked ferociously beneath Wednesday’s petite frame, which looked so much larger now.

“Now that you mention it, your feet are kicking awfully a lot…” Wednesday thought aloud in a low tone, tapping her fingertips against Enid’s abdomen. The cogs in Enid’s mind ran a little slower than Wednesday’s so by the time the goth was scooted over to be sitting on Enid’s ankles, Enid perked up.

“Wait, wait, hold on Wednesday, not there!” Wednesday only looked back at Enid’s face one, determining that she was being playful by her massive smile. With her comfort secured, Wednesday turned her attention back to Enid’s socked feet, grazing her nails against Enid’s soles to test the waters. Enid froze, her body going rigid and still before seeming to crumble so easily at the touch. Sweet, small giggles escaped from her lips as her body relaxed and melted, slumping over. She weakly reached out her hand towards Wednesday, begging for nothing in particular, other than her attention.

“W-wehehends, it ti-tihihckles!!” Enid squealed, clenching her hands up, her knee twitching upwards from time to time. Wednesday’s smile softened in a way that made her glad Enid couldn’t see her right now.

“That’s the point, Sinclair, don’t tell me you didn’t know that?” Wednesday joked sarcastically, tapping her nails down Enid’s arches to then sink them right into her heels. She tenderly dragged her nails back up to the tops of her toes and grabbed the tip of Enid’s left sock, gently beginning to pull it off.

“Oh-ohohoh God-!” Enid giggled out in anticipation, recoiling her hands back sharply to cover her mouth. Wednesday turned back, trying to fix the softness in her eyes.

“Don’t do that, I want to hear your laughter.” She said, her words dripping with more affection than she thought possible. Their eye contact lingered for longer than normal, something deep sparked within their gaze, something that made Wednesday turn away, adding on an, “It’s pathetic,” to try and save face. She immediately traced her nails around Enid’s sole to try and distract the both of them, getting into a rhythm of scribbling up and down.

“Any other sweet spots I should know about?” Wednesday asked, half from curiosity and half to try and regain her authority. Enid squeaked slightly at the question, averting her gaze in a deliberate, timid yet teasy manner.

“I-I dohohn’t knooo-ohohw~!” Enid said, practically challenging Wednesday to find out. She obliged, abandoning her feet as she turned back to face Enid. A few pokes at her thighs and knees quickly caused Wednesday to write them off, so she crawled right back up to Enid’s hips, straddling them once more. Enid obligingly laid back down, not bothering to fight Wednesday.

“Let’s see,” Wednesday tapped her fingers against Enid’s ribs as she thought, just light enough to keep her giggling and squirming beneath her. She racked her brain, trying to think of where she hadn’t targeted yet, before a rather obvious spot appeared in her mind. A look of knowing confidence overcame Wednesday, staring down Enid with a hint of amusement in her eyes. Leisurely, she began spidering her nails up from Enid’s ribs, digging in deep enough to make every little ‘step’ of her fingers feel weighty.

“Ooo, I think I got you.” Wednesday grinned, to which Enid shook her head, despite praying, begging on the inside that Wednesday knew. Wednesday took her time trailing her fingers up to being just below Enid’s armpits but then, she just left them there, not bothering to go further. Enid’s face looked like she was about to blow, bottom lit stuck out with her gaze lingering on Wednesday’s hands in a silent begging that they’d just do something.

“Tickle, tickle, Enid!” Wednesday’s hands suddenly pounced up onto Enid’s armpits, making the blonde shriek and squeak and bounce back against the bed. Her body tossed and shook about with each little wiggle or scratch from Wednesday’s dexterous fingers, swirling about against her ticklish pits.

“EHEHEHHEEHEK!! WE-WEHEHEDNESDAY!!” Enid screamed out, praying none of the other forms were hearing her. She’d never seen this side of Wednesday before, even when got into her sadistic moods before this, she never acted this playful or tender. It made her feel special, to know that she was deserving of this side of Wednesday. How silly it was to think that Wednesday would be disgusted if her just for enjoying being tickled.

“What’s the matter, puppy? Is the tickling too bad for you? Too sharp? Too fast? You poor, poor thing, you should’ve known that you’d be far too adorable to just stop tickling.” Wednesday smirked down out her, jabbing her nails down into her armpits and circling them about. That proved to be the final nail in Enid Sinclair’s coffin, she convulsed with bleating laughter, those tears in her eyes finally spilling down her burning, bright cheeks. She thought that just a tease from Wednesday would be enough to do her in but this, this was more than she would’ve ever been prepared for.

“OHOHOHOKAY, WAHAHAHAIT, PL-PLEAHAHAHAHAHAHASE!!” Enid begged through her laughter and besides a few mean, quick scratches, Wednesday stopped, a little unsure of herself. She normally just left her torture victims once she was done with them, but how could she just leave Enid? Seeing the girl there, below her panting for breath, her tired, drained body shaking with each deep inhale and exhale sparked something mushy inside of Wednesday. Softly, she brushed Enid’s hair behind her ear, fixing it up as Enid laid there, allowing Wednesday to take care of her.

“Deep breaths, baby, I don’t want you passing out on me.” Enid felt as if she just might if she heard that nickname again. But once she finally had enough air in her that made her think she wasn’t going to drop dead, Wednesday got off of her hips, sitting next to her. Enid sat up, fitted with the brightest, joyous face that Wednesday had seen since she got back to Nevermore. She couldn’t even stop herself from pulling Wednesday into a hug, who froze at the sudden warmth before slowly relaxing into it.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your literally the best, Wednesday, that was just so-fun! I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say, I thought you-thank you for being..okay will that stuff!” Enid squealed in delight, pulling away from the hug. Wednesday’s brow furrowed, did Enid really think she had to hide something like that from her? She took in a deep breath, considering her next words, and actions, carefully. She took Enid’s hands in her own, choosing to stare down at them, not thinking she could handle staring at Enid right now.

“Enid, for the past 30 minutes, I’ve been attempting to properly dissect a rat on my bed. It would be hypocritical of me to ever judge you for any of your interests when you’ve been so tolerant of mine. Don’t feel as if you need to hide things like this from me in the future.” Wednesday commanded, meeting Enid’s gaze, which was laced with sentimentality. Enid nodded, wiping her eyes as her smile became as delicate as glass and as wobbly as a tight rope.

“Of-of course, thanks Wends, really, it means a lot.” Enid choked out, before a small idea came to mind on how to pay Wednesday back for how shockingly sweet she’d been today. Extending a large claw on her index finger, she grinned at Wednesday.

“Need a hand with your dissection?”

Despite the cool, winter temperature, Wednesday oddly felt her cheeks heat up as she considered Enid’s offer, before promptly nodding, if only so she could turn her face away.

“That would be appreciated.”

[sseatherny]

I THINK HE KNOWS

📷 05 — I'll be in your care

You find yourself waking up earlier than usual. Your mind is immediately consumed by thoughts of everything that may unfold later in the day. You couldn't help but feel excited. After almost 3 years of pining, you're finally given a chance to talk to Sae.

As you rushed to get ready, you noticed that you were putting in extra effort into fixing yourself. For some unexplained reason, you felt the need to look your best. Shaking your head, you looked at your reflection in the mirror and whispered, “I'm only doing this for the project.”

Upon your arrival at school, you spot Bachira and Rin, with Rin seemingly getting annoyed by Bachira's antics. You approach the duo and pat them both on the back, prompting Bachira to tease you, asking you why you aren't wearing a wedding gown. Just as you were planning to respond, your alarm goes off, causing you to feel embarrassed.

Quickly shutting off the alarm, you hear Bachira let out a laugh. “Pfft, dreamy jazz, huh?”

You glared at him, and Rin sighed, watching the both of you. “How mature,” he thought. He checks his watch and says that it's time for class.

“I'll see you later.” He waves goodbye before heading off, leaving you with Bachira, who is still laughing.

[ 📷 ` ]

As the lecture came to a close, you felt a sense of relief wash over you. You had just endured a grueling 4-hour lecture, and you were eager for a break. As you were about to bury your head in your arms, your phone vibrated with a message from Rin.

“Who is it?” Bachira asked out of curiosity, tilting his head.

“It's Rin. He wants to meet us outside,” you replied as you began packing your things.

Bachira didn't ask any more questions and soon followed suit, packing up his things as well.

While the two of you were making your way out of the room, Rin was waiting for you outside. Already looking impatient. He began to walk before you even had the chance to say something.

“Where are we going, Rin?” You asked as you tried to catch up with him.

“I thought you wanted to talk with Sae?” Rin answered, furrowing his brows. Upon hearing his response, you froze in your spot, feeling nervous and excited all at once. Bachira, who noticed your nervousness, made an attempt to lighten the mood.

“You look like you're about to take a dump, lol,” He said, trying to make you laugh.

Of course, it didn't work.

“Shut up, you're not helping,” you glared.

After walking for over 15 minutes, Rin stopped and looked at you.

“Ready?” He asked. You gave him a thumbs up and tried to force a smile. Rin didn't say anything and just walked towards the door of Sae's class, which, luckily, was open.

Shidou, who was zoning out, saw the younger Itoshi outside, causing him to tap the older Itoshi's shoulder, getting his attention.

“What?” Sae replied, looking irritated.

“Your brother is outside,” Shidou answered, pointing at Rin. Upon seeing Rin, Sae stood up nearly immediately and walked towards him.

“Someone wants to talk to you,” Rin said to his brother.

