#// back at fighting for my life trying to translate something on my own waiting for a native or someone better to correct me 💥

[m0e-ru]

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P4G 3/20 attendant confrontation jp dub YAYYY. A compilation of isolated Japanese voice lines of the MOEL Gas Station Attendant during the confrontation on 03/20. This is the Golden version specifically because the some lines were retaken to be a bit more consistent with the newly recorded ones i think lol.

Here’s the original PS2 version, and a comparison of the voice lines being played back to back.

translation notes & script sorry for all the footnotes in the video lol ↴

English Transcript

My, aren't you troublesome. You defeated the Sagiri I hid within Adachi and Namatame, as well as having saved that diminutive dwarf of a life.

“Are you talking about Marie?” “So you're the one behind everything.¹” “I heard about you.”

Fufu... it's such a ridiculous thing. What would you even get with saving a life like that? Getting rid of that needless fog was the only thing such rubbish could do.

...Hm? Ahahaha! Don't tell me... She was still carrying that thing around!

Aha, excuse me... It's what you have, that old bamboo comb of yours.

“I got it from Marie.”

Yes... I know. After all, that gift² I gave her, a “comb of separation,” you see.

“What about it?”

Fufu... with that look on your face, you don't know who gave her that comb either. That comb right there... is simply a gift² I gave her. A “comb of separation,” you see.

“Why do you laugh?”

Fufu... My apologies, this whole thing is just so amusing. That comb right there... is simply a gift² I gave her. A “comb of separation,” you see.

It's such a foolish thing... That comb I placed a curse on³—to think she cherished⁴ it all this time. How much she wanted to cling onto anything so gravely... Even being so tenacious⁵ has its limits!

“I will not forgive you.” “Don't you look down on Marie.” “You've messed with me as well.”

Hmph, and what are you going to do about it?

Had the last time we fought not satisfy you? As I've expected of one who posseses such power.

“What do you mean?”

I've seen it in you, the potential⁶ you posses.

“Why did you choose me?”

Of course, it's the extraordinary potential⁶ you hold.

“Who are you?⁷”

You must know by now... Is that not why you came?

Your friends were guided by the “spark” I gave you, thus, they awakened to their own powers, and how they found themselves where they are. But, to think you would arrive here to me... Truly, I never expected this at all. You certainly are interesting.

That “spark” I gave you... do you not remember? The day you first arrived here, I gave your power a little push. Just like... this.

You're not the only one here I've greeted with a “welcome handshake.” Just like you, I granted it to others from the outside. And just these individuals that come from the outside were already enough to stimulate this small world.

However... It appears that the stimulus was greater than expected. The fog enveloped this place, and soon, cleared. And above all this, you're unsatisfied with the role you played, thus you stand here before me... All of this... and for what reason?

“To end everything.”

Fuun, the fog has already cleared in your world, and you're still not content? Fools, always so full of deep desire by nature, are they not?

“To learn the truth.”

This pursuit of the truth... what would any of it attain? Fools, always so full of deep desire by nature, are they not?

“I don't really know.”

Ahaha... You truly are interesting.

  Translation Notes

00:19 : 1 黒幕 literally means "black curtain," but also "wirepuller; mastermind; backroom manipulator; éminence grise; power broker"

01:05 : 2 The original word was "手向け" which means "offering to a deity or someone's spirit" or "tribute to a person who is about to depart." I don't know how to make it sound natural in English, so I used "gift" for further connotations.

01:49 : 3 The original was "私が呪いの言葉を込めた櫛を" and I wasn't too sure how the action was being used. Not sure if it was "giving the comb with a curse on it" or "putting a curse on the comb" if you have any insight on how particles are supposed to work like this I'd really appreciate it. It's like learning a bunch of math formulas individually and tests have you use 7 of them in the same problem. 4 It used 後生大事 which means "with religious zeal; with utmost devotion; take great care of" exaggerating how absurd Marie thought of the comb

02:07 : 5 未練 "reluctance to abandon or depart from something." Using "clingy" didn't feel right but "tenacious" felt too rough but I couldn't find anything I wanted in the same formal tone oh whatever I think it's enough

02:30 : 6 The kanji is 適性 and dictionaries give me 適性: "aptitude; aptness; suitability." I was digging around and found that it "is related to someone's learning speed or future potential rather than their current ability," so I stuck with "potential" anyway. https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/91567/whats-the-difference-between-%E9%81%A9%E6%80%A7-and-%E8%83%BD%E5%8A%9B-or-%E6%89%8D%E8%83%BD

02:42 : 7 The question is "何者だ?" which is "who; what kind of person" I think it's cool.

"Spark (きっかけ)" is emphasized that way because it's different from "power (力)." Izanami means she only assisted awaken the "power" of Persona, the "spark" being the access to enter the TV. If the protagonist couldn't enter the TV World, then he would never have awakened to Izanagi or got Yosuke or Chie inside the TV World either.

[winterarmyy]

Welcome home... Soldat? | Part I

That time when Bucky accidentally relapsed into the Winter Soldier.

Summary: Y/N had make a habit of greeting Bucky a warm 'welcome home' everytime he came back from his missions, but there was one particular day when she unknowingly greeted someone else.

Navigation: Part I || Part II* || Part III (end) || Extra

Words: 2.9k++

Pairing: winter soldier!bucky x female!reader

Warnings: implied 18+ content, implied smut, dubious con on groping reader's body, dark(?) possessive behaviour, google translated russian, our soldat is kinda cute(?) in his own twisted way, and well, basically fluffy times with the soldat.

P/S: Guys, I never planned this at all. I mean, who am I kidding? All of my fics are not planned and I clearly write things out of impulse. Therefore, this one don't have much of a story building/plot because it was born out of one scene that flashed in my head and has been replayed way to many times that I need to let it out. Anyway, I still hope you enjoy it, somehow.

Read my other works here: Masterlist

Y/N didn't know when exactly she started this habit but she swore to herself to never grow out of it.

It's been nearly 2 years since the fall of Hydra and the avenger has accepted the winter soldier under their wing. Begrudgingly by Tony, but the rest of them seemed like they're not against it.

Y/N used to be an agent from SHIELD but since the fall, she had been recruited under the avenger's programme and had been living in the tower since.

She remembered the day when Bucky first came in, he was quiet and weary all the time. Like an abandoned cat, picked up by a stranger to come to their home. And it took the whole team months before he slowly adapted.

Who knew he would morphed into a sassy, grumpy little shit, right?

Since the first day, Y/N had been making an effort to make him feel welcomed. Helped him to adjust to modern times. Though it was not regular but she's glad he came to her from time to time to ask about things.

Y/N only meant it to be casual when she greeted him back from his missions. Usually, it'll be something like,

"Oh you're back?"

"How's the team?"

"Good to see you well put together from such horrendous mission."

"God, you look like you fell from 5 flight of stairs."

"Are you even trying to fight back, Bucky?"

But one time, Bucky came back in the morning around breakfast, she wasn't feeling sassy or clever. So, instead of greeting him with playful remarks, in the glory of her messy bed hair and iron man pyjamas, she greeted him with a sleepy smile, "Welcome home, Bucky."

And that surely made the 6 foot, bulky hunk of a soldier paralysed in his spot. His ocean blues slightly widen, and his cheeks deepen in blush.

For a moment, he wondered if this is how he would feel if he had a wife waiting for him to come back from war back in the 40's. But, then again nothing can be compared to the sight he was seeing as he is now.

And Y/N didn't want to ever lose that memory of him.

Cute and flustered Bucky is a very rare sight to see. Perhaps, this was the only time she could witness it and she want to cherish it for the rest of her life.

Though Bucky never replied to Y/N's greeting, it didn't stop them from starting a whole new routine.

Y/N always knew that she had a thing for the sargent, but about 2 months from that moment, Y/N realized she was in love.

And she waited for him, every single chance she had for arrival of the team to come back. Just like she is now, at 03:45 in the morning, while scavenging for something sweet she can eat as she waits for Bucky's return.

When, she turned around she was not expecting to have her face into clashed into something, "Oww!" Y/N shuts her eyes close as she rubbed her aching nose to ease the sharp strike of pain.

For a moment there, she seriously thought she might have just bumped into some kind of a solid air that appeared out of nowhere, but when she opened her eyes, it was just Bucky who was standing rather ominously still.

"My god, you scared the shit out of me. I know you used to be an assassin but, you gotta announce yourself sometimes, man." She joked. Although she did find it impressive that he managed to silently sneak up on her with those thick, heavy combat boots he was wearing.

"Woah, someone's been having a field day kicking your ass, huh?" Y/N's eyes lingered a little longer on the wounds at the side of his temple that she didn't notice the void in his eyes.

"Anyway..." she continued as she shook of the thoughts of caressing the cut on the corner of Bucky's lip, before greeting him with a gentle smile, "Welcome home."

Bucky's unresponsiveness was nothing new to her. With the amount of silent glares and gruff eye-rolls that he had shot at her these past few months, she's used to it by now.

But, when she finally had the guts to look him in the eye, only then she noticed the underlying shift. Albeit, his signature frown was still as present as ever but, those eyes had made her questioned of the slight difference from what she recognized.

Bucky wordlessly step forward and cornered her until her back meets the side of the kitchen isle. He took his time assessing her, almost admiring the way her iris wavered in confusion.

Something is wrong.

Her guts were screaming at her to notice it but her body wasn't reacting accordingly. That's when the voice of the AI, Jarvis echoed through the walls.

"Emergency alert: Code Winter. Initiated by Captain Steve Rogers. All agent is advised..." The announcement went on based on protocol while the cogs in Y/N's brain finally moved, "Code Winter? That means..."

 "...to be cautious of Sargent James Barnes; reprimand on sight however try not to engage alone. Agents is..." Jarvis voice in the background interwoven with Y/N's internal deduction, "...This is not Bucky?"

As she tried to put her own mind into perspective, trying to make herself believe that this man in front of her is not Bucky Barnes who she had been adoring over for these past few months, the soldat's hands reached the side of her neck, squeezing the softness of her flesh while his thumbs grazed the shape of her jawline.

His heavy gaze remained on hers, willing her to stay as still possible.

"Bucky...?" She called his name in hopes of triggering something, anything for within his controlled mind.

At end of the corridor leading towards the kitchen, Steve could see how the soldat had already gotten his hands on Y/N and panic strike him like lightning, he sprinted towards her as he despretely shouted, "Y/N! Stay away from--"

But Y/N was not able to render anything she heard from Steve, especially after a long silence, the soldat finally spoke, "Yes, I'm home..."

He carefully pulled her face closer to his as his lips planted on her soft cheek, "...мое cолнышко (my sunshine)" he lifted for a second just to kiss her again on her temple as he whispered lowly, "...мое Родная (my darling)"

Y/N's heart was beating madly for several different reasons. Parts of her was terrified that the soldat might break her neck within an instance, but it gradually changes into something much more confusing, a conflicted joy, when he keep on trailing his lips all over her face.

What is happening?

Both her and Steve was practically frozen in pure confusion.

Steve's mouth hanged open as words failed to form, while Y/N was unable to comprehend any sort of thoughts, let alone counter movements; when the soldat continue to whisper Russian endearments against her skin, littering sweet kisses on every part of her face, except for her lips as if he wanted to tease her.

His hands slowly travel down her back and stopped on the side of her waist, pulling her body closer until there was no space in between them anymore, before he wrapped his arms around her.

The drag of his stubble on her skin burned but it felt so good when he kissed it after.

Seconds later, Sam managed to catch up with Steve and his cautious approach fell as he witnessed the soldat's rather domestic actions towards Y/N.

Sam foolishly let his guard down as he approached with a question directed to Steve, "Is the tin man back?" That was when a bullet barely grazed the tip of his ear that then buried through the wall behind him.

Both Steve and Sam forced to stop any sort of movement as the soldat's aim was still locked towards their direction; his cold blue eyes pierced with a menacing warning, all the while posessively holding Y/N in his arms as his kisses trailed the side of her neck.

"Nope, not yet." Sam answered his own question as he waited for Steve's order.

Y/N felt like she have to do something to de-escalate the situation. After a quick deduction, and based on the soldat attitude towards her, she took the risk of believing that he would not do anything to hurt her, so she decided to play along.

Will it work though?

Well, she got to have to try for it work.

She gulped nervously before softly calls for him, "Soldat?" she looked up towards him.

When the soldat gave her his attention, she watched the loose strand of his hair fall down to his face. Her hand went up and reached for it, "How about we go back to your room and let me tend these wounds, hmm?" She cooed while tucking his behind his ear and briefly caressing his cheek with the back of her fingers.

The soldat didn't reply but instead silently process her proposition.

However, the hesitation only worried her more, so she continued to persuade, as she cautiously slide her hand, following his arm that was holding her teammates at gun point, "It'll be just the two of us. How's that sound?" She smiled warmly at him as she managed to lower it enough to grab the gun away from his grasp.

There was a glint of indecipherable emotion in his eyes when she mentioned that, which then he nodded in agreement.

"Okay then, let's go." She put the gun on the kitchen isle behind her and replaced her hand in his, pulling him towards his bedroom. The soldat did not protest to her lead, in fact her followed her obediently.

But before Y/N makes an exit, she looked back towards Steve and mouthed a reassuring message, "I got this."

The captain had all the rights to be weary but at this point, he just had to believe in Y/N's action plan. He nodded and replied, "Be safe. We'll be outside."

Along the walk towards Bucky's room, all she could think was that she can handle it and she got this under control.

But, does she?

Well, Y/N did have it under control, in terms of keeping the soldat from going on a berserk rampage but what she didn't think through was how the fuck she should handle his behaviour towards her.

