#Effective Port Forwarding

[virtualizationhowto]

Setting Up Nginx Proxy Manager on Docker with Easy LetsEncrypt SSL

Setting Up Nginx Proxy Manager on Docker with Easy LetsEncrypt SSL #homelab #selfhosted #NginxProxyManagerGuide #EasySSLCertificateManagement #UserFriendlyProxyHostSetup #AdvancedNginxConfiguration #PortForwarding #CustomDomainForwarding #FreeSSL

There are many reverse proxy solutions that enable configuring SSL certificates, both in the home lab and production environments. Most have heard about Traefik reverse proxy that allows you to pull LetsEncrypt certificates for your domain name automatically. However, there is another solution that provides a really great GUI dashboard for managing your reverse proxy configuration and LetsEncrypt…

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #36

September 27-October 4 2024

President Biden and Vice-President Harris have lead the federal response to Hurricane Helene. President Biden's leadership earned praise from the Republican Governors of South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia, as well as the Democratic Governor of North Carolina and local leaders. Thousands of federal workers are on the ground in effected communities having given out to date over 8 million meals, over 7 million letters of water. Both President Biden and Vice-President Harris have been on the ground in resent days meeting with effected families. During her trip to Georgia Vice-President Harris announced that the federal government will reimburse state and local government 100% of the costs from Hurricane Helene.

A strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association that briefly shut down ports on the East Cost and Gulf ended in a tentative deal. Both sides thanked Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for helping push the deal through. President Biden and Vice-President Harris had expressed solidarity with the works when the strike was announced and President Biden directed Secretary Buttigieg to take the lead in pressuring management to make a deal with the Longshoremen. The ILA got a 62% raise as part of the agreement.

Vice President Harris announced new actions to help those struggling with medical debt. This actions include new standards from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on debt collection. the CFPB plans on requiring debt collectors to confirm debts are valid and accurate before engaging in collection actions. As well as cracking down on debt collectors that collect on debt that is not owed by patients. Other actions included an announcement by the DoD that it was reducing pricing for civilians who get medical treatment at DoD hospitals and a track down on tax-exempt hospitals who are required by law to offer financial assistance but often do not. These steps come after Vice President Harris in June announced plans to remove medical debt from credit scores. Following the Vice President's call to action North Carolina moved forward a plan to eliminate medical debt for 2 million people in the state. President Biden's American Rescue Plan funds have been used by state and local Democrats to eliminate $7 billion dollars in medical debt.

The Department of Transportation announced $62 Billion in infrastructure funding for 2025. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by President Biden this will be $18 billion dollars more than was spent in 2021. The Biden-Harris Admin has helped support over 60,000 infrastructure projects across all 50 states, rebuilding roads and bridges, breaking ground on America's first high speed rail, updating ports and airports, and breaking high speed internet to rural communities.

The Department of Transportation announced $1 Billion dollars of investment in America's passenger rail future. This comes on top of $8.2 billion in investments announced in December 2023. The funds will help expand and modernize intercity passenger rail nationwide.

The Departments of Energy and Agriculture announced a $2.8 billion joint project to bring 100% carbon pollution-free energy to the rural midwest. The DoE is investing $1.5 billion into helping bring the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan back on-line. Shut down in 2022 plans to refit and reopen it to allow the plant to keep generating clean energy till 2051. Once back online the Palisades Nuclear Plant will help stop an anticipated 4.47 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year, or 111 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime. The USDA is investing $1.3 billion in two rural electric cooperatives, Wolverine Power Cooperative and Hoosier Energy, which cover rural communities in Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. This investment will help Wolverine and Hoosier connect to the Palisades Plant, reduce prices for customers, and reduce climate pollution, putting Wolverine Power on the path to be 100 percent carbon-free energy before 2030.

The Treasury and the IRS announced that 30 million Americans, across 24 states will qualify for free direct filing of their taxes in 2025. The IRS says that the average American spends $270 dollars and 13 hours filing their taxes. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, passed by President Biden with Vice President Harris' tie breaking vote, Americans will be able to file their taxes quickly and for free directly with the IRS. Tax payers in Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming will in 2025 be able to use direct file.

The USDA announced $7.7 billion in funding for Climate-Smart Practices on Agricultural Lands. This represents the single biggest investment in these programs in USDA history. Since implementation began in 2023 this conservation assistance has helped over 28,500 farmers and ranchers apply conservation to 361 million acres of land.

The Department of Energy announced $1.5 billion in investments in transmission infrastructure to help ensure our grid is reliable and resilient. This will help support nearly 1,000 miles of new transmission lines across Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. These lines will bring 7,100 MW of new capacity and create 9,000 good paying union jobs. Studies find to keep up with growth and meet our climate goals of carbon free energy the US will need to triple the 2020 transmission capacity by 2050. This is an important step to meeting that goal.

[teddybeartoji]

18+ mdni; gn!reader

chuuya with a kitty!reader... he's sat on the bed, his back against the headboard as he waits for you. he's tired, exhausted actually, but the image of you in your teeny tiny little shorts keeps replaying in his mind. and your flimsy little tank top. your cute ears. your tail. fuuck...

he's half-hard in his boxers but he refuses to touch himself. he's hoping it'll simply go away if he ignores it long enough; you're in the bathroom washing your face while he's silently drowning in the lewd thoughts about his kitty. he doesn't want to ask, he feels just a bit embarrassed to do it – he's sure you've had one hell of a day too, sleeping and eating can oh, so tiring for a little cat like you afterall.

his head hits the wall behind him, his eyes falling shut as he fists the sheets. he just wants to go sleep; he wants to cuddle you and kiss you, and feel you against him. and feel you around him. you'd be so warm, so tight – his eyebrows furrowing with a cute, pink blush forming over the apples of his cheeks. he knows you'd make him feel so good, you always do. chuuya thinks about the fraction of a second when he caught sight of you bending over, the material of your shorts streching over your ass so deliciously. he feels like a proper pervert when his dick twitches at the thought of your soft thighs and your belly. your small hands, your skilled fingers, your sharp nails—

the bed dips and his eyes flick open, only to be met with your mischievous ones. you know. placing your hands on the mattress, you crawl toward him at a tantalizingly slow pace; your tails sways seductively behind you and your eyes twinkle with something dark, your lip caught under your canines as you settle yourself between his thighs. never breaking the eye-contact, you watch his adam's apple bob and the flush on his face spread even further. it goes down his neck and to his chest, to his shoulders and his ears. you think it's very cute, the effect you have on the port mafia excecutive.

"what's wrong, chuu, hm?" cocking your head to the side, you trace your nails over his knees, making the man shiver. your voice is sickly sweet, only making the embarrassment settle deeper in his gut as he tries to think of a way to change the topic. but your gaze is heavy and your touch burns, fingers slowly inching higher and higher over his sensitive thighs. "you can tell me... "

the pout you're giving him and the way you keep fluttering your eyelashes is not making it any easier for him, his head filling with filthy, just outright obscene scenarios and he feels awful. "it's nothing, doll. let's sleep, yeah?"

he raises his hand to caress your face and something warm pools behind his ribcage when you lean into his touch. your eyes soften just a tad and he's sure he's done it, but when he suddenly feels you cup his bulge, your nails slightly grazing the sensitive skin under his balls, he jerks forward. his eyes go wide and you think he looks even cuter now.

"what about this though, hm?" you apply some more pressure and watch the man before you crumble. ginger strands of hair fall in front of his eyes and he looks incredibly fucked out already. oh, how you want to play with him.

while keeping your ass up high, you place your elbows on the bed, knowingly pushing his buttons by showing him your perfect arch. slowly, your tail sways behind you, from left to right, and he feels as if he's being hypnotized. giving his balls another squeeze, you jut out your bottom lip. "i just want to take care of you."

chuuya's breath gets stuck in the back of his throat, his fingers wrapping around the hand that's giving so much grief. "you really don't need to, love. i– it's okay."

but his own body betrays him - the wet patch on his boxers, makes you coo at him while resting your cheek on his upper thigh. "please?"

your warm breath fans his clothed, aching cock and it's almost impossible to say no to you. how could he, when you're looking the most beautiful little thing he's ever seen in his whole entire life. and not only that, but you're also asking, basically begging to make him feel good.

"you sure?" he cards his hand through your hair, your ears twitching at the loving act – he's always been so very caring, constantly putting your needs above his own, so you figure it's time to show your appreciation.

"i want to, chuu."

leaning forward, you press your tongue against the side of his shaft, wetting the fabric with your saliva as you keep your eyes on your boyfriend.

with the combination of your hand and your warm mouth and the heavy gaze you offer him, chuuya feels lightheaded already. his free hand fists the sheet below him, his knuckles turning white from how hard he's gripping the material while his other stays in your hair. his palm rests on the back of your hair, gently pushing you closer to his bulge without him even realizing that he's doing it – he's way too far gone already. the pink on his cheeks deepens and you watch how his lips part in a silent moan and you take it as a sign that you're doing good, that you should keep going.

so after giving him a few more kitten licks, you grant him a smile, to which he responds with a twitching cock. he feels ashamed that he's so easy but he really can't help it – he can't help but let out a raspy hiss when you wrap your lips around his tip and suckle on it like it's some kind of candy. like it's your treat.

chuuya's hips buck up and he shoves you into him, so your whole face gets smushed against his bulge but it's not like you mind; you like it when he loses his control a little, you like it when he acts out of pure pleasure. it's the hottest thing in the world.

there's an apology on the tip of his tongue but it fades the moment you place a hand on top of his, telling him that he hasn't crossed any lines and that he should keep it there. chuuya gives you a small nod while swallowing, his adam's apple bobbing in the process. beads of sweat dribble down the side of his neck and you feel hungry, the itching desire creeping up your throat the more you look at him.

as you hum at the salty taste of his precum, you inch your hand a bit lower and start massaging the ever-so-sensitive spot between his balls and his hole, and you're immediately praised for doing so.

his back rises from the bed and forms an almost entirely perfect arch as a loud moan topples from his bitten lips. you think about teasing him for being so responsive but decide to hold back the thoughts just this once.

"ah– fuck!"

your tail picks up the pace, your own heart racing at the sight of him feeling good – this is what you want most, to just let him relax. to let him feel. he works so hard; all day long, and sometimes all night long and so, being the one that's able to give him the well-deserved reward he so deserves makes pride swell in your chest.

you keep rubbing small circles with your index and middle finger while sucking on his tip, the material of his boxers now completely soaked with the mixture of your drool and his precum. with the help of the guiding hand on the back of your head, you develop a steady pace at which you rock yourself into him.

he's writhing now. your mouth is so fucking warm and your fingers are working him like magic, not to mention the way you keep wiggling your ass up in the air. he can't get over how your tail moves, your excitement so evident that it's hard for him not to think about the mess he'd find between your own legs.

and then there's your eyes.

fuck, fuck, fuck.

you haven't taken them off of him once and all the attention is really getting to him. his entire body burns with pleasure and his orgasm hits him like a fucking truck. the high comes so suddenly that he has no time to give you any sort of warning, not that you needed one anyway. with your lips still around him, you take him in your mouth as much as you can and cherish the way he's giving yourself to you.

chuuya grinds his hips against your chin and bites down onto his lip so hard it almost draws blood; he's now fully red in the face and in the chest and he's panting like a dog. it's a sight you never get tired of.

you lap on all of the cum that seeps through his boxers and then wait for him to make proper eye-contact with you again, to swallow it all with a smile. he gulps before mustering up a smile of his own – tired, flustered and lovesick all at once.

his body is still tingling with the aftershocks of the orgasm when you push yourself up and crawl on top of him and plop down onto his lap. hands on his warm cheeks, you kiss him hungrily, nipping at his lips and giggling into his mouth when his fingers dig into the plush skin of your waist in surprise.

but this is enough for the night, so you pull away and watch him chase after you with his eyes still closed. you give him another grin and brush his nose with yours and then you're already nuzzling yourself into his side and wrapping your hands around his middle.

chuuya sits there with his heart trying to jump out of his chest. oh, you're something alright. he still has to clean himself up and he knows that you didn't forget that – he knows that as much as you love making him feel good, you also love to push his buttons. to tease him and to really rub in the fact that he's completely and utterly wrapped around your pretty little finger.

his head falls against the headboard with a thud and a sigh and he swears he can feel you smiling against his skin. he loves it.

[give-me-a-minute-to-think]

One day, not long after Port Townsend, Edwin approached Charles when he returned from a hangout with Crystal.

"I am amendable to it, if you are," he said.

Charles, setting his backpack near the door, nodded slowly in confusion. "That's great, mate. What are you talking about?"

"Charles," said Edwin with the expression of a suffering saint, "what is the one thing you always ask of me?"

He frowned. "Always ask– oh!" A wonderful idea popped into his head. He started bouncing on the tips of his feet, just a little. "Wait! Are you serious?"

Edwin rolled his eyes in response, probably because Charles was grinning now. "Are you trying to change my mind?"

"No!" he hastily called. He clapped his hands and reached again for his bag. "What should we start with, you reckon? Swords? Knives? Oh, do you want to try the cricket bat?" he hadn't enchanted this one yet, didn't find the right time, right? What, with the process taking up to a full day and all, and he only had the one bat now so they'd have to pass it back and forth between them to practice with it which wasn't ideal but–

"Charles," Edwin interrupted his rambling, taking both his hands in his own to stop him from producing more weapons to the growing pile on the floor. "Do slow down, please. I am sure all these weapons are well fit to be of aid, but maybe start with… one?" he looked around at the pile, face growing hesitated.

"Oh," said Charles. That's right. This was a big step for Edwin, he was probably a little overwhelmed as it was, no need to make it worse buy being overly excited. "Of course. Here, let me just–" he swiped his collection back inside the bag and stood back up. "You set the pace, mate. No worries."

Edwin looked like he did worry, alright. His knuckles were ground together.

He never understood Edwin's aversion of learning how to defend himself. When Charles began practicing sword wielding, axe wielding, bat wielding – every weapon he could get his hands on – well, he felt more powerful than ever. Learning how to throw the most effective punch, training his body (or spectral from, whatever) to move faster and without thinking, becoming stronger than the bad guys, it all felt so… reassuring. It was like a promise. He wasn't gonna let anything happen to them, and this was how. It made him feel safe. He never managed to see why Edwin wouldn't want that for himself as well.

"I'd like to start from the basis, if you don't mind," said Edwin.

"We can do that," Charles said and stepped in front of him. "Let's do punches again, yeah? Then we can move on to kicks and then the weapon. You can try them all until you find one that you like, alright?" Edwin nodded, admittedly looking a bit nauseous. "Great. So–" he put one foot forward. "Do like me…"

They spent the next couple of hours at it, punching the air, and then each other when Charles decided he was ready for it, and then the sofa cushion after it became apparent that Edwin could not hit Charles with any meaningful force behind it. Charles could see he was getting impatient, his punches growing sloppier.

"You want to stop for today?" he asked, lowering the cushion. "We can read something or go for a walk. You made nice progress."

Edwin was breathing hard, and he didn't look at Charles when he shook his head. "We have yet to cover even the basis of kicks. Keep going."

"Edwin, no offence, but you look knackered, mate."

"I'm feeling perfectly fine."

"Well, but I'm getting kinda tired myself," said, changing tactics. "Let's take a break, alright? We can pick it up again tomorrow."

"But I still don't know anything," said Edwin, and Charles could see he was getting irritated.

"That's not true, you punch way better than when we started!"

"But not good enough to move on to kicks, evidently!"

"We can do kicks tomorrow, if you want," promised.

Edwin looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Are my punches perfect?"

"Well, not exactly," admitted, "but it won't be in a day, Edwin, it will take time–"

"No, it needs to be perfect now!"

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't ready, in Port Townsend. I need to be ready. If anything happens, if anyone tries something – I shan't be caught off guard again."

[tinydefector]

TINYYYYYYYYYY

Headcanon for human effect !!!!

Rodimus discovered how soft the ambassador is because once, they were in a meeting with UM and Megs about security protocols. Rodimus is bored a bit, so he tries to get the liaison's attention, in vain.

So he just... pokes them repeatedly in their side, because how else would he do that huh?

His digit dig a bit too much in their side, he can feel the warmth and the squishiness, and is surprise when they yelp and laugh.

"URGH!?- Rodimus! stop that it tickles hahaha!"

Oooooohh... ooh he has it baaaad... they just made the cutest noise he heard in a long time... he found their weak spot...

Megs and Mags just stare at him disappointed because the captain is unfocused and disturb the Ambassador.

Twisted ankle 13

Human effects Masterlist

Prev

Next

Word count: 2k

Warnings: post smut, getting walked in on.

_________________

The sound of shuffling and slight movement in the room is what makes the ambassador,  bleary eyes cracking open slightly as they take the form of a blue mech in. "Mmm Traxies?" They call out softly looking up from where they lay against Ratchet's chassis. 

Ratchet's optics online fractionally to see Traxies frozen mid-stride, jaw hanging open in blatant surprise. Drift stirred awake as well, arching a brow plate at youngling in undisguised amusement. 

Venting softly, Ratchet greeted their charge in familiar tones. "Good morning, Traxies. Causing trouble already, before the sun cycle?" Traxes gulped audibly, tripping over his pedes in haste to explain. "J-just wanted some energon, don't mind me! Uh - didn't mean to interrupt..." He trailed off, wide optics roving over the three in utter disbelief. 

Drift finally lost composure, snickering into his servo. Ratchet merely cycled a ventilation, serenely cradling the now-wakening ambassador. They pull their blanket closer in embarrassment being caught in such an undress state.

 Traxes cycled his optics rapidly, pedes rooted to the floor in awkward shock. "Uh, hey Ambassador. Fancy seeing you here..." He trailed off, field pulsing distressed embarrassment. Drift took pity, sending the younger mech. "Relax, kid. But you might want to be quick before this becomes anymore awkward for everyone”  

The medic frowned half-heartedly before turning a softer expression to Traxies. "I wasn't aware you would be back today." His tone is soft. Traxes shuffled awkwardly, kicking at imaginary scrapes on the floor. "So you - uh, fraggin' my friend now?" He blurted before wilting under Ratchet's stern glare. 

Drift howled laughter, drawing a foam pillow and lobbing it at the pouting youngling's helm. "Don't get your wires knotted! Go fuel up, we'll be along shortly." With a mumbled apology, Traxes beat a hasty retreat.

The Ambassador groans and presses their face into Ratchet chassis out of embarrassment. "Fuck" They mumble as the feeling Drift move to get out of berth. Their body felt like jelly and they truly didn't want to move, but knew they had to.  Ratchet's chassis hums beneath the ambassador's cheek. "There now, no harm done," the medic soothed gently. 

Drift stretched languidly as he rose, pausing to send them both fond smile. "He'll get over it. Ain't the first time that mechlet's walked in on more'n he bargained for." 

Ratchet rumbled a quiet chuckle, stroking their back with utmost care."Stay as long as you need." He whispered to them. They let out a sigh. "I've got work today Ratchet, Bridge command meeting about our next port and sending reports back to Cybertron. I think we might also be heading back to Cybertron. I don't look forward to having a holo meeting with Prowl again" they explain. 

Ratchet let out a theatrical groan at the Ambassador's words. "Primus spare us all from Prowl and his endless bureaucracy," he grumbled. 

Rising smoothly, he settled their draped guest against the berth with utmost care as he recovered their clothing and bag. "Well then, best get you ready, can't have you leaving looking a mess sweet thing." 

Drift poked his helm back in, wearing an impish grin. "Sounds like Ratch better patch you up right quick, Ambassador. Can't be limping through a vid call with Prowl looking like you spent the night trapped under this lugnut!" 

A rude gesture was the medic's only response, though his weathered faceplates crinkled with wry humour. "Scoot, you rusting gearstick - go make yourself useful." 

"Ratchet, Drift. Thank you for last night, it was lovely" they call to the two mechs before turning around with their clothing in hand to try and get dressed despite how sore they still are. 

“Pah, don't go getting all sappy now," Ratchet huffed, 

"Anytime you need a couple mechs to help...relax tensions," Drift coos only for Ratchet to swat the mech away, vents gusting irritation. But his optics shone with plain affection as they tracked the Drift's movements. "Take care on your travels and try not to let Prowl's do you in" 

Leaving the suite was a struggle, not wanting to get caught as they left. But walking down the halls with a slight limp was something they could easily state as twisting their ankle.

 Just as the ambassador rounded the corner, two familiar figures fell into step beside them - Nadia and Millian, matching grins stretching across their faces.

"Well well, look who finally decided to crawl out of bed," Nadia drawled archly, shamelessly raking her gaze over the ambassador's slightly dishevelled state. "Quite a night, hm?" 

Millian snickered, throwing an arm around their shoulders. "You dog! Spill the deets - whose bed were you warming, to work up such a limp?" Their smirk made clear they already guessed the culprits. 

Wincing, the ambassador tried to shrug them off with little success. "Nothing to tell. I'd prefer to keep my private business private, if you don't mind." 

But Nadia was having none of it, sidling close to share a conspicuous wink. "Ooh, getting cosy with the bot brass, are we? Can't say I blame you - they do know how to show a human a good time." 

Her grin widened at the ambassador's flustered face, taking their silence as confirmation enough. "Guys enough, I'm already in a  bad position if 'this' " they make a hand gesture at the two. "Gets out to Earth or Cybertron, it will be my neck in a noose so please don't" they try to settle the matter. They did enjoy chatting with Nadia and Millian but this was against regulation and if Megatron,  Rodimus or Ultra Magnus got whiff of it, it could mean their job on the Lost light.

Nadia and Millian sobered slightly at the ambassador's sombre tone, exchanging glances. "Alright, alright, we'll can it with the teasing," Nadia sighed, giving their arm a gentle squeeze. "You know we've got your back, yeah? No way would we see you in real trouble."

Millian nodded earnestly. "You're one of us, Ambassador - we look out for our own." Their grin returned, softer around the edges. "But hey, if anyone asks, you definitely did NOT just limp out of Ratchet's quarters. Cross my heart!" 

Nadia snickered, nudging them playfully. Her smile turned sincere as she studied their friend's tired yet peaceful expression. "And between us? I'm glad you found a little respite aboard this floating madhouse. We all need that, now and then."

"Thank you, I'll give you guys some details later but I do have a meeting with bridge command and I need to try and make it look like I didn't just crawl out of bed with two mechs" they mumble softly only for the two to give them a look of pure shock.

"Two?!" Millian echoes in a frankly scandalised yelp. Nadia elbows them sharply, making frantic shushing motions with her hands. 

"Keep it down, you idiot!" She hisses under her breath before turning back to the ambassador with gleaming eyes. "Well well, you little minx - getting cosy with both the medic and robo Samurai" Her grin is positively wolfish. 

concern shadows Millian’s gaze. "Just be careful, Ambassador. Fraternisation regs or no - getting tangled up with high command could spell trouble if word spreads." 

Nadia nods earnestly. "They're right. Not that we don't support you, but..." she fidgets, taking their hands, giving a gentle squeeze. 

"Both Ratchet and Drift made it clear they don't expect anything from me. offered if I need stress relief I was welcome. Plus Ratchet would rather know what I'm getting up to Incase he needs to perform medical on me" they whisper to them as the three walk towards the Ambassador's next stop.

"Hmm. Well that's reasonable enough, I suppose," Nadia muses pragmatically, though a glint of mischief remains in her eyes. "And who could resist the charms of those two mechs? You do have excellent taste, I'll give you that." 