“It's not a fan that's going to confess their love to you. Don't worry,” Rin added before turning to you, nodding his head, and signaling you to start talking to Sae.

“Hi! My name is Yn, and I'm a student in Ms. Rosedale's art class. We've been tasked with finding a model for our final project, and Ms. Rosedale suggested that you would be perfect for the job. So I was wondering if you'd be interested in being my model for the project. No pressure, of course! Feel free to decline if you're not interested. I completely understand.” You speak politely, forcing yourself to not smile like an idiot while speaking to Sae.

“Is it right now?” He asks as you finish speaking.

“Oh, no, no. It doesn't have to be right now,” you replied, shaking your head.

The student model asked several more questions about the project before finally nodding.

“Alright then. I'll be in your care. I look forward to working with you, Yn.”

SUMMARY. After being assigned the task of finding a model for a project, you, a student photographer, have to face the challenging task of approaching and persuading Itoshi Sae, whom you have a crush on, to be your model. Working with Sae is a huge opportunity to add a renowned name to your portfolio. The pressure and responsibility are real, but so is the chance to achieve something great.

MASTERLIST :: PREV :: NEXT

🏷️ TAGLIST. @hioriyosgf @melon-garden @asmosdearest @kaitfae @kiopanxp @marvelisttea @nhularin @91ed0 @kascar-chronicle @celestair @saesofficialwife @hellothere9597 @nymphsdomain @saeskiss @karmatiz @msameikanevaeh @pinksodacan @fabitheraven @scaraslover @yyoichisgirl @tamimemo @chaosinanutshell @lilactaro @kaiserkisser @arxliana @neiiuna @wheresmysoulidk @dcvilxswish @seikaitoshi @kalopsiaame

NOTE If your @ is in italics, it means that I can't tag you. :⁠-⁠(

[twopoppies]

hi gina!! I hope you're having a great day.

this is gonna be a weird message, I know, you don't have to answer, you can absolutely ignore it, don't worry. it might bother you, I'm not sure.

so. I've always been a larry. always. I've always believed H and L have been in love with each other, ever since they first met. but I haven't really been active in the fandom lately, mostly because of work and personal issues. I still used tumblr occasionally, to see if there were news or just to check what was happening in general. I didn't have time to watch louis' docu until yesterday.

and. well. now, for the first time, I believe freddie is louis' son. and trust me when I tell you that up until 2 days ago I thought he most definitely wasn't. I don't know, the way he looks, the way lou talks about him and acts around him... I think he's his son.

so, because of this "realization", I basically reconsidered everything I believed in. my head is kind of a mess, because I still want to think there was something between them but that maybe something happened and they broke up or idk... maybe it really was just a relationship we made up. I feel like shit, like I'm "betraying" all of you, I don't know how to explain it.

one thing is certain, even if they were together, I believe that right now they're not an item anymore, and they haven't been for a very long time. I feel so weird, I can't believe I'm actually writing this words.

you might ask yourself why tf I'm telling you all this, and I'm really, really sorry, but there's no one in my life I can talk to about this. and gina, you and your account have always been amazing. I used to check your account all the time, to see what was happening or for fic recs. so yeah, when I was thinking about who I was gonna tell this (because I feel like I need to tell someone or I'm gonna go insane), you're the first person that came to mind. again, I'm sorry. I kinda feel like an idiot.

so yeah, here I am, I can't believe I don't think they're together anymore. I feel guilty, like me/us believing in larry was the reason they stopped being friends, like it hurt them somehow. I used to hate people who believe this. ugh. I'm sorry.

But who knows, maybe I'm wrong. there's a part of me who wants to be.

you're a great person gina, I'm sorry for bothering you with this. thank you.

Hi, love. So, I’ve very honestly lost all interest in trying to rationalize with people about babygate. If you believe Louis is a dad, and you believe that changes everything you ever knew and thought about him as a person and him and Harry as a couple, you do you.

I know what I know. I know what I’ve seen. But it’s very obvious that for some reason Louis wants people to believe he’s a dad.

I watched this clip of Zayn today on the Zach Sang show talking about his daughter. The facial expressions, the pride in his voice, the anecdotes he tells… that’s a dad.

x

But Louis is a dad. Ok. 👍🏻

Anyway, once upon a time, they wanted and needed our very vocal support. They don’t anymore. I hope that even if you think “Larry” never existed, if you think fans ruined their friendship, if you think Louis is a dad, if you think Harry and Louis were together but aren’t now… whatever you think about their personal lives, I hope you can enjoy their music because that’s all they seem to really want from their fans these days. ❤️

[britt-kageryuu]

The chat was going nuts because while the stream hadn't started yet, the starting soon page was Pride themed, and anyone who renewed their subs/memberships would gain VTurtles Pride emotes, and badges elsewhere.

The other thing was that Blue was going to be streaming, so a pre-stream bet on if he was going to be at the clinic again was going. Which those you bet 'No' won.

Because when the scene switched over Leo was in the studio using a glammed up version of his model. Meaning it was sparkling with 'glitter makeup' in the gay and trans colours painted on his scales.

The model had a Trans Pride tank top, that was made to look loose as to show a new detail to his model of 'top scars' on his plastron. Black ripped skinny jeans that had rainbow paint splattered all over, with a white bunny dressed in blue as a charm hanging from a belt loop, blue crocs with pride widgets, and not to forget the bandana with his pride colours on the tails.

"Long time no sea Balemates! Sorry for the lack of streams, I'm sure Dee explained already, but life and a big project got in the way." Leo explains while moving stuff around the desk, "We were barely able to go to Pride this year. Which would've sucked, because an amazing artist that we follow was going to have a booth there, and I really wanted to support them."

The chat is spamming the Blue!Pride emote(s), and asking about the event.

"How was it? Pretty fun, lots of amazing performers, there was a mini fashion show that was just for fun anyone could strut down that runway, thankfully no glitter got thrown around. I swear I still have some in my shell from last year." Leo rambles for a minute about things that happened before dropping something big.

"Then there was the citizens arrest done against a highly phobic idiot that was locked into a, what was it called again.. a pillory? Give me a sec..." Leo pauses to look up the word, "Yep, that was the right word. Though I think they wanted to add more."

Chat was very confused, and some had asked about a stockade, or what was the difference, only to be ignored by Leo.

"Anyway, they were trying to at first just verbally assault people, and do the whole 'Pride is the devil's worship' stuff... which somehow escalated quickly into them being locked in the pillory, stockade thing, and the only reason it didn't go farther was well... Legal Things" Leo sets off a sparkle effect with jazz hands for emphasis, "I normally wouldn't censor that, but some people kept trying to flag our streams for 'inappropriate behavior, or threatening Language' or some other crap."

Leo finally switched over to show he was playing Animal Crossing NH. His character dressed in custom pride themed clothes, and what could be seen of the island was designed to look like a Pride Event. Especially with all the Villagers wearing custom Pride designs.

"My sibs will be joining me in a bit and only to show off their custom clothes designs, which will be made available on Mandarins Socials," Leo says quickly while running to his plaza area, "But right now I want to show off what I've done in the many months since we last played this on stream. I also got to prep the spot were Mandarin is going to place down his newest in game art designs. I heard it took a long time to finish the multi tile piece. "

Right as he finishes that sentence the 'Visitor is Arriving' message goes across the screen to reveal Mandarins character dressed in a pan hoodie with rainbow sleeves, and pride face paint.

"Well speak of the turtle. Got on sooner than I thought then again it is a big piece." Leo says before taking a minute to check the voice chat, and lead Mikey to where he was going to place down his work.

Then Leo runs around talking about how long it took to get everything to look right, especially to get the villagers to be all wearing the custom clothes. Purposefully avoiding where Mikey is doing his best to lay down the custom tile/paths.

-------------------

Masterpost

The pride event story was the starting point, the rest was added detail.

[stayteezdreams]

A Better Ending: Part Two

Plot: After your unplanned date with San, it is now time for a planned date that you hope leads to many more.

-Part One-

Pairing: Choi San x Gn!Reader

-Meet-Cute Series-

Warnings: Kissing toward the end.

Words: 2k

Standing in front of your mirror, you sighed as you looked at the third outfit you tried on. Nothing felt quite right, but maybe that was just your nerves. Deciding to try one more outfit on, you began rummaging through your closet.

Hearing your phone ding, you quickly ran over to check the text, thinking, and hoping it might be San.

As you read the contact name you frowned. Why was your ex-blind date texting you now? It had been nearly week since he ghosted you.

Opening the text out of curiosity, you felt an odd sense of ease as you read his message.

'Hey Y/n. I know you probably don't want to hear from me, and I get it. I just thought I owed you an explanation. I'm really sorry I stood you up, that was an asshole move. I ended up running into my ex before our date and things got...kind of distracting? We ended up talking and hitting it off again. I should have texted you, but I felt bad. I still do! I just feel like less of a coward now.'

You hummed, knowing he was telling the truth since you had heard some of it from your friend Tae a few days before.

Typing out a reply, you checked the time to make sure you still had time to get ready for your date with San.

'I heard it from Tae It's understandable you wouldn't want to go on a date after that but you really should have texted me instead of letting me sit there like an idiot for so long. But, thing's worked out for me anyways, so don't worry too much about it.'

'I really am sorry, you didn't deserve that. But I'm glad it worked out, can I ask how?'

'I met someone else, I'm actually getting ready for a date with him now so I gotta go. I hope things work out with your ex, ex-ex?'