After they arrived to Bucky's room, she had instructed him to strip off his tactical suit and leave him sitting at the edge of the bed, only in his short to avoid him reaching for any hidden weapons he had, all the while she went to grab the first aid from his bathroom.

Now that she almost done tending the small injuries on his face, it finally dawned to her that the soldat had her immobilized in between his legs as his hands rubbed the back of her thighs, occasionally squeezing the softness of her body in his tender grip.

His intent gaze waited patiently for her to finish and as soon as she did, he pulled her on his lap, making her to straddle on top him as he smushed his face on her chest, "Oh, Родная (darling)... I have missed you."

Her hands found her balance on his shoulders while the soldat roaming hands held her body still by the back of her waist.

It will be a lie if she said her heart didn't skipped when he confessed; even if it was still the soldat's thoughts and words but it was Bucky's voice.

The soldat pulled his other hand to play with the buttons of her pyjamas shirt, specifically around her chest area.

Part of him wanted to just rip her clothes off from her body but another part of him didn't want to. He didn't want scare her; and his precious little darling deserved to be pampered.

He had her buttons popped off; one by one, slow and almost sensual while Y/N was still in a heated debate with herself on what she should to next. She wanted the soldat to stop but god the temptation of wanting more was beyond her will power.

This is not Bucky.

She knew that. But, she had been bewitched by the look in those familiar blue eyes. So enthralled and so keen to unwrap her.

Y/N let out a low yet sharp gasp as her chest was finally revealed, "Soldat, what..." The soldat take a quick glance into her eyes, "...are you doing?" before trailing back down to the curve of her breasts, cupped so beautifully with a simple black bra.

His hands went back to grabbed her thighs as he replied, "Just wanna hold you." He leaned closer and left a lingering kiss in between her breasts, mumbling deep, " Wanna feel you, мое Родная (my darling)"

Fuck, it feels so good.

"Wanna feel you..." Y/N's grip on his bare shoulder tightened as he lips warmed the top of her right breast, "...here." An unexpected moan slipped out of her lips as the soldat latched his wet mouth on her skin, bruising it with his mark.

He groaned to the taste of her, so sweet and soft, he wanted to pull the bra off her and suckle on her nipple. He bet that they're perky and so sensitive. Bet he could make her cum just by playing with them.

He wanted to leave his bite mark around them, make them look much more prettier. But, he needed to be patient.

He brought his left hand up to hold the other side of her chest; pulling another pretty noise as the cold metal of his thumb gently stroked the exposed skin of her breast.

"Wanna feel you..." His flesh hand made its way lower and cupped her clothed sex, unexpectedly making her grind down to his hold, "...here."

She couldn't help to find shelter in the crook of his neck when he began to stroke her sensually.

This is getting out of hand.

Y/N doesn't mind to entertain him if the soldat only asked for him to hold her but it was clear that he wanted so much more than just innocent touches. Especially when he languidly rubbed his middle finger in between the slit of her pussy.

She hates how easy it was for Bucky's touch turned her on, his hands and his lips; regardless if his actions was someone else's.

This is wrong.

This has to stop.

"No... soldat." She whimpered in his ears as his finger drew slow circles on her clit, his mouth latched on her shoulder.

"I can't touch you here?" He murmured softly as he pressed harder. Even with the barrier of the cotton panties, she was so sensitive to his touch; he loves that about her.

"N-no. You can't." She choked back a moan as she replied.

God, what if he doesn't care?

What if he'll get mad and force it on her?

She can't imagine the guilt Bucky had to experience if the soldat take her right now. And all because her stupid little brain cannot comprehend a plan to stop him, all because she let the soldat touch her as freely, as willingly.

Salty tears started to blur her vision when she sniffled them back.

Much to his deperateness, the soldat pulled her away and watched as her tears spilled out, "Oh darling, don't cry." He leaned in and kiss the corners of her eyes, murmuring his words of comfort, "I hate to see you cry, мое cолнышко (my sunshine)." His metal hand slithered to her back and his palm stroked her lovingly.

"Okay, okay. I won't touch your sweet princess part, okay?" He patted her pussy one last time before reaching to swipe her tears away. "I promise." He whispered.

As much as he wanted to fuck her stupid, fill her hole full with his load; however the soldat does hold her very dear to his heart and hates to see her sad.

"Just let me hold you close, darling?" He cooed as he kissed the edge of her lips.

Y/N didn't know why but she trusted his words. Maybe it was because he was so gentle with her, that she was tricked into believing him.

She watched the soldat waited patiently for her response and when she nodded softly, he swiftly lifted her in his arms and lay her down on the bed.

He tucked himself in under the sheets with her and naturally rested his face on her chest. His fleshed arms wrapped securely around her waist and his metal one around her thighs, as he pulled her closer; almost suffocating himself in between her warm breasts.

It was like an instinct for Y/N to encircle her arms around his neck while her hands run through the thick of his hair, absentmindedly playing with the softness of it.

She almost giggle when the soldat let out a deep-throated sound of relieved sighs as she continued to massage his scalp.

As the soldat started to sail deeper into dreamland, Y/N thought that maybe this will be the only and the last time she had the chance to hold Bucky like this and she knew it was wrong to feel grateful to the soldat because had done nothing but terrible, despicable things in the past.

But when she thought about it, none of those sins was his choice to make. He was created to kill and nothing else.

But what if he had something to hold on to?

A hope to look forward to?

A person to protect?

Or a home to go back to?

Would he still be the same monster he had been before?

She have not a slightest clue.

But, what she does know that this soldat who's clinging in her arms, deserves something kind.

And she hoped that she managed to give him a sense of peace for once in his life.

Y/N nuzzled to the side of his tired-looking face and placed a sweet kiss on his temple as she whispered ever-so-softly, "Welcome home, soldat."

Part II >>

Read my other works here: Masterlist

A/N: This is possibly part 1? I'm not sure either. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! And reblogs is much appreciated!

[hyugaruma]

H&L: Sweet Things They Say To You

♡

re: how they show you they love you with their words…

hmmm idk how happy i am with this one but it’s been sitting in my notes for a minute soooo OH WELL

♡

Cobra: “I will forever fight for you and with you.” His lip is busted and his face is bruised. You can feel the way your heart clenches at seeing him battered from the fight he just partook in, some goons having thought it a good idea to harass you outside of ITOKAN Diner. Luckily your boyfriend had arrived just in time. Despite his marred state, he holds your gaze so that you know that he’s true to his word, and all you can do is nod.

The Mugen way of devotion and loyalty easily translates to Cobra in a relationship. He would literally die for you. Your fights are his fights. However, he tries his hardest to keep you out of his, and Sannoh’s, fights. He can’t imagine how he could live with himself if something happened to you.

Rocky: “I’ve waited my whole life to meet you.” Rocky softly places a hand on the small of your back, pulling you in close so he can bury his face in your neck. You can feel the tension in his shoulders dissipate at finally having you in his arms after an arduous day at Club Heaven. You respond by wrapping your arms around him to pull him in even closer. No other words are needed; just having you at his side is all he could ever ask for.

Rocky wholeheartedly means the words he says. He isn’t one to so easily dedicate himself to one person; he has many women to protect, after all. But the moment he meets you, he can’t even begin to imagine the way it was before. He was so lonely without ever having realized it.

Murayama: “I can’t wait to see you again.” Murayama is reluctant to release the grasp his hand has on your own, wasting as much time as possible standing with you outside your house after your date together. You can’t help but giggle at the obvious ploy, leaning in to land a chaste kiss on his cheek that sends the tips of his ears pink. He’s quick to pull you back in once you try to pull away, this time to land a playful kiss of his own on your lips.

Murayama lives to spend time with you. Right after he drops you off at your house after hanging out all day, he’s already texting you how much he misses you and trying to make plans as soon as possible. If you’d allow it, he would see you every day if possible. He’d never grow tired of you.

Smoky: “Thank you for choosing me.” The two of you sit side-by-side at the ledge of a deconstructed factory building, looking out at Nameless City laid out beneath you. You look to him, and he’s giving you a gentle, almost sad, smile. You can’t even imagine a world where you wouldn’t choose him, but somewhere swimming in those brown eyes of his is a self-doubt that you hope someday can be remedied. You give him a smile back, one that says you feel the exact same way.

Smoky can’t even comprehend why someone like you, someone so amazing, would choose someone like him. He really doesn’t know what he did to deserve you. Surely there’s someone out there who could give you more than he ever could, at least so he thinks. But, you did choose him, and he is forever thankful to have you by his side.

Hyuga: “Thank you for putting up with me.” Hyuga is sprawled out on the futon that the two of you share, watching as you change into your pajamas to settle down for the night. His eyes show a softness that he reserves only for you. He holds out a hand to beckon you to him, and you oblige, crawling into the futon to situate yourself between his lazy arms. He can’t help but land a light kiss on your temple before pulling you close to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Hyuga knows he’s not a perfect man. Far from it, even. He can’t imagine why you’re so willing to continue dealing with his ways, but he hopes you’ll continue to do so for a long, long while. If he could ask for one selfish wish, it would be to have you as his for the rest of his time on this earth.

Hiroto: “I’m always here for you.” Hiroto stands awkwardly in the doorway of your apartment as he eyes you closely. He can tell that something has been bothering you, but that you were reluctant to confide in him about your problems. You raise your eyes to meet his gaze and find nothing but complete honesty and truth within them. Feeling your own eyes begin to mist over, you opt to dropping your head to his chest to hide your show of emotions. A hand comes up to gently rest against the back of your neck, and to attempt to soothe your worries away.

Hiroto isn’t a man of many overtly affectionate words or gestures. He tends to show his love through action. But, he does want you to know that he would do anything for you. If you ever have a problem, he hopes that he’ll be the first person you come to, even if it’s just you needing a listening ear.

Ice: “I love every little thing about you.” Ice’s fingertips ghost delicately across your cheek and down your jaw, touch so soft it’s as if he’s afraid you might disappear right before his very eyes. He wears his signature shades, but you can still see the way his eyes admire you, flitting between your eyes to your nose to your lips, an affectionate reverence for each and every part of you. His hand rests on your neck as his thumb softly caresses your chin, and he can’t help the smile of complete adoration that overtakes him.

When Ice says he loves every little thing, he isn’t exaggerating. All your flaws and quirks, he wouldn’t give a single one of them up. He’s a man who accepts you completely and wholly. And he would spend the rest of his life ensuring that you see yourself in the light that he sees you in.

Jesse: “I love when you smile.” Jesse flops down on top of you lying down on the bed, resting his chin against your abdomen as he looks up at you with a cheeky, yet genuine, smile. In turn, you move your hand to brush through his blonde locks, and he leans fervently into your touch. You can feel the deep exhale he lets out. Jesse pushes himself up, hoisting himself to be positioned above you so that he’s now looking down at you. His own hand finds itself entangling with your hair, his eyes glued to that sweet, sweet smile on your lips.

Jesse isn’t someone who shows his affections through words, but nothing in the world makes his heart swell more than seeing your genuine smile. Especially if he was the cause of it. Your smile can instantly turn even his sourest of moods around. He spends his days chasing after the high of basking in your joy and happiness.

Ryu: “You’re my forever.” Ryu stands behind you, watching you from the mirror as you get ready to go out to dinner together. His hands find themselves snaking down to your hips, and his chin resting dutifully on your shoulder. He watches your shy reactions through the reflection, and the tiny smile that you can’t seem to hold back. His arms tighten as he pulls your back against his chest. You can feel his steady heartbeat. You lean your head against his and bask in the moment of utter tranquility with your lover.

Ryu doesn’t open himself up and give himself to others so willingly. You have to be a very special person to open up that side of him. So when he says ‘forever,’ he actually means ‘forever.’ He just hopes that you feel the same level of devotion, because he can’t imagine finding anyone like you again.

[dark-frosted-heart]

Roger Barel Main Route - Blind Love Chapter 25 His POV

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this. I’m doing this for archiving purposes and you can probably find a better translation out there

As if time had stopped, the conservatory remained quiet and peaceful.

Moonlight filtered through the soot-stained holes of the ceiling, creating a soft halo around Kate’s hair.

I had brought Kate to the place where I hung out with Alec to show her a “certain something”.

Roger: Wait. I’m positive I left it around here somewhere…

I pulled out several folded sheets of paper from an envelope that was hidden under a flower pot.

Kate: …A letter.

Roger: Like I said, Alec left me a letter before he died. I really wanted to keep it close to me, but… I didn’t want to get stuck in memories.

I didn’t need that childish desire to get lost in memories when I had to deal with fighting against despair every day.

Kate: …You’ve already read it so many times that you don’t need it with you.

Roger: Huh?

(...How did you know?)

Kate: The letter. It’s wrinkled and worn.

I handed Kate, who had always been kind and showed concern for others since we met, the letter.

Roger: Hm

Kate: …Can I read it?

Roger: Since it’s you, I want you to read it.

I wanted Kate to know the secret I’ve been keeping to myself.

Kate: Thank you…

“To my little friend, Roger”—that’s how the letter started.

It then went on about how if anything happened to Alec, he wanted me to forget about him and the research on the Cursed he had done here. And—

“Hey, Roger. The world we live in is very cruel, isn’t it.

It’s full of things beyond our control and our hearts bleed out just by being alive.

But I also think the world we live in is beautiful.

The sky’s blue when you look up, the birds sing, and sometimes someone will find hope that’s like a miracle.

The world is cruel, yet endlessly beautiful.

That’s why the world is worth living in and fighting against despair for.

My dear little friend, you will no doubt encounter despair in the future. However, don’t let yourself be defeated.