Millian grin softens as they near the lift that will take the ambassador to their meeting. "Jokes aside, I'm glad you've found comfort here, weird ship though it is. Not the life any of us expected, but..." 

They shrugs amicably. "We make the most of what joys we can. And there are certainly perks to rubbing plating with the people in charge." A final wink, and Millian steps back with Nadia, offering a casual salute. 

"Knock 'em dead at the meeting, Ambassador. And try not to limp too obviously" they chuckle as the lift doors close. 

Megatron is sitting looking rather bored, but his optics light up when he sees the Ambassador a small smile graces his faceplate.  Magnus gives a small nod while Rodimus smiles like a fool waving before making his way towards them. "Hello Rodimus,  sorry I twisted my ankle earlier and it's not pleasant to walk" they chuckle softly hoping the lie passed over their helms without making them question how. 

Magnus merely nodded greeting, ever professional and stern. "Let us proceed with the agenda. Your tardiness sets us behind schedule." 

Rodimus, of course, could not be contained. "Oof, rough night? Happens to the best of us!" He moves towards them with a smile. "Ratchet patch you up okay?" 

Ultra Magnus sighed heavily. "Captain, please. We are in the midst of official proceedings." 

"I'm alright, Ratchet said it will be fine nothings broken, just going to be sore for a bit." They confirm to Rodimus as the mech picks them up and brings them to the table. Rodimus continues to let his servos and digits poke the Ambassador. Making them fidget. 

"Have we heard from Optimus if we have been requested to return to Cybertron, he was rather worried about Traxies, or if Galactica Union has asked for a new report on our recent travels?" They inquire dreading and hoping they didn't have to have another holo meeting with Prowl. 

Megatron studied the interplay with optics gleaming curiosity. " Captain, do cease your pestering the Liason." His field pulsed amusement as Rodimus reluctantly set the squirming human down. "To answer your query, Ambassador - I'm afraid your schedule remains as packed as ever. Word from Prime requests our return within the decacycle, and the Union demands their tedious status updates with predictable punctuality." 

Ultra Magnus nodded curt approval. "And Prowl as well, regarding the security details and records of the ship. He requires an immediate vid conference to...discuss developments." Rodimus groaned dramatically. "Ugh, leave it to Prowl to ruin a perfect morning. Why can't he just lurk in the shadows like Megs here and let us have our fun?" 

Megatron shoots Rodimus a glare but does make an effort to dignify Rodimus’ remark. "Ah sounds about right, I can't convince one of you to handle the Prowl meeting? I will happily deal with Optimus or the Galactica union, and take on extra work. Please" they nearly beg, only to yelp as Rodimus' digits run up their side  making them stiffen not expecting the contact. "Rodimus!"

Megatron observed with growing amusement as the small human squirmed fruitlessly in Rodimus's mischievous grasp. "Captain, tormenting them will not make their tasks any easier." 

He turned a gaze of singular intent upon Ultra Magnus. "I believe a request was made, Magnus. And as holders of far greater stamina and patience with the Enforcer, taking the meeting would be a small alleviation to your schedule, would it not?"

Magnus's field pulsed reluctance but duty compelled as expected. "Very well. As ranking officer, handling communication with Alliance High Command falls under my purview. I will handle Prowl at the scheduled time."

Rodimus whooped with glee, finally releasing the frazzled ambassador. "Looks like you're off the hook! Maybe you can help me with some more of those charts you were showing me last time so I can get better at reading them." He grinned down at them. 

They slowly lean back into Rodimus as they talk with Megatron and Ultra Magnus. "I'll make sure we are stocked for the trip back, do you need to organise anyone for the quantum generators maintenance?" The Ambassador asks, shuttering again as Rodimus continues to touch them.

Ultra Magnus cleared his intake, field broadcasting discomfort yet compelled as ever by duty. "I will see to ensuring all systems are fully prepped and operational for transit. Your role is coordination with our human team so they are set for a quantum jump, Ambassador."

Rodimus fairly purred against the human's back, appreciating how warm their smaller frame is against his. They are so soft and plush in his servos and primus he doesn't want to let go of them. 

____________

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@tea-loving-frog

@aquaioart

@daniel-meyer-03

@pupap123

@dannyaleksis

@averysillylittlefellow

@rosielecktor

@shurushurubanban

@wosemoose1

@strawberrydutchling

@azuragalaxya

@dumpster-fae

@simp-sentral

@smallestapplin

@starscreamloverfr

@doodle-dongs

@natchayaphorn

@askcookieanon

@aerisvirtue

@horizonartist980

@soulless-nocturnal-raccoon

@gracebear

@lilliaslonghair

@savvy-the-mad-scientist

@rabies10

@alextheknight707

@chershire23

[nakaira]

── STANDING NEXT TO YOU ; dazai osamu x fem!reader

synopsis ─▸ ❝ he is someone you should truly stay away from yet that's the only thing you can't bring yourself to do -- staying away from him. especially when he seeks you out himself. ❞

warnings ; racer!zai. age gap. dazai is twenty two while reader is barely in early twenties, nineteen to be exact. angst. romance. tragedy. illegal racing and illegal activities. port mafia is in here too. dazai has smoking addiction. drug addiction. toxic workplace. reader works at a club. sexual harassment. prostitution though it's mentioned lightly. uses of whore, slut etc in a derogatory way. pedophilic behaviour and pedophilia, mentions of grooming.

chapter specific warnings ; fainting due to starvation, reader thinks of baby trapping and killing, reader gets paranoid, reader just has very messed up feelings of love and hatred etc.

masterlist.

till now you were experiencing everything in a dream like state. scenes blurred and moved as if you are watching a movie in a trance or under the influence of drugs. your fear and emotions felt real to you at one moment and then at another they felt shallow because you do not really have time to sit down and process them. they felt passive until this moment.

because you had never been dancing with death until now.

your emotions feels like a boring routine which repeats and repeats so you stopped taking them seriously, stopped trying to process them and what effect they are having on your mentality.

the scene playing out in front of you is a wake up call. that this is all very real. 

you might die.

the club has two changing rooms for quick access in between the few minutes the women have before moving from one client to another. clients as in people who pay to sleep with the prostitutes.

prostitute, that's what everyone here is.

prostitut — exposed publicly, offered for sale.

to hyenas. 

you stand at the door of the changing room, not quite entering as you feel a wave of weakness hit you, making you stumble as you take a step back and bump your back against the black door. 

there isn't anyone here because everyone is busy working. you got a break as one of them showed pity to you after seeing how much you were sweating. she told you to take a small break as she would watch over the bar and serve instead of you. 

the lack of food and even water is doing great damage to you. how many hours has it been? you can't remember but the nausea, the churning of your stomach as if two flames are twisting it, tells you it has been too long since you last ate.

the changing room or rest room or whatever this room is has vanities lined on one side with lights attached to the mirrors, the drawers filled with expensive and cheap makeup as hierarchy exists. on the other side were the many racks with dresses consisting of lingerie and other similar erotic outfits hanging. 

you take a step forward, the door closes behind you but it sounds very far away to you. the floor beneath your feet is shifting rapidly and it makes you stumble again and again. 

the entire room rotates making you gasp. your shoulder bumps against one of the racks and you hold onto it for stability but as you lean your entire weight against it, the wheels move forwards and so does the rack. you open your mouth to scream but you gag, feeling as if something from within you is trying to force its way out of your throat. 

with a thud you fall down on the floor, hitting your shoulders and back roughly against it. whatever was trying to come out of your throat feels as if you swallowed it again. it feels so uncomfortable and you feel so miserable.

you try to sit up but your back is paining, your legs are in pain and it feels as if no medicine can treat them. they hurt everytime you breathe and you truly feel as if this is your dying moment. tears fill in your eyes as you sob once. 

a beep rings from behind your head towards the front, deafening your ears. a black shadow restricts your vision. you blink in panic and open your eyes to see the room rotating very fast. your eyelids drop down, your brain banging against your skull as if it wants to torture you more, till you faint on the floor.

once again you do not try to understand the severity of your situation anymore. you do not try to understand you might end up dead because fainting from overworking isn't new for you. going through these harsh and cruel punishments aren't new too.

there is a burning pain thumping at the back of your skull but you have no choice but to ignore it. you woke up half an hour earlier in the same position because once boss punishes someone no one else looks at them unless they want to be punished too.

you just wish dazai was here. he would have seen you and immediately guessed what was wrong. he would have definitely sneaked in something for you to eat -- no,  actually, you are fine without eating. 

if only you could get something to drink and soothe your burning throat then you can endure this punishment.

it's only been what? ten hours. 

fourteen more to go.

can you survive? if you knew this would happen you would have eaten or drank more before.

your eyes look dead and tired, not seductive and sparkling with mischief. your lips are pursed tightly, not smiling coyly. your cheeks are red from you pinching them to keep yourself awake, not pink from the blush you applied. you look hideous. a sudden wave of anger flows inside you at how unsightly you look.

you want to scream and bang your fists against the mirror till it breaks and the mirror pieces pierce your skin. you even consider going to the boss and fighting him, telling him to let you rest or atleast drink water and if he doesn't agree then you picture slamming one of the alcohol bottles he keeps in his office on his head.

then you consider even resorting to begging to him. or seducing him and sleeping with him again. you even consider just ending it all using a knife if you can find it, if not then you will just use your hands to choke yourself. 

your fingers twitch at the thought and you really consider going along with your thoughts till you don't because at the back of your mind you want to meet dazai again. you want to ask him what happened yesterday and why was boss claiming you went out and gave you this punishment. all you remember is sleeping in his arms.

you want to sleep in them again. you try to style your hair with shaky hands. should you sleep with dazai? he is important enough and he is a nice man too. you seriously consider baby trapping him but he doesn't deserve it, not after being nothing but nice to you. you don't know how you will handle it if he begins to hate you.

why isn't he here? why does he only come at a specific time? you need him here now. you want him right now.

"hey, boss's star." you look away from your reflection when someone refers to you, looking towards the door to see one of the other girls standing there with her arms crossed. "it's your shift now at the bar." 

you nod, not bothering to reply because you will puke your guts out if you speak. as you stand up, your vision goes black for a moment before returning again and an empty shiver runs down your nape to the end of your toes. it's making you feel light till your knees but your toes feel as if someone nailed them to the ground. you sluggishly move past the girl without acknowledging her which makes her scoff as she rolls her eyes.

it's habits, moments and situations like this where you appear rude and arrogant, it's times where boss paints you as the villain whenever something happens which makes everyone else believe you deserve your punishments, it's the unreasonable favouritism boss shows to you which makes them feel unfair and grow a dislike towards you.

you take baby steps to reach the main area because you still feel unstable on your two feet, and since you are wearing heels too you do not want to risk stumbling and falling to the floor in front of everyone.

you never feel stable in life as well so your feet feeling unstable should not surprise you. 

the hallway finally ends to give rise to the club dance floor and seating arrangements, its bustling like every other night because people drink to suffer, and to suffer they live. 

from this hallway which is exclusive to staff or vips only, you can see the bar at the other end and surrounded by seating arrangements at all sides with the dance floor spread out in the centre.

your heart rate accelerates when a guy with messy brown hair walks past you but it returns to normal once you get a good look at the guy's side profile because every man with brown hair isn't him.

no man can be him other than he, himself.

but why isn't he here? you want to sob and call for him and ask him to take you away from here.

a swirl of yellow flows through your retina to travel down to your brain through the optic nerve. it's the self realisation mixed in with hatred.

you need to get a serious grip over yourself. it's embarrassing to think a man will save you when another one is the reason you dance in this predicament. 

you hope no one stops you on the way as you can't go straight through the dance floor which is packed since a new trendy song is playing so you'll have to walk through the sides where the couches and all are and so, the customers will be sitting there too either alone or in groups. you don't want to stop till you reach the bar and fortunately no one seems to need or want anything from you, so you hastily make your way to the bar.

the bartender from the previous night greets you with a wave, his other hand passing a cocktail to the customer who ordered it. you recognise the customer, it's a woman who comes here often though she only makes small talk so you don't know her name. she looks up at you two and smiles as acknowledgment.

do you know why we are more prone to seduction? because the attention of the seducer, their movements are all centered around us and only us.

boss takes great advantage of this, it's why his business is still standing strong despite how ugly it is. he taught you everything you need to know.

the woman smiles more, her eyes wrinkling at the corner as you place your hand on her shoulder, comfortingly squeezing it as you lean down to welcome her and exchange a few words about a topic you can't be bothered to remember once you take a step back from the woman.

this can be seen as a derivative of a parasocial relationship. 

"heard you are in trouble with boss again?" the bartender speaks next to your ear, leaning over the counter separating the bar from the stools lined up to sit and watch either the bartender or the dance floor ahead. he's nice. you don't really remember his name either however. it's why you never call someone using their names despite boss telling you many times how big of an impact saying someone's name in the right tone has on them. you just can't bring yourself to care enough about remembering someone's name, it's a very intimate detail and you have no desire in getting closer to anyone.

"when am i not?" you sigh as you lean your back against the cool counter to keep an eye on the floor ahead in case anyone raises their hand to beckon you over.

"why was he angry last time?"

"stayed longer than told with a customer." dazai.

"and the time before that?"

"let a customer kiss my forehead and be affectionate with me." dazai.

the bartender looks away to hide the snort leaving him, asking in amusement, "and the time before that?"

"the boss wanted me to entertain a rich party of customers but i rejected them for one customer." dazai.

the bartender snickers as he expresses how dumb it all is but you can't pay attention to him as you gulp.

realization makes your breathing faster. dazai is an important member. but boss almost always gets angry with you to punish you in extreme ways only when it concerns him as if taking his anger out on you caused by dazai.

does boss not like dazai? then why is he letting him get closer to you? can he physically not say no to dazai?

can he not say no to dazai?

oh. 

a burst of adrenaline pumps with your veins as your mind pieces information together to make a jacket which is the exact measurement of dazai. a new hope feels you to the point the crushing of your intestines against your stomach doesn't phase you anymore. 

tonight, when dazai comes, you may be able to uncover a lot.

a customer raises his hand to grab your attention as you practically bounce over to him, so excited with this information you uncovered that you can't help but be excited. the dizziness, hunger and feelings of unfairness all forgotten.

don't be too excited. don't make them suspicious. they all work for boss, they will rat you out if you act suspicious.

you chant like a mantra to control your excitement. no matter how hard you try to compose yourself externally, the thumping of your heart makes it clear how excited you really are at this opportunity presented to you.

some kind of jazz music is being played over the speakers to bring a feeling of luxury to the already expensive restaurant where his companion asked him to meet. he knows many pairs of eyes will and are turning to glance at him because if he is being honest as well, the brown blazer goes well with the green vest underneath and gives him a elegant vibe.

but this is a disguise to hide the ugly malice he carries within his veins and arteries.

dazai has even gone as far to style his hair by tucking it against his ear on one side as he waits for the person he is supposed to meet to come. but his actions don't come from respect and rather with the intention to mock the one he is meeting.

his phone vibrates to let him know someone has messaged him as he decided to keep his phone on silent, not wanting any kinds of interruptions now. dazai grabs it, quickly unlocking it to see his manager notifying him about a race tomorrow. as he skims over the location, dazai smirks at how awfully bold they are getting to be racing so close to port mafia territory. obviously to make them mad but he wonders why.

do they have something to back them up or is the lack of action taken by the mafia till now getting to their head?

he hopes both parties can kill each other already and stop getting on his dick.

an amused chuckle leaves him as he places his phone down as the man he is waiting for finally arrives, pulling his chair back before sitting on it.

"ango!" dazai greets with faux cheerfulness. 

"i would rather if you did not act this way. it's an unsettling sight, really." ango replies. something about his collected and put together appearance, how he seems to have a very thin layer of superiority surrounding him despite doing stuff which others would be killed for, pisses dazai off really badly.

still, he smiles, tilting his head as he waits for ango to begin speaking but the other man does not. speaking first right now is a sign of compliance and almost submission.

dazai nods as a waiter approaches them, smiling mockingly. he has all the time to waste in the world, ango does not because if anyone from the government or even the police force catches him with dazai, his head would be served on a platter next (this might or might not be an exaggeration).

both of them are firm on their beliefs yet one has to bend over for the other, giving up on their decision.

it sure as hell isn't dazai, that much ango can conclude as he stares at the younger man ordering something from the menu leisurely while his heart is thumping loudly, paranoid that at some or the other moment someone will come out and accuse him of treachery. ironic.

once he finishes giving his order, dazai looks at ango, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "you will be paying, right ango?"

ango tries to stare into the brown pools of eyes yet the more he is staring, the more he feels as if he is drowning in an abyss. 

sighing, he hums, "of course. go ahead." his voice sounds airy and high pitched, sweat forming at his forehead. why did he come here again, risking his life?

he tries hard to scrutinize dazai despite his inner voice telling him to look away, to not meet the younger man and continue to contact him through phone calls and a handful of people he has enough control over. he should be staying behind the shadows and pulling on the strings, not being right infront of this overpowering shadow which has always been dangerous, as if it's always ready to erupt.

"obligations are scary." ango begins after a while, realising the man in front of him won't speak up at all and ango rather not spend much time with him, it makes his heart burn in sadness. of what they once were.

dazai does not interrupt, letting the man speak.

"when you do not have much power yourself and are under the control of someone else, you are obliged to follow whatever they ask of you no matter how morally demeaning it is — that is, in the worst cases." ango's lips curl up the slightest when he sees dazai's eyes flash with recognition. good, he thinks because the quicker the conversation can be over, the quicker he can leave because being spotted with dazai is his biggest fear right now.

he would not only be risking his own life but those crimes committed by dazai which he has been hiding under the rug all this time will be exposed too and both of these men will fall into a deeper pit of trouble.

"obligations... debt... power struggle. i get all that —" dazai mumbles, "— but making power fight power is destructive too." 

"you do not have any other choice, dazai-kun. if you are going to go ahead with it, go all in anyway."

dazai hums as the waiter returns with two of the same dishes he ordered, placing one in front of him and the other infront of ango. he avoids the man's confused stare at him, beginning to eat the curry rice in front of him as he mumbles, ".. odasaku used to say eating alone isn't as tasty as it is when you eat with someone else."

ango wants to scream, to throw the plate away and sink to his knees and drown in despair because he knows dazai mentioned oda purposely. his intentions may look good but in reality he speaks about oda to taunt ango, to play with the guilt in his heart. ango knew he should have stayed at his office and not come here to meet him or finally give him the green light.

he might have made a mistake.

might.

"if a war does break out because of me then not only will the city be caught in the middle of this fire but the first person both of them would want to kill is me. i can't die yet till she is safe and happy."

"then join the mafia." ango tilts his head, speaking a cruel sentence casually.

dazai's grip on his spoon tightens as he shakes his head, "that would mean going against odasaku and his advice."

dazai looks up, smiling. it's an unsettling smile which makes ango shiver. "can you do me a few favours?"

"you are going to land me in hot water with my superiors." ango sighs out, placing his chin on his hand as he hums for the other to speak about what plan he made up. 

"i only want two things from you, really."

"and these won't be harmless, will they?"

dazai chuckles, shrugging. "better than me hitting you with a car, right?"

and as he begins to lay down the foundation of his plan, ango himself comes up with counter attacks knowing this man will be a threat in the very near future.

"dazai-kun," ango calls after a while, looking at the other man seriously as he slowly asks, "are you really doing this for oda or is it for yourself now?"

this makes dazai pause. his heart feels anxious as he asks the same question to himself because the lines between a role and desire are blurred in his mind. he does not know if he is doing all this for you because of oda or because of his own wishes to see you bloom.

he hopes ango does not see the nervous smile he is presenting or the way his fingers twitch on his lap, his mind is panicking as he realises he is putting in more effort then usual, putting himself on the line for you.

“i need to make a few phone calls.” dazai tells as he stands up to leave, no longer wanting to be in the same room as ango as his words have hit a part in dazai which he does not want to acknowledge. 

isn't today a really long day? you swear it's dragging itself so much.

or maybe it's the hunger which is making this normal day so hard for you. the burning in your throat is somewhat tolerable now since you got used to it but the way your stomach is aching and squeezing is making you feel nauseated.

you knock on the door, entering after five seconds pass by. the office is, like always, terrifying and suffocating. nothing worth noting about.

boss smiles at you and you manage to smile back. a fake smile but it's better to play along with him rather than test him. he ignites a spark of disdain within every cell of your body.

you take steps closer to his desk. the click of the heels against the floor is making you anxious, making your heart drum faster as you feel lightheaded.

"you called?" you softly ask because over time you learnt that boss likes it when his people are powerless in front of him. he seems to be in a good mood right now so by appearing defenseless you can make him realise his power over you. this should make him happy and make him forget his anger like usual and to finally tell you your punishment is over. 

boss is predictable in some matters. in others, you can't see his manners and behavior over your fear. 

he smiles, nodding as he gestures for you to sit down, looking around to appear a bit nervous in front of him (which isn't much far away from the truth). his eyes soften as he opens his drawer to take out a wrapped cookie, tossing it to you. 

bingo.

"eat it, dear." boss softly encourages as he sees your nervous demeanour. he has some sort of twisted attachment to you and you use it sometimes whenever you feel you have an upper hand. it's rare though.

you nod, looking at him for pretence approval. boss leans back on his chair, clearly satisfied as he smiles, watching you tear down the wrapper and take the round chocolate cookie out to eat.

"you are my best escort, you know why?"

"because i know who to suck up to and who not to." you answer, taking a small bite of the cookie and you immediately feel nauseated, trying not to show it. you purse your lips to not gag in front of him as it may offend him.

boss hums, his eyes narrowing as he gets more serious. "exactly. which is why i want you to keep company with a very specific person. he's very important."

"more than dazai-san?" you ask, to test his reaction. his face twists in disdain as he nods and you internally smile. luck is on your side tonight.

so he does not really like dazai after all but has to do what he says which means dazai has power over boss.

"more than him, yes. i hope you won't disappoint me." he tells, clearing his throat almost nervously which doesn't escape your piercing gaze.

"what exactly do i need to do?" you ask, getting a bit nervous as the previous times you two had conversations like this, there was always a big catch.

this time, boss shrugs. "whatever you deem fit to charm him. he will enter room 1-2A in ten minutes."

with this, he dismisses you, shifting in his seat as he clears his throat.

what is he so nervous for?

you stop outside of his office door, eyebrows furrowed.

who is this man who is more important than dazai and why does he have to make you meet him tonight when you look and feel so ugly?

you step to the side to lean against the wall, bringing your hand up to cover your mouth and muffle your voice as you gag, eyes widening in realisation of the possibility you are being played. boss is purposely sending you while knowing how weak you are right now because he wants you to make a mistake so he could punish you.

you may die.

you close your eyes. what's with you being at death's mouth these days?

your vision goes pitch black for a few seconds when you attempt to stand up, it's as if a force is trying to pull you down and your body doesn't have enough energy to fight against gravity at all. 

you look towards the door in alarm to check if the boss heard the thud but he did not, he never does seem to care about what is happening outside.

you hiss angrily, if you had left the door open a bit, you could peep in and see what he really does inside his office room. he spends majority of his time in there.

maybe another day.

you get up from the floor, slowly this time as you dryly snicker at how many bruises you will have today from falling everywhere.

making your way to the last room on the left side of the hallway, you take out your id to place it against the lock sensors and the door opens with a click.

