luffytaro-zo

[luffytaro-zo]

A/N I'm so glad yall enjoyed part 1 ! made me so happy seeing all the comments, hope you enjoy this part x

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

You adored Tommy and Maria. That was no secret. Their house felt like a second home—the door always open, the hearth always warm, baby Benji always giggling in your arms like he knew something the rest of the world had forgotten.

You were there often enough that your teacup had a place on the shelf, your name was a murmur in bedtime lullabies, and your laughter belonged to the walls.

But Joel? Joel was different.

Despite your closeness with his brother and Maria, you and Joel had never been anything more than… polite shadows crossing paths. A nod at the gates. A quiet "morning" when your boots passed on the trail. He never stayed long enough for more.

Everyone in Jackson knew it—felt it. He carried himself like a man built from silence and steel, like someone forged in grief and never fully cooled. Where Tommy was sunlight, Joel was shadow. And not the soft kind, either. The kind you noticed in your peripheral vision—unavoidable, unmoving.

You didn’t need to know his story to recognize the shape of it. You saw it in the way he moved: cautious, careful, like the earth beneath him might give way if he stepped wrong.

You saw it in the tension that never left his shoulders, the way he never lingered, never asked questions he didn’t need answered. His eyes held the look of someone who had loved and lost so deeply he’d buried the whole concept beside whatever grave he no longer visited.

And he was, quite plainly, the last man in Jackson you’d ever try to matchmake.

Not because he didn’t deserve love—but because he didn’t want it.

Your methods weren’t scientific, but you had instincts. You always asked yourself the same quiet questions before setting anyone up:

What are they seeking?

What do they need?

And are they open to love, truly open?

Joel Miller failed the last question before it could even be asked.

He didn’t strike you as someone waiting for anything.

He struck you as the kind of man who’d wake up before dawn just to be alone with his coffee and the sound of his own breath. The kind who preferred the ache of his joints to the vulnerability of comfort. The kind of man who built his world out of habit, routine, and distance—and kept it that way because it hurt less.

He didn’t smile at people. Didn’t linger in town square to chat. Didn’t extend kindness unless necessity forced it from him. He wasn’t polite. He wasn’t soft. He was older, rough-edged, and entirely uninterested in being understood.

That was the truth of it.

So when Tommy leaned back in his chair that day, voice teasing but eyes glinting with something deeper, and said, “Find Joel someone,”—you knew exactly what he was doing.

He wasn’t asking. He was testing you. He had picked the one man in Jackson who didn’t want to be chosen.

And maybe… maybe he thought you’d fail.

But something about that challenge stuck in your ribs.

Because while Joel wasn’t looking for love—while he’d built his life so carefully around the absence of it—you couldn’t help but wonder:

What if he used to believe in it? What if he still did, quietly, deep down, in a place too bruised to admit it out loud?

And worse—what if the only reason he didn’t believe anymore was because no one had looked at him like he was worth choosing?

Not until now.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

The first time you tried to bring it up, he was in Tommy and Maria’s kitchen, sleeves rolled to his elbows, stirring something that smelled like heaven and looked like effort.

The scent hit you before you saw him—garlic, thyme, maybe something smoked. It wrapped itself around the room like a warm quilt, rich and unexpected. Joel stood over the stove, jaw tight in concentration, a hand towel slung over one shoulder like it belonged there. His brow was furrowed, focused, almost peaceful in that gruff, guarded way of his.

You hovered in the doorway, heart thudding traitorously in your chest.

You were used to being approached by people who wanted your help—who smiled too wide, who leaned in eagerly, who whispered, “Do you think there’s someone out there for me?” Not… this.

Not trying to coax someone toward the idea of love like it was medicine he’d refuse to take.

He didn’t look up when you entered. Or if he noticed, he didn’t acknowledge you.

You lingered by the counter, clutching the edge like it might give you courage. The silence felt loud. You hated that it made you feel twelve years old.

He finally glanced over, barely. “You need somethin’?” His voice was flat, more gruff than unkind, but still edged like a warning. You were an interruption.

“Oh. No,” you said quickly, shaking your head. “Just—this smells amazing.”

He grunted. Actually grunted. Like a bear in a flannel.

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and instead muttered something under your breath—something like “charming” or maybe just “Jesus Christ.”

You cleared your throat. “So… do you like cooking?”

He turned his head a fraction, enough to eye you sideways. “It’s food.”

You blinked. “That wasn’t really an answer.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I cook. So I can eat.”

You gave him a flat look, but he was already turning back to the pot, stirring like you hadn’t said anything at all.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Dinner at Tommy and Maria’s was always warm—familiar, comforting, threaded with laughter and the scent of something slow-cooked—but tonight, it buzzed with a quiet, unbearable tension.

Joel’s food was, of course, incredible.

Rich and rustic, seasoned to perfection, made with the kind of care he’d never admit out loud. But he ate like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t spent hours making it. He was already halfway through his plate by the time you’d taken your second bite, chewing in near silence, shoulders hunched like he was bracing for a storm no one else could feel.

You sat across from him, napkin folded delicately in your lap, heart tapping anxiously against your ribs.

Tommy was loving this. His smirk was nearly unbearable—eyes flicking from your face to Joel’s with all the subtlety of a man watching live theatre. He knew exactly what you were trying to do. He could see the way you kept glancing down, folding and refolding your napkin, trying to find the perfect opening to ask a question you weren’t even sure Joel would let you finish.

You took a breath, then another.

Wiped your mouth—gently.

“This is delicious, Joel,” you said, hoping your voice didn’t betray how hard your palms were sweating. “Really. It’s… so good.”

He nodded once, without looking up. “Mm.”

That was all.

Tommy bit back a grin and reached for the bread.

You looked at him helplessly, and he looked about ready to combust from holding in his laughter.

You pressed your fingers to your water glass, steadying yourself. And then—“So,” you said, voice a little too bright, a little too casual, “do you cook often for other people? Or… someone in particular?”

Joel’s fork paused. Slowly, he looked up.

His brow furrowed, deep and unmistakable. That classic Joel Miller expression that hovered somewhere between mild confusion and why are you still talking to me?

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

You tried to smile, but it landed halfway between charm and panic. “Nothing. Just… this kind of meal seems like something you’d make for someone special.”

He blinked at you. Once. Twice.

Then, “This a dinner or a damn interview?”

The words landed sharp. Not cruel, but cutting in that quiet, measured way only Joel could manage. Dry. Dismissive. Final.

It shut you up.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

After that night, after the dinner table rejection that hummed in your chest like an ache you didn’t know how to name, you decided there was no use in subtlety.

You had tried soft. You had tried polite. You had tried slipping things in like compliments folded into napkins, but Joel Miller was not the kind of man who read between the lines.

So the next time you saw him—three days later, tightening fencing wire behind the stables, sleeves rolled and brows furrowed in that eternal expression of someone perpetually unimpressed—you walked right up, leaned against the gatepost, and said, “Hypothetically… if someone asked you out, would you even go?”

He didn’t stop working. Didn’t glance at you. Just muttered, “Not interested in hypotheticals.”

You huffed, pushed off the post, and walked away.

Two days after that, you caught him hauling firewood into the school kitchen, face flushed from the cold, jaw tight. You handed him a cloth to wipe his hands and asked, “Would it kill you to let someone care about you?”

He blinked at you, deadpan. “You tryna get yourself assigned latrine duty with all these damn questions?”

You rolled your eyes and let the door shut behind you.

It became a pattern—awkward, pointed, persistent.

You asked him at the tool shed while he was oiling his shotgun, the scent of steel and turpentine between you, your voice feather-light but your eyes fixed carefully on his profile.

“What’s your type, anyway? If you had to pick?”

He didn’t even glance up. “People who mind their business.”

You tried again during patrol prep, the morning still damp with frost, his belt heavy with knives and yours with hope.

“You ever get lonely, Joel?”

He grunted without missing a beat. “You ever stop talkin’?”

After that, you told yourself you’d stop.

That maybe Tommy was right, maybe Joel Miller was the one locked door even your heart couldn’t open. You weren’t built to beg, and love shouldn’t have to be pried loose from someone like a tooth. So you promised yourself: no more questions, no more attempts. He didn’t want to be known.

But the promise frayed faster than you'd expected.

It had been a soft evening—one of those rare Jackson nights where the world felt quiet and intact, where the sun dipped low and golden behind the trees and the sky blushed lilac at the edges, and everything smelled faintly of woodsmoke and the promise of spring.

He was sitting on the porch steps outside the meeting hall, arms resting on his knees, posture taut like he was keeping the world at bay even while it softened around him.

You hadn’t meant to approach—not really—but something about the hush in the air and the loneliness curling at your ankles pushed you forward before you could stop yourself.

“Joel?” you asked gently, your voice low and full of something raw you didn’t try to hide this time.

He didn’t look at you, but he didn’t walk away either.

You sat down a few steps above him, enough distance between you to feel it. Enough hope left to try again.

“You really don’t think there’s anyone out there for you?” you asked softly, the words slipping from your lips like petals dropped into water, barely a ripple, as if saying it gently enough might keep it from shattering between you.

The air had cooled into dusk, the kind of quiet evening that made the world feel suspended—trees swaying in slow rhythm, the scent of smoke clinging to your clothes, light from the porch lantern casting golden shadows that didn’t quite reach him.

Joel didn’t answer right away.

He exhaled, slow and sharp, and the sound of it felt like something snapping—not loudly, not dramatically, just the quiet, unmistakable give of something that had been holding too much weight for too long.

And then, with his eyes fixed somewhere over your shoulder, his voice came low and flat and brutal.

“What I think,” he said, “is that you don’t know how to mind your own damn business.”

You blinked, lips parting just slightly, but he wasn’t finished. His gaze never touched yours, his jaw tight with the kind of bitterness that had lived in him too long to name.

“You wanna feel needed?” he continued, each word cut clean and cruel. “Go find someone who gives a damn. It ain’t me.”

And then—he looked away.

Not in shame. Not in regret. Just turned his head with the finality of someone who had decided you no longer existed.

Your breath caught in your throat, small and sharp like the echo of a sob that hadn’t made it out. You stood slowly, hands stiff at your sides, your body moving before your mind caught up, every inch of you suddenly aware of how foolish you must have looked—how fragile your hope had been.

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly, but the words felt like they belonged to someone else. You didn’t even know what you were apologizing for—existing, maybe. Caring.

He didn’t look up.

You turned, your steps uncertain at first—just the gentle scrape of boots on wood—but soon they quickened, like maybe if you moved fast enough you could outrun the heat rising behind your eyes or the way your throat had gone tight and narrow, like your heart was trying to climb out of it. Your shoulders curled inward as you walked, a soft, instinctive folding—as if you could shrink yourself into something smaller, something less noticeable, something easier to leave behind.

By the time you reached the path, the sky had deepened to a bruised indigo, the sun swallowed whole behind the trees, and the wind that had once carried the scent of pine and firewood now felt sharp and cold against your skin, like it knew it had overstayed its welcome.

And Joel?

Joel just sat there.

Still. Silent. Staring at nothing like the world around him had gone quiet too.

He didn’t flinch when Ellie approached—her footsteps uneven, heavy with the kind of angry purpose only a teenager could carry—but he didn’t greet her either. Just kept his eyes on the dark horizon like it might tell him what he’d just done.

Ellie stopped at the bottom of the porch steps, hands shoved deep into her jacket pockets, her brows drawn so tight they nearly met.

“That was mean,” she said flatly, her voice cutting through the air like the crack of a branch underfoot.

Joel blinked, slow and deliberate, then rubbed a hand over his jaw, the scrape of his calloused palm loud in the silence.

“Ellie,” he muttered, low and tired, “how many times do I gotta tell you—it’s rude to eavesdrop.”

She rolled her eyes so hard you could hear it in her exhale.

“Yeah?” she shot back. “You know what else is rude? Being a complete asshole to someone who’s literally just tryin’ to care about you.”

He didn’t answer, just shifted slightly in his seat, his shoulders tight and his mouth pressed into a hard, straight line, like he was holding something back but wasn’t sure if it was words or regret.

“She wasn’t asking to annoy you,” Ellie went on, climbing the first step now, her voice lower but no less sharp. “She was asking ’cause she sees somethin’ in you. Which, frankly, is a goddamn miracle.”

Joel turned to look at her then—just barely, just enough—and the soft light caught the edge of his face, carved in angles and shadows, every line telling the story of a man who had carried too much for too long, who had forgotten softness because it had stopped surviving in his hands.

Ellie’s voice came quieter now, stripped of its usual armor, her hands still buried in her jacket but her posture more uncertain than defiant.

“You know I never met my mom,” she said suddenly, her eyes fixed somewhere beyond him, like the words were too fragile to look directly at.

Joel blinked, the shift in conversation jarring, his brow tightening in the center like something had caught him off guard and he didn’t quite know how to hold it.

Ellie shrugged, quick and small, like she regretted saying it the second it left her mouth. “I don’t know,” she added, voice softer now. “I guess I wouldn’t mind you… y’know. Finding someone.”

She said it like it was no big deal, like it hadn’t just cracked the air in two.

But Joel was still staring at her, still unmoving, still caught on that sentence—not the words themselves, but the space between them, the unspoken ache in her tone, the confession she hadn’t made outright but had wrapped in something lighter so it wouldn’t break the both of them.

“I mean,” she went on, her voice wobbling only slightly, “someone who’s good. Who could maybe… I don’t know. Be around. Help. Talk to me sometimes. If you weren’t. Not that I need it.” She swallowed. “Just… wouldn’t hate it, is all.”

The wind shifted again, cool and clean, brushing past them like it too was afraid to speak.

Joel looked at her like he hadn’t known—hadn’t let himself know—that there was a piece of her still searching for something she’d never had. Not just safety. Not just shelter. But softness. Guidance. A presence that could fill in the shape of something maternal, something gentle, something lasting.

Something like love.