'Haha, yeah, we're trying again. I'm glad you met someone, good luck! And goodnight!'

"Good luck to you too. Goodnight.'

You smiled softly as you went back to your closet. You did gain a sense of relief learning the real reason he stood you up. It wasn't as bad as him thinking you were so unappealing that he bolted.

After finally finding an outfit you didn't hate, you made your way to the address San sent you. When you arrived, you looked up at a building you didn't recognize.

Looking around, you saw San standing near the entrance of the building. He was wearing a casual formal outfit, and looked just as good, if not better, as he did when you first met.

Noticing you, he grinned brightly and waved, watching you closely as you approached. You felt your face grow warm as you saw his gaze drift up and down your figure, you hoped you chose a good outfit.

This worry was quickly replaced by butterflies as he leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek before complementing you.

"You look amazing."

You smiled shyly "Thank you. You do too." You said with a soft tone making him smile bashfully. You looked over at the building you "I've never heard of this place before."

"Really? It's amazing I think you'll really love it."

You grinned at him as he reached out his arm for you to take as he led you inside. You couldn't stop looking around as the interior of the building was sleek dark colors. Getting into the elevator and going to the top floor, you began to grow a bit nervous.

"I'm dressed alright for this place right?" You asked softly and he smiled warmly at you and nodded.

"You look perfect, don't worry."

You felt heat rise up your next at his sincere gaze as you nodded in relief as the elevator door slid open. The dimly lit room had black matte floors, and the ceiling was covered in a thousand tiny lights meant to look like stars. The room was surrounded by windows showing views of the city.

You were seated at a private table at the back right next to a window.

You stared out at the view in awe, letting out a soft breath. "Wow."

San smiled and let out a breath of relief at your reaction. "It's beautiful isn't it?"

You nodded with a grin, "It's amazing. I can see my neighborhood from here."

After you ordered your food, you and San fell into conversation, everything coming naturally and comfortably just like the first time.

"Oh, I wanted to ask. Did you hear anything from the girl that stood you up?"

San smiled softly as he nodded his head, "Apparently she ran into her ex and forgot about our date."

Your heart jumped a bit and he noticed the almost stunned look on your face. "What?"

"That just...sounds familiar."

He rose his brow in confusion and you told him about the messages you received from your blind date.

He remained silent for a moment, now wondering the same thing as you.

As he met your eyes you shook your head, "There's no way right?" Your tone held a hint of disbelief.

He shrugged his shoulders, "I mean. If they were both coming to the same restaurant to meet us, that definitely heightened the chance of them running into each other."

You let out a bewildered laugh and he shook his head before his gaze softened as he looked at you.

You suddenly felt shy. "What?"

He shook his head softly, "Maybe it was fate after all."

"Fate?"

"Us meeting. We were meant to meet that night, so fate stepped in and took away the things that would have stopped us."

You felt your face grow warmer as he stared sincerely, yet intensely at you.

"Do you believe in fate?"

He tilted his head ever so slightly, "I might now."

You grinned, and his smile widened as he saw how his comments affected you.

"Do you?"

You thought about it for a moment, "I'd like too."

He nodded softly, knowing you were feeling and hoping the same things as he was in that moment.

Walking out into the cool night air after dinner, San looked over at you, and you turned to meet his gaze. Your eyes locked for a moment as San seemed to gaze at you.

"I don't want this date to end." He said softly.

"Me neither."

He grinned before he looked around, "Want to go on a walk? There's a park nearby."

You nodded your head, "I'd love that.

Walking slowly towards the park, your shoulders brushed softly as silence lingered between you. Feeling San's hand gently brush yours, you felt your heart hump. slowly, you felt his hand wrap around yours, and you looked over at him.

He met yours eyes and smiled softly, "Is this okay?"

You smiled and nodded, "Yes."

San's smile widened as he looked forward again, interlacing his hand completely with yours now, his own heart beating heavily in his chest.

"I don't know if I've ever been to this part of the city." You commented after a moment as you looked around the park you entered.

San looked around as well. "I come here on occasion, it's quite nice."

You nodded in agreement "It is."

The quiet night air was suddenly disrupted as the sound of arguing became audible. You and San shared a confused look as you looked around for the cause of the sudden disturbance.

Suddenly seeing a girl stomping down the side walk, and a man not too far behind, they continued to argue, though their words weren't quite intelligible.

As you looked at them, you stopped, eyeing the guy for a moment.

"Wait a second." You mumbled.

Suddenly San squeezed your hand and you looked over at him, seeing a similar look of recognition on his face.

As it slowly clicked in your mind you looked back at the couple and whispered. "Is that them?"

San nodded, "I think so."

Meeting eyes you both shared a look before you spoke softly with a raised brow, "It must not be going well after all."

You let out a laugh of disbelief, as San looked dumbfounded at the couple. Noticing they had stopped and turned to argue with each other, you quickly grabbed San's arm and pushed him a bit.

"Let's go before they see us!" You whispered hurriedly.

San grinned as he let you lead him as you both quickly made your way further into the park. As he took your hand again, you were both giggling as you realized how bizarre the situation was.

Making it further into the park where you could no longer see them, you stopped, soft giggles still falling from both of you. Looking over at a large fountain, San led you over a you both sat down on the edge.

"I really hope we don't keep seeing them." You said as you let out a soft laugh.

San nodded "Once is enough."

Letting out a breath you looked up at the sky, your eyes lingering on a few stars poking out of the darkness.

Looking over at you, San almost felt breathless as he took you in. He really did think you were beautiful. You made his heart hammer in ways that were unfamiliar to him.

Feeling his gaze on you, you looked over at San, your face growing hot as you saw just how intense his gaze was.

A small shy smile formed on your face "What?"

San smiled "Sorry" he let out a soft laugh "I just think you're so beautiful."

You grinned and looked down at your feet, and San smiled proudly, loving the way you got shy at his compliments.

He caught your gaze again "I'm so glad I decided to ambush you at the restaurant that night."

You laughed, "I'm glad you did too."

San placed his hand on top of yours and squeezed softly, your eyes locked for a few moments and silent feelings passed between you. You saw his eyes flick to your lips and you felt a wave of butterflies.

Slowly, San leaned closer, stopped just as his nose brushed yours. His eyes grazed over your lips before he locked them with your own again.

He swallowed his nerves down a he whispered, "Can I kiss you?"

Barely able to find your voice, you nodded softly, "Yes."

Leaning in the rest of the way, his lips melded into yours perfectly as his hand slowly brushed up your arm, climbing to your shoulder and then your face as he deepened the kiss.

You moved with him, gently placing your hand on his arm, as electricity seemed to crawl over your skin. Pulling away reluctantly to take a breath, your eyes locked with his again.

He smiled at you as he gently caressed your cheek. Pecking your lips again he then rested his forehead against yours.

Comfortable silence hung between you for a moment before he spoke. "I want to do that a thousand more times."

You giggled softly "Oh, is that all?"

He grinned and shook his head, "A million times."

As you giggled again, he quickly leaned forward pressing his lips against yours once more. His hand moving to the back of your head as he deepened the kiss.

When he pulled away, he took your hand into his again as you noticed the redness in his ears. You smiled softly, glad he seemed just as effected as you.

"You can tell your friend they don't have to set you up with anyone anymore."

"I already have." You said with a soft giggle.

"Did she ask why?"

"Yes."

"What did you say?"

"That I was interested in someone."

He smiled softly as he continued to gently caress your hands "Now you can tell her it's because you have a boyfriend."

You grinned at him and he smiled teasingly at you. Feeling brazen you leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. His eyes widened briefly before he smiled brightly.

Pulling you forward, he kissed you again, softly. One hand stayed wrapped in yours as the other held the back of your head. Though your heart was pounding, excitement and comfort radiated through you.

San held you closer to him as you both forgot about the world around you, only thinking of each other and the sudden, yet wonderful turn your lives seemed to take.

xx End xx

A/n: Ugh, I really hate ending fics, sorry it's a bit abrupt lol. I hope you liked this part!

General Ateez Taglist: @soso59love-blog

Series Taglist: @bubblesreplies, @halesandy, @why-am-i-sad, @acciocriativity

[hockybish]

what is the family’s reaction when they find out that lola ran away!? & the process of returning her home pls (:

more of Buggy

Lola didn't get very far.

The plan was to go back to Canada. Jack had told her many times before thats were she belonged, so why not go back? It not like they would miss her since life seemed to revolve around Jack at the time.

It was very well thought out yet though. She didn't really have an idea how she was getting to Canada. When she left the house in the middle of the afternoon she climbed on a bus and traveled to Ann Arbor. From there she figured she would keeping bus hopping until she got to her destination or at least close to it.

After that? No idea. Nonetheless, she'd figure it out on the fly. But for right now she was on campus in Ann Arbor. Wandering around, trying to figure out where her brother was so she could give him goodbye gift, much like she had given Buggy back to Jack and she returned Luke's hat.

"Honey, can I help you find something? You look a little lost." A friendly voice called from behind her. Lola knew better than to talk to strangers, but she was so lost right now.

"I uh." Lola's mind went black trying to think of what to saw next. She never really thought of what she was going to do when she had eventually arrived at Yost. "I'm looking for my brother."

"Oh? Who's your brother?" The stranger pressed further.

"He's um um" His name was on the tip of her tongue, but for some reason she couldn't form the words to say his name. Her eyes darted everywhere until they landed on a familiar face. "Josh!"