"something must be special about this room, no?" a voice speaks from behind you, filled with confidence and nonchalance which tells you this is your client. 

you don't turn around, nodding as you step to the side so he can enter first, answering his question softly, "it's one of our most expensive ones because it's one of the only ones which gives you access to . . . yeah, you must know." you trail off as you watch him nod because it's actually surprising if someone would spend so much money on this room without knowing the perks it has but the man in front of you doesn't seem like the kind to do such stuff. there is no physical evidence of him doing so otherwise.

as he walks past you, you stare at his red hair first then your eyes drift down to the expensive quality of his suit and how good he looks in it. who is this man? a rich man with too much money to spare or one of the other men who come to this room to quietly indulge?

you kind of understand why boss was nervous, you are too as you enter after him, closing the door behind. his presence overwhelms you yet you can't help yourself from thinking how cool he is, so confident yet not the arrogant type. his confidence from the way he is walking feels raw and pure, not derived from materialistic superiority but from skills and talent.

"would you like to drink anything sir?"

"chuuya nakahara." his name rolls smoothly out of his tongue.

"would you like to drink anything, chuuya-san?" you ask again.

he leisurely walks in, staring at the interior of the room as he sits on the couch and shakes his head, looking at you — no, pinning you down with his sharp gaze. "do you have an ashtray?"

"yeah," you mumble as you turn towards the counter on the side of the room where the mini refrigerator is as well, you walk towards it and open the drawer to take the ashtray out. "would you like some cookies?"

he hums again, crossing his leg over the other one as he folds his arms, staring at you as if he is some kind of a doctor who is taking you apart piece by piece to inspect you.

is speaking such a bother for him? you bitterly think as you lean down to open the second drawer, pulling out the box of cookies from a well known brand from china. the blue haired manager is originally from there so having stuff imported from there isn't rare.

you make your way towards him as you kneel on the floor and place the ashtray and the box of cookies on the table in front. he doesn't really comment on why you are on your knees in front of him, instead his question is on something else entirely.

"does your boss not feed his staff?"

"pardon?" you breath out nervously, looking up to stare at him as he narrows his eyes, smiling but not kindly. it's a cocky kind of smile.

"you are starving." how does he know?

that's all you can think as you nod, awkwardly smiling as you do not have an answer nor an excuse and it's not like you can tell him you are starving as punishment for something you have no clue about.

"open the packet and eat a few," he gestures to the cookies which makes you shake your head. your mouth goes dry at his demand because it's absolutely against the rules for the escorts to eat these sweets. they are for the clients and for them only. the only time you eat them is when dazai feeds you them himself.

but chuuya isn't dazai. there is a red swirl around him which is warning you.

dazai is trouble.

chuuya is danger.

"come on. i can't help but cringe. you look on the verge of fainting and — sit up, don't sit there. i don't want a blow job or anything." he is nearly grimacing as he tells this so you stand up, catching sight of the gun hidden under his black jacket and you almost forget how to breathe as your heart drops to your stomach then rises again, only to drop again.

you take or well, try to take a normal steady breath because it's not as if you haven't seen guns or drugs or knives or heard about scams of dollars worth a few hundred thousands before. you try to smile prettily but your lips are curled up awkwardly and it's as if you are not a high cost escort but a plastic doll attempting to be human. 

as you sit near him, chuuya's hand shoots out and you flinch. boss has done it too many times so your instant reflex is to flinch. when you realise your mistake and look up, you see chuuya staring at you stunned.

then he blinks and reaches out for the cookie box like he was doing originally, dropping it on your lap. 

"thank you —"

"don't mention it. your boss said you were the best he had. how low is the standard over here?" he sighs under his breath but it's not his insult at you which makes you exclaim out but the fear of him complaining to boss about you.

"i mean you don't want a blow job so i am not sure what you want from me." you nervously chuckle, stopping soon as you see his expression remains the same bored one he has been spotting since he entered this room.

"talk to me then." he leans back on the couch as he stares at you. a red swirl dances around him and forces the spectator to continue staring at him.

and it's not a panicked or blaring kind of red but a seductive one which is almost like a siren's voice luring you, the sailor, towards him but the deep and dark ocean is the gun he has which is stopping you from getting handsy like you usually would to melt someone.

because what if while caressing him, your hands accidentally touch the gun? 

chuuya stares at you from the corner of his eyes as he lights his cigarette up, waiting for you to do something but when you don't, he releases a loud sigh.

"i am just waiting till the upper floor clears up so i can talk to your boss." he begins, being generous and giving you an opening.

you nod, "so you are here for drugs?"

he grins cockily, winking, "something like that."

you take one cookie from the cookie box, biting into it as the room goes silent once again because neither do you know if you should speak nor do you want to. he's scary and numbing and it's making you internally panic and you realise you prefer blue over the colour red.

because blue is calming despite being mysterious and never ending. like dazai. because the colour blue reminds you of dazai. 

this silence is not disturbed for the time period chuuya stays here till the appointed time arrives as neither does he nor do you try to make small talks again and instead, he quietly smokes while you eat the cookies and try not gag or even vomit as your stomach is suddenly being filled after being forced to remain empty the entire day. 

this is precisely why you don't realise how chuuya stares at you every few minutes as if he is trying to decode a mystery. 

which he is because how on earth were you able to convince that guy to do something which not even the force of the mafia was able to do?

since chuuya has some business with t.s., he leaves the room first while you stay there to clean up to make it easier for the worker who will be here shortly to clean it out of the kindness of your heart.

you grab the opened bottle of wine and close it, placing it on the table next to the ashtray which he had used while he was smoking in the beginning. 

you stretch your arms over your head, looking towards the door to make sure no one will walk in before you shove the last cookie in your mouth, afraid of anyone coming in and seeing you eating despite chuuya himself insisting you do.

boss won't care about that anyway as he won't look past you not following through with his punishment but maybe he won't mind since he gave you one himself earlier — he doesn't really make sense so trying to guess how he might react is useless.

you groan loudly as you use the table for support while you stand up, feeling dizzy for a few seconds before you regain your balance and slowly step out of the door. there is an uncomfortable ache in your lower waist but you can't do anything except hoping to get used to this pain.

as you walk down the hallway, you bump into the bartender who seems relieved on seeing you, guessing he came from the bathroom as he is coming from that direction.

"hey?" you mumble, tilting your head and he nods, stepping closer to speak slowly, "a man is looking for you. says you know him," he tells, making you frown.

"you are saying this to me and not bos-- how much did he pay?" you sharply ask and he shrugs, which makes you worry more. 

"my best tip of the night. i will cover for you if boss asks, he's at the alley." the bartender says, walking past you to return to his spot on the bar.

"how much money does he have?" you grumble as you make your way in the direction the bartender was coming from to go and meet him, preparing the speech you will dump on him to not carelessly spend so much money while smoothly ignoring your thumping heart.

you step out through the back door of the club which leads to an alley where the dumpsters are, immediately the rotten smell of the garbage and cigarette fills your nose but you do not mind it much, as your eyes immediately fall on dazai who is leaning against the wall, eyes closed as a cigarette stick is between his lips. suddenly all your speeches vanish from your mind at the sight of him.

oh, he's here, finally.

you were aching to meet him since the morning.

"dazai?" you call softly, taking a step forward as you close the door behind you, your stomach feels so giddy and it feels as if the butterflies in it are tickling the lines of your stomach. but he looks sad. exhausted even. and you hate yourself for still feeling excited that he came to see you despite his tired state.

he looks up, immediately discarding the cigarette and stepping on it, taking a step closer before he stops, "shit, does the smell of smoke irritate you? i can run to my car and spray on some perfume to make it better --" he asks as he fishes for a mint chewing gum from his pocket to chew on it.

"mm, it's fine. i don't mind," because it's you.

"are you sure? it won't make you gag? cigarettes smells pretty trashy." he asks as he throws the wrapper away, plopping the chewing gum in his mouth.

"i can tolerate it," because it's you. 

dazai chuckles, chewing on the chewing gum. he does not take a step closer just in case so you do it instead, having missed him so much today that your desires look past your usual rationality. 

he watches quietly as you take one step then another towards him before wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him in a hug because you missed him so much your soul and body were aching simultaneously. you just want him to comfort you and take your worries away for a while like he does everyday.

his shoulders immediately relax, his chewing motions getting more softer as he brings up his bandaged hands to wrap them around you, placing them on your lower back. he pulls you closer by pushing on your back, resting his cheek against your head, eyes closing.

 "... tonight was tough." he whispers against your head, making you feel all warm and flustered. you press your nose against his shoulder, the scent of his cologne is faint yet still there and it's so comforting and eases your nerves, "yeah, same here."

"let's just run away from all our problems." he suggests, suddenly distraught.

"with me?" you can't help but asks. he hums quietly, "of course. can't do it without you."

"why not?" you whisper. you want to smile and laugh and sob in his arm because this man knows how to lift you up and treat you as if you are the only one in his world. with the way his touches are so gentle and his eyes growing softer whenever he looks at you, it makes you grow breathless and restless. it makes parting away from him all the more painful despite happening every night because for some reason this is the only thing you can't get used to like everything else.

"i don't want to. i want to meet you every night so if i go away, i will have to leave." he tells, remembering ango's countless suggestions to settle in another country if he won't begin anew. you do not reply and he is grateful for it, his arms raising to wrap around your shoulders and pull you closer. 

can you hear his thumping heart? he wonders.

"but you won't have to worry about your problems then." you tell, furrowing your eyebrows as he shakes his head immediately. "your problems are also my problems. can't be at rest till you are at peace."

how sweet, you think as you smile, patting his back comfortingly. 

"do you want to run away?" he asks. now he can simply be joking or saying this without a thought but this prospect makes your heart stutter, your body suddenly filled with a rush of adrenaline as you consider this possibility. 

running away alone might be a big problem but if he is with you? it won't be a problem then. 

"i want to stay with you." he suddenly whines next to your ear, angrily (yet gently and only playfully) biting down on your shoulder. 

you yelp, smacking his back as you move back from him, glaring as you rub your shoulder. "what was that for?"

"don't be a baby. i didn't even bite hard." dazai smiles like a brat, now more playful and less somber like he was before.

he watches your mouth part open as you scoff, his heart squeezing in his chest in fondness. "you are a feral cat."

"cats don't bite." he retorts smugly, enjoying how your face turns more offended. "of course they do?? what are you -- who told you they don't??"

"they scratch. they don't bite." dazai smiles as he leans down to look down at you, ignoring the pang in his heart at how easy it was for him to distract you from the previous suggestion of running away because he blurted that out without thinking and he knows it's not possible and it hurts him because he knew you were considering it, probably might have even agreed.

"they bite too -- lord, go and see an actual stray cat." you exclaim.

"oh so you are saying only stray cats bite? pet ones don't? why show such economic discrimination?" he shakes his head, tutting.

"i am not -- what are you talking about?" you scoff again in an exasperated fashion, taking a step forwards to pinch his arm, getting more annoyed as he continues smiling and does not react.

"my dear cat discriminating girl," he coos, grabbing your fist as you attempt to hit his shoulder. with his hand holding your wrist and covering it with his bandaged palm, dazai tugs you closer. his other hand moving down to wrap against your back as he circles his thumb against your lower back, right where your spine ends and applies pressure making you sigh in content. it feels so good, almost feels like a massage. "i have to go now because i have some work but do you want to come with me tomorrow? on a date? to one of my races?"

"with you? no way." you tease, acting disgusted as you watch his eyes crinkle as he chuckles. then he tips his head down, his nose touching your's.

"if not me, then who?" he asks.

"anyone who isn't you." you tell, controlling your face to not smile. your heart is so soft right now, it's beating so fast that you just want to hug him and kiss him.

"uh uh, maybe you meant to say 'no one unless it's you', uh? come on. be honest to yourself and repeat it." 

you smile, unable to stop smiling whenever you are with him as you repeat, "no one unless it's you."

his eyes soften as he nods. "so will you come with me?"

you don't tease further on hearing his soft and quiet voice, nodding as you suddenly feel shy, upon seeing which he grins.

he drops a small kiss on your temple before he moves back, "i gotta go, okay? i will be here tomorrow. i will talk to t.s too so you go straight and prepare to go home, hm?"

his words make you sad. your heart pangs in sadness at having to go away and how short this interaction with him was. there is this fear of him getting bored or fed up of you which is scaring you and so, to please him, you blurt out, "there is a rich guy, a criminal probably who wears a fedora, red haired guy named chuuya. i was with him only just now. he is talking to boss so he might not be available right now ..." you trail off as you note no change in his expression or body language.

instead he smiles, raising his eyebrows which makes you smile too as your shoulders sag in defeat which you happily accept because he smiled because of you and that's more than enough for you.

"you knew?" you ask and he nods.

"well then, good luck." you wave as you turn to walk back inside the club because if you stay anymore then it will get harder to leave, deciding to not ruin this moment by asking him if he has some bad blood with boss. you can do that tomorrow too and in fact, you should do it tomorrow as you can prepare yourself first for it tonight. you will ask him about the date boss was talking about tomorrow too.

dazai takes a step forward to grab your finger suddenly, his heart beating fast as he does not want to let you go so soon but alas, even if he stays with you for an entire day, it still won't be enough.

you look over your shoulder in confusion to see dazai staring at you intensely, the warm brown of his eyes almost tempting you to indulge in their sweetness. "yeah?"

"i missed you." he breathes out causing your heartbeat to fasten and you smile so brightly, it almost tempts him to take his phone out and snap a picture so he can stare at it in the future whenever he misses you.

"good." you tell, smiling as you pull your finger from his grip, raising your finger to tap at his nose. you turn and immediately walk away, biting your lip as you try not to burst into giggles right there or blurt out how you were praying the entire day for him to come sooner, almost skipping away.

dazai takes steps back as he sees you walking away, leaning against the same wall  which he was leaning against when you came here, tilting his head back as he closes his eyes. 

he now has to go and have a talk with stupid chuuya and t.s.

raising his hand to brush his thumb against his nose, he smiles a bit before it disappears. he looks up at the night sky, feeling conflicted as he whispers, "am i doing the right thing or am i just trying to make peace with myself and the guilt i feel over you odasaku?"

he asks despite knowing the answer isn't either of these but he does not want to come to terms with the truth because it will make his determination waver and crumble his walls.

he sighs, pushing himself off the wall to walk inside the club and to where he knows t.s. must be right now.

there is a tense atmosphere hanging over the room chuuya and t.s. are in as the latter subtly shakes in his seat. whether from fear or from his addiction — chuuya isn't sure and neither does he care because t.s. isn't even supposed to be a man catching the attention of the mafia. he is merely a small fry now.

“i really hate that i had to come here and wait to meet you because you couldn't control yourself enough to stay away from drugs for half an hour.” chuuya's tone and stare are disapproving and annoyed and it feels as if he would kill t.s. if he even inhaled too loudly.

“i-i just had some business to take care of —”

“cut the bullshit. you think no one knows of your reputation?” chuuya scoffs in amusement and t.s. can feel the exact moment his leg muscles began twitching before his legs are full on trembling and he thinks he might piss his pants because to have such a big and cruel organisation like the fucking mafia be aware of him, to have them send one of their best executives and not even a low ranking member to meet him certainly means something.

chuuya's words are ringing in his mind and he suddenly feels as if the entire underworld has their eyes set on him and they are going to kill him and t.s. swears its because of that fucking dazai. had he never listened to him, he would have been so much better.

his hands begin to tremble in anxiety as he nervously looks around to make sure his men aren't pulling out guns to kill him because what if the mafia had bought them already and they want to kill him for siding with them.

t.s. almost considers going on his shaky knees and begging for mercy, offering his club and his prostitutes to the mafia in exchange for his life.

just then, the door opens in a loud fashion which makes t.s. immediately look at who entered, half convinced it's the mafia's men here to kill him. 

but it's someone who is worse than them.

the devil, dazai osamu.

dazai whistles as he enters the room on the top floor where chuuya and t.s. are sitting in an obvious tense atmosphere created by their previous short conversation which lingers in the air yet it's as if dazai doesn't care. 

he walks in as if he is here to meet old friends, closing the door behind him casually.

t.s. looks at him with furrowed eyebrows, panicking as he wonders what he is doing here while chuuya rolls his eyes. barely four meetings and he is already tired of the taller man and is itching to bury him six feet deep. 

with shaky pupils, t.s. watches him walk over with long yet leisure strides. he is scared of dazai as much as he dislikes him and he is sure this are his last moments because dazai will ‘accidently’ say something which is going to get him killed. he should have made you stay with dazai dammit.

"my good friend," dazai smirks as he steps behind the chair t.s. is sitting on, leaning down to cross his arms over the back of the chair as he waves at chuuya who scoffs, leaning back. "what do you want?"

dazai pretends to think, tilting his head before he hums, "why don't you stop making my life harder?"

"hey." chuuya deadpans, looking disgusted as he sits straight and points an accusing finger at dazai, "you are making my life harder. not the other way."

“uh huh? because as far as i remember, you are the one who is following me around without any reason.”

“i do have a reason, bastard. you just like making my life harder. either accept or dip.” chuuya furrows his eyebrows to portray how annoyed he feels as he stares right into t.s.’s bloodshot eyes which are caused due to the drugs he takes dilating his blood vessels.

“why should i?”

dazai asks in a playful tone as he taps the shoulder of the older man who is sitting almost paralyzed in front of him. as t.s. looks at him, dazai swipes out a pocket knife from his jacket pocket to show him a glimpse of it before he hides it in his pocket again.

he knows t.s. is a coward, when sober and in his complete senses at least.

“the port mafia is going to kill you if you don't accept it so it's better to kill yourself instead.” chuuya shrugs as he leans back on the chair again, eyeing t.s. which makes the latter nervously nod to show he agrees with the executive's words.

“ohhhh i seee — this doesn't explain why you crashed into my brand new car last time though — he almost killed me, can you believe it?” grabbing both of t.s's cheeks with his hands, dazai turns the older man's face in his direction as he stares at him with faux surprise. he has always enjoyed toying with him anyway.

“that's because it was my fucking car.” chuuya grits his teeth to which dazai only shrugs, smirking. “whatever the mafia owns is mine anyway.”

t.s. is sweating profusely as he watches the two younger males banter and grow more agitated because of the other's presence as the seconds tick by. he just wanted to butter up and get the mafia off his back dammit but now that the man behind him is here, he knows it's not possible.

because dazai will rat him out to his boss and that would mean not only will he be on the verge of being killed but they will also stop supplying him with drugs without which he can't survive anymore.

"oh dear, i almost forgot the reason i was here." dazai suddenly sighs, his tone dripping with playfulness but all of this just makes t.s. want to hyperventilate and run away from these two men. one of which is why he is in this predicament in the first place.

dazai hums, hands tightly gripping t.s's shoulders as he tilts his head to look at the older man, "i have a favour — two favours actually. you will help me, right?"

t.s. nods frantically, trying not to wince at dazai's bruising grip and he misses how the latter looks up to share an amused look with chuuya who is trying to hide the quirk of his lips behind his gloved hand.

it's as if they are teenagers playing a prank on the older man.

you got a message from boss who told you to go home first without him and you didn't have to be told twice as farther away you are from him, the better you feel. 

you step out from the back of the club (as instructed by boss) to again find dazai leaning against the same wall he was leaning on an hour ago. a smile forms on your lips at the sight of him, your heartbeat quickening as you are so grateful to see him again.

his head was tilted down but when he hears the door open, he looks up. 

his eyes soften as he tilts his head. he looks sad, confused even. that's not something which is normal for him. and frankly, it's a look you don't even want to see much of him.

you take a step forward at the same time as he does but while your step is small and hesitant as you aren't sure if you should approach him again, his step is large and confident as if he has made his mind on what he is about to do.

he takes another step forward and wraps his arm around your shoulder to pull you closer, closing his eyes as the dread claws up his heart. he reminds himself to stay grounded and not let his emotions sway him but it's hard as these emotions are stronger since his plan has begun.

he does not want to do this.

you raise your arms hesitantly, wrapping them around his waist as you pat his back. he sucks in a breath, shoulders relaxing. he almost wants to melt into your arms, soak into your skin and become one with you so he can always be near you.

but if it's for you, it's okay.

"oh wow, did you miss me?" you joke only around him in this suffocating building and he feels so grateful you don't treat him the same as others because being seen as the same as the rest by you would be like a nightmare which he wants to wake up from as soon as he can.

"so, so much." he whispers. 

whether he is in the present or in the future, only he knows but his words make your smile widen, blissfully unaware of the turmoil within him.

you don't speak up as his arms tighten around you, rather you are liking it. because it feels safe and his hugs are reassuring. because for a moment it feels as if he is shielding you from your depressing reality. because hugging him comes naturally to you now, you do not get as nervous or scared as you would in the beginning. you want to keep on hugging him, every single day till your last breath.

because dazai himself is someone you want to continue seeing everyday despite the warning bells ringing at the back of your head, despite the trouble that drops down everytime he smiles at you.

because he protects you and helps you stay sane in this otherwise maddening world. he makes you feel normal in this abusive lifestyle you lead.

"what are you doing here? i thought you went away." you tell as soon as he lets you pull away from the hug, eyes staring at him curiously. 

he grins, running a hand through his hair. would it be weird to admit he wants you to stare at him for as long as you could? probably.

"why do you think t.s. is letting you go by yourself when he is usually so paranoid and possessive about you?" 

"you did something?" you gasp, eyes widening in awe at how this man can do stuff which you thought could not be possible. he's magical in a way.

"who else if not me?" he cockily states.

you smile again. a big bright smile takes over your face as you can't believe it, a giddy giggle leaves you as you grab his hand in yours and squeeze it to express your gratitude.

you don't know the effect it has on him when your fingers slip through the gap between his own, the way his breath hitches as he stares at your interlocked hands. he squeezes them once and looks up at you, be damned with missions and purposes and responsibilities.

right now he just wants to spend time with you. to steal you away from the world for a moment.

he tugs at your interlocked hands to start pulling you out of the alleyway because as much as he wants to lose himself in this moment, he knows better than anyone how quick his time is ticking. this is a rash decision but also the only one left for him to take.

"where do you live? i will drop you off. night times aren't appropriate to walk alone." he tells, side eyeing you to see you nervously lick your lips as it's clear you are hesitating. afraid. he visibly softens at this and decides to push you a bit, "i will only leave you till the building and go away." 

you consider this suggestion as fear claws at your heart. keeping romantic feelings aside, rationally this won't be a good decision because the consequences are going to be severe if the guard tells boss he saw you with a man.

but you want to spend time with him. 

you release a frustrated sigh, looking up at him to see his eyes already on you.

oh, since when has he been staring? 

you feel hot under his stare so you look away, beginning to walk away from the alley (hand still interlocked with his) and he smiles, knowing this means you have considered and accepted his suggestion. that he will have some more time to spend with you tonight.

"do you live far?" he asks while walking with you. there is a stupid smile on his face which he is embarrassed about but he can't stop himself from smiling as the contact of your palm against his is enough to reduce him to a shy giggling mess. he just wants to freeze time.

"not really. boss has to come over immediately sometimes if an emergency arises so we live near."

this catches his interest and he decides to tread a bit more casually and smoothly.