And maybe, for the first time in a long while, Joel didn’t feel defensive. Didn’t feel the need to retreat behind some cold remark or hard silence.

He just sat there, staring at this kid—his kid—and realized with a slow, dawning ache that in all his effort to protect her from the world, he hadn’t stopped to think she might want more than just protection.

She might want family.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Tag List: (for future i think i will tag #cupidofwyoming for each chapter instead of a tag list because a lot of the time the tags dont work for some reason?! that way you guys can still find the chapters on my blog xx)

@joelmillerswife9 @meanderingcaptainswanmusings @mrfitzdarcyslover @noeeeeeeel @lostinthestreamofconsciousness

@fitzwlliamdarcy @mystickittytaco @millerdjarinn @missladym1981

@bardot49 @valkyreally @jeongiegram @fpsantiago @rattyfishrock

@wildthyng @quicax3 @alesomoza99 @sunfairyy @heartagram-vv

@4allthestars @vickie5446 @needz1nk @sadsydneystuff-blog @sunndroppp @kristinababy @cuteanimalmama @dailyobsession

@dulcebloodhnd @rigoler @brittmb115 @lizziesfirstwife @nandan11

@cinderblock24 @astroid-wanderer @ashleyfilm @lizzie-cakes

@sagexsenorita

[luffytaro-zo]

the world when you're with me

synopsis: you seek out sylus for comfort after realizing you were wrong about him.

tags: comfort, fluff, implied avoidant!reader learns to trust sylus, implied avoidant!reader clings to sylus, sylus takes care of reader from afar, sylus has mephisto and the twins follow reader but wbk pairing: sylus x reader, reader is mostly mc word count: 802

a/n: is this the peak of literature? no. did i need to write it after the day i had? yes. did i need to post it today? no, because i’m trying to stagger my posts more, but here we are. anyway 4k caleb pwp coming tomorrow 

For the first few weeks after you’d infiltrated the N109 Zone, you’d avoided Sylus Qin like the plague. 

After being scared out of your wits by the first version of him you'd met—the cold, unavailable criminal mastermind who’d forced you to shoot him within 5 minutes of knowing one other—you were unashamedly wary of working with him again. 

But Sylus’s intel was unrivaled. More and more often, you found yourself visiting the N109 Zone to meet with him, eventually not even bothering to book a place to stay. There was always a guest room at the Onychinus base prepped for your arrival.

As you spent more time with Sylus, he’d noticeably changed his approach to interacting with you. Rather than forcing you to resonate with him, he’d explained to you how his Evol worked, letting you aim his hands at some training dummies to test it out yourself. Instead of unceremoniously shutting you out when he was tired, he’d drag his robe-and-slippers-clad self to sit beside you on the sofa, answering your cautious questions by practically giving away all his secrets. 

His shift in attitude hadn't stopped there. Sylus had clearly been using that endearingly incorrigible crow to keep tabs on you, but for the strangest reasons. 

Whenever you had a bad day at work, some building-wide maintenance emergency would magically appear, forcing your team to cease operations for the rest of the day. He’d text you a couple hours after your early dismissal, saying he was in the city and inviting you on an evening joyride to clear your head.  

The day after you’d lugged a case of water up the stairs to your apartment, having to pause a couple times to catch your breath, you came home to see your fridge mysteriously stocked with groceries. The only traces left behind were the masked twin figures you spotted scurrying away from your window. 

When a new phone showed up at your doorstep one day—you never even told him you’d shattered your screen, you thought—you’d decided that Sylus wasn’t as bad as you’d once assumed. Not anywhere near as bad, in fact. He was thoughtful, generous, and helped you without taking credit or forcing you to ask for it. You’d never had that before.

Which is why, somehow, you find yourself standing in the doorway of his armory, studying him silently as he polishes an antique-looking gun.

When he notices you, Sylus looks up, raising a delicately arched eyebrow. “Something wrong, kitten?” he drawls, subtly checking your body for injuries. 

Mind numb from your absolutely dreadful day, you stay silent while Sylus looks at you expectantly, his hands forgetting their earlier task. 

But for the next minute, you remain hovering in the doorway. You expect him to get annoyed—you almost want him to, so you have an excuse to go back to relying only on yourself—but all you see on Sylus’s face is patience.

When you start shuffling toward him, that patience mixes with a glimmer of anticipation that he visibly tries to suppress. You need him to be calm right now—an anchor, he thinks. If he loses his composure, if he startles you with his excitement at your approach, you might bolt at any moment. 

Sometime during his inner struggle, you reach him. Meekly, you stand before his chair, briefly opening your mouth before closing it. 

“What is it, sweetie?” he asks softly. “Tell me, and we can figure it out together. I’ll personally track down whoever seems to have stolen your words from you.”

At his offer, you break, collapsing into his lap. His large, warm hands immediately encircle your waist, and you bury your face into his neck, inhaling his leather and spice cologne. 

“Aw,” he coos in his baritone voice, rocking you slowly in his embrace. When he lifts your head an inch, you resist, letting out a soft whine. Gently, he guides your head back to his chest, his quickening heartbeat thumping in your ears and grounding you in the the moment. 

After several moments of silence, your deep, shuddering breaths the only interruptions, Sylus murmurs into your ear. “When I noticed you never ask for help, I was worried the world may not be treating as well as it should. You must be very tired, hmm?” he asks, rubbing his chin against your hair. 

Tightening your arms around him, you sit there for a while, his steady breaths seeming to mend a decades-long rift in your heart.

The next time Sylus tries to lift your head, you let him. He pulls your face from his neck so he can look into your eyes, hoping his gaze conveys his sincerity, before pressing a tender kiss to your forehead. 

“You don’t need the world when you’re with me,” he promises. “I’ll treat you better than it ever could.”

[luffytaro-zo]

Sylus would sometimes intentionally keep his hair messy while going out. It wouldn't be much maybe a cow lick or one of Mephisto's feather sticking out of his head. He knew it would bother you.

"I think you have a feather in your hair? Shouldn't you remove it before we head out?" You pointed out, trying your best not to be rude.

"Hmm fix it for me" he says bowing his head in front of you. But this cheeky crow intentionally didn't bend far enough. He enjoyed seeing you on your tippy toes with absolute concentration on your face.

"You know I can't reach you like this! Why are you so tall? For all I know you might be the descendant of a titan" you grumbled trying to pull him down.

Sylus leaned forward, his breath fanning over your face, his lips hovering over yours "is it that I am tall or that you are tiny, kitten?" His eyes sparked with mischief. Darting between your eyes and your lips. The slow caress of his hand on your back didn't go unnoticed either.

"I am not tiny. You are just a behemoth of a man. Now get lower and let me fix your hair" you tried to seem stern while fighting all those butterflies in your stomach and honestly you were losing.

He didn't say anything nor did he back away from you. He gracefully began dropping to his knees while keeping his eyes glued to yours. His hand slowly traveled from your back to settle on your hips and held on to you like a devotee praying

"You are the only one in this world who is able to order me around like this" he drawled seeming almost intoxicated just by the sight of you. You couldn't help but notice how his words seemed more like a confession than a statement. And that fact flooded your heart with warmth.

"And you wouldn't have it any other way" you said smiling and fixing his hair.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way" he repeated with absolute devotion and adoration in this eyes

[luffytaro-zo]

sylus’s heart, too big for his human body, pounding like a war drum every time you call him yours

“hi, my love.” and he has to take a minute— take a quick breath before responding with a soft ‘hello’ or a nonchalant (or as nonchalant as he can manage) quip about having missed him.

“i’m alright, my dear.” and all thought ceases and his fingers freeze over the wound he was tending to. his anger fizzles away like the rain on the pavement when the sun emerges from the clouds. all strength leaves his limbs as he rests his forehead to your uninjured shoulder, where a small but tender kiss is placed, and revels in the sound of your breathing.

“my heart, please.” and he’s gone. anything you ask for, anything you want is as good as yours if he has anything to do about it. his money, his home, his touch, his time— all yours, yours, yours.

“my sylus.” and he is at rest. the world is quiet, there is only you, your warmth, your voice. when the memory of his name returns to you, and he sees in your eyes that recognition—and love, despite who he was, who he is and who he will ever be in your bonded lifetimes, he gives up his entire being to you.

he is yours, and how he wishes your greed for proclaiming it would grow tenfold, until even the mere thought of him belongs to no one else.

[luffytaro-zo]

Masterlist 🦋✨️

My Writings' Guide:

Red: Incomplete / Editing / Drafts

Blue: Complete

Chapters: In chronological order

Unknown: Not in any particular order

⚠️Mature-related posts* will be marked with appropriate Content Labels.

[ Reader discretion advised. ] ⚠️

_____

Solo Leveling

Trial Player AU

Summary: Daydream #1

Chapters: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23]

Unknown: [?.1], [?.2], [?.3]

Related Asks:

TP!Reader's powers explained: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

How I write this series: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12]

Miscellaneous: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7*], [8], [9], [10], [11*], [12], [13*], [14*]

Other inspo: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]

Others: [1], [2], [3], [4], [4.5], [5], [6]

Recent Updates:

Added fight scene in the draft of chapter 6, parts of the original moved to draft of chapter 5 [13/11/2024]

Added more details in the draft of chapter 10, parts of the original moved to draft of chapter 11 [16/11/2024]

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Want to know more about my stories? Or share anything else? Feel free to ask and I shall answer them in the tag: #Hollow's Talks

[luffytaro-zo]

Chapter 23 [Draft]

Sung Jinwoo/Trial Player!Reader

CW:

Inspired by @circeyoru ‘s “Future Power Couple”

[Masterlist🦋✨️]

“What’s with this traffic jam? It’s really backed up.” Jinwoo asked, his voice breaking the lull as he drummed his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. As the car inched forward at an agonizingly slow pace, he muttered something about taking the subway, eyes scanning the congested road ahead, a faint crease of irritation forming on his brow.

You glanced up from your musings, your elbow propped on the car door, chin resting in your palm. Your eyes were fixed on the distance, far past the endless rows of brake lights ahead—almost indifferent, as if the raving engines and honking vehicles just outside were nothing more than background noise.

“Maybe a gate popped up in the middle of the road?”

Jinwoo turned his head to you, giving you an incredulous look. His sharp stare lingered until you caught it out of the corner of your eye, remaining unfazed. “What?”

Before Jinwoo could respond, his phone buzzed to life, the name on the screen flashed: Chairman Go Gun-hee.. He answered, listened intently to the voice on the other end, and replied as necessary. The situation was, in fact, just as you had guessed—a gate had indeed materialized, right in the middle of the highway too, hence the massive traffic disruption.

After the call ended, Jinwoo turned back to you with a similar expression as before. The hint of amused resignation was new though.

“What?” you repeated, your voice carrying that deliberately lackluster touch of feigning innocence.

This time, instead of being interrupted in a timely-good manner, his silence was broken by a soft chuckle as he leaned back in his seat, his posture relaxed, as did the uptilt of his lips, despite the urgency of the situation.

After a beat, that easy smile was directed towards you. “You gonna come with?”

You tilted your head slightly, mimicking his casual demeanor but with an air of mockery that was all your own. “Depends. Let’s see what the system has to say.”

“So, not a no?” Jinwoo’s tone took a turn as he leaned closer, leaving no other way for you but to meet his eyes, his grin just as daring.

Perhaps reflex played a role when you raised your hand and planted it against his face before he could get too close, gently pushing him back with just enough pressure to send a clear message: Don’t push your luck. Jinwoo showed little resistance, the twinkle of mirth in the backdrop of grey peeking between your fingers unmistakable.

You dismissed how you could distinctly feel his mouth move as he played along with your antics. How the soft brushes of lips felt on the border of your palm and wrist, teetering so close to where one could feel vital signs through the skin.

“Shut up,” you grinned back, and the following vibrations on your hand, mimicking the act of chuckling, told you more than enough.

It was good to know that he was now comfortable enough around you to be like this.

“I’ll do a quick detour for our emergency preparation,” you added, finally pulling your hand back and breaking eye contact. Your gaze shifted out the window as if searching for something unseen. “I have a feeling it’s going to rain.”

Jinwoo raised a brow, stealing a glance at the sky through the windshield. The sun shone unobstructed, the horizon was clear, with no sign of rain clouds in sight. Still, he’d learned by now that your ‘feelings’ were rarely wrong.

Cryptic words and double meanings, he just had to figure them out—figure you out.

The game both of you had been playing since the very start.

How thrilling.

Jinwoo hummed, opting for another question, though it was one he already had a pretty good guess on the answer. His smile never left. “How many backups have you planned, really?”

“A lot.” —a simplistic answer that was just so you, flashing him a sweet smile of your own.

With that, your form began to shimmer, your edges dissolving into myriads of lights, the chimes of your butterflies filling the air.

Through the mirror of his iris, the beautiful fragments swirled. Jinwoo closed his eyes briefly as the luminous insects flitted past his face, bringing forth passing warmth against the skin.

“You go on ahead,”

When he opened them again, only a single butterfly remained where you once sat, its iridescent wings fluttering softly. It went to perch on his instinctively half-outstretched hand, and Jinwoo brought it closer, feeling the faint, ticklish brush of its wings on his lips.

I’ll find my way to you.

The butterfly dissolved into nothingness, yet he knew it was keeping him company, always, despite its lack of visibility.

He was not alone, not anymore.

Jinwoo leaned back in his seat, raking a hand through his hair as the corner of his mouth curved into a grin, lingering all the way as he made his way to the gate’s location.

If he had truly looked at himself in the rearview mirror at this moment, would the faint color of his cheeks and the creeping warmth had only been the effect of the rosy-hued sky and the golden glow of the setting sun?

Jinwoo muttered under his breath, though there was no mistaking the fondness in his every little action then.

“What a difficult woman.”

---

Jinwoo stood amidst the wild greens of the foliage; the air as ominous as ever if not more. The oppressive heat and humidity were immediately followed by the torrential downpour. The thick jungle surrounding him, water cascading down the leaves and pooling into muddy streams, and the dense magical energy crackling in the air all pointed to one thing.