~

"Lola come on we gotta go!" A stressed out Ellen called out from the kitchen. Expecting some sort of snooty response, but there was nothing.

"I told you before mom, I don't think she's here." Jack piped up. He had been sitting at the counter eating a sandwich. He had checked all of her regular hiding spots earlier when he was trying to five back buggy but couldn't find her.

That sent Ellen into a bit of panic mode. Lola was gone and she had no idea where to start looking for her. Does she start calling around to see if any friends or family had seen her or does she go straight to the police?

She chose the first option. She started calling people and recruited Jack, Luke and Alex to drive around and look for the missing girl.

"What did you do?" Luke squinted at his older brother. His immediate reaction to hearing his baby was missing was to get mad at the guy who made her disappear in the first place.

"I didn't do anything." Jack put a little more emphasis on the do. He was pretty positive he hadn't done anything more than normal this time.

"You always do something, you fu-" "No I dont!"

"Will you guys shut up? Your sister is missing and all you two idiots can do is argue." Alex piped up from the backseat. "Find her first, argue later"

"Fine, where do we start?"

~

Quinn was just sitting down with his precious piece of pizza. He had a long day with a test, a paper due, and a tough practice. He wanted to eat and maybe play some video games.

He had just taken a bite when Josh entered the house with his baby sister, who shouldn't be there at all.

"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked her. He had just gotten a txt from his mother and could feel the table vibrating beneath him with responses to what he had just told her.

"I have something for you" Lola placed the package on the stool next him. There she was done with her business at the hockey house and could be on her way to her next destination.

"And this couldn't wait until next time I came home?"

"No"

Lola gave her older brother a quick hug and asked to go to the bathroom. She slipped out the back while he wasn't looking, continuing on her way.

With her back to him Quinn finally had a chance to look at his phone. There were multiple messages from his mother, all alluding to one thing Lola was missing and he knew where she was.

more here

[heckthis-heckallofthis]

How I think things will change once Squad Leader (King Killer) retires/gets transferred/promoted to a higher position and Cross has to take his place as leader.

He BAWLS his eyes out. What do you MEAN his beloved squad leader won't be with them anymore??? He cries so hard you'd think our King Killer died but in reality he just isn't leading anymore

Once he finishes bawling (he's still sniffling and everything, he's just not crying as hard) he gives him so many gifts and apologizes for so many things.

2145 can probably visit him anytime he wants, maybe he congratulates him? He's okay with it.

Helper T is SO thankful he doesn't have to deal with that gorilla anymore (under a different helper T cell now). He hates that idiot.

HT would probably hand the title to just anyone, as long as he doesn't have to see that gorilla anymore. I think a lot of the seniors in the Squad would definitely vote for Cross to be leader (He loves training, is moderately prepared for scenarios, and also knows a lot of leading things because of how adamant he is to help King Killer)

HT finally gives them a budget. For no reason in particular. King Killer hears about it and he's so annoyed. "So the second I'm out of his hair he decides to give my squad a good budget?!"

Cross is definitely forced to be more mature now. Once he sees how much naive T cells in the squad rely on him he can't mess around anymore.

3033 once tried to start up an argument with him he just stopped in the middle of his sentence (it was calling him an idiot repetitively) and just ended it right there and then. 3033 hates it.

I think just to make him suffer more the other senior T cells are moved out of his squad to others like the Pharynx district (their Squad Leader just got transferred to the stomach and they don't have anyone experienced enough to help) so all the KT cells under him are freshly baked and got no idea how to deal with paperwork/the various conveniences around the station

At first he isn't very used to being called Squad Leader. Forgets for like 3 minutes until he's like "why isn't the squad leader responding? That guy has been calling for him for a while now… wait. IM THE SQUAD LEADER."

He worries so much about them, every time he's not at the station he checks his phone religiously and regularly messages them to see if they're alright. "Everything okay at the station? Nothing's bad happening right?"

This was enhanced 10 fold when the area the squad was tasked with protecting got a viral infection on his off-day but they didn't want to bother their squad leader so they tried dealing with it themselves. Cross head in hands and finally understands why King Killer was so strict with everything especially communication and preparation.

His situation is more or less the same to squad leader except the difference is that Cross has "emotional support" (3033) (he still makes fun of him but they're kinda friends now)

Helper T makes him clean his office and he also finally realizes why Squad leader hated his guts (Helper T doesn't really have an opinion on him, just another subordinate to him)

At first the T cells who have seen what Cross was like before being squad leader never took him that seriously, but the newer T cells are a little intimidated (because of the reputation King killer left behind)

Maybe at some point they brush him off so much he needs to call in help to get them to start taking training seriously because T cells need to be prepared everyday.

He does learn to speak in a scary and commanding tone but the things he says aren't commanding nor scary at all ("UP NAIVE T CELLS, LETS GET TRAINING!!" or "KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, HYDRATE YOURSELVES!!")

Once he finally gets that scary demeanour down it's hard for him to talk to his Naive T cells normally, thinks he's gonna be the scary squad leader like his before

Asks 3033 if he's hard to talk to (while low-key crying)

"Hard to talk to? You're flooding the room with your tears in front of me." (He is a bad person to ask because 3033 has seen him cry, MADE him cry, and seen how stupid he is)

All of King Killer's friends do take him seriously tho. IM1235 is good friends with him and thinks he's super awesome. 2145 doesn't talk to him much but he doesn't mind him at all, he's just glad he's way less awkward than his old squad leader. Eosinophil is still terrified of him, Dendritic cell doesn't trust him enough for his plushies but is willing to help him with anything else. M cell sometimes still treats him younger than he actually is, he's trying his best to remember he's technically his peer, but it's hard when he's seen what he was like as his junior.

[the-path-to-redemption]

hiiii i'm here with my last anon message (❀´ ˘ `❀)

i don't think i'll finish RWBY for the time being... i'm halfway through volume 9 and my head is spinning ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) this is just like An Oriental Odyssey, but from the USA!

both:

* have pretty solid writing for the first half and clear expectations, then goes crazy

* develop ok ship only to tear it apart

* main antagonist is bad because their lover died

* many plot twists without any foreshadowing/contradictory foreshadowing

* purest character dies twice and comes back from the dead

* starts as magical realism but SUDDENLY MAGIC!! WOWIES MAGIC DOES EXIST??

* love triangles

* canon ships are bad and the notion of love is twisted and abusive

* fans of the work treat you like an idiot because you don't understand the brilliance of the work

* no subtlety at all

* characters not growing and falling into the same pitfalls

i was halfway season 5 when i realized (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥) i was cheated!! but i immediately thought, "well, the writers must be young too" then i checked and they were way older than me!! .·°՞(˃ ᗝ ˂)՞°·. double cheated!!

what can you expect from beginner writers... but the designs... _(:‚‹」∠)_

i guess Adam's death didn't shock me (i saw spoilers...) as much as how bad the pairings are!! when Renora started showing signs i had to take a break by reading two whole mangas before going back to it. i thought we finally had good girl/boy friendship!!（ꐦ𝅒_𝅒）what do you mean Ren raised her and they're both in love but Ren doesn't speak his feelings for some reason so Nora had to force a kiss on him?! everything was too creepy!! ‎

(ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻ didn't we have enough with Jaune and Pyrrha?! and suddenly Blake starts slapping Sun around... Bumbleby is ok but i thought this was a sapphic show!! where are my sapphics?! (╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

i could rant about many things but the general vibe i got was "ah, everything feels very creepy and cruel somehow" since season 4. i don't know how to explain it... i felt like i was seeing hell for the characters besides the actual problems (•﹏•;) it might be my trauma from An Oriental Odyssey but who knows...

either way this will be my last anon message ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪ i need a break from RWBY... i want to do fanarts, but i'm still too shocked (￣◇￣;) thank you for reading my messages and accompanying me through this odyssey journey!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡₊��⊹♡ if i come back, i'll definitely come back with a blog!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ stay strong friend!! wishing you good health and lots of money and love!! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

Hello again!! It's so nice to see you, anon! Please take your time if you're coming back with a blog, and take care!

Long Post Ahead

I have not seen An Oriental Odyssey, but I might actually check it out now just to see because I enjoy xianxia/wuxia lol. But from what you said, I will be keeping a low expectation for the series if it shares that much similarities with RWBY.

I will also say that I'm personally fine with darker topics being explored in fictional work; my only requirements are that they're portrayed with proper research and with content warnings so that I know what will be included in the narrative (Banana Fish and Scum Villain's Self Saving System are two of my favorite series, with both containing very dark topics). In the case of RWBY, dark topics such as abusive relationships and cruelty in dynamics were not only very sloppily written, the writers refuse to even acknowledge how bad it is along with the FNDM (eg. Blacksun and Renora).

There's a lack of accountability when it comes to how they portray such topics, and even expecting us to think of it as a good thing without even giving us a choice to decide that ourselves. The writers blamed their animation team for the slap when criticism of it arise, and continues to not take abuse very seriously outside of the caricature portrayal of such things with Adam.

And yes, the writers are old enough to know better. They've been writing this series for more than ten years, which should have given them enough time to grow as both creatives and people, but I've also learned that age does not always equal maturity. M*les himself has once said a racial slur against African Americans when he was 26, and called the character Tifa Lockhart from the FF7 Remake game a prostitute for the way she looks and dressed, even though everyone knows that she is the primary inspiration for Yang. With such a person on the writing team, let alone leading it, it's no wonder a lot of RWBY's morals feels extremely juvenile and lackluster.