"like management issues?"

you smile, shaking your head as you look at him over your shoulder. "drug related ones."

dazai concludes you are either too comfortable with him or too trusting. the former is most probably the case and as happy as he should be at this opportunity which presented itself before him along with your trust in him, he can't help but worry about you in the near future if you become too trusting with everyone you get comfortable with.

right to speech is a freedom but just because it is a 'right' shouldn't mean everyone should carelessly use it or abuse it.

"it's hard being away from something you love." he tells as you two walk through the late night sky. it's peaceful and quiet. like the moments your mind feels whenever you are with him.

you hope the feeling is mutual because if it isn't then you are the only one holding onto him and that would be embarrassing.

maybe it is mutual though. you think as his hand shoots forwards to grab yours again as it got loosened because of you walking a few steps ahead of him.

you watch him quickly take two steps to reach you.

are you only two steps away from him because to you it feels as if you have to run miles before you can see his silhouette, reaching him is out of the question.

"he loves drugs?" 

"it's addicting. what sad man would not?"

"let's not call him sad and humanize him. you will make me feel bad for him if i humanize him-- ow." you mumble, rubbing the spot on your arm which he pinched, looking at him in annoyance with furrowed eyebrows to express your displeasure.

"ah ah. quiet." he gestures for you to seal your lips and you retort, "i listen only because you are older."

"mm what a good girl." he dryly comments before his eyes reflect a seriousness which makes you straighten your back too as you suddenly feel nervous at his change, "you say you may begin to feel bad for t.s. we can't have that. don't go on feeling bad for the people who don't deserve a bit of humanity."

"yeah but he raised me so i am bound to feel some kind of attachment to him. i hate him but i don't — i just find him annoying." you tell as you try your best to express your feelings which even you don't comprehend fully but he hums as he remains serious so he must understand right?

"i can help you with that. remember your memories with him and tell me which weighs more — the good ones or the bad ones. that should give you your answer."

his words always sounds so legitimate, his advices sound as if they are personally coming from war veterans who have seen everything there is to the violence and depravity of the human mind. maybe this is why you take them so seriously.

you look at him with hesitation, your heart is beating fast as it tells you not to do it but at the same time you want to take the risk and see what will happen. dazai always makes you want to do stuff which you would be too afraid of doing normally so you do, you ask him, "do . . . you know, wanna listen to me and help me judge -- only if you want to because i feel like you are a better judge of characters then me . .  you don't have to -- forget it —"

you stop the nervous rambling, eyes widening as you are caught off guard with him suddenly grabbing your hands yet you stay silent, gazing up at his serious expression which is staring at you with so much fondness.

the man whose smile drips with trouble and risks looks so comforting and safe right now. why couldn't you have met him earlier? way, way before any of this happened.

you are sure you would have lived happily then. a small bubble of resentment pops in your heart as your brain tries to blame him but you can't. 

not him. 

never him.

so your eyes soften as you stare at him, your lower lip almost trembling as you try to keep your emotions steady and hidden inside of you. dazai squeezes your hands tightly.

"don't depend on others to validate your feelings. you can feel whatever you want to. i won't tell you who to or who not to hate. but i will listen to you so you aren't the only one who knows the reason behind your hatred, okay?"

you cringe at his words and your heart flutters at them at the same time and it's an odd combination to be honest because you aren't used to people caring for you and you still can't get used to him doing so. 

he squeezes your hands again when he gets no replies, focusing on how good it feels when he does it before shrugging his thoughts away. this isn't the time for that.

"okay. yeah. sure." you breathe out and he smiles at how enchanted you look. as if he has shown you a magic trick which defied laws of physics and his heart hurts because in the near future he knows this is how you will look at everyone and everything too.

he's no one special. he's just the first person to do so.

but isn't that special in itself?

dazai takes a step back and lets go of one of your hands, keeping his grip tight on the one he is still holding as you continue to lead him. he feel relieved since he knows you can lead a normal life.

you have a sharp brain so he is sure after a few years you will be capable of being on your own. it just sucks to know he won't be able to witness it. any of it. 

he almost wants to be selfish and steal you away, take you far away from here by force.

"so uhm where should i begin?" you ask and he shrugs, still staring at you fondly but with a melancholic fondness which you don't grasp at. all you can feel are the way your limbs burn hot under his gaze.

you want to reach up. reach up and kiss him and ask him to take you away but you don't because what if he is just being nice to you and this all does not mean to him as much as it means to you because you are starving of love which he offers.

"anywhere you want to. i will happily listen to everything you say anyway." 

you want to scream and sob. push him away and never meet him because when he says these words with such a soft tilt to his voice, it makes you disillusioned from reality and it makes you fantasize him as a lover which isn't possible.

why doesn't he understand how he affects you?

you try to pull your hand away from his grip to create some distance to snap you out of this dilemma but he doesn't let you because he is the incarnate of trouble. 

he troubles your heart in the best way there is.

dazai looks down as he sees you try to pull your hand back and when only your fingertip remains in contact with his, he grabs it and uses it as leverage to grab your wrist. he raises your hand to leave light and small pecks on your knuckles and hears the small sound which you kill in your throat at this action of his.

you take a deep breath, deciding to focus on your memories instead of your jolly heart erupting with desires of romance.

"well i don't know where to begin." you mumble as you sigh, biting your lip as you go down the lane of your memories to choose a specific one. "should i start from the very beginning?"

you don't know what his response is as you don't look at him, you continue to look ahead and as if past the environment around you to stare down at something which isn't entirely there, like a completely new dimension.

"i was happy once. really happy. there was this kind man who used to take me on walks and play with me." you tell, a gentle smile on your face as you remember the man which makes dazai's heart twist painfully. he looks ahead as well, as if to live your memories with you.

"he used to always bring me chocolates and sometimes small toys and i used to wonder, 'hah. if i wasn't an orphan, i would like to have a parent like this kind man.' he used to listen to me blabber so..." you trail off, using your free hand to pat your cheek twice before you continue in a much smaller voice then before, "so i thought every man would be like him."

he was a rare one. dazai thinks to himself, a melancholic smile on his face at the thoughts of the older man who has been like an angel in his life too. his heart isn't tightening nor are his hands feeling icy cold with sorrow and this is supposed to be a sign that he has moved on but it's sad. that he moved on. from his dear friend. 

"but boss isn't like him. he can never be like him. he was nice at first though. i don't really stop to process my emotions anymore regarding him or anything in general." the last part of your sentence comes out more awkward than the rest of your sentence as you weren't sure if you should have admitted it or not but decided anyway since you are telling him all about yourself anyway, laying yourself bare in front of him.

your eyes land on him as you turn your head to face him as if daring him to take apart your intestines.

leaning in, his touch is light as snow falling for the first time as his finger traces your cheek in the midst of him tucking your hair behind your ear. 

holding in your breath for who knows how long, you stare at him the way you always do and he wonders if you know how insane it can make a man go. the corners softening, blinking as your focus doesn't waver away from him, it's as if you are begging him to come and kiss you stupid.

"how did you meet such a monster?" he softly asks, voice hushed as if you might break if he speaks a bit louder. 

oh. 

you love him.

he is holding you so gently unlike boss who isn't afraid of getting violent if he feels as if you are disrespecting him and it's making you want to cry and ask him to take you away with him to his house. you don't want to go back to the apartment you live in with boss, you want to stay with dazai longer because being with boss is suffocating. 

you want to breathe freely, not in fear of your inhaling or exhaling being too loud which may anger boss. you want to ask dazai so many questions so stuff can make sense for you but most importantly, you want to kiss dazai.

but you don't because of fear of your feelings being unrequited because what do you even know about love when you have always received it in bits and pieces?

and can boss ever be considered as someone loving? if so, then why does his love hurt so much? 

your mind is a hurricane of thoughts as you go through your memories to try to make sense of it all.

this is the moment you wake up from your dream-like passive state and finally open your eyes to your reality. 

[pokemonheritageposts]

It sucks that I have nowhere near enough time or energy to make a fangame because I have such a good idea for a direct sequel to the Johto games and I can't stop rotating it in my brain. Anyway I just spent the last 8 hours typing up the entire plot for no particular reason

Pokemon Blaze Gold and Storm Silver

-Box mascots are Entei and Raikou, but new formes with Ho-Oh/Lugia's wings respectively plus added motifs from each Pokemon, Fire/Flying and Electric/Flying

-Regional Pokedex has all Kanto/Johto Pokemon minus the Kanto starters available, plus every new evolution to a Kanto/Johto Pokemon up to Gen 4

-Start in Camellia Town, a new town south of Route 29, loosely based on Toyohashi

-Rival 1 is your neighbour, Maya, who has major chuuni vibes, tells you Prof Elm has returned from a trip and that you should go ask him for a Pokemon, declares herself the best trainer ever despite having no Pokemon

-Start traveling to New Bark Town but get interrupted by Professor Elm upon entering the grass

-He reluctantly agrees to take you to his lab on Maya's insistence

-At his lab you meet his kid who is also his assistant, Rival 2, who is the opposite gender version of the player character. Following old traditions I'm gonna say the male character default name is Blaze and the female character default name is Storm. I'm gonna refer to the rival as Blaze going forward but it depends on your PC.

-Elm says he was going to offer one of the three to Blaze, but we can have the other two.

-Blaze gets nervous and indecisive and asks us to pick first, Maya says it doesn't matter which one they get because she will win no matter what. Maya picks the starter that's super effective against yours, Blaze picks the one it's weak to. Maya immediately challenges you to a battle.

-After you win, Maya declares that this is jist a roadblock and that she's going to take on the gym challenge and become champion. Elm gets wistful remembering the PC from the original games, and then decides to ask you to retrieve a package from another professor in Cherrygrove City.

-Route 46 now has wild Pikachu, plus a new part of Dark Cave featuring all Pokemon from the Violet City side as the original location will not be accessible until much later. Phanpy and Teddiursa are also available in their respective Crystal version locations (I have no idea why HGSS removed this inprovement). Paras is also now available on Route 30. These changes have been added so that you are not completely fucked if you didn't pick Chikorita.

-Cherrygrove City is now much larger, featuring a port, and a new Pokemon Gym. You go to the house Elm indicated but Blaze comes out and says the professor is out, and that they need to go look for him.

-On Route 30, you see Professor Oak standing in front of a cliff face dividing the route in half. He tells you that 6 years ago, a great cave suddenly sprung from the ground, causing great devastation. Nobody knows how, and it should have been impossible. He then tells you to come with him to get the parcels Elm asked for.

-Upon returning and being handed the parcels, Blaze asks you to battle him. When you win, he gets nervous and asks you what you think it takes to be a good trainer, before leaving.

-When you all return to Professor Elm, he hands you and Blaze the newest Pokedex which was in the package from Oak. He asks you to fill out the dex. After Blaze leaves to go catch Pokemon, he suggests you could try the gym challenge like Maya is.

-You run into your mother in front of the entrance to Camellia Town. After explaining the situation, she gives you the Poketch and encourages you.

-When you get to Cherrygrove Gym, Maya comes out and declares she beat the gym leader easily (though she is clearly worn out), and says she's going to get on a ferry to go take on Cianwood Gym.

-Inside, the Gym Leader, Akua, is a cheerful, portly middle-aged lady wearing a blue floral patterned sundress. Her team is a Lv12 Chinchou and a Lv14 Corsola. Upon winning, she grants you the Shore Badge.

-Upon leaving, a boat has returned to the port. You can interact with it and travel to Cianwood City. You arrive at the new Cianwood Port inside Cliff Edge Gate. However, Chuck is blocking the entrance to Cianwood City proper. He asks you to go after his son, Hurley, who ran to the Safari Zone saying something about Team Rocket - which is strange, since Team Rocket disappeared 10 years ago.

-The same Pokemon as usual are available on Routes 47/48, but only their first stages, and levelled down. Miltank has been replaced with Murkrow to make Dark-types accessible earlier in game.

-You see Hurley in front of the Safari Zone. He is a young boy with a buzzcut, tatami pants, and a sarashi chest wrap. He is surrounded by a group of Team Rocket grunts. Team Rocket are trying to kidnap all of the Pokemon out of the Safari Zone. Hurley is trying to take on all the Rocket Grunts himself. Blaze arrives and you take on two of the grunts in a double battle.

-After winning, the entrance to the Safari Zone is wrecked, so theycare trmporarily closed. Hurley thanks you for your help, and gives you the field move Poketch app for Headbutt. He tells you some of the apps need gym badges, but not this one, before announcing that he is the new Cianwood gym leader now that his dad has retired.

-You return to Cianwood City, which is now accessible, along with its gym. Hurley has a Lv18 Tyrogue and a Lv20 Heracross. Upon winning, he grants you the Storm Badge, which allows you to use the Fly app (which you will need to acquire later). The ferry is now ready to depart for Olivine City.

-At Olivine, when you pass in front of the Olivine Gym, Maya is there. They tell you they came to fight Jasmine, but she's gone travelling to Sinnoh and the gym is closed. Maya challenges you to a battle. She has a Lv18 Snubbull, a Lv19 Shellder/Bellsprout/Growlithe (whichever is weak to your starter), and a Lv22 Bayleef/Quilava/Croconaw.

-At Ecruteak City, the Gym is locked, and Morty is in the Burnt Tower. When you enter it, you run into Colress as he is leaving the building. He talks about the Legendary Beasts that were believed to have existed in this building. When you go up and speak to Morty, he says he had been having a conversation with Colress about the legends surrounding the towers. He then heads back to his Gym. Houndour is now catchable in Burnt Tower.

-The Kimono Girls can be battled as before for the Surf app, however there are now 7 of them, with the addition of Leafeon and Glaceon.

-Morty has a Lv24 Gastly, a Lv25 Misdreavus, and a Lv27 Gengar. Upon defeating him, he grants you the Fog Badge, allowing you to use the Surf app.

-The path south of Ecrutreak is blocked by a Sudowoodo, forcing you east. As you enter Route 42, Blaze appears. He says he thinks he's gotten stronger and wants to test himself against you. His team is a Lv25 Pikachu, a Lv20 Happiny, a Lv24 Oddish/Vulpix/Staryu (whichever is super effective against your starter), and a Lv27 Bayleef/Quilava/Croconaw. After you win, he says Professor Elm said to give you this, and installs the Rock Smash app on your phone.

-Upon arriving to Mahogany Town, you see that it has been levelled by the rising caves. The Gym and Pokemon Center are in disrepair, and the path to Route 44 is obstructed by a new cliff face. If you enter the one accessible house, the hermit inside will tell you everyone left when the disaster happened, and they moved to Lycoris or Ecruteak cities, and that the Gym Leader Pryce disappeared when the cave formed and hasn't been since since.

-At the Lake of Rage, two Team Rocket grunts are standing by the water. When they see you, they challenge you to a battle. After defeating them, more arrive, but they are scared off by the arrival of Silver. Silver thanks you for defeating the grunts, and introduces himself. He says he's had some experiences with Team Rocket before, and that it's troubling to see them around here. He then gives you a Squirtbottle to get past the Sudowoodo.

At this point, you can take on the next three Gym Leaders in any order you want. However, there is a firm level curve, and if you challenge the 6th one next you're likely to get your ass kicked - you are, however, free to do so. This will be following the recommended order.

-After removing the Sudowoodo, the path to Violet City and the Ruins of Alph is blocked by a risen cave, forcing you towards Goldenrod City. This area is mostly unchanged, but more houses have been made accessible, including one with a conspicuously blocked off basement. Additionally, if you enter the basement of the Pokemart, they tell you you're not allowed down there and send you back into the elevator. The radio tower has modernized, and now runs streaming content and podcasts. You can also still obtain an Eevee from Bill at his home.

-At Goldenrod Gym, Whitney has a Lv29 Clefairy, a Lv31 Furret, and a Lv33 Miltank. Upon defeating her, she grants you the Plain Badge, allowing you to use the Strength app. She has a line about how she's not gonna cry over losing any more, and tells you there's a reward at National Park for the Strength app if you win the Bug-Catching Contest (if you haven't already won it).

-The Bug Catching contest can now be played at any time, and allows you to catch as many as you like, with your final score being a point total so as to make it way easier to win. You also get to choose which Pokemon you keep at the end so you don't have to keep a bunch of fodder mons.

-When passing the Daycare, you see Maya outside. She brags about having 5 gym badges and challenges you again. She has a Lv27 Snubbull, two of Lv28 Weepinbell/Shellder/Growlithe (excluding whichever matches their starter's type), and a Lv32 Bayleef/Quilava/Croconaw. When defeated, she throws a mild tantrum about how she has more gym badges and should be stronger than you, but then corrects herself and offers you one of two eggs she was given by the daycare. Yours contains a Togepi.

-In Ilex Forest, at the Celebi shrine, you encounter a strange man with a tattered black cloak shrouding their body, extremely long white hair, and a white mask covering their entire face, although you cannot see the front of it from your position. He is talking to the shrine. "Celebi... how long has it been? To this day, I still don't understand why...". He sees you, at which point he excuses himself and leaves.

-At Azalea Gym, Bugsy, now an adult, has a Lv35 Ledian, Lv35 Ariados, and a Lv36 Scizor. Upon winning, he grants you the Hive Badge, allowing you to use the Cut app.

-As soon as you leave the gym, you hear a commotion coming from nearby. Bugsy comes out of the gym, and says that sounded like the Cut master, and that it was coming from Slowpoke Well. He heads over to see what's going on. In the Well, you see the Cut master trying to corner a Team Rocket grunt, but the grunt defeats him. You step up and battle the grunt, who then tries to escape.

-When you leave the well, the grunt is being cornered by Kurt, who says he'll never let Team Rocket mess with this well again. The grunt runs away towards Union Cave. When you get to the cave's entrance, he is nowhere to be seen, and the cave's entrance is boarded up. Kurt, Bugsy, and the Cut master all arrive and tell you he must have gone into the cave, but that we shouldn't follow him - the cave was unstable after the rest of the cave system rose from the ground, and it may still be dangerous. Kurt introduces himself and tells you about Azalea Town's history with Team Rocket, and tells you about his apricorn ball service. The Cut master thanks you by giving you the Cut app.

-Returning to the Lake of Rage, the northeast has a new path, but it's obstructed by two rocket grunts. Travelling west, though, through the maze of trees, there is now a new route, Route 49. It is a winding route, covered in trees and snow. Here, you can catch Fearow, Furret, Noctowl, Murkrow, Misdreavus, Smeargle, Sneasel, Houndour, and Delibird.

-To the west of Route 49, and north of Mt. Mortar, is Lycoris City (loosely based on Fukui). It is a snow-covered city with architecture similar to Ecruteak, with numerous beds of Spider Lillies. It is divided into two halves, with the top half being on a high raised wooden platform.

-In the north is Lycoris Shrine. It is a two-storey building in the center of the raised platform, filled with trainers and wild pokemon. Here, you can find Growlithe/Vulpix, Golbat, Gastly, Haunter, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Natu, Murkrow, Sneasel, and Houndour.

-When you get to the far end of the top floor, you encounter Blaze. He tells you he came all this way looking for as many Pokemon as possible, and wants to show you. His team is a Lv37 Pikachu, Lv36 Chansey, two of Lv37 Gloom/Ninetales/Starmie (minus whichever is the same type as their starter), and Lv38 Meganium/Typhlosion/Feraligatr.

-Karen comes over, who tells you she used to be the gym leader here a long time ago. She says she was impressed by your battle and likes the look in your eye and expects she'll be seeing you again soon, before giving you the Fly app.

-At Lycoris Gym, the Leader is Shin, a tall person with spiky white hair, a sleeveless black turtleneck, mesh sleeves, long and sharp black nails, and baggy black jeans. Their team is a Lv37 Sneasel, Lv38 Umbreon, Lv37 Murkrow, and Lv40 Weavile. Upon winning, they grant you the Umbral Badge, which allows you to use the Whirlpool app.

-Once you have 6 badges (and have handled the Slowpoke Well incident), Silver will call you asking you if you can come to Mahogany Town. When you arrive, he is in front of the old Rocket hideout. He thanks you for coming, when suddenly Maya arrives, bragging about having 6 badges, before being shocked that you've caught up to them. They proclaim that they will be the strongest, and need to battle you to prove it. Silver interrupts saying we have more important things to worry about, and telling Maya that it's a mistake to view everything in terms of Weak and Strong.

-Silver then breaks down the door to the hideout with his Crobat, and inside we see the place full of Team Rocket members, who run down into the base. Silver comments that he thought they'd be smarter than hiding here again, and tells the two of you to follow him into the base.

-In the boss's office of the base, you encounter Proton, Petrel, Ariana, and Colress. Silver says he's shocked to see the three of them back at it, but asks who the new guy is. Colress introduces himself and says Team Rocket are his new benefactors. Petrel tells Silver that Colress is the brains behind their big new scheme, before Ariana tells him to be quiet. You battle Proton, while Maya battles Petrel and Silver battles Ariana. Proton has a Lv38 Golbat and a Lv39 Weezing.

-Upon winning, Proton says it doesn't matter, and they already got everything ready here. Petrel says they learned one thing from last time, and Colress flips a switch turning off all the lights. When they come back on, they have all vanished. Silver expresses disappointment that they couldn't catch them, and tells the two of you that he once battled Team Rocket here with two of his good friends. He then wonders what they're planning next before he takes his leave.

-Maya says it was always her dream to become the strongest, but that seeing the way Silver battled was something she never imagined. She trails off before leaving.

-The rocket grunts at the lake have now left, allowing you to take a new path heading down into Route 44, which is much the same as it always was besides the entrance to Mahogany Town being obscured.

-You travel through Ice Path into Blackthorn City, and on arriving at the front of the Blackthorn Gym, Maya shows up. She tells you that she's not sure if she really is the strongest, and that since you two are even she wants to battle you before either of you face the gym. She says to meet her in the Dragon's Den behind the gym, and she'll be waiting.

-In the shrine in Dragon's Den, you face off against Maya. She has a Lv42 Granbull, a Lv40 Rhydon, two of Lv42 Victreebel/Arcanine/Cloyster, and a Lv44 Meganium/Typhlosion/Feraligatr.

-Upon defeating her, she wonders if maybe she isn't the strongest after all. Before she can go on, Lance appears, and tells her that she's plenty strong, but strong isn't enough. Clair also arrives, and says they heard us talking outside their gym and watched our battle. Clair announces that she is the leader of Blackthorn gym, before Lance corrects her and says that they are the leaders of Blackthorn gym, and that they now battle side by side, and that they're excited to face us.

-In Blackthorn gym, you face off against Lance and Clair in a double battle. Lance has a Lv43 Gyarados and a Lv45 Dragonite, and Clair has a Lv42 Dragonair and a Lv44 Kingdra. Upon winning, the two of them bicker a bit, before giving you the Rising Badge, allowing use of the Waterfall app.

-When you exit the gym, you get a call from Professor Oak telling you there's an emergency at the radio tower and he needs our help. Immediately afterwards, Silver calls, and tells you Team Rocket are attacking Goldenrod City, and wonders to himself if they're really just trying to same plan all over again.

-When arriving to Goldenrod, the city is swarming with Rocket Grunts. The radio towers has waves of them in front of it, blocking the entrance. Silver is fighting them all off. Silver tells you he'll take care of this, and to go look for a cardkey in the underground - he know show they operate, and that we'll need it to get to the top of the tower. We go to look for it, however the Pokemart and the Underground are both blocked by Rocket grunts. Blaze and Maya are both here, battling rocket grunts at each of the entrances.