“You know…” Jinwoo said to no one, his tone as flat as it was dry, despite him literally soaked from head to toe. “However I see it, this feels like a red gate.”

“I told you so,” your voice rang out light, and Jinwoo looked up to see you hovering in the air, donning your usual raid ensemble, your form bathed in faint iridescent white glow. The rain parted around you and the butterflies flitted, refracting light in a way that made Jinwoo feel like he was witnessing a scene from one of those vibrant stained-glass windows.

Divine—that word again.

Soft chimes mixing harmoniously with the rhythm of harsh pitter-patter. Despite his enhanced physique, the falling rain still dug uncomfortably into his skin, under the layer of wet fabric. But even so, he couldn’t look away.

As for you, for a moment, you entertained the idea of looking after a wet cat.

With a subtle motion of your hand, Jinwoo suddenly found himself enveloped in the same translucent glow and phantom warmth. The raindrops now bounced and slid off him harmlessly, though the protective barrier couldn’t undo the soaked clothes below.

“You’re a little late, don’t you think?” Jinwoo quipped, though there was no bite to his words.

Yeah—a sopping wet, fussy black cat.

“You seem fine enough,” you quipped back, starting to make your descent. “I’ll help you dry off once we’re out—shit!”

The next second, the world seemed to blur as the storm surged louder in your eardrums—a brief flicker caught Jinwoo’s attention before his instincts kicked in.

Time seemed to slow after—closer than either of you expected, stealing the air from your lungs, senses overwhelmed by proximity’s warmth. Dimly, you felt familiar, sturdy arms supporting you, and the scent of damp earth mixed with something distinctly him.

Déjà vu—and the disconcert of living through a cliché.

Chaotic fluttering, the butterflies’ notes twisted into a cacophony of delight, increasing in volume alongside heavy rain and thunder. Yet, all seem to blend into the background of mingling breaths, inches apart.

None spoke, eyes locked with another in a moment that felt stretched too long and too short all at once. Light danced in between, shadows fleeting across each other’s features.

Somewhere, amidst the cold shower and warm softness in his hold, Jinwoo felt a strange awareness settle within each heartbeat.

And then, the moment broke. The chimes quieted, and everything faded into the storm’s veil once more.

---

[A hunter is born to hunt.]

“So,” Jinwoo started, attention flicking between you and the battle up ahead. “you can teleport from outside now?” Intrigue flashed in his eyes, though his tone retained its usual calmness.

“…”

“(Name)?”

“…Yeah,” you finally replied. Distracted was an understatement of the nearly two decades you’d been thrown into this world. “The recent ascension automatically leveled up some skills. My teleportation works the same as before, but now it’s more… precise.”

“Precise?” Jinwoo’s brow arched in question.

“Mm-hmm. Visualizing the destination is no longer enough; I need to know the place like the back of my hand.” Your eyes followed a purple butterfly fluttering past his shoulders. “Being manually taxing is a recurring drawback to my powers, so I’m not too surprised. The good thing that came out of this is that there are less restrictions. Dungeons are basically another world altogether, but now I can go in and out even after the gates closed, granted I still have memory of the place and that nothing unusual happened. Still researching on that.”

“Bless my children, since I still need an ‘anchor’ for the first travel.” The butterfly joined the fray. “Under normal circumstances, they can travel on their own. But for traversing between realms? In case they’re not strong enough to withstand the force, they need to attach to someone who can cross to the other side. Once inside, that child can send me the specific ‘data’ via telepathy—the area’s distinct wavelength, for example.”

You made a light sweeping motion with your hand. “And voilà.”

A hunter’s foe isn’t limited to monsters.

Jinwoo hummed thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield. He watched his soldiers press forward; their footwork precise even on the rain-slick, muddy ground. The flitting butterflies wove among them as usual, shimmering beacons boosting any soldier in close range and playing with their food the enemies. What was unusual was the flashes of forms far too humanlike to be his shadows.

Jinwoo narrowed his eyes, studying the contrasting figures. Their movements were seamless, as if rehearsed, covering each other’s blind spots. As chaotic as these fights could get, there was an unmistakable rhythm to them. A Danse Macabre brought to life.

“They can fight too?” Jinwoo asked, his voice tinged with slight awe.

Following his line of sight, you smiled faintly. “Yes. At first, it was the adults’ initiative. I’m fine with them as they are, but my darlings wanted to make the most of it now that they can maintain corporeal forms without the hassle of constantly using hallucinations.” You nodded toward the entities in question. “Their skills heavily depend on what I’m capable of myself, since they weren’t initially designed for direct combat, but…” You tilted your head toward the nearest skirmish. “What can I say? Adaptation is one of our mottos.”

[A hunter must take care not to become the hunted.]

Jinwoo followed your gesture and saw Igris, his long sword cleaving through enemies with practiced ease. Covering his back stood a familiar elegant figure, crimson strands in a braid and wielding dual rapiers. She was as pristinely suited as the first time she introduced herself. The tailcoat, patterned like her wings, followed her movements fluidly, making her seem like she was dancing.

Hup!

Light on her feet, she launched herself in the air and struck. The thrust precise and deep despite how delicately thin the blade looked, evident by the fountains of blood erupting from her staggering victims before Igris followed up with swift decapitations. With how calm she looked at times, her eyes were another level of intense, like an undying flame.

She landed with a bow and—did the raining blood just turn into showering petals?!

“You’ve already met Red,” you said casually, though Jinwoo detected a hint of pride. “My right hand.”

Gaze lingering on the pair, Jinwoo was unsure what was more baffling: the eerie theatrics or how seamlessly Red fought alongside Igris without a single word exchanged.

His attention shifted to another figure, starkly different in demeanor and a paler complexion.

On top of her head were triangular-shaped ears blending into straight snowy-white locks. The color contrasted sharply against the battlefield’s murky tones, as did her pale blue eyes. Seemingly a staple to your children who gained a more tangible form, the black and white attire she wore was adorned with fluffs from neck to boots.

The situation can always reverse,

“That’s Blanche.” You chuckled softly seeing the girl reflexively nuzzle into her thick scarf, only for droopy eyes to narrow, clearly displeased with the wetness clinging to her usual comfort. Even her long fluffy tail wasn’t spared, slumping dejectedly in response.

Peeking out from the tufts of her of sleeves were clawed hands of clear ice, at least twice a normal sized hand. That same hand tore straight through an adversary’s chest. As the beast dangled from her grip, she flicked them off with ease to swipe at another incoming attackers.

What was interesting to Jinwoo was how the minion sent flying looked stiff. Only when Tank caught them with his mouth did Jinwoo have his answer. The chilling crunch when the shadow munched on them, how pieces of the body cracked like glass and fell off with no sign of the usual dripping warm liquid, suggested that they were frozen solid. It was a frigid carnage.

“She’s dozing off.” Jinwoo noted dryly as Blanche retracted her claws and leaned onto the massive ice bear, sinking into his wispy black fur.

“Leave my baby alone. It’s nearing her hibernation hour anyway.” You cooed in the pair’s direction, seeing that Tank decided to not disturb Blanche’s nap and just sat there, munching away at the frozen enemies she left behind.

“And when exactly is that?”

“Almost all the time.”

Jinwoo didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or sigh at you.

“You’re spoiling her.”

“Blanche always got her job done before going to sleep, so I see no problem.” You trailed off.

[And it’s the mark of the first-rate hunter to avoid becoming complacent.]

Jinwoo chose not to comment further. He followed your wandering eyes toward a blonde figure next. Hair tied in ponytail, she wielded a massive shield with an ease that belied its size, using it to batter enemies in a manner that seemed more recreational than necessary.

“There are two of them now.” Jinwoo deadpanned.

True to his words, it was quite a sight.

Iron was, unsurprisingly, doing what Iron did best: slamming down the blunt end of his battle axe on what appeared to be an enemy, a pretty much dead one. The blonde woman, with eyes resembling the sun, mimicked his actions with her shield and an almost childlike glee. The two were taking turns in smashing the unfortunate foe until it was simply unrecognizable.

“That’s Sol,” you said, sweatdropping. “She’s, well, energetic.”

Jinwoo sighed, and honestly, you couldn’t blame him.

“I can see that.”

“…Sol’s a good child.” You continued with a wry smile. “Just a curious spirit most of the time.”

“Right. And she follows Iron around because…?”

“She finds him amusing.”

“That sounds even worse somehow.”

You could only offer a helpless shrug.

The next child Jinwoo noticed was perched comfortably on Tusk’s shoulder, nonchalantly swinging her legs and humming a tune. Turquoise eyes glowed against dark bronze canvas, various runes of the same bluish-green circling her, and a tome floated by her side. Her hair was a striking red, blue, and the occasional hints of white and purple, shifting hues with every movement like a living aurora. Her ears were long and the tips pointed, Jinwoo noted.

Whether you hunt tens, or even hundreds, of monsters,

“That’s Neonie.” you introduced. “Abilitiy-wise, think of her as a living magical artifact.”

Each motion of the her fingers brought forth circles of magic, materializing across the battlefield. Glittering mist flowed out, a blanket of cloud around the High Orc Shaman and magic unit below, amplifying spells’ firepower, restoring mana, and decreasing casting cooldowns in a near constant cycle. Some smaller magic circles stationed strategically around the fog-affected areas automatically shot projectiles to melee foes closing in on the mages.

Jinwoo was squinting at this point. Mist aside, the output of spells back-to-back were blinding enough.

“Can we adjust the brightness?”

“Sure! When you managed to control your first instinct to not glare at my sorceress every time you see her, we’ll talk.”

“Huh?”

“Oh please, I saw how your face scrunched up seconds ago. I already made Baruka’s remains a stat boost for your dagger, give the guy a break.”

You rolled your eyes, though the twitch on your lips betrayed you when he made a face again.

A strong gust of wind swept past, ruffling your hairs and prompting you and Jinwoo to glance upward. Kaisel soared overhead, his massive wings stretching over the rain-drenched jungle below, cutting through the winds. Trailing close behind was what seemed like a flurry of butterflies in a weird formation, a blur of royal blue.

You whistled and the cluster halted in its flight, only then did Jinwoo could get a proper look at the silhouette. The most attention-grabbing feature was the pair of wings, flapping in brief intermissions to keep the bearer afloat. They weren’t the delicate blue and black structures patterned on her uniform; instead, there were layers of translucent feathers, matching the end of her trench coat. She had rich blue eyes; dark brown strands framed her face in a bun.

[You must hunt ceaselessly.]

“Jinwoo, meet Gale.” The aforementioned bowed to Jinwoo. “The best flyer of my butterflies.”

“And also,” Jinwoo barely had time to process this before his sharp ears caught a distinct metallic clack from above. His gaze snapped back to Gale—was that a minigun?!

“Our aerial support—”

“Everyone duck!”

The assault began, the shots ripped through the ranks of enemies below. Jinwoo’s caught another detail then: like the briefest projection, the feathers spread wide dispersed light in a way that momentarily resembled the intricate patterns of a butterfly. They flared, and from the 'eyes', beams of light shot downward, incinerating adversaries that got caught in its line, leaving charred remnants in her wake.

As the dust began to settle, Jinwoo quickly noted that his soldiers and your children remained unharmed, courtesy of Tusk’s and Neonie’s protective barrier that had shielded the allied forces nearest to the blasts. Iron and Sol too, raised their shield to protect the others nearest to them.

“…and sniper—”

BOOM!

Yeah, no.

The resulting shockwave left Jinwoo’s hair slightly disheveled, and he noted with some amusement that yours wasn’t spared either.

That was a fucking missile.

Again, none of his shadows nor your butterflies had been harmed. Gale’s actions might seem reckless, but, as far-fetched as it sounded, the attacks were isolated in a way, suggesting some level of careful handling and not just reckless abandon.

“I…” You looked dumbfounded if anything, mouth parting a little bit, and Jinwoo found it cute. At least that reaction was enough of a confirmation for him: you didn’t, in fact, planned that, not to this degree at the very least. Jinwoo reckoned Gale took some liberties, and it was just good bad timing on your part. “…I’ll speak to Gale on toning it down.”

“Good call.” Jinwoo chuckled.

You cleared your throat, a strange look of avoidance passed through your expression. “Well, that’s all of them that are present anyway”.

Even when you said that, Jinwoo’s gaze drifted past you, landing on the peculiar silver-haired figure standing still under the rain. She seemed wholly engrossed in her own world, her face tilted upward to let the water trail over her features. Her expression painstakingly crafted to exude pensiveness, it was as if she were playing out a dramatic scene in some high-budget movie—you know, where a character’s thoughts were spoken aloud by outside voice? Minus the pile of corpses beneath her heels of course.

“What is she doing?” Jinwoo finally asked, his tone edged with skepticism, finding it very hard not to be openly judgmental this time. Your lips twitched, unsure whether to laugh away the embarrassment like a maniac or dig yourself a hole and simply die with it.

[As that unknown presence does too.]

The King has no plan to stop his hunt—"Ouch!”

The woman in question abruptly yelped in pain and doubled over. Her hands flying to the top of her head where an angry red bump had formed. Her face scrunched up into a teary expression as yellowish-orange orbs turned to the crimson-haired figure now looming over her.

“What in Mother’s name was that for, Sist-AH! Ow…” Trick’s indignant protest was cut short as another sharp smack landed squarely on her head, resulting comically in a bump on the previous bump. Red stared down at her younger sibling, arms crossed, twin rapiers momentarily sheathed by her hips.

“Stop monologuing.” Despite how flatly the delivery was, each word was emphasized with a progressively terrifying glare that could have frozen a lesser soul.

Poor Trick got the heebie-jeebies. The adult silver butterfly pouted and whined, still clutching her head as she pointed to the air where intricate golden-white screen glitched to life. “They started it!”

[ :D ]

The red butterfly could care less.