The matter of age when it comes to creating things aren't always attached to age, it's about how dedicated the creators are to their projects, which RWBY has not been for quite a while now.

Moving onto the matters of ships and their dynamic, yes I was disappointed with Renora as well. Just a correction though, Ren didn't really raised Nora; it's more like they took care of each other when they lost their families, with Ren taking more responsibility for them while Nora supports him emotionally. However, the relationship starts to sour (for me at least) was when Nora lost her emotional maturity and intelligence to basically invalidates Ren's turmoils. Forcing him to talk when he's not having a good time, forcing a kiss on him, then proceed to blame Ren for the relationship falling apart even though he tried to be rational in a crisis. She became extremely nasty as a person that I don't want to see her near Ren anymore for his own well-being!

This isn't uncommon in RWBY... every relationship (romantic or otherwise) are very shallow and disappointing. It's even worse when it comes to LGBT+ romance, because RWBY did not start or continued as a sapphic-friendly show. Blacksun was baited for years, until the writers saw that Bumbleby brings them more traction despite having very little believable hints that these two would ever be in a relationship with each other, even if you don't look at the very problematic elements of it (again, I don't mind such ships, I just dislike how these two are heralded as "cute and good" when the foundation of their romance is so toxic and they're stripped of their other personality traits).

Sapphic ships in RWBY (or just LGBT+ representations in general) are either for marketing purposes or shoddy afterthoughts. The writers were never going to treat such representations seriously because they themselves do not treat real life LGBT+ individuals with respect. If you go into the research of how Rooster Teeth's queer employees are treated, you will find the account of Kdin Jenzen being abused, hate crimed for being trans and fired by the company without aid. You're better off watching The Owl House, or even any queer manga out there.

Thank you again for the ask and reading my ramblings haha. Whatever it is you do going forward, I hope you have fun and stay safe! If we do meet again, I look forward to seeing your art! It was fun, and I wish you an abundance of wealth and love as well! Bye bye, anon! <3

[llatimeria]

why are upstairs neighbors the way they are. i know this is long but can somebody please . please read this and give me a reality check

the last few people who rented the apartment above us were annoying too but it pales in comparison to whoever lives there now. Every single fucking day, usually in the evenings or late afternoons, they do ... Something. it could be sex or some kind of exercise or any other number of things. It's just a lot of THUD THUD THUD THUD THUDs on and off for half an hour to an hour and a half. Today it started at 8pm and lasted til 9 but the last time I made a note of the time it happened around 3pm as I was trying to do homework.

It feels like the whole ceiling shakes. I swear sometimes it fucks with the air pressure in my ears, which is really hard to notice until it's driving me insane, like a grain of sand in my sock. It's started to stress out our dog, which just makes her start barking (and she's clearly barking at the ceiling), but her barking is in itself overstimulating, which stresses us out more, which she picks up on, which just makes her bark more because she's baby and doesn't like it when her dads are anxious.

The thudding alone can be enough to overstimulate us, but combined with the barking and coincidental other neighbor noises that don't usually bother us, it's... Extremely draining. We're both neurodivergent people with PTSD. Loud, unpredictable noises don't really mix well with us. On more than one occasion my partner's had full blown anxiety attacks bc of the combination of sudden loud noises (a known trigger for them) and the overstimulation (another known trigger for them). We like. Actively can't keep living like this. lmao. I cannot stress enough how it is every day and never quite at the exact same time so we can emotionally prepare for it, and it's not like we should have to prepare to exist in our own living room anyways.

Anyways I just need to purge all of my anxieties and get a reality check about this. Help

We could just be stupid and unreasonable and should just grow up and get over it, and will be fully confronted with that if we do anything.

We might just open ourselves up to harassment (or becoming the butt of a lot of jokes) because we're the whiny neighbors who have nothing better to do than complain

Even if we are being reasonable, it doesn't really make a difference, because if our neighbors think that we're not, they could harass us anyways

They could make a noise complaint about our dog out of spite ("why are you mad at Them when it's Your dog that barks")

Maybe we're also extremely annoying neighbors and we'll look like huge assholes/idiots if we complain about anyone else (implausible, but again. Small dog)

What if we try to contact them and they interpret it as an attack on them. We think one of the people living above us is a very large, heavyset man we've seen around the apartment complex, and we don't want to put our feet in our mouths if he's literally just vibing (or worse, excercising to lose weight) and we just totally humiliate him by telling him his mere footsteps are overstimulating down here. I don't want anyone to feel BAD. (And we're also not totally sure the guy we've seen is actually the guy above us, we just know they showed up around the same time)

We did actually try bonking the ceiling with a broom a few days ago and they obviously heard it because they stopped for a second, laughed, and started doing whatever it is more loudly, but what if that was entirely a coincidence and they didn't notice at all

What if they interpret any message we send as a passive-aggressive attack rather than just trying to let them know how loud they're being

And what if we do actually come across as passive-aggressive towards people who aren't us and we just make everything worse by bungling our communication attempts. It wouldn't be on purpose, but again it doesn't matter because some people interpret everything as an attack regardless

They could generally just fuck with our lives and make us miserable forever with no recourse if we fuck this up, too. like. We LIVE right BENEATH them. They know where we live and probably the layout of our apartment, since it's probably identical to theirs. They could probably figure out which car is ours. They could report our dog barking, or just come up with any number of fake/minor complaints. They could stalk us, vandalize our shit, intentionally make more noise or make louder noises and intentionally try to overwhelm/trigger us, or any number of things. Even if they got in trouble for it, that doesn't really matter because I just don't want it to happen in the first place.

And, worse, what if we try to get them punished, but it turns out we really were the aggressors the entire time according to anyone normal, and we just get our entire lives deservedly wrecked instead

i don't know what to dooooo

[madlad-sadgal]

Goldenheart AU Pt. 3

I FOUND MY NOTEBOOK!

If you couldn't tell, I have found my notes about this AU and am finally able to make more parts (I could've just made new notes but for some reason my mind stopped everytime I tried to do that, so yeah). This part is gonna be about the band members' (Bal, Nimona and Meredith) backstories.

I highly suggest you check out these first if you wanna understand this, cuz it might not make sense: [Part 1] [Part 2]

(Edit: I'm an idiot and forgot to put the links when I first posted it)

Part 1 is just the base of the AU, and part 2 explains the Director/Livia's (the name I gave her) reasons to not want Goldenheart to be a thing.

Also, feel free to put any idea you might want to add on in the comments or the tags! I tend to look at them and take them in consideration. I don't tag you (some people don't want to be tagged), but if you want to be credited, just message me and I'll tag you if I use your idea!

Anyways, Enjoy!

Ballister Boldheart

Although he didn't live on the streets, Ballister wasn't part of a very fortunate family when it came to money.

Education was something his family struggled to provide to him, and food was thoroughly enjoyed as one never knew if the next meal would be provided or not

His parents worked in a quite successful company but were paid barely enough to survive despite the amount of work they did

Ballister also worked small jobs, such as helping the park keeper clean up garbage, helping the mailman deliver his letters and packages, and so on

When he properly met Ambrosius was when he was cleaning up the park

I say properly because everyone knows Ambrosius Goldenloin, future heir to the Goldenloin company, so when he walked up to a little boy with long dirty hair and worn down clothes, it was pretty safe to say he was wary of him at first

Slowly but surely, after they met up more and more, Ballister started to warm up to him until they became great friends

Ambrosius had tried many times to give money to his family or to buy him something, but Ballister always refused because 1) He wanted to prove he could help on his own, not thanks to some charity money, and 2) He really didn't need the rest of Ambrosius' friends to start rumors about how he was using him for money (It was pretty clear they didn't like him, mainly Todd Sureblade, the Sureblade's being long friends of the Goldenloins)

At some point in time, when they were about 9-10, Ambrosius had to leave cities because of something and the two boys wouldn't be able to talk anymore, so he left with heart wrenching goodbyes

After that, everything was basically shit

With Ambrosius no longer around, some of his old friends who had stayed behind picked on him (hiding the stuff he needed to work, throwing random objects at him when he was in the park, etc.)

His father succumbed to an illness he had been suffering from for a while which sent his mother spiraling into a depression and turning to drinks. She didn't abuse him, but behind her curtain of sadness, she basically forgot about him and it was up to Ballister to provide food and take care of the both of them

It didn't take long for child protection services to take note of this and, at 16, Ballister was placed in a foster home while his mother went to therapy and rehab

It was in the foster home that Ballister met Nimona (backstory later)

Nimona was younger than him by around ten years, a little six year old kid who looked harmless until you realized just how much chaos she could cause

Still, he enjoyed Nimona's company and his foster parents could tell, so they let the two kids be. It was a struggle to stop Nimona from causing chaos everytime they went to the market, but it was worth it if it meant they'd stay up until late into the night arguing about whether freestyle jazz was good or not, if pineapple belonged on pizza or not and what animals would be the best to have if you were running away from the police

Back to that last point, music (except freestyle jazz) was something that the two enjoyed greatly. Nimona enjoyed the drums, always getting a boost out of watching others go crazy on them. Ballister preferred bass (it may or may not be because he remembered Ambrosius had mentioned it being his favourite instrument once and he was desperately holding on to his old friend)

When Nimona turned 7, their parents' rights were terminated and Vivian and William (their foster parents) adopted them, and he was also adopted not long after because his mother's rights had been terminated as well, so now they were an actual little family

Ballister recieved a bass set on his seventeenth birthday, and Nimona received a drum set about three years later on her tenth birthday. By then, Ballister had gotten a lot better with handling and playing the bass and helped Nimona a little with her drums

When they were respectively 22 and 12, money became thin in their household and, having already been through it, Ballaiter didn't want to go through it again, so he decided he was gonna find a way to help his parents, except this time he knew little jobs at the park or helping the mailman wouldn't cut it

They knew they were talented and they could put their talents to good use, and the idea to create a band was somehow thrown into conversations

Only problem is, Bal is pretty good in technology, but he can't work backstage and on the bass at the same time, they'd need at least a third member

Enter Meredith Blitzmeyer

So I'm gonna stop this here because it's already pretty long, I'm exhausted and I'm pretty sure you can tell I got tired towards the end of this, but oh well.