-Heading into the house that had the suspicious basement passage from earlier, you are immediately confronted with a rocket grunt, who accidentally gives away that this is the new secret entrance to the underground system. You then battle your way through the underground, where you eventually encounter Petrel, who has the keycard. He has two Lv40 Koffings and a Lv42 Weezing. Upon defeat, he runs away, dropping the keycard.

-You can then leave via any of the three exits, where you can see Blaze and Maya have defeated their respective batches of grunts. You head into the radio tower, now accessible, and give Silver the keycard. He heads upstairs. You encounter Proton and Ariana, but before they can stop you, Maya arrives. Silver says to fight them while he heads upstairs and deals with their leader. You and Maya enter a double battle. Proton has a Lv40 Golbat, a Lv39 Qwilfish, and a Lv42 Weezing. Ariana has a Lv40 Arbok, a Lv41 Vileplume, and a Lv42 Honchkrow.

-Upon defeating them and heading upstairs, you see that Silver has firmly defeated Archer. However, Archer makes a break for it, running outside of the building. Outside, you see Blaze, who tells you they saw Archer run towards Ilex Forest.

-In Ilex Forest, you encounter Archer at the shrine, where you challenge him. He has a Lv40 Houndour, a Lv43 Weezing, a Lv42 Ariados, and a Lv45 Houndoom.

-Upon defeating him, Silver, Maya, and Blaze arrive. Silver tells him to give up, but Archer tells him that this was a trick to buy time while the broadcast was uploading. You then get an alert on your Poketch showing you the radio tower has a live stream - you cut to the video, and you see a man shrouded in a tattered black cloak, with long white hair, and a white mask covering his face... with the Team Rocket emblem over the mask. It's the man you saw here, in Ilex Forest. He begins a speech, telling everyone that he believed that Team Rocket was done when Giovanni left - however, the broadcast 10 years ago inspired them to take up his mantle. He calls himself Rocket Mask, and declares that he is the new boss of Team Rocket. He informs them that they have plans in motion that will enable them to achieve total domination, and invites anyone who abandoned their cause to return to them to fulfil their destiny. He tells them that the Mahogany Town base is compromised, but that they should know where to go. The stream ends.

-Archer says he's completed his work, and it doesn't matter if you take him in. He tries to eacape anyway, but suddenly... Looker turns up. He apologizes to Silver for taking so long to arrive, and captures Archer. They all briefly talk about who the strange man in the mask could be. Archer refuses to tell them anything, and is hauled away by Looker. Silver thanks you for your help, and gives you the Flash app for your help. He tells you to head to Violet City through the Dark Cave.

-As everyone leaves, you begin to walk away, but suddenly hear something. Celebi floats down in front of you, before hovering over their shrine. The space in front of you begind to warp, and you are shown a vision of Rocket Mask at the shrine, with the four Rocket Execs beside him. He tells them that this shrine belongs to Celebi, and that it is thanks to them that they can begin their glorious return. Celebi then disappears, returning everything to normal.

-You fly back to Blackthorn City, and travel through the Dark Cave to Violet City. Falkner is currently out, at the Sprout Tower. You battle your way through Sprout Tower, and once you meet Falkner at the top, he returns to his gym.

-At Violet City Gym, you face Falkner, who has a Lv45 Noctowl, a Lv44 Fearow, a Lv46 Dodrio, a Lv47 Togetic, and a Lv48 Pigeot. Upon defeating him, you are granted the Zephyr Badge, allowing use of the Rock Climb app.

-Upon leaving, Professor Elm calls you and asks if you can come back to his lab. When you get there, he gives you the Waterfall app, and upon finding out you have all 8 badges, suggests you go to the Pokemon League. Before you leave, Blaze arrives, and says they've been watching us, watching Maya, and that they think they've learned from us and our bond with our Pokemon what a good trainer is. They challenge us to one last battle. Their team is a Lv48 Raichu, a Lv48 Blissey, a Lv47 Espeon, two of Lv48 Bellossom/Ninetales/Starmie, and a Lv50 Meganium/Typhlosion/Feraligatr. When you win, he thanks you, and declares that they're going to take on the gym challenge as well.

-You travel through the way to the Elite Four the same as in the original games. Just before entering to face the Elite Four, Maya stops you. She says she's been thinking about what Silver told her, and that maybe she had been wrong to focus on being the strongest. She asks you to battle her again to help her figure it out. Her team is a Lv50 Granbull, a Lv50 Rhyperior, a Lv49 Umbreon, two of Lv51 Victreebel/Arcanine/Cloyster, and a Lv52 Meganium/Typhlosion/Feraligatr. After you beat her, she thanks you, and says that she realizes that instead of trying to be the strongest, she should just try and be the best that she can be... which meand THEN she'll be the strongest! (never change, Maya).

-As you enter the Elite Four, the first member you face is Brock. He has a Lv50 Golem, a Lv51 Kabutops, a Lv51 Omastar, a Lv51 Onix, and a Lv52 Aerodactyl.

-The second member is Will. He has a Lv51 Hypno, a Lv52 Girafarig, a Lv52 Slowking, a Lv53 Exeggutor, and a Lv54 Xatu.

-The third member is Misty. She has a Lv53 Politoed, a Lv54 Cloyster, a Lv53 Azumarill, a Lv53 Vaporeon, and a Lv55 Starmie.

-The fourth member is Karen. She has a Lv54 Umbreon, a Lv55 Honchkrow, a Lv56 Weavile, a Lv56 Gengar, and a Lv58 Houndoom.

-As you head up the long staircase to face the champion, the ground suddenly begins to shake, and the lights momentarily go out. You continue to climb the stairs, but when you reach the door at the top, it won't open. As you head back down, a gang of Team Rocket grunts swarm in. They tell you that the building is surrounded, and they're going to keep the Elite Four incapacitated while they carry out their plan. They begin to back you into a corner, but suddenly, Celebi appears. The world around you begins to warp. Suddenly, the Team Rocket grunts have disappeared, and everything seems to be normal.

-You head into the Champion's room and see... Lance? But wasn't he a gym leader now? He seems just as confused as you are, since there wasn't anyone challenging the league. After you explain about Celebi, he tells you that he has heard the myth of a time travelling Pokemon, and that maybe you've been sent back in time. You leave the building with Lance.

-As he begins to wonder how to return you to your own time, he gets a call from Silver. Silver tells him that the Pokemon are going crazy near the Ruins of Alph, and that there are some strange signals being picked up on the Poketch. Lance takes you to Violet City, however as you head to the Ruins of Alph, a great quake begins. The ground begins rising in front of you. You hear a great cry, and you are seperated from Lance as the ground beneath your feet lifts, turning into a new cave. It's six years ago, and the disaster is occuring before your eyes.

-From the Ruins of Alph, you see something fly away. As the sunlight clears, you see Entei/Raikou (the opposite of the boxart legendary) soaring into the sky on wings, surrounded by Unown. Its emits a great glow, and its wings seem to burst into flames/lightning. It falls onto the new cliff face in front of you, now in its original form. As it stares us down, Celebi returns, warping us back to our own time, in Ilex Forest, before disappearing.

-We immediately get a call from Blaze, who is asking if we're okay and is confused that we're in Ilex Forest. They heard that Team Rocket is staging an assault on Indigo Plateau. Suddenly, the same signal starts coming through the Poketch that did six years ago. A broadcast comes on, and you can see Rocket Mask once again making an announcement. He states that six years ago, he failed. But this time, he will succeed. Celebi has shown him the way, and soon, Team Rocket will have the key to world domination.

-You head to the entrance to Union Cave, now unblocked. As soon as you enter, you see Suicune. It roars at you, before running into the cave. You travel through its underground passages, and make your way into the Ruins of Alph.

-The ruins now have a large pillar in the centre, which you seemingly have no way to access. As you head into the ruins, you see Suicune again, at a wall. Suddenly, Unown surround them, and a portion of the wall disappears, revealing a hidden passageway.

-As you get to the end of the passageway, and enter the pillar in the center of the ruins, and see Colress and Rocket Mask. Colress seems alarmed to see you. Rocket Mask asks how you got here, but remarks that it doesn't matter. The screen pans, and you can see Entei/Raikou (your box legendary), surrounded by two chains of Unown, spinning around them like a gyroscope.

-He explains that ever since a fateful encounter with Suicune, he had sought the power of the legendary beasts. 10 years ago, when Team Rocket made their broadcast, he was ashamed to have left them when Giovanni first disbanded the team. To find out that they had even been operating in his old secret hideout brought him great shame. After the news of their defeat broke, he went on a journey. In Ilex Forest, he was suddenly approached by Suicune, and feared Suicune was going to attack him. Suddenly, Celebi arrived, and teleported him back through time, showing him his glory days in Team Rocket as Giovanni's right-hand man. He decided then that this was a sign - that he needed to bring back Team Rocket, and that the Legendary Beasts were how he would do it.

Six years ago, he was approached by Colress, who had experimented with Pokemon before, and had heard of his interest in the beasts. He knew that they had a master who had created them, a legendary Pokemon named Ho-Oh. If they were created by Ho-Oh, they could use its power. By utilizing the power of the Unown, he believed he could combine their power - with a Rainbow Wing/Silver Wing. However, they only used one chain of Unown - they needed two. The beast they captured six years ago broke free, and unleashing their full power caused them to send that energy through the land, reshaping it. While they lost both the beast and the wing, they discovered that there was a second wing - that the Silver Wing was not actually from Ho-Oh, but from Lugia, a Pokemon whose power mirrored Lugia, and that they could use the Silver Wing instead/that they had the wrong wing, and that the Rainbow Wing was needed. Now they have obtained the second wing, and captured another beast.

After their failure six years ago, they felt tremendous shame. Not just for their failure, but for the damage they did. They even destroyed their own town. After that, they could never go back. They had to see this through to the end. They took up the mantle of Rocket Mask, and decided nothing would stop them from taming the beast - least of all, you.

-Rocket Mask removes their mask, revealing themselves to be none other than Pryce, the former leader of the Mahogany Town gym. While Colress finishes combining the beast's power with the wing, Pryce challenges you. He has a Lv55 Weavile, a Lv57 Dewgong, a Lv56 Piloswine, a Lv57 Cloyster, and a Lv59 Mamoswine.

-Upon defeating him, he says it no longer matters - the beast is complete. The Unown chains spin faster, and emit a great glow. The ground begins to shake, and then... suddenly, it ends. The Unown are floating freely, and Entei/Raikou is before you, in the air, flapping its wings. Pryce is amazed, and orders Entei/Raikou to come to him. It roars, and ignores his order. Pryce is shocked and indignant, and demands an explanation from Colress, who doesn't understand why the Unown chains broke apart - they were key to controlling it. Entei/Raikou attacks them, sending them both reeling. It floats before you, waiting.

-You challenge Entei/Raikou, Lv60. Capture or defeat it.

-Once captured/defeated, Pryce demands an explanation, and says he couldn't have been wrong. Suddenly, Celebi descends. It shows Pryce his past again - this time, the day he left Team Rocket. It shows him coming to terms with moving on, and looking forward to the future. Pryce then begins to wonder if he had made a mistake this whole time.

-Suddenly, Looker flies in! He challenges Pryce, before realizing that he has already been defeated. Pryce agrees to come quietly. Colress slips away unnoticed.

-Suddenly, Maya, Blaze, and Professor Elm all fly in seperately. They congratulate you on taking them down, and you all head home together. Roll credits.

-Upon resuming, Maya comes to your house, informing you that the league is shut down at the moment to repair the damage Team Rocket did, and that in the meantime we should go and challenge the Kanto gym leaders!

-You head to Cherrygrove City and take the ferry to Vermillion. When you arrive, Looker is there, and thanks you again for your help taking down Team Rocket. However, the three remaining admins are at large, and they believe they are somewhere in Kanto.

-With one exception, the gyms can now be faced in any order. However, two of them require specific events first. The rest, in no particular order:

-Lt. Surge has a Lv56 Raichu, a Lv57 Electrode, a Lv57 Magneton, and a Lv58 Electivire

-Sabrina has a Lv58 Mr. Mime, a Lv58 Slowbro, a Lv59 Espeon, and a Lv62 Alakazam

-Janine has a Lv55 Ariados, a Lv57 Venomoth, a Lv56 Weezing, and a Lv58 Crobat

-Cinnabar Island has a new artificial extension to keep the town proper out of volcano range, and have fully revuilt the town over the water. Blaine has a Lv58 Rapidash, a Lv58 Arcanine, a Lv57 Magcargo, and a Lv60 Magmortar

-Flint, Brock's father (yes, like in the anime) has taken over Pewter Gym. He has a Lv57 Forretress, a Lv57 Magneton, a Lv58 Skarmory, and a Lv60 Steelix.

-Erika is not at her Gym in Celadon - she can instead be found in front of the disused casino. She is speaking to Looker about Team Rocket sightings in the area. She will not battle you until after all of Team Rocket are fought. If you go inside the Casino, you can find Rocket's original base is in use again, and the rest of the rockets are hiding there. You and Looker go through and find Proton and Ariana there. You battle them. Proton has a Lv55 Golbat, a Lv57 Qwilfish, and a Lv57 Weezing. Ariana has a Lv60 Arbok, a Lv59 Vileplume, and a Lv61 Honchkrow. Looker captures them and takes them away. On their desk, you can see a plan to take over the Power Plant. If you head there, you find Petrel, the last Rocket, skulking around in front. He has three Weezings, Lv60, Lv61, and Lv62. Once defeated, he agrees to come quietly, and Looker thanks you for your assistance. You can now fight Erika.

-Erika has a Lv60 Jumpluff, a Lv61 Victreebel, a Lv61 Vileplume, a Lv60 Bellossom, and a Lv64 Tangrowth.

-In Mt. Moon, you encounter a young girl digging for fossils. She has beige overalls, a braided black ponytail, a hard hat, thick gardening gloves, a white dirt-stained tank top, thick round glasses, and freckles. She tells you her name is Bonnie, and says you're welcome to one of the fossils she's just dug up. At that moment, Maya arrives and tells you she already has 6 of the Kanto badges, but can't find the other two gym leaders. She then challenges you to a battle. She has a Lv64 Granbull, a Lv65 Espeon, a Lv64 Rhyperior, two of Lv65 Victreebel/Arcanine/Cloyster, and a Lv66 Meganium/Typhlosion/Feraligatr. After you beat her, Bonnie offers you both a fossil (you pick between Dome and Helix) and she awkwardly says that she's acfually the new Viridian City Gym Leader, and heads back to her gym. You can now challenge her.

-Bonnie has a Lv63 Quagsire, a Lv64 Pupitar, a Lv64 Donphan, a Lv65 Gliscor, and a Lv67 Nidoqueen.

-Upon passing the front of Cerulean Gym, Lorelei will appear. She informs you that this gym is closed now that Misty is in the E4. She retired from the Elite Four years ago to look after her home in the Sevii Islands, but got offered the Gym Leader position here. She arranged for a new gym to be made in the Sevii Islands instead, and to come visit her once you have the other 7 badges. You can travel there from Vermillion.

-At Lorelei's gym on Four Island, you can battle her once you have the other 7 Kanto badges. She has a Lv65 Delibird, a Lv66 Dewgong, a Lv67 Jynx, a Lv67 Glaceon, and a Lv68 Lapras. Once defeated, she grants you the Snow Badge.

-With 16 Badges, you are ready to take on the league again.

-As before, the first member you face is Brock. He has a Lv67 Golem, a Lv68 Kabutops, a Lv68 Omastar, a Lv69 Steelix, a Lv69 Rhyperior, and a Lv70 Aerodactyl.

-The second member is Will. He has a Lv69 Hypno, a Lv70 Wobbuffet, a Lv70 Girafarig, a Lv70 Slowking, a Lv70 Exeggutor, and a Lv71 Xatu.

-The third member is Misty. She has a Lv70 Politoed, a Lv69 Cloyster, a Lv70 Azumarill, a Lv71 Vaporeon, a Lv71 Golduck, and a Lv73 Starmie.

-The fourth member is Karen. She has a Lv71 Umbreon, a Lv72 Honchkrow, a Lv71 Weavile, a Lv72 Gengar, a Lv73 Muk, and a Lv74 Houndoom.

-Finally, you climb the stairs up to the champion, once again. No interruptions from Team Rocket this time. You open the door.

-Silver greets you. He thanks you for yoir work in defeating Team Rocket, and says he doesn't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there. He apologizes for not being able to fight last time, but as the Pokemon League Champion, he will hold nothing back. Silver has a Lv74 Crobat, a Lv73 Weavile, a Lv74 Magnezone, a Lv76 Gengar, a Lv75 Alakazam, and a Lv78 Tyranitar.

-As you defeat him, he congratulates you, and says he knew you had it in you. That he hadn't faced a trainer like you in a decade. He takes you to the hall of fame, and swears you in as the new Pokemon League Champion.

Roll credits, again.

-Finally, as champion, you now have access to Mt. Silver. And who is on top the mountain... but Ethan/Lyra, standing in the spot where they once defeated Red. They say nothing. The battle begins. They have a Lv82 Red Gyarados, a Lv81 Ampharos, a Lv83 Meganium, a Lv83 Typhlosion, a Lv83 Feraligatr, and a Lv85 Togekiss.

[bryce-bucher]

500 CALIBER CONTRACTZ Post #12

Dialogue!!!11:

The main thing I did over the past week or so was put together this dialogue system. The system itself was fairly easily to implement, and I think the only interesting part of the process to share is how I went about making the UI. As per usual, I wanted to have a cool mechanical feeling ui, but at the same time a friend of mine suggested an AOL instant messenger inspired chat window. I loved both of these ideas so I decided to combine them into a screen that pops up and contains the aim-like window. The modeling process for the screen was similar to how I went about making the other two bits of ui that are on screen in the above photos, but I decided to include a VGA port.

VGA PORT:

I didn't originally plan to include a VGA port, but I was in the middle of researching monitors and accidentally left a window open on my computer that just had a big photo of one and I went "wait a minute.". With my final two braincells I suddenly decided to slap together a model for the port which I ended up being proud enough of to, for some reason, make an entire section for it.

Sorry if any of the above sentences read horribly. I am going to need a third braincell if you want this stuff to be coherent. Anyway, Blender is so cool. Using the array modifier to make all these lil squares for the holes in the port is just such a satisfying process. I've come to really like makin pre-rendered assets like this.

New Movez:

This is actually a pretty big inclusion, and I probably should've ranked it in my mind above the VGA port. I added some new movement options to the game!

Firstly, I added this melee move where you swing the back of the sniper forwards to propel yourself a bit. It is mainly useful as a bunnyhop that allows you to conserve momentum.

Next up I added this kick that happens if you melee while in the air. It's basically just the one from mario64. It lets you gain a little bit more height and distance. It also becomes way more effective if you have a lot of momentum. A good tool for correcting jumps and reaching new heights.

Finally, we have the big schmovement slide. This slide gives you a huge burst of speed that you can jump out of in order to send your self flyin. Surprisingly, it didn't really break any of the level design and ended up being a really fun addition imo. In order to perform it, you have to do a ground pound and then melee as you hit the ground. Also, I feel like I basically stole this from pseudoregalia. Played through that recently and it has been a good source of inspiration.

Nova!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

This is a cameo skin I've been really excited to finally make myself put in the game. Anodyne 2 is a really important game to me, and I love it much. I'm really happy tha folks at analgesic let me put her in here, and I'm p happy with how her model came together. If you haven't peeped the Anodyne games I highly recommend them. The first one was a major inspiration for parts of Fatum Betula.

Conclusion:

Lately I've been playing this game way too much. It has made it impossible for me to tell if it is fun or well designed. Some problems cropped up during playtesting that ima need to address, and I hope that it all comes together into something that one could say is "fun and cool". I think takin this weekend off is gonna do my brain good. Oh yeah also I feel like I should advertise that I'm still doing commissions if anyone is interested. Anyway, have a good 1 and enjoy urself.

[inkedinfusions]

𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝 | geto suguru chapter 5

⊱𖤓⊰ | In which you, a thief, meet the lost prince of the kingdom.

── ★ ˙ ̟ . ⚜️ .ᐟ.ᐟ masterlist

⊰–prev

𝟎𝟓 | 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞

chapter word count: 3.3k

content warnings: normal warnings for the tangled movie lol

a/n: And with that, ladies and gentleman, we are done! I had a looot of fun writing this—literally speedran it from last last tuesday to sunday. Is it noticeable? Idc I had fun lmao. Should I write an epilogue following Tangled: Ever After? Let me know :)

Thanks for reading!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐀𝐒 you come to your senses to a darkened sky that is devoid of lanterns. The creak of wood tells you you are standing on a boat, but the slit of your half opened eyes tells you it's not the same one you were with Suguru in. 

“Suguru…?” you ask, dazed and confused. Why were you standing up? Why were you bound to the helm? And—wait, was that the circlet in your hands?

You don’t even have time to question where the Curses went, because your body lurches forward when the boat finds its way to the port again. In the corner, Koryu stands, with something akin to worry in his face. 

“What—Hey!” you exclaim when guards begin to climb on the boat, their metal armor clanking with every step they take. “Wait, wait—”

Shit. Was Suguru okay? Had the Curses gotten to him? You call out his name but receive no answer as the guards haul you off, escorting you to the holding cells. You are thrown into a simple one, still clad with the smell of humidity, the cot nothing more than a slab of wood. 

You stand still in the middle of it when the guards leave, their keys jangling as they go further and further away, taking your freedom with them. Wordlessly, you plop down on the cot, bringing your knees to your chest, not even bothering to take off your boots. 

The iron-barred window begins to light up the room when the sun peaks its form from over the horizon, bathing the cell with its beams. But where yesterday’s sun shone, today’s falls short, failing to bring warmth to your callused hands. 

The metal handcuffs are cold on your wrists, the chain between them dangling as you are escorted from your cell to the hallway, one guard on each arm, and you walk amongst other fools who also managed to get caught. 

It is amongst those fools that you catch sight of Jogo and Mahito, both slumped in their own cell. You want to gloat at the fact that Suguru got away from them, maybe even scored a concussion or two with his saucepan. But the fury you didn’t have time to feel when they confronted you comes rushing in all at once, fueling your outburst. 

You shove the guard on your left, effectively knocking him to the bars on his side, and you head butt the other one, walking away with only sharp, momentary pain. You jump over your cuffs and use your hands to pull Jogo against the iron that divides you both, sneering in his face. 

“How did you know?” you ask, your voice nearly a shout. “Tell me now unless you want your skull caved in, asshole!”

Jogo looks at you with his wide eye, and you’re suddenly glad Satoru left the other one for you to rip out. You yank him again until he answers with a shaky voice. 

“It was the old lady,” he answers quickly. You repeat his answer under your breath, when another set of guards take you away, forcibly ripping you from Jogo.  

“Hey—Wait!” you yell amidst the commotion. “You don’t understand—I have to help him—!”

The guards push you down, subduing you with their numbers as you follow the captain to the end of the hallway. You yank against them, desperate to break free, turning Jogos answer again and again in your mind. Old lady? Could it be Suguru’s mother they were talking about? You did say she was a nut job, but you didn’t think a mother would send ruffians after her own son. 

One guard pushes your head down, the other twists your body so it is more difficult for you to walk, let alone run away. You dart your eyes around for anything that could help you escape, when a peculiar object catches your eye. There, in the indent of the wall, sits a small, ceramic unicorn.