“Get. To. Work,” With one last warning look, Red turned her back without waiting for a response. She strode back toward Igris, who had paused mid-swing to glance in her direction. The shadow knight tilted his head slightly, a silent inquiry.

Red’s expression softened in an instant, throwing her rapier to stab the battered magical beast, formerly twitching hand about to grab the shadow knight’s leg while he was distracted, now laid as limp as it was dead. “I’m alright, Sir Igris. Thank you. Let’s continue,” Her tone gentle and respectful. Igris gave a small, almost imperceptible nod before they resumed their rhythm.

Meanwhile, you pressed your fingers to your temple, trying to stave off the impending migraine while watching Trick sulking nearby at the slightest possible prospect of the older butterfly ignoring her. She shot a glare toward the hovering interface.

“(ಥ﹏ಥ) …Traitor.”

[ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]

“Just ignore her.” You sighed, already too tired to deal with this today.

As if to prove your point, Beru chose that exact moment to land near with a thud that sent a wave of muddy water splashing in all directions, including Trick’s, who let out a hiss like a bristling feline. The former ant king let out some clicking noises.

“What are you doing?”

“Nun-ya.”

“What?”

“Nun-ya business.”

“Yeah,” Jinwoo followed your lead and turned away at the sparks practically flying between the two summons. “Let’s. Ignore them.”

Unfortunately for the several totem-masked monsters who thought they could take advantage of the apparent distraction, lunging toward the insect pair, they unknowingly only hastened their doom. With a snap of Trick’s fingers, the attackers froze mid-charge, consumed by sheer terror as they clutched at invisible wounds. It was borderline terrifying how convinced they were that they had already been slashed to pieces, only for Beru to tear through them for real a fraction of a second later.

“Kekeke. First to 30 wins?” Beru’s multifaceted eyes had a competitive glint in them aside from the bloodlust.

Trick shot back with an eerily wide grin, showcasing inhumanely sharp canines hidden below her usual mischievous smile.

“Now we’re talking!”

Gunshot pierced through a few masked foes in groups. The twin guns disappeared from slender hands just as fast as they appeared at the start of a different moveset from the humming butterfly.

An up wave of her hands was followed by several foes cut vertically from the bottom—

“One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.”

Up, down, cross, side, up…!

—and the rest was as follows.

Only after the motions slowed down did the rain and blood shine light to the glinting threads wrapped around Trick’s fingers into various directions, including the beasts that got shot at the start, limp bodies serving as effective anchors.

Trick turned around, hands now on her hips and sticking out her tongue, only to yelp when she saw a body thrown in her direction. Reflexively cutting it in half with her threads revealed the sight of Beru’s smug look not far off, already done with his fair share of enemies.

“Watch it, you—”

 “kEKEKEKEKE!”

“That girl sure knows how to hold a grudge.”

“The pot calling the kettle black. Beru also indulged her too much.”

You and Jinwoo locked eyes in a silent battle of wills for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

As the laughter died down and the two forces tore into the enemy ranks, that strange feeling from the very first start of this battle settled in you again—the sense of being out of place. Should you feel weirded out that you could only bring yourself to comment on it now?

“Jinwoo.”

“Hmm?”

“Put me down,” you said bluntly, your tone carefully devoid of emotion as you tried to school your expression despite the steady warmth creeping up your neck. And your back. And the back of your thighs—whatever parts of your body that were touching Jinwoo’s right now!

“…”

“…Please?”

“No.”

This man! He purposely waited for you to do that only to reject you, didn’t he?

Jinwoo looked at you with a maddeningly fake smile of innocence, his tone leaving no room for debate. His arms around you didn’t loosen; if anything, they tightened when you started wriggling around, successfully securing you in place.

Sure, it was not the first time he had done this. At the end of your second trip to the demon castle, Jinwoo only let your feet touch the ground after the two of you arrived at the hospital, where you could just sit and rest safely as he tended to his mother. You admit that you were exhausted, very well out of your mind, and thus you were thankful to him—back then.

This is different!

“I can walk on my own—”

“Nope.”

…What a mean man.

From the moment your children had somehow hijacked your landing to now, Jinwoo had been carrying you in classic bridal style, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Oh, you could feel his muscles—and you almost leaned closer in an attempt to hide your growing fluster.

You don’t even know where to put your hands. Sure, you wrapped your arms around him, once, to steady yourself right after you fell into his arms—God, that sounds so cheesy. Right now, though, you were awkwardly fiddling with your fingers on your lap. This dilemma came to a much quicker end than the ongoing mental gymnastics in your mind when Jinwoo started walking, where you instinctively held onto his shoulder, simultaneously giving up on the matter of being carried like some damsel in distress until who knew when.

Even as the path ahead cleared—his shadow soldiers bowing deeply on either side and your butterflies fluttering like honor guards—Jinwoo showed no intention of putting you down. And you have to admit, there was undeniable comfort in the way he held you, grounding and unwavering just like his presence.

You almost forgot that you were inside a dungeon.

When did you start being this comfortable around Jinwoo?

Was it before meeting Norma Selner, the very first-time trust between you felt balanced in scale? Was it while on your first trip to the demon castle, when you brought yourself to hold his hand to calm him in what otherwise would be a precarious situation? Or was it further back?

How romantic!

Isn’t this basically ‘walking down the aisle’?

Mother—

You winced as the telepathic chatter from your children filled your mind, their voices buzzing with excitement and a variety of commentaries.

Love?

To a man who deserved everything and more? When you couldn’t even be sure of your place in this world, how could you do that to him? To the man who [̴]̷[̵]̶[̵]̶[̴]̴[̷]̵ you?

…?

Jinwoo [̸̦̄́̈́]̶̲̭͐̂̕[̸̭̄͘]̴̼͖̌͒̽[̵̲̝͂]̷̘͂͊͒[̵̙̦̬̒̈́̽]̸̥̈́͆[̶̙͊]̸̨͎͎̏ you.

???

[̴̨͚̥̤͖̣͍̱̥̥̃̽̂͂́̕]̷̞͋̀̍̆[̸̥̀̊̀]̴͍̑̇[̸̺̬̲͉̯̱̭̥̖͔͊̉̓]̸̧̡̛̳̰̬͉̰̗̮͙̄[̴̺̳̮͇͕̩̌̅͜]̴̢̥̭̮̩͉̜̼̽́͠[̶͚̓͂̃̿̇̃̀͝͝]̶̡̨̰̙͔͚̀͜ͅ—!

W-What is…my memories—

“-me)…(Name)!”

You jolted. For a few moments, the only thing you could see was grey.

“I knew it, you’re—”

“I’m fine, Jinwoo. And stop making that face.”

“What—”

“It doesn’t suit you.”

“Oi—”

Before he could let out another syllable, you circled your arms around him and buried your face on his shoulder. You were well-aware of how his muscles tensed then, how his breath hitched when yours warmed his neck, and how he shivered when you played with his hair at the base with your fingers. It was a sly move on your part, to distract him like this.

How far can I go? What a dangerous thought.

It was impossible not to notice the signs, how confusing they all were.

It might have been a stretch to assume, might even be delusional, but unless it was normal behavior of this time and age to kiss the back of another’s hand—other than family’s—you doubted you read the situation too far in that case. The gesture might be normal occurrences for affectionate people, and you wouldn’t claim to know how Jinwoo would be if he had someone who truly accompanied him on his journey, step by step. What you did know was that Jinwoo showed that he cared, less with words, more through actions.

So, what did his actions so far told you?

For a lone wolf such as he, Jinwoo had been quite... tactile. You doubted he would be to just anyone.

Comfort, maybe?

Which led to the next question: you no longer fit in the category of ‘just anyone’ to him, weren’t you? After all, it was one of the many possibilities you had entertained, especially when he didn’t leave you much of a choice but to stay close.

Trust?

“…” You pursed your lips.

Or something else?

Y̸̦̖͓͛o̵͕̦͎͆̃ụ̶͎̗̒̈́ ̴̻̩̳̏ d̶̩̉i̸͓̭͒̕d̴͙͑̍ň̶̝͍͠'̶̧̙̍t̴̹̓ ̸͓͍̎̎ŕ̴̲̩͕̅͋e̴͔̾m̷̦̞͗e̴̢̥̗͑̔m̵͖̳̄b̴͈͎͋̌e̵̡͔̜̍̅̈́r̶̨̳̜̂̉͑ ̶̘̒͘i̶̡̖͘̚f̴̺̳̎̀ ̶͍͍͔̐̏́ý̵͍̳͐͝ò̸̦͇͑̀u̷̧͌ e̶̜͓͗̕v̵̬͈̱̀̃̌ḛ̸̛͋͘r̴̺̀̋ ̷̛͙͕̻̑͆h̶͇̻͛̕å̸͙͖̭͒d̵͕̮̃ ̴̰̒̍a̷̻̘͌̂ ̸̹̔͑͜ͅl̴͙̈́ô̶̹̣̼v̴̘̪̄̂e̵̡̓͘͝ṟ̴̽́̏ ̴̺̌̑̐b̵̫͕̦̄̇e̴͔̅̀͐f̶̰̍o̷̩̐͝r̷̘̥̒̔e̶͚̦͒.̸̪̝̉͊͝

You were a fan of Jinwoo, yes, just one of the many, and a hopeless romantic to boot, considering the amount of romance genres you consumed in your free time up till now. It was a good thing if he actually found some comfort in you, God knew this man deserved more, so you didn’t really mind the hand-holding, hugging, and overall proximity. If you were being honest, every time he sought you out, it never failed to make you feel giddy—too giddy.

It was hard to turn a blind eye to the changes.

How could you describe this? Feverish, fuzzy, and your stomach did the thing? It felt too textbook copy-paste—everything was—which was fitting, considering your situation. But, simply ‘feeling’ it was not enough. What an excuse that was, when there was not yet definitive evidence to support your claims. Would you stoop that low?

In any case, you were threading onto treacherous grounds.

But—

You tightened your hold on Jinwoo, hiding yourself from the world.

System, can I afford to indulge myself?

[ … ]

“Enjoying yourself?” Jinwoo asked, and while you couldn’t see it, you just knew that he had to be smirking.

Look who’s talking. That question could apply to him too.

You mumbled something incoherent into his shoulder, and Jinwoo tilted his head, his smile widening. “What was that?”

You didn’t feel like gracing him with the answer he wanted this time. Instead, you nuzzled further into him, your head bumping against his chin from below, and your lips inches away from his Adam’s apple.

Just as you predicted again, Jinwoo shut his mouth pretty quick.

Revenge sure tasted sweet, but you decided that you would spare him some mercy. After all, you were still thankful for the distraction he provided, knowingly or not.

A small smile bloomed against his shoulder.

For all your children’s teasing, a small part of you couldn’t help but agree: this moment, despite every absurdity that surrounded it, was undeniably romantic.

Just this once.

Behind the curtain of the rainy dungeon, you just hoped this wouldn’t become a habit.

End Note:

Unfinished Draft of [30/11/2024] -

Dear [Trial Player]'s Readers,

Happy New Year! 🎉

First, I’d like to apologize for not posting this chapter on New Year's Eve as planned. Time was tighter than I expected, and honestly, this chapter could have been better. My apologies for that. If you have any questions, feedbacks, & comments, feel free to send them here or send in an ask—I may be slow, but I’ll do my best to respond as soon as I can! ❤️

With this chapter, we’ve officially reached the end of Season 1 of the Manhwa. Huzzah! 🎊

This chapter is a whirlwind, I admit. There’s a lot happening, such as: new revelations, developments, and information; foreshadowing and scattered implications; and official introductions to several new characters—the mysterious [???], also known as the [Children of 'Trial Player']! I have used these twenty-ish chapters so far to 'set up the stage', all will be revealed in the events of Season 2 of the Manhwa, so stay tuned! 🦋✨️

I’ll be returning to college for exams starting on January 6th, which will keep me busy for about three weeks. As such, there won’t be any major updates to this story until late January or early February. In the meantime, I’ll try to answer the asks you all have already sent to my inbox. Thank you so much for your patience and for showing interest in this work—I truly appreciate it. I apologize for the late responds in advance. 🙏

Thank you for all your support so far, everyone! 💖

[luffytaro-zo]

Chapter 17 [Draft]

Sung Jinwoo/Trial Player!Reader

CW:

Inspired by @circeyoru ‘s “Future Power Couple”

[Masterlist🦋✨️]

You stood at a safe distance behind Jinwoo, your butterflies weaving through his army of shadow ice bears. The massive beasts bore the brunt of the demon nobles' attacks, their darkened forms battered but still standing tall. As your butterflies pulsed gentle waves of magic, the ice bears’ wounds began to mend. Some of your butterflies lingered longer, fluttering playfully around the shadows as if to comfort them after their arduous battle.

Tank, Jinwoo's massive shadow bear, lay on his stomach, utterly content. On his broad nose rested one of your butterflies, white with light blue under certain lights. The delicate creature radiated a warm, soothing glow, sending soft pulses of energy into Tank. The bear rumbled lowly in approval, his glowing eyes half-lidded as if he were on the verge of dozing off.

At the forefront, Jinwoo stood facing Esil, his presence was imposing, eyes glinting menacingly. The demoness faltered under his interrogation.

You watched quietly as Jinwoo caught her limp body before it could hit the ground. His movements were precise, almost gentle, as he laid her down. Then, he straightened, standing sentinel beside her, his eyes hard and unreadable. You moved to his side, silently joining him in keeping watch.

---

As he stood over Esil’s unconscious form, his mind replayed the moment her body succumbed to the system’s influence. The vacant look in her eyes, the sudden collapse—the system had total control, and while that wasn’t a surprise, it unsettled him more than he expected.

It wasn’t curiosity that prompted his question as much as concern. He glanced back at you, standing there quietly.

You had been through the system’s trials too, hadn’t you?

If it had done that to Esil, had it also stripped you bare of your agency at some point?

The thought left an unpleasant knot in his chest.