Nimona's backstory's next.

And again, please add on to this with your ideas if you have any, I like hearing what you guys think.

[gaoau]

Shiver – Snip-snip, Chop-chop, Stab-stab

A Mother's Instinct warnings — none. word count — 1.4k

prev. — next.

Out of the three reactions his body had, he had always feared the shivers the most. When Yaku felt the bristles on his neck, he at least knew he could try and physically stop [Name] from harming herself by using common sense and a bit of bribing. When his stomach stirred uncomfortably, Yaku could simply pick up his phone, give [Name] a call, and console her for whatever had happened—although he preferred the art of hugging for that. But when the shivers trailed down his spine and made goosebumps erupt on his skin, he didn't ever know what to expect from [Name]'s brain.

The first time was during their second year, shortly after Summer break had begun. She had hit his phone up a few minutes before the sun fully set and asked, "On a scale from one to ten, how bad of an idea is it to pierce my own tongue?" The blood drained from Yaku's face in a split second, and not a moment later he was barking at [Name] through his microphone, educating her about nerve damage and the risks of being an idiot. Needless to say, [Name] did not pierce her own tongue that evening.

What she did do, however, happened early during their third year. Kuroo had become captain, they had warmly welcomed new first-years into the team, and [Name] was feeling like trying something different. She had gone through multiple changes throughout her high-school years, so trying something different wasn't a surprise to anyone. More often than not she would show up to school with a different hair color, or horribly cut bangs, or that one time she shaved the ends of her eyebrows for some reason; all which Yaku had anticipated due to the shivers.

She had developed a skill for destroying her body in the most fashionable ways. The whole team—and maybe even the whole school—knew this one idiot had become incredibly efficient at coloring and chopping her own hair overtime. In fact, after being pestered by Yamamoto about standing out, Kenma had turned to her and reluctantly asked if she would be willing to dye his hair for him. [Name] was beyond elated to see her recklessness helping someone else.

But not all of her spontaneous ideas ended in compliments from her classmates and one-sided chats at Kenma's house as she burnt his scalp with bleach. The sheer terror contorting Yaku's face at the feeling of not only shivers, but also a sickening stirring in his stomach was impressive. [Name] had a tradition of attacking her hair around two in the morning, so considering the sun still shone on the sky, chances of her hair suffering were low—but never zero—not to mention, she was crying.

"[Name], what in the ever-loving fuck are you doing?" Yaku swiped his fingers across the screen of his phone to send her a couple messages demanding answers. When he received no replies and the messages were left unread for more than a few minutes, Yaku decided to take it upon himself to check on his favorite dumbass.

[Name]'s mother greeted him with an affectionate hug, ushering him to get inside, insisting yet again to call her mom for once. He excused himself, kicked off his shoes, and walked past the kitchen, where he caught a whiff of warm vanilla wafting from the oven. Peering inside, he chuckled at [Name]'s father beating up some egg whites for meringue. The man smiled at him and offered a freshly baked plate of cupcakes. The [Surname]s loved him dearly, from doting parents to chaos child.

After tasting [Name]'s father's cupcakes—which he found amazing—he made his way to [Name]'s room. He sighed loudly before knocking on the closed door, pressing his ear against it to listen closely in case he could catch her crying. Instead, he only heard how she gasped, sucked in a breath, and scrambled around on the floor.

Yaku huffed through his nose, eyes closing. "[Name]?"

"Oh, fuck. Oh, shit. God, fuck, damn it. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck—Ah, holy shit!" First, hushed whispers she was mumbling to herself. Then, a yelp of pain. "Please, don't come in…!" Her voice shook as she cried out.

"Well, I was going to ask, but now you're clearly crying and I'd like to know why."

"No, no, it's nothing! Go home! Dad's making cupcakes, take one on your way out!"

"Already ahead of you." Yaku grasped the door handle and twisted it, but didn't quite open the door. He awaited a reaction, which came in the form of [Name] squeaking out another pained yelp. "[Name], I'm coming in."

"Please, don't!"

But Yaku didn't care for listening and burst into the room. It was a sight to behold and it almost made his heart shut down completely. [Name] sat cross-legged by her trash bin, half of her hair held up with pins, exposing her nape and allowing a perfect view of her ears. Particularly, her left ear. Her left, bleeding ear. The smell of rubbing alcohol overpowered the previous, welcoming scent of warm vanilla from the pastries. Draped over [Name]'s lap was a very bloody towel, covered in strands of hair.

Yaku blinked. Once. Twice. And as soon as he could understand the sight in front of him, he slammed the door shut and rushed to shake [Name] by the shoulders. "[Name], are you okay?! What did you do?! What are you doing?!"

Tears poured out of her eyes as she let go of the scissors in her hand. Yaku hadn't noticed those scissors. He took a closer look and spotted a razor next to the trash bin, which he realized was filled with crumpled-up paper and chopped-off hair. "I gave myself an undercut…"

"I'm sorry?"

"Morisuke. I gave myself an undercut."

"Wha—what? But why are you bleeding so much?!"

"Oh…" She reached her left hand towards her ear, alarming Yaku with the amount of blood staining it. "I decided to pierce my upper cartilage. It… didn't go well, ow…"

Yaku inhaled deeply. "[Name]." [Name] locked eyes with him, her brows bending into a pitiful grimace, a pout upon her trembling lips. "Why?"

"I don't know! I just got out of the shower and saw the scissors and went snip-snip! And then I just impulsively stabbed a needle through my ear! I don't know!" Despite having blood-stained palms, she slammed her face into them and started sobbing.

Yaku couldn't help the laugh spilling from his lips as he peeked behind her to the mess she had made. There was an extremely uneven line separating her tied-up hair from her shaved skin, while terribly chopped strands poked in various directions. Impressive for someone that worked without a mirror; disappointing for being [Name]. It was a disaster.

"It's a disaster."

"I'm aware! Okay?! I know!"

Yaku chuckled once more, to which [Name] responded with a muffled groan as she continued to bawl. He settled behind her on his knees and let her hair loose before re-tying it higher up, leaving some loose portions to even out her horrible job. "I'll fix it for you. Then we'll patch up your ear."

[Name] whipped her head backwards to gawk at her best friend. Oh, the smiles Yaku could muster were more than a blessing. They could wash her concerns away and wipe her tears off in an instant. He was simply that amazing. Before he allowed her to say anything or stare any longer, Yaku forced her head to look forward again.

"Stop crying now. I'm gonna mess it up with you shaking like that."

"God, this is why I love you."

"Yes, [Name], I love you, too."

[Name] never knew a short sentence could loosen her muscles up and fill her with warmth. Her tears disappeared, replaced by a toothy grin which probably made her seemed adorably stupid. But it was fine. Yaku loved her, whether she was adorable, or stupid, or adorably stupid anyway.

[foreverythingareason]

It's ok, I'm ok

TW: Stalking

Pt. 11

Table of Contents

The Playlist

The Pretty Reckless: Blame Me

The phone calls started almost immediately. The texts started soon after. I was at a loss. What do you do when the person you are dating, whom you have agreed to take a few days away from, begins harassing you. Because that's what it felt like to me, harassment. After the first 5 calls and 3 texts, I replied, like an idiot. "Hey, we agreed to take a few days and think about things, I'd appreciate if you did that. It's hard to clear my mind to think when I'm being bombarded with messages. Yes, I know you're sorry. I know you want to resolve this now, but we agreed, not 2 hours ago, to have a few days of time away from one another and this doesn't feel like time away. Please stop texting. Please. But they kept coming in and so I just stopped replying at all and eventually turned off my phone. I was irritated and on edge by this point. WTF. I never expected that he would go so off the rails over this or that I'd feel so threatened by it. I got home and immediately stripped down and crawled into bed.

Fuck this whole day. I was woken up hours later by pounding on my front door. I bolted out of bed and checked the peephole only to find Collin pacing back and forth on my porch. OH, Fuck This. I thought I had felt threatened earlier, but now I was actually fearful. I quickly got dressed in the dark and snuck out my back door, bolting down the hill until I was a good distance from the house.

I sat out there in the dark for an hour, but I could still see him down there circling the house and I decided then and there that I would not be going back home that night. I slowly made my way into town, taking the long way, in case he'd given up and headed back home. I'd hate to encounter him out here in the dark all by myself.

