#(not in a suicidal way. just a genuinely dumbfounded way.)

[sybbi]

I wonder what I would miss out on if I did like. A 1993 challenge. No social media, no streaming, no internet period (except for work). Using my phone for calls ONLY, no texting. Idk if I'd go insane with boredom or be more productive than I've ever been.

[hyperfixationstation1]

Saw Les Mis on West End Yesterday!!!

(Ignore how few people are in the photo. It was a full house I was just really early)

Starting with this I loved!!

- Stewart Clarke as Javert was perfect. He was perfectly austere and desperate, and he had such a powerful baritone voice that left so many in the audience dumbfounded during “Stars.” His suicide was staged in kinda a goofy way (but I’ll be honest it’s… always a little goofy)

- Though I don’t love how the musical treats the Thenardiers, both Emily Olive Boyd and Luke Kempner did a great job and were very funny.

- The ensemble killed it. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

- The costumes were a lot more period accurate than I expected. Adored the wedding costumes and the period accurate hair.

- I actually really liked Djavan van de Fliert as Enjolras. He plays him very young and very enthusiastic, leaning a lot into the boyish aspect. I was surprised to find I liked it quite a bit.

- Enjoltaire could not keep their hands off each other like damn get a room

— also those two were PARENTING Gavorche

Things I didn’t mind at all!

- Harry Lake stepped in for Marius last night. I’m usually harsher to Marius than any other character. But he was boyish and I was like “yeah okay goofy man 🙄” and he did genuinely play him like a clueless boy trying his best, which was very endearing. And he and Amena El-Kindy were amazing in A Little Fall of Rain.

- Amena El-Kindy as Eponine was very good technically. And I liked it, but I prefer more depressed and resigned Eponines and it was very desperate and frantic, which isn’t wrong, just not what I prefer.

- Tom Hext as Grantaire. He did great! but again he played his part in Drink With Me as more angry than depressed, which I didn’t prefer.

Things I didn’t like (but knew I wasn’t gonna like):

- Lovely Ladies.

- No Azelma and they don’t acknowledge Eponine and Gavorche as siblings.

- Patron Minette as Thenardier’s Gang. Also why was Babet better dressed than Montparnasse? (Did like that Montparnasse was played to acknowledge or care about Eponine in a throwaway line. That was nice.)

- Love Brujon. I don’t know why he has there though.

- Could not keep track of Les Amis.

- How the musical treats Cosette as helpless when she’s perfectly capable. Lulu Mae Pears did a great job but like… I can’t stand that.

Things I didn’t like (and expected to like)

- I didn’t like Peter Jöback as Jean Valjean. I’m sorry I don’t really know how to explain it, I just didn’t.

- I was expecting a moving set. THANK YOU TO THE TECH, but there was no spinning barricade 😔.

Anyway, I overall had a lot of fun seeing it!!! And met some of the crew after and it was cool!

[silverwolf1249]

Part 1:

Batman lowkey adopting all of his children's hero teams? yes, absolutely stunning. Bruce Wayne lowkey adopting all the neglected rich kids at galas? YES PLEASE, my crops are growing, my skin is clear, the sun is shining.

Like, Tim can't be the only rich kid at galas whose parents are more focused with themselves than their children. And Bruce has a bleeding heart that could never stand a child looking sad and dejected. After he adopts Dick, he immediately starts to change his image from party animal playboy Brucie Wayne to ditzy but kind, and most importantly, full of dad energy Bruce Wayne.

It starts small, giving the children introduced to him by their parents actual eye contact and sincere smile, with a "Nice to meet you" that feels genuine. But then he also starts offering them candy, somehow always something they like (he doesn't realize how it kinda makes him look weird to offer random children candy). After a hesitant look at their parents, who tell them that they should take the candy and thank Mr. Wayne with soft smiles and honeyed tongues, while their eyes are full of warning, the implicit or else left unsaid. No one wanted to make Bruce Wayne upset after all, that was simply social suicide.

He slowly escalates, he asks them how they were doing, if anything interesting had happened to them recently, what hobbies they liked. At first, the children responded as carefully and as short as possible, just enough to be polite. But Bruce asks about them every gala, and more importantly, remembers previous conversations he'd had with each of them. That'd never happened before, their parents usually wave them off the first chance they get to indulge in something else. And so they begin to open up more.

And Bruce takes care of these children as if they were his own at these events. Guests are dumbfounded when he's seen carrying an overwhelmed judge's daughter in his arms in an attempt to comfort and ground her. He's seen soothing the son of the current mayor after he accidentally spilled food on his suit. Multiple eyewitnesses report Bruce being found underneath the tablecloths of buffet tables, playing card games or simply sitting with various children of the elite. He gives high fives when kids tell him of an achievement they've made, from being able to tie their shoes to coming in first in a competition.

Every child is informed by the other children or by Bruce himself that he will give a hug to any child who asks, no questions asked. They love his hugs, his arms were always so warm and comforting and encompassing in all the best ways, completely opposite to the other event goers, where their fake smiles sent chills up their spines, and venomous words sank their teeth into them at every accidental faux pas.

The kids love Bruce hugs, but what they love even more is when Bruce notices if any of them look uncomfortable, and steps in to give them an out. None of their parents would refuse Bruce if he asked if he could borrow their child for a bit, then asks them if they'd like to step out for a bit of fresh air. He spends plenty of nights wandering halls or outside on a balcony with a child holding his hand, sometimes more than one.

Dick Grayson becomes the unofficial older brother to the younger children, and becomes close friends with the older ones. They teach him how to act at events, how to dance and how to respond to any of the adults who drag him into conversation to see him slip. In return, he teaches them how to cartwheel and forward roll, teaching the braver ones handstands and backflips. The kids come back to their parents unkempt, sometimes covered in dirt or dust, and on one special occasion, drenched in water after someone accidentally falling into a fountain led to an all out water fight. Their parents can't say anything about it since Bruce always comes with them to apologize about his ward dragging them into his antics "children, you know?".

As this continues, Bruce also begins to have an open door policy for his children (as they are as much his as they are their own blood related parents). If they ever needed or wanted to, they could come to Wayne manor any time, the only condition being that they informed their parents of their trip. It would become a safe space for many of them, a place to have small gatherings without the oppressiveness of their parents and high society. Bruce would come home some nights with Dick tutoring some of them in math, or a group enjoying a movie session in his home theater. He of course, made sure that any and all entries to the Batcave in the manor were completely inaccessible when he wasn't home.

Dick begins arguing more and more with Bruce, and eventually leaves to live in Bludhaven. But he came back to every social event he's invited to to check up on everyone and make sure they know he's still there. This helps heal his and Bruce's tense and volatile relationship much quicker, since the more frequent contact with each other and their mutual want to not upset the children (which does include the children who grew up with Dick; Bruce still views them as children, and always will) force them to actually communicate with each other. It does also help that after years of being the unofficial father of like half the children of the elite, Bruce has gotten a lot better at communicating his emotions and thoughts, and at listening to others.

Jason comes tumbling into the picture with scratched knees and a chip on his shoulder. Dick bonds with him almost immediately despite Jason's obvious distrust and hesitation, declaring he'd always wanted an official little brother. He calls in favors with old friends to watch over Jason at events when he can't. Jason's prickly nature hiding his quick wit and heart of gold burrow themselves deep amongst the young adult members of the elite, many of whom come to view him like one would a younger sibling.

The younger ones love Jason because of his stories. One could often find a small group of children sitting in a corner or hidden alcove with Jason in the middle, reciting a familiar story with his own words or coming up with something on the fly, his abundant imagination and creativity filling in the blanks as he regales them.

Unlike Dick, Jason hates the glitz and glam of galas, much preferring to stay at the manor in front of the fireplace with a nice book in his lap. It's pretty obvious to the others, and becomes almost a game who can get a reason for Jason to leave the quickest. The most used way to get this done is accidentally spilling a drink that gets all over his clothes so he needs to go back home to change, which he never returns from.