"Does the system do that to you?" Jinwoo asked, his gaze still fixed on the unconscious Esil, yet his voice came out softer than he intended. "When..." He hesitated, the words caught in his throat. His hands clenched slightly at his sides.

You understood what he was asking without him needing to finish. Your admittance came quiet but steady. “Yes,”

Jinwoo’s head snapped toward you, the tightness in his chest sharpened. He searched your face for any sign of resentment, any trace of bitterness, but you didn’t seem angry at the system. Instead, there was an odd resignation, as if you’d long since made peace with its machinations.

You continued before he could respond. “And no. I think... it’s the same case as you, the system wants me to live.”

Jinwoo’s brow furrowed. “How so?”

For a moment, you seemed to be testing the words on your tongue, unsure.

“There was a time... when I tested its limits. I pushed too far.”

Jinwoo’s gaze bore into you, unyielding and intense. “What happened?”

“The system reacted as you’d expect. Penalties. Threats. It flashed them all at me—reducing my stats, taking away privileges, locking me back in the garden. Even death.”

Jinwoo had hated the system once, but never as much as he did in this moment. The only relief, faint as it was, came after you continued.

Was it because you were standing there, alive, and he didn’t want to imagine otherwise?

“Instead of following through, it just... stopped me. It put up a barrier, cutting me off from what I was trying to do.”

Jinwoo asked, his tone low, “What were you doing?”

You paused, and for a moment, Jinwoo thought you wouldn’t answer. Instead, you took a step forward, closing the gap between you, standing directly in front of him. The intensity in your gaze was startling and brief, before you bowed deeply, your gloved hands clasped tightly in front of you.

“I’m sorry.”

Jinwoo blinked, startled. "Hey, what are you—"

“For not being able to prevent your mother from falling into eternal slumber.”

What?

His heart skipped a beat, and his breath caught in his throat.

You were there? Back then?

“I tried. I found a way to siphon off the harmful mana that was killing her. I was so close—so close—”

You had tried to save her—his mother. The mother he had loved and mourned, the one whose absence had shaped so much of who he was.

“but in the end, I failed. I—”

Jinwoo barely registered your last words

In one swift motion, he closed the remaining gap between you. He heard how your breath hitched as his arm wrapped around your back and waist. His other hand found yours, his fingers hooking gently around your gloved ones.

Why was he doing this? Jinwoo didn’t fully understand it himself. He only knew that the distance between you suddenly felt unbearable. The weight of your words, your broken voice, your trembling shoulders, your quiet resolve—they struck something deep within him. He needed to feel your presence, to know you were real and still here.

"Jinwoo?" you managed, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Sorry,” he murmured, his voice muffled as he buried his face into your shoulder. “I know you’re still mad at me. But please, indulge me this one time.”

You didn’t react, and for a moment, Jinwoo was afraid that you would push him away, until he felt fingers threading gently through his hair. The motion was familiar, comforting—a memory from a time when he was weaker.

Jinwoo’s shoulders relaxed under your touch. He melted into you, his grip tightening ever so slightly. You had no scent, Jinwoo noticed. Not the metallic tang of blood or the floral sweetness he expected.

It was oddly fitting.

---

He deserved to know.

Even if it changed how he saw you—even if it made him angry or distant—you couldn’t hide it forever. The system permitting you to share this moment felt like a sign, a chance to lay the truth bare and accept whatever came next.

So when Jinwoo embraced you, his warmth enveloping you like a shield, it caught you off guard. You hadn’t expected him to hold you so tightly, to cling to you as if your presence grounded him. Yet the embrace itself was careful, as if he were holding something fragile.

His voice was different, softer than you’d ever heard it.

Mad at him? You weren’t mad—you were guilty, drowning in it.

But the warmth of his touch and the steady rhythm of his breathing grounded you, and you found yourself relaxing too. For the first time in a long while, you allowed yourself to let go of the constant self-reproach, if only for a moment.

Above your heads, Red flitted toward a group of demons approaching in the distance. With a subtle move of your fingers, you traced a glowing sigil mid-air, and a beam of light shot down from above, obliterating them before they could get close.

Jinwoo continued to hold you.

You sighed softly, continuing to thread your fingers through his hair.

And so, you followed his lead, as you always did.

---

“Bowdown. Submit. You are in front of [ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ].”

The static distorted the clarity of the last few words, but their intent was undeniable. The voice that echoed was the same one Esil Radiru had grown up hearing—an omnipresent entity that directed the demon clans within this realm, ensuring their obedience from the moment they opened their eyes here. Yet, there was something different this time. It wasn’t the voice itself that gave her pause but the unusual sensation that followed it, an innate urge to obey as if compliance was the most natural thing in the world.

When Esil Radiru opened her eyes, she expected to see the human Jinwoo looming over her. Instead, she found herself face-to-face with a woman. A human woman. Her delicate appearance seemed unremarkable at first glance—until Esil felt it.

An innate urge rooted itself in her core, rising and pulling her toward submission. It wasn’t forceful, nor was it a demand. It was merely the statement of a truth so absolute it resonated with the marrow of her bones. The woman didn’t even speak, yet Esil felt the weight of her presence, like a warm beacon drawing her closer. Her knees nearly buckled under the combined pressure of the voices in her head and the woman’s radiance.

“Who… Who are you?” Esil managed, her voice barely more than a tremble.

The woman smiled gently. "My name is (Name),” she said. “I’m Jinwoo’s companion.”

Esil wasn’t sure what she expected, but the warmth exuding from (Name)’s voice startled her. It was calm, tender, and so achingly familiar, as if she were standing before someone who understood her struggles without needing to ask. That warmth felt like coming home after a long, tiresome journey—safe, comforting, and peaceful.

I want to bury myself in that warmth, Esil thought for a fleeting moment. To rest… To—

Her eyes widened, and her body trembled. What am I thinking? She clenched her fists and forced herself to look away from the woman, though her aura lingered. (Name) was no ordinary human. Esil knew that much. No, this woman wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

What a powerful woman, Esil thought, suppressing the shiver that threatened to crawl up her spine.

---

Esil watched the pair closely as they negotiated with her father. The dynamic between the two humans was unexpectedly casual. Perhaps too casual.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding, Sire,” The woman’s words were delivered so smoothly, so politely, “My companion here can be rather... clueless when it comes to social cues.”

Esil nearly choked on her drink. That was bold. Jinwoo’s jaw visibly tightened, and his shoulders sagged slightly under the weight of her words, the metaphorical arrow hitting its mark with pinpoint accuracy. Esil swore she saw his shadow soldiers collectively flinch, their heads bowing as if in silent mourning for their master’s pride. Jinwoo let out a soft, dejected sigh.

Esil stifled a giggle. This woman’s tongue is sharper than any blade.

Would you be willing to teach me your ways someday, Lady (Name)?

Her father, the head of the Radiru clan, regarded both you and Jinwoo with unease.

His reluctance was palpable as he eyed Jinwoo’s shadow army with poorly concealed dread, but when she introduced you, Esil noticed the slight tremor in her father’s legs, as well as the guards in the room

They feels it too... That dichotomy, Esil realized. The warmth that hides something far more dangerous.

“You’re okay with just an entry pass and a guide?” her father asked reluctantly, his tone betraying his unease.

“We won’t put your daughter in danger,” you assured him, your voice calm and resolute. “That much, we can promise. And we’ll keep it.”

Your confidence left a deep impression on Esil. You reminded her of the queens she had read about in those human literatures salvaged from the floor’s ruins.

---

“If there’s a battle, make sure you don’t interfere,” Jinwoo instructed her firmly. “I’ll take care of it myself.”

Esil felt warm at his words.

“Don’t give her false hope, you tactless fool,” you muttered, jabbing Jinwoo sharply in the side.

Esil gasped as Jinwoo doubled over, groaning in pain. Perhaps I misunderstood? she thought, a pout forming on her lips. That’s no fair…

But before she could linger on her disappointment, she felt your hand rest gently on her head.

“Hey,” you said softly, your warm smile returning. “Don’t let that dense man bother you, alright?”

Esil blinked up at you, startled by the sudden contact but not at all uncomfortable. “Ah, I apologize!” you added quickly, a hint of sheepishness in your tone. “I should’ve asked if you were okay with me touching you.”

“No, it’s fine!” Esil blurted out, her face heating again. “I... I don’t mind.”

The sincerity in her voice seemed to surprise you, but you merely nodded, your expression softening further. Esil couldn’t help but feel grateful. You treated her not just as a princess but as a person, respecting her in ways she hadn’t realized she craved.

---

Esil’s father had prepared meticulously for this meeting, gathering artifacts and gifts tailored to each of the clan heads. Among them was a bottle of fine alcohol cherished by the Garshi clan’s leader. When Esil brought it forward, Jinwoo raised an eyebrow, his tone blunt.

“Why?”

Esil hesitated, caught off guard by the sudden question. “Eh? Um… if we bring these with us, the negotiations will go more smoothly—”

“Negotiations?” he asked, his tone laced with skepticism. “Are you guys friendly with the Garshi clan by any chance?”

Esil fumbled over her words, unsure how to respond.

“Here we go again with this man.” Her growing panic was interrupted by a soft sigh from (Name). Esil felt the woman’s gloved hand rest on her head once more, its warmth grounding her. “Just wait here, alright? Jinwoo and I will take care of it.”

Your kind smile returned, but this time, Esil felt a chill run down her spine. For a moment, she pitied whoever dared to stand against you.

---

Esil watched in awe—and no small amount of horror—as flames erupted across the Garshi clan’s stronghold. The screams of its inhabitants echoed in the distance, a chilling testament to the chaos Jinwoo and you had wrought.

“Uhm, Jinwoo... Sir,” she ventured nervously, “why did you spare my clan?”

“Because I took a liking to you—”

SMACK!

Esil winced as (Name) jabbed Jinwoo again, this time with even greater force, in the ribs. Eliciting a pained groan from the man as he doubled over.

“What did I just tell you?!” you scolded, your tone exasperated. “Stop giving the poor girl false hope, you dense fool!”

Esil’s cheeks flushed despite herself. Even as (Name) reprimanded Jinwoo, Esil couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth blossoming in her chest. These two were unlike anyone she had ever met. She found herself smiling as (Name) turned to her with a determined look.

“We’ll boost the Radiru clan to first place,” (Name) declared. “I promise you that, Esil.”

The conviction in her voice left Esil momentarily speechless. “Thank you, Lady (Name),” she said softly, her smile earnest.

---

As they climbed the demon tower, Esil watched in awe. The shadow soldiers worked in perfect tandem the ethereal butterflies, their movements mirroring the synergy between their masters. The scene was almost hypnotic—a seamless blend of darkness and light carving a path upward.These two are really something else.

For the first time in a long while, Esil Radiru felt hopeful. And she knew she had made the right decision to stand by your side.

End Note:

Unfinished Draft of [20/11/2024] -

This draft is messier then the others, I apologize

[luffytaro-zo]

Chapter 1 [Draft]

Sung Jinwoo/Trial Player!Reader

CW: All hail traumatized Reader.

Inspired by @circeyoru ‘s “Future Power Couple”

[Masterlist🦋✨️]

The first thing you felt, opening your eyes, was confusion. You weren’t in your room anymore. Sunlight streamed through enormous stone pillars, bathing lush, towering vines and strange, vibrant flowers in a golden hue. The air was warm and fragrant, thick with the scent of damp earth.

But then came the second realization. You looked down, and your heart nearly stopped. Your hands were tiny, smaller than they’d been since childhood. You touched your face and arms, half in disbelief. You were in your body… or some version of it. And young.

That’s when the screen appeared before your eyes, hovering like a digital ghost.

[Welcome, Trial Player.]

The words glowed, taking a moment to sink in as reality wove itself together in a tangled mess of memories and feelings. Trial player?

You tried to call out, tried to make sense of it, but before you could, another line appeared.

[You have been selected to test this system.]

You exhaled slowly, swallowing back the panic that was building in your chest. “This has to be some kind of mistake,” you whispered, though you doubted anyone was listening. You knew what the system was, in theory. This was the same one that would one day be given to Sung Jinwoo, but there was something… off. This was not exactly how you remembered it from the manhwa.

[Your task: Survive, learn, and master the system.]

The words disappeared, leaving you standing alone, feeling like a newborn in a strange, hostile world.

---

The first few days were terrifying, every new experience both a revelation and a potential death sentence. You had no weapons, no training, and no idea what you were up against. For the first time in your life, you understood the gravity of true danger. Every rustling leaf or distant growl put your heart in your throat.

On the third day, a mission screen appeared.

[Daily Mission: Survive in the Gardens. Reward: 1000 EXP.]

“Survive,” you muttered dryly. “Thanks for the reminder.” You swiped the screen away, hoping that would somehow give you more clarity, but it only left you alone with the dense, humid silence of the garden.

Later that day, you stumbled upon what you’d initially thought was an oddly shaped log—until it moved. A giant serpent, its scales glistening, slithered forward, venom dripping from its fangs as it studied you with hungry eyes.

Pure instinct took over. You scrambled for anything you could use as a weapon, but there was nothing. Just your hands. As the snake lunged, something surged within you—warm, pulsing energy—your first brush with the power of healing. You didn’t know how you did it, only that it seemed to pour out of you.

The serpent’s movements grew sluggish, then frantic, as if something was going horribly wrong inside of it. Its scales began to bubble, and it convulsed before collapsing. You gasped for air, heart pounding, as the system screen appeared.

[You have discovered a unique ability: Healing Resonance.]

A “unique ability” indeed. You were horrified, stunned. Healing, but one that twisted life into death. Your first kill was as much a shock as a victory, and as you watched the system flash “EXP Gained,” you felt no thrill. Just numbness.

---

After days of testing the system, you quickly discovered that it was far different than the one described in the manhwa. Instead of the narrow focus on fighting, the system offered skills that were surprisingly... domestic. It felt more like a casual RPG than the cutthroat power-chasing game you’d expected.