Your life will always be beautiful.”

Kate looked up at me from the letter, her gaze sweet and gentle.

Roger: Those words saved me, and I’ve been living by them my whole life. With those words, I’ll be fine. I can fight against despair even when I’m by myself. I’m strong, I won’t be defeated, I won’t be lonely, I won’t let my soul rot, and I’ll fulfill my ambition. That’s been my mantra until I met you.

Kate: …Huh?

The way Kate blinked in confusion was so adorable that I found myself smiling.

I didn’t want to succumb to my curse, so I always repeated to myself “I won’t be a traitor” as if to fight against my “betrayal” curse.

However.

Roger: I’ve always claimed that I’d never betray anyone, but maybe I’ve…been betraying my own heart.

(Stubbornly saying “I won’t be a traitor” may have been a way for me to ignore my true feelings)

(I’m almost sure)

Roger: Deep down in my heart, I’ve been searching. For someone I could laugh with by my side.

(Kate became my dog, assistant, partner, and then lover)

Roger: Someone to chase after my ambitions with.

(Kate is with me now)

Roger: Someone to snap me out of it when I’m falling into despair.

(Like the time she yelled at me in jail, I think…No, I don’t think I’ll ever forget about it)

Roger: Someone to teach me that, even if love’s pointless, it’s the best.

(This unidentifiable feeling called love definitely exists between us)

Roger: That “someone”—there’s no one else but you, Kate.

(Kate, I don’t want anyone else but you)

Kate: …

Roger: …I won’t find anyone else in the world.

I loved how Kate looked when she tried to hold back her tears.

Roger: Pfft…haha. What’s with that cute face?

Kate: As you can see, I’m trying to hold back my tears!

Roger: A~ah, I can’t take you seriously when you’re barking like that.

Roger: Pfft…Alright, alright. Hang in there.

Kate: Please stop talking already…

Kate looked up, trying to stop the tears from pooling at the corner of her eyes. But—

Roger: Not gonna. I still got something to say to you. ‘Til now, I’ve been saying some pretty words with love, but… My main reason is that “I” enjoy being with you.

Kate: …

(“I” only wanna be with you. Until the day I stop breathing)

When Kate blinked in surprise, the tears she tried to hold back spilled out.

Kate: If you say something like that, then…waaahh~~

Any place where Kate cried cutely like this felt like the kindest, most peaceful place in the world.

Roger: With you, the world isn’t such a shitty place.

(Kate, I can’t abandon this shitty, yet beautiful world I live in when you’re in it)

(Even when against despair…I think that’s what makes this worth fighting for)

Kate: Roger…

Roger: Hm, what?

Kate:  Roger, Roger, Roger!

Roger: What?

With her face still wet with tears, Kate jumped into my arms with everything she had—

Kate: Roger, I love you!

(...Yeah, I know)

(I love you too. I know because you taught me what love is)

Roger: A~ah, your face’s all wet. You really are so cute!

While holding Kate tight, I teased and spoiled her.

(A~ah, damn. I don’t think I’ll be content with life without her.

(Despair will always come after us because life isn’t kind)

(Because hope isn’t easy to come by)

(But still…)

Kate: Roger, you can keep teasing me all you want. You can bully me. You can do whatever. But promise me. That we’ll keep living together until the very end.

Roger: ……Yeah.

(Let’s give despair the finger and live together for as long as life lets us)

As if making a vow for the future, I stole a kiss from Kate and looked into her eyes.

Roger: I’m gonna push you around so much you’re gonna hate it. And that’s for life.

Kate: *sniffle*…Crying made me hungry…

(That wasn’t sexy at all. But maybe I’m crazy ‘cause I found it cute)

I couldn’t help but laugh when I felt this unscientific, but lovely feeling rise up in my heart.

Roger: Yeah, me too. Having you in my arms’ tired me out. So…

Kate and Roger: Let’s go eat.

—The conservatory was empty, except for the sound of laughter left behind.

Destiny, unrealizable dreams, incurable disease, war, poverty…

It just goes on.

This world’s a bargain sale of despair.

And it’s called “despair” because you can’t do anything about it.

However, that’s not something I’ll allow.

If you can’t overcome despair— then what’s the point of me, of us humans, being born?

That’s why…these days, we live our lives giving it the finger.

With the one we love.

[prey-4-me]

Ooman pet of a bad blood?

Thx for your request; hope you like it! ♥️

Bad Blood Yautja x pet!reader

Yautja Translations

Da’dtou-di — name, meaning little knife

Kv’var — hunt

***

Cetanu roughed you up a bit as a greeting. “You’re up early, my Da’dtou-di,” he growled. Smiling, you nodded. “I wanted to clean your gear for the kv’var… I know you don’t like to wait.”

He grumbled. “Yes.” Clicking his mandibles, he continued, “Anyway. You are going to come with me today.” Surprised, you looked over at him. Usually you stayed at camp to ‘protect’ it. He had his back to you, concealing his face. You couldn’t tell his motives. But you were pleased all the same.

“When do we leave?” You tried to sound casual about it.

“When we are packed. Hurry,” he growled again. You got busy.

*** Snap! Cetanu swiveled around and boxed your ears, hissing, “Ooman! Quiet! Why are you so heavy footed??” He turned around again. Creeping forward, he was strangely silent for something so large. You looked down at the ground, searching for more twigs. You needed to avoid them at all costs. You fell behind as you struggled to be as quiet as Cetanu. You knew it didn’t really matter; he always charged his prey so he would lose you for certain then. But you could easily follow his path of destruction, as well as the typical sounds of Bad Blood battling their future trophy.

Cetanu roared, dashing off. Trees cracked and foliage gave way as he crashed through the jungle. You heard his prey roar back, and the battle begin. You continued carrying his gear, slowly gaining on their position. Roars and the sound of impact reached your ears. You climbed up a small hill and stopped, crouching. Cetanu and two large, lizard like creatures were battling. You watched Cetanu land several solid blows on one of them. It shook its head, dazed. The other lizard took the opportunity and charged him from behind. Hearing the approaching animal, Cetanu leapt an amazing height into the air. Folding his limbs in, he flipped backwards and land on top of the furious creature. It turned its head, snapping and hissing.

The fight raged on until only Cetanu stood. Victorious, he roared into the dusk air. Covered in blood and gore, he turned to you. “Come, come. Let’s field dress,” he roared, blood still obviously hot from the fight.

Cautiously, you approached. He was still raging, growling and snapping his mandibles. He was still ready for a fight.

“Okay, here,” you set his gear down a little bit away from him, but conveniently located next to one of the lizard things. He grumbled, “You do it.” Surprised, you froze. Cetanu never let you touch his kills.

“Do it.” He snarled. Quickly coming to life again, you relied on muscle memory. You used to field dress your own hunts back on Earth before Cetanu ‘found’ you, as if you had been a stray. Originally terrified, you had learned that although incredibly violent, he was mostly all bark and no bite with you. But his temper still kept you on your toes. You didn’t mind. He still took care of you better than anyone else in your life ever had. Plus, there was a certain amount of notoriety that being a pet of a Bad Blood brought, and you definitely didn’t mind that.

Thoughts returning to the present, you found yourself elbow deep in teal and purple innards. “You want the teeth from this lizard thingie?”  You asked casually as Cetanu growled and chuffed, trying to calm down.

“YES,” he roared.

“‘Kay,” you calmly responded.

Cetanu made one of his strange Yautja noises, releasing aggression. Finally he calmed and sat down near you. “Give me the teeth,” he commanded.

You scooped up the ones you had already carefully removed and passed them over. He took a shiny little tool and started to work on the teeth in some way. Trying to stay focused, you turned back to the mouth you were performing your gruesome dentistry on.

***

The sun went down just as you finished the first beast. “Come. We’ll do the second one tomorrow. I’ll hang it above camp so nothing messes with it tonight.” He lifted the dead weight easily. You quickly picked up Cetanu’s gear and rushed to catch up with him, using the the ample moonlight to guide your way.

You arrived to camp huffing and puffing. The gear was heavy. You set it down carefully as Cetanu descended from a tree. You looked up; yup there was the lizard, hanging safely overhead.

“Let’s eat; this meat is good.” He grabbed the package of meat you had carefully wrapped earlier. You started a fire as he tenderized and seasoned it.

“Okay. Here.” He tossed the meat to you. Carefully, you put it on your little griddle. It sizzled deliciously. Your mouth watered. You tended to dinner as Cetanu worked on his tooth project. He was using the little tool on them again.

Finally the meat was perfect. You opened a container of a seaweed-like salad you had prepared before leaving home. Making two plates of food, you presented Cetanu with his. Waiting for him to eat, you sat with your plate in your lap.

He grumbled and set his project down. Curious, you tried to figure it out. “Stop guessing what I’m doing. It’s for later,” he grumbled softly. Picking up his utensil, he tried the meat. “Mm, good job cooking. Very nice.” Happy, you dug into your own plate.

***

“Here.”

You sleepily rolled over. “Huh?”

“This is… yours.” Cetanu’s tone was weirdly soft.

You sat up. You rubbed your eyes; you had been half asleep. “What’s mine?”

He threw something small at you. “Don’t be ooman about it,” he growled.

“Okay,” you laughed, picking the thing up. You held your hands up, angling them towards the campfire. It was the teeth, strung on a small, black cord. But the teeth weren’t smooth anymore. You furrowed your brow and took a closer look. English lettering had been precisely carved into them. You read them out loud, left to right C-E-T-A-N-U-S.

You gasped; a collar? For you?

“Did I spell it right in ooman? Your letters are… stupid.” He commented.

You fastened it around your neck. The teeth hit your collarbones in a pleasing way. “Th-thank you.” You stuttered, unsure if saying thanks was ‘being ooman about it.’

“Don’t be ooman about it. Now everyone will know you’re mine. It’s just being practical.” He grumbled.

Turning away from him, you laid back down. You had a huge grin on your face, but you calmly replied, “Yeah, definitely. Makes sense.” You kept on smiling as he gruffly continued to defend his actions. “I see how some other Bad Bloods look at you. You’re taken; they need to get their own.” He growled angrily. “Now, go to sleep. We wake early again to continue the kv’var.” Smiling, you closed your eyes. It would be hard to sleep, but you would do your best to please your Yautja.

[doxypsychlean]

hello! feel like deamon x reader "the other woman" by lana del rey dynamic so much recently. can you feed us with some angst? (only if you want, of course! happy ending is still highly appreciated but whatever u want, I just trust your sexy brain with my life) thank u in advance! take care!

Second Choice

Daemon Targaryen x Reader

|Oneshot|

Warnings: Explicit language

Thou shan't repost/copy/ translate any of my work or I'll sneak into your home late at night and bite your nose off!

English isn't my first language. I don't proofread. I slap commas wherever I feel they're needed.

A/N: Decided to be an even bigger pos than I usually am and slap a gif of Daemon and Rhaenyra >:) Enjoy!

Her delicate fingers ran over the side of his face, pushing away the few strands of short white hair and tucking them behind his ear. The man looked away from her before wrapping his hand around her wrist. He pushed himself off the bed and away from her, reaching down for the breeches he'd tossed on the ground a few hours earlier. Her face lost its gentle smile. She propped herself up on one elbow, her other hand pulling the white linen sheet closer to her chest.

"Can't you stay...just for one night?"

She watched as the prince put his tunic on, his back turned to her. He showed no sign whether he'd heard her pleading voice, but instead tucked the red shirt in his breeches.

"Please?" She tried again.

The woman sat up, one hand reaching up towards him. She was quick to put it back down as she took notice of how the silver haired man was looking at her from behind his shoulder.

"My wife will be waiting for me."

His wife. His precious wife. The Realm's Delight.

Her fingers curled up tightly around the bedsheets, fists clenching with anger. It was always the same. He'd come to her, use her to his liking, and then leave as if nothing had happened. Run back to his darling Rhaenyra and wrap his hands around her, just as he'd done to her hours before.

The woman knew what they had would never be more than a quick fuck, yet she couldn't help but feel hurt, jealous, and used. Who was she compared to the Princess Rhaenyra, the heir to the Iron Throne? What could she give him when he already had everything?

She had no shiny, important titles to her name. No gold. No castles. No dragons. No kingdom. To him, she was just a plaything. A toy. Something to be used, then put back on the shelf it had been taken.

If it wasn't her, there'd surely be another in her place. Another to warm his bed, even if it was for a bit. Another to cry after he'd left her and gone back to his true love. Another to suffer in silence through all the ridicule, all the rumors, all the vile insults people spat at her. Another to slam her head against the wall and ask herself why she had agreed to this, why she had given herself away without a fight, why she was risking losing her head so yet another nobleman could have his fun. Another to wipe away her own tears as she tries to convince herself that it was fine. She was fine.

"Get some sleep." The Rogue Prince whispered as he bent down and kissed the top of her head. "My wife would be expecting your first thing in the morning."

"Yes, my Prince." She said, voice quiet as a mouse.

She could feel Rhaenyra's eyes following every move of hers when in her presence. And when she'd turn around to face the Princess, all she could see in her eyes was pity. Rhaenyra knew perfectly well what Daemon was doing and with whom exactly. Rhaenyra could read through him like a book. She could see why her husband had chosen her.

The woman was young. Her body was strong and tight, a fresh breath of air. Flawless skin that had yet to suffer from the cruelty of the years. She had no children. No ground to stand on. No power. She had nothing. Only a pure, young heart that was silently begging to be loved back.

Rhaenyra wasn't stupid. She knew how men worked. How their heads rarely ever did, leaving it to their cocks to make the decisions. There was no point in trying to stop Daemon. She knew that he'd always come back to her, no matter how many whores or how many maids of hers he'd fucked. He always came back. So Rhaenyra let him do as he wished.