When Jason dies, Bruce, Alfred, and Dick aren't the only ones who mourn, an entire generation of high society does as well. But they also know who's currently suffering the most, everyone heard how Bruce saw the explosion that killed his son. So just like how Bruce made them feel seen and comforted, they tried to do the same for him and Dick.

The younger ones offered hugs and stuck nearby to let them know they were there for them. The older ones made sure no nosy reporter or offending socialite could get to them to ask about Jason, fending them off with razor sharp smiles and words. Both Bruce and Dick were incredibly grateful and made sure everyone knew it.

And then there was Tim. Tim who had been welcomed into Bruce's gaggle of children at social events since he started attending them, Tim who had been amongst the children that liked listening to Jason telling stories. He sees Bruce becoming more and more violent towards criminals as Batman, fueled by his guilt and self hatred. So Tim visits Jason's grave one day, and apologizes for what he plans on doing. Then he walks up to the manor and enters Bruce's study and practically coerces the poor man into making him Robin with his 60 slide powerpoint.

When Bruce officially takes Tim in after his parents' deaths, the others give him the same treatment they gave Dick and Bruce when Jason died. He grew up amongst them, he was one of theirs, and they protected their own. Bruce and Dick also make sure at least one of them is by Tim's side at all times, a hand resting on his shoulder or grabbing his hand let him know that they're there.

Part 2 up soon:

[peanutbutterex]

Things i of course i think about when i should already be asleep:

During s2e2 when Ed was attempting suicide, where were Jim’s knives?? They EASILY could have killed and/or incapacitated Ed, keeping the rest of the crew relatively safe. I think this goes to show just how much Jim, like the rest of the crew, care about Ed, where they don’t really want to hurt or kill him, they just want him to stop and get better. They all were dumbfounded by Ed sailing into the storm to try and get them killed, but they all could not bring themselves to hurt him until the last moment.

That is why Izzy had to be the one to shoot Ed in the hand. Jim easily could have done something similar with one of their knives, we have seen their accuracy and how they knived a british officer’s hand in the pilot. But they also genuinely care enough about Ed to not want to hurt him. They, and the rest of the crew, seemed like they had resigned themselves to die given Ed’s actions until Izzy shot him. Now as has been established by others much smarter than me, Izzy thinks he cares about Ed but it is not the same genuine care the crew has, especially when it comes to his safety. He did threaten to kill Ed in s1e10 after all. So Izzy, unlike the crew, feels no pain at hurting Ed, shoots Ed in the hand, which gives the crew the signal to fight back for their lives. But it is interesting that when Jim deals the final blow, it is not with their knives, as would be expected of them, but using a cannonball to bludgeon Ed. I of course like to think that this is a nod to their partner, Olu, threatening to bludgeon a British soldier if you look closely in the pilot. However, it is also interesting to think that bludgeoning in this fashion has a better survival rate than say being stabbed in the heart with a knife. And I think this slightly less deadly method of killing along with the fact that it is a method their partner they have been separated from used shows another kind of care for Ed: they don’t really want him to die, and are doing it out of love.

That or this is another way to get back at Ed for separating them and Olu. Idk

Still amazing how much subtleties they put in this show to get points and characterization across.

[hel-phoenyx]

(TW suicide mention and suicidal ideation, also internalized homophobia and dark af intrusive thoughts)

"What do you mean, Leonard attempted suicide ????"

The most surprising part for Willy wasn't the fact her brother did try. He didn't seem well these days, after all, and refused any kind of help. The most surprising part was that the one who told her was Emerens.

He knew very well his cousin would be dumbfounded. Him and Leonard had the coldest relationship in all their generation. They were too different, polar opposites in every way. Emerens often expressed how much he didn't care about his eldest cousin. His face, however, was pale when he told her the news.

"Yes. Doctors say he's not in danger anymore, but he refuses to see anyone. Except me."

"Wh-what ?!"

"I'm as surprised as you are, Willhelmien, sighed Emerens. That's how I came to know, by the way. I'm going to the hospital in the afternoon. I'll give you some news, if you want to."

"And you want to go."

That probably was the most surprising part for Willy.

Emerens nodded.

"You know me enough to remember I take suicide very seriously. Whoever it is that attempted."

Those were the words running in his head when he opened the door to his cousin's room.

Leonard was sitting in his bed. Far, far away from the stiff jurist Emerens was used to know, his hair was disheveled, hanging around a pale, adorned with dark circles face. His glasses couldn't even hide the emptiness in his eyes, not fading even when he heard the door open.

He didn't even say hello to Emerens.

The visitor sighed.

"Hi, Leonard. I heard you wanted to see me."

A pale smile dug into emaciated cheeks.

"I didn't think you would come."

Emerens said nothing. He just sat down on the bed, trying his hardest not to look at the perfusions, the scars he could see on his cousin's arms. They were old, not the method he used to end up in that bed, but still there, unnoticeable before but overwhelming now. He could only look at how much Leonard had grew thinner these days.

Adelheid died three years ago. Since then, Emerens had distributed the immense van Heel wealth to everyone he cared about, including, surprisingly, his eldest cousin. In an act of fairness, he said. He even left him the mansion, prompted by Leonard's demand, and he thought possessing something proving he would live on the family legacy would made him feel a little better.

He was no stranger to the man's inner turmoil. He just didn't expect it to take such proportion.

"I guess asking you how you are feeling is out of the question, said Emerens, a little wicked smile on his lips. You look like shit, Leo."

A little pause.

"Well. Not dead, at least. That's good."

And he meant it.

Leonard shrugged.

"Apparently medication is not that efficient. I will ask the psychiatrist to up my antidepressants dose like I meant to since Adelheid's death, maybe at the very least it would lead to a success..."

"I'd rather not, Leonard."

That sentence was sharp as a blade. Joking about suicide this way was absolutely out of the question, no matter how much he hated his cousin. because of the memories, because of the thoughts that still ran into his head, further and further away since Hope's adoption and Alexander's birth but still there.

And because he didn't want to go to another family funeral yet.

He already skipped his grandparents'.

Leonard's smile faded.

"Surprising to see you care so much. Genuinely. I didn't think I was worthy in your head."

"The fact you were a piece of shit bootlicker that made a point to tell me how I was weak to surrender to my "darkest desires", and by that i mean me being queer as hell, doesn't mean I want to see you kill yourself. Everyone is worthy to hope."

He didn't name his daughter that way for no reason, after all.

A little laugh went past his cousin's lips. Painful.

"Weak... I insulted you so much, and look at me now. I'm the weak one. I couldn't even suppress everything that told me I failed at my life. I failed at finding a wife, producing a heir, even in inheriting the family legacy. I failed at making my family proud, or even in having my siblings love me. Everything I got was nothing but handouts, from Adelheid, my father, and even you, the one I held so much in contempt. Pretty pathetic isn't it ?"

"Well, life is handouts, Leonard. My whole existence, celebrity, wealth, happiness is a handout. I am no self-made man. Nobody is."

"You take it so much better than I do, though."

"Maybe it's because I attempted earlier."

This was said under a joking tone, but Emerens's face was dead serious. Since his children's arrival in his life, he really worked on facing his whole trauma. As of right know, only five people knew what exactly was the Saint-Cyr Tragedy : Himself, the mother of his second child, his two best friends, and, as of right now, Leonard.

Leonard's eyes widened. Just a second.

"... I remember. It was something Adelheid tried so hard to erase from our counsciousness. But still... Getting the news... About Willy, too... Not my fondest memory."

"Fair. Wasn't mine either."

He chuckled.

"I now more than ever see that I was wrong to think you're weak. Joking about that requires quite the strenght of will."

Silence followed that little banter. Long, heavy silence, words only carried by green eyes locking into green eyes. The dark circles on both their faces were so similar, noticed Emerens. And he could recognize that haunted expression anywhere.

Maybe that's what prompted him to visit his cousin.

It lasted for so long. Minutes, maybe, stretching thin in words none of them could say. Before Leonard sighed, eyes lowering, going on his arms covering in scars, and those, now tattooed, of Emerens.

"... How can you stand it ?"

"What ?"