“Learning, cooking, crafting?” you muttered, swiping through a menu that displayed an endless list of skills—farming, forging, language... the works.

[Your feedback is appreciated.]

The screen popped up just as you were gnawing on a piece of hard bread you’d somehow managed not to burn to ash. A feedback column appeared below, and you felt a strange thrill—if you could actually shape how this system worked, maybe you could make a difference. You started typing, ideas flowing faster than you could think them through.

Feedback 1: Focus on combat-related skills. Simplify stats for non-combat abilities.

When you pressed submit, the system chimed.

[Under review for final version.]

“Guess that’s all I can do for now,” you sighed, leaning back and staring at the list. You wouldn’t have minded the extra skills so much, except that every single one required you to “grind” by using it repeatedly. Which, in theory, was fine. In practice? Not so much.

Your first few attempts at cooking, for instance, had been… catastrophic. Who knew it was even possible to burn a boiled egg to a crisp? At least it still gave you experience points, but the system wasn’t exactly forgiving. Each skill was tied to a particular stat and vice versa, so for example, to raise Intelligence, you had to keep grinding away at reading, alchemy, crafting, and other mentally demanding tasks.

Then there was Learning, the one skill that seemed to tie everything together. It leveled up whenever you worked on other skills, making them just a fraction easier each time you made an attempt. Slowly, you felt the difference—your fingers became nimbler at crafting, your reading comprehension shot up, and even basic fighting maneuvers didn’t leave you bruised as often.

You sent in feedback about this too, suggesting that leveling up should provide points you could apply to any stat you wished.

[Under review. Changes considered for the final version.]

With each suggestion, the system stayed silent for a moment, as if it was actually thinking it over.

“Are you alive in there?” you asked, half-joking. But there was no response. Just silence.

---

The day you found the abandoned library was the first stroke of true luck you’d had since arriving. Of course, it had come with its own challenges—a plant-beast had nearly mauled you at the entrance. Your solution? A shard of broken glass, some sunlight, and sheer desperation. After you’d torched the creature, you barely had the strength to drag yourself inside, clutching your bleeding arm.

Inside, towering bookshelves covered in dust stretched into the shadows. You felt your pulse quicken—knowledge. In a world where you felt powerless, here was a place where you could gain some edge.

The first book you picked up was written in a strange language. As you stared at the unfamiliar symbols, another screen popped up.

[New Skill accessed: Reading. Level 1.]

You let out a laugh, maybe half from exhaustion, half from sheer disbelief. The reading skill allowed you to comprehend the text faster, though it started painfully slow. Still, as you worked through the book, something strange happened.

[New Skill accessed: Language. Level 1.]

The words were no longer entirely foreign. It took hours, but by the end, you had a basic grasp. After spending weeks working on other skills, you returned to study another language and found it easier than before.

“Thank you,” you muttered aloud, genuinely grateful to the system. You weren’t one to talk to thin air, but sometimes it felt like someone, or something, was there.

For the first time, the system responded, offering you an EXP boost for several skills at once.

“You’re feeling generous today,” you said. The system flashed without a word, but something about its silent response felt… thoughtful, almost. You knew it was impossible, but a sense of familiarity nagged at you.

---

As days bled into weeks, and weeks into months, survival became both an instinct and a grueling grind. Food was scarce, rations stretched thin. Every meal was a gamble—could you avoid poisoning yourself this time? Or would you suffer another failed attempt at cooking?

The creatures that roamed the Gardens were relentless. You’d nearly died several times, if not for a combination of sheer luck, your healing power, and a dormant instinct to survive that you hadn’t known was there. Fighting without real experience was an endless, punishing lesson, and the system had yet to assign you a class. But your healing powers were something you clung to, despite their double-edged nature.

Without them, you would have been left scarred and broken, bleeding from too many wounds to count. The system kept pushing you, relentlessly.

The deeper you went into the mysteries of this world, the more questions you had. Why were you here? Why you? The system itself, sometimes silent, sometimes so alive, only deepened the enigma. You couldn’t shake the feeling that being a beta tester wasn’t the full reason you’d been pulled into this reality.

But for now, you pushed the questions aside, bottling them up in a corner of your mind. Survival was the priority. If you made it out of these Gardens, if you gained enough strength, maybe one day you’d find the answers.

But until then, your only choice was to endure.

-----

Another day, another tight squeeze of survival. You were hidden under a rocky overhang, just out of sight, nibbling on unfamiliar roots and mushrooms you’d scavenged. Every bite was a gamble, a game of Russian roulette that determined whether you’d gain a bit of strength or be wracked with cramps, nausea, or worse.

"Come on, poison resistance,” you muttered to yourself, half-prayer, half-exasperation. Every new toxic bite, every close call, edged you closer to a skill level that might one day make these random edibles manageable.

The system pinged softly with an update.

[System Patch: Skill Cap Increase Applied. Unlocked Sub-Skills for Advanced Development.]

You let out a long sigh. So *that* was why skills maxed out so fast before. Every time you thought you’d mastered something, the ceiling just got higher. Now, skills you thought were perfected were open again for leveling, and any new experience points would feed back into their growth. Until you could level up again, the system would keep exchanging your experience for supplies—something that had kept you from starving more than once already.

But the sub-skills, the “updates,” had you intrigued. You’d noticed subtle effects of higher skill levels before, like how cooking had become more than just a way to sustain yourself. Now, you could create dishes that eased your fatigue or provided a bit of health. Forging was the same—your makeshift weapons had become a little sharper, a little stronger, and now, you could upgrade the stats of items that had already been made. Each skill was branching out into new possibilities.

But your progress slowed as the demands of survival grew harsher. Rations were limited, and you felt each calorie burned in your daily mission drills. The exhaustion crept into your bones, each strike of your makeshift spear against the thick-skinned creatures that roamed these grounds adding to the deepening ache. Just survive, you told yourself. The system seemed to listen, pushing you further than you ever thought you could go.

---

After months of grueling routine, the day came when the system presented a new challenge: the job-change quest. You knew what this meant. You’d read the manhwa a hundred times, could remember every detail of Jinwoo’s struggle. You expected a hard fight, but even then, you weren’t prepared for the reality—a Hydra.

When you first saw it, slithering out from the darkness, its scales glistening with a sickly, iridescent sheen, your breath caught. A single head was bad enough, but the Hydra had seven, each one dripping venom. Its eyes gleamed with a deadly intelligence as it circled, blocking any path of escape. You gripped your spear, willing yourself to be brave.

Stay calm. Think.

“Alright,” you whispered to yourself. “I just have to get it to bleed out… if I can even scratch it.”

The Hydra lunged. You sidestepped just as one head lashed out, venom spraying onto the rocks where you’d stood, sizzling with acidic fury. Your muscles burned as you darted away, barely managing to keep up with its movements. Every time you managed to wound it, its flesh began to knit together again, each laceration closing with terrifying speed.

Think. What did the library say?

The words from a musty old anatomy text swam back to you. The main poison sac, near the heart. You didn’t even know if you could reach it, but it was your only chance. As the Hydra coiled again, you let instinct take over, dodging its strikes until an opportunity appeared.

You gripped your spear tight, channeling every bit of magic into it, then aimed for the base of one of its necks. You struck hard, hoping to wound it enough to reach that poison sac.

Your powers flared unexpectedly, the reptile’s scales near the wound blackened as though they were aging, decomposing under your hands. It shrieked, flesh blistering as your magic intensified. The effect rippled through its body, slowing the regenerative process that had given it the upper hand. You sliced again, faster, your heart pounding, forcing your powers to speed up this, this decay. As you worked, you became aware of something strange—the Hydra’s flesh was rotting beneath your touch, its venom sac swelling under its own poison as it struggled to keep up with your relentless onslaught.

It took everything you had. With a final push, you drove your spear into the Hydra’s chest, deep enough to rupture the venom sac. The poison surged through its body, overwhelming its regenerative abilities. Its massive body convulsed, seven heads thrashing in agony, then slumped to the ground with a heavy finality.

You sank to the ground, gasping, drenched in sweat, your muscles shaking with exhaustion. Blood seeped from a gash on your arm, a painful reminder of the battle. Dark patches spread across your skin where venom had touched, a lingering ache warning you that your body was still working to purify it.

“System,” you rasped, half-delirious. “You’d better give me something worth it.”

A screen popped up in response, and you felt a weak grin pull at your lips.

[Job Quest Complete. New Class Obtained: Mage-Healer.]

Your heart pounded in your chest. Mage-Healer? You’d expected a standard healer class, something that suited your healing ability, but a hybrid class? That hadn’t been part of the original story. As the notification faded, a new title appeared beneath your class:

[New Title Earned: “Dreamer and Chronomancer, She”]

“Chronomancer…?” you whispered, the words tasting strange on your tongue.

Exhaustion weighed on you, but curiosity tugged at the edges of your mind. You remembered the way the Hydra’s wounds had slowed, how its regeneration seemed to freeze under your touch. It all clicked into place. Cellular death. Your healing wasn’t merely about restoring life—it was time itself, bending to your will. And the magic you wielded, the strange power that left the serpent dying on the first day you arrived, wasn’t just about healing either. You had boosted its venom production until it ruptured on itself, just as you had done now.

But what about ‘Dreamer’?

Your thoughts were interrupted by a faint chime from the system.

[Learning Skill: New Sub-Skill Unlocked.]

The notification sparked your curiosity, but the words on the screen blurred before your eyes. The poison was still in your system, and you could feel the fever building. As you closed your eyes to focus on healing, the faint ache from the venom made your body shiver.

When you opened your eyes again, a vision—a faint shimmer—hovered over your eye as your gaze fell on the Hydra’s lifeless body. It was a tiny magic circle, seemingly clicked in place when it found its target. Knowledge flooded into your mind, unfamiliar and clear, as if the system itself was feeding you answers. You could use the Hydra’s remains. Its venom, its scales… everything was a resource, a tool. With careful handling, they could be transformed into potions, armor, even enchanted weapons. You smiled, exhausted but exhilarated. If you’d gotten this far, there was no limit to what you could achieve.

“You know what, system?” you murmured, feeling a strange connection to the silent guide in your head. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”

End Note:

Unedited Draft of [08/10/2024] - Chronicles of The Hanging Gardens, Part I

[luffytaro-zo]

WAIT!

STOP SCROLLING!!

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

okay that's it have a good day

[luffytaro-zo]

“you’re okay”

Sanemi Shinazugawa x Fem’Rd

Summary: honestly this is a more personal fic

reader has been dealing with some self security issues, she doesn’t know how to deal with her anxiety/struggles and it’s been really consuming, Sanemi catches her in one of her moments and manages to reassure her that she’s gonna be okay.

Category: SFW (safe for work)

Character: Sanemi Shinazugawa

Song: Stargirl Interlude

“I’m fine im fine im fine” you kept reassuring yourself out loud as you were pacing back and forth the halls in the Butterfly mansion. Everyone had fallen asleep and was staying there for a couple of days for training and health checks by Shinobu and Aoi. It was late so you were in pajamas and put on some socks since the floor despite being wooden was a bit cold. You were a Hashira, you had no time for little things like intrusive thoughts and anxiety to bug you now. It was improper and unprofessional. This thought process is what led you to pacing around the halls.. but then you stopped. You caught a glimpse of the sky and it was covered in stars, you felt bad pacing around feeling as if someone could hear you, so you sat on the roof instead. Knees to your chest and head resting in your lap. You just let your thoughts continue to spiral and spiral, they were endless, they were tiring, and you couldn’t keep fighting yourself. You were never going to win a battle against yourself and you, as a Hashira, knew that.

You began biting your lip in anger because it felt like you had no control of your thoughts and could feel tears beginning to form from the frustration.

“And why the hell are you awake?” Sanemi’s voice seemed groggy as he stepped closer to you. You were so lost in your thoughts you didn’t even hear him coming closer and now you wonder what would have happened if it wasn’t Sanemi and if it was a demon what would you- “Hey, I asked you a question.” Sanemi’s voice snapping you out of reality, you turned your head to look up at him and his eyes widened a little.. your eyes were glossy and your bottom lip a bit swollen. He could tell something was wrong, I mean anyone could, but he knew something was wrong because you’re never like this.

“Im sorry I didn’t mean to wake you.” You apologized and looked down at your feet, you realized your socks are probably now a bit dirty from walking around. “Bold of you to assume you woke me up.” He ruffled the back of his hair a bit before sitting next to you. “Mitsuri talks in her sleep, creepy if you ask me” he says before taking a glance at the sky as well to be met with stars all over. A small smile formed at your face knowing the Love Hashira is well known for talking in her sleep. “So you gonna talk or keep being weird and quiet?” despite how harsh the question seemed you could tell he was just concerned.. maybe a little worried. Your smile faded into a little frown and your eyes still glossy. “I just can’t do it anymore, I’m so tired of fighting myself and all these thoughts and just-“ you paused for a minute because you said so much your emotions began overflowing.. small tears falling down your cheeks before you sniffled hoping to prevent more from falling. “I just don’t want to feel this way anymore. I hate it.” You put your head back down, knees still to your chest and you looked away from Sanemi. There was a moment of silence until.. “Then fix it.” Sanemi huffed, the slight attitude in his voice. You picked your head up and looked at him confused. “What?” You mumbled and before you could say anything else.. “You’re always going around telling people they can change. They can start over as many times as they need to. They can feel okay again. All this advice and yet you don’t take it seriously for yourself.” Sanemi now sounded a bit upset.