The door close with a loud bang. She looked up, her eyes searching for the Prince. But he had left. He'd left her again. To fall apart and then pick herself back up. To slam her head against the wall, to ask herself why she had allowed it to happen again. To wipe away the tears from her flushed cheeks with a bitter smile, as she picked from the dresses he'd given her as gifts.

She couldn't blame him. She was no one, nothing. Just a maid. One of the many that tended to his wife and their children.

The woman got up from the bed, ready to begin with the painfully familiar routine of tearing herself to pieces, then using whatever was left to stitch it all back together.

[crucifiedbymypriestess]

Hey, it's me again! As you know, I was excited to write Dark!Charles, and these are some quotes from before he drown in the darkness of his conscience, he is fr fr an absolute lost cause.

None of those works are published yet, but it'll be on AO3 soon. I'm also will posting about other cherik FICS.

Once again, forgive my English, I also translated it with Google this time. Feel free to correct any grammar/language misspells.

With a broken heart and a recent abandonment, Charles is tempted to be no longer fearing his own telepathy.

Some quotes:

"I keep asking myself if there is something about me that makes everyone abandon me. If my love, my emotions and my words always show that I'm so desperate, that my mind wants to grab his, dig in my nails and turn them both completely into one, because only then my love could be understood."

"...But I liked it. I liked that because only then I can feel a pain so deep, that I certainly call it mine, and only mine.

Only in that way I can feel my heart being only mine, my mind only listening to me, and for a brief moment I only..."

"It hurted me, but he left as if nothing had happened, with his figure upright. I remember crying and complaining about the sharp, dull pain in my back.

My mind was desperately trying to reach his, but his direction was empty and quiet. But my projections never stopped, they were transmitted loud and clear only to Erik. Just...

Please, Erik, turn around, please look at me. Don't go, Erik, please. I love you, I love you, I'm sorry. Please don't abandon me, I can resist more, I will never complain, but stay.

Erik disappeared leaving a trail of red smoke like everyone else next to him, but my heart felt that Erik turned into ashes until his body mixed with the sand of the beach in Cuba."

"Maybe if I resist, in the end there may be a reward for me, a little more and maybe something will shine in front of my eyes.

Enduring so much pain, I can't give up now, just a little more and in the morning I will have a happy ending, and I will only be able to hear myself, and I will feel my own hands, I will feel my own skin, I will be loved and kissed, and I will like it, I will. . I will love, and it will tickle me, I am so sure. Just a bit more of waiting."

"I hate him.

Why it has be so difficult? I'm tired, and I really wonder if this is really necessary, if the times I see the love of my life again, it will be to be judged and led into a fight that I don't want.

Maybe it's best for us to say our goodbyes and bury our love, stay with our good memories..."

"Help your people, Charles. If you owe anyone anything, it's us. You can't keep defending humans, Charles! They plan to exterminate us!

I don't want to be anyone's hero, Erik. I... I'm serious, I'm tired."

"I don't owe anything to you, or anyone else, Erik. Why is so difficult to understand that for once I would like to be the one who can choose himself? Are you going to steal my life and the decisions in it like you stole my sister?"

"I never asked about this, I don't want it. I don't want to be the one, to rescue anyone, please, just... everyone go on their own."

And that's all, lol. Me on my way to give old men abandonment issues. Still not satisfied with the writing, but I'm getting better time to time, I'm getting there!

[mirai-e-jump]

TV Guide Dan Vol.49, October 2023 Issue ft. Kamen Rider Gotchard Cast Members Junsei Motojima x Yasunari Fujibayashi Interview (translations below)

Publication: October 20, 2023

"You two are currently appearing as rivals in "Kamen Rider Gotchard." Would you please describe each other's role?"

Motojima: Kurogane Spanner, played by Yasu-kun (Fujibayashi), is a cool and mature kind of character. If Houtarou Ichinose, who I play, has the mental age of a 10 year old, Spanner would be that of a 25 year old. I think it's interesting that they're rivals.

Fujibayashi: Well, they're rivals, but I'd say that Spanner is overwhelmingly stronger.

Motojima: No, I don't think so! In episode 3, Spanner loses to Houtarou.

Fujibayashi: He didn't lose.

Motojima: It was Houtarou's win!

Fujibayashi: Ahaha! Since the details aren't clear, we'll leave it up to the viewers to decide (laughs). Houtarou, played by Junsei, is a true to life version of Junsei, or rather, he's just as he is. He's mischievous, an airhead, and a lively person! Gotchard is Junsei's first full time acting role, so he's got alot of room to grow. I think you'll enjoy watching Junsei's growth and development alongside that of Houtarou's.

"What's the relationship between you playing these roles?"

Fujibayashi: We get along really well, huh?

Motojima: Yeah. Also, when I was having trouble with my acting, Yasu-kun would give me advice like, "Try this kind of movement here," so I really appreciate it.

Fujibayashi: I don't have that much acting experience either, and I'm not in a position to give advice, so I'm just saying what I feel from an objective point of view. Junsei has his own unique style, so he's able to express it through his acting.

"What specific scenes do you think Fujibayashi-kun's advice helped improve?"

Motojima: The one in episode 3…

Fujibayashi: Ah! The scene where Houtarou and Spanner fight with shinai's in the dojo?

Motojima: That one! For that scene, we read the script over the phone the day before filming, and before we shot that scene, we talked for about two hours in the waiting room thinking, "If we did something like this here, wouldn't it turn out better?" I never learned how to sword fight, so Yasu-kun taught me how to swing a sword.

Fujibayashi: It was really difficult to move around while saying those lines. But, both of us were determined to make it a great scene. We practiced holding umbrellas instead of swords while saying the lines. In that scene, I personally thought, "Junsei's so amazing."

Motojima: Eh! Where, which part?!

Fujibayashi: There's a scene in the dojo fight where Houtarou did a jumping head butt toward Spanner's stomach, and I thought such an attack would be absolutely terrifying and painful. Actually, Junsei squirmed the moment the footage cut to that scene. Still, I believe that the viewers could feel Junsei's determination to put his body on the line and his passion for the show. In that sense, episode 3 became an important episode for us.

Motojima: It's a scene that we absolutely can't leave out when talking about this show. Also, there's a scene in episode 5 where I did pro wrestling. I had to act as if I was in pain when I was subjected to a technique, but I didn't know what it was like when a person really feels pain. So, I asked Yasu-kun, and he told me, "When people get hit in the lower back, they arch their body and feel the pain."

Fujibayashi: We actually hit each other on the back of our thighs to see how we would react (laughs).

Motojima: That's right (laughs).

"In contrast to the relationship between Houtarou and Spanner in the show, we can see that you support and get along well with each other during filming, do you also hang out in your private lives?"

Motojima: Next time, all the cast members promised to go to an amusement arcade!

Fujibayashi: It's just a plan though. Everyone's schedules don't quite match up….However, everyone's made good progress and have become friends. Besides, I feel like the two of us will have a relationship that lasts a lifetime.

Motojima: Oh~! That makes me happy!!

Fujibayashi: Junsei's current "weapons" are his freshness and his will to "Just give it a try," and he has the most important passion for an actor. I myself have my own pride as an older person. I'm confident that we can maintain a good relationship as acting rivals even after this production is over.

Motojima: Yeah. I hope we can continue to improve each other through friendly competition.

Fujibayashi: It's still early in Gotchard's story, but looking ahead to the ending, I'm already kind of sad! But, I'm really looking forward to Junsei's growth.

Motojima: Oh, I appreciate that.

"By the way, do you know each other's views on love?"

Motojima: We talked about love once before, right? On a train ride home after filming, I asked him, "What kind of person is your type?" It was because I was curious (laughs).

Fujibayashi: If I'm remembering right, Junsei's into pretty girls, right?

Motojima: Yeah. I think Yasu-kun said that was the type of person he'd fall in love with.

Fujibayashi: That's right. Also, I guess Junsei likes quiet people.

Motojima: Yeah, I like quiet people.

Fujibayashi: I like cheerful people, so I don't really have a type at all.

"How do you go about approaching someone you like?"

Motojima: I feel like I'm a proactive person. For example, as a student, I might ask someone, "Would you like to go to the cultural festival together?

Fujibayashi: That's good! But, I'm as proactive as Junsei. I also reply to LINE messages very quickly.

Motojima: That's right, you're really quick.

Fujibayashi: Without messing around, maybe I would straight up ask her, "Let's go out to eat!" and start meeting up more often.

Motojima: I see. I really want to talk on the phone with the person I like. I'm aiming to do a "fall asleep phone call" (he awkwardly laughs).

Fujibayashi: What, that comment was too cute!

"Now then, please tell us about the benefits of becoming your lover."

Fujibayashi: Since I can speak English, I can take you on trips to various countries!

Motojima: Eh~? That's not fair! I definitely can't win against that! But, I can play the guitar. It would be nice if I play and she sings.

Fujibayashi: You're going to make her sing?! Isn't it about Junsei playing the guitar?

Motojima: Ah, I want her to listen!

Fujibayashi: Well, you know, Junsei's really cool when he plays the guitar! He has a very soft expression…When I saw Junsei's guitar video, I was so moved that I couldn't help but send him a LINE.

Motojima: Fufufu~ Well then, I'll play the guitar for you. On a beach overseas!

Fujibayashi: No, you don't have to compete with my English (laughs).

"In the future, If you were to co star in another production, what kind of production would you like to appear in, and what kind of relationship would you like to play?"

Motojima: Houtarou is also a second year high school student, so I'd like another school story.

Fujibayashi: Junsei can still play student roles. I think I'm limited to playing a college student…

Motojima: But, I'm also a college student, and it would be nice to play college classmates. It'd be fun to compete with each other for lovers!

Fujibayashi: I'd like to fight as two historical kings. Something like, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

Motojima: That sounds good, I want to try it!

Fujibayashi: Junsei in the form of a military commander…Hmmm, his dark face would suit it…maybe?

Motojima: Yasu-kun also has a dark face, right?

Fujibayashi: I had the opportunity to wear a wig when I performed in a 2.5D musical, but I have thick eyebrows, so I sometimes have to clean up my eyebrows with makeup. So, as a member of the "eyebrow tribe," I'm alittle worried about Junsei's eyebrows.

Motojima: Eyebrow tribe (laughs). But, I really do hope we can co star in a historical drama someday!

[puppy-phum]

i find it so ironic how after becoming blind or, simply, disabled, day also turns invisible. suddenly, he's just not there, like it's not he who cannot see but he who cannot be seen.

ppl don't really talk to him, don't address him, barely give him any choices of his own. they talk over him and past him and around him, about him, surely, but not to him. it's like he's not there. he's this huge responsibility, but he's no longer a person. he's left to places like a dog or an object to wait for others to do all the things for him, and then he's just expected to agree with their plans. the same plans that still affect him and his life and future.

no wonder he's so angry and fed up with everybody. he wants to speak for himself. he wants to be heard and seen again. he used to enjoy having eyes on him – as a national athlete, there obviously were many (admiring, evaluating, assessing) eyes on him, and he liked the spotlight. he's obviously very proud of his own accomplishments and it must be frustrating to be suddenly reduced into nothing. like what he did never mattered. like who he is never mattered.

he is just this now. his blindness. someone who can be overlooked bc he cannot see it anyway. he's not far from being dead, as he puts it himself.

-

meanwhile, mork experiences the brutality of being abandoned over and over again. that's his wound. when his sister leaves, the pain gets the loudest, but even outside of that, he's hearing the same thing over and over again.

from what we got to know, no one ever really learned why exactly rung decided to kill herself. i assume it was the guilt over feeling like she failed mork, like she brought him more peril than was worth living for (debt?). she obviously wanted mork to have a good future, but i guess none of her actions ever translated to mork in that way.

to him, rung left after deciding that mork just wasn't worth it. she took "the easy way out" after realizing that fighting beside mork and tolerating his behavior just weren't worth the effort. mork really wasn't making the best choices, but i don't think he was ever "beyond saving". mork just thinks this is how it all went.

and then he keeps hearing the same thing from others:

after being in jail, his friends abandon him even if he took part in that fight for them. he wasn't enough for them to stick around (not that they were actually that good company, but he knew them, spent time with them, relied on them on some level)

porjai broke up with him bc mork was prioritizing his friends over his girlfriend. which porjai points out humorously, as is part of their friendship as exes, but which lands as a stab anyway. "you weren't enough as you are," it says. "you should've done better to not have me leave you."

no one wants mork to work for them bc all they can see is his past mistakes and not him trying to presently correct them. his skills aren't enough to overshadow what he did. him trying to be better cannot erase those mistakes he already made. "you should've been better to begin with," it says. "there's nothing you can do to change that now."

-

ppl keep turning their backs on mork, leaving him behind, labeling him unworthy or simply not good enough. even day's family does this, looking at him once and going, "you obviously do not belong here."

day disagrees. on some level at least, he disagrees. bc mork actually sees him. after all this time, someone actually sees him again.

meanwhile, well. we had that whole montage at the end of the episode to tell us how badly mork wishes to believe that someone is finally giving him a chance to prove he isn't a lost cause, that he is worth something.

-

my expectations for the second ep are that these two are going to learn just how bad it actually feels when someone is able to see you and how hard you will have to work to prove yourself to those who barely wish to listen.

[nightghoul381]

Dark If ~ Jude Jazza

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Bitter End | Premium End | Epilogue

Victor: “Miss Kate. With your hands, create the happiest ending. —Come now, let’s go to the distorted fairy world.”