I slogged blearily into town, at once grateful to be living near enough to downtown that there was a discernable nightlife. I stopped in at an open diner and settled into a table, finally turning my phone back on, to find no less than 150 missed texts and 45 missed calls. I ordered coffee and a greasy breakfast sandwich and settled in to read the mess of messages. They were still coming in I realized, and they were utterly unhinged. I've never been in this sort of situation before, so I had no idea what I should do, but the devil himself couldn't have persuaded me to answer another of those texts.

"Where are you? Why won't you answer me? What do I have to do? Just tell me. Anything. Why are you doing this to me? I'm coming over. Open the door. Open the door, Amon. I'm here. I want to talk. Let me in. Just let me in. Please. Please. Please.

They went on like this for ages. The more I read, the further my heart sunk into my stomach. I was going to have to pick up and move again. I hadn't even done anything this time. It wasn't fair. Why was this happening to me? I thought I was being reasonable. Was I wrong here? Was I tormenting this man for nothing?

I had my fingers wrapped up in my hair pulling sporadically as I spiraled into despair. I was JUST getting my shit together. I had school and a social life, and I thought I had someone I cared about. My feelings and my perception of people were obviously skewed if I could be this wrong about someone. What was I going to do?

Someone cleared their throat and said "excuse me, but are you ok? You look…scared."

I looked up into the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen and flinched so hard away from him I almost brained myself on the window. "Ah, I'm sorry. I startled you. I don't mean to intrude, it's just you seem, fragile, on edge and like I said, scared. Can I help you in some way?"

"No, No I'm ok, its fine. I don't want to bother you". And honestly, I didn't want to be around anyone, particularly anyone that I found as attractive as I did this man. I was attracted to the wrong type, obviously or I wouldn't be in this situation.

"Ok, well if you change your mind, I'm sitting over there." He gestured at a table far in the back, mostly hidden from the rest of the restaurant. Just the sort of place I didn't want to be right now with a stranger.

My phone rang right at that moment, and I almost dropped it on the floor. The man looked at me in concern but turned away and went back to his table. I went back to reading text messages and I froze when I got to the last few that had come in.

"I know you've gone out Amon. I'll find you. There aren't many places to hide this late at night. He was out looking for me now. WTF was I going to do??? Before I could really think on it, I grabbed my plate and scurried over to the strangers table and sat down. Sometimes the devil you know is NOT the lesser of two evils. I was going to take that chance anyhow. It seemed a much safer choice than just waiting for Collin to find me here alone.

The stranger looked up and smiled at me gently. I'm Asher, do you want to tell me what's troubling you? You don't have to, but maybe I can help? I scrolled my text messages back to the beginning and simply handed him my phone. He read for several minutes, his face getting darker with every passing moment. "This is harassment at best and an implied threat here at the end. Is this your partner?" I nodded, "kind of, it wasn't supposed to be anything serious, but we had a fight and somehow it escalated to this." I gestured vaguely at the phone. "If I'd have realized sooner, I'd never…" he interrupted my words, "No it's not your fault. This is…not something you did. I suspect, he would have been set off by something at some point no matter what you did or didn't do. Do you know if he's likely to follow through with his threats? Will he try to hurt you?" I'd hit my limit, and my face crumpled, "I don't know, I just don't know. He knows where I live, I can't go home." He smiled gently at me "I'd gathered as much from some of those texts, and you look a bit rumpled, sorry for saying, like you got chased out of bed abruptly."

"It's ok, that's exactly what happened." I made a spur of the moment decision that I would most likely regret and asked for help. "You don't have someplace I could stay for the night, do you? Sorry to ask, I know I'm a complete stranger, but he knows my friends. He knows all the places I could go, and I can't afford to just rent a room somewhere. College has pretty much wiped out my emergency finances. He hesitated, and then having made a decision shook his head "sure, my place isn't the most normal place, but you can crash on the couch for the night if you need." I slumped in the booth, exhaustion finally taking its toll on me. "I'll pay for this and then we can go", he said waving down a waitress. I pulled out some cash to cover my portion, but he waved me off. "I've got it, no worries".

I was sitting in the front seat of his car when I glanced back to the restaurant, only to see Collin striding inside with purpose. That was SO Close. "He's here" I said and gestured at the restaurant. "Ok, we are going." He said and pulled out onto the road. I finally relaxed once we were a few blocks away. If I hadn't decided to trust Ash, Collin would have caught me and there is no telling what would have happened. "Thank You SO much. I wouldn't have gotten away if not for you." Asher glanced at me briefly, "You're ok though, you don't need anything? From what I gathered you got run out of your place with nothing but what you had on, we can stop somewhere if…" "No, no I just needed a safe place to be for the night. Hopefully, after getting a bit more sleep my brain will start functioning again and I can figure my way Out of this situation. I never thought it would come to this. It never occurred to me to be afraid of him until tonight."

"Unfortunately, that's often the way it goes. Everything is fine until suddenly it is very Not fine, and you are left scrambling for cover." I glanced at him suddenly a bit nervous. "You seem to know a lot about all this…" "Ah, yes. I've had a few friends that were in similar situations. I learned a lot helping them navigate their way out of those relationships. I'll warn you, it's not easy and there aren't enough resources to help, not really. I hope, for your sake, that you don't have to uproot your life to get away from him, but that could be what it takes."

"I just moved here; I can't afford to leave again. I'm stuck." I was becoming frantic again. "Try to stay calm. We can talk about this some more back at my place where we can get you a stiff drink if you need it. I'll help however I can, okay? You aren't alone right now so take advantage of that, and I'll answer any questions that come to mind, ok? You've got this. Hey, best case scenario is he sobers up tomorrow and realizes what he's done and fucks off into the sunset. Think he might?"

"Oh, almost no chance of that. He's persistent and he's in love." Ash looked at me sadly, "I'm not, to be clear. There is NO going back for me. I don't fuck with this kind of behavior." "Good", he said simply as he pulled the car into the driveway of a huge, spooky mansion.

Who WAS this guy? "This is your place?" I asked incredulously. "It is, and I know what you are thinking, but I get a great deal on rent because it's haunted and I'm technically only renting the guesthouse around back; but no one else lives here right now and even the guesthouse is huge. But yeah, ummm, I hope you aren't afraid of ghosts." I wanted to ask what else could go wrong this evening, but I was afraid the universe was determined to answer that exact question. So, I took a deep, fortifying breath and got out of the car.

We went around to the apartment?!? and let ourselves in. It was slightly less intimidating than the main house, but only just. So, I hate to ask, but my stuff is pretty grunge atm, do you have anything I could borrow to wear for the night? I don't wanna ruin your couch. He tossed a few articles of clothing my way which I would look delightful in and pointed me to the bathroom. Once I was changed, I sat down on the couch and pulled out my phone again. There were more messages and more calls, and I felt my stomach drop as I read each new message. He'd gone to my friends' places looking for me. I should have warned them regardless of the hour, but I hadn't thought of it. I had several missed calls from Menali, who I called back right then. She picked up immediately and demanded to know where I was and if I was ok. He'd been to her place, and she was understandably freaked out, but mostly for me. I reassured her that I was in a safe place for the night and promised to call again first thing tomorrow. I called each of my other friends in succession, assuring them of my well-being and warning them not to let Collin in if he came by.

By the time I was done, Ash had returned with a drink for me, which I took gratefully. "I heard you letting everyone know you were safe. I assume they were all okay too? No altercations with your…uh…Collin was it?" "Yeah, they were all good, though he had been to a few places demanding entry which is concerning. I just hope I didn't miss anyone. "Is he still messaging?" "Yeah". "OK, I'd turn your phone off for the night so you can get some decent sleep and then we can figure things out once you are well rested. "Yeah, yeah that sounds good. Umm, is there anything I can or should do for you? For staying the night that is…I". "No, you don't owe me anything. You have enough to worry about without having to worry about paying me back for this." "I'm sorry you thought you had to offer." "I…Thanks". I laid down on the couch and Asher turned out the light and left the room. I could feel my cheeks burning in the darkness.

I awoke with a start at the first light of dawn, completely disoriented and briefly unaware of where I was. Once my memories of the past night returned, I shuddered and grappled for my phone. I turned it back on briefly to see what the damage was, but the calls and messages had finally stopped coming in sometime after 4 am. "Is everything ok?" a voice spoke up behind me, startling me. "OH! Yes, he gave up around 4. I'm not sure if that's for good or just while he sleeps, but I can probably risk dropping by my place later and grabbing some stuff for wherever I end up landing." He smiled at me and handed me a plate heaped with breakfast foods. I salivated when I smelled it.

"I wanted to talk to you about that actually. You may need to lay low for a week or so while he cools off. There is always the chance that he Won't cool off, but better to cross that bridge when we get to it, yeah? So, that said, I was thinking you might be inclined to just jump ship and offload that place, it's a rental right?" "Yes, but it's cheap and I have no other prospects." "Ah, but you do. I have an extra room, so if you are interested, it's yours. It can be temporary too of course, I mean, you can stay for a while even if you don't stay, stay, but it might be worth it to get a fresh start somewhere that he doesn't know about. If you wanted, that is."

I was dumbfounded and a little suspicious if I was being honest. "So, I have to ask, but why?" "A few reasons really. You need it. I could honestly use a roommate, and contrary to my recent behavior, I don't usually trust easily. And lastly, because I failed a friend once that was in your situation and she didn't make it, so atonement, I guess. I decided in that moment not to overthink this offer or wonder what the catch Really was, because it was exactly what I needed, and the universe really needed to cut me a break. "Deal. I was gonna try to grab stuff from my place today anyways, I might as well take it all. I don't have much that's mine. If you're sure about this that is. And if possible, would you come along, as much for the ride as for the safety in numbers. I'm not familiar with this part of town and it's a long walk back to my place. "Deal" he said, and we both turned our attention to breakfast.