"Everything. The feeling of being a disappointment. Those thoughts everyday that murmur in your ear that you will never be worthy. That taking that knife on the counter to cut your own head would be beneficial to everyone. That you are not what this world needs, to your very core."

Emerens kept silent. Somehow, he knew Leonard needed this. Even if he didn't think himself to be the one fit to receive all those thoughts, at least he was getting them out, one way or another. And he understood that all too well.

"I tried so hard," said Leonard, voice heavy with tears. "To be the son he wanted. To be the heir SHE wanted. I suppressed everything they didn't like, my desires, my.... inclinations, everything, to mold myself into perfection. And it still wasn't enough."

A single tear rolled on his face.

"She deemed the legacy a failure to the point she gave everything to the one who hated her the most. And he discarded me immediatly afterwards. My life was assured, but I ? I just lost everything I fought for."

Emerens wasn't even sure he was still aware of his presence.

"What's the point ? At least you realised that sooner and could enjoy your fucking life. I'm almost fourty, goddamnit. Even if I wanted to, even if I wanted to embrace that role as well as you do, it's too late for me. My best years are behind me, and I ruined them myself. What's fucking left of me, Emerens ?!"

There was only supplication on his face.

Just enough to create an ache in his cousin's chest.

Just enough to feel Leonard and him weren't that different, after all.

He smiled. Still coldly, but there was only compassion behind the fortress of ice he built all those years.

"That's a lot of questions. For which I will start to say I'm not holding out as well as you think."

Leonard blinked, but Emerens wasn't finished.

"What I lived at thirteen fucked me up to the core. While you were repressing yourself, I was destroying myself. It took years to rebuild something good enough to even consider having children, or just talking with you about what I... what we both suffered from. The only difference between me and you is that I reached the breaking point sooner."

"You still look more free than I ever was."

"Well, considering you tried to overdose on prescription, at the very least you got help before you attempted suicide. Also, as for the gay part, since I saw you on Grindr, I'd say you weren't completely repressing yourself, eh?"

"Oh, ew, don't remind me about that time we matched, I still cringe even remembering that."

Emerens laughed a little bit. Funny memory it was than the day he matched with Leonard while they were both under false identities. Him because of his celebrity, and Leonard because if his father saw him on a gay dating site, he would lose his shit. Or maybe because, now that he thought about it, to indulge in his sexuality Leonard created a persona that could live what Leonard van Heel was never allowed to.

He knew the feeling all too well.

"Seriously, Leo, it's never too late to start rebuilding your own identity. Talk with your therapist about that. And if you want advice to navigate through very much homosexual hookups, well, I am an expert in the matter."

Leonard sighed again.

"Oh, how I don't want to remember your little shenanigans. They created so much conflicted feelings in me."

"Jealous of my fabulous sex life, dear cousin?"

"You're laughing, but a little. Not exaclty what, or who you were getting into," he said with a frown when Emerens burst out laughing. "More about the absolute collectedness you told it with. I wasn't even allowing myself to think about a man.... that way, so hearing you narrating your hookups as they were just another adventure? Quite the experience."

"Thank you, thank you. I am after all not a renowned writer for nothing, am I?"

Emerens' smile was getting a lot warmer by the minute. Something Leonard was no stranger to. Him, too, was smiling more and more, forgetting just for a moment the ache in his heart he tried so hard to dull out with medication. Just listening to his cousin talking seemed to do the trick, after all.

He never thought he would get such a confession from a man that hated him with the fierceness of ice, and yet Emerens was still talking, more and more warmly.

"To tell you the truth, Leonard, when I still was at the hospital for my cancer, I listened to many stories. Stories about people like me, but people like you, too. Trans people who started transitionning at fifty. Gay people who buried themselves behind layers and layers of hate and lies. People who always were happy, on their death bed, to at least have tried."

"... You think I can still try?"

"You're still alive, eh? Then you can. End of story. Or better, the beginning."

Leonard smiled a little more widely.

"You know what ? Thank you. For coming even after everything I did to you. And telling me that. And... You know. Surviving."

"Hardly think my life is anything to thank me for."

"I would have said that years ago. Because I was jealous. because you were living the life I wanted. But I think now it's more something like hope. Never too late to be free, right ?"

Emerens winked.

"You're getting the hang of it."

[queen-of-bel]

It's okay if you don't remember but remember when Shizuo and Izaya had their final battle and Izaya actually tried to kill Shizuo? What do you think would've happened if Izaya somehow actually succeeded or Shizuo was the one who killed Izaya instead?

Oh I fucking love this question.

I think if Shizuo had actually killed Izaya, not much would change. Izaya is already pretty much dead to Ikebukuro after their fight. Shizuo's life motto has always been "punch it until it goes away". Now, what "goes away" actually means doensn't matter to him. Did they die? Avoid him out of fear? Paralyzed from the waist down? Doesn't matter, don't care. The annoyance is gone now and that's all that's important.

Izaya on the other hand...

There are few things that Izaya has a genuine emotional investment in, but god damn is he invested hard. The first is his friendship with Shinra, the second is his fear of death and his mission to learn if an afterlife exists or not, and finally, his pure hatred of Shizuo.

By the time we reach vol 13, those first two things have absolutely gone to shit. Shinra has completely abandoned him and he's grappling with this idea that Shinra, who Izaya had considered to be his best friend for over a decade, isn't really his best friend after all. To say nothing of the reality that Shinra cannot be considered a friend in any capacity; that's a thought Izaya can't begin to entertain yet.

He also really fucked up by forgetting to ask Celty if an afterlife exists. All of his suicide meetups, trying to awaken Celty's head-- every hoop he's gone through just to ease his anxieties about death were for nothing. He had the opportunity to ask and was so dumbfounded at her appearance that he said nothing. Way to go, idiot.

So given that he's failed miserably twice in a row, the stakes are extremely high going into this fight with Shizuo. I think this is why Izaya views it as a fight to the death. He's become increasingly more erratic and unhinged as the story goes on, suffering blow after blow from reality that keeps forcing him to see that he is not the man he's built himself up to be. He wants to be so badly the mastermind and the one in charge, and the universe just smacks him and tells him to sit down and shut up instead. By the time we hit vol 13, we're seeing the accumulation of all of Izaya's self-destructive tendencies, as well as the horrible influences that others had on him his entire life. It's an extremely volatile storm that has more than just Shizuo's life on the line. It's also about maintaing his pride, ego, and just holding onto any semblance of the self he has carefully curated and presented to the world for the past 20+ years.

And that's why I think if he did succeed in killing Shizuo, that may be the tipping point for him to go from "morally gray asshole" to "genuinely evil". The man is so desperate from all of his failures that if he gets a taste of success, especially considering how long and deep his hatred for Shizuo runs, that's going to be a high he'll keep chasing no matter the cost.

[sips-tea-cutely]

Adore

“Hello, how are you, my darling, today? I fall into a pile on the floor, puppy love is harder to ignore when every little thing you do, I do adore.”

atsushi nakajima, chūya nakahara, osamu dazai, akiko yosano, platonic!kyoka izumi, jun’ichiro tanizaki

summary: the little things you do to them that make them adore you.

#Atsushi Nakajima

he adores the way you look. atsushi always loves to admire everything you do. he loves watching you stuff a huge piece of katsudon into your mouth during lunch, he loves seeing you help kenji and kyoka attend to the cow on the rooftop of the agency, he even loves the way you panic when dazai tries to commit suicide once again, the genuine concern for your colleague, something he never had as a child. if you’d let him, he’d stare into your eyes forever.

he adores the way you take care of him. he loves returning back to the office after a difficult mission to return to your praises about how great he did. you don’t even need to do much; you could make him a bowl of miso soup and he’d cherish you for life. he’s so thankful to you, he tried asking yosano for help to make something nice for you but they ended up alerting the smoke alarm. it might’ve failed but it’s the thought that counts, right? after all, he’ll love you as long as you’ll let him.