I woke up in a luxurious castle room.

(Oh…right, I’m the ‘princess’ of this country.)

(…huh? Why do I have such memories?)

Gradually memories of growing up as a princess of this country come back.

(It’s like I have two memories, one of being in this world all the time, and the other of coming from another world.)

However, it was strange feeling that I was sure that both were ‘me’.

King: “…Have you awoken, Kate?”

Kate: “Father, good morning.”

After knocking, Father comes into the room with a worried look on his face.

King: “When I think that there are only a few months left until that damn wizard’s prophecy… I feel like I have to make sure you’re okay every morning.”

I was born as a princess of this country, and I have lived my life as if I were locked up in a castle, in a box so to speak.

The reason is—because I’m cursed.

The wizard who placed the curse said, “Ten years from now, she will be pricked by the needle of a spinning wheel, and the curse will be activated.”

--it seems like he just explained that and went back to his castle deep in the mountains.

My father and mother collected spinning wheels from all over the country and threw most of them away.

The people who run the spinning industry gather in state-run factories to work, and aren’t allowed to come near me.

(But… my father and mother don’t know why I was cursed.)

Kate: “Why doesn’t anyone know why I was cursed…?”

King: “…You got into a fight with me that night, and you snuck out of the castle. Then, you lost consciousness and collapsed in a back alley.”

King: “By the time you were brought to the castle and show to the royal doctor, you had already been cursed.”

King: “The wizard who was with me at the time confessed. He had cursed you…!”

(Ah…that’s right. But I also don’t remember anything before I collapsed in the back alley.)

(At that time, I was supposed to be meeting that person…why?)

Maybe it’s because my memories of living in this world remain so vividly,

It’s hard to accept the logic that I wandered into this world from England.

(Well, there’s no point in thinking about it now.)

Kate: “If the curse was activated, I would fall into a 100-year sleep… right?”

I mumbled, relying on my memory, and my father nodded again with tears in his eyes.

(The cursed spinning wheel… The world I have wandered into is surly the story of ‘Thorn Princess’)

(If I had to follow the plot of the story, it might be better to follow the curse and fall asleep…)

The man who called himself Victor said that this was a distorted fairy world where there was something missing.

If I fall asleep before I find it, I won’t be able to search for what’s missing for another 100 years.

(First of all, I need to either break the curse or get the deadline extended!)

Kate: “I’m going to ask the wizard if he can lift the curse.”

King: “W-what?! I-I’m not going to allow that!!”

Kate: “I don’t mind if I go with an escort.”

King: “The guards are too afraid to go near him! We’ve sent several assassins, but they all came back in a miserable state…!”

Kate: “Then I’ll go alone. I’ll be okay, with my experience as a post man I can tell a dangerous place by its smell.”

King: “Postman? Oh, h-hey, wait--!”

Leaving my panicking father behind at the castle, I came to an old castle deep in the mountains.

(Come to think of it… I’ve never tried this method in this world.)

(Maybe my father was overprotective and wanted to keep me in a box.)

(The curse itself… for some reason, I didn’t think it was scary.)

Strangely enough, I didn’t think falling into a 100 year slumber was such a bad thing, and I didn’t feel the need to try very hard to solve it.

(I wonder why--)

(Here…right…?)

There were no gatekeepers in the thorn-covered castle. In fact, there was no one at all.

The atmosphere is very much like a villain’s lair, and I have to swallow back the fear that shows on my face.

Kate: “Excuse me, Post…no wait, I came to ask you to lift the curse.”

Tall young man: “…Good evening.”

Kate: “Whaaa!?”

Tall young man: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset… are you okay?”

Thorn Ellis: “I’m Ellis. I’m the assistant of the owner of this mansion.”

Thorn Ellis: “Like a thorn, I’m basically supposed to drive away guests.”

(After coming this far, I can’t afford to be turned away…)

Kate: “My name is Kate. I came here because I really wanted to meet the owner of this mansion.”

Thorn Ellis: “Huh…Okay.”

Kate: “Uh!? Is that okay!?”

Thorn Ellis: “Yeah. If you’ve come this far and it makes you happy.”

(If it’s okay… I wonder if the security of the castle is okay…)

Thorn Ellis: “Yeah, but he’ll be in a bad mood without an appointment. Be careful.”

Ellis: “Jude, customer.”

Jude the Wizard: “Tch… I told you to turn away uninvited guests at the gate, how many times do I have to tell you?”

Jude the Wizard: “Drive them away by punishing them or hurting them—”

Jude the Wizard: “--…!”

Jude, as the man with the sinister eyes is called,

As soon as he looked up from the book he was reading and caught sight of me, his eyes widened.

Jude the Wizard: “You…”

(Do you know me…? Well, then)

Kate: “You’re the wizard who put the curse on me, aren’t you?”

Kate: “I’m sorry for barging in on you so suddenly. I came to ask if you could lift the curse.”

Jude the Wizard: “…Ah?”

Jude’s expression became severely distorted at my request.

The obvious discomfort almost makes me flinch, but I can’t back down now.

Kate: “I don’t mind if you just extend the deadline a little!”

Kate: “If I find what I’m looking for, you can curse me again.”

Jude: “…”

Kate: “If you could give me a reprieve, I’d do anything in return.”

Jude the Wizard: “…Huh, anything?”

Jude the Wizard: “If you do, you’ll have to work here as a slave.”

(S-slave…!?)

His cruel smile sent a shiver down my spine.

Jude got up from the couch and walked over to me, my body tense with nervousness.

Jude the Wizard: “Just as well, I was planning on pricking you with a spinning wheel on your birthday.”

Jude the Wizard: “Saves me the trouble of having to go all the way out there.”

Kate: “...gh”

I felt a sense of danger as his hand reached out to me, and I immediately stepped back, but…

I noticed that Ellis was standing right behind me and there was no way I was getting past him.

Kate: “Father won’t stay silent…!”

Jude the Wizard: “Hah, no matter how many incompetent soldiers an incompetent king sends in, it won’t change. Let’s just kill you and be done with it.”

Kate: “Uh…!?”

Long fingers wrap around my neck and tighten slightly. He pulls out a collar from somewhere and fastens it around my neck.

Jude the Wizard: “Now I can blow your head off whenever I want, right?”

Jude the Wizard: “By the time they get here it’ll be too late princess.”

Jude the Wizard: “I won’t let you go back to the castle. You will stay here and be cursed.”

(I--)

(I may have made the wrong choice.)

My regrets were in vain, and I remained under house arrest in the castle for several dozen days--.

Life in this castle has reluctantly become a daily routine.

--CRASH!

Kate: “Again….!?”

Thorn Ellis: “Yeah, sorry Miss Kate.”

Jude the Wizard: “There’s no need for a freeloading slave to complain.”

People with growing grudges came rushing in—this seemed to be the daily routine for Jude and his friends.

(However, with just one look from Jude, that man’s body was electrocuted and blown away,)

(Most of them will take revenge in an instant…)

Man falling down: “Ugh…”

Jude the Wizard: “Had enough already? What happened to all that bravado you came in with?”

There is not a day that goes by without blood spray flying around the castle.

And as a ‘slave’ I wasn’t asked to clean up the mess for some reason.

I was just told to stay in my room.

Kate: “I’ve been wondering for a long time… why is there so much resentment?”

Thorn Ellis: “Just because you say you’re a wizard, people will try to kill you.”

Jude the Wizard: “She may be the princess but she doesn’t know anything about this country. She’s been living in a box.”

I feel uncomfortable when people laugh at me.

Kate: “Isn’t it partly because of your personality? You hurt him so terribly.”

Jude the Wizard: “You’re a slave and you’re lecturing your master. You’ve got some nerve.”

Jude the Wizard: “If you want to be punished, I’ll do it whenever you want.”

He hooked his fingers in my collar and pulled me closer.

When those sadistic amethyst eyes stare at me from such a close distance—I feel strangely disturbed and unsettled.

Kate: “…That’s okay!”

I flicked away his hand and retreated to my room.

(I need to look back at that man and somehow get him to extend the curse’s deadline.)

Above all—being looked down upon was irritating.

This castle has a huge collection of books.

During the day, Jude, despite being stabbed and injured, makes deals with some shady merchants and collects books and materials.

At night, he often holed up in his study.

Kate: “Mr. Jude, what on earth are you doing in your study?”

Thorn Ellis: “I’m not allowed to enter, so I don’t know the details, but… he’s conducting an investigation to fulfill a promise he made a long time ago.”

Kate: “I see…The library isn’t off-limits though, right?”

Thorn Ellis: “Yeah, I haven’t been told anything, so I think you can do whatever you want.”

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Bitter End | Premium End | Epilogue

[lookismaddict]

Lookism Chapter 438 Memes/Thoughts I Have:

(SPOILERS !!! I don’t own any of the Lookism panels and the translations. Only the memes that I made.)

God. It’s like every week, I get even more tired than the previous week. What has my life come to? I feel so dead inside.

Anyways, wooooo new chapter is here. Let’s goooooooo!!!

“DiD yOu JuSt HiT a CoP ?” Yeah mf. Call it “injustice” or a “crime”, IDC. Daniel gon beat yo ass GTA style. 😤

It’s ok Daniel, go get him!!!

*h e a v y s i g h*

. . .

PLEASE. EXCUSE ME FOR A SECOND WHILE I… “TAKE CARE OF SOME BUSINESS”.

*stays in the bathroom for about 30 min*

I'M KIDDING... not really.

BRUH EVEN DANIEL IS NAKED? AROUND GUN??? This is dangerous. 😭😭😭

OHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYY GAAAAAAAHHHHHDDDD.... SIRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! THE WET HAIR THOOOOOO. 😩😩🤤🤤🤤🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴

I def know what I want for Christmas this year... 👀

Santa would definitely kill me in my sleep...

N S F W M E M E W A R N I N G !!!

(If you don't wanna see the inappropriate meme, just scroll past it.)

God, my 😺 been quivering... What? I bet those of you who read Rendezvous would agree that you want him too. I'M LOOKING AT YOU!! READERS WHO'VE READ THOSE CHAPTERS ACTING LIKE YOU HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT, SMH. 👁👁 Don't lie.

Man, this is giving me mad inspiration to write again. Who knew that some steamy shower panels would bring me back to continue writing for that story? How ironic. 😅

YESSSSSS GUN BBG, MAN WHORE, DADDYYYYYYY. 🥰

DAAAAAAAAMMMNNNNN DANIEL, BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE FANCY FIGHTING SPINS!!! Also, "I'm gonna get punished severely when I get back." 🧐 Is Gun gonna make you give him 🧠 or nah? Like what?

BRUHHHHHHHHHH. DANIEL NOOOOOOOOOO!!! 😭😭😭

AWWWW BABY, DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT. JUST CONTINUE TO GIVE IT YOUR ALL!!! 🥺🥺

Awwwww shit... Is this where I think this is going...? 😭

Hey Alexa, play "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.

OMG WAIT. HE DOESN'T LOOK THAT DIFFERENT FROM WHEN HE WENT CRAZY MODE IN HIS OTHER BODY!!! :O God, it's like the same demon possessed Daniel or something.

OK DANIELLLLL!!! I SEE YOUUUUUU, KING!!!! 😩😩👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

AYO, IS THAT JAKE'S OLDER BROTHER??? 👀 HOW TF JAMES LEE KNEW ABOUT HIM AND NOT EVEN HIS OWN BROTHER, JAKE KIM KNEW ABOUT HIM UNTIL TOM LEE MENTIONED HIM??? 💀💀💀💀

Geez, I'm starting to feel bad for Jichang. Like, ok Daniel, I get it. Your fight with Jichang started because you're trying to find out more about Jinyoung and all that, but... y'all can't just... talk it out? 😅 "Civilized folks" style? No? Ok.

Oh crap... that's not good. 😬

B R U H. THESE PANELS GAVE ME MAD GOOSEBUMPS. SHIIIIIT. I HOPE DANIEL'S HOMIES ARRIVE!!!! 😖

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I KNEW ITTTTTTT!!! I TOLD Y'ALL WTF. 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I EVEN KNEW IT IN THE LAST REVIEW HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I GOT PSYCHIC POWERS. 🔮

SEE???? I CONCLUDED THIS LAST WEEK WITH MY OWN WORDS, BRUH. CALL ME A... G E N I U S. ✨ (Actually don't. I'm still a dumbass.)

"Thanks. I almost died just now." 💀💀💀💀 Idk why I thought that line from Hudson was funny to me LMFAOOO. Just caught me off guard because I mostly see him being so serious all the time. Also, Jichang... don't underestimate Daniel lol. It'll be your downfall if you do.

I stg. Almost every chapter, Daniel always gets even more attractive. 😍😍

I always see people comment on how Daniel is turning more into Gun due to how he has improved in fighting as the story progresses. HOWEVER, I've never heard Daniel becoming James Lee before and I find that concept very interesting. I'm not sure if PTJ is leading Daniel towards that path of him becoming the new "James Lee", since he is a self-righteous character who seeks truth.

Even though I find this moment to be very cool, I worry that Daniel might create more enemies for himself and I hope he doesn't kill anyone then spiral into long-term guilt like James Lee.

God, I still can't get over the GUN SHOWER PANELS. AHHHHHHHHH!!! HIM... NAKED??? I MEAN, COME ON MAN. HE LITERALLY IS EXPENSIVE ALCOHOL WHO REALLY AGED SO GOOD. SO TASTY. SO DELICIOUS. SO SCRUMPT-DIDDLY-UMPTIOUUUSSSSS!!! CALL ME A CONNOISSEUR, BUT HE CAN BE THE YAMATO TO MY HENNESSY, WITH HIS HIGH PRICED SEXY ASS. 🤤🤤🖤🖤🖤🖤

If any one mentions him in the shower, yk Imma be "showering" down there. 💦

ALSO, WE NEED MORE SHOWER FAN SERVICE PTJ. KEEP 'EM COMING!!!