My phone remained quiet for the remainder of breakfast, so we decided to risk going to my place and retrieving my belongings. I had already called my landlord and let them know I wouldn't be staying. They weren't pleased, but then I'm not exactly pleased by the situation either. I was definitely not getting my deposit back. We pulled into the driveway, and I hesitantly went to the door and unlocked it, on guard for any incoming attacks. Thankfully, none were forthcoming, and we made it inside unassailed. I really was jumpy, so I was glad Ash had agreed to come with me. I wouldn't want to do this alone. I quickly gathered my meager belongings and took one last look around before turning to find Ash so we could get out of this place.

Dead Poet Society: I Hope You Hate Me

He grabbed a couple of bags from me, and we went out to load up the car, where we found Collin waiting silently. "Look who's here" he said. "Who's your new friend? You spend the night with this guy?" There was nothing of the sweet, almost meek Collin I had come to know. He was all fury and adrenaline and there was no way we were getting out of this unscathed. "Collin. What are you doing here? You are making this worse. You should go." That was the wrong thing to say as he reached for my arm and yanked me close to him. "Hey man, let Amon go and we can all just get out of here. No need to escalate this into something you can't come back from, right?" Ash was attempting to defuse the situation, but Collin was having none of it.

"Sleep with him, did you? Yeah, he's pretty sweet. I can see how he's got you fooled. He's good at that." I was close enough now to smell the alcohol on his breath, and I knew we were in trouble. We might have been able to reason with a sober Collin, but this man was someone new and completely unreasonable. "Look Collin, I'll be happy to chat with you once you've sobered up, but I just don't think we're getting anywhere at this time." I reasoned. Ash tried again, "Just let him go Collin. He's not worth all the trouble you'll get into if you hurt him, ok?" He abruptly shoved me into the car and made directly for Ash.

"YOU are the outsider here. YOU are the problem. Why don't YOU piss off before I remove you myself? Hmm?" Not Good. I quietly dialed emergency services and hoped they could get a location off my cell. "That's right. I'm the bad guy here, so come after me. I stole your boyfriend, and I know you're pretty pissed about it, so come on I'm right here." WTF was he doing? He was going to get himself killed. Collin lunged for him and in the same moment I lunged for Collin, and it ended with the three of us toppling to the ground. The next thing I knew, my head hit the ground, and I was out. I woke up some time later to Ems giving me the once over and Asher nursing a black eye, but no sign of Collin. "He took off when you got knocked out." Ash told me. Well, at least neither of us were terribly injured. "Thanks for all that back there. I know you were trying to draw him away from me." "Yeah, he seemed pretty unstable in the moment. I had to do something."

I started texting everyone I knew, letting them know about my imminent move and reiterating to Menali that I was still ok. She was understandably concerned that I was now moving in with someone that I'd only met the night before, which honestly was an entirely fair point, but for some reason I just trusted the guy. He was probably a serial killer. It was barely noon, and I was already so worn out that I dozed the rest of the way back, in the car. Ash woke me gently once we arrived back at the house. "I don't think we were followed, but I'll feel better once we are ensconced inside" he said. I blearily nodded my agreement. We unpacked my stuff as quickly as possible and made it into the house just as it started to drizzle.

[the-firebird69]

He told me that Mac was a fake Mac and I checked and it is he's in the minivan thinking I'd fall for it because this guy talks to him for 20 minutes he says he's just talking to you because he can and you decided to he wants to see why you're talking to him and you're ridiculous and you're gross you're so stupid and weird he believed that you believe it he says I don't need you for followers like you that guy and he drove away mad it's just don't drive away mad just drive away tell me again and the guy got so mad it was ridiculous all day long listen to this moron and I understand what he's doing but he probably would have done it without provocation and you're blaming yourself and you're exposed and you're in danger I'm sick and tired of saving you every few minutes and finding out that you get kidnapped cuz you turned around and thought he was helping you or under your control he's murderous and he's Charles Manson he doesn't have any control on him even logic and watch some tapes look up the psychological findings please as soon as you can I actually looked it up when I broke free from the moron and his idiot pack following me everywhere into our territory getting raped and pillaged and pulled in and they're forced destroyed all night long they're bothering me so I finally got a chance to look and it says psychologically unable to change this person's mind about any facts or anything that would happen to him if he commits homicide or any punishment and he's listening to tons of stuff that this guy's saying and he's thinking it's b******* and he's kind of looking at some record saying he's saying this then this happens and what we say is your correlating it and you're doing it and saying it's not real what he's doing looks really real to us and we're the ones doing some of what he says when you're saying it it's a similar reason and he goes yeah but and he stops and he says okay so you're trying to do that I said so what do you think he's doing nothing while we're saying he's doing everything he's doing nothing and he goes it looks like nothing so the guy goes around saying he hates that line and what you say is oh wow and stuff like that but what I say is this guy trying to remillard is dead I can't believe the s*** that he's gotten us into and the stupid crap going on and he's not a teammate at all and he's a loser and a backstabber and we're going to have to take action on him very soon as in like today and I want him out of here I don't want him driving up to us and seeing stupid s*** walking up and blabbing singing with a good guys I don't care for being near him ever and he's got to leave and he's got to leave the apartment and we kick them out a bunch of times and we try to do it without writing and he just comes back do it and writing and he comes back as a different guy it's hell this guy is a f****** jerk this really not that many people on earth that'll like him he's dying and losing so I got this message about this little pipsqueak s******* and we are going to go pulling up to our friend's door to deliver a package to the schmuck they do this all day very negative people evil signals all day long evil messages all day long and they're trying to do stuff all day long and blab it and send it all day long everyday every few minutes and deteriorating into nothing they're the most unproductive losers I've ever seen in my life and we need them all dead and we need them dead now I don't have any time to talk about it anymore because it's so stupid we should have gotten rid of them ages ago and we didn't and I mean it we need them out we need them out of there right now this lady is going to be handled you got messages from like 10 people nearby and across the street and they're telling us she's there like three or four hours a day same thing so what is she doing so it's illegal what she's doing and Dan Dave actually will talk

Sherry

She is babbling about me and having a friend say tons of stuff and doesn't think it's real this is hell I need her out of here she's in my face

Dan Dave

Don't you do it not right now we're going to have a battle in space and a friend says we'll lose because we suck we probably will and we're going to make him pay for it and he says we're going to make you pay for it

Trump

You're a moron Trump if we lose you're not going to blame him we're going to blame you cuz you're a f*** head you're AI boy and you don't have it

Bja

Olympus

I'm tired of being in the middle of this retard fight they're arguing over simple s*** that a freshman in high school can figure out and tell them about I want them off me they can argue with someone else unless someone argues about something pertinent

Zues Hera

Now we follow it it's disgustingly bane and bile and it's Lola and lowbrow low-level b******* and it really is but they do it to a lot of people and they're distractions for the empire so we have to start working that more

Nevada Ariana

I said part of the above and I mean it but this is what we must do

Frank Castle hardcastle

This guy is so fooled and duped we're never going to get him out of it and we have to use stuff to get him to go after things no he's going to be attacked by the empire shortly and he doesn't know it

Duke nukem Blockbuster

Olympus

[memoriofagoldfish]

On this day, one year ago...

Today I had a Stardom show, the reason I travelled to Nagoya. But first, not wanting to miss the chance, I got up super early to see Nagoya Castle before the show. It was a nice morning walk, and a lovely day for it. I got some grilled chicken from one of the stands there which was super tasty :) They had lots of demonstrations and activities you could participate in or watch, but unfortunately I just didn't have the time to relax there all day. I can imagine it'd be a lovely family outing, though. Lots of things to do and eat, besides admiring the beautiful castle :)

Travelled to the venue, had a trusty 7/11 lunch, then went to enjoy the show! Took 0 good pictures the entire time, but whatcha gonna do 😂

After that, I had to pick up my bags from the hotel and travel to Hiroshima. Gosh this was a busy day! Took some more Nagoya pics on my way out. The weather had turned by this point, but at least it stayed nice for the castle in the morning :)

Also filmed the Shinkansen for my mum :)

Despite only booking my tickets the night before (rookie mistake) I was fortunate enough to get a seat, so I didn't have to stand for the entire two and a half hour journey 😂

The place I stayed in Hiroshima was really nice! Super central to everything. The room was defo the worst I'd had so far, rather small and cramped, but it was ofc very clean, and the location made up for it.

But oh. OH. Okay, so I had travelled to Hiroshima for the Stardom show (I really was following them around the country, it was a great excuse to travel around) and the show was the next morning, so I got out Google Maps to check where it was so I could plan what time I had to leave.

And I'm just... I'm just gonna copy/paste the Discord message I sent to my friends...

i am such an idiot it's 1am here and i thought oh i better check where the venue is tmo don't wanna be late it's in a different fucking city 😐 no I did not stutter my dumbass did not CHECK that hiroshima was a PREFECTURE and that it's FUCKING HUGE oh but even more stupid is i knew this at one point!!!

at some point i saw the distance but did not for even a NANOSECOND think to check where my hotel was or distances or anything like that because i have two brain cells and they're both fighting for third place

So, I went to sleep and tried to think of what else to do with this free day in Hiroshima 😂

2023/04/29