The door you are being led to slams shut, leaving you and the guards confused. All the others follow, prompting the captain to knock on the door wildly, ordering whoever was behind it to open it up, still puzzled. You less so, when your suspicions are confirmed when the wood over the window of the door rolls open to reveal the little drunk guy that guards the door to The Snuggly Duckling. 

“Password?” the old guy asks. 

“What?” the captain says, bewildered. 

“Nuh uh,” the guy answers, closing the shutter again. 

“Open this door!” he commands. 

The guy has narrowed his eyes when the shutter rolls open again, once again denying entry. “Not even close,” he says. 

“You have three seconds!” the captain yells it rolls close again. “One!”

One guard is snatched away by a hook that lifts him up into the air, freeing your left arm. 

“Two!”

The other is taken away by a hand that comes out of a closed door, leaving only his helmet behind as evidence he ever existed. 

“Three…!” the guard trails off, turning to face you, now devoid of an escort. A masked thug comes out of the door that now stands at his backside, knocking him out cold with a saucepan. 

“The frying pan!” you exclaim with a smile. “Best weapon ever, in my humble opinion.”

The door at the other end cracks and is reduced to splinters by the horde of guards that start to chase you. The thug with the pan shatters your binds and grabs you by the arm to lead you through the maze that is the prison. You pass by a ruffian dressed like a mime and continue running until you reach the central courtyard, as doors burst open, revealing more guards. 

Hoof-ruffian—man, you really should learn these guys’ names—put you in a specific spot on the ground. “Head down,” he says, gesturing for you to copy his posture. 

“Head down,” you repeat. 

“Arms in.”

You bring your arms up and close to your torso, forming fists with your hands. “Arms in.”

“Knees apart.”

“Knees apart—knees apart? Why would I—?”

You are launched into the air before you can finish your question, the makeshift catapult propelling you up and over the walls of the square. You scream as you shut your eyes, still dutifully maintaining the position you had been told to hold. 

You crack open one eye the moment you land on something—Koryu.

“Koryu?” you ask. “Did you… bring them here?”

Koryu neighs, affirming your question. 

“Wow buddy, you… thank you,” you say, touched. Koryu, on his part, simply stares at you with unblinking golden eyes, his face softer than you had ever seen him. 

“No, really,” you continue, “thank you. I think we’ve just been misunderstanding one another and—” The look in his face cuts you off, and you realize what this had all been for. “Yeah, you're right, we should go.”

Koryu starts galloping towards the edge of the walls, not stopping even when stray guards stand in your path. 

“Hey—hey! Koryu!” you yell as he jumps off the ledge, sliding off a roof and landing straight into the town, galloping away. The wind blows through your hair as you cross the bridge, stone paths giving way to those made of dirt. 

You don't have to lead Koryu to Suguru’s tower, the horse remembering the location from the day he was supposed to capture you. Before you know it, you run right past the entrance hidden by the vines, and you jump off Koryu at the base of the tower. There is none of the wonder you had experienced when you first discovered it, the place was bleak, overcast clouds sucking out the sun’s light.

“Suguru?” you shout, cupping your canes around your mouth. “Hey—hey! Let down your hair!” you exclaim, remembering the way he got off the tower in the first place. 

You start to climb the tower with nothing but your hands when there is no answer, whe, like the cry of an angel, ebony dark locks spring out of the window. You quickly grab it, using it as a way to halt yourself up and over the ledge of the window, coming face to face with a horrifying sight. 

“Suguru?” you say just as you’re climbing in. “I thought I'd never see you again—”

Suguru sits chained to the wall in front of you, illuminated only by the light that shines through the ledge that bounces off the mirror shards that tiller the floor. His hands are bound on his back, and a piece of cloth around the lower half of his face keeps him from speaking. 

That doesn’t stop him from trying to warn you about the presence behind you, with you only noticing it when a dagger finds itself lodged in between your ribs. You grunt in pain, falling to the shard covered tiles and clutching your rapidly throbbing abdomen. 

“Look what you’ve done,” says your assailant, who steps over you. “Oh, don’t you worry Suguru,” she says, turning to look at you, “our secret will die with her.”

Suguru’s mother stands before you, tall and menacing. Her hair is cut short before it reaches her shoulder, and a line of healed stitches runs all along her forehead. She is uncanny, too young to be his mother, with eyes too old for her wrinkle free face. 

You can do nothing but writhe in pain and hear as Suguru’s mother pulls him away, the sound of chains rattling and her berating filling up the room. “Enough already!” she says firmly. “Stop—fighting me!”

“No!” you hear Suguru yell, the fabric slipping down to his neck. “I will never stop fighting, stop running away from you. There won’t be a moment where I wont try to get away, not unless you let me heal her.”

You groan from where you are curled up on the floor, not lucid enough to say anything, but still awake to know that that is a bad idea. Suguru was full of light; you were just a thief the world wouldn’t miss. He could not sacrifice his freedom for you.

You are helpless as his mother binds one of your wrists to the wall, the chain long enough mobility is not an issue. Or it wouldn’t be, if you weren't leaking blood from your abdomen. 

“So you don’t get any ideas about following us,” you hear his mother mutter as she steps away. 

Suguru scrambles to get to you, holding you in his arms. He caresses your face as you squirm on the floor, his nervous eyes darting from you to the injury to you again. “Don’t worry,” he says, paying no attention to your complaints, “It’ll be fine, I promise.”

“You can’t do this,” you manage to get out. “I can’t—I can't let you do this.”

“Just trust me, alright?” he mumbles soothingly, trying his best to get his hair onto your stomach when you keep pushing it away. “You can’t die on me.”

“No—no, no,” you stutter. “If you do this… if you do this you will die.”

“It’ll be alright,” he repeats, not noticing how your hand snakes out to grab a large shard of mirror. It's either die here or be hanged by the guards, you realize. 

“Wait,” you mumble, reaching out to his face before he begins with his song. Your hand ghosts his cheek, going all the way to gently grab the hair that sits at his mid-back. With your last ounce of strength, you drive the shard through it, instantly rendering the golden treaded ebony hair as dark as pure ink. 

Your hand falls to the floor as your vision begins to turn black, and you only manage to hear his mother shout before you begin to feel floaty. “You—” you hear Suguru say, taking you into his arms once again. “What did you do?” 

“Y/n?” he repeats, voice filled with desperation. “No, no no—you idiot.”

“Told you I’d lose brain cells if you kept striking me with your pan,” you mumble back with effort. 

He doesn’t answer you in favor of rapidly chanting his song, more and more frantic when it doesn’t work and your injury still bleeds. Not even when he presses your hand against his hair does it light up like you had seen before.

“Hey, Suguru?” you mumble, opening your eyes with effort. When had they slipped shut? “You were… my new dream,” you confess. 

“And you were mine too,” he says, tears gathering in his eyes. “You were… Starlight? Hey—Y/n!”

His voice filters out as you lose consciousness, no longer tethered to your body the way a normal soul is. You shouldn’t feel cold—you shouldn’t feel anything, and yet the warmth that erupts and washes over you feels like a sunlight bath. 

You can feel your body again, but no longer does the hole in your abdomen bother you. In fact, you notice when you gently touch the area, it's not there at all. You open your eyes just a sliver, enough to see Suguru looking at you with anticipation. 

“Hey,” you start, feeling vital force flow in you again, “I’m so glad your hair is still long.”

“Y/n!” Suguru chuckles in between tears, and you reach a hand out to wipe them away, not liking being the reason behind them. Your hand only reaches air when he lurches forward, engulfing you in his arms, hiding his face in the crook of his neck. You follow suit, finding a home in the way his warmth seeps into you, in the way his mid-back length hair sways when he pulls you close.

You pull away first, smiling at the way his eyebrow knit in confusion, smoothing out when you grab the lapels of his vest and pull him in. Your lips meet his in a sweet, desperate kiss, and he might not have any more powers in him, but you swear the space burns golden when he pulls you closer. 

You break the kiss with a laugh, leaning back and covering your mouth when you begin to chuckle. 

“What?” Suguru asks with a smile. 

“Just,” you say in between, “I never thought I’d save a princess from a tower. Does that make me a knight?”

“What?” you ask when he falls silent, fidgeting with a strand of his hair. 

“You have to promise not to laugh,” he says, fueling your curiosity. When you nod, he continues. “Apparently, I’m the lost prince of the kingdom.”

“...Like, the one he circlet is for? The one who has been missing for the better part of two decades?”

“That one,” Suguru confirms, his face contorting in mock offense when your shoulders begin to shake. “Hey! You promised you wouldn’t laugh!”

“I’m sorry!” you say smiling. “But I’m telling you I told you so. Who clocked it when we first met?”

“A princess is not a prince,” he grumbles, a small smile betraying his lack of offense. 

“Still! Oh, I’m never letting this go. Hey, princess, do you think—?”

You are cut off by another kiss, one you reciprocate gladly after a moment. And so you stay there, in the midst of a ruined tower, without a care in the world. 

You use the passage his mother—his captor—had uncovered, finding Rokyu at the base, sniffing at the old woman’s cape. Ash litters the grass around it and you feel Suguru’s hand tense under yours. 

“Come on,” you mumble, pulling him towards Rokyu. 

The pace back to the kingdom is tranquil, filled with comfortable silence and fleeting glances. The guards at the bridge are dumbfounded when you gallop past them like it's just another day, when the captain himself stands in your path. 

He glances at you, then at Suguru, then at his horse. Rokyu faces him too, and something goes on between him and the captain, because he just sights after a moment and escorts you to the palace. 

Suguru tries to engage him in casual conversation, but falters when the captain doesn’t respond in turn. Still, you have to give it to the man. You had been twice the victim of a frying pan based assault, so you could sympathize with the fogginess that is currently governing his brain. 

He only seems to awaken when Suguru tells him the reason for your visit to the castle. His jaw drops, hurriedly ordering one of the others to go get the king and queen. He looks at Suguru again, and this time there is recognition in his eyes. He leaves you alone on the balcony, with the promise that his parents are on their way. 

“Do you think they’ll like me?” Suguru asks after a beat, fidgeting with his hair. 

“They’ll love you,” you assure him. How could they not?

“But do you think—”

“Hey,” you say, grabbing his chin to make him look at you. “It’ll be fine. You got this.”

He smiles and places a soft kiss on your palm, and you bring it down just as the doors crack open. Two people, the king and queen, stop dead on their tracks, reuniting with the son they thought to be lost for years on end. 

You note that Suguru looks just like his mom, getting his colors mainly from his dad. The queen steps hesitantly down the stars just as Suguru moves towards her with a similar cadence. They are all skittish, like one wrong move could send the other away, crumbling to dust, nothing but a mirage. 

You stand at the edge of the balcony while Suguru’s mom—his real one—pulls him into a bone crushing hug, him being so much taller than her but reduced to putty once her arms snake around him. His father follows, embracing both of them into a hug. 

They fall to the floor on their knees, with the delicateness that is only ever present in fairy tales. You smile as they do, when the queen offers you her hand. Thinking she is going in for a handshake, you accept it, only achieving getting pulled into the family hug. It's not awkward like you thought it would be, so you close your eyes and enjoy the moment, a breather from the crazy days in the past. 

Later, when you are both free from the hug, you (and the other ruffians) are granted a royal pardon and preparations begin for festivities, celebrating the return of the prince. Still, you can't feel but feel as though you are missing something while walking with Suguru, already in his new princely garments. 

“What are you thinking about?” he asks you when you take a break from dancing in the square. 

“I don't know,” you say, accepting the cookie he offers you. “I just feel like there’s an itch—Oh my god, Satoru!”

You snap your fingers when his mop of white hair glints in the crowd, rapidly approaching. “Sarlight!” he greets, swiping your cookie away for himself. “Starlight’s princess,” he addresses Suguru. “Didn’t think I’d see you here!”

“Did you really? And why do you still have those glasses?”

“They’re cool! Ya like them?” 

“No,” you deadpan. 

“That’s what I thought,” Satoru says, before turning to Suguru. “You’ve got your hands full man. I wish you the best.”

“You are so annoying,” you say, shoveling him into the dancing crowd, laughing at the way his face contorts when he searches for something in his pocket but doesn’t find it. 

“Looking for this?” you ask at his retreating figure, balancing Suguru’s circlet on your index finger. Satoru flips you off before getting swept away into the dance, while Suguru double checks the top of his head. 

“When did he—?” he starts. 

“Don’t worry about it,” you say, placing it atop his black locks. He had taken half of it up into a bun, letting the rest drip down his back like rivers of ink. You make sure it's not crooked, taking half a step away to check, when his hands find your forearms and you’re pulled into him again. You laugh before meeting him halfway, the music swelling just as your lips touch. 

Maybe you hadn’t been successful with the circlet, but now you had stolen something much more precious. His heart. 

[clare-875]

Until The End (Levi x Reader)- Chapter 35

[The beginning of the End]

_____ A/N: Posted on Wattpad (@CLARE_875) but also decided to post here :)

Summary: "You can push me away, but I will still fight by you, and I will still follow you… until the end."

The ever-so-stoic Levi Ackerman has only ever known the terrors that living in a cruel world could bring. This all changed one fateful day when he encountered [y/n]; a girl renowned for her looks and abnormal speed. As they escape the confines of the Underground together, they soon discover that freedom doesn't come easy in a world full of Titans. As they rise through the ranks, [y/n] becomes known as "Humanity's Angel", a beacon of hope to humanity as she melts the walls Levi had built around his heart. However, she has her secrets too, and a dark past that might just threaten to pull them apart.

The storyline and characters of Attack on Titan do NOT belong to me, but all to Hajime Isayama; however, I do own this story, and all that occurs disparate to that storyline.

[Series Masterlist] [Chapter Thirty-Four] <--> [Chapter Thirty-Six] _____

"Now then... Let's come up with a plan." Your tired eyes look up to Armin who stands before you all. Your squad members have started to settle, sitting into the available seats on the aircraft, heavy emotion in the air, but knowing you had to push it aside and move on... as always. Armin continues, grabbing a piece of chalk and drawing on the wooden floor of the airship. "Pieck, Captain [y/n], Captain Levi, is this roughly the shape of the Founding Titan?" You had to be honest, you hadn't had much of a glimpse of it, only seen a faint outline in the distance but you recognised it. Eren's founding Titan was massive, its head attached to a large skeletal body that was larger than even the Colossal Titan. The drawing Armin had created depicted it well, a massive spine and bone-like structures that were attached to it like ribs. "Yes, though I didn't get a great look at it." You reply, as Pieck also nods before voicing the same thoughts.

"Basically, it's a humongous bundle of bones that moves like an insect," Levi says from next to you, voice dull but blunt. "If it's like a normal Titan, Eren would be in the neck near the head, but given the War Hammer's abilities, that's not guaranteed," you add, remembering the ability the Titan had to alter the location of its holder from its nape. "In other words, we don't know which part Eren is in." Armin finishes your line of thought as he looks down at his drawing, deep in thought. "Even if we don't know where he is, we can blast the whole thing away," Pieck mutters as she leans further forward. "The same way you annihilated Libero's port... with the Colossal Titan." A long silence reaches the inside of the airship as your squad members along with Reiner look on at the tense conversation.

"That certainly would be the most effective method." Armin voices his agreement, only hesitating slightly, as Mikasa lets out a gasp at the proclamation, no doubt because it put Eren's life in danger. Armin quickly continues, however, knowing what his words imply. "But we'll leave that for after we've exhausted our chance to talk. If there's still no other way to stop Eren, that's our last resort." He turns to Mikasa who nods sullenly but maintains a spark of hope in her eyes that it wouldn't come to that. "It's great to have a last resort and all," Levi speaks up once more, tone maintaining his sharp front, "but isn't Eren controlling the Founder through Zeke? Won't the rumbling stop if we kill Zeke first?" Armin looks up, surprise catching onto his face as though in wonder he hadn't thought of that before. "True. That might work!"

"There's no definite proof, but Hange thought it would." Levi finishes his ramblings with the last voice of credit to the Commander who was no longer with us. "But if we don't know Zeke's location either..." Pieck starts contemplating the depths of the plans you all try to build, only to be interrupted by Levi once more. "We'll just have to find that shithead, the Beast, in those bones." There is a deep silence before Levi takes a breath in the quiet of the small airship. "I'll take Zeke out," you turn to him and are surprised to see his gaze is on you all. "Help me do it." Everyone looks to Levi, the ever-so-stoic Captain, asking for help. Their gazes brim with determination, and Jean is the one who speaks for your subordinates. "Of course. We killed many friends and comrades to get this thing in the sky. We can't allow that slaughter to have been for nothing. Everything is to stop the rumbling. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Jean..." Reiner looks to Jean, sentiment clouding his eyes as Connie also speaks up. "I shot Samuel and Daz and sliced up other people I knew. I got called a traitor as I did so, all the while telling myself it was to save the world." Connie then sits up from where he is slouched, burdened eyes looking to Reiner who meets his troubled gaze. "Hey, Reiner. It was agonizing for you, Bertholdt and Annie too, wasn't it?" Reiner's face contorts into dire nostalgia, as he lifts his hand as though reminiscing all it had done. "I can't even make up for the sins I committed anymore," he replies, "even if we save what remains of humanity, I doubt I'll ever forgive myself." Your squad member's eyes look to the floor of the airship at his words, Connie's eyes filling with tears and his face contorting into one that looks like regret. But he looks up once more when Reiner leans forward and clasps his hand onto his shoulder.

"So... Well, let's at least save what remains of humanity." Connie grits his teeth as he looks at his prior comrade and friend turned traitor and enemy turned ally once more, before his face morphs into a contrite smile. "You're right, Reiner," Connie puts a hand atop the one that touches his shoulder, "we still gotta do what we can." Stillness encompasses you in the wake of voiced burdens before Jean speaks up from where he sits opposite you. "That's right. We're the same, Reiner." Said man looks at Jean, eyes widening at his next words. "I never had any right to judge you. I became a murderer to save others." Reiner turns away before speaking up once more. "You know... On the night of the raid on Liberio, Eren said the same thing to me. I feel like I understand some of what's going on in Eren's head. Could it be Eren wants us to stop him?" Everyone looks to Reiner once more, but this time Mikasa speaks up, curiosity filling her stare.

"I mean, it's just a thought that occurred to me." Reiner merely replies before Armin looks down, now expressing his thoughts. "Something's been bothering me this whole time. Eren has the power to affect all Titans and Eldians. And yet our ability to use our Titan powers remains unchanged." Pieck’s eyes widen, "you mean, Eren is purposely giving us free rein?" Armin continues looking to the ground but replies all the same. "Exactly. He's letting us act freely. As if to test how we respond to what he's doing." Mikasa turns to him, concern on her face. "Why? We might succeed in stopping the rumbling," she asks, but Reiner now voiced his thoughts at the possibility of such a fact. "It has to be agonizing for him, too. Committing mass murder... that's not a burden you can just bear. If it was me, I'd be desperate to leave the Founder's power with someone else. And if that wasn't possible, I'd want someone... to end it."

Before anyone can retort once more, you feel yourself slipping. You stand, trying to hold your balance, but when you look around you realise that you are once in a strange land. Surrounding and above you is the starry sky, there is sand that is below you, and in the distance, there is a large and blinding white light. You are no longer on the airship. "What, was he listening in?" You hear Levi mutter from next to you darkly, as you wonder the same thing, now in the lands you know Eren uses to communicate to you Eldians. Knowing this your squad waste no time.

It is Armin who starts, yelling into the vast lands that surround you shouting that the mass murder can come to an end and that there is no need for massacre, that no one would dare touch Paradis for centuries and that it was our fault for pushing him into starting the rumbling. Jean and Connie join in, forgiving him of what happened to Sasha, seeing he was hurting too, and telling him that we can sort it out together. Mikasa shouts saying she wishes to bear his burdens with him, and even Levi talks irritably to the wind, threatening and calling for the man to answer. Several long moments of silence pass after the incessant shouting, but all you do is watch speechlessly until you hear the familiar and yet so foreign voice reach you all.

The rumbling will not stop. Nor will I leave Paradis Island's future to chance. I will keep moving forward.

You all freeze under the weight of his words until Levi points to the bright white light in the distance, a small figure standing before it. "Look." In an instant, your squad member starts running towards the figure, hoping it is him... that it's Eren. From the distance, it looks like a child and you hear the voices of your squad reach the air once more.

"Huh?! Ain't that a kid?!"

"Yeah, but that's Eren!"

"Eren!"

"Why refuse, Eren!"

"You think you can't rely on us?"

"Why did you leave us able to use our Titan powers?"

"We can talk for as long as we want here right?"

"Talk to us. We've always been together. Please don't go any farther away!"

"Eren!"

In order to obtain freedom, I will take freedom from the world. But I will not take anything from any of you. You all have freedom

Your squad members run only to come back to you, Pieck, Reiner and Levi who had been still the whole time from the opposite direction.

You are free to protect the world's freedom. And I am free to keep moving forward. As long as we each hold unbending convictions, a clash is inevitable. There is but one thing for us to do. Fight.

"But..." Armin's gaze is full of dread and trepidation as he listens to Eren's words. "Then... why did you call us here?"

To discuss the fact that there's no need to have a discussion. If you wish to stop me, make me draw my last breath. You have my freedom.

Your heart accelerates, breath uneven. The white light in the distance seems to grow more and more, blinding your vision. You feel yourself falling and yet being so still at the same time, and you jump, suddenly finding yourself back on the airship. You hear Onyankopon call out to you all in sudden worry as you all suddenly jump at the same time. You turn to Levi who looks at your state in concern but you shake your head, dazed but alright. There is a heaviness in the room that dictates the air but Reiner is the first to speak, a dark look upon his face. "It looks like I was right," he mutters grimly before Jean speaks up, an arm sprawled across his face. "So there's no way to work this out?" You take in a deep breath as Levi speaks up from next to you. "Looks like we aren't gonna solve this by talking. What now... Commander?"

.....

"Dammit! We're running on fumes!" Onyankopon yells out from where he steers the plane, now having expended the last drops of fuel available to the aircraft. You fight to keep steady on your heat, geared up and Thunder Spears now ready in your grasp. The airship is unstable moving with heavy turbulence and you were more likely falling than flying. "Get ready to jump!" Onyankopon calls out as Jean retorts quickly. "Onyankopon, you get over here, too!" But the man turns from the Captain's seat, face fierce as he turns to you all. "Not yet! I'll keep going till we're over the Founder! Afterwards, I'll make an emergency landing! So make sure you land on the Founding Titan! Got that!" But suddenly you all flinch as Onyankopon steers the aircraft roughly to the side. "That bastard's down there. That damned beast!" Sure enough, upon the skeletal body of the Founding Titan, there is the Beast Titan in a ghostly colour, throwing debris at us.

"That saves us the trouble of finding it!" You yell out in gritted teeth as you try to steady yourself while Armin nods. "Target the Beast Titan! Put all your power into taking him out! Let's stop the rumbling!" Onyankopon accelerates towards the Founding Titan diving downwards whilst simultaneously dodging whatever the Beast Titan throws away. As the airship levels out along the spine of the Founding Titan, that is when he yells out the confirmation that it is time to go. "Now!" You meet eyes with Levi once last time before Armin throws open the door to the flying ship, and you're diving. You attach to the bones upon the large skeletal figure, avoiding the obstacles of the Beast Titan and turning expertly at a high pace now neck and neck with Levi's speed as you approach the Beast. A bright glow suddenly envelops your surroundings as Reiner transforms, the familiar figure of the Armoured Titan appearing from within the sudden bright light.