The correct answer is "Both".

They'd be amazing Calvin Klein models.

Anyways, BYE- 🏃🏽‍♀️

[kaetchup]

SWING NIGHT prologue

i am back after two years because the adonis rot consumes me. enjoy my poor translation.

♪ obligatory disclaimer! none of this is mine, i’m just sharing it for my love of our idol boys. all content belongs to happy elements ♪

koga: ♪〜♪〜

(Now, let's work hard today too♪)

(There were a lot of problems with HELLSING, but by absorbing them, we, UNDEAD, became an even bigger presence.)

(Thanks to that, I'm in high demand for live shows and variety shows and I'm fuckin’ busy, but this is exactly what I wanted.)

(Every single day, I put in all my effort into every job, and it's stupidly fulfilling.)

(My schedule is completely filled to the brim, and I'm suffering from burnout because I just graduated from Yumenosaki. I don't have time~)

(Maybe I’m so busy I’m neglecting the little things in life?)

What the hell is this...? There are a lot of people at the entrance of the dormitory.

keito: —— God!

koga: Huh? What's up Shitty Glasses? You're calling people's names cheerfully first thing in the morning, aren't you?

keito: Don't say bad things about glasses. Rather, pay respect.

koga: Don't mess with me. Why do I have to respect glasses?

Actually, that's not important. What's all this fuss about? There's a crowd of people gathered around the dorm, did something happen?

Maybe there was a fight!?

keito: Don't say inauspicious things. And don't look like you're having fun.

koga: I know, it's just a little joke~

keito: Hmph. You seem strangely excited to make such a joke.

Well, UNDEAD seems to be on the rise these days after a long time.

However, it is at times like these that we tend to forget what is right in front of us. We must not let our guard down. (1)

koga: Huh? Don't act like a senior now.

I've already graduated from Yumenosaki. There are no more grade divisions, and I'm now an equal member of society to you.

keito: Yes, that's right. Welcome to the adult world.

koga: That's it. I don't care about that. Explain this situation.

keito: Rather, haven't you heard anything?

koga: Ah? I don't really get it, but does it have anything to do with me?

keito: Let's take a closer look. These people are all members of the media. They're all gathered at the entrance to the dormitory.

koga: The media~? Why are they in the dorms? Doesn't this seem a bit ominous? It's like a press conference venue.

keito: That's a good way to put it. It seems like there's some interesting happening that's garnering public attention. The person at the center of it all is in the middle of that crowd.

koga: Who is it? Hmm...?

—— Damn, I can't see well because the crowd is in the way!

keito: Shall I put you on my shoulders, Oogami?

koga: Why do you sometimes act like you're my big brother?! I'm a lone wolf, no, I'm an only child!

keito: Hmm. I don't intend to act like a big brother either.

Anyway. Look, from this side you can just see through the gap.

koga: Hmm... and?

adonis: …

koga: Hmm? Oh no, it looks like Adonis, doesn't it?

keito: That's right. The center of this topic seems to be Otogari.

The media stormed into the dormitory after it was discovered that Adonis Otogari, a member of the popular idol group UNDEAD, had a girlfriend.

koga: Ah, yeah, yeah... You’re talking about Adonis’ girlfriend?

—— Huh!? Adonis’ girlfriend!?

keito: Yes. It seems that people are saying that he acted honest on the surface, but was having a wild time behind the scenes.

koga: Don't mess with me! There's no way it's Adonis! You don't know anything, so don't say whatever you want.

I'm going to shut up all those media guys.

keito: Wait, wait! Don't try and charge in while cracking your knuckles!

Calm down. If you leave, things will only get worse, so stay quiet.

koga: But hey...!

keito: Don't worry. Anyone who has ever been involved with Otogari knows his character. This story will soon be proven to be a baseless rumor.

Right now, Otogari is doing his best to deal with the situation on his own. If you're a good friend of his, keep an eye on him.

media: There are rumors that Otogari-san has a girlfriend... is that true?

adonis: …

media: What is it?

adonis: No. That's a mistake. I don't have a girlfriend.

koga: (That's right~? Hehe, it's Adonis after all...!)

(Hmm. He's acting so confidently. Surely the media guys will realize that the rumors are false… ♪)

media: No no. Otogari-san, let's not try to cover it up. This is a story from a pretty reliable source.

adonis: Yes, I know. She's not my girlfriend, she's my fiancée.

koga and keito: …

koga: Huh? What's going on!?

translator’s note:

what keito says here literally translates to “tighten the cord of your helmet”, referencing the japanese saying by furuya that says “after victory, tighten the strings of your helmet.” he’s instructing koga to never let his guard down even if he thinks he has won. 

[turtleations]

KUMA: Never Ending Bond - Preface and Prologue (Translation)

Note: Translation of the book "Owaranai Kizuna" ("Never Ending Bond") by Inoue "kuma" Hideki, who started out as X's roadie, was hide's personal manager until 1995, and a friend of his until the end.

I am trying my hand at a direct translation with this. It will not be perfect and may contain mistakes (almost certainly so). I am, as always, open to corrections.

Important note to avoid confusion: Throughout the book, KUMA alternates between calling hide "HIDE-san" and "Shishô", which means something like "master" or "teacher" and reflects the relationship they had. I decided to keep the Japanese word, as the English translation was oddly awkward.

Preface

Shihô, I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while…

Since we first met, we have never not seen each other for this long.

I was tired of the loneliness of not being able to see you, and tired of fighting it.

Come to speak of it, Shishô, all other things aside, there is something that has always been on my mind.

It’s that “unfinished song” that you helped me give shape to when I put all my effort into it at Lake Yamanaka.

I thought it would be a precious memory stored deep in my heart, of just you and me, not bothered by anyone else.

But, but, it seems that if I keep it sealed away like that, it will become the worst regret of my life…

When next we meet, I would completely hate myself if you say to me, “KUMA, what about that song you were working on? I haven’t heard it in full yet,” and I can’t let you listen to it.

Because I want to raise my chest with pride and say, “I did the best I could. Here it is.”

Therefore, therefore, even though it took me more than eleven years to get there, I did finish that “unfinished song”.

Since my memories are flowing over, please wait with listening to it until after you have read this…

---

Prologue

First of all…

What I want to convey through this book is, most of all, “my bond with Shishô”.

It was so deep, deep, even I can’t imagine it. (A Never Ending Bond.)

Before I knew it, that bond with Shishô that started with me meeting X and grew with things accumulating over a long, long time, turned him into someone who was like family to me.

This bond, I think, is what I want to write about.

I’m going far back in time with this, so my memory may be a little faulty here and there, but I think I want to share a piece of the secret, hidden truth not seen by the public so far.

Shishô (HIDE-san) was not someone to express his thoughts in a straight way.  Nor was he a person of many words. Therefore, I think there was much to him that was not visible from the outside.

One example of this is how much he loved my own band, how much he supported us from behind the scenes… That’s just one thing.

Shishô always thought of the band to keep it united; towards the staff and me, who stuck by their side, he always showed an incredible amount of care.

Honestly, when I think about it again, there are a lot of episodes that gradually melt my heart.

And so, it is my wish to tell you stories that have not been talked much so far.

With that in mind, I want to keep writing.

Chapter 1, Part 1 & 2

[babyhatesreality]

The Sinner and the Saint Ch 8

Pairings: Slow Burn Mob!Boss Bucky x f!reader

Warnings: NS/FW, f!reader, language, reader is initially terrified, talk of weapons (but none actually appear in this chapter), talk of death, reader is referred to by her stage name of Angel, everybody has secrets, reader is insecure, Bucky is a lovable menace, reader is an ex*tic dancer, conversation about int!mate details, D/$ dynamic and talk, reader has panic attack/meltdown/rage moments, slow burn relationship. 

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. MINORS DNI. THIS IS AN 18+ STORY ONLY AND IS NS/FW. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR ANY OF MY WORKS TO BE COPIED, REPRINTED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY PLATFORM EXCEPT MY OWN. Likes, comments and reblogs deeply appreciated.

Previous- Chapter 7

Chapter 8

“You’re Bucky Barnes,” you whispered in terror. 

Bucky Barnes. One of, if not the most, notorious and elusive mafia dons on the planet was sitting across the table from you. A man so secretive and so cunning, yet so ruthless, that the only people who dared to speak of him were on back alley message boards in the unsavory corners of the web. A man who no one knew what he looked like outside of the metal arm, although the wild rumors of that were so insane and far-flung that no one thought they were real. Bucky Fucking Barnes. The stories of what he had gone through with his arm- and what he had done to the person responsible in retaliation- were beyond horrific. No one could catch Barnes. No one really knew how much of the city he controlled, but it was pretty safe to assume he had his metal hand in everything. One man that no one ever dared to cross. Or if they did, they never lived long enough to confirm what he actually looked like. 

Bucky. Mother. Fucking. Barnes. 

Your first immediate and irrational thought was that you were dead. Mafia Dons killed- that was all they did, right? This was it, this was the end. It was all over and you were as good as dead. An icy chill spread through your body as you sat, frozen in horror, awaiting what was surely your sudden and immediate demise.  You expected him to reach into his jacket pocket, withdraw a gun, and point it between your eyebrows. Or that you would suddenly start foaming at the mouth from the poison that was surely in the food, or maybe the wine? Or some other grizzly form of a horrific death that you’d probably not even heard of before.

So when, instead of instantly killing you, Bucky sat back with a sigh...and fucking POUTED, the tiny part of your brain that wasn’t in terrified shock perked up like a confused puppy ...what...he’s...pouting?!

“Dammit,” Bucky grumbled, still...well, there was no other word for it....POUTING. “Guess I owe the punk fifty bucks.” He pinched his lips like a child who’d just run out of cupcakes, then shrugged and looked back at you with that damn mischievous twinkle in his eye, like whatever had been bothering him, he was already over it. “Yeah,” he said casually. “I’m Bucky Barnes.” His blue eyes scanned your face carefully. When you didn’t move- you bloody couldn’t move, you had literally forgotten how to make your body do the things- he chuckled one low, smarmy laugh. He reached under the table and pushed something. 

Your primal fight-or-flight response was triggered. You shrieked and grabbed onto the table for dear life, your panicking brain convinced that the floor was going to open up underneath you and you’d plunge to your death. Bucky’s eyebrows shot up at your “defense”, and....wait...was he...trying not to laugh at you?!

The door opened behind you and you were too terrified to turn around, squeezing your eyes shut and saying every prayer that you’d ever heard. So you completely missed Bucky holding up three silver fingers to his lips and tapping, then opening both hands to the side and pulling them closed quickly to his body. Makkari nodded at him and exited, giving you a concerned look that you didn’t see. 

“Breathe, Angel,” Bucky said in a soft, sweet voice. That was startling enough to wrench your eyes open, staring at him in disbelief, then you shrieked and jumped another mile at the person suddenly standing right next to you. When you realized it was just Makkari holding a glass of water, all you could do was look at her in sheer, unmitigated terror. She gently took your hand and wrapped it around the water glass. Then she quickly took your other hand and carefully placed a piece of paper into it, and gave you a friendly squeeze. You looked down at the paper. It only had two words on it. 

You’re safe. 

Your eyes shot to hers, utter disbelief on your face. Did she not realize this was Bucky Holy Mother of God Barnes?! She smiled warmly again, and patted your shoulder in a consolingly way. She pointed to the paper again, nodded reassuringly, and gave you another little friendly squeeze before walking away. As the door shut, you honestly didn’t know what to think or do. You were sitting with one of the world’s most deadly people looking you in the eye...but you were safe? Your overwhelmed brain could not make it make sense, and so you just sat there, stupefied. 

“Drink your water,” Bucky ordered in a soft voice. Before you were even fully aware that you were doing it, you brought the glass to your mouth and drank. It was like you were programmed to follow his directions. But even after your body and your brain got in sync, you continued to drink. Partially out of desperation for something to do, because you literally had no fucking clue what your next move would be. You drained the glass, set it down on the table with a thunk, and took a deep breath. You dared to look at the gangster across the table. 

He was smiling that damn mischievous and challenging smile that drove you insane. “Feel better?” he asked, but that undercurrent of a smug smirk ignited a firework in your brain. A firework that you were, unfortunately, unable to control, due to that fucking smirk that had been tormenting you all week.

“NO, I DON’T FEEL BETTER!” you shrieked, almost banshee-like in your tone and tenor. “HOW THE FUCK IS A GLASS OF WATER SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU’RE A GODDAMN MOB BOSS?!?”

Bucky, to your intense fury, just laughed in response. “Okay, you got a point,” he said jovially. “Would a second glass of water help?” he asked, tilting his head at you, his blue eyes wide- the picture of pious innocence. Oh fuck him to the moon and back. It was like he knew exactly which buttons to push to activate Mount Vesuvius again, and was getting a hell of a thrill off it. 

You shot up out of your chair like you’d been electrocuted. “I am going to KILL you!!” you shrieked, out of pure unadulterated rage. 

Bucky tilted his head to the side, like he was thinking. “That might not end well for you,” he said plainly. But the meaning behind it made your knees buckle, and you collapsed back onto your chair weakly, terrified. 