“That makes you a hypocrite.” and when the words left his mouth you felt a hole form in your heart, a hypocrite? No, you were just… possibly… a hypocrite?? You didn’t mean to be that way or come off that way. It just didn’t feel the same, taking your own advice. It felt like it never worked. “It doesn’t work that way San-“ “Then make it work.” Man was he ‘great’ at giving advice. You rolled your eyes seeing as he was being as tough as nails. Per usual. “You don’t just stop because it’s not working. You keep finding a way. A new way. A better way. A stronger way. Until it sticks.” Sanemi was pretty good with his words when he needed to be, you had only heard him talking to Obanai and some others but never to you like this. It was new.. “Yeah and when that doesn’t work then what?” You ask with a little attitude behind your words. “Then you keep trying and you keep finding another way. Things don’t end just because you lost one way. It means it’s just started and it’s waiting for you to find another. Learn to get back up on your feet and keep starting again. It means you’re alive. It means you have the ability to grow.” and your eyes widened at the realization that he was right. Not that he usually isn’t but that his words are genuine advice. It’s true, you had, and for so long, kept fighting yourself because you felt stuck and it’s because you kept doing the same old things rather than allowing yourself to do something new, to start over, to accept, and to forgive yourself. You were always so hard on yourself and for what? You’re a Hashira yes but you’re still human. You seemed to have forgotten that but Sanemi reminded you and it was more than a reminder, it was a wake up call. A wake up call that if you keep heading towards battles like this, especially ones with yourself, you will never win.

You teared up a bit, now knowing something more about yourself. That you’re fully capable and the only thing ever stopping you is you.

“You’re okay, y/n.” His voice seemed more gentle now, probably because you were crying..or because-

“I promise you’re okay. You’re only human. There’s only so much you can do and winning a fight against yourself is not one of them. Learn yourself first, understand who you are, and I promise things will align after that.” He gently placed his hand on your shoulder, his touch was so soft compared to how he usually is. He figured you needed space so he got up ready to walk away until he felt you behind him. Your chest pressed against his back and arms around his abdomen. Tear stains on his pajamas but he didn’t mind.

“Thank you..” you mumbled into his shirt as your face was buried in his back.

You couldn’t see it but he had a small smile and he looked up a bit seeing the stars again..

“Just trust you’ll be okay again. You’re y/n, you can do anything, I’ve seen you do it. Trust yourself.”

What was Sanemi gonna do with you..? It was getting harder to fight these feelings, especially when you hug him like that and he hears your cries, all he wants to do is hug you back and give you more than just words of affirmation and reassurance.. but for now, he’s okay with this.

As long as you’re okay.

[luffytaro-zo]

Saw some of your Hoshina Fics and it was stellar! Absolutely fucking amazing. You don’t know how damn happy I am to see Kaiju No.8 on my page. Your writing is phenomenal.

With that in mind, would it be possible to get another Hoshina request in? Preferably a Hurt/Comfort scenario. Maybe they’d have argued or something and they’re forced to actually confront each other’s insecurities. Because we like flawed adults going through their issues ✨together✨

If you’d like a more solidified vibe, try listening to Unsweetened Lemonade by Amélie Farren. It might give you some ideas!

I hope you have a wonderful day ahead of you!! :DD

notes: thank you so much for ur kind words ;-;; wahh... i love angst,... and functional relationships.... which is why i always write relationships on the verge of collapse... also thank you for the song rec!

hemming and hawing

soshiro hoshina x gn!reader theres a bit of drinking, but nothing extreme. word count: 1834

hoshina isn’t really good at communicating. for being the vice captain of a squadron of elite soldiers, where communication was often the difference between life and death–he’s really fucking bad at communication–or at least, the kind that requires you to be personal with other people.

he’s been ignoring you for days.

you’re not even sure why, at this point. you’d thought whatever relationship you were kindling was going fine, right? you weren’t exactly sure where the two of you stood, but you liked each other plenty, right? right? 

right?

so why was hoshina ignoring you? why did he sit so far away, make constant excuses to get up and leave? what the fuck was wrong with him? every time you’d grabbed him to talk–oftentimes having to physically hold him by the arm, because he’d often keep trying to walk away from you–he’d respond with one-word answers, not quite looking at you. you’d sit at your desk, so restless that your leg would bang against the underside of the table just wondering what the fuck was wrong with him. 

were his feelings a fluke?

hell, were yours?

what the fuck had you done wrong?

had you done something wrong? had you overstepped a boundary somewhere? but then again, how could you have? how could you have overstepped a boundary if he never made clear what his boundaries were? were you insane? what the fuck were you doing? or maybe the better question to ask is was soshiro hoshina worth this amount of hemming and hawing? was it worth it to lose your mind over his stupid face, when you saw him laugh at something okonogi said, or exchange quips with ashiro? was it worth it, when you knew he used to make the same faces towards you, used to look at you with something like measured affection behind his eyes–

you slam your head so hard against your desk that you can feel it starting to bruise.

no. no matter what, you were losing your mind over soshiro hoshina, damn him! damn him!

it keeps going on like this for a couple days–you try to talk to hoshina, he shrugs you off faster than any competent sentence you could possibly string together can form, and he leaves. the rest of the third division seems to notice, too–you’ve noticed twice in a row okonogi giving you a worried look. it wasn’t a hidden secret or anything that you and hoshina got along quite well, so if even okonogi was giving you a weird look…

you’d shrug, simply, give her a smile, and ignore the raging tire fire burning under your skin.

the next time you get a moment with hoshina is during a celebration party following a successful mission. you pour yourself a healthy glass of the strongest alcohol you can manage, and chug down the entire thing in one gulp, wiping your mouth inelegantly with your sleeve. and then out of the corner of your eye–

hoshina’s watching you with a half-interested look–a look more interested and engaged with you than any other time in the past few weeks–and you think the sight of that makes you angrier–so unbelievably angry, paired with new fire from alcohol underneath. 

you turn to grab hoshina by the collar, glaring up at him–

“hey, now,” hoshina says with a light laugh. “had a little too much to drink, darling?”

darling.

oh, this fucking jackass–you think you almost see red, your teeth grinding together, and you can almost feel your lips peeling back in the facsimile of a snarl. 

“you don’t get to call me that,” you whisper, voice shaking with anger, “not after you’ve fucking blown me off for weeks, soshiro.”

hoshina’s crimson eyes open a little more, staring down at you, right where your hand tightens against his shirt. you’re lucky that the hubbub of the party is keeping everyone from staring at you, which you’re furtively grateful for. you think, that maybe you see hurt reflected in his eyes, but that’s fucking ridiculous. why does he deserve to hurt? he’s the one who fucking blew you off, who didn’t talk to you for weeks despite the two of you clearly reciprocating feelings. what did he have to hurt over? 

“i’m sorry,” hoshina mutters, and he leans forward–

“don’t fucking TOUCH me!”

your voice is louder than you’d like, and that gets a couple eyes on you.

your face feels red, and you drop hoshina’s shirt. hoshina’s eyes are still watching you, his gaze unreadable for a moment before he turns to the eyes watching you, a warm smile–a clear facade, loud and clear to you, but imperceptible to most others. you know hoshina, now–you’d watched him, studied him with intensity. he couldn’t hide from you, even if he wanted to. which made the fact he’d spent weeks ignoring you more infuriating–which made this current facade, a pretending thing–so much more infuriating.

“sorry, everyone,” hoshina says. “seems like our lovely engineer here might’ve had a little too much to drink. come on, i’ll walk you back.” he looks back down at you.

his eyes have that same strange hurt still reflected in his eyes.

something about it tears your heart across unevenly. 

“okay,” you say stupidly, and you let hoshina handle your body, swing your arm over his shoulder as he pulls you up. 

the walk back sobers you up just enough–enough to realize that you’re absolutely fucking mortified–did you seriously grab him? but the better question was why didn’t he stop you? why had he just let you yell at him? why had he looked at you like that, with hurt and something like pity in his eyes? and you couldn’t even figure out what you were more mad at–

could he have done it because he thought he deserved it? 

hoshina opens up the door to your dormitory, letting you make your way to your bed. you slumped down, pressing your back against where your bed met the wall. 

“i’ll leave you alone,” hoshina murmurs. “get some rest.”

you’re angry again, upon hearing him say that. how could a guy like him push your buttons so easily? 

“so you’re just going to leave again?” you snap. “how the fuck is that fair? that’s all you’ve been fucking doing, leaving me even though all i want is to talk.  i thought you liked me!”

you hate how your voice cracks at the end, and you raise up your legs to hug them to your chest. “i thought you fucking liked me,” you whisper. “and you won’t let me talk to you, won’t let me get close–what the fuck was the point of saying you loved me if this is what you’re going to do? it’d be so much less cruel to break my heat, just say no…”

hoshina’s silent.

way too silent.

“i’m sorry,” hoshina says, and he leans down, drops on the bed next to you–the bed sags beneath his weight, and he raises a hand to touch where your hand hugs your knees to your chest–but you move away. you hate the way you almost relish in the way he seems hurt, but he places his hand between the two of you, a mediating bridge. “you can hit me, if you want.”

“what?”

you stare at him, your gaze incredulous. 

hoshina’s gaze is painfully soft, mixed with that strange pity. as if he deserves this.

“i’d deserve it,” hoshina murmurs. “i’m sorry.”

“i’m not going to hit you!” you say. “what would the point of that be? to prove yourself that you don’t deserve love? to prove to yourself you weren’t good enough? even though this is all your fault–”

hoshina’s gaze flickers at your words.

“that’s it, isn’t it? all part of your weird complex where you deny yourself things that you want!” you lean forward, reaching out to grasp him by the shirt. “so i was just fucking collateral damage to you?” you tumble for a moment, pushing him flat onto his back. he looks up at you, his lips parted for a moment. you feel your grip shaking for a moment, and your vision grows blurry– your eyes burn with tears as you shake. “i told you i knew what i wanted, you fucking idiot! i wanted you! i still want you!”

through blurred vision, you can see your tears dripping onto hoshina’s face–and hoshina just watches.

“i don’t care if you don’t think you’re not good enough,” you say through a choked sob. “you’ve always been more than good enough to me. do you get that? no, actually. you didn’t–because if you did you would have just talked to me like a normal fucking person!” you laugh desperately, crazily, almost–you feel fucking crazed. “and i’ve been driving myself mad! because of you!”

hoshina raises a hand to touch your cheek.

“take some fucking responsibility,” you rasp, tugging at his shirt. “take some responsibility for this! for what you’ve done to me!”

what a horrible thing love was.

your heart feels like it’s on fire, burned and scorched earth.

“i’m sorry,” hoshina repeats, simply. “you’re right.”

he leans up to press his forehead against yours, and you tremble.

“i was scared,” hoshina whispers. “that the things i’d said to kafka and the others–that you’d never know when you’d lose the people you love–that it’d come true. i was determined to shut myself out–make myself unknown again. i couldn’t–cross the boundary. to let myself have love. or anything like it. not from you.”

he sighs, gently nudging you to let him up. he leans close to you, presses his head against the wall to watch you. his gaze–this exact gaze, you’ve missed it. missed the way he watched you, with brimming fondness–and yet here you can see so clearly that there’s desperate pain in his eyes–bubbling and brimming just underneath the surface.

“i was struck by how much i wanted it. love. you. all of this. and i was scared because it could all just disappear so quickly,” hoshina continues. his hand touches your face, and you let that calloused touch, the familiar touch against your cheekbone, the bridge of your nose, your upper lip. “i didn’t–want to lose it. so i figured i could’ve just been happy with a little.”

“you fucking idiot,” you whisper in venomous response.

“yeah.” hoshina doesn’t deny it.

“i’ll give it to you,” you respond. “love. no matter how much you think you don’t deserve it. you don’t even have to ask.”

when hoshina looks at you again, he seems almost fractured at the possibility of it.

“i know,” he murmurs. 

“i love you,” you say, and your voice trembles for a moment. “you fucking awful piece of shit.”

hoshina laughs weakly.

“i deserve that,” he murmurs. “but i love you. i promise i do.”

you shake your head. 

“i know that,” you say. you reach out a hand to touch his face, and you can feel the smile forming on his face.

“okay,” he murmurs. “okay.”

[luffytaro-zo]

pairing: hoshina soushirou x gn!reader (no prns)

summary: in which he realizes you were the one for him

warnings: none i think !

wc: 1100

Hoshina wasn’t a player. He wasn’t one to say yes to everyone who came his way nor was he one to lightly pursue just about anyone who slightly interested him— not to mention he didn’t fall easily to begin with. He was a busy man in a dangerous line of work so having a relationship simply didn’t make sense most of the time.

However, this is not to say he hasn’t had a few relationships here and there. He loved those he dated, he really did. He did not believe in dating for the fun of it nor did he believe in starting a relationship he knew would end at some point, but subconsciously he tried not to get attached. He kept his distance and locked away his heart to keep from getting hurt. Was it unfair? Well yes, but he was scared. Everyone has something that terrifies them greatly, this just so happened to be Hoshina’s.

Yet, recently he could tell that something was different with you. It had only been a few months since you started dating, but he feared the shift in his feelings. He knew what it was— he knew very well, but as soon as he admitted it, it would be over. There’d be no going back for him. He knew he was being rather irrational, he knew that if he sat down and confronted these emotions he’d realize they weren’t that big of a deal, but he couldn’t. He’s never been able to.

However, while fighting this kaiju, it became plain obvious that he was simply in denial. 

It upset him how important you were to him, but more than that it upset him that he knew he was important to you. You had made it so painfully clear that he meant the absolute world to you and that broke him to pieces every single time.

Keep reading

[luffytaro-zo]

sparring accidents — kaiju no. 8, fluff, kissing, hoshina soshiro x female reader, use of "sweetheart" as a pet name, 1.3k words — part one and two

"Did you… get a haircut?" 

Your Vice Captain — no. Your boyfriend — freezes in the act of reaching out to tug you closer, one calloused hand wrapped around your wrist loosely. 

"... No?" 

You peer up at him. "It looks like you got a haircut. Your bangs are kinda… choppy? What the heck?" 

Hoshina Soshiro finishes tugging you closer and basks in the easy grin you flash at him, relaxing in your presence as he smiles back. "Wanna check?" 

He's teasing. Soshiro likes the way you get flustered when he does things like this — when he gets into your personal space and invites you into his, when he navigates the new lines around your relationship and you draw some of your own. 