Reiner is successful in grabbing onto the Beast Titan as he retches is free from where the ghostly Titan had been attached to the skeleton tumbling with it as it rolls down the Founding Titan heavily. You stop, attaching to a massive skeleton increment on the Founding Titan, as another gold light fills the air and Pieck transforms into the Cart Titan, explosives that had lined the airship now carried on her back. The aircraft that Onyankopon still mans lifts from where it moved over the skeleton into the air as you see it travel far into the distance. However, with the lack of fuel, you also see the propellers of the vehicle come to a stop, and you can only hope he can make a landing somehow. You hear the voice of Armin next to you when you land next to Levi on the Founding Titan's spine. "Eren. I have another question to ask you, once we drag you out of there... In what way are you free?"

.....

Reiner is in front of you, the Beast Titan, or what you had thought was the Beast Titan under his grasp. However, it turned out that the Titan not only looked like a ghost but that it was one. "I guess killing some empty husk, isn't gonna do anything..." Levi mutters from next to you as your squad members also start to surround you all, crowding around the skeletal remains of the Beast Titan which was merely a puppet now lifeless without its strings. "As I feared, Zeke's using the same method as the War Hammer Titan to hide himself," Armin says from where he stands on the Armoured Titan. "You mean we have to find one tiny body in this huge mass of bones?" Jean yells out, outlining a clearly impossible task. "There ain't no way! We gotta face up to reality! Armin!" Armin interrupts his incessant shouting gritting his teeth, "I know!" Jean falls silent as Armin continues.

"In one minute, I'm blasting this area away. Work with the Cart Titan to get clear! Eren knows this attack could be coming. I can't imagine this'll kill him! But if I blow these bones apart, we might figure out where Eren or Zeke is!" There is a silence that follows but you all merely yell out in confirmation before attaching to the Founding Titan's looming bones, flying so you are a good distance away. As you go along the large spine of the Titan, you can't help but notice the more ghostly Titan puppets that appear from the Founding Titan. Titans you have both seen and never seen before appear, mimicking their prior holders but with no presence of a person controlling them; an empty shell of what they represent. However, your attention is once more diverged when the voice of Mikasa yelling out Armin's name rings through your ears. You turn wide-eyed, just in time to see that a Titan has come from behind Armin, swallowing him whole, you freeze, but can do nothing as Titans have already started their descent. You watch as some of your squad members help Reiner fight some off, despite the threat of running out of Thunder Spears.

You grit your teeth in thought. Armin had already been captured by one of them and whisked away, all you knew was that he was okay, for if he was injured, he would simply transform into the Colossal Titan. His absence had however evidently caused great unease amongst your squad as it not only hindered the use of his explosive transformation but also caused the lack of a Commander. You and your squad now face innumerable threats, and the true power of the Founding Titan; the ability to resurrect past generations of Titans. You are outnumbered and overpowered. "We're no match for something like that!" Connie yells after you all discuss your observations with the other, but it is Pieck who responds, an untamed look in their Titan's eyes reflecting their words. "Exactly. So, we can't afford to be so easy-going with this. I'm not even friends with Eren, so..." Suddenly the Cart Titan is off running into the distance, the direction of where the Founding Titan's nape should be. "Hey! You're not gonna..." Connie shouts out but it's too late. Pieck bounds over the Founding Titan's immense spine, dodging Titans as she does so as you curse under your breath.

You watch her form move adeptly through the area before landing at her goal. She unravels the explosives she carried upon her back, instead wrapping it numerous times around the nape of the Founding Titan. You hear her gravelly voice reach the air through her Titan as she yells out, causing the fearful screams of Mikasa who yells out for her to stop. "No matter how you look at it, this is the first place to strike! I've only had one aim here!" Pieck ignores Mikasa who yells out to her to stop as she comes out of her Titan form to pull on the trigger of the explosive she has set around the Founding Titan's neck. "Begone, nightmare!" But just as she goes to pull the trigger she is stopped as a four-prong spear impales her. She freezes, blood seeping from her body and the Titan. It was a reborn Armoured Titan, the one that Eren had fought in Libero, and it held Pieck's form upon its weapon, though lifeless behind its eyes.

Unsure how to feel about Pieck's failure to cause the explosion, you have no time to react as another impending situation surrounds you. A Jaw Titan comes out of nowhere attacking Reiner who was momentarily distracted as he goes quickly to the defence. Jean then calls out to him from where he is attached along the Founder's spine. "Over here, Reiner!" He calls out, "Keep him still!" But as he goes to detach from the spine to assist Reiner, he doesn't notice another Jaw Titan leap from behind him in attack. Levi yells out to you in warning but you have no time to respond nor stop as you use all of your speed to flash over to him in a second. With a yell you knock him out of the way just before he is supposed to be eaten, landing harshly against the Founding Titan as you take the impact of Jean landing on you. You let out a groan at the harsh pain in your arm and back but also look to the boy in relief, at least able to save his early demise. "Captain!" He yells at you in concern, but Levi is who quickly approaches you, sharp worry in his eyes as he looks at you stumbling and hissing as you force yourself to stand.

"[y/n]!" he yells and you see the momentary fear that laced his expression. His hands tremble slightly as he goes to hold you by the shoulders, checking if you're still with him. "I'm fine," you say breathlessly, trying to ignore the pain you hope would subside quickly with your powers. "We've got to hurry; we're getting Armin back. That's the only way, or we die for nothing!" You say as you ready your gear once more, causing Levi to hesitate but nod. You all fly in the air, flying across space at a pace you had never even dreamed of trying before. "Let's go, Reiner!" You hear the voice of Connie reach the air as he also follows your attacks, laying waste to the ghostly Titans that await you.

You use your swords twisting in milliseconds and turning at unmatched speeds, cutting through Titans that cross your path. Levi follows and despite his injuries mimics his usual perilous movements, leaving no Titan standing after he is through with them. Reiner, Connie and Jean are close behind the both of you. Reiner rips through or charges through obstacles that come his way while Connie and Jean try to sparingly use the limited amount of Thunder Spears in their possession. Mikasa comes in from behind doing the same as she immaculately aims and kills pursuing Titans. You all make your way across the Founding Titan's spine, fighting to find any source of the presence of Armin. Your movements are sharp and your squad follows well, however, that is when you notice a looming shadow overhead causing you all to come to an abrupt stop. You freeze turning sharply and, your eyes widen at a familiar face coming from out of practically nowhere.

Bertholdt.

You see the massive form of the past holder approaching as everyone stands sullen in the disturbance. The Colossal Titan grasps Reiner within its hold easily as the Armoured Titan struggles against the massive grasp Bertholdt has on him. You look to the Titan, unease upon you and knowing the true extent of power this Titan beholds. You can't help but wonder if the consciousness of its past holder was truly absent. "Reiner!" You all call out, but even you can’t do anything when the Colossal Titan moves, bringing what's left of Reiner's body backwards and readying him your way.

Shit.

The impact of the explosion caused is massive. You can only dodge the debris by sheer will and speed, but you spot Levi who struggles in his escape, the weight of his injuries no doubt hindering his usual agility. You quickly go to him, grabbing onto your husband and attaching to the underside of the Founding Titan. You feel him lean heavily onto you as blood seeps from his mouth that he coughs out causing you to fall into a fit of worry. "Levi!" You say, trying to hold him up better and he forces himself to alleviate some of the weight he's pushed onto you, only to struggle in exhaustion. Some of his blood taints the clothing you wore but it doesn't bother you in the slightest next to Levi's struggling form. Your sharp eyes look around, as Levi catches his breath, safe in your grasp.

Connie hangs from the Founding Titan, barely conscious and only held up by his ODM gear that attaches itself stubbornly to the spine of the massive Titan. Jean is also in a similar position except he holds onto Reiner who escaped Bertholdt, ODM gear jammed just like Connie's. Mikasa is the only one who freely flies about the area, protecting Connie from an incoming Titan, trying to get him to wake up. "[y/n]" Levi groans through gritted teeth as your attention goes to him once again and you feel yourself swallow thickly at his fraught form amid the depths of war, wanting nothing more than to take him away from here. "I'm alright," he mutters, letting go of you and attaching to the Founding Titan using his ODM gear, you nod slowly as he looks to you determinedly, knowing now isn't the time to argue. You look up just in time to see a snake-like Titan now approach Connie, Mikasa yelling out his name and so you go to leave Levi to save him... well at least you try to.

Levi sees your intension of throwing yourself in the face of danger once more and grits his teeth, using his Ackerman strength he pushes forward just seconds before you do, flashing over to his subordinate and slicing through the Titan, only he's too slow. Your eyes widen in shock as you watch as Levi’s left leg is now in the Jaws of the same Titan. Your heart pounds at the blood that spills from his injury pushing yourself forward. "LEVI!!" Luckily Mikasa is there to slice through the remnants of the Titan as you fly swiftly across the expanse. You swing and in a flash grab onto Levi's falling form that descends down to where the rumbling awaits him just below. You hold him against your body as you attach to the spine of the Founding Titan pulling the two of you up, cursing his stubbornness as you feel tears prick your eyes in frustration.

"Levi!" You hold the man against you, barely conscious. He coughs up more blood, but Levi doesn't even have the strength to reassure you. You look to the distance, Jean struggling with holding onto Reiner, ODM gear still stuck in place. Connie looks up from where he is attached, dread masking his expression and Mikasa flies past you in apprehension. You look down at the man you love your eyes travelling down his body to his left leg that seems broken beyond repair, no doubt torn under the weight of the Titan's jaws. "This is why I wanted you safe," you brokenly utter, holding him closer as you observe the sorry state of your team. It was hard to fight when you were so concerned over Levi's life and he was so stubborn over worrying about yours. Your last slither of hope at any sense of victory starts to slip away, but then you hear it, the voice of a woman you were sure you left behind.

Annie.

She comes to you sitting by Gabi on a flying Titan, a net attached to its back which they hold onto. They go to Jean and Reiner first allowing them to drop onto the Titan, then Connie, then you and Levi. You feel slightly relieved as you drop down, detaching your ODM gear and holding onto the net tightly, Levi secured under your arm as he struggles to do the same. When Mikasa also gets onto the flying Titan it is then that it starts to pick up pace. It dodges the Titans that approach, swinging side to side before breaking through the endless bones that depict the Founding Titan's shape. It flies away from the Founding Titan into open space, allowing a moment to think, as you and your squad turn to Annie in shock... because no doubt this Titan was... Falco.

"Listen, I didn't think he'd really be able to fly, either," Annie starts to explain knowing the chain of thoughts we had by our stunned faces. "But then he actually did it, so what choice did I have but to come?" Reiner and Jean have yet to pick up their jaws as they stare wide-eyed as Annie continues her brief but blunt explanation. "Still, I'm glad I did." Reiner's attention then turns to the young girl next to Annie, sharp eyes now facing hers. "Gabi, why did you come here too?" He asks the girl who retorts immediately, an annoyed tone lacing her words. "Because you left us behind Reiner! I can fight too, you know!" You sigh inwardly knowing that Pieck's plan to force them to stay atop the ship was now fruitless. "Annie!" Reiner yells out accusingly to the woman who faces away at his angered tone, no doubt upset she brought Gabi here.

"The Azumabito ship sank," Annie replies, "It couldn't withstand Falco's Titan transformation. Even though we had no definite proof he could fly, Kiyomi agreed to try it." Gabi then turns to Reiner, determination gleaming in her eyes. "So we have to repay her faith by stopping the rumbling!" Annie then turns to Mikasa in question. "So where's Arm- I mean, Pieck?" Mikasa replies instantly looking at the blond-haired woman intensely. "Armin was captured and his life is in danger. The Titan that took him should be back by the tailbone. Annie, we need your help." Annie's frown morphs into a contrite smile as she looks at Mikasa. "Your childhood friends are always getting captured, aren't they? We'll get him back. Count on it." Gabi now speaks up noticing the absence of her ally. "What about Pieck?"

"She' by the skull," Reiner replies grimly, "She tried to blow up the nape. But the War Hammer Titan is blocking her." Sure enough, in the distance, we see her static form impaled by the Titan that stopped her. "We'll launch simultaneous operations," you turn wide-eyed as you notice that it is Levi who now speaks, having composed himself after further injuries he now has to encumber. "One group rescues Armin, we need the Colossal's explosion. The other group goes after Eren and attacks the nape. We'll split into two teams and strike simultaneously." You nod, turning to your squad, namely Mikasa who looks at his words with despair. "We no longer have the luxury of worrying about Eren... we never had it to begin with," you mutter, facial features tense as you look to your squad. "Captain... but-" Mikasa starts, her voice weak but doing nothing to ease the palpable apprehension that came from bartering with death.

"But what?" It's Connie who speaks looking imploringly at the raven-haired woman. "Falco being able to fly was a miracle. Without that, we'd already be dead!" Jean turns away but agrees to the weight of Connie's words, speaking up. "Yeah, and never had accomplished anything..." Mikasa shakes her head before Levi speaks once again. "I had a long list of shit to tell that idiot off about... Fuck!" Connie turns to Mikasa once more. "I don't wanna give up on Eren, either! But Captain Levi can't fight anymore because of me, and even if he could, we're up against the Founding Titan! How can we win if we're still holding back!?" The air stills at his words and you all grit your teeth, knowing the time has come to divest yourselves of the restraints you held against the man that destroys the world. "Mikasa.... let's.... let's..."

"Kill Eren." You turn to Mikasa who looks as though lost in her thoughts, dazed and forlorn. You grasp the woman's shoulder tightly, trying to ease the pain you know you can't. "Mikasa!" You call urgently to the woman several times who finally turns to you tears brimming her eyes, the expression makes you hesitate but you continue your words nonetheless. "You just concentrate on rescuing Armin... You don't have to think about anything else." Your voice goes gentler towards the end of your words knowing what you are essentially asking her to do; to turn away as you all try to kill the man she loves. Your heart breaks at that notion, knowing that if it had been Levi whose life was on the line, you would have been devastated and inconsolable. Mikasa turns to you, facial features trembling but she replies softly into the wind.

"Okay." _____

[Chapter Thirty-Four] <--> [Chapter Thirty-Six]

Tags: @batboygirlie @crmnic

[the-sunflower-room]

✧spending christmas with akutagawa✧

akutagawa x fem!reader headcanons

☆note: this got way out of hand lol, i just couldn’t stop thinking of cute christmas scenarios with him. happy holidays!

☆warnings: slightly suggestive, playful teasing, angst if you squint (aku needs a hug). otherwise just tooth rotting holiday fluff!

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

-akutagawa was new to the whole christmas thing.

-he knew of the holiday, sure, but with his traumatic past and busy adult life, he just never had any reason to celebrate

-the port mafia wasn’t exactly a festive work place

-plus, who would he even buy gifts for?

-maybe gin, but since the siblings had never celebrated before, he just didn’t see the point

-that is until y/n came along

-her passion for the holiday was a little baffling to him when december rolled around

-he just stands and watches in bewilderment as she runs around and covers their entire apartment with decorations

-“why exactly do we need all of this?” he questions her in the kitchen with one eyebrow raised, unsure of why their dishes, mugs, and hand towels need to be christmas themed

-“because it’s cute and gets me in the holiday spirit! these plates are my favorite,” she beams with that smile of hers that makes his heart stop

-he can’t argue with that

-she absolutely makes him help put up the tree

-as much as he groans and complains and says he doesn’t want to do it, he honestly just loves spending time with her and doing anything that makes her happy

-he even uses rashomon to hang ornaments on the tallest parts of the tree

-who needs a ladder anyway?

-a small, lovesick smile breaks through his cold exterior as he watches her eyes light up when the tree is finally finished

-“it looks perfect! thank you so much for helping, ryu,” she gushes happily, looking so damn adorable akutagawa might just die

-y/n also makes it her mission to hang mistletoe all over the apartment

-that way akutagawa can’t escape the inevitable kisses

-“come on, it’s literally the rules of mistletoe, you have to kiss me,” she giggles one evening when he finds himself trapped beneath the sprig of red and green

-“i don’t understand why a stupid plant should dictate my affections for you,” he deadpans, crossing his arms and ignoring the blush creeping up his neck

-she just rolls her eyes, taking another step closer to him with a mischievous grin

-“so you’re saying you wouldn’t kiss me if that ‘stupid plant’ wasn’t there? not even a little? not even when i dressed up all pretty for you?”

-her bold, teasing tone has his entire face heating up as his eyes roam over the gorgeous red dress that hugs her body in all the right places

-she had put it on for her holiday work party that she was dragging him to later that night, despite his protests

-he turns and coughs into his hand, averting his gaze from her with a frustrated scowl

-she always knows how to push his buttons (in the best possible way) and it drives him crazy

-“awww, is my shy little ryu blushing? are you nervous to give your girlfriend a kiss? poor baby-”

-he effectively silences her playful taunts by surging forward and capturing her lips with his own, cold hands gripping her face and soft lips moving across hers with so much hunger and desperation it leaves her breathless

-y/n starts to pull away after a moment but he refuses to let her go, grunting in protest and tangling one of his hands in her hair

-she even feels rashomon snake around her waist to tug her closer to his chest

-eventually y/n manages to break away to gasp for breath, eyes wide and filled with pleasant surprise

-her stomach flips when she sees some of her red lipstick smeared on the corner of his mouth

-he doesn’t even try to wipe it off

-he’s just staring at her with a smug grin, so cocky and proud of himself for stunning her into silence

-“what were you saying again?”

-“ryunosuke-”

-ok yeah maybe he can live with the mistletoe

-when it comes to buying a gift for y/n, akutagawa is a total mess

-literally considers asking gin for help because as much as he tries, he struggles to figure out what she would like or what would count as a good gift

-he’s so nervous he’ll buy the wrong thing and send the wrong message

-“what if she hates it? what if it’s not what she wants at all? will she think i don’t care?”

-he feels downright pathetic as he watches her open the carefully wrapped box on christmas morning, palms sweating and mind racing with anxiety

-he just wants to prove to her that he can be thoughtful and sweet

-he feels like he’s bad at showing that he cares, so he really wants to get this present thing right

-needless to say, whatever he gets her ends up being perfect and y/n won’t stop raving about it

-“how did you know i wanted this? i talked about it months ago, i can’t believe you remembered! i love it, thank you so much!”

-for some reason akutagawa is surprised when she gives him a gift in return

-why would he of all people deserve a gift?

-the thought of her buying something just for him makes him emotional for some reason

-she’s put so much love and care into wrapping it and he thinks he might suffocate as she excitedly watches him open it

-he’s immediately SO touched by the gift once he sees what it is

-it’s something he didn’t even realize she picked up on him wanting

-the fact that she pays so much attention to the things he says and likes has him fighting back tears

-y/n is so worried thinking she did something wrong

-akutagawa rarely cries, especially in front of her, so she can’t help but think he hates the gift

-“no no no, what’s the matter? why are you crying? i’m so sorry, is it not what you wanted? i can go get you something else! it’s not a big deal at all, i kept the receipt-”

-he immediately eases her worries by pulling her into a bone crushing hug

-he really doesn’t know what’s come over him

-or why a simple gift is making him feel so overwhelmed

-maybe it’s because he never really felt worthy of love until meeting y/n

-having a significant other who cares so much about him and his interests—enough to buy him a perfect gift without even asking what he wants—makes him feel like maybe he is capable of being loved

-and that thought alone makes him teary eyed

-“shut up. i love it,” he grumbles into her shoulder, sniffling quietly and trying desperately to mask the crack in his voice

-she’s just relieved he actually likes it

-truthfully, he would’ve loved anything she got him because he loves her more than he cares to admit and appreciates every little thing she does for him

-like he’s seriously head over heels for this woman

-anyways

-they spend the rest of christmas day cuddled up on the couch watching movies, content in each other’s embrace

-eventually akutagawa feels her head slump against his shoulder

-his heart swells with fondness as he realizes that she’s falling asleep on him

-“tired?” he asks gently, glancing down at her sleepy expression

-she just hums in response, cozying up against his arm with a soft smile

-here in this moment, in the glow of the christmas tree lights with y/n falling asleep on him, akutagawa feels completely at peace

-the holidays had turned out to be much more pleasant than he had expected, but most of that had to do with y/n and the joy she so easily brought into his life

-he’s sure he’ll cherish these warm memories forever

-“merry christmas, ryu,” she mumbles, her angelic voice full of love for him even as she drifts off to sleep

-leaning down and planting a soft kiss to her forehead, akutagawa doesn’t bother hiding his smile as she finally succumbs to slumber

-“merry christmas, y/n”

bonus: y/n bringing akutagawa home to meet her family for the holidays

-he’s a nervous wreck the entire way there

-what will they all think of me? what will her parents think?

-he can’t help but feel like they won’t like him

-he’s so different from y/n in so many ways

-he sees her as the epitome of kindness and innocence while he’s the devil of the port mafia, a criminal whose hands are stained with blood

-god only knows he doesn’t deserve someone like her, and it’ll crush him if her parents don’t approve of his relationship with their daughter

-he just wants to make a good impression

-when the two of them arrive at y/n’s parents’ house, he’s on his absolute best behavior

-regal, polite, and charming as he can possibly be

-maybe her parents are a little surprised by his appearance at first (he’s dressed in all black and suffers from resting bitch face, so can you really blame them?)

-but when they see how gracious he is and how he treats their daughter like she’s the most important woman in the world, all of their apprehension disappears

-they’re just happy to see her happy, and are eager to include akutagawa in all the festivities

-the evening passes by in a blur of food, gifts, games and laughter

-akutagawa finds himself surprisingly relaxed by the end of the night, anxiety long forgotten

-something about sitting in y/n’s childhood home, listening to her laugh with her loved ones and occasionally indulging in the fun himself, fills him with a strange but comforting feeling he doesn’t even have the words to describe

-her family immediately accepting him with open arms and allowing him to share in their holiday traditions leaves cracks in his cold, guarded heart

-he’s spent his entire life convincing himself that he’s undeserving of such innocent pleasures, like having a loving girlfriend and a family to share the holidays with

-he realizes that he finally has everything his younger self could have ever wanted, and he’s determined to never take it for granted

-meeting y/n’s family for christmas only solidifies how much akutagawa loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her ♡

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

[wandererandblacksteel]

Mazda RX-01

Mazda RX-01 was a concept car unveiled at the 31st Tokyo Motor Show in 1995, representing Mazda’s vision for a “lightweight, affordable, and practical rotary sports car.” The name "RX-01" signifies “Rotary Experimental No.1,” reflecting Mazda's experimental yet forward-looking approach to developing a new generation of sports cars.

Under the hood, it featured a 13B rotary engine similar to that of the RX-7, but with an enhanced 13B-MSP (Multi-Side Port) design aimed at improving combustion efficiency. The car employed a rear-wheel-drive (FR) layout with a 5-speed manual transmission, staying true to the spirit of a genuine sports car. Although the seating was listed as 2+2, it was effectively a two-seater due to its compact and lightweight body, paired with a sleek, futuristic design.

While the RX-01 was seen by some as a spiritual successor to the RX-7 (FD3S), it was based on an entirely new platform, targeting a broader and more accessible market segment. Although it never reached production, the RX-01 heavily influenced the design and philosophy of later models such as the Mazda RX-8 (2003) and the Mazda MX-5 (NC, 2005). Its aesthetic and layout philosophy also echoed in later concept vehicles, including the Mazda Vision Coupe (2017).

[short-wooloo]

With Skeleton Crew all out now, I think I can say there should have been more episodes, specifically of the filler-y, not entirely plot relevant variety, like there clearly should have been one or two episodes between episodes 3 & 4, and 6 & 7, (and also maybe episodes 3 and 5 should have been broken up, with an episode between the escape from Port borgo and Kh'ymm's moon and one between reactivating 33 and Lanupa), which just goes to show Andor had it right with more episodes

And I'm not blaming Skeleton Crew, disney apparently owes the 8 episode season format money, and Andor only really showed (i mean, it never needed to be proven, all of television history shows more episodes is better) that more than 8 episodes is better in late 2022, most of the content that has come out since Andor's release were in production before (and then there's the effects of the strikes that happened not long after), and thus could not really adjust to accommodate more episodes

Hopefully that will/has changed going forward, and andor has set the standard for future shows and seasons to be 12 episodes (I mean I want 20-26, but I'll settle for doubling the current amount before I reach for tripling)

Skeleton Crew Season 2 baby, 15 episodes, gimmee

[mah-t-wordblog]

Hi there !!

Saw requests were open and decided to shoot my shot lol

Can I request either a Lee!Ranpo and Ler!Chuuya or Lee!Chuuya and Ler!Ranpo ??

Thanks ❤️

Ahhhh this is so fun! I was so exited to write some ler Rampo, and lee Chuuya? Perfect! 💛💛

Definitely ticklish

Lee: Chuuya Nakahara

Ler: Rampo Edogawa

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡

Ships: NONE

Warnings: This is a tickle fic, if you don’t like it, just scroll down

This fanfic is originally in Portuguese, my English is translated using an automatic translator, if there are any big errors you can tell me so I can fix them

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡

SPOILERS

Fyodor, that monster, had put a deadly virus in the president of the ADA, everyone was desperate, and the only way to reverse the effect of the spell was to kill the president of the Port Mafia

But the problem was that the head of the Mafia was also infected by the virus, and the only way to save him was to kill the head of the agency

This was a nightmare

Rampo had already come up with the best possible plan, everyone had a role, and his role was to distract the most dangerous mafia executive

Chuuya Nakahara

The detective walked to the Mafia building, Chuuya was at the door already waiting for him

To summarize… there was no fight, Rampo just took the Poe’s book he had taken to “evaluate” and teleported himself, along with Chuuya, to the world of detective stories

“Hey? What the hell is this?” The redhead found himself in a dark room “where am I?”

Rampo appeared in front of him, sitting on the floor and smiling like a child who just got a bag of candy

“You’re inside one of my friend Edgar’s amazing novels~” Chuuya stretched out his hands trying to use his power “nope, you powers don't work here"

"I want to get out of here, get me the fuck out of here"

"No... if I get you out of here you'll mess up my plans" the man got up and disappeared into the darkness "I'm going to have some fun with you in here~"

Chuuya felt a shiver, Rampo looked scary, he had heard a lot about the man - apparently he was about 27 years old, and his quirk was incredible, super deduction, Dazai had already commented about him

Dazai had also said that if they met, Chuuya shouldn't worry, Rampo was very different from what he seemed

“Boo!” The detective appeared behind the other and squeezed his sides, making Chuuya jump forward and let out a startled scream.

“What the-?“

“Ohhhh~ are you ticklish Chuuya?~” Rampo smiled.

“Of course not.” he crossed his arms

“Typical of a ticklish person”

“Huh?”

Rampo walked over and started smiling “sweaty hands… flushed face… can’t even look at me straight… definitely ticklish”

“You’re crazy”

“Hehe~ I’m bored, Chuuya! Entertain me!”

Rampo jumped and threw the mafioso to the ground, starting to tickle his ribs

“Get the fuck off!”

“Nope, since I left Poe out of the book , you will entertain me!” Chuuya fought back his laughter, grabbed the detective's wrists and tried to throw him away, of course this would be much easier with his gravity manipulation, but this shitty world didn't allow him to use his powers

"Aren't you going to laugh? ~” Rampo teased “does it tickle, tickle, tickle?~ I was sure you were ticklish, now tell me, Chuuya, where is your weak spot”

The redhead began to kick, screaming as Rampo reached his upper ribs “I found it~”

“FUHUHUHUHUCK YOHOHOHOU”

“Ah~ but it’s so fun!”

Chuuya certainly hadn’t thought Rampo was like this, the man looked like he was 7 years old, a mischievous smile on his face and an absurd desire to do anything that would get him out of his boredom

Even if it was to tickle Chuuya, wasn't Rampo afraid of him? The Port Mafia executive? Terrifying powers, how was he not afraid of him?

But Chuuya had no time to think, Rampo was almost killing him

“You’re funny laughing, I’m sure Dazai must love seeing you like that”

“HEHEHE TOHOHOHOLD YOHOHOU?”

“No, I I figured it out on my own” Rampo stopped squeezing the man’s ribs to lightly scratch his belly “it was pretty obvious, and I’m pretty smart, hehe”

Chuuya rolled his eyes

“This situation is so~ stressful~” the detective raised his hands and clucked them from the other's armpits, making Chuuya laugh and completely give up holding back "just relax~"

"FUHUHUHUCK OHOHOHOFF YOHOHOU- AHAHAHAHA"

"Why? This is going to be fun~"

Chuuya blushed, he certainly would never imagine himself in this situation

Especially with Rampo Edogawa, the self-proclaimed “best detective of Japan—no! The world!”

But what could he do now? He was lying on the ground, almost dying, Chuuya could only laugh right there

And take advantage of the situation to distract his brain a little from everything

“Hehe~ tickle, tickle~”

The mafioso raised his hand and showed the middle finger to the detective, who just laughed

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡

Thanks for reading 💛💛

[rashomoncoughcough]

Liquid Courage

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 Chuuya X Fem Reader

𝚜𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜 Chuuya's drunk and finds himself hitting on the new girl...

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

⚠︎ NSFW and Alcohol consumption

▀▄▀▄▀▄

❤︎🍷🥀

Chuuya

Chuuya reclined on his plush couch, a glass of rich red wine in hand, savoring the velvety warmth that spread through him after a long, taxing day. The dim light from the nearby lamp cast a soft glow around the room, creating a cozy atmosphere that should have kept him grounded. Yet, as he sipped the last of the wine, he felt an unfamiliar agitation stirring within him.

Suddenly, the comfort of the couch became too much to bear. Chuuya rose unsteadily, the world slightly spinning as he pushed himself off the cushions. An inexplicable urge tugged at him, compelling him to move, but the destination was a mystery that eluded him. The quiet of his home contrasted sharply with the restlessness in his mind; he found himself wandering down the hallway, uncertainty guiding his steps. Where was he headed? He had no idea, but something deep inside urged him forward into the night.

You had only been at the Port Mafia for about four weeks, but in that brief time, you had quickly learned one crucial lesson: never cross Chuuya. So when you unexpectedly bumped into him, your heart dropped into your stomach.

Chuuya froze mid-step, his gaze snapping towards the source of the sudden contact. There, standing before him with wide, frightened eyes, was you - the young girl who had unwittingly interrupted his aimless wanderings. For a moment, their gazes locked, and Chuuya felt a strange mix of irritation and… something else he couldn't quite identify.

You quickly offered your apologies to him, but Chuuya, with his mind clouded by drink, struggled to comprehend your words. He stood before you, his gaze lingering on you for an uncomfortably long moment. Although he had never encountered you before, something about your presence caught his attention. You were undeniably beautiful, and the way you carried yourself intrigued him even more.

Chuuya's eyes swept over your figure, absorbing every detail with a keen intensity. The fabric of your dress clung to your curves in a way that accentuated the gentle swell of your hips and the smooth lines of your thighs, igniting a surge of heat that coursed through his veins. He could feel his heart begin to race, an undeniable tension coiling tightly in the pit of his stomach. "Hmph," he grunted, making a conscious effort to mask the effect you were having on him, though the slight quiver in his voice betrayed his resolve. "What are you doing here, anyway?" The question slipped out more sharply than he had planned.

Despite the unmistakable scent of alcohol on his breath, you met his gaze and replied calmly, "I’m heading home now, sir."

Chuuya's eyes traced your delicate features, bathed in the warm, amber glow of the lamp casting soft shadows around the room. The light highlighted the elegant curve of your neck, drawing attention to the way your hair cascaded gently over your shoulders, framing your face. The gentle rise and fall of your chest as you breathed seemed almost mesmerizing, a rhythm that added to the charged atmosphere.

"Home, huh?" he murmured, taking a deliberate step closer, the space between you charged with an electric tension. His tone carried a casual air, but there was an undeniable intensity beneath it, a subtle promise of something more. "Why don't you let me escort you, then?" The words rolled off his tongue with easy confidence, yet the intent hidden within them was anything but innocent, revealing a deeper desire that hung palpably in the air.

Your eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected request, a mix of intrigue and apprehension swirling within you. Did you dare to accept such an enticing yet daunting proposition? Taking a moment to collect your thoughts, you shook your head slowly, feeling a heaviness in your chest. Deep down, you sensed that nothing good could possibly come from this. With a polite yet firm tone, you replied, “Thank you, sir, but I’m okay.”

Chuuya's lips curled into a sly smirk, a mask for the annoyance simmering just beneath the surface. The alcohol slurred his words, adding a light, almost playful edge to his speech. "What? No? Are you sure? I could make it worth your while," he teased, his voice low and inviting. With each word, he closed the distance between you, his presence enveloping you in a haze of confident charm. As he stood before you, he ran the back of his hand along your cheek, his touch both gentle and electrifying, sending a shiver down your spine.

You were acutely aware of his disdain for your refusal, the tension hanging in the air like a brittle thread. To avoid provoking his ire, you offered a reluctant nod of acknowledgment, your heart racing slightly. "Alright," you said, your voice steady despite the unease churning within you. "Follow me, but don't attempt anything amusing…" You turned, leading the way with a heightened sense of caution.

Chuuya chuckled darkly, a glint of mischief dancing in his eyes. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," he purred, the words dripping with innuendo. As you turned to lead the way, he fell into step beside you, his movements fluid and purposeful. The closeness of his body to yours sent a thrill racing through your nerves, and you couldn't help but steal glances at the man walking by your side. Despite his drunken state, there was an unmistakable aura of power and authority surrounding him.

You walked silently alongside him, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach as he followed closely behind. After a few minutes of walking, you finally reached your front door. You fumbled with the keys, hoping he wouldn't notice how shaky your hands were. Once inside, you turned to face him, still feeling the weight of his intense stare. "Well, thank you for seeing me home safely, sir."

As soon as the door clicked shut behind you, Chuuya's demeanor shifted, the playful facade melting away to reveal a different kind of hunger in his gaze. He stepped closer, his towering frame looming over you, the air thick with tension. "Don't call me 'sir'," he growled, his voice low and commanding. "Not when we're alone like this."

Without waiting for a response, he reached out, cupping your chin firmly in his hand. His thumb brushed against your lower lip, tracing the curve with a tantalizing gentleness that belied the strength in his grip. "You know exactly what I want," he whispered, his breath hot against your skin. "And you're going to give it to me, aren't you?"

Your heart pounded in your chest as his fingers wrapped around your chin, tilting your head up to meet his piercing gaze. You trembled slightly under his touch, the warmth of his palm seeping into your skin. His words sent a shiver down your spine, and you found yourself nodding mutely, unable to form a coherent response. You knew what he wanted, and deep down, a part of you craved it too. "Y-yes, Chuuya-san," you stammered, your voice barely above a whisper.

A satisfied smirk played on Chuuya's lips as he heard your hesitant affirmation. His grip on your chin tightened ever so slightly. "Good girl," he praised, his voice dripping with approval. "Now, let's see if you can put that sweet mouth of yours to better use."

With that, he leaned in, capturing your lips in a forceful kiss. You could even taste the wine on his lips. His kiss was demanding, claiming, and utterly intoxicating. His tongue delved into the warm recesses of your mouth, exploring every inch with a possessive fervor that left you breathless and aching for more. As he ravaged your lips, his free hand roamed your body, caressing the curves he'd admired earlier, leaving trails of fire in its wake.

In his inebriated haze, he lumbered toward you, his movements unsteady and awkward. With a grunt of effort, he lifted you and carried you to your bed, finally letting you down with a gentle thud in the center of the soft mattress. His fumbling fingers struggled against the buttons of his shirt, trembling with each attempt as he tried to free himself from the fabric, the alcohol clouding his coordination and focus.

Finally, the garment fell open, exposing his lean, muscular frame. Chuuya's chest rose and fell with labored breaths, his nipples hardening in the cool air. He tossed the shirt aside carelessly, his eyes never leaving yours as he began to unbuckle his belt.

You gazed up at him, your cheeks flushed and your breathing shallow as you took in the sight of his half-naked form.

Your own clothes felt restrictive now, the fabric rubbing against your sensitive skin in a way that made you squirm. You reached for the hem of your dress, hesitating for a moment before slowly pulling it up and over your head. The garment pooled at your feet, leaving you clad only in your lacy underwear. You bit your lip, suddenly self-conscious about your exposed state, but Chuuya's hungry gaze quickly dispelled any doubts you might have harbored.

Chuuya's eyes raked over your nearly nude form, drinking in the sight of you. A low groan escaped his throat, his pupils dilating with lust. "Fuck, you're even more beautiful than I imagined," he rasped, his voice thick with desire. Without warning, he climbed onto the bed, straddling your waist as he leaned down to capture your lips once more.

This time, his kisses were softer, more tender, as if he were savoring the taste of you. His hands roamed your body, stroking the smooth expanse of your skin. "I want to worship every inch of you," he murmured against your mouth, his breath hot and urgent.

You moaned softly into the kiss, your arms wrapping around his neck as you pressed closer to him. The feel of his bare skin against yours was electric, sending shivers down your spine. You tangled your fingers in his hair, relishing the silky texture as you pulled him deeper into the embrace.

As he broke the kiss to trail his lips along your jawline, you tilted your head back, offering yourself to him completely. "Please, Chuuya…touch me more," you breathed, your voice trembling with need. Your body ached for his attention, craving the sensation of his hands on your most intimate places.

Chuuya's fingers danced across your collarbone. Slowly, deliberately, he slid his hand down the center of your chest, his palm skimming over the swell of your breasts. When he reached the band of your panties, he paused, his fingertips teasing the fabric. "Tell me what you want, doll" he coaxed, his breath hot against your ear. "I'll give you everything if you ask nicely."

You whimpered, your hips bucking slightly as his fingers grazed the delicate lace of your underwear. The anticipation was driving you mad, your body crying out for his touch. "P-please, Chuuya…" you panted, your voice barely audible. "I want…I want you to take them off. Touch me, without anything in the way." Your cheeks burned with embarrassment at the admission, but the desperation in your eyes betrayed your true longing.

With a wicked grin, Chuuya hooked his fingers into the sides of your panties and slowly dragged them down your thighs. He watched, transfixed, as the lace disappeared beneath the curve of your hips, leaving you bare and vulnerable before him.

"Exquisite," he whispered, his gaze roaming over your exposed flesh. Leaning down, he planted a trail of kisses along your inner thigh, each press of his lips sending sparks of pleasure through your nerves. "I'm going to make you scream my name," he promised, his voice a husky growl. And then, he was kissing you again, his tongue delving into your mouth as his hands roamed freely over your naked body.

Your hands roamed over his back, nails digging into the firm muscles as you arched into his touch. Every stroke of his fingers, every nip of his teeth, sent waves of pleasure crashing through you. You felt alive, electrified, consumed by the heat of his passion.

When he finally broke away, you were panting, your chest heaving with exertion. Your skin was slick with sweat, and your heart raced in your chest. "More," you begged, your voice a needy whisper.

Chuuya's fingers curled around your sex, applying gentle pressure as he rubbed in slow, deliberate circles. He could feel your heat radiating through his palm, your arousal coating his fingers. "So wet already," he murmured, his thumb finding your clit and circling it with increasing speed. "You're eager for me, aren't you, doll?"

As he spoke, he dipped two fingers inside you, feeling your walls clench around the intrusion. He pumped them in and out, his thumb continuing its relentless assault on your sensitive nub. "That's it, squeeze my fingers," he urged, his voice low and hypnotic. "Let go and enjoy this, because I'm not done with you yet."

Your head fell back, a high-pitched moan escaping your lips as Chuuya's fingers worked their magic. The dual sensations of his thumb on your clit and his fingers pumping in and out of your core sent shockwaves of pleasure through your body. You couldn't hold back the whimpers and gasps that spilled from your mouth, each thrust and circle pushing you closer to the edge.

Suddenly he pulled his slender fingers out of you making you groan at the loss of movement.

Chuuya smirked at your whine of protest, enjoying the effect he had on you. "Patience, doll," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "We're just getting started."

With a swift motion, he positioned himself between your spread thighs, the tip of his cock brushing against your entrance. He looked down at you, his eyes blazing with lust. "Are you ready for me?" he asked, his breath hot against your skin.

Without waiting for a response, he pushed forward, sinking into your warmth with a low groan. He stilled for a moment, letting you adjust to his size, before beginning to move. His hips rocked steadily, each thrust driving him deeper into your welcoming body.

"You feel incredible," he hiccuped, his pace quickening as he lost himself in the sensation of being buried inside you.

You wrapped your legs around Chuuya's waist, pulling him impossibly closer as he filled you to the brim. The stretch was exquisite, your inner walls hugging his length as he moved within you. Each powerful thrust sent ripples of pleasure through your core, building the tension coiling tighter and tighter.

Your nails dug into his back, scoring his skin as you urged him on. "Harder, Chuuya!" you pleaded, your voice a desperate whisper.

The room echoed with the sound of skin slapping against skin, punctuated by your cries of ecstasy. Chuuya's cock drove into you with unrelenting force, hitting that sweet spot deep inside that made stars burst behind your eyelids.

You were teetering on the brink, your orgasm building like a tidal wave, when Chuuya captured your lips in a searing kiss.

"Mine."

[captainsophiestark]

Jurisdiction

Jack Thompson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober, and for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Requested by Anon!

Fandom: Marvel

Day Seventeen Prompt: "Strangest thing I ever heard."

Summary: Jack's meeting one of his SO's oldest friends, who just so happens to work for the FBI. Unfortunately for all of them, sometimes the job has to take priority.

Word Count: 1,115

Category: Fluff

A/N: Okay, officially *this* is the closest I've come to missing a Friday lol

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"You're never gonna believe the case I just solved."

I grinned, humoring my long-time friend as he leaned across the table and closer to me.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. So we were trying to track down this group-"

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

My friend, Robert, and I both turned at the sound of someone behind us. I smiled immediately. Chief Jack Thompson of the New York SSR had finally arrived.

Jack and I had worked together for a long time, and now we'd been dating for the better part of a year. We'd been trying to set up times for meeting each other's important friends and family, but it had been incredibly complicated trying to work around our schedules at the SSR, especially since we weren't really supposed to tell anybody about our jobs.

Robert was one of the last people in my circle that Jack hadn't met. We'd grown up together, and while I'd found my way to the SSR, Robert had built up a career with the FBI. He had no idea what I did for a living, but I knew plenty about what he did.

"Glad you could make it," I said, fixing Jack with a smile as he took a seat on the other side of me. He planted a kiss on my temple, then reached out and offered a handshake to Robert.

"Jack Thompson. Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," said Robert, taking his hand with a grin. "You're just in time to hear about the case my boys and I just finished up. It was a doozy."

"Yeah, I heard you were with the FBI. That's real impressive," said Jack, his voice dripping with sarcasm that only I caught. I gave him a subtle elbow to the side, but he ignored me.

"Thank you," said Robert, nodding solemnly. "Like I was saying, we were trying to track down this group we thought was smuggling weapons into the country through a port in Maine. And we found the guys we were looking for, found their operation just like we'd been expecting. But they weren't smuggling weapons."

Jack and I both raised an eyebrow, leaning forward as Robert did. He lowered his voice for dramatic effect.

"They were smuggling technology."

I raised an eyebrow, and beside me, Jack leaned even further forward.

"It was all kinds of crazy stuff," Robert continued. "I can't tell you guys most of it, since neither of you has clearance, but... it's the kind of thing that would knock your socks off. I'm talking minature engines that can just hover about a foot in the air, some crazy glowing stuff that none of us have been able to identify yet... and that's just the tip of the iceberg."

"Wow," I said, playing it up a little bit out of politeness. Robert grinned and nodded.

"I know, right? I mean, can you even believe it?"

"Strangest thing I ever heard," Jack agreed, sounding anything but floored. At the SSR, we saw stranger things than that almost every week. "You said stuff that glows? What kind of stuff? What kind of glow?"

"I really shouldn't be telling you guys this, but so far, it seems like some kind of chemical mix just sitting in a little ball, waiting for who knows what to activate. It's been a few days since we caught all this stuff, and the glow hasn't gone down even a little bit."

Jack hummed next to me, leaning even farther forward and dropping his arm from around my shoulders. I could tell he wanted to drill down on exactly what Robert had found, and I didn't blame him. But before he got the chance to ask followup questions, the waiter came over to take our orders.

By the time we'd put in our requests, Robert was apparently ready to move on from his work stories. Jack fidgeted next to me, but still, he let it go. The three of us talked about life, told (non-work) stories, and laughed over lunch and drinks. By the time things were winding down, Robert had a massive smile on his face, and he shook Jack's hand again as we got up to leave.

"It was a real pleasure meeting you, Jack. I'm glad to know my friend found someone so wonderful to spend time with."

"It was great meeting you, too," Jack said. I noticed his smile was a little more forced, but Robert apparently didn't clock it as he turned to give me a hug.

"Good to see you. I know we're both pretty busy, but let's not go this long without seeing each other again, okay?"

"I completely agree."

We shared a smile, then Robert gave Jack and I one last little wave before hustling off down the street. I turned back to Jack with a sigh and a smile.

"Well, that was fun! And I think Robert really likes you."

"Yeah, but I don't know for how much longer." Jack ran a hand through his hair, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you think Robert would feel if I claimed jurisdiction on his case?"

I gasped, and then grimaced. What Jack was saying made perfect sense—everything Robert had told us sounded right up the alley of the things we dealt with for work.

"Now I know what that face you kept pulling was about," I said. Jack scoffed, and I put my hands on my hips. "I don't think Robert would take it very well, honestly. But... we did say we wanted to see each other more often. And taking over his case would certainly accomplish that."

That got Jack to fully laugh. He put an arm around my shoulders, and the two of us started the stroll back to our office.

"So does that mean you're on board with me talking to the FBI about the SSR getting jurisdiction over all that stuff they found?"

"I mean, yeah. Robert and I will work it out, and it'll be nice to have a reason to tell him what I really do for work. Besides, he's great, but... even in the few minutes we were chatting, it was pretty clear the FBI aren't equipped to handle this."

"No, they're not. Glad we can agree."

"Who knows, maybe this'll even work out in our favor? Robert will see us working so well as a team solving his case that he'll be even happier than when we finished lunch."

Jack laughed again, and after a moment, I couldn't help joining him. Robert was in for quite a shock the next time he saw Jack and I. I might actually have to recruit Peggy or Daniel to take a picture for posterity.

****************

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