“Oh fuck,” you whispered in horror, fear once again taking the wheel. “Jesus, I didn’t mean...I-”

“It’s okay, Angel, I’m just messing with you,” Bucky said, his challenging smirk morphing quickly to his legitimately kind one. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I don’t often get this reaction anymore, and I gotta say- it was kind of flattering.” He picked up his wine glass, toasting you. “People normally try so hard to keep a straight face when they realize who I am, that I couldn’t help myself. I had to mess with you, just a little. I know, I know, I’m a dick.” He didn’t seem too terribly bothered by his self-own as he took a large sip of wine, the smirk reappearing. 

At the sight of the actual man that you thought you’d come to know and feel for this last week, everything that was screaming inside of you started to tone down a bit. “You’re....you’re really...THE Bucky Barnes?” you asked in a fearful whisper. 

“Yes, I am really THE Bucky Barnes. Mafia Don. To the Stars.”

Choosing to skip over his teasing, you continued. “But...but you’re...secretive and...no one knows what you look like....and why did you tell me?”

“I told you because you asked me to. If we’re going to try this thing out, I need to be able to be honest with you.”

“But...but...now that I know....I’m....I’m....”

“Now that you know,” Bucky interrupted, sitting up and folding his hands together. A sudden tremor shot through you as he suddenly looked a lot more like the terrifying gangster he actually was, his silver hand catching the light. “Now that you know...you’re no different than any of the other girls at the club. Well, not in that way, anyways.” 

“Wait- what? The...the other girls...all know?”

“Yup. Everyone who works for me knows the truth.”

“Wait wait wait...I WORK for you??”

“Yup.”

“You own the club?!”

“Yup.”

“But Natasha said...she said that you weren’t involved in the club financially.”

Bucky’s lips twisted up into that secretive smile. “What did she actually say?” he said, almost patronizingly. You thought hard about that conversation...

“Is he an investor in the club or something?”

“He’s here enough, he ought to be.”

Not a confirmation, but not a denial either. Basically a non-committal nothing that threw you off the track. Bucky grinned when your eyes shot back to his face as the penny dropped. He raised his wine glass again. “Natasha’s one of the best when it comes to dancing around the truth,” he grinned. 

“So...she’s in the mafia too?”

“We prefer to call it the family, but yes.”

“But...but she’s there every night at the club...”

“Did you imagine she was supposed to be patrolling the streets, causing chaos and shooting anyone who looked at her sideways?” Bucky teased, leaning in towards you. Your face turned Hooker Lipstick Red again, and a delighted grin cracked across his. “That’s exactly what you thought, wasn’t it?” he chortled. 

“Shut up,” you mumbled, desperately wishing Makkari would reenter with more alcohol. 

Bucky grinned gleefully. “Ah, there she is, there’s my girl,” he said, joy in his voice again. “Telling a big ol’ mob boss to ‘shut up’.”

“Thought you said you preferred the term ‘family’?” you sneered back in sheer defiance due to your embarrassment. “So if you’re the head, should I be calling you ‘Daddy’ then?”

“Not right now, but definitely later.”

“Oh my GOD.”

“You’re probably be saying that too.”

“BUCKY!”

“Babe, you are nailing all your future lines.” When you slumped forward in utter defeat, he finally took pity on you. “Okay, okay, I’m done, I swear” he said, not quite able to keep the grin out of his voice. He leaned back in his chair, took a deep breath, and exchanged the smug smirk for a genuine smile. That gave you the courage to continue. 

“So...everyone knows but me, huh?” you muttered, then gave a mirthless laugh. “Okay, Nebula’s comment makes more sense now.”

Bucky’s eyes immediately narrowed at that. “What did Nebula say to you?” he said in a low, firm tone. Normally, you would have turned the tables and started teasing him right back, but you were still way too worked up to even consider that right now. 

“Natasha shut her down quickly,” you immediately responded, not wanting to get your mob boss in trouble. “But Nebula was taunting me about not figuring out who you were and she said that...”

“What?”

“Well...she kinda hinted that she slept with you too.”

Bucky rolled his eyes so hard you half expected them to get stuck in his head. “Angel, listen up, because I’m only going to say this once,” he said low, his voice full of anger as he stared at the table top. He took a deep breath, raised his eyes to you, and his gaze immediately softened, but his tone stayed firm. “Nebula and I have never slept together. She tried to turn our Champagne Room encounter into something that it wasn’t, and she got bitter when I rejected her advances. She’s a nasty piece of work, and I wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot pole.”

“Then why does she still work there?”

Bucky leaned back, a mask of calm slipping over his face so subtly you almost missed the transition. “I have my reasons,” he said vaguely. “But trust me. You’ll never have to worry about her. You’re the only one I’ve got eyes for.”

The sweet statement knocked the air out of your lungs, but brought up a whole new set of questions. “I...thank you...I mean, you....okay,” you finally spat, frustrated at yourself. “You obviously know that I have feelings for you too, especially with all the dom/sub talk before this,” you said, willing your face not to turn bright red again. “But you have to understand that this is...a LOT.”

“I do,” he said gently. “And I meant every word of everything that I said earlier, especially about tonight being about honesty. Ask me anything you want. Right now. And I’ll answer it honestly. That’s not something that I will always be able to do, and I need you to understand that. But right now, in this moment, you can ask whatever you want and I will not lie to you.”

“You better not lie to me, EVER,” you hissed almost automatically, a sudden rage that normally lay dormant taking a hold of you. “I understand that you’ll need to keep...secrets and shit, but just tell me that you can’t tell me. Don’t make up something just to keep me “appeased”. Promise me that you won’t ever lie to me.” You leaned back, the fire blazing in your own eyes. “And that’s the first thing I’m going to ask tonight.”

For the first time this evening, Bucky looked startled. He’d seen this fire in you before, but wasn’t expecting it this evening, with everything he was dropping on you. Then his face broke into a slow, dawning smile. THIS. This was what he had to know about. You clearly had this secret passion and fire blazing inside of you, and it was fascinating to watch it when it made its appearance. He needed to know everything about your passions and this fire. Not to mention, you looked hot as hell when you were all fired up, but you didn’t know that. The fact that it was making an appearance right now let him know that this secret, hidden world inside you was not ever going to be tamed- nor did he want it to be. He wanted to explore it. 

Bucky reached across the table, his soft palm open to you in supplication. You looked at it for a moment, but then looked into his eyes. You placed your hand in his immediately. He closed his fingers, holding tight to yours, and squeezed reassuringly.

“I promise I will never lie to you,” he said, his clear blue eyes connecting to your very essence. “I can see this is something that means a lot to you, so...I will do it if it means that I can have you,” he said softly, his cool metal hand coming up and covering yours protectively. 

“Really?” you said back, caught off guard. You’d just asked one of the most powerful men in the world, a man who dealt in secrets and lies, to never lie to you. You’d only known this man for a week. You had just learned his name. But  he still said yes. 

“Really,” he said back gravely. He swallowed and looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, but then looked you right back in the eye. “This is not going to be easy for me, but...will you...okay, I will do it, I WILL, but it’s going to be fucking hard sometimes. Can you just....I don’t know, work with me on it if I fuck up or if I don’t know what to do? Don’t just bail on me, okay?” he asked back. You saw the tiniest sliver of vulnerability and hurt in his eyes, and it made your heart twist. 

“I promise I won’t bail. And we can work through it, whatever it is,” you responded honestly. Anything to take away that pain you saw in him. “I’m made of tougher stuff than that, Barnes,” you said, daring to tease the mafia don back for the first time tonight. 

The relief and subsequent smile on his face made you feel like you’d just won the lottery. “Yes, you are, aren’t you?” he said, biting his lower lip. That made you giggle and blush a bit, ducking your head. He suddenly gasped and said with a huge grin, “You also realize that you just gave me an answer to being with me without actually saying the words, right?”

Your head shot up so fast it hurt your neck. You....had. You totally had. You wouldn’t have said something like that if you didn’t mean it. And there was no denying it. But you wanted...no, you needed your story to start a different way- a way that wasn’t a kind of accident. You mustered your brave persona, and she came through like a champ. 

“Truth or dare?” you asked teasingly. 

“Truth,” he replied immediately, the grin threatening to split his face. 

“Do you still want to be with me, even though I have a million questions and I’m fucking scared to death and will probably....” you began, but stopped yourself when you saw his cocked eyebrow. Oh that’s right, he didn’t like you taking pot shots at yourself. “...And will probably be very, very happy with you?” you finished. It wasn’t where you’d been going, but it was still the truth. 

His smile said it all. It was a thousand yes’s, it was shouting from the rooftops. It was a whispered affirmation meant for one and a coliseum of hundreds of thousands screaming yes together. It brought tears of joy to your eyes. 

But that damn mischievous streak of his....

“Dare,” he replied with that sassy smirk. So you returned it full force. 

“I dare you to be with me,” you said simply, leaning back and giving him that secretive smile of yours. 

“Oh, that I can do,” he murmured, in a low soothing voice that went straight to your core. “That I can do.”

“So...yes?”

“Yes. And...?”

“Yes.”

The mafia don swelled with pride as he reverently kissed the back of your hand, almost making you giggle in your glee. You were still terrified, you still had no idea what you’d just signed up for, but to have that kind of reaction from someone wanting to be with you? It had to be the right choice. 

He smiled smugly again, clearly so proud of how the evening was turning out. He pushed the button under the table again. Within two seconds, the door opened and Makkari came back in. You realized (without the haze of terror this time) that it must be a signal to communicate with her while she was outside the room. You felt a little stupid as you came to that realization, but hey, you’d just gotten the biggest shock of what you had feared was going to be your suddenly short life earlier- you deserved a little grace.

Makkari sped up next to the table, eying you to make sure you were okay. You smiled at her, and she grinned that beautiful grin of hers, then grinned cheekily at Bucky as well. You realized that she was happy for her boss, and that made your heart feel warm. He couldn’t be ALL “mob bossy” if his employees wanted his happiness, right? 

Bucky leaned back in his chair, letting go of your hand in the process. “Would you like something to drink while we talk?” he asked you. 

“How do I sign ‘alcohol’?”

He laughed outright and showed you the sign, which made both you and Makkari giggle. She came back quickly with a newly opened bottle, poured you both glasses, then set it on the table and left. 

“So,” he said, reaching for his glass. “You said you have a million questions.” He smiled challengingly at you. “Where do you want to begin?”

Chapter 9

[valeriefauxnom]

Another Stealth Edit in Dragalia Lost!

So, as I unfortunately cannot find the vocal lines for, Leonidas was known in his Gala to have a vocalized line that said the name 'Euden' whereas before Dragalia went to hell and back to obscure any mention of his name despite the obvious fact that it is his name. Whether it was with "Your/His Highness" "Prince" "Turkey" or "Brother", they were quite creative in monikers to avoid saying Euden.

They, predictably, changed it incredibly fast to 'my brother', but the original line, was, if I recall, something like "Whatever awaits in North Grastea, I am certain Euden will find his way to the truth of things". They just substituted 'my brother' for Euden and then voila! No more 'Euden' vocalized.

But oh, I remember.

I, however, just happened to notice another stealth edit today, though, that they did similarly quietly.

Where? The Blood that Binds, you know, the story where most the fam teams up to kick the Replica(-aaaaaaaaaa!) Alberius' butt?

It's in the second part of the story, where not!Alberius nearly murders everyone before they're saved by Euden and Zethia finally arriving to provide some much-needed reinforcement as Euden goes toe-to-toe with Alberius as Zethia heals.

When the twins show up, however, Alberius comments this, per the wiki:

Indeed, I found this line captured in several videos of people recording the event as an archive.

However, others (and I do mean plural, this isn't just one person), instead recorded a different line Alberius says at this exact interval!

The line in question?

Now, when I first saw this, I thought maybe that this was the original line and that they changed it just to again keep any mention of the Forbidden out of Dragalia and appease the great Nintendo on high. The former feels a bit more awkward, even if one can still kinda see the air of 'ugh, how many more can there be?' attitude to the sheer number of descendants trying to fight him. To me, I honestly thought it would be the changed, the hurriedly slapped-in edit as ordered to keep Dragalia that much Purer.

But when I looked at the dates of these uploads, I found something curious. Those that had the first line where actually updated earlier than the ones with the later line. Unless several people all got their recordings earlier than the others but then somehow chose to wait a week-month to upload their clips, the second line is the edited version!

Which means that the Dragalia translation team slipped in a comment from Alberius' replica expressing the sentiment of, 'damn that dude had a lot of sex'. Color me surprised!

What's funnier is the implications, because this replica knows Alberius' memories. He's the most capable person 'alive' in any sense to be fully capable of commenting truthfully as to what Alberius got up to, even if it is through his own lens corrupted by the Progenitor.

However, it's also a bit of a logical fail. The replica also knows Alberius lived 300 years ago, and yet seems surprised and annoyed with how many descendants there are. Even if Alberius only had one kid, 300 years is more than enough time for the blood to multiply into the size of the family there is today. Additionally, Alberius himself seems to intend to have multiple children:

...And yet he's personally attributing the fact that there are 7 heirs in front of him to Alberius. Perhaps he thought he woke up to a world as if Alberius were Genghis Khan, bloodline incredibly far-reaching where it seems you can't throw a stick without hitting one of his descendants?

To that, I'd like to just claim the comment's because of the potentially lacking knowledge of this replica. Sure, he may know how to fight, Alberius' life, all that, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has the best grasp on how quickly natural reproduction in humans can boom a single bloodline's number. A silly little goof much as the dragons make goofs regarding human lives and their qualities, like Zodiark failing to realize that humans cannot fit in a chamberpot or that they do not eat raw meat. I still wonder what drove the translators, though, to make that change.

Whatever might have driven that comment, though, that doesn't change the fact that the replica of Alberius flat-out said that his original was, ah, busy, which was not the new lore I had intended being able to be found in Dragalia!