For instance: pulling you closer? Perfectly okay, except when in front of the Captain or any higher ups, because you get worried they'll transfer you to another platoon. Any public displays of affection in front of higher ups are actually off the table entirely. In fact Soshiro sometimes wonders if Captain Ashiro even knows the two of you are dating. 

In front of the others, though, you don't mind the occasional hand touch or his arm draped across the back of your chair. You seem to have a thing for touching his biceps, too — your hands always seem to drift towards them when you're passing him in the halls or tugging him closer to look at something on your computer screen. 

And if both of you are off duty, you'll hold his hand freely. Soshiro likes that the most. You've gotten so comfortable with it, too — reaching back somewhat blindly for his hand, always knowing he'll lace his fingers with yours as soon as he notices, even when he's watching the way your eyes light up over some new book on display or a new dessert you want to share with him. 

It makes his chest ache something fierce, thinking about that trust that he'll be there to hold your hand. 

Man, he really likes you. 

"You'll have to bend a little if you want me to check," you say dubiously, and Soshiro laughs. 

"Need a lift, sweetheart?" 

"Don't you dare," you say flatly, stretching up on tiptoes and cupping his face in your hands. 

The movement brings your face very close to his face, but before he can even glance at your lips you've tugged his head down. You hum as you examine his hair, flipping the strands this way and that, and Soshiro pretends like his heart rate is normal. 

"What's the verdict?" 

"It looks like you got a silly uneven haircut while sparring. Were you guys using real blades?" You drop back on your heels, but your hands drift down to rest on his shoulders and he clears his throat nervously at the way your chest brushes against his — you're standing so close. 

The study room isn't empty. Soshiro can hear officers nearby, the shuffling of papers, the gentle ribbing between teammates. He found you among the shelves, though, and nobody's close enough to see him settle his hands on the gentle dip of your waist beneath your lab coat. 

"You think my hair looks silly?" 

He doesn't keep the pout from his voice, and he's rewarded when you giggle and lean closer. His thumbs rub soothingly along your shirt and skirt, basking in the warmth of you so close to him. 

"Hoshina-kun, don't avoid the question!" 

"Aw, alright," he sighs, "we were usin' real blades, but I swear to ya that we were bein' careful!" 

"I know you're fast, but I guess your hair wasn't fast enough to escape, too," you say. Soshiro snorts. "It's unfair, though, because even with a silly haircut you still look good." 

Your shirt is loose, untucked after the long shift. His thumbs slip beneath your shirt and rub along the bare skin of your waist. He freezes for a split second, but you just sway closer to him. You're blushing. Oh. Your chest is pushing up against his, now, and your skin is so warm and soft and — 

"Can you please kiss me already?" 

Ah. Yeah, he can do that. He can definitely do that, no problem, you've been dating for a few months now and he's been wanting to kiss you and this is a perfect time to do that since nobody's around and you're already in his arms and your hands are shoving him downwards and — 

Oh. Your lips are soft. A little chapped. He can feel his heartbeat in his ears. 

"Hoshina-kun," you pull back slightly to huff a laugh, tilting your head. Soshiro can feel your lips move against his own as you whisper and it makes his head spin. "C'mon, kiss me." 

You kiss him again and he groans, blood rushing through his body as he draws you closer, follows your lead and tilts his head, moves his lips against yours firmly as you kiss and kiss and kiss. 

You taste a little sweet, like that strawberry pocky you like to snack on. He makes a strangled sound when you part your mouth and nip softly at his bottom lip, the slight pinch going straight south in a way that'd be concerning with how closely you're pressing up against him except you just sink your fingers into the soft fluff of his hair and sigh. 

Oh, he'd do anything to hear you sigh like that again. Soshiro chases your lips when you try to pull away, snickering as you laugh and scratch at his undercut. "Someone might come by," you whisper, pressing a quick, fleeting kiss to the tip of his nose. 

"I'll order them to leave," he whispers back, fingers loosening on your waist. He's left marks, probably, from how hard he was holding you, but you don't seem to mind. "We're off duty, anyway, ain't we?" 

"Yeah, but we're still at work," you point out. Your eyes are sparkling under the study room lights and you're a little breathless. Soshiro wants to memorize the way you're glowing from the inside out. "It's almost time for dinner." 

"But what about my hair?" 

Your smile tilts into something fond as you scratch at his undercut again, sliding your fingers into the silky strands further up his head. "Don't worry, I don't think anyone else will notice your haircut." 

Soshiro grins. "Are you fussin' over me right now?" 

"Shut up," you say, but there's clear affection lacing through your tone. "I might've… been a little too enthusiastic. Stay still and let me fix your hair." 

He obliges, keeping his hands lightly at your waist to help you balance as you comb his purple strands back into place. The calm between the two of you is peaceful. Soshiro likes moments like these, holds them close to his heart and lets them shine in his mind's eye as he breathes before heading onto the battlefield. 

He feels your nails dig slightly into the back of his neck as you pull yourself up to kiss him again, a sweet, smiling kiss that makes him grin. "Careful, sweetheart, or we'll be here all night." 

"No way, mister," you say, "they're serving oyakodon tonight with your favorite Mont Blanc for dessert. I asked Captain Ashiro if we could get it on the menu this week." 

"For me?" Soshiro can't keep the surprise out of his voice. You tug at his collar, pulling it back into place and smoothing your hands along his shoulders and chest. Your hands are trembling, just a little bit. 

"Yeah. You've been working really hard and I thought you could use a boost." 

"Hmm," he leans down to kiss you lightly, basking in the ability to just do this now. "You're all I need for a boost, sweetheart. But thank you, I appreciate it." 

"Don't expect kisses before you go into battle," you say, but you're giggling as he leans down for another sweet kiss. He admires the sweep of your lashes against your cheeks and nearly misses your next words. "I won't be held responsible for distracting you." 

"What about as a reward?" 

Your lashes flutter and he kisses you again, warmth curling and settling deep in his chest. His jacket crumples as you clutch at him for balance and he grins back at you, soft. 

"As long as you don't come back with any weird haircuts." 

[luffytaro-zo]

⟡ ⠀countless nights⠀⠀⊹⠀⠀ soshiro hoshina & you

gn reader. hurt/comfort, established relationship. reader is a soldier within the third division, and he loves you much more than words can describe. part two of hope of devotion.

a little more than three weeks had passed

doctors said you were in perfect condition, that your wounds had healed almost completely and your body was not rejecting any treatment.

however, it was a mystery why you were not regaining consciousness.

It could be risky to resort to any method that would be forceful, so they opted to wait

and as the days went by, they stated that you were in a coma.

your life was fragile, weak, feeble; just like that of any human, because you were a soldier did not make you any different from the average adult— you were just that, a human, nothing more.

with that in mind, many began to lose hope and their hearts were heavy, sinking in anguish of losing that singular strength, radiant and unique that only you carried.

the ever-cautious vice-captain looked tired, and many began to realize how his routine was beginning to crumble.

the very person who had advised them not to cling so tightly to their colleagues, because of the dangerous nature of their line of work.

with each passing day, he seemed to grow more impatient

looking for a sign, a hint— something to tell him that you would soon wake up and resume your daily activities.

but your immobile body refused to make any kind of change.

your fingers were warm, soft to the touch, with slightly robust fingertips as a result of your daily, arduous training in the defense forces.

he caressed the back of your hand with his thumb as he took it, then intertwined his fingers with the utmost delicacy

how much he wished that after waking up in the morning, or after returning from a mission, you would be waiting for him with open arms.

and without fail there he was, when he woke up, after going to exterminate kaijus, and even before going to sleep.

kafka noticed how the light in the training room had stopped being on so late, and how instead it was the light in the infirmary that was glowing

he noticed how he began to condense his own schedule even further because of the urge to see you

it had already become obvious to the entire third division that the vice-captain held you in high esteem and that your relationship was always much deeper than it appeared at first glance.

his attitude never changed and his characteristic loud laughter was often heard in the corridors, so it was complex to realize what was really going on.

soshiro had always been good at hiding his intentions— his feelings and wishes.

he cared for others as much as he cared for you, so he wouldn't let them be distraught by seeing him in a poor condition

because they were still ignorant of how much you meant to him

for they did not know how often he had rested his head on your torso, looking at your face as you rested so peacefully

they didn't know how usually early in the morning you used to exchange soft kisses, careful not to let anyone find you

they didn't know how your fingers had become accustomed to sinking into soshiro's hair

they didn't know how you used to dedicate mellifluous whispers to the crimson-eyed one, as sweet as honey

they were unaware of the times when he wondered what his life would be like without you in it

for every little action you did had been engraved in his daily life

his body missed the warmth of yours, hearing your voice as you recounted your accomplishments during your latest mission

he left his seat due to his long stay in the quiet room. with his head down he thought of retiring for the day and returning as soon as the sun began to rise— however, a faint voice rose in the thick silence causing him to stop his pace.

“don't leave…”

his eyes widened in unmeasurable surprise, meeting your gaze with his

as a soft smile began to form on your face, soshiro was already by your side again

he held on to your hand and showed you a smile where his little fangs peeked out over his lower lip

son of melancholy, a knot was born in his throat as he heard your voice mentioning his name with such affection.

your hands encapsulated his with delicacy, and you could feel perfectly how his fingers barely applied any force on your naked skin.

he clarified how long you had been unconscious and you felt sadness in his voice, even though his radiant smile went against that feeling

you exchanged words until your cheeks began to ache as you smiled, until you had no subjects to talk about

but you knew he wouldn't be honest enough to admit how much he'd missed you during this long period of time.

how many times he had stood waiting for you in this very room

and when you heard the door open, you turned your face in its direction and then put your index finger to your lips, asking for silence— to save the surprised sighs of seeing you awake for later.

it was because vice-captain hoshina was sleeping peacefully on your lap, happy, serene after hearing your voice, seeing you speak and smiling at him as he likes so much.

[luffytaro-zo]

⟡ ⠀hope of devotion⠀⠀⊹⠀⠀ soshiro hoshina & you

gn reader. hurt/comfort, established relationship. reader is a soldier within the third division, no one knows about the relationship but mina. part two.

even though those lives tied to the past had slipped through your fingers unannounced- you would do everything you could do to protect those around you, those people so dear to you and even those you didn't know, now and in the future.

as a member of the defense forces, you knew all too well how ephemeral, fragile and weak human lives were.

yet, considering yourself part of humanity's shield against kaiju, you let your life dance closely to the fire

and the flames embraced you, calling out with greed and despair

because you were a prodigy in your generation, being able to release 86% of combat power during the tests alone.

all eyes were on you, all depended on you

and you would give your life in exchange for the protection of others.

so as soon as you were out of oxygen and your throat was covered by a metallic taste, it never crossed your mind to withdraw from combat.

and when you started to become part of the attire of a white bed, he would be with you

regretting not having arrived earlier.

you were fighting a honju on your own despite countless warnings; you took charge of evacuating the incapacitated soldiers from the area and protected those who supported you during the battle.

you took on the role of a defensive force as long as someone of higher rank could assist you— however, the wounded were increasing and you did not want to allow anyone on your battlefield to suffer serious consequences.

“it's one life in exchange for saving many.”

was what you thought as soon as your ribcage was pierced, debris greeting you on the heavy pavement.

and if it hadn't been for that probably several soldiers would have lost their lives.

the last thing you remember before you lost consciousness was seeing the vice-captain arriving on the scene, cutting the kaiju with agility and skill.

you smiled, weak and in immeasurable pain

for you knew that the soldiers would no longer be in danger, on their own and against such a strong monster.

from that moment on you began to wander in an endless limbo, aimlessly, among your thoughts and sound asleep on a soft mattress. you felt your body light, as if you lacked any kind of concern.

you did not know that you underwent emergency surgery, how you suffered from a serious lung injury and how many thought they would lose a strong bastion of the third division that night.

you were given oxygen by machine, and your vital signs were carefully monitored.

you had no family, so you never left the base and were allowed to rest in the base infirmary.

soshiro was the only person you could consider family.

he had an overwhelmingly busy schedule— but every day, after filling a cup of coffee and getting up at sunrise, he would come to see you.

it was a silent date that became a part of his daily routine.

he would intertwine your fingers with yours

he would watch you attentively

hoping you would wake up and give him one of your contagious smiles as usual.

it had already been a week since you were hospitalized

and he didn't dare to say it out loud, or think about it,

but he missed you— for to him you were much more than just a number among the soldiers.

“lately i see you coming into the infirmary more often.”

self-absorbed, he was unable to notice when ashiro entered the room

“are you worried about their situation?”

“they're part of the division, it's natural for me to see how they're doin'.”

he had told a half-lie

and it was just that his way of speaking retained that playful tone, despite his current position

“isn't there something else?”

mina looked at him with a face bordering near inexpressive, waiting for some kind of answer from him

you were his light, ever since you gave him a reason to protect, to fight for others and not only to feel worthy enough

he was devoted to you, only you

to the glow that you radiated every time your eyes fell on him

to the determination with which you trained alongside your colleagues, to surpass your own limits

to the warmth you displayed— like radiant sunshine

“i don't know what yer talkin' about"

he said it bringing one of his hands to the back of his neck, laughing with an almost unrecognizable hint of nervousness.

but ashiro could read between the lines

“they would have scolded you if they saw you in this state.”

she sighed, grabbing the door with the intention of leaving.

“don't worry too much. they are a strong person, i'm sure they'll wake up soon.”

and that is what hoshina longed for the most.

[luffytaro-zo]

Bepo's smile > optimal buoyancy of the Polar Tang

This is kind of a part 2 of a comic I did ...oh god 9 years ago

The hearts pirates are fine they are just back at the animal park they all got their hats at having fun they are fine

[luffytaro-zo]

First thought I had when I saw sachi and penguin’s new hats was that Law must have taken the hearts pirates to an animal park and told them they could get one thing from the gift-shop.

bonus bepo who couldn’t fit in the first panel: