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mama2bears · 11 months ago

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Starting Over Again Chapter 8

Warnings: Sexual content - not too much detail, (ONLY FOR 18+), Talk of bruises/injury, sharing shower, nakedness

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updated. Been busy with work. Next chapter will be the last chapter. I already have it finished and just need to do some editing on it. Hopefully I will have it posted later today or tomorrow. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8

“So what is everyone doing today,” Tyler asked, taking a seat next to you at the table. Most of the team had already finished their breakfast.

“Dani and I have claimed the gaming system.” Boone stated, “but if anyone wants to join us..we can split into teams!”

“I want to send up the drone, get some shots of the area.” Lily said.

“I am going fishing!” Dexter added with a smile. “I see there's a pier a few miles down the road. Maybe I can bring some fish back for dinner.”

Everyone cheered at that idea and started clearing the table to go about their day.

“What about you?” Tyler looked at you with a soft smile, “What would you like to do today?”

“Stroll on the beach, collect seashells, play in the waves a little.” you smile.

“And build a sand castle.” Tyler added with a grin. “Let's do it!”

“Really?” you asked, “You don't think it's boring or stupid or anything?”

“Darling, I'd do anything with you, and to be honest, that sounds like the perfect day.”

“Hey, Y/N..come with me to the RV for a minute?” Lily asked.

“Sure.” you stand and place a hand on Tyler's shoulder and a light kiss on his cheek, “I'll be back in a minute.”

“Okay.” he squeezed your hand and watches as you walked away, lost in thought.

“Earth to Tyler...” Boone was saying.

“Huh? What?” Tyler looked at his friend.

“I said Dani and I are going to grill some burgers for lunch. Lily is coming back for lunch, but Dexter said he wants to grab a sandwich or something at the prier. I was asking what you and Y/N are doing for lunch so we know how many burgers to grill.” Boone grinned, “But you weren't paying any attention to me.”

“Sorry.” Tyler apologized. “We'll probably come back here for lunch. We are just going to be right down there.” he motioned to a stretch of beach that was just out the front door.

“So...I hear you and Tyler are spending the day at the beach,” Lily flashed a smile, leading you into the RV. She rummaged though some boxes and pulled out a bright red bikini. “Here, you can have this...go knock his socks off.”

“Oh..I don't..I don't know about that.” You blushed.

“Girl...go for it!” she winked. “You can even change in here and just completely surprise him once you are there.”

“Thank you.” You smile ducking into the tiny RV bathroom and replacing your bra and underwear with the bikini before slipping a dress back on.

A few minutes later you and Lily come back in the house laughing, causing Tyler to raise an eyebrow, “What's so funny?” he looked at you confused.

“You'll find out later.” you wink at him and Lily giggles.

As everyone parts ways to go about their day, Tyler collects a blanket and you got a few towels before heading down to the beach.

You loved the feeling of the shifting sand under your feet. You know as the sun rises and the temperature heats up the sand will soon become hot, but now, in the early morning hours, it was a just starting to warm up from the cool night air.

“You okay?” you asked, grabbing Tyler's hand as he stumbled and grabbed his leg.

“Yeah, I am fine. Just lost my footing a little.” he gave you a smile, not wanting to ruin this perfect day. Truth was, he would be okay once they got off of the shifting sand, but right now, it was hell on his leg.

You grab his hand and squeeze it tightly, “We can go back if you want.” you offer.

“Never.” he smiled, “I am looking forward to giving you the date you deserve.”

Gradually you both make your way down close to the water's edge and lay the blanket down, tucking the corners into the sand and laying the towels out.

“How are you feeling?” Tyler asks, gently placing a hand on your left side.

“Sore, but okay.” you give a smile, “How about you?”

“Nothing that a little time at the beach won't fix.” he pulls you into a kiss, then takes your hand, “How about we go for a little walk, look for those shells you wanted to find?” he asked, “I hear first thing in the morning is the best time.”

“Well, actually....the best time for shells is after a storm. More shells wash ashore during a storm...but morning would be second best.” you grin as you two walk along the shore line, the waves washing over your feet.

“Oh there's one!” you see a big conch shell rolling in the waves.

“I got it.” Tyler reached for the shell as the waves pulled it just out of his reach.

“Ah, you missed it!” You hurry and reach down to try and catch the shell, only to have the waves pull it out father.

“Oh, well...maybe we'll find another one.” you give in, a hint of disappointment in your voice.

“I'm getting you that shell.” Tyler chased the shell further out into deeper water and made another grab for it, losing his balance and falling into a wave, his head disappearing under the wave for a moment.

“TYLER!” You screamed, “you okay?”

“I got the shell!” He grinned, holding it up.

You push though the waves and run out to the waist deep water where he was and grabbed his arm, “Oh my God, Tyler, are you okay?” you practically were yelling at him.

“Yeah, I am okay. The wave gave me a softer landing.”

“You scared me to death.” you grab his hand and help him stand, “I was afraid you hurt your ribs again falling.”

“I am okay.” he confirmed handing you the shell, “for my beautiful lady.”

“Thank you.” you kiss him softly and hold his hand back to shore. Tyler stops at the blankets and slides his wet pants off, revealing a pair of dark blue swim trunks, then he tried to pull his shirt up over his head grimacing in pain. “What's wrong?” you ask concerned.

“I am trying to get this shirt off.” he sighed, “but it's wet and sticking.” he gasped.

“Here, let me help.” you help him pull the shirt over his head and your eyes immediately go to the bruises covering his back and chest. You carefully run your hand over his chest “I am so sorry.” you whisper.

“Darling, there's nothing to be sorry for. I would rather deal with this pain and these injuries then see you get hurt.” he leaned over and placed a tender kiss on your lips, “I owe you my life. You saved my life that night.” he whispered, “I'll never forget that.”

“You saved my life that night as well.” you whisper.

“And I'd do it all over again.” he leaned in closer to you and captured your lips in a long slow deep kiss.

“Do you need to go back to the house and change?” he asked.

You smile at him, stepping back a few paces, “No...I think I'll change here.” you slide your dress up over your head, revealing the red bikini and heard Tyler suck in a breath.

“Wow...” he whispers.

“You like?” you asked.

“No...” Tyler shook his head, “I don't like it.”

“Oh...” you look a bit taken back.

“I love it!” he grinned, pulling you towards him for a kiss.

You grimace and he pulls back, “Sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you.” he leans over to look at the stab wound, “Is it bothering you?” he asked, softly.

“Little..but not bad.”

Tyler carefully runs his hand down your side and then he notices all the bruises and scars running across your stomach and up your back. “My God, Y/N...I didn't know it was this bad.” anger flashed in his eyes. “He did all this to you?” he asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, but let's not talk about him, okay?”

“Alright, Darling.” he kissed her softly. “What shall we do next?”

“Take a mid morning nap on the beach?” you grin, sitting down on the blanket and stretching out. At least a little rest.

Your side was starting to bother you, and you were sure Tyler was in pain by the look on his face, even if he denied it.

“Sounds good to me.” you laid down next to you and wrapped his arms around you. As you were staring out across the ocean, he was looking at you with a grin.

“What?” you turn towards him with a smile, catching him staring at you out the corner of your eye.

“You're just so beautiful.” he whispered, kissing your lips softly, trailing his lips from your mouth, down your neck.

“Tyler...” you moan as he tenderly brushes his hand across your stomach and pausing at your bikini top.

“Want me to stop?” he asked, desire deep in his eyes.

“What if someone sees us?” you ask.

He glanced up towards the house, “We are far enough down the beach. They can't see us from the house and no one else is around. “Hold on.” he held you close to him and rolled off the blanket, laying directly on the sand and the blanket now covering you. “Better?”

You nod, “Yeah, but we shouldn't be doing this, not with your broken ribs.”

“My hands aren't broken.” he grins, pressing his lips firmly against yours in a long deep kiss. “If you want me to stop, tell me now.” he moaned, ducking his head under the blanket to remove the bikini top.

“Don't stop...”you moaned, feeling his lips and hands caressing your body.

* * * * *

“Hey Boone!” Dani called, looking at her phone.

“What's up?”

“I was just checking our YouTube feed. Someone posted videos and photos of us leaving the hotel and picking up Ty and Y/N at the hospital.”

“Yeah..we got about a million followers. They probably were interested in how T was doing. We never did update them.”

“Maybe...” Dani said thinking, “But they keep asking questions about our whereabouts. It just doesn't seem right to me. Our fans know we are chasing the storms, and if we aren't, that's our private time. They don't ask a lot about where we are if we aren't chasing. This person has posted several times a day.”

“You're right. That is suspicious.” Boone frowned. “Has anyone said anything about us being down here?”

“No. Everyone just assumes that we went back to Arkansas to rest up for a bit.” Dani informed him.

“Good.” Boone nodded.

“Should we tell Tyler?”

“No, that's just going to cause a lot of worry for no reason. As long as no one suspects we are here, then let's not worry them about it.”

Dani agreed, “I'll keep an eye on it and make sure no one discloses our whereabouts if they do see us.”

“Maybe I should do a quick video, give people a heads up?” Boone suggested.

“Yeah...good idea.”

Boone fixed his phone and made sure nothing was in the background to give away his whereabouts and then began, “Hey Hey fan base! I know we have been flying under the radar lately, but as you know, a lot has happened in a short amount of time. Listen, I need ya help. One of our team members has a crazy guy after them. It's personal business and I don't want to get into details, but we haven't had much luck with the police. That's why we've been laying low. Tyler and the team are all doing good, but listen, if you do happen to see us out and about anywhere, please don't disclose our location...for the sake of the team. We'll update you when this situation has been solved. Thank you fans! We love you!”

The sound of the door opening caused them to look up. Boone smiled, seeing Tyler and Y/N come though the door, hand in hand. Both of their hair was ruffled and they were covered in sand, breathing hard with their faces were flushed.

“Hey guys, I am just about to start the burgers.” Boone called, trying his best not to look at the couple. He wanted to say something smart, but he also didn't want to embarrass either of them.

“Yeah, I bet they've worked up an appetite.” Dani giggled.

“We are hungry.” Tyler shot them a look, “Thanks Boone. We're going to take a shower and then we'll be out.”

“Hmm hmm...no problem.” Boone held his laughter in until Tyler and Y/N had went into their room.

“Whoa boy, I bet they're going to have an active week.” he giggled and Dani playfully slapped his head, “Oh hush! What if they hear you!”

“I'll start the shower for us.” Tyler states, kissing you softly, “You wanna head back down to the beach or stay here?”

“Right now that bed is looking awfully inviting. I vote we stay here and watch a movie after lunch.” she said.

“That sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect day.”

You pull out your pajamas and a pair of shorts for Tyler before meeting him in the bathroom. He had already stripped down and was getting in the shower when he extended his hand towards you, “Join me?” he asks.

You let the bikini fall to the floor and enter the shower, where Tyler pulls you into another long slow kiss. He runs his hands slowly over your body, kissing every scar and every bruise as if he could kiss away the hurt.

“You're beautiful and I love you so much.” he muttered against your skin, moving his lips up to your neck and reclaiming your lips as his own.

Boone, Dani and Lily were already eating the burgers by the time you and Tyler finally emerged from the bedroom. All three of them passed knowing looks.

“Your burgers are over there by the grill. We did save you some.” Boone smiled.

“Oh, and don't worry about anything that might of happened on the beach today.” Lily grinned, “I didn't fly my drone over that way.”

“Oh my God, we didn't think of that!” you muttered into Tyler's ear and he laughed.

“So...um...how's the water?” Boone asked as you guys sat down with the burgers.

“Perfect.” you say.

“Well, it was a bit salty.” Tyler grinned.

“And there was a shark.” you grinned, looking over at Tyler.

“I bet that shark's name was Tyler, wasn't it?” Dani laughed and the rest of the team joined in.

“Yeah..it was...it was.” you blushed.

Once lunch was finished, Tyler stood and took your plate and his into the kitchen. “Y/N and I are going to lay down for a bit and watch a movie. When Dexter gets back, tell him we expect fish for dinner!”

“I'll help make something. Don't worry.” you tell Dani and Lily as Tyler leads you into the bedroom.

“What movie?” he asked.

“I don't care.” you crawl into bed and snuggle down into the warm covers and soft pillows.

“Okay.” Tyler flips on Pet Sematary.

You pull the covers up over your head and hide, “That's going to terrify me! The original scared me!”

“Nothing to be scared of when you got me here, Darling.” he crawls into bed next to you and holds you tight. “I think we need to put this day on repeat for the rest of the week,” he whispered, kissing you softly.

“I wouldn't complain about that.” you sigh, snuggling into his side a little closer as the movie began.

Chapter 9 (Final Chapter)

Tag List

@itsdesiree86 @sarah-bear706318 @darksparklesficrecs @forpunishers @notanordinaryprincess95 @luvivey @zedis2007@maverickdesperado@love2write2626

@drewvgue@nbee-baguette@emma8895eb@elisabethbathgate@zedis2007

@samanddeaninatrenchcoat@rebelatbay@snackthatsmilesbackchlldren@anjalireji95@everwhovian @turtleshavesoulmates@lizzyreads15 @cevans-winchester

@i-heart-marvel @itsdesiree86 @sarah-bear706318 @darksparklesficrecs @forpunishers @notanordinaryprincess95 @luvivey @zedis2007@maverickdesperado

@love2write2626@drewvgue@nbee-baguette@emma8895eb@elisabethbathgate

@zedis2007@samanddeaninatrenchcoat@rebelatbay@snackthatsmilesbackchlldren

@anjalireji95@everwhovian @turtleshavesoulmates@lizzyreads15 @cevans-winchester

@i-heart-marvel @djs8891 @thedonswife13 @velyssaraptor @jrenn10 @new-author3 @hookslove1592 @smoothdogsgirl

#twisters fic #twisters x reader #twisters fanfiction #tyler owens x reader #tyler owens fic #twisters fanfic #tyler owens x you

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localplaguenurse · 11 months ago

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Falling Head over Heels (Pantalone x Male Reader) pt 6

So ever since my last update, I've gotten a new laptop because deadass the same day I posted chapter 5 like "oh hopefully I'll get it back soon," they told me my old acer aspire is so old they don't even make the parts for it anymore. This has nothing to do with the fic, I just thought it was funny.

Notes: still sfw, semi dysfunctional/controlling family dynamics (I assure you they will get progressively worse), ableism in the form of reader being coddled and patronized by his parents. Check masterlist for previous parts, will eventually make an actual masterlist for this fic.

@thedeimoshimself @eli-chris

You did not immediately tell your parents about your interaction with Pantalone when you finally returned, as once again they were in the midst of an argument. Your mother’s scoldings about how your father knows better, and your father’s arguments about how you’re a grown man who should fend for himself by now could be heard the moment you stepped through the door. Colleen gives you an awkward, sympathetic smile as you shuck off your coat. Before the maid can hang it up, you fish the letter from your pocket, and seeing your name in the Guuji Yae’s handwriting fills you with nervous excitement once more.

You can’t really hear the fighting from your study. If you try to listen, you can, but otherwise it is very peaceful. You open the letter again and set it next to your typewriter, while also tucking the briefcase with your manuscript under your desk. You proceed to load your typewriter, ready to type a response, when it occurs to you that maybe you should hand write this letter. Would it be disrespectful to just type a letter? Maybe. A handwritten letter is more personal, after all.

By the time you finish your letter, there are six other letters crumpled up in your bin, and you hear your mother’s voice informing you that it’s dinner time. The tense atmosphere of dinner keeps you from talking, let alone telling your parents about Pantalone. You really don’t want to set off yet another argument with how much these two have grown apart. As horrible as it is to think or say, you will not be surprised if the word divorce comes up in their next fight, and that next fight is probably tomorrow.

This tense silence continues the next day, and the day after that, until a full two weeks have passed where you have not heard a single argument. Not because your parents made up, mind you, but because they have barely spoken to each other. Nothing beyond standard small talk or informing the other person about meals or receiving something in the mail. The air is oppressive, and you try not to let it show how much it is starting to stress you out. Instead, you have been waiting patiently for a letter back from the Guuji, hoping to surprise them with some good news for once.

(You’ve also been replaying your last interaction with Pantalone in your head, because you know you did not mishear him.)

The silence breaks when your father throws your bedroom door open one morning, when you are in the midst of getting changed out of your sleepwear.

“You!”

You jump, having just put on your pants. Your face heats up in embarrassment. “Would it kill you to knock?” you snap. It’s not even ten.

You hear your mother somewhere behind your father. “Darling, calm down.”

Your father storms inside and an envelope is shoved in your face. “Do you care to explain this?”

You step back and take the envelope. You rub your eyes, shoot your dad a dirty look, and read the envelope. That’s your name and address, but you don’t recognize the return address in the corner. The name, however, you do recognize, and your father does too.

“Why is it that I haven’t had contact with the Regrator in two weeks,” your father asks, “but when I finally get a letter back, it’s for you?”

“Yes, why is Pantalone writing to you?” your mother asks in turn.

Your brow furrows, and with your father glaring daggers at you, you break the seal on the back of the letter. Before you can actually open it, your dad snatches the letter from you. He tosses the envelope aside and unfolds the paper within.

“Hey!” You grab your father’s arm. “If you’re going to barge into my room, at least let me read my own mail!”

“There has to be some mistake,” your father says. “There’s no reason for the Regrator to talk to you.”

“While I disagree with his approach,” your mother says, “your father has a point.”

“Maybe if you let me read my mail, I could tell you,” you reply sarcastically. Your father rolls his eyes but hands the now crinkled letter back to you. You straighten it out and let your eyes scan over the words.

Your father’s voice is impatient. “Well?”

You squint. “It’s an invitation.”

“An invitation?” your mother asks.

“What the hell for?” your father asks.

“An invitation for tea,” you answer, “for… tomorrow, at two.”

“Anything else?”

You flip the paper over. It’s blank. You flip it back over. “No, it’s just tea at two at his estate.”

“No, you fool,” your dad says, pulling the letter out of your hand again. “I meant if he mentions your sister or myself, because I find it hard to believe he’d invite you to his estate.”

You cross your arms. “Why’s that?”

“Your father means it’s odd that you would be invited over when you are not, ah, working with him,” your mother says, making up an excuse on the fly. “You’re not working with your father and sister, so if you were to be invited over, then that would include the rest of the family.” Though she’s out of your limited line of vision, you know she’s glaring at your father based on the way he averts his eyes from you.

“Then why is it addressed to him? It doesn’t address anyone else in the family.”

“I’m not sure, dear. Perhaps there’s been a mistake?”

“Pantalone would not make a mistake like this. Perhaps the post office lost our invites, but not his.”

“Or he just invited me,” you butt in.

Your father gives you a look.

“Think about it,” you say, “if we all got an invite, surely mine would have said something about it, right? Hope to see you and your family, or something along those lines.”

“Perhaps mine would have it,” your father retorts, “as he’s my business partner.”

More like marriage partner at this point, you think and know better than to say. “You’re also assuming this has anything to do with work,” is what you say instead. “What if it’s just tea?”

“No, a man like him wouldn’t invite someone over for just tea,” your mother says.

Your father goes to put your invitation in his pocket, but gives it back to you when your mom gives him a look. He clears his throat. “Well, we’ll have this sorted when we visit tomorrow.”

You blink. “Wait, what?”

“We’re not going to just turn down this invitation,” your father says, as if you’re an idiot for not understanding what he was getting at.

“We? We?”

“That’s right,” your mother chimes in, “we really shouldn’t go if we don’t know his intentions.”

“That’s not…” You groan, annoyed. You point at your father. “You aren’t on the invite.” You turn and point to your mother. “And we’ve talked about the coddling.”

Your mother shakes her head. “That was about when he visits us, I don’t want you alone at his estate.”

“No, no, we’re not getting into the semantics,” you say, “I have told you time and time and time again to stop treating me like I’m seven! I should be allowed to go have tea with someone else by myself.”

“Watch your tongue,” your father snaps, “and our decision is final. If you want to go to the Regrator’s for tea, then your mother and I are going as well.” He turns to walk off, and stops in the doorway. “And put a damn shirt on.”

The door slams shut, leaving you and your mother in your room. She offers you an apologetic smile, and gets the hint you want space when you pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh. Her exit is much quiet, a soft apology and a gentle closing of the door.

It takes you a moment, but you manage to find the envelope your father carelessly tossed aside. It slid most of the way under your bed, only the corner of it is immediately visible. You pick it up and feel your heart thump in your chest.

So this is what your name looks like in his handwriting.

----

While the novelty of Pantalone’s social status has worn off, the estate that comes into view through the snowstorm is a reminder of his intimidating wealth. It’s a beautiful building, and significantly larger than your family home. Your eyes are glued to the sight of it through the covered sled’s window. You can also just see your mother looking at it as well through the reflection of the glass.

“Remember what we talked about,” your father says, and you make a face of annoyance similar to the face your mother’s reflection makes. “Hey, are you listening?”

“Don’t touch, trip on, or break anything,” you reply, “and only speak when spoken to. I’m aware of the whole routine.”

“And watch the attitude.”

“And you remember what I told you,” you reply, not bothering to turn your head. “If it turns out Pantalone didn’t invite you over, you need to leave.”

“Look at me when you talk to me.”

There’s a thump. Your mother most likely gave your father a nudge with her foot. Silence takes up the last few minutes of the ride as it slows to a stop right outside the snowy steps. You slide over to the opposite end of your seat and open the door, sucking all the warmth out of the sled. You make no effort to wait for your parents before you step down from the stairs. The snow pelting you in the face diminishes your vision, so you only make it a few steps before you trip on the first step. You catch yourself before you tumble forward and smash your teeth into the stairs.

You hear your mother’s voice from the sled. “Please be careful!”

You shout back that you’re fine, and climb up the stairs. Pantalone must have just had the steps cleared off before the blizzard hit, as there’s no crunch beneath your feet, merely the puff of snowflakes puffing out of the way with each step you take. Your father calls for you to wait for them as you stand before the door. You grab one of the large knockers and give it a few hard knocks on the door.

You feel your father’s firm hand on your shoulder just as a gust of heat rushes out and envelops you. You find yourself standing face to face with an older gentleman dressed in pristine servant’s attire. The two of you lock eyes, and for a moment he offers a welcoming smile before he notices you’re not alone, then it becomes confusion.

“Oh, hello there,” he says, “this is a little unexpected.”

“We’re here for tea with the Regrator,” your father butts in before you can even open your mouth.

“I had assumed as much, but I was told we were expecting a single visitor,” the man says. He brings his gaze back to you. “Now, you fit the description, but these two–”

Somewhere behind the man, you hear Pantalone’s voice. “Fyodor, what’s going on? Why have you not let our guest inside?”

The man turns around to address his master. “Apologies, my lord, but there seems to be some sort of… misunderstanding?”

You hear heeled footsteps descending a flight of stares and across the floor before your host comes into view. You feel yourself salivate and swallow it down quickly. You’re so used to seeing him in mostly black clothing, so the white lace up shirt with puffy sleeves immediately catches your eye. It’s tucked into a pair of black corset pants, which you make a point to not look at either. His hair is not tied back, and the chain on his glasses seems different. Though he still has his rings, he’s not wearing his gloves. Even in more “casual” attire, the Regrator is the pinnacle of wealth and beauty.

This very beautiful man tilts his head at the sight of your parents, namely your father. “What are you doing here?”

“You… You invited us to tea,” your father says.

“No I didn’t.”

Your father is quiet, and you turn yourself to see the confusion on his face. “You sent an invitation, i-it had our address on it.”

“Yes, and I believe I put your son’s name on it, did I not?” Pantalone asks. When you turn back around to him, you find he’s looking right at you.

“You did, b-but I presumed you… you forgot to mention us, or maybe the invitations for my wife and I got lost in the–”

Pantalone lifts his hand, silencing your father. “If that were the case, I would have either addressed it to your family as a whole on the envelope, or I would have mentioned it in the invitation itself. Likewise, I did not send this through the post office, I had one of my staff deliver it personally.”

“But, b-but I’m your business partner!”

Pantalone turns to you. “Did you invite them with you?”

You stumble on your words, feeling too humiliated to answer honestly. What’s worse, saying yes, or saying no, but your parents wouldn’t let you leave unless they came along like they were chaperoning a child’s first field trip or playdate? You manage a shake of your head, and fortunately Pantalone seems to understand your plight after having many interactions with your family.

He sighs, and steps aside. “You’ve already made the trip, and the weather is taking a turn for the worst,” he relents, “you may come in.”

Your father pushes past and marvels at the interior of Pantalone’s estate. Your mother gives you an assuring pat on your shoulder. Pantalone whispers something to Fyodor, who nods and goes to help your parents with their coats.

The door shuts behind you, and you turn to Pantalone. You clasp your gloved hands together and lower your voice. “I am so sorry, I tried to tell them–”

“I know,” he replies in a voice as soft as yours, “perhaps I should have seen this coming, but I didn’t think I would need to be more specific in the invitation.”

With that, Pantalone stands up and claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Once you’re all settled, please follow me for a short tour on the way to the tea room.” He turns to Fyodor, who is carrying your parents’ coats. “Fyodor, please be a dear and let the chefs know to prepare some extra refreshments for our unexpected company.”

Fyodor nods, and you give him your coat before he leaves. Your mother is already hovering right next to you protectively, and Pantalone gives you a subtly sympathetic smile, which your mother seemingly interprets as an underlying threat judging by the way she wraps her arm around yours. You imagine your father is rolling his eyes.

The tour is short as promised, only staying in any given room long enough for Pantalone to state what the purpose of it is. You pass through the dining room, where Pantalone points out the doors to the kitchen, before you’re in a corridor passing by a ballroom entryway. You try to have a look at the oddly macabre paintings your host has displayed on the walls, but your mother is practically dragging you along so she can get this event over with quicker. You want to ask questions about what the chandelier in the foyer is made of, but your father already asked that in his never ending ramblings of praise for Pantalone and probably isn’t going to stop so you can actually ask the man anything.

Your father finally shuts up and your mother lets your arm go when the four of you step inside the tea room. Something you notice immediately is, while there are paintings on the walls, a table in the centre of the room, and a large cabinet with various tea sets, there is actually very little decor and furniture here. You passed by some sculptures and house plants and other miscellaneous extravagant pieces on the way, but the small room is oddly empty compared to the corridor just outside.

When Pantalone takes a seat, your parents end up taking a seat on either side of him. Your father is immediately praising the barely furnished room, while your mother acts as barrier. As such, you end up seated across from him. On cue, you hear two people come in through the door behind you. You hear a soft squeaking, and a servant pushing a cart with a tea set on top of it. The porcelain teapot and cups have a vaguely floral pattern, with the handles shimmering with gold leaf. You jump when the second person, another servant, comes up beside you with a tray of food to place on the table. Your father marvels as they get to work setting the table, your mother politely thanks the staff, and you just sit still as your cup of tea is poured.

“This is quite lovely, Pantalone,” your father says for the millionth time, “really, I expect nothing less from you!”

Pantalone gives your father a smile, a polite gesture that does not reach his eyes. “I’m flattered.” When he looks your way, his smile seems fonder. “How about you? You seem to have something on your mind.”

“Oh! Um…” You lean back and glance around the room once more. “I was just… curious about your decor.”

Pantalone tilts his head curiously. “Oh? And what would you like to know?”

You hesitate to answer out of fear you would offend the man.

“Well? Out with it,” your father remarks.

“This room is a little bit… um…”

“Bare?” Pantalone finishes. “Yes, I had some of the furniture moved around in preparation for your arrival.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your eye condition,” he answers, “you said you used to trip on furniture because you didn’t see it, correct? I figured with a room this size, it would be safer to move some of the decor out of the room while you were visiting.”

“Oh, that’s… actually rather sweet,” you say, “b-but unnecessary. I’m not as clumsy as I used to be.”

“Ah, yes, my suit can attest to that fact.”

You chuckle.

Your father chimes in. “Yes, it’s better we avoid any more expensive accidents.”

Pantalone hums. “While I would rather avoid paying for a replacement or repair job, I was more focused on ensuring your son’s safety. I would hate for my guest to get hurt at an event I invited him to.”

You pick up on his passive aggressive comment, and your father does not. That, or he’s elected to ignore it. “Ah, that too,” your father says. He gestures to your mother. “I would have never heard the end of it if that were the case!”

Your father was expecting someone to laugh. He is ignored by Pantalone and gets glared at by your mother. You just grab a couple pastries, honestly wishing you had just turned down the invite altogether.

Your father clears his throat. “So, about that thing I-I had proposed a few weeks ago–”

“How is the book deal?” Pantalone asks you.

“O-Oh,” you stammer, not expecting him to bring up your book, “well, I’ve decided to go for it, and I’ve written back saying I would like to move forward with the deal. Now I’m just waiting for them to get back to me.”

Pantalone smiles and nods. “That’s lovely to hear.”

Your mother looks at you, confused. “What is he talking about?”

Fuck. You swallow, and nervously, sheepishly smile. “Right, um… I was, ah, saving this for when the deal was finalized, but my book might be getting published now.”

“By who?”

“... The Yae Publishing House.”

Your mother’s squeal could shatter porcelain. “The Yae Publishing House?! Sweetheart, that’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

You awkwardly laugh, avoiding Pantalone’s knowing gaze. “They’re just s-such a big deal, you know? I didn’t want to get your hopes up before I knew for certain they were going t-to publish the book.”

“Still, you could have at least told me you sent your book to them! Oh, goodness, I’m getting all worked up now. My sweetheart, being published by the Guuji Yae…”

Pantalone chuckles. “Yes, quite exciting. It warms my heart to see hard work being recognized.”

“I’m very excited,” your mother says, “he hasn’t told me what his new book is about, he keeps telling me to wait until it gets published. I was worried I’d never get to read it when your first deal was cancelled!”

You sheepishly rub the back of your neck. “This one’s kind of, well, different from my usual writing. I wasn’t sure how people would react to it.”

“Your stories are lovely, sweetie,” your mother insists, “you should never worry about what your mother thinks because I will always support you.”

You hear your father lean over in his chair towards Pantalone, and in a room of four people, his whisper is very audible. “He was worried he would have to get a real job, haha.”

“Which would be difficult given my disability,” you add, “seeing as most jobs require you to have awareness of your surroundings, and my eyesight is only going to continue degrading.”

Your father glares, and clears his throat. “... It was a joke.”

“And it wasn’t very original.”

“You’re also one to talk, considering our little deal,” Pantalone remarks. Your mother looks at your father for an explanation, to which he just sips his tea, embarrassed.

The rest of the afternoon isn’t less awkward. The momentary embarrassment does not stop your father from badgering Pantalone with questions about what he’s been doing the past two weeks (settling some financial matters in Liyue), and praising him for the pastries he’s provided. Pantalone answers out of politeness, but his responses grow shorter and shorter every time your father opens his mouth. Your mother just silently eats, disinterested in conversing with the Regrator. You try to engage in conversation with Pantalone, but despite glares from everyone at the table, your father continues to interrupt you or answer questions Pantalone could not have more clearly directed towards you. You also just keep your answers short, not wanting to divulge too much about your book or true thoughts in front of your parents.

Your father pops the last cream puff in his mouth. He’s already eaten most of them. There is no more tea, bringing the meeting to a close.

Pantalone claps his hands together. “Well, this has been a meeting!”

“We appreciate the invitation, Lord Pantalone,” your father says.

“What invitation?” Pantalone asks. “Remember? You two never received an invite.”

“... Right.”

Pantalone leans forward, propping his head up in his hands. He’s looking right at you, and he smiles so sweetly. “Would you care to stay for dinner?”

“Oh, we couldn’t possibly overstay our welcome.”

Pantalone nods, acknowledging your father. He then looks back at you. “So? Would you care to stay?”

“We just said no,” your mother says.

“That’s fine, you two are free to leave. I’m talking to your son.”

Your mother and father lock eyes, before your father turns back to Pantalone. “Wait, why are you asking him if he wants to stay, but not us?”

Pantalone sighs, and grins at your father. “Well, I think I’ve played host to you two long enough, so I’ll tell you honestly.” At that, Pantalone drops his smile. The atmosphere immediately grows tense as he speaks, his voice cold. “I invited your son to my home because I wanted to discuss his upcoming book over tea. I did not invite you over to discuss work matters on my day off. Now, I would like to have the discussion I cleared my schedule for, and I would like to do it with the guest I actually invited.”

Your father balks, while you feel your jaw drop to the table and your eyes go as wide as saucers. You slowly turn towards your mother, and she is immediately seething. She stands up, her chair scraping on the floor. Pantalone smiles at you once more.

“So will you be staying for dinner? I have many questions about your writing process.”

“I–”

“Absolutely not,” your mother snaps. She grabs your arm hard and attempts to pull you up to your feet. Your father is torn between being shocked over being called out for his behaviour, humiliated for being scolded like a child, and incensed that your invitation did not extend towards him. Your mother tugs your arm again, and you stand up so you can better shake her off your arm.

“We’re leaving,” your father says. “Come along, you two.”

You brush some crumbs off your lap and sit back down.

Your father shakes your shoulder. “Didn’t you hear me? I said we’re leaving.”

“Have fun,” you reply dryly, “I’ll be home late.”

Pantalone absolutely beams. “Oh, wonderful!”

You flinch at your mother’s shrill voice. “No, you’re not! I am not leaving you with this disrespectful–”

“Violka, he has made up his mind,” your father growls. You feel him glaring daggers into the back of your head, and do not move. You hear your mother start to protest, but then the door shuts behind you.

Pantalone lifts a small plate up off the table. On it is the final little piece of cherry bublanina. He offers it to you with a sly smirk, like forbidden fruit.

With this in mind, you take it.

#pantalone #pantalone x reader #pantalone x male reader #blind reader #my fic #falling head over heels

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yoonia · 6 months ago

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*slowly crawling out of my dungeon*

Hello, lovelies! Coming back to let you guys know that I'm still alive (lol) and I've been writing even if I'm not always around. As usual, it's time to share my monthly writing progress to let you know what I'm working on and where I'm at right now.

— 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬:

Hot Mess (Taehyung); current progress: 2,5k words (from est. final word count 6-7k words) | this is a fic commission that I was planning to post this Monday. But your girl had to work all weekend and couldn't find the time to finish this, so posting day will be postponed for a few days or a week

Sunset Glow (Hoseok); current progress: 4k words (from est. final word count 10-15k words) | this WIP has been in my draft for too long, so I'm looking forward to share it during Hobi month. I might not be able to make it to release on his birthday, but it's coming!

Red Vibe (Yoongi); current progress: 3k words (from est. final word count 10k words? maybe? idk) | I'm planning to release this on Yoongi's birthday on March, but I'm starting early since I might be getting busy on early March so I'm preparing myself for it. This one is going to be quite a ride so I hope you're looking forward to this one

28 Days (Taehyung; Jungkook); current progress: storyboarding | this is another revamp project that I'm working on. I was planning to have this as a project to release through February, but due to being sick last month, I was only able to finish the storyboard

Bedroom Hymns (Yoongi); current progress: 1,7k words in total for chapter 24 & 25 | I'm finally picking this one up again. It's a slow process, but I'm looking into posting some new updates around March, so it felt right to start working on it alongside the one-shots that I'm currently working on. As you may have expected, the moodboard attached above is a little spoiler for the next chapter

Ever A Never After (Jungkook, Seokjin); current progress: 5,5k words for Act Three | Another one I'm picking up to finish. I'm hoping that I can finally focus on this once the other fic commission is up but there is some progress already happening here

— 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬:

I recently shared a freebie on Patreon, which is an image/file for my 28 days writing challenge that everyone can join this month (or maybe next month?). I'm hoping that by following the steps in the challenge, it can help you focus and finish your WIP(s), or at least start a new writing project. You can download this freebie item by subscribing to my Patreon, whether as a free member or by joining the tiers that you can choose from my profile

I also opened my Patreon shop to give you access to my writing class without having to subscribe as a tier member. If you simply want to buy and download the worksheets that I created and shared for the writing class to help practice your writing, you can get also get them through my Patreon shop or Ko-fi shop. More digital products will be added in both shops, including the downloadable worksheets from my writing class that will be available for non-members to buy :)

For more info on updates and work in progress, please check out my updates page that I'll be updating frequently. Feel free to ask me about anything listed above if you're curious to know more!

#psa: announcement #misc: work in progress #life update

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kfkr1ze · 3 months ago

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Upcoming TL plans as of May!!

Hello everyone !! With Reset ≠ Astronauts finished, I thought I'd give a little update with what I planned on translating soon !! They're listed in order of priority! I like explaining (therefore . wall of text . for TL;DR look at the bold names) (+PFP change if you haven't noticed yet hi!!)

U-40α AMAKARAKU has New Releases! This is the one I'm definitely doing after this! Actually, the same minute that Muneuji's card was announced, I was actually making the draft of the masterlist for this one already! I already have 4 chapters translated HAHA! I wanted to prioritize features over every other TL project due to their importance (and how much they make me cry) so I held off while TLing Muneuji's, but now that I'm finished, I'm definitely doing this one next! Especially with the announcement that feature and group events will be fully voiced!! I'll probably wait a littlleee bit (maybe like a week?) before I start posting these, to both give myself a teensy break and bc I have to edit the PatiBato manga with the translations and they're in. basically every chapter.

FULL VER of Yoake no Polaris ! I will prioritize this as soon as the full version drops! Similarly to Glass World, I have already translated the game ver. and I'm waiting for the full ver. to drop! I'll fix my game ver. by adding the new lyrics + proofreading with officials, and then I'll upload that! This is how I'll do every Day2 feature in the future!

Day2 voice lines! I already had all of Akuta's finished like months ago and I slowly started working on everyone else's. But, with new birthday lines that I wanted to include and holidays that keep coming up that I need to wait for, I'll probably start working on these after anni lines. Just putting these on here since technically have been working on them on and off! I'll share my plan on how I'll be doing these when I drop the masterlist for them!

Card Stories to the events I'm TLing! I decided to include these once I started on U-40α AMAKARAKU has New Releases!, but I don't have every card (broke college student. hi.), which is why I didn't include them at first. If I end up getting the cards I'm missing in the future, I'll TL them and add them to the main masterlist of each event! Birthday card stories are also on my radar, but I'm not sure when I'll get to them considering. Literally only Ushio has came home. I have 2 dia right now and Akuta hates me guys.

Day2 Novels! I wanted to do these after realizing how just how relevant to features they are! (AKA, after Kiroku's feature LOL) I wasn't planning on doing them originally since they're all translated by other people, but I thought it'd be convenient to have them in the same place if you're reading Day2 TLs from me! Hopefully I can get this started before the next Day2 feature drops!! I'm going to focus on the ones that are fully voiced / have a date that they will be voiced first and then work my way chronologically! (Meaning, Kiroku first, then Nanaki, and then whoever gets announced after that.)

Continuing Escape from S! I'm so sorry this one is taking so long!! I'm realizing that Day2 has me in study rooms working on these TLs and Ten Murakumo is making me want to slam my head into this computer, so the motivation is a little off. (This is kind of a joke, I love all 18trip charas ofc I'm just way more motivated to complete my Day2 projects than R1ze right now. I will definitely be working on this though, don't worry. I already have up to chapter 6 done, but I was going to release all the updates to this all at once so people won't have to wait for the rest of it in case I get burnt out again.) Any Day2 story that drops before I finish will take priority though. I'm so sorry for naming myself kfkr1ze and not being R1ze focused... Day2 is taking over my life in ways that my past self could never have predicted and I'm too far gone to change my blog name now.

They call me… The Preacher, of Love! is one I plan on doing when I have no other projects to do. Like Escape from S, any newer Day2 projects will likely be prioritized, but I do want to translate these one day as well. After this one, I also want to do Precious as a White Light since it's the White Day story! I'd like to do this one first since it has Nanaki and Kiroku as well as Kafka, but I plan on doing the valentines one first so you can read in order!

—✈︎

If you got this far, thank you for reading everything!!! I wanted to explain my plans after I went on a sudden break for a second! I was struggling a bit in school and had to lock in. Now I'm good (esp with Summer soon) !!! I hope this gives you the general idea of what to look forward to? Thank you all for supporting me! HAMA nice trip!

#kfkr1ze #updates

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cartoonjessie · 6 months ago

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hi Jessie, how's going with The Dance of The Demigods?? some news about the upgrade for us, soo curious what'll happen next on Motunui!!🤗

Awww thanks so much! I got 6 more chapters ready right now with a few really hard ones in the works after that (it's act 3 then, which means I gotta start wrapping stuff up and write the big action sequences) but I'd be lying if I hadn't been distracted with about 10 other WIPs at the same time, one for each mood. ;-)

Finding Ohana got fully published this week - so if you're wanting some light modern AU Hooked Wayfinder to read, that's where I'd point you towards.

And later this week I should start posting another modern AU called "Double Dated" for Wayfinder February - one chapter a day until it's finished (I'm just putting the finishing touches on the final two chapters). Here's the current summary (which I'll probably still workshop into something better before I post it to AO3):

Something is wrong with her. Nobody in their right mind would agree to date a guy that ghosted her twenty years before. But he's Maui - and she crushed on him hard when she was a teen - and surely they've grown up enough now to talk to one another like adults, right? The past is in the past and all that (but then why does it still hurt?) Maybe this can finally give her closure. But still, he wants a safety net - something that guarantees there won't be a scene after what he did - and so she desperately agrees to the double date he suggests. But when Loto cancels because she's sick, Moana is in a pinch and she asks her little sister - not realizing how eager 19-year-old Simea is to conquer the dating market and the guy she’s set up with - even if Maui's friend Tamatoa is the biggest nerd imaginable.

But okay okay - I know you're really here for The Dance of the Demigods, so I'll give out a tease for chapter 11 - The Party! Here's the starting paragraphs:

Moana felt like she could breathe again as they arrived at Motunui’s shores. She’d missed home and it was a relief to see all was as they’d left it. While the fishermen waved at her, a crowd began to gather on the beach, cheering and delighted to see that Moana and Maui, their heroes, had returned! They hadn’t yet made it to shore when they already heard victorious drumming and thrilled exclamations and cheehoo-ing among her people. Delighted, Maui was waving back at folks, saluting them and putting on a big smile, oblivious to what was really going on. Moana came to a chilling conclusion, and she put her hand on Maui’s arm for a second to draw his attention. “They think we’ve defeated Nalo…” For a moment, his expression wavered. “Oh…” “Just act normal,” she told him, looking away from him as she looked at her people and waved at them too, and Maui nodded as he jumped into the water to pull the canoe further ashore. A crowd had already gathered around the canoe, but Chief Tui still pushed his way through, delighted to see them return. “Did you do it?” he asked eagerly. “Did you defeat Nalo?” Moana’s awkward smile betrayed her answer. “Yeah… about that…”

I'll probably upload it later today or tomorrow, once I got a header ready. :-)

#hooked wayfinder #moana x maui #moanaxmaui #moaui

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lunchtimebedamned1997 · 10 months ago

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Harrow the Ninth real-time reading thoughts + GTN character concept doodles (pt. 1)

| Here | Part two |

Please no spoilers for chapters after #6! (or for book 3... obviously)

Someone on my Gideon concept art post (I've since checked, it was @samgemrus) said they'd like to hear more of my thoughts as I read HTN, so I thought I'd indulge, since I do love a good yap XD

Let's start with the book one stuff! Art! Wanted to draw Palemedes and Camilla next bc they're my babies I adore them!!! (Speedpaint under the cut!)

I don't know why I imagine some characters the way I do but here we are, Cam with the wrong hair and Sextus with what is probably (?) too pretty of a face. I tend to imagine characters I like the personality of to be more personally aesthetically pleasing lmao I do not remember if this man's attractiveness was described or not the main character is so gay and i'm bi so idk... I guess everyone gets to be pretty XD

(Also you might peep the note in the upper left, I'll put the spoilers I got while finishing up the art at the very bottom of the post so that you can avoid them if you wish to!!)

Alright, that's book one housekeeping, let's move on to book two! thoughts and rambles and theories abound from the beginning-chapter six!

Okay! So! The second-person perspective! I still don't like it! But my discomfort with the format aids the story well, and it's been interesting to have dreams of Harrow's being written in third person along the lines of the previous book. I find that it gives off the sense that Harrow only feels moored (even by falsehoods) when she is removed from the truth of her current reality. By using the pronoun 'you' to guide the bulk of the story thus far, it leads the reader to be faced directly with Harrow's discomfort, confusion, and aching wrongness. We are the voice deep inside of her that is screaming for things to be righted and to make different choices as she fumbles along without hearing us at all.

Never would I have guessed in my journey though the GTN that Ianthe Tridentarius was going to be in any way largely important. Let alone that we'd have to spend so much time with that miserable woman.

I imagine that Harrow's false memories/delusions, that her 'forgetfulness' around and about Gideon, is for her own sanity; and perhaps is even an attempt to stop them from merging completely into Lyctor. Some play by Harrow as we once knew her, to try and save Gideon or herself - or them both.

God is weird.

God is... hm. I - he's unsettled me to be honest, but perhaps I'm just scarred by the Dumbledore-type. The ones that seem kindly and wise in their age and appearance of relative normalcy (/averageness). I can't help but feel as though he is somehow secretly very awful. The creation of his power - the way the galaxy died and these monsters were created... surely he must have been some kind of desperate as a mortal man. A man from our time. Wouldn't he be? A man who was... what? Grappling for power? To try and save anything he could? To save someone he loved? To stop someone... he loved? There is the locked tomb to consider. Since we discovered the process of becoming a Lyctor, I couldn't help but suspect, that with sword in hand, that perhaps this girl in the ice is not a lyctor but a Cavalier?

I'm not entirely sure of my reason for thinking that. Some sort of gut sense. 'God' seemed to know exactly what would happen to Harrow if he separated (or attempted to separate) Gideon and Harrow's now-entwined souls. Maybe he'd done it to himself? Maybe the reason he'd be unable to stop her if she reawakened would be because then they would be truly separate and broken? Like - perhaps he's still siphoning from her even now?

Maybe - maybe she's just a body. Maybe her soul is still entwined with his (if I'm even right that those two are connected in this way) and if you were to awaken the body... perhaps it would rend God apart in some unfixable way? Re-seperate the souls? Reverse whatever process granted him his power...

And why does he have more power than a Lyctor? Was he man to begin with at all? Or something else that gave up godhood and then returned to it? I'm excited and terrified to know.

We still no nothing of this other, more ancient Gideon. The one mentioned on the scrap of flimsy in GTN, the one Gideon's mother's body screamed out endlessly upon being called back from the dead.

For a while I thought Gideon must surely be our Gideon's fath- oh - ohhh my GOD is - is 'God' Gideon's father?! Is 'God' that ancient Gideon?! Because - oh fuck - because Gideon - our Gideon, she didn't die from the poison that brought fourth the power for Harrow's conception. Gideon didn't die when Harrow siphioned her for the trial with the box! Didn't someone expressly mention in book one that it seemed impossible that Gideon was alright - Camilla, wasn't it? That Gideon wasn't just alright, but that apart from being tired (and traumatized af lmao) she was completely healthy?!

God also chasitised Mercy for not wanting to share her name with her new sisters (also, I'm assuming 'sister is a religeous endearment like nuns or smth, but if not, marked that as - you know, no. either way mark that down as I'm uncomfy XD) and yet, we don't get to know his name. Most people wouldn't think to ask the name of 'God' would they. A man of a thousand epithets - but surely he has some 'true name' as he phrased it before, right?

Holy fucking fuck. Am I on the right track?! DON'T ANSWER THAT XD

I still don't know how (our) Gideon's mother would have made it to the here-and-now, or... unless she wasn't old? Unless she wasn't from then... Maybe she just worked closely with them on the ship? The ship... the ship he (god) feels sorrowful to leave as if it holds some kind of significant memory? Fuck there's so many loose ends, and I've probably tangled all the wrong threads but... holy fuck, that would be interesting wouldn't it?

Also Mercy is deeply annoying so far XD

Here's the Pam and Cam speedpaint to finish this very long red-string post up XD (Also don't ask how I'm drawing so many concepts this fast bc idk - it's probably the neurodivergencies and the fact that they're sketches lmao)

I wanted to give Cam scars, but I have a feeling girly is about to go through a LOT more bs and I wanna wait until I know more of what she's been through before I decide what scars to give her :3

THE SPOILERS (?) I GOT:

Apparently, Gideon's father's name is John (boring) and Cam gets murdered?! (SAD!!!!) I think I got other ones as well, but IDK if it's just small details I missed/forgot from book one or if some resurrection shenanigans are gonna happen with a couple people from the book one cast??? (Particularly Sextus??? Probably not tho lmao)

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yanderewonderlandgame · 7 months ago

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Happy new year! Progress update(CGs/GUI/art):

All things art is going to take time!! I need to make at least 6 characters designs for the release.

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-Working on CG art 🎨 (wasn't going to originally for a bit, but I think I can get some roughs out into the game and major details can be added later.

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-working on the gui:

Almost ready:

Dialouge window

⌛Completed:

Buttons(skip, auto play, save, load, pref and history)

Option buttons

Menu backgrounds

⏳Upcoming:

Main menu screen

Gallery window

Glossary

Chapters(will be easy to finish and will most likely be out on release)

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⏳In the future: When the game is done, the game will automatically start over, with a slightly different prolouge each time.

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-Prolouge I'm adding more to it. Editing. I plan to push it out pretty quick :) although I plan to include some chapters as well. Chapter 1 for at least 3 characters.

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-adding a cellphone📱as it's important in later stories in the plot

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A lot of personal information inputs throughout the story may be asked.

❗Note: that it's more so to make your story feel a bit more personalized in what the yanderes knows about your person.❗

You can always put fake info, but the fun is with the story being more focused on you.

There's inputs at the start asking for a name, nickname, last name, Date of birth, etc...

It's using the renpy engine, and there's no internet access in the game so it's in your private discretion. ♥️♥️

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-Debating adding an introduction (most likely later release)

Currently:

At least 20 backgrounds in the prolouge.

Getting rid of any useless dialouge, repetition, heavy editting, and possible plot holes are being removed. Since it's going to release as sort of an early access, future updates may change parts of the prolouge.

Setting up multiple choice stuff for future routes, (secret characters won't be easy to locate, and the plan is that there will be several deep story elements involved in those routes. If there's a secret character, it'll be in the patch notes (but may be much later as some of these characters may only become accessible in around chapters 6-7 of a main route)

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Game release:

It's going to release with: 3-5 chapters

Right now at least 5 branches in the prolouge

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Cheshire cat🐈

White rabbit🐇

Mad hatter💊

???? (OC)🍀

???? (OC)🃏

The two original characters I'm proud of.

Mad hatter route may reach full completion first before the other routes. I've completed several but scrapped them as each character developed. Just so everything is in line with the lore of this version of the story. The mad Hatter route is a baseline for at least 2 future characters.

Game price point/included content/rating/read time:

Game will be free for the time being. This includes the NSFW content. In the future I may make a Patreon or discord and anyone can pick what chapter they want to see next.

The art is taking the longest to do. Once it's complete, releasing the game will become a lot easier. So dealing with the gritty stuff first so there are less delays later. ;)

Small CG preview, took a picture of it on the tablet, it's not a whole lot, you'll see the finished picture in the game. See you guys soon. It's getting closer each day.

I'll be calculating the read time at release, but maybe around 1-3 hours to start. Goal is it have an update each week.

NSFW: 18+

The game has a lot of intimate scenes whether kissing or not.

NSFW: R-15+

Game is not really safe for work at all. There are still going to be points of intimacy between characters in the non sex scenes. The game is kinda going to get that rating. Sadly several routes might not be R-15 based on the goals of a particular character (some characters have a power struggle, others just want to isolate themselves from others.)

Next post will be a bit later. Closer to when the game is to be released.

#otome game #r19 #yandere #yandere wonderland #male yandere #vn #yandere boyfriend #yandere male #indie otome #otome #english otome #otome vn #otome games #yandere doctor #mad hatter #chesire cat #alice in wonderland

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pfffsfic · 1 year ago

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Post-Fall Falls False Starts- Chapter 6: Wish Upon a Triangle

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

"Cosplaying him didn't work, or at least it hasn't yet," Sarah mused. "I was gonna go and try to fall asleep by the instructions for summoning him, but it turns out I've only ever seen here and never actually been here and I don't know my way around at all. Embarrassing, right? I just fell asleep in a random cave and hoped that would work."

Rob blinked absently.

"Thing is, I dunno when we are. Like, has he already been summoned? If I did it first, would that lead to some kind of freaky paradox? Would I be on the wrong side of time law? I guess I also want him to come to me because that's more satisfying than just brute-forcing it and making him show up, but is that too selfish of me, or is it just the right level of selfish?"

"Uh-"

"Besides! Imagine I summon him and he asks why, and I say, oh! I dunno. I just wanted to talk! That would make me seem so desperate! Ugh, but maybe desperation can be cool in sort of a yandere type of way? Is that how I want him to see me? As some- some- fangirl? Well, maybe I am, but not for him! This is purely a narrative thing! Ugh! How the heck do I get him to notice me without making it seem like I want him to notice me? Rob, any ideas?"

Rob scrunched his eye closed. He felt like a web browser with 52 tabs open. Minutes earlier, Sarah had led him back to camp, sat him down, and promised to explain everything. She had asked him where to start, he had said, 'wherever you think is best', and she had replied, 'okay, I'll start in the middle'.

"Uh, you want me to tell you how to meet a demon?"

"Not just any demon. We're talking about-"

"I know, you've said Bill like fifteen times! I have no clue who he even is or why you wanna meet him so bad. We're done with the middle and the end- start at the beginning. Can you do that?"

"The beginning. Okay, okay, sure, I can do that. I'm more of an in medias res type of girl, myself, but linear storytelling has its benefits-"

"Get to the point."

"Chill out! I'm getting there! Okay, okay, so! Our story begins in 2012."

"Maybe start a little closer to the present."

"No can do. You want the whole story, right? Besides, 2012 is the present right now, at least probably. The timeline hasn't been confirmed- whatever."

Rob almost scoffed, but found himself nodding and burying his chin in his palm.

"Okay, so, the year is 2012, and the media landscape is a pretty great place for a company called- wait. No, no, let me start from the veeeeery beginning. The year is 1901. Flora and Elias Disney are in Chicago, Illinois, about to bring their fourth child into the world..."

The shadows grew longer, and Sarah's story meandered every which way, and at one point she retrieved a flashlight from who-knows-where and held it under her chin despite the lack of anything spooky in her ramblings. When she finished, the first stars of the night had appeared in the evening sky above the clearing. Rob found himself staring at them instead of paying attention.

"Anyways," said Sarah, taking a breath so deep she momentarily turned inside out (had she not been breathing for the hours it took her to tell the story?) "Gravity Falls. That's where we are."

He sat up, rubbed his eye, and thought for a moment, 'what a waste of time'. And then, as if by a truck, he felt the weight all of the information his subconscious brain had picked up on while he zoned out.

"Wait," he said, holding his hands up. "You're telling me this place where we are exists in the form of a fictional cartoon back home? We are inside a story you've already seen? Right now?"

He knew this place was also a work of fiction to the real world, but he had never once considered that it might be fiction to his world as well. What did that mean? Surely that had really huge implications hovering just outside of his cognitive reach! Hindsight was 20/20! And now, for better or worse, he was no longer the capable one. Upstaged. By a fangirl, no less. Typical. Hold on, he wondered, what if this went both ways? What if somebody recognized him as a fictional character? That would be bad for his whole monster shtick that he had been fantasizing about on the down-low since his encounter with that human guy. He'd need to know for sure! Sarah was nodding.

"Do you know if there's an internet in this universe?" Rob asked. His phone had been dead since long before he left Elmore, what with the lack of a usable power grid.

"Sure there is! After all, in season 2, episode 2-" Sarah paused, noticing Rob's dead, empty gaze, and got to the point quickly. "Yes, the internet exists here. Why? Oh, don't tell me..."

Sarah was blushing and squishing her cheeks now and Rob felt it was best for his peace of mind to not think about why. He had in his grasp a chance at thriving in this new world, armed with someone knowledgable about it, and he could not jeopardize that by giving the poor girl an existential crisis over her own nonexistence. He had come to think of himself as the solemn guardian of forbidden knowledge- a man (or, when it counted, kid) burdened with the truth and the responsibility associated with that truth. That had been the ethos behind his convoluted rescue plan for the people of Elmore Junior High. Well, that and it seemed like the kind of plan a professional supervillain ought to make, and, provided there were a lack of supervillains in the real world, he wanted his rather spotted career to go out with a real bang.

"Sarah, I just wanted to ask- no hard feelings, right?"

"Hard feelings? About you not listening to me? Oh, trust me, I get that all the time."

"No! I meant about the whole Superintendent Evil thing!"

"That? That was a long time ago."

"It was two weeks ago."

"Two weeks is a long time in the apocalypse. Look, don't worry about it, okay? Human AUs are totally classic! I was just thinking, hmmm- if this Evil guy is actually evil, Gumball and Darwin will take care of him in about 11 minutes."

That comment might as well have been an arrow through Rob's nonexistent heart.

"Would it cheer you up if you got to say, 'I told you so'?"

He had wanted to say that before, but now there was very little fight left in him.

"I told you so," Rob replied in a weak little voice...

...That grew stronger as something bubbled up inside of him.

"I told you so! I TOLD YOU SO!" He got to his feet, gesturing wildly, as his pent-up rage came to the surface. "Nobody listened, and we could be in the real world, but instead I'm stuck here with a crazy weirdo girl who's trying to summon a demon! On purpose! And we have no food, no internet, no way home, heck, no home to return to. It's your fault. It's all of your faults! The one time I try and do something good, fate comes along and slaps me in the face for it! UUUGH!"

He smacked his head on a nearby tree and fell backwards into the dirt, clutching it in pain and glitching out for a second. Why was it that every time he tried to lash out in anger he ended up hurting himself? ...Well, in this specific instance, he wasn't sure what he thought would happen.

"What did you think would happen?" Sarah asked, peering over him.

"Shut up," he mumbled, rolling over to lay face-down in the dirt.

"Do you need ice?"

"I know that if I say yes, you're gonna-"

She flopped down next to him on her back so that they were cheek-to-cheek, her iciness soothing his headache a little. He reluctantly let it happen. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but something about the whole situation lulled him away from the waking world and into an uneasy dream.

It was the forest, yes, just as it had been before he fell asleep, only Sarah was absent and so were the stars above. He noticed moments later that the floor underfoot was the familiar- if heavily cracked- tile floor of Elmore Junior High, covered in the dirt that lined the forest floor in the waking world, with a familiar hole several feet from him leading down into the void. It wasn't growing. A moment from his memory forever frozen in time. Something drew him towards the hole and he discovered first that its surface rippled like water and second that he could see his reflection in it.

The reflection shifted and changed with the surface of the liquid static. It melted into his cute (he liked to think so) look from long before he had been chewed up and spit out, and then into how he'd looked right before hitching a ride out of the void the first time, and then into Superintendent Evil's visage, and then into an odd human form he didn't recognize- and then into a yellow, strangely-shaped form he definitely didn't recognize.

It blinked.

Five seconds later, Rob processed what exactly was wrong with that, and six seconds later, one of the reflection's black hands reached past the static surface and latched onto the edge of the hole, pulling its entire triangular body out and into the air right in front of Rob's face. The thing put its hands on what passed for its hips, ascended further into the sky, and turned a gaze with an undercurrent of frustration to Rob, who blinked and suddenly righted himself in confusion. Something stirred in the back of his mind, something that would have helped clarify the situation had he been more lucid.

"Hey, kid! Want a once-in-ten-billion-lifetimes opportunity?" came a shrill voice from everywhere, though Rob gathered the thing was the one speaking by how its body flashed. "You're about to hear me say something I have never said before! Listen up- I'll only say it once- this is the kind of thing you're gonna remember for the rest of your life, whether you want to or not!"

Happiness, maybe? Annoyance? Anger? It was hard to tell. Either way, Rob found his words at the exact same time that the yellow thing did, and as it turned out, they were the exact same words.

"Who the heck are you?"

#rob tawog #sarah g lato #bill cipher #gravity falls #the amazing world of gumball #finally! a GF character appears!#postfallfallsfalsestarts #postfALLOFIT

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alpydk · 4 months ago

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20 Questions: Writing Edition

Oh god @nocryptographer - I'll be here all night... But thank you :D

How many works do you have on ao3?

66... But I write a lot of shorter fics. Though, one of those fics is actually 24 fics too. I have a lot of fics.

What’s your total ao3 word count?

303,617 - A year of work there :D

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Cabinet of Oddities

Consequences and Confessions

Eclipse

By Mystra

The Moment

Also, while I'm here. Your fic of Riley Loses The Baby is an amazing yet absolutely heartbreaking fic and I love you for writing it.

What fandoms do you write for?

BG3, House MD. I have some one-offs for Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil, and am the sole writer for Last Days of the Space Age.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yessss..... But I'm crap at it. Someone leaves me an amazing comment and I plan to reply and then I forget and then too long passes and I think it's odd to reply so I put it off longer. It's a whole thing. I also never know what to reply back.

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. So many to choose from!

I'm going with Circling Sky though. What started as an angst will they/won't they, turned into the most painful fic I've ever written ending in Gale's writing a suicide note and the woman who fell in love with him unsure if she could be with him any longer. It was heavy even for me.

Do you get hate on fics?

Only anonymously. Got accused of copying another writer's idea, despite the fact I posted my fic before them and we hadn't even discussed it together AT ALL. Had someone bad mouth an ending to a fic simply because they didn't enjoy it (boo hoo). And I've had someone tell me to KMS because my work was depressing. You see why I deleted my Tumblr with my breakdown?

Do you write smut?

I have written smut but I doubt it will be happening again for a while. I just don't enjoy it. Not because it's difficult. I, 1 - Get bored with it. Once something has gone in a hole, how many ways can you really write it? and 2 - Smut just makes me uncomfortable. Maybe I'm just old?

Do you write crossovers?

H.S - Sort of a BG3 Tom Cardy crossover. I'd love to do a House and BG3 one but it needs to get into the queue with every other idea.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. But then again, I don't go searching.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have to try to understand my own English a day or two after writing, but I doubt that's what's being asked. So, no.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No, but me and @judasiskariot have been discussing it! We just need the stars to align!

What’s your all time favourite ship?

BOOOOOOOGGGGGGGG!

Otherwise Gale/Rugan

What’s the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't think I can leave a WIP unfinished. I have my Isekai one started... and that's been on chapter 1 for about 6 months now, but the notes are written. I think I just need to figure out the ending for that one.

What are your writing strengths?

Asking the wrong person. I can be poetic as fuck sometimes.

What are your writing weaknesses?

My writing.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

Done it! What a Røv - A Gale and Tav short where she speaks Illuskan (or Danish, in this case). It was a lot of fun but I dread someone coming along and saying it's cringe. IT'S NOT OKAY!

First fandom you wrote for?

Baldur's Gate 3 - Just over a year of writing now. Though I did write fics when I was young, I wouldn't class them as fanfics. I just stole names from things I liked.

Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

I've been thinking a lot about As You Wish recently. That one just seemed to click in all the right places. Asshole abusive Ex-husband, Gale being Romantic, angst and comfort with a nice happy ending.

My favourite changes with each day of the month it seems.

---

Tagging @optimisticgrey @senualothbrok @serenaoffaerun - And open tag for anyone else who wants to take this.

#bg3 fanfiction #tag game #that was easier than expected #except for the two questions but im not in a job interview so neh #also i never know who to tag for these things #people are busy with their lives or dont have writing they want to talk about and im just here yapping #yap yap yap #even in these tags ive got nothing better to do

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12thhouse-sun · 5 months ago

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

@lanafofana threw glitter on me and then ran away therefore I am required to follow through with these shenanigans (love youuuu)

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Eight!!! Hopefully more soon!

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

67, 826

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

you're at the top of my lungs Gale x f!tav events of bg3 longfic!

fine art Gale x f!Tav emotional post-game smut plus some gale teasing

three's a party TWO, count em, TWO simulacrum threesomes

Axioms of heavenly bodies; an intimate analysis of systems unknown and the pleasures contained therein cute Gale x f!tav modern au smutty oneshot

a bene placito Gale x f!Tav married morning sex, cockwarming, etc

4) What fandoms do you write for?

Baldur's Gate 3 for now. Maybe I'll eventually get inspired enough to write some Dragon Age (Veilguard specifically, or maybe even Inqusition if I keep playing???)

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to! As a writer seeing a comment brings me THE MOST joy and so i want to thank each and every one of you for being there. And also as a reader, I love when the author responds esp if it leads to whole-ass convos. I've actually made friends this way!

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhhhhh the published WIPs I have right now I plan on having happy endings. And a few of the unpublished ones as well. There are a few early-draft WIPs that I'm considering a more angsty end direction, but there's so much angst fodder in Gale and Poppy's stories already, that I like the angst being throughout and then putting them back together.

But never say never!

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I guess Axioms? Because of the love confession, multiple orgasms, etc etc. Again, my published multi-fic chapters have yet to get to the ending so ask me again once both are finished lmao

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! And if I get any I will cry

9) Do you write smut?

hehehehehehehehehe

10) Do you write crossovers?

I haven't yet, and don't have any in mind at the moment, even as just a loose idea. The closest idea that I have is a modern au bg3 fic where a local theater is putting on Heathers. Gale plays JD. I will not elaborate further lmao. OH I ALMOST FORGOT and a My Big Fat Greek Wedding idea but Gale is Toula lmao.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so? I hope not :sob:

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of but if anyone's interested PLEASE LET ME KNOW I'D LOVE TO CHAT

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not yet! But the girlies and I chat enough about our blorbos where maybe something will happen @dr-demi-bee Miri and Poppy crossover fic? Maybe?

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh god. The Doctor and Rose, probably.

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Lmao all of them, ideally! I'd love to finish YATTOML because it's THE bg3 story and I know where I want it to go, I just need to sit down and write it. I also have a modern college au that I have big feelings about and would love to start publishing (ONCE IT"S DONE).

16) What are your writing strengths?

I've been told I nail Gale's voice and that I write very good smut. Other than that, I'm not sure? Maybe I should start asking for more explicit feedback lmao.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

I can't focus on one fic at a time for long enough to contribute anything productive. Hence why I feel like I haven't published anything substantial in ages.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I think it's great, though I'd be too nervous to actually give it a go beyond a phrase here or there. I don't want the native speakers to be taken out of it. I love reading it as a reader, though.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Baldur's Gate 3!!!!

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Oh geez. Probably Axioms. I shared ONE snippet of an idea in the server and everyone was like MOAR PLEAAAASE and so I turned one snippet into a whole 6.8k word thing. It was the first time I really captured Gale's voice and there's something about it that's really comforting. Also Tara and Hey There Delilah lmao.

Lana glitter-tagged the whole server so I will add (no pressure obvs) @pouroverpaloma @tociminna @thecurlyginger

#ask game #last light writes #wheeeeee

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reki-of-the-valley · 1 year ago

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Summer Time (Family) Madness

Almost a whole ass year later, I post the revised chapter 5 💀 But hey, I'm finished uni forever now, so maybe I'll have more time to write?

First | < Previous | Chapter 5 | Next >

“Dude, you were so cool tonight! I can’t believe you pulled that trick off! I totally would’ve landed on my ass!”

It was hard to think of anything other than the grin that broke across Reki’s face as he went on and on, praising and complimenting Langa for yet another race won, but still, Langa made sure to duck his head, his skateboard pressed to his chest as he crawled through the open window. He couldn’t afford another head injury just because Reki’s voice was ever so distracting; it had already been hard enough to explain to his mother why he had been all patched up, his eyebrow suddenly split open. He shuddered at the thought of the skeptical look in her eyes as he lied through his teeth, assuring her he had just tripped on his way home from school. She probably hadn’t believed him, Langa being the shit liar that he was, but she also didn’t ask any further questions. All she had left him with was the reassurance that if anything was going on, she was there to listen to him.

“And that jump?” Reki let his body flop onto his bed, deep amber eyes shining under the dimmed lights of his room. “So cool.”

“You were cool too, you know.”

It was almost commendable how quickly Reki could switch between grins and that flush of embarrassment. He was so good at complimenting everyone around him, praising every little thing he admired, but the moment those compliments were pointed at him, he froze up. His face always turned that bright red as he denied any sort of praise directed at him; he shook his head as if shaking away the words presented to him.

“No, nope, no way. Can’t be cool, I lost. You, on the other hand…”

“Reki,” Langa settled on the edge of the bed, unable to peel his eyes away from Reki, “you’re so cool. It’s not about winning or losing—”

“I know, I know, it’s about having fun.”

Reki stuck his tongue out, annoyance coating his words as he called Langa a sap, but not once had Langa thought him serious. Despite his tone, his bright smile shone through, piercing the annoyance like sunshine breaks through rain clouds. Reki, he always had the ability to be the brightest person in the room, from the twinkle in his eyes to his wide grin; Reki, he was always so captivating. But before Langa could say anything more, insist once more that Reki was amazing, him with his countless talents, the boy was bouncing back onto his feet.

“You mind if I ditch you for a bit? I really need a shower; feel gross and all, y’know?”

Reki shifted his weight back and forth, his fingers pulling at the skin of his wrist. Sparkling amber eyes were decidedly pointed at his feet, his gaze flickering between his toes and whatever was scattered around his bedroom floor. His eyes were avoiding Langa, so much was obvious; Langa would have had to be a complete idiot to not notice it.

Compliments always made Reki feel awkward; Langa had started to note the sudden shift between Reki’s bubbliness and that awkwardness whenever dared say anything nice about him. Maybe he just didn’t know how to react, not yet accustomed to accepting compliments, always feeling the need to deny what was obviously there. Maybe. But regardless of the reason, that had to change. Langa was not going to allow Reki to deny every little wonderful thing that made him so wonderful; he wasn’t going to let Reki deflect every compliment Langa would shower him with. Things would have to change, but not quite yet. That was something to work on later.

“Go. You’re sweaty and gross and I know your mom hates having to wash your sweaty sheets. I’ll just…” Langa’s eyes scanned over the room; he wasn’t sure what he was looking for, so he settled his gaze back on Reki. “Can I take one after you?”

“Yeah, sure man!” A grin broke across Reki’s face, a smile Langa couldn’t help but mirror at the best of his abilities. “Just don’t drop my mom’s shampoo down the drain this time.”

Langa frowned, groaning at the memory. It had been an accident, and Reki knew that. The bottle had slipped from his hands and had spilled all over. He had tried to present the damage, he had tried scooping back up what had poured out of the container, but his effort had been in vain. Everything was going faster than he could react. And Langa had apologized; he had apologized at least a thousand times over, having even replaced the bottle of Mrs. Kyan’s shampoo with his own hard-earned money despite her assuring him it was fine. He had done everything in his power to fix his mistake, but Reki had it his own personal mission to remind Langa of the incident. A grin always broke across his face as he teased him about his butterfingers.

Langa shoved a snickering Reki out of his room. “Get out of here. Go take your stupid shower.”

And just like that, Reki was gone. Langa knew he wouldn’t be alone for very long, Reki always being quick to wash, unlike Langa, but that didn’t stop the room from suddenly seeming intimidating. And sure, he knew the room better than his own, knew it as well as the back of his hand, if not even better, but without Reki physically in it, everything seemed so strange. He was there; he was everywhere, from the posters on the walls to his clothing scattered on the ground, probably having been thrown at the hamper but missed, and yet, it was too quiet to be Reki. It was missing that loud energy that accompanied Reki wherever he went; everything felt too small to be Reki, Reki, who made everything feel so big. Or maybe it was just that Langa suddenly had all the freedom in the world; maybe it was just that he had free rein for a few minutes. That freedom was the most intimidating thing of all; Langa could do as he pleased without consequence.

A flash of yellow caught Langa’s eye. A yellow sleeve poked out from under the bed; mindlessly, Langa’s fingers curled around the soft fabric. His eyes fell shut as he pressed the hoodie to his chest and buried his face in the hood. A faded scent of orange mixed with what was undeniably Reki enveloped Langa as he sunk into the mattress once more; sweat, sunshine, his deodorant, his shampoo, it was all imprinted in the fabric. That hoodie, it was so undeniably Reki. That hoodie, it had the power to calm Langa, leaving him grounded and content. Paradise.

“Whatcha doing?”

A blush flared across Langa’s face as he pushed the hoodie into his lap and straightened his back. Reki stood in his doorway, a towel loosely hanging around his neck. His hair was damp, water trickling down his cheek, his jaw, his neck… Langa gulped; there was no way he was allowing himself to follow the path of those stray drops of water. There was absolutely no way.

“Langa?”

Sirens blared in Langa’s head as Reki grew closer, his eyebrow arched. A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, a smile Langa knew far too well. It was that same smile Reki always wore, that smile coated with a hint of confusion or uncertainty. It was one of those smiles that left Langa’s stomach flipping as his eyes darted to his lap. What was he supposed to do when Reki was looking at him so intently?

“I’m…” Slowly, blue skies found the sun. “Checking if it’s clean?”

It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement, but panic had mangled Langa’s voice. It had left him cringing at himself, at the way Reki was looking at him, at the sudden heaviness in the room and on his chest. He had sounded as guilty as he looked, as he felt, the hoodie half-buried between his thighs.

Reki, he had to know. He had to know what Langa was being weird. He had to have felt the awkwardness that coated Langa’s words. He had to know all of this; it had to be the reason he was getting closer. He had to be readying himself to take the hoodie away, readying the names he could throw Langa’s way before asking him to leave and never come back. He had thought Langa was weird, and this was going to be their downfall. Noticing that wretched hoodie under the bed was going to be the reason Langa would lose what meant the most to him.

Langa’s stomach dropped to his feet as fingers, then a palm, settled against his forehead, pushing his bangs away. His heart flipped in his chest as the movement followed its course, those calloused fingers sliding down to his cheek. Everything felt like it was suffocating him as Reki stared at him with a look Langa couldn’t quite decipher. Concern? Worry? What exactly was it that shone in those eyes?

“Dude, you’re burning up.” The suffocating summer air felt cold against Langa’s cheek as Reki pulled his hand back, though it quickly settled back in its spot against Langa’s skin. “You sure you’re alright? Y’know, sleep depravation can-!”

“I’m fine! I just—” Everything was moving on its own, Langa’s feet leading him to the door are his fingers shoved Reki’s hand away and curled around the hoodie, “I need a shower. That’s all.”

Everything sounded so far away as Langa pushed his way out of the room, making a beeline for the bathroom. Everything seemed to be buzzing between his ears as he marched ahead. Everything seemed like it was going to kill him. Everything that was Reki, at least.

Reki… He was going to kill Langa with all that touching and worrying and genuine kindness. He was being an amazing friend, better than anything Langa knew back in Canada. He was being the best friend Langa could ever ask for and he could not risk ruining that because his stupid heart wanted to jump out of his chest every time Reki dared look or smile at him. He could not risk ruining his friendship over a stupid little crush.

A hot shower was exactly what Langa needed. The scorching water was soothing against his aching muscles, leaving his skin red with a slight burning sensation. And perhaps a cold shower would have been better to cool down from the summer heat, to cool the fire that had pumped through his veins as sweat dripped down his forehead, to wash away the grim from his hair after a long night of skateboarding, but there was just something so comforting about the hot water. It was something Langa couldn’t quite explain to others. It just felt like… home. Home in Canada. Home in the snow. Home where he would wash away the freezing cold away under a scorching rain. Hot showers had always felt so nice to him. They had always been so relaxing to him. That was until the bathroom door was opened.

The yelp was involuntary, a natural reaction as Langa’s back slammed against the wall. Steam swirled around him as hot rain splattered against the tiles, concealing him from prying eyes, not that there was anyone searching for his body. An arm was all that was poked in, a pair of sweatpants waving around the small bathroom as Reki’s whispers echoes against the walls.

“Thought these would be more comfortable than your sweaty jeans.” The clothes were tossed into the sink with a worrying amount of accuracy, leaving Reki’s hand waving about. “Sorry for freaking out, man. Didn’t think you’d notice me or anything, and I didn’t want to interrupt you. And I swear I’m not looking!”

“Why…” Langa huffed as he grabbed his towel and shut the water off. His whispers echoed almost too loudly, annoyance dripping like the water down his neck. “Why didn’t you just knock?”

“Didn’t want to interrupt you? And like, you could’ve locked the door if you didn’t want to be bothered, so this is on you, dude. Just—” Reki’s arm disappeared behind the door, probably returning to his side, “hurry up and don’t break anything!”

And with that, the door was clicking behind Reki, leaving Langa alone once more.

Isolation had never suited Langa very well. It left him with his thoughts to spiral, a state of mind that always worried those around him. And if he was being totally honest, he never enjoyed being completely alone. It was scary not having a single person to turn to; it was scary seeing a vast world with no color to shine through. Loneliness had always been Langa’s darkest foe, at least everywhere other than the bathroom. There, he valued his privacy. There, he enjoyed not having any company. He didn’t need crowds cheering him on as he went on with his personal business. He didn’t need Reki talking to him through the door.

Light laughter bubbled out of Langa as he got dressed, hopping around as he pulled the pants on one leg at a time. The bathroom was a place for privacy anywhere but in the Kyan household. Here, family members burst through doors with little to no warning. Here, privacy was a privilege, not a right. Here, well, he had witnessed firsthand Reki’s mother walking into the bathroom to pick up some laundry as he brushed his teeth.

“Unless the door is locked,” Reki had once warned, “expect someone to walk in on you.”

And Reki had been right; he more often than not was right. Someone had walked in on Langa, someone who was none other than Reki. Someone had opened the door and tossed some clothes for Langa. Someone had handpicked soft jersey pants for Langa, pants that hung loosely around his hips and cuffed above his ankles.

These were probably the longest, and largest, pair of pants Reki owned. And looking at how strange the clothing looked against Langa’s pale skin, how everything, from the hoodie to the sweatpants, seemed so large on his small frame and narrow hips, Langa knew that these weren’t made for him. This outfit was made some someone with broader shoulders, someone with stronger thighs. This was made for someone whose strength was apparent to the naked eye, not someone built like a twig. These were clothes that would look wonderful on Reki, falling loosely around his body just the way he liked. This outfit was made for comfort, something Langa always found in Reki. This outfit was made for Reki, Reki who was soft and comfortable and…

Langa shook his head, hoping to shake the thought of Reki out of his mind. The last thing he needed right now was to think of Reki wearing this exact outfit, how beautiful he would look wearing this, as Langa made his way back to the bedroom. The last thing he needed was for his mind to be flooded with memories of Reki, of his smiles, as he lightly knocked on the door before sliding it open and slipping in soundlessly. The last thing he needed was to be distracted as he was faced with Reki already pressed deep into his mattress, his pretty face illuminated by a screen as the rest of the room was plunged into darkness.

The bed curved under Langa’s weight as he took a seat at the edge, his eyes never leaving Reki. A snort parted the boy’s lips as he flipped onto his back, pressing his phone into the sheets and pushing himself into a sitting position. Everything had gone dark until Reki was close, his shoulder brushing against Langa’s as his lock screen stared back at Langa, leaving him with a hint of a smile. As embarrassing as it was to see his face below the ungodly hour of 2:53 am, it was always nice to see Reki’s picture-perfect smile right next to him.

“Sorry ‘bout the bathroom thing. I forgot you…” A sharp inhale drew Langa out of his overflowing inner monologue about Reki’s lock screen. “I should have knocked.”

“It’s okay. Just startled me.”

“Sorry again.” Silence fell as Reki’s eyes flicked down to Langa’s chest, sending an electric shock down his spine. “Aw, dude, you sure you wanna wear that one? It’s gross and—”

“No.” It was defensive; it was instinctive, the arms that wrapped around his own body, the fingers digging into the thick fabric, the lean back as Reki tried grabbing one of the hoodie’s strings. “I like this one. It’s soft.”

It smells like you. It reminds me of you. The words felt heavy on Langa’s tongue, words he bit back before ruining everything. Some things were just best left unsaid.

A shrug of the shoulders was enough for him to know that Reki hadn’t found the comment completely deranged. Reki was good at that, not questioning things further than they needed to be.

“Alright, whatever you say, man.”

And with that, the boy fell back into this mattress, his phone bouncing to the ground and falling with a thud, which Reki didn’t seem to care for in the slightest. No, his mind seemed to be far from this room, from this moment, from his phone which might have shattered beyond its usual extent.

Bothered amber eyes stared ahead at the dark ceiling as his nails dug and picked at the scarred skin of his knees. Light marks had blossomed across his sun-kissed skin, the result of all those years of skating and bailing, concrete leaving its mark on a once blank canvas. And how Langa wished to kiss every one of those scars away. How he wished to leave his mark, his promise to never let anything ever hurt Reki again. If it were up to Langa, if he could help it, not a single scar or bruise would ever form anywhere on Reki’s body. Not ever.

“We…” Another sharp inhale broke the silence, drawing Langa’s attention back to Reki’s face as the boy pushed himself into a sitting position. “Koyomi is using the guest futon, which means we’re gonna have to share. Again.” Sunny eyes set, a worrying gleam coating them with something Langa couldn’t quite place. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” The question was blurted out faster than Langa could process what was happening. “We share my bed all the time when we stay at my place.” Such were the facts, facts that Reki seemed that have been forgetting as he seemed to chew on the inside of his lip, still refusing to look at Langa. “We don’t have a guest futon.”

Finally, those pretty eyes met Langa. “Yeah, but your bed is bigger!” And just as quickly, they dipped back down. “Mine is, well…”

Reki gestured his bed, spreading his arms open and falling back to demonstrate the lack of room on his twin mattress. So what if it wasn’t the biggest bed Langa had come across during his lifetime? It was big enough for the two of them; the proof was that they had been just fine the last time Langa had stayed over. And anyway, it wasn’t like they weren’t accustomed to being in each other’s bubble. What was one night pressed together compared to all those months spent connected at the hip?

A smile pulled at the corner of Langa’s mouth as he squeezed himself between Reki and the wall. Their shoulders pressed together as Reki’s eyes found Langa’s, though not without seeming to widen ever so slightly.

“It’s fine, Reki.” Another smile, always a little easier than the last. “I don’t mind if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

And to prove his point, Langa nuzzled his face into the pillow, getting ever so comfortable in Reki’s bed. And maybe his heart was pounding in his chest, threatening to break out of its cage, but given how all the worry seemed to melt from Reki’s face, his cheek also pressed into a pillow as the boys laid facing each other, he couldn’t bring himself to care. All Langa could care for was the way Reki was snuggling closer to him, his nose pressed against the crook of Langa’s neck, an arm draped over Langa’s waist, right on the small patch of exposed skin where neither the hoodie nor the sweatpants quite reached.

Hesitantly, Langa’s hand found its way to Reki’s head, fingers tentatively stroking the boy’s wild red hair. And even if Langa knew it from all the times locks of hair had brushed against his cheek, it was always so surprising to feel the softness of Reki’s hair. It was nothing like Langa’s silky hair, hair that fell nearly perfectly without doing anything to it, but it had its own kind of softness: a Reki kind of soft. And when Reki let out a low hum of satisfaction as he snuggled closer, Langa felt his breath hitch and his insides tightening.

Reki, he liked this. He liked being there, pressed against Langa. And it wasn’t surprising, Langa knew Reki was a cuddler, but still, it had simply never occurred to him that this might be something that would be enjoyed. It had never occurred to Langa that Reki might like having his hair played with, fingers threading through wild locks. It had never occurred to Langa that he had the power to make Reki feel good and safe. It had never occurred to Langa that it was as simple as this.

“You’re gonna make me fall asleep…”

Another smile pulled at the corners of Langa’s mouth as Reki mumbled into the hoodie. His eyes had since fallen shut; his breath had also steadied. The small room, which had once been filled with uncertainty, had given in to peace. If Langa had felt a pit form at the pit of his stomach before, it had long left him.

“That’s the point. You need sleep.” Light laughter lost itself in the red wilderness as Reki huffed, not bothering to fight back. There simply was no fighting when soothing fingers tangled themselves with locks of red hair, nails lightly grazing Reki’s scalp. “But you know, you really are amazing, Reki. Never sell yourself short. Like, that turn you did? It was fucking amazing. I still don’t get how you managed to pull it off without bailing. When you had finally perfected it, finally nailing it for the first time, I spent an entire week trying to copy you and never got it. Just kept falling off my board. Never seemed to get it right. But you? You were so fucking cool, I could just—!”

Reki’s hands shot up to cover Langa’s mouth, muffling the end of his sentence. Big amber eyes were once again avoiding Langa’s; Reki’s face burned bright red once again, matching his cheeks to his hair.

“If you don’t stop right now, I will shove you off the bed.”

Langa sighed, pushing Reki’s hands away. Slowly, the boy settled against him once again, burying his face in the hood of the yellow sweater. There was no doubt that Reki was still burning up, but Langa didn’t mention it. Bringing up the color, no matter how pretty it made Reki look, no matter how much it made Reki’s freckles stand out, it would be setting himself up for a night spent on the floor. Instead, Langa simply let his hand find its way back to the red hair, playing with the strands once more.

“Fine, but just so you know, I still find you cool. And I’d be nothing without you since you’re the one who taught me how to skate and all.”

“Sleep, Langa. You’re rambling nonsense again.”

This time, Langa didn’t protest. There was no point; Reki would deflect the praise until the sun came up, and probably until it dipped back down again. One day, Reki would accept the praise Langa showered him in, but tonight was not that day. Tonight was the night Langa would let out a sigh as a smile hung from his lips; it was the night he would rest his chin atop Reki’s head, breathing in his shampoo. Tonight was the night Langa would resist the urge to press a kiss right there, right where it would feel so right to do so.

It would only be one night, Langa knew that, but it would be a night he would enjoy. It was a night he would treasure, a night he wouldn’t let slip through his fingers. Tonight, he would spend his time cuddled up under the sheets with Reki, pretending this was every night. Tonight, he would enjoy the feeling of Reki’s weight against him, the steady rise and fall of his chest. Tonight, Langa wouldn’t think of how he would trade anything in the world to have this every single day of his life.

------

Langa wasn’t sure when he had fallen asleep, but when his eyes opened to greet the morning, the bed was empty. The spot beside him was cold; Reki must have gotten up a good while ago. It was a mystery as to how or when Reki had left him; he hadn’t felt him slip out from under his arm.

Disappointment accompanied the morning sun peering through the curtains. Langa had really hoped to wake up before Reki; he had hoped he would be able to watch him sleep a little longer, watch him snuggle deeper into his pillow, watch him snore softly, so calm and peaceful. Langa’s heart had wished to experience such a joy; he had always wondered what it would be like to wake up next to Reki. But alas, Langa wasn’t known to be an early bird, and Reki, well, he had always had the habit of being up far earlier than Langa.

Begrudgingly, Langa got out of bed. Life was already bustling outside of Reki’s room. The twins could be heard running around the house, screams and squeals of children echoing against the thin walls as they played whatever games toddlers would play. A littler farther away, a little more muffled than Chihiro and Nanaka’s voices, Langa could hear Reki’s mother in the kitchen, her sweet hum as she went on about her day, probably preparing breakfast for everyone. And in the living room, there sat Koyomi, her knees folded under her as she watched some rerun on the television. Everyone had fallen into their usual morning routines, filling the house. Everyone but Reki who was nowhere to be seen.

Without Reki to steer the conversation, Langa didn’t know what to do with himself. He was far too aware of how awkward he was as he took a seat on the couch, right next to the girl. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, but unlike when he was around Reki, this one wasn’t as easy. This one felt forced and terrified; Langa was scared to know what he looked like.

Silence filled the space between the two; only the tv gave way to some sort of liveliness. Neither dared say a word, at least not until the show cut to a commercial break. Until then, shyness, or perhaps indifference, Langa couldn’t tell the difference, reigned. Until then, Langa rehearsed possible conversation starters, turning the words over and over in his head; Reki had told him to talk to his sisters, to his mother. He had insisted that no one would bite and that they all liked him. He had assured Langa that nothing would go wrong, and yet, as Langa attempted at a conversation with the 14-year-old, it felt like everything had gone wrong.

“So, where’s your friend?”

The girl raised an eyebrow at Langa, seeming confused. Her head tilted to the side, leaving Langa just as puzzled as her. She had used the guest futon last night, hadn’t she? Reki had said so, unless Langa had once again misunderstood.

“What friend?”

“You used the guest futon, didn’t you?”

“No?”

The air suddenly felt tense, both Langa and Koyomi staring at each other in utter confusion. No matter how much Langa tried to demystify the situation, tried to understand what Koyomi was telling him, it just didn’t make sense. Clearly, there had been some kind of mistake or miscommunication. It wasn’t possible that what Reki had said was—

“Are you guys having a staring contest without me?”

Reki bounced into the room with more energy than was humanely possible. But this was Reki, after all, Reki with his bright sunshine-like grin and his headband he was yet again readjusting. This was Reki, Reki who left Langa in shambles as his chest squeezed at the memory of how soft that red hair had been last night. This was Reki, the very same Reki who had hummed in satisfaction as fingers weaved through his hair. This was Reki, Reki who was so easy to be around, Reki who never left Langa confused and misunderstanding. Being with Reki, talking to him, it was nothing like whatever attempted conversation Langa had had with Koyomi.

“Didn’t your sister have a friend over last night?”

Reki blinked a few times while his sister once again insisted she had had no one over. Her words tumbled out of her mouth faster than Reki’s rambling normally would, jumbled claims that the only person who had stayed over last night was Langa and that even if she had wanted to spend a night with friends, it wouldn’t have been in this overly crowded house of embarrassing people. Her instances filled the room until they buzzed out; Langa’s mind had wandered elsewhere, leaving him nearly clueless as to what was happening around him. There was simply too much noise, noise that was quickly tuned out as questions and thoughts spiralled out of control in Langa’s messy brain. Why couldn’t he understand what was happening? Why had he been so convinced that Koyomi had had a friend over? Why couldn’t he understand the situation?

“Right!” Reki’s voice was loud, his fist pounding in his hand and drawing Langa out of his futile spiral. “Friend! Yes! Koyomi had invited a friend over!”

“I just said I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did!” Reki stared at this sister, lips pressed into a thin line. The two seemed to be having some sort of staring contest; was this some kind of sibling telepathic communication that Langa would never understand? “You know, the friend who left a few minutes ago?”

“Reki, what are you talking about?”

“Your friend. That used the guest futon. The futon Langa normally uses but couldn’t yesterday. That friend.”

“What are yo—? Oh!” A grin stretched across Koyomi’s face, a smile so similar to Reki but filled with so much more mischief. It was a look that always terrified Langa; what was up with 14-year-olds and looking like absolute shit starters? “You… Oh, I’m so telling mom!”

“Don’t! Don’t you fucking dare.”

Reki’s eyes narrowed onto the girl as Langa sank back into the couch, making himself as small as possible. Anger seemed to have sparked in those eyes that were usually so kind; or maybe it was the way Reki had hissed out the curse, Reki who never swore. He had made it a point to keep his vocabulary as clean as possible; he had made it clear that he wanted to be a good example for his sisters. And that determination had stuck, even when his family was nowhere near him. But here, in the Kyan living room, hearing Reki swear at his sister, Langa knew better than reminding Reki that there were young impressionable ears not too far away. Instead, he simply observed; this was between the Kyan siblings. And if things really did escalate, Mrs. Kyan would set them straight.

“Fine! But you owe me!”

“What do you mean, I owe you? I don’t owe you shit!”

“Don’t test me, Reki! I won’t hesitate! And I’ll even tell Langa if I have to!”

Was now a good time to step in? Or should he remain invisible? It was hard to tell what the best course of action was, but Langa had been mentioned. Why, he couldn’t tell, but he had been mentioned. So was it a good time to stop being a ghost?

“Tell me what?”

The siblings froze, both still in each other’s faces. Anger pulled on every one of their features, leaving them red in the face, but the shouting had subsided at the sound of Langa’s voice. Frustrated deep breaths instead filled the tense air.

Who knew when the shouting and fighting would flare up again, but from what Langa had gathered from tv shows, the Kyan household, and his occasional disagreements with Emily back when they were children, this wasn’t strange or unusual. If anything, it seemed to be quite natural for siblings to argue, though it didn’t mean it wasn’t at least a little bit fascinating to watch the nearly magical switch of energy. Only with Koyomi did Langa ever see Reki go from bubbly and happy to moody and annoyed with nothing more than one snide remark from his sister. And the same applied to Koyomi; he had seen her go from sniffling and crying to smiling and giggling with just one of Reki’s jokes. So it didn’t come as a surprise to see the girl bounce up to him, a grin nearly identical to the one her brother normally wore as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.

“Oh, just that I did have a friend over. Well, we’re not really friends, not yet, but almost? Maybe – hopefully – we’ll be good friends one day. Oh!” A giggle broke from her lips as Koyomi glanced at her brother. “Also, Reki is totally way too embarrassed to admit it, but he has a huge crush on my friend.”

More giggles filled the air as Koyomi poked her brother’s cheek, drawing attention to his wide-eyed look and burning cheeks. Fingernails dug into Reki’s palm once more, one of the few nervous ticks Langa got to learn about over the course of their friendship. And this friendship had led Langa to learn so many things about Reki: his favorite skateboard trick, his lack of a favorite color, his adoration for Westerner food whenever he was over. Langa knew so much about Reki, but at the same time, it felt like he knew nothing. Or at least, it felt like he knew nothing when it came to the more important things like who Reki liked. Because apparently he liked someone. According to Koyomi, he liked one of her friends. He liked this person who Langa knew nothing about. He liked a person Langa had never met before. What could she possibly be like?

“I— I will murder you in your sleep, sister dearest.”

And with that, Koyomi was bouncing out of the living room, though not without flipping her brother off and sticking her tongue out at him, a grin having broken across her face.

A tense and heavy silence hung in the air. A shadow of hair had cast over sunset eyes, obscuring them from Langa’s view. All that was left to be seen was the slight shake of shoulders, something akin to a threat of tears, something Langa hated most of all. He never knew what to do when Reki cried; he never wanted Reki to cry, not if it could be helped. And if Reki started crying now, what was the best course of action? Would it be best to leave him alone, or should Langa pull him into a hug, holding him close to his chest as he told him everything would be alright? If only Reki would smile instead of being close to tears.

If only they had been anywhere else; if only they had been in Reki’s room. Had they been alone, then maybe Langa would have found the courage to push those bangs out of Reki’s eyes, revealing those pretty amber eyes that should have been filled with happiness. Maybe he would have gotten up and wrapped his arms around Reki, holding him tight for as long as Reki needed or wanted. Maybe he would have stroked that soft hair as he had only hours prior, hoping it would calm Reki. There was so much Langa could have done, would have liked to do, but instead, he let the boy be. He didn’t need Reki snapping at him for overstepping.

“You know…” Langa’s voice wobbled ever so slightly, afraid this was the wrong thing to do. He hoped a bit of conversation would pull Reki out of his sudden sour mood, but there was no guarantee it would work or that it wouldn’t make things even worse. “She reminds me a bit of Miya, with the whole… whatever that was about.”

“She’s sounding a little too much like Miya, if you really wanna know. They’re both gonna kill me one of these days. But whatever. Just… c’mon.” Reki’s fingers curled around Langa’s wrist, pulling him up from the couch. A small smile traced his lips, almost shy-looking. And Langa, he let himself be tugged along, unable to resist following Reki, no matter where he would go. “My mom made breakfast, and I know you’re starving.”

#damn I wrote something #how exciting even if it is just a rewrite #reki #reki kyan #kyan reki #langa #langa hasegawa #hasegawa langa #renga #koyomi #kyan koyomi #koyomi kyan #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #lils writes #stfm

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