That just leaves the question as to whom, since Dragalia also had a severe allergy from discussing any of the queens in Alberia's history. Myriam, of course, died alone before Alberius ever created a kingdom. The only other character of note in Alberius' vague shipping world is Midgardsormr, as long-joked about in the fandom from both comics and stories, but he doesn't exactly complete the apparently-full love story either, with Alberius having at least one descendant. It's too bad, since the only other note of relevance about the subject at all is Midgardsormr expressing severe doubts of his dating prowess:

...Did Midgardsormr end up being a wingman to Alberius? If so, what did that look like?

"Hey, how are you doing?" (cue massive, revered dragon landing behind him)

"Why are you running, aren't dragons cool???!"

Listen, I've just opened up a whole can of worms unintentionally here, because somehow Dragalia decided to say of all things that Alberius had a storied love life, shall we say.

I wonder how many other little changes the devs might have made over the years, if they're willing to tweak things like this. Does anyone know anything else about little stealth changes the team tried to sneak in without anyone noticing?

[andydrysdalerogers]

Cross-Checked ~ Chapter Seven

Andy Barber x OFC Leighton "Leia" Andrews

Summary:

Andy Barber is having the best year of his life. His game is on point. It’s gets to play with his best friend and his fiancé just... dumped him?!. 

Reeling from a sudden change in status, Andy decides it’s time to just focus on hockey. Until his best friend's sister comes out with news that rock the entire organizations world., 

Andy has always carried a torch for the untouchable Leighton but in her hour of need, is now the time to shoot and score or risk getting cross - checked again? 

Warnings: Cheating (but not by the MCs); slow burn; friends to lovers eventually; SMUT!; pregnancy; jealousy; handsome goalies, evil exes...

A/N: The tag list is open!

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

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Previous: Chapter Six - A Swift Kick In The Pants - Andy

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter Seven - A Little Boston Magic - Andy/Leia

Andy 

I’m trying really hard to not say anything.  

It’s physically painful to not say anything.  

But here I am, watching the girl of my dreams getting ready for a date. With another man.  And not just another man. One of my team mates.  

Jeremy Swayman.  

If I didn’t think it would end with me getting my ass beat by Ullmark or my defensemen or my forwards, fuck, basically the whole team, I would have sabotage this date and put Swayman in a ditch.  

Why do I say that? 

Because Jeremy Swayman is the worst when it comes to women.  He has puck bunnies climbing him left and right. The problem is, most women say he was sweet, and they understood that it was just a hook-up. No one talks about how degrading he could be. The things I have heard in the locker room; its like he is an overgrown frat bro.  

And my girl is going out with him.  

Fuck my life.  

I’ve stayed in my room tonight as she got ready.  I know that I cannot keep the scowl from my face if I try. Then I would have to explain why and you couldn’t pay me enough to let that information out. I’m reading in my room when I hear a knock.  “Yeah?” 

“Andy, can you help me with my zipper please?” Leia peaks around the door in a robe. “I can’t reach it.”  

Just kill me. Strike me down.  I don’t want see her in her dress. I don’t want to know what she looks like for a first date that isn’t with me.  “Sure Princess.”  I get up slowly and have her spin.  She lowers the robe for me to see the two flaps of her black dress. I reach for the zipper and accidentally run my knuckle down her spine. I think I hear a quiet moan escape her mouth and I work on holding back my own moan. Her skin is like silk, soft and warm and oh fuck, I have to fight the urge to kiss the exposed skin.  I pull the zipper up and step back. “All done.”  

“Uh, yeah, thank you.” She closes the robe and steps back. She takes a good look at my face and I know she can see something there.  “Are you ok?” 

“I’m fine. Just tired.” I give her a weak smile. I don’t want to do this right now.  I just want her to go because it fucking hurts to see how beautiful she is and its not for me. “Some of the guys asked about grabbing a beer so i might do that but get to bed early.”  

“Oh, okay.  Well I just need to finish up and I’ll get out of your way.”  

“It’s not a problem Princess.  Be safe and have fun.” I kiss the top of her head and she leaves.  Fifteen minutes later, I heard the doorbell and Leia climbing down the steps. I headed to my window. I watched as Jeremy opened the door for Leia, made sure she was in and went to the driver’s side and got in.  

I waited a few minutes before calling a car service. I can’t stay here tonight. I just need to drown my sorrows, but I can’t call Luke. I headed to a bar across town.  Hopefully, I can drink in peace.  

Leia 

I am nervous. I hadn’t been on a date in a long time. Bret barely took me out unless it was to impress someone. His clout was that I was the sister of an NHL player.  Whatever, he’s out of my life now, regardless of child in my belly.  

My child.  

This is such a fucked up situation but Andy was right.  No point in worrying about telling anyone unless it was going to be a thing.  This is not a thing yet with Jeremy. At least, I don’t think. I just like the attention.  

As Jeremy drives us to the restaurant, my mind can’t help but think of the way Andy looked as he was zipping my dress. He’s eyes were dark, almost lustful, as he ran his knuckle across my skin.  It was rough but it felt so good. It’s confusing. I mentally give myself a shake and focus on Jeremy.  

“I made a reservation at Grill 23.” Jeremy smile falters.  “Shit, I forgot to ask if you eat meat.” He swallows and looks back at the road.  

I giggle.  “It’s ok, I do eat meat. I’ve never been to Grill 23.” I smile at him.  “So, how was practice?” 

“It was good. Had some good stretches in butterfly. My hip was bothering me so the trainers updated my stretching routine.”  

“Butterfly?” 

“Oh, when we are down on our knees and our legs as splayed out, like wings.”  

I couldn’t help but giggle again. Goalies are so flexible. “Well, I’m glad you are taking care of yourself. Need you to help get the cup.”  

“That’s my plan, sweetheart.” Jeremy took my hand and drove with one hand. Its incredible sexy. “How’s the business going?” 

“It’s good, still building my client list. Got a couple of baseball players that Andy and Luke know to come on board, Adler and Storm.  And I have a meeting with the Patriots social media as well.” I was excited for the Patriots meeting. While the Bruins were the top in the NHL, everyone knew the Patriots. Even if I would never get to work with Tom Brady.  

“I know you’re gonna do great.”  Jeremy lifted my hand and he kissed my knuckles.  Ok, swoon.  

We pulled up to the restaurant and the valet opens my door. Jeremy takes my arm and we walk in. “Reservation for Swayman,” he told the hostess.   

She gave him a big smile, which made me dim a bit. “Mr. Swayman, welcome. Please, follow me.” Was it necessary for her sway her hips like that as she walked? Jeremy changes his hold on me, now linking our hands and intertwining out fingers. “Here you go Mr. Swayman.”  

Jeremy moves to pull my chair. “Here you go sweetheart.” I smile and sit before he takes the seat next to me instead of across. The hostess looks like she’s eaten a lemon now.  She hands over the menus and walks away. “Wow,” Jeremy said. “She must be jealous because I have the most beautiful girl in Boston having dinner with me.”  

I blush at his words. “Jeremy, stop.” He laughs and we move on with our date. He’s a perfect gentleman the entire time. He didn’t question when I said I just wanted water instead of a drink or when I passed on the oysters. That’s the down side of pregnancy. No alcohol or raw seafood.  

“Would you like to go and grab a drink, a coffee?” Jeremy is walking me out the door.  “There is a lounge around the corner. Listen to some music?” He’s face is hopeful. And then he smiles and I’m gone.  

“Sure, we can do that.” His smile grows and he holds my hand a little tighter.  

The lounge is dark, save the candlelight all around and the spotlight on the band.  Its a 40s band, playing old school tunes. We snag a table a he orders both of us a water.  “If you want to have a drink, its fine.”  

“Nah, have a game tomorrow and I don’t want to get bloated.  Besides, I don’t want to drink when you’re not. Is there a reason?” 

Fuck. Ok, just have to breathe through this question. “Umm, I had a bad experience with alcohol so I just don’t anymore.” I smile. “Lesson learned when I was underage.”  

“Ah,” Jeremy says. “Well, healthy body and all that.”  

The band starts up a slow song.  Jeremy stands up and turns to me.  “Could I have this dance, sweetheart?” 

Did I create this man with magic? It takes everything in me not to swoon. He’s perfect. I take his hand and he leads me to the dance floor. We dance slowly, my body is pressed close to his, hands on my waist. When he looks at me, I’m lost in his eyes. He raises a hand and caresses my cheek. “Beautiful,” he whispers.  

His lips are soft when they are pressed against mine.  

Andy 

I’ve been sitting at Red Line for a good two hours and Mike keeps me topped off. First thing he asked when he saw my face was whether I was driving or not.  He’s a good guy.  I mentioned taking a cab, he poured the first drink.  

How did my life come to this? I mean, I think I’m a catch. Women have no problem telling me how handsome I am.  I have more money than I know what to do with. I have friends and yet I have never felt lonelier. Maybe I earned Fiona finding someone else. I had been so focused on the captaincy that I lost focus on her. But I was doing it for our future. The future. When did it change to wanting to raise Leia’s baby with her and have my family? I guess it was always there. I knew what i wanted a long time ago.  

All I want is the one person I can’t have.  

I think I am on my third or fourth bourbon when i feel someone sit next to me. I ignore whoever it is because really, I am not good company right now.  

“Andy?” 

My head looks up to see Leia’s best friend Stella seated next to me. “Hey Stel.”  

“What are you doing here?” She has genuine concern on her face.  

“Leia’s out and I didn’t want to be alone in the house. I mean, I’m alone in life, so I guess should get used to it but not tonight.” I threw the drink back and waved down Matt for another.  

“Don’t you have a game tomorrow?” As Matt put down my refill, Stella picked it up and downed it.  

“Hey, that was mine!” I looked at her. “What do you want, Stella?” 

“I’ve been watching you and I got worried. The last time i saw you like this was...” she hesitates.  

“You can say it. Fiona.  The last time i was like this was Fiona.” Mike put a glass of water in front of me.  I looked at him questioningly.  

“Drink it and I’ll give you another,” he said. I sighed, flipped him off and downed the water. It felt good going down.  I looked at Mike and he poured another, which I kept from Stella this time.  I took a sip and looked back at Stella.  

“Talk to me, Andy.”  

“I can’t watch her date. I can’t watch her find happiness without me. Especially with him. He’s not a good guy but I can’t say anything because she’ll hate me.  I can’t have her hate me.I don’t want to lose her.”  I could feel my eyes burn with tears that I would not let out.  Like hell was I going to do that.  

“Oh, Andy. Why not tell her?” 

“How does she know?” I can feel myself pale. “Stella, you can’t... Fuck, how do you even know?” 

“Are you kidding me, Barber? Half the team knows that you have been into Leia for years. You are not sublte about it. Really, I’m surprised Luke hasn’t kicked your ass by now.”  

Fuck. I hang my head. “Then why doesn’t she like me back?  What’s wrong with me?  Fiona cheated, Leia ignores me.” Mike set another glass and I sipped it. “It has to be me right?” 

“Andy, you don’t see it, do you?” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “You’re catch. And trust me, we all know it. We just know who belongs to you and we’re waiting for her to get her head out of her ass.”  

“Who?” Stella made like she was locking her mouth. “I think you’re lying Stella.  But thanks.”  

We sat for a moment when Stella said, “you like her a lot don’t you?” 

“No,” I shook my head. “I’m in love with her.” 

Leia 

We pulled up to my house and I can see the house is dark.  Andy’s probably asleep; he said he was turning in early. As Jeremy killed the engine, I turned to him. “I had a great night.”  

“Me too.  Let me walk you to the door.” Jeremy climbed out and went to open my door.  We were at the door when another car pulled up to the house.  

“Stella?” I looked as she pulled into the driveway. She had someone else in the car with her.  “What are you doing here?” 

“Jeremy, oh thank god.  Can you help me?” She went to the passenger side and opened the door and I gasped.  

“What happened?” I watched as Jeremy helped Andy to his very unsteady feet.  I moved to the door to open it. “Put him on the couch.”  I turned to Stella.  “You went out with Andy?” My tone came out harsher than I intended.  

Stella took a step back. “No. I was hanging out with some of the trainers at The Red Line and when everyone left, I noticed him at the bar. He was four in, according to Mike. I tried to sober him up but he was too far gone already.  Mike helped me get him to the car. I was going to call Luke but thankfully Jeremy is here.” 

“Oh.” Why would Andy do this? I looked at him, passed out on the couch. “Thanks for taking care of him Stel.”  

“He’s my friend too, you know. I’m just glad I was there.” She turned and smiled at Jeremy. “Thank you for your help.”  

“Anytime, Stella. Sweetheart, can you handle him?” 

I nodded.  “I’m gonna leave him here and just put a blanket over him. Let me walk you guys out.” Stella waved as she walked to her car. I turned to Jeremy, who wrapped his arms around me. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, Jeremy.”  

“I’m happy you liked it. Can we do it again, soon?” His eyes, even in the dark, looked hopeful.  

“I would love to. Good night Jeremy.” I felt myself blush and look down.  

He tilted my chin. “Good night, sweetheart.” And he kissed me gently. God, this man can kiss. He pulled away and brushed my nose with his. “Talk to you later.”  He walked to his car and I went back in, closing the house.  I turned to Andy, who let out a soft snore. I sighed. I went to him, pulled off his shoes and threw a throw blanket over him.  I kissed his forehead.  

I want to know why he got drunk tonight, especially before a game day. Its so not like him.  

My phone chimed as i made it into my room. 

Stella: Talk to him. I think you would like what he has to say 

NEXT

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