#Chuuya Nakahara

he adores the way you never judge him, the way you never make fun of him for liking childish things, for showing off his new hat that probably cost a fortune. when he’s with you, he feels vulnerable. he feels that he doesn’t have to constantly keep his guard up; he isn’t arahabaki’s vessel, he isn’t a port mafia executive. when he’s with you, he’s just chuuya nakahara, sharing a drink with his closest friend.

he adores the way you’re always looking out for him. you always bring him back to his apartment whenever he’s drunk, ordering takeout when he’s drowning in his work and stopping him before he does something stupid; he never exactly had a childhood to say the least, the feeling of someone actually being kind to him is very foreign. he probably confessed his feelings about you while you were bringing you to his bed and even drunk chuuya knew that you’d probably reject him in this state. he leaves his heart in your hands because if it was for you, he’d burn the world.

#Osamu Dazai

he adores the way you treat him; the constant compliments you shower him with, the way you validate every single one of his emotions, he adores it all. dazai will never be the type to have heart to heart conversations but whenever he talks to you, he has never felt so vulnerable. with you, he didn’t need to crack a joke or put his walls up, all you asked from him is to speak his feelings; and like a dam gone loose, he just spills his guts to you. it doesn’t feel natural but with you, he felt safe.

he adores the way you make him feel. he loves to bathe in the kindness you show him. it isn’t like when he always had to walk on eggshells whenever mori was around. he loves this feeling of comfort, he’s obsessed with the concern you give to him, he’d put everything he has on the line to keep you safe. you’re the light of his life, he’d go through hell and back just to return to you, all he asks is that you let him fall asleep in your warmth.

#Akiko Yosano

she adores the way you try to lighten her workload; you’re just adorable. it wasn’t until you were completely battered and broken that atsushi brought you to her for treatment. yosano is always ready to give her co-workers her treatment, she even enjoys it and it’s a well-known fact around the agency. so when you constantly rejected her attempts to heal you, she was dumbfounded until you tell her that you didn’t want to bother her, she couldn’t help but smile and start to fall in love

she adores the way you accompany her everywhere. she loves the way you volunteer to accompany her on her weekly shopping spree, never afraid of her unlike everyone else. and even sometimes finding her cute trinkets like a butterfly necklace, she can’t help but see the soldier she healed in you. and this time, she won’t be too correct.

#Kyoka Izumi

she adores the way you check up on her constantly. the way that you bring her to the sofa at 12:20 sharp to make sure she eats every day, the silly way you know that atsushi can’t cook anything besides chazuke and pack her a bento pack with the vegetables and rice shaped like a little bunny.

she adores the way you aren’t scared of by demon snow or by the fact that she used to be an assassin for the port mafia. you never hesitate to run up to her and hang out, making origami rabbits and cranes. she never knew such a simple hobby could make her admire you so much, but all she could do was stare at you with awe at how funny and kind you are.

#Jun’ichiro Tanizaki

he adores the way you take care of him. when he is swamped with reports upon reports to reply to and complete, he loves the way you go to his desk and bring him his usual order from his favorite chinese restaurant. junichiro was always usually the one who spoiled the other but, being spoiled was just other-wordly. the feeling of someone caring for you that much, could you really blame him for falling in love?

he adores the way you surprise him with a smile. without a doubt, it never fails to make his day. he absolutely loves the acceptance and comfort you provide him. he often gets anxious when given high-risk tasks by the agency, but your existence always pushes him to do his best. no matter how overwhelming the worries are, it fully dissipates right after seeing your face. tanizaki believes that your loving tenderness and warm embrace is his perfect respite after a hard day’s work.

[young-dumb-and-vaccinated]

The Sommelier (Hannigram x Female!Reader) pt. 26

Hannibal, Will and y/n host a dinner to put an end to everything

@dovahdokren @deadman-inc-bikeshop @lov3vivian @wisesandwichshark @scpdragon

Trigger warnings: PTSD, violence

"Hannibal, baby," You called down from the wine cellar. "Which one pairs best with the paella?"

"A Spanish white!" Will interjected.

You rolled your eyes, then looked at his shelf full of Spanish whites. "Thanks, Hannibal."

"You're the sommelier, [F/N]." Will shouted back. "Go with your gut!"

"Verdejo it is." You said to yourself, grabbing the high-shouldered bottle from the shelf.

You returned from the cellar and headed to the dining room, where Will was dutifully setting the table.

"Well aren't you the perfect little homemaker?" You commented, making sure he caught you eyeing his backside.

Will playfully snatched the wine from your hands. "We can't all be the breadwinners, can we, Ms. Restaurant Owner?"

You laughed, looking around at your triple-income house and accepting a kiss from your Will. You put your hands on his shoulders and broke the kiss.

"You know Hannibal isn't going to let you attend one of his famous dinner parties in a flannel, right?" You warned him, lips hovering a few inches from his face.

"Two guests is not a dinner party." Will corrected you. "I figured you'd know this after six months but, baby, Hannibal is always overdressed for everything."

"Better overdressed than the other way around, my treasure." Hannibal said, standing in the threshold. "Why don't you go slip in to that suit I bought you?"

Will threw his hands up. "Do you two just live to gang up on me? You know I can buy my own clothes, right?"

You scoffed. "Babe, you spent your last paycheck almost entirely at Bass Pro Shops-"

"And then we spent the day workshopping new seafood dishes for the restaurant with the fish I caught." Will shrugged. "You don’t get to benefit from it then complain."

You put up your hands in surrender. "Fair enough."

"So I don't make an ordeal out of this in front of guests," Hannibal said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out two small drawstring bags and gave one to each of you. "Happy six months, my darlings."

"Six month anniversary presents?" Will laughed. "What are we, high school students?"

"Do you not want it?" Hannibal raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say that." He mumbled.

You opened the bag and slid the contents into your hand. A beautiful solid white ring with ornate carvings tumbled out.

"It's beautiful." You smiled, sliding it on to your finger. "What is it?"

"A ring, my indulgence." Hannibal chuckled.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "Sure, but what is it made of?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Ivory."

"Should I be concerned that you somehow know both of our ring sizes?" Will asked, admiring how his fit perfectly on his finger. 

“I think you mean ‘thank you, Hannibal’.” You corrected him. “Even if it is a little uncanny.”

The doorbell rang. Hannibal threw a dish towel over his shoulder and pointed to Will.

"Go change." He ordered. "I will not have my guests seeing you in such an unsightly state."

"It's Jack and [F/N]'s friend." Will protested.

"Sure, I'll get the door." You said. "Gee, thanks [F/N], that would be so helpful!"

You opened the door with a smile.

"Agent Crawford!" You greeted, shaking his hand.

"Oh, please." He laughed. "Call me Jack."

"And this must be Bella." You said, offering his wife your hand. "Jack has told me all about you."

"So you're the infamous [F/N] [L/N]?" Bella accepted with a smile. "It's so nice to meet you."

Jack removed his hat and coat, then handed you a bag. "For you."

"You shouldn't have." You said, knowing immediately that it was wine. Then you pulled it out of the bag. Your eyes went wide and your jaw hung open.

"Holy shit you really shouldn't have." You repeated.

Jack shrugged and smiled smugly. "I pulled some strings in evidence. Figured you might want it."

You threw your arms around his neck, keeping a tight grip on the 1907 Heidsieck Monopole.

"Hey, do I get a hug?" Said another voice.

Charissa waved to you from the porch.

"Holy shit, hey!" You opened your arms. Charissa jumped into your embrace and squeezed you. She'd always hugged you tighter after seeing you half-alive in a hospital bed with your seldom-seen lovers at your bedside.

"Jack, this is my friend Charissa Rodriquez." You introduced. "She was the one who sent you the address."

"So you're 'tip', huh?" Jack's face lit up. "The FBI owes you a debt of gratitude, Ms. Rodriquez."

"Tip?" You said, looking at both Jack and Charissa.

"The address we received came from an obvious burner email." Jack explained. "We thought it was from Chase, so we arrived with a ton of backup anticipating an attack. Turns out we needed it."

Charissa shrugged. "I thought you could never be too careful."

"Well, intentional or not," Jack said. "You helped us a lot."

"You're Charissa Rodriquez?" Will said from the staircase. He wore a grey suit with a dark blue dress shirt that fit him scarily well considering he hadn't even tried it on.

"Enchanté, monsieur." Charissa said, eyeing him up with a hungry smile. "You must be Will."

"Down, girl." You crossed your arms. Your tone was playful, but had a slight threatening bite. "He's all mine."

"Not all yours." Hannibal corrected, entering the scene to finally greet his guests. "Agent Crawford, Bella, Ms. Rodriquez, welcome."

"Wow." Charissa said, dumbfounded. "I feel like I'm meeting a celebrity."

"Oh, surely the rumors unraveled after the old place went out of business." Hannibal answered. "There are far more interesting things to talk about than myself."

"Very few, but they do exist." Jack commented.

Charissa folded her arms. "Like the bartender who stood up to a psychotic cult leader and found two wonderful boyfriends to take care of her?"

"I've heard that one!" You added. "I hear she bought the restaurant for next to nothing after it became a stigmatized property."

Carissa narrowed her eyes at you. "I still cannot believe you told him."

You shrugged. "I think it all worked out."

Hannibal gathered everyone around the table and tasked you with pouring the wine.

"Surely you know why I've invited you here tonight." He asked, taking a seat at the head. "The high courts have ruled Chase's death a suicide."

"Cheers to that." Will said, raising his glass.

"Nobody actually believes it was a suicide." Jack clarified, trying not to look at you too obviously. "But the jury didn't want to dignify him with a proper homicide ruling."

Charissa glared at you, not trying to not be obvious. "Only one person at the table knows for sure."

You shook your head. "I hit my head really hard, the details are just not there."

"But [F/N]'s DNA was on the gun." Bella added.

"But not her fingerprints." Jack said. "It was saliva. We think he tried to choke her with his fingers before reaching for the gun."

"Did you ever find that finger?" Charissa said like it was nothing.

Jack, who was more interested in the paella than the conversation, shook his head. "Never."

Your eyes widened. You left the finger with the gun, you were sure of it.

"Must we discuss the gory details over dinner?" Will said, sensing your discomfort.

Charissa rested her chin in her hands. "Would you rather talk about your three-person couple?"

"I distinctly remember spitting the finger out." You insisted.

"We found so many pieces of bone in that room," Jack continued. "It's genuinely of far less concern than the dynamite lining the walls and bunker full of cocaine, stolen medical supplies and baby coffins."

"And the stained glass window made of human skin." You added.

"You know a case is fucked when a lost finger is of the least concern." Charissa commented.

"The important thing is that it's over." Will said. "He's dead and [F/N] is alive."

Bella smiled at you. "God really is looking out for you, [F/N]."

You forced a smile, telling yourself that Bella had the best intentions. But her good intentions revived Chase's voice in your head, which was a voice you'd spent the last six months trying to forget. You tightened your grip on your utensils to relieve some tension, but it didn’t work.

The table went quiet, waiting for Bella to realize her mistake. Will put his hand over yours and looked into your eyes. He mouthed the word 'breathe' and some similar affirmations.

Hannibal raised his head, knowing the light casting shadows on his face intimidated people. "Ms. Bella, we generally don't talk religion here."

She covered her mouth with her fingertips. "I'm so sorry, [F/N], I just meant-"

You put your hand up. "Please, just don't."

"The important thing is that [F/N] recovered forty missing women and reunited them with their families." Will said. "And there was no divine presence involved in that."

You smiled softly. "I'll drink to that."

"And you'll also be happy to know that the woman who assisted him in luring all those girls into the cult," Jack added. "She's looking at twenty-five to life without parole."

"What about the babies?" Bella piped up. "Weren't there, like, at least twelve newborns?"

"That's where the department of family and child services took over." Jack answered. "Whether the biological mothers kept them or put them up for adoption is out of our hands, but I do know each child was thoroughly examined and are all up to date on their shots."

"Seriously, though." Charissa interjected. "How do you misplace an entire finger?"

"It's one of the easier appendages to misplace." Hannibal answered, speaking with experience. "I heard it wasn't just the one that you couldn't find."

Jack looked up from his plate, confused. "Now how did you know about that?"

"The man took a 12 gauge bullet directly to the hand, Jack." Hannibal said with a small chuckle. "It's more likely you find no fingers than any at all."

"The bones will turn up somewhere." Jack said, resignedly. 

He just happened to say the word “bones” as you were glancing at your ring. 

You smiled a little too wide. “They just might.”  

[fandomwriterstuff]

His Guardian Angel

Rick Flag x Reader

Rated T

1.4k words

He wasn’t your first assignment. He wasn’t even your first soldier assignment. You thought he would be like just another lifer: getting into mild amounts of trouble and putting his life at risk unnecessarily, but that’s what you were for. His guardian angel.

The problem with this one was he was literally a part of team he had dubbed the “suicide squad.” You rolled your eyes. Protecting Rick Flag was becoming more and more difficult from behind the scenes. You might have to show yourself to him, and soon. You’d about had it when he fell in love with a woman who was possessed by an ancient witch. You stepped in and saved his ass then. He’d gone on countless missions with his task force and you were always there.

The biggest problem was you weren’t supposed to fall in love with lifers. You protected them from birth, and then when they finally died you were reassigned. But Rick was… something else. He was caring and stupid and reckless and genuine. You cared about him… a lot.

You were going to show yourself to him. It was allowed, of course, in dire situations. Like if your lifer was constantly throwing himself into danger because he felt he had nothing to live for.

He was in the infirmary with the colorful blonde at his side. You’d be jealous if you didn’t know they would never feel that way about each other. You made yourself visible to the two of them, shocking them both into staring at you.

“Make the doctor go away,” you spoke and it took the two of them a moment to notice the doctor couldn’t see you.

“Hey Doc, could you give us a moment?” Rick asked, and the man nodded before leaving you with the two lifers.

“You just popped up out of thin air,” the woman commented and you nodded.

“I did.”

“Who are you?” She asked suspiciously. You rolled your eyes.

“I’m his-” you pointed accusingly at Rick. “Guardian angel.” He sputtered and the woman- Harley, if your memory proved correct- laughed.

“Ricky, you got yourself a guardian angel,” she cackled, but you could only glare at the love of your life.

“And why the hell would I believe you?” Rick raised his eyebrows at you and you rolled your eyes at him before unglamouring your sharp, sleek white wings.

“Does that help?” You asked sarcastically and he nodded, dumbfounded. “You’re starting to piss me the fuck off, Richard,” you spat and he looked so affronted it was hilarious. Harley thought the same because she was holding back laughter.

“Can angels swear?” He asked, and you glared harder.

“For someone with a soul as pure and wholesome as yours, you seem to like throwing yourself in harm's way,” you growled and stalked up to where he laid in the infirmary.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he mumbled, and you gripped his chin in your fingers.

“Listen here and listen close, Rick Flag,” you were soft spoken, and his eyes were wide, but you knew he was listening. “Not everybody gets assigned a guardian angel, only those who remain pure of heart. But that usually means an easy job. A straight A student, a repentant religious person, a soldier, an orphan. But I’m stuck with you. And you’re so fucking pure. It’s annoying. Really. Like how do you not fall in love with a soul like that? Honestly, but the fact that you continue to throw your life into situations of moral grey ground where you could easily be killed? God that really fucking annoys me,” you narrowed your eyes. “If you keep this up you’ll be seeing a lot more of me, buddy, because your life will be way easier to save from close up.”

And with that, you poofed out of there, leaving Rick and Harley dumbfounded in your wake.

“Um, what just happened?” He asked, sort of to the room, but Harley responded.

“I think the team just gained a new member.”

You started showing up on missions here and there, even if Rick wasn’t in immediate danger. You only showed yourself to him and Harley, and you never used your angelic powers. You were trying to get a grip on the team, the mission, and how the hell you would save Rick’s life when it came down to it. And you knew it would come down to it. He was walking a dangerous line between reckless and suicidal.

You’d just show up, say something witty, dodge some bullets, and poof out of there.

It annoyed the fuck out of Rick. He needed to know where everyone on his team was at all times, and if you were going to be a part of his team, then god damnit he wanted to know where you were, too. After that visit in the infirmary he got curious about you. Your display of dominance while he was weak and bedridden was… To put it lightly, a huge turn on. Rick was intrigued by you and he wanted to see more of you totally aside from the team thing. But the thing was, the only way he knew how to summon you was by throwing himself into danger. So, that’s what he did.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” You panted, pulling Rick out of the way of the bullets he was about to take.

“I wanted to see you again,” and when he showed you that bright, toothy grin, you couldn’t be mad at him.

“Oh,” you spoke, for once at a loss for words. “Well, you could have called.”

“I don’t even know your name,” he responded and you gave it to him.

“That doesn’t sound like an angel name,” he responded with a raised eyebrow and you scoffed.

“I’m sorry is my true name better?” And you told him your angelic name: a series of high pitched screeching noises with a deep growling undercurrent. Nothing his human larynx could reproduce.

“Um nope, Y/N is great,” he chuckled. “But I did want to talk to you,” he finally said, and you cocked your head at him.

“What about?”

“About what you said when we first spoke. In the infirmary. About how you couldn’t help but fall in love with a soul as pure as mine,” he backed you up into a concrete wall, body only a hair’s breadth away.

“What about it?” You asked breathlessly, the near-contact scattering your brain.

“Did you mean that metaphorically? Or did you mean to tell me that you’re in love with me?” He grinned down at you, and you couldn’t help but be glad that the form you’d chosen was smaller than him because damn being towered over was exhilarating.

But you decided he needed to remember who was the all-powerful being here. You gripped him by the hips and spun around so it was him against the wall. You stepped even closer, chests pressing together and breath mingling.

“I felt that I was pretty clear about my feelings, Colonel,” you murmured, lips against his throat. “I am in love with you,” you listened as his heart stuttered and his breath hitched. “But don’t think that I won’t still do my job. You can call me anytime, sweetheart, you don’t have to go throwing yourself into danger just to see me,” you brushed your lips against the shell of his ear (standing on your toes was getting annoying though). And you couldn’t tell what was more arousing: the physical reactions Rick was having, or the fact that he was letting you take charge and dominate the situation.

“Then you should kiss me,” he whispered back, eyes dark and hungry. His hands drew up, caressing your arms, and landing on your face to cup your cheeks. You kept one hand on his trim waist and raised the other to grasp at the back of his neck before pulling him down to crash your lips against his. Your first kiss wasn’t gentle, but it was sultry and heavenly and everything you’d ever wanted from him. You brushed your tongue across the seam of his lips and he opened to you, allowing you to plunder his mouth. The hand on his waist pulled up to drag your nails across his abs, and he moaned into your mouth. You were so enthralled with him and his all-encompassing passion that you forgot to keep yourself glamoured.

“Who the fuck is that?” Boomer asked Harley, who only cackled in response.

[samanthadalton]

Star Crossed Lovers (part 14)

Do my eyes deceive me???? part 14???? we did it. im so sorry its taken forever, i will try my best to be more consistent with my writing. love yall for being patient with me it means the most. thank you, thank you. 

warnings: throughout this fic there will be mentions of substance abuse, homophobia, sexual abuse, violence, NSFW, mentions of abandonment, depression and death including suicide

reader discretion is advised

warnings: angst, swearing (lots of it) 

taglist: @drmmyrs @cloud9in @somewillwin @save-me-the-last-dance @baexpoppy @stanzoeywade @ognenniyvolk @thepotatobleh @crazzyplays @fall3ngods @helpconfusedpersonhere @clowneryme @dopeyouth @boys-girls-i-cant-help-it-baby @vonda-b-real @uselesslesbianfr @veenast @cloakanddaggerthings @somethindarker (sorry again if ive missed anyone, if you wanna be added on this taglist or my general one just let me know 😊) 

word count: 4k (i feel like its short considering how long it took me to write but i still hope you guys enjoy) (also i didnt check for grammatical errors properly so sorry if you find any) 

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13

The first steps to moving on 

“Bea please,” Poppy whispers, a repentant look creeping up to her face as she looks away from her girlfriend. “It can’t wait.” 

Bea sighs, her shoulders slumping as the last remains of her anger disseminates from her body. “Okay fine, lead the way babe.” 

Poppy stiffens that the pet name but she doesn’t let her awkwardness slip as she leads Bea to a secluded classroom, far away from prying eyes. Both her and Bea turn to look at each other, and both simultaneously open their mouths to talk. 

“I know you wanted to tell-” 

“We need to talk-” 

Both clamp their lips shut, a mutual smile playing on their lips as they look at one another. 

“You go first,” Poppy gestures towards Bea, as she moves to sit on the edge of a desk. 

Bea inhales softly, her tongue darts out licking her lips as she looks down at the ground, her face calculating. “Why does Chloe hate me?” She looks up to Poppy, her eyes boring into the strawberry blonde’s, sadness swimming inside of them, “I just don’t get what I’ve done for her to hate me.” 

Poppy sighs heavily, her eyes awkwardly darting away from Bea’s. “It’s complicated Bea.” 

“Complicated?” Bea lets out a humourless laugh, “I almost just went off on Chloe after she gave her condolences for my mom dying because I just felt she wasn’t genuine and you wanna tell me it's complicated?” 

Poppy sharply inhales, contemplating for a few moments before saying, “it’s because of your mom.” 

Bea scrunches her brows up in confusion, “my mom? What the hell does she have to do with this?” 

Poppy ineptly plays with her hands, not being able to look Bea in her eyes, “at first it was just a classist thing. When you first came to Belvoire, she just wanted to make herself feel superior over you, but in the last year you’ve noticed her getting more mean right?” 

“Right.” Bea stares at Poppy, her expression emotionless. 

“Chloe’s parents have been fighting non stop recently, and it’s been affecting her a lot.” 

Bea’s brows furrow in confusion, “what does that have to do with me or my mom?” 

“Just let me explain first before you react, please.” Bea’s eyes bore into Poppy’s for a few seconds before she nods understandingly. “Her dad cheated on her mom. A lot of times actually. But he was blackmailed by one of the women he slept with.” Poppy pauses for a few seconds, “your mom.” 

Bea lets out a shaky breath, her eyes blinking in disbelief, “no, you’re lying.” 

Poppy nervously bites her bottom lip, “look Bea-” 

“How long have you known?”

Poppy’s face scrunches up in anger, “this isn’t my fault Bea. I only found out that day I went to talk to Chloe about us. Chloe made me promise not to say anything to you-” 

“Poppy! My mom OD and I don’t even know why. And now you’re telling me she was blackmailing the St James family and it doesn’t occur to you that might have had something to do with her death?” 

“They’re not the fucking mafia Bea, jesus. They were trying to settle it quietly by giving your mom some money and make her sign some stuff so she couldn't threaten them anymore.” 

The devastating ramification of Poppy’s admission hangs in the air as the two girls let the words settle into them. “Chloe really is sorry about your mom Bea, we all are.” 

Bea sighs, staring off into space, as a few tears begin to fill up in her eyes. “I just don’t know what to do.” Bea begins sniffling, but Poppy makes no movement to console her girlfriend. Bea notices and her expression sobers, “so, uh what did you wanna tell me?” Bea sniffs a few more times, before looking up at Poppy, giving her a small encouraging smile. 

Poppy looks away, guilt creeping up on her face, as she tries her damndest not to catch Bea’s small smile on her face. “Bea…”. Bea carefully assesses her girlfriend’s demeanour, noticing the similar body language during when they first asked to take a break, she thinks back to the last couple of days, she had barely heard from her girlfriend, and now she’s not affectionate, even after she almost had a mental breakdown in the middle of the hallway and her smile drops. “We have to break up,” Poppy says, her tone so monotone and dry as if she didn’t mean the words she was saying at all. 

“I don’t understand,” is all Bea can muster, evidently hurt by Poppy’s admission. Poppy winces slightly at Bea’s tone, finally breaking her robotic demeanour as she lets out a few sniffles. “So is that it? We have to break up,” Bea retorts mockingly, “is that all I get after all these years?” 

“Bea..” Poppy reaches out but Bea immediately takes a step back, tears flooding in her eyes. 

“No,” she holds her hands up, “I don’t get it, things are going good, or at least whatever twisted definition of good we’ve made up. Where the hell did this come from?” 

“Bea my dad-” 

“Of course! Hayden Min fucking Sinclair had something to do with this. Why do you still live under his shadow? You talk all this shit about breaking out of your father’s prison and wanting to achieve your own goals but he sucks you back in.” 

“That’s not fair Bea,” Poppy interjects, balling her hands up into fists in an attempt to subdue her trembling, “my dad has given me so much and he’s threatening to take it all away.” 

“Yeah, all you have to do is get rid of me. Me or the Min Sinclair name.” 

“Bea this is the life I have, okay I’m not like you, I’m not built like you.” 

“So what? I can grow up without a dad and now without a mom but it’s okay because I’m used to pain and disappointment?” 

“I didn’t mean it like that, you have a plan, things you can achieve, I need the Min Sinclair name, I’m nothing without it.” 

“Wow.” Bea shakes her head, “So I just meant nothing?” Bea wildy throws her arms in the air, anger bubbling under the surface of her demeanour. “We’ve practically been together since we were kids. And you’re just gonna fucking throw that away? And for what? Fuck you Poppy.” 

Poppy takes half a step back, dumbfounded by Bea’s outburst. She scrunches her brows, evidently hurt, “you don’t get it Bea. Even though your mom wasn’t the best, she still supported you, even if you didn’t know about it. My dad he- my mom what would she think?” 

“Your mom? Poppy what kind of shit is your dad brainwashing you with? Your mom is dead! You have no idea how she would react to having a gay daughter, but I know she’s probably disappointed in you.” 

“Fuck you Bea.”Poppy runs out of the classroom, tears streaming down her face, leaving Bea on her own. 

“Shit,” Bea whispers to herself before throwing a bunch of punches at the wall, each more cathartic than the last until she can’t physically hold herself up anymore. Bea defeatedly slides into a chair, cradling her head in between her hands, letting the tears free fall, as reality begins setting in that she lost the one thing in the world that was her everything. Poppy Min Sinclair was her rock, the girl who she gave her heart to, the love of her life and just in a matter of moments it was over. Maybe it was too good to be true. The beautiful, perky popular rich girl and the girl who had almost nothing, complete polar opposites, it never should’ve worked. But time and time again when faced against the world they persevered so why was this time different? Poppy had chosen her namesake over the love of her life. She chose the life of glitz and glamour over the girl who gave her her entire heart. Bea feels her entire world crashing down, how much more heartbreak could she take? Was her life always going to be so hard? So full of hurt? Full of pain? She winces at the thought, her head hammering as she comes to the realisation that she understood her mother’s pain more than she thought. 

…. 

Bea hops off her bike, parking it in front of her house, as she pulls her phone out to look at the time. ‘It’s lunch time,’ she thinks to herself. After the day she had today, school wasn’t the best option for her right now. She makes her way to her front door but stops in her tracks when she realises her front door is slightly ajar. Her survival instincts kick in as she effortlessly pulls out her pocket knife, carefully pushing the door fully open. As she steps into the living room, her eyes dart to the closed door of her mother’s room, but when she hears a creaking sound coming towards her bedroom, she cautiously moves towards the source of the noise, the grip on her knife tightening. As she creeps up, she sees the door of her room half opened, a hooded figure standing by her bed with their back facing her. 

Bea stealthily sneaks up to the figure placing the knife a few inches from their throat before lowering her voice to a threatening tone, “who are you and what the fuck are you doing?” The figure gasps, dropping a bag that’s in their hands with a deafening thud before raising their hands in a sign of surrender. 

“It’s me, it’s me,” the voice whimpers out. 

“AJ?” Bea raises her eyebrows, retracting the knife from his throat while pulling down his hood with her other hand. “What the fuck are you doing?” Bea takes a step back while AJ scrambles grabbing the bag he just dropped moments before. When he turns to face Bea, his eyes are wide, filled with fear as he clutches the bag closely to his chest. 

“I have to go,” he says as he attempts to run out of the room, but Bea pulls him back, her face crumpled in suspicion. 

“No we’re not doing this, give me the bag now,” Bea snatches the bag out of his hands before he can protest and opens the zipper to find it filled with cash. She grits her teeth, anger settling into her features as she whips her head up to AJ, “is this my fucking money?” 

“Bea, I- I can explain-” 

“What the fuck AJ!” Bea throws the bag onto the bed, the cash spilling out as she jabs an accusing finger at AJ’s chest. “You’re stealing from me now? I haven’t seen you in god knows how long, you don’t call, text nothing. Even after everything that’s been happening in the last few weeks but you have the audacity to fucking steal from me? Money that I’ve spent years saving? Money that I’ve bussed my fucking ass off for, are you serious right now?” Bea’s voice is filled with rage as she’s practically screaming, her voice now thundering. AJ winces, guiltily averting his gaze to the ground, unable to meet Bea’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry about your mom Bea, I wanted to visit-” AJ croaks out.

“But you didn’t,” Bea interjects, her voice lowered but filled with hurt. “And now you’re taking money- I mean what is so important you had to steal from me.” 

AJ paces towards the bed, hanging his head in shame, when he speaks his voice is quiet, full of fear, “I’m in some bad shit Bea. These guys aren’t playing around.” 

“I told you not to fall into the wrong crowd, I warned you this shit would happen.” 

“Bea please, I’ll pay you back I just need it.” 

“No! What the fuck, when will you pay me back huh? This is my college money, I’m not letting you give that away to your crackhead friends.” 

“Bea please,” AJ clasps his hands together, his tone pleading, “I don’t know what to do.” 

“AJ I have too much shit on my plate right now, I can’t deal with this. You need to find something else, I can’t help you.” 

AJ’s face pales but he stands up, and makes his way towards the door, before leaving he turns to look back at Bea, “I’m sorry about everything.” 

Bea keeps her eyes trained on her bed where the money is sprawled all over the mattress, “yeah me too,” she replies quietly. Bea hears the front door close and she collapses to the ground, letting the tears flow. 

……

A few days later, Bea sits in her dark living room, curtains shut and lights completely off as she wallows in her sadness, drinking from a bottle of cheap beer, as she stares absentmindedly at the ceiling, so drowned in her thoughts she doesn’t hear the resounding knocks on her door until she hears a voice call out, “Bea! Are you there?” 

Bea crumples her brows, forcing herself to stand as she makes her way to the door, she wearily makes her way to her front door only slightly opening the door before poking her head out. “Veronica?” Veronica gives the girl a wide smile before pushing the door more open, ushering the figure behind her into the house too, “Carter? What are you guys doing here?’ 

Veronica looks around the dark room, noticing the pile of empty beer bottles on the floor, “yikes, drinking on your own on a friday night Hughes? That’s really sad.” Carter stands near the edge of the living room, as if he’s an explorer, his eyes darting all over the living room as he assesses this new environment. 

Bea on the other hand scowls at Veronica, “what the hell do you want Veronica, I’m not in the mood.” 

Veronica frowns slightly, pouting her lips together, “we heard about you and Poppy.” 

Bea rolls her eyes, “yeah well I’m trying to forget about her.” Bea picks up her beer bottle from the ground and makes a show by exaggeratingly drinking from the bottle until it's empty. She discards the empty bottle along with the other ones before turning to look at Veronica and Carter, “so if you’ll excuse me.” 

Veronica steps towards Bea, wrapping her hand around the brunette’s arm, “we’re not here for Poppy stupid, we’re here for you.” 

Bea raises an eyebrow, “for me?” 

Veronica turns to look at Carter, beckoning him forward, Carter breaks out of reverie and clears his throat, “yeah uh, we wanted to take you to a party.” 

“A party?” Bea looks between them confused, “I’m not that interested guys.”

“Wait, wait, wait Bea,” Veronica pleads, pulling Bea closer to her, “you’ve never been to a Belvoire party and the year is almost over, we thought we should take you to at least.” 

“I don’t know guys,” Bea says skeptically, “a lot of people don’t like me.” 

“Who gives a shit? You just had your heart broken and you need to let loose.” 

Bea sighs, pulling away from Veronica, “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

“Come on, it beats drinking in the dark on your own.” 

Bea sighs, dropping her shoulders, “what about uh Poppy?” 

“Poppy?” Veronica arches a brow, “her and Chloe are staying in tonight, she said she needed to catch up on homework or something.” 

Bea purses her lips together in thought before sighing,  “fine.” Veronica cheers, “but,” Bea over enunciates, “only for a few hours and if I don’t like it I’m going home.” 

“Okay, deal,” Veronica squeals, wrapping Bea in a big hug. Carter chuckles as Veronica gestures for him to join the hug, he awkwardly wraps his arms around the two girls, before pulling away. 

“Okay, I’ll wait in the car while you girls get ready. Just uh don’t take too long.”

Veronica playfully rolls her eyes as she Bea towards her bedroom, yelling back “thanks Carter.” Giddy, she rushes to Bea’s closest, assessing her clothes until she finds a short red dress hidden in the back. “This!” 

“No, no, no,” Bea shakes her head, pulling the dress out of the ombre-haired girl’s hands. 

“Why not? It would look so hot on you,” Veronica’s eyes trail down Bea’s body, as she sharply inhales. “Bea, you’re single and sexy, stop holding yourself back okay?” 

“I’m not,” Bea pushes back defensively, “I just-” she sighs heavily, “no one at Belvoire has ever seen me dressed up, I’m just- I’m nervous I guess.” 

“Then we have to show them what they’ve been missing for the last three years,” Veronica gives Bea a devilish smile as she takes the dress from Bea’s hands, sliding the dress off the hanger before handing it over to Bea. 

“Uh you gonna stay in the room?” Bea nervously wrings her hands together. 

“Why, are you offering a show?” Veronica lifts a teasing brow, noticing Bea’s cheeks redden slightly, which prompts her to let out a small laugh, “I’m kidding, don’t worry I won’t look.” Veronica makes a show of raising her hands to cover her eyes. Bea laughs as she slips out of her clothes and into the dress, she awkwardly clears her throat, grabbing Veronica’s attention. 

“Hey, uh help a girl out with her zipper?” 

“Sure,” Veronica moves to stand behind Bea, her hands ghosting around Bea’s exposed back, her breath momentarily taken away. She sturdies herself and places one of her hands on the small of the brunette’s back while the other moves towards the zipper, zipping the girl up. Bea smooths the dress down with her hands appreciating herself in the mirror, “you look gorgeous,” Veronica whispers into the shell of her ear. 

Bea’s face completely flushes red and slightly jerks at Veronica’s admission, “uhh thanks.” 

Veronica notices the awkward shift in the atmosphere, and promptly changes the subject, “so where’s your sister?” 

Bea sits in front of her mirror, a comb in her hand as she brushes her long locks, “she’s staying at a friend’s tonight.” 

“Cool,” Veronica answers back but her tone falls flat. The girls bask in the awkward silence as Bea continues to get ready but when Veronica notices Bea struggling to do her winged eyeliner she breaks the silence. “Hey do you need help?” 

Bea smiles bashfully, “yeah.” She rubs the back of her head with her hand, “sorry Poppy used to help me with my makeup.” 

“Right,” Veronica’s face slightly falls but she quickly covers it up, ushering Bea to come and sit on the bed. “Come on, I don’t bite,” Veronica bites the bottom of her lip, “unless you want me too.” Bea laughs but obliges sitting on the edge of the bed. Veronica clambers onto her lap, her thighs settling on the sides of Bea’s legs, and in response, Bea’s eyes widen in surprise but she remains glued in her spot, too shocked to move. 

“V, what are you doing?” Bea whispers, her voice attempting to come across as reprimanding but it comes out as breathy. 

“Relax, I’m just doing your eyeliner.” Veronica plucks the wand from Bea’s hand and angles herself close to the brunette’s face, as she begins drawing on the wings on Bea’s eyelids. Bea steadies herself, as she feels the heat of Veronica’s body so close to hers and when Veronica is finished with putting the finishing touches on her eyelids, she hops off Bea’s lap, making her way towards the desk, scuffling through Bea’s makeup bag before taking up her place on Bea’s lap once again. “Now I think this colour would look good on you,” 

“You don’t think it’s too much red?” 

“Oh babe, red means power, dominance, you don’t wanna be thinking about Poppy the entire night, you wanna have all eyes on you Bea Hughes.” Veronica uncaps the lipstick, her eyes burning into Bea’s lips as she carefully applies the red colour to her lips. “Perfect.” 

Bea smacks her lips together, evenly spreading the red on her lips. “Thanks V.” 

Veronica’s eyes dart to Bea’s lips, her tongue slightly running along her bottom lips before she breaks out of her reverie flashing Bea a smirk, “don’t thank me yet, thank me when you’re having the time of your life at the party.” Veronica slides off Bea’s lap, holding her hand out, “come on let’s finish up because Carter’s been waiting for a while.” Bea smiles up at Veronica, taking her hand as she lets the ombre-haired girl pull her off the bed, as they continue getting ready. 

………

Once they arrive at the party, Carter drops the girls off at the front of the huge house before telling them he will park the car. Veronica’s gaze darts to Bea, who’s nervously toying with her hands, looking up at the intimidating house, the lights blaring and as the music echoes throughout, the bass thumping in their ears. Noticing the nerves settling into her, Veronica slips into Bea's, giving her a reassuring squeeze, “hey, it’s okay, it’s just a bunch of drunk, preppy uptight teenagers, nothing you don't usually face everyday.” 

Bea lets out a small laugh, “just in a big ass house,” she jests. 

“Yeah, just in a big ass house,” she gives Bea a light squeeze as she starts pulling Bea into the house with her. Automatically, they’re met with stares and whispers, as the students look astonished at Bea, some appraising her outfit, while others are confused about her presence. “Hey, just stay with me okay?” Veronica whispers over to Bea. Bea nods, her eyes roaming the room. “I’ll get us drinks.” The ombre-haired girl gives Bea a reassuring pat on her arm and leaves her side and Bea walks into the living room, observing the difference between the vibes of the party between the north and the south. Her thoughts then move to think about Poppy, how Poppy would love going to parties in the north but Bea couldn’t find the appeal in it. Poppy. Poppy, who broke up with her. She’s interrupted from her thoughts by a tap of her shoulder, and Bea turns around to see Veronica offering her a red solo cup, Bea takes a sip and winces. 

“What the hell is this crap?” 

“Yeah for a bunch of rich kids, their taste in beer isn’t the best,” Veronica jokes, slightly nudging Bea. 

“We have way better beer in the south side.” 

“That I can agree with.” Veronica looks over to Bea who looks lost in thought, “hey what are you thinking about?” 

Bea sighs heavily, “Poppy,” she mutters. 

Veronica nods once, “right, yeah.” 

“Poppy would’ve loved a party like this, big fancy house an-” 

“Bea,” Veronica says, her tone slightly agitated, “this,” she gestures around the room, “is a no Poppy zone. That means we don’t think about Poppy, only about fun.” 

Bea nods, “fun. I can do that.” Veronica lifts her cup in the air, “what are we cheering to?” 

Veronica gives Bea a smile, “here’s to the first steps in moving on.” The girls tap their cups together before downing their drinks. “Now if we wanna get drunk, we’re gonna need a lot more of these.” 

The party is still ongoing, and Bea sits in a circle with a few girls from the volleyball team and a few of the football team and other people she doesn’t recognise while Veronica sits beside her. 

“Bea you look so pretty,” one of her teammates says. 

“Yeah Bea your makeup is literally gorgeous,” another chimes in. 

“Who knew strip tease can clean up well,” Ford jests, but Bea slumps her shoulders a little, remembering that these people are not her friends. 

Carter enters the circle slapping Ford on the head as he goes, “shut up, Hughes is cool.” Bea gives Carter a nod of appreciation before looking down at the drink in her hands. Her thoughts move a million miles a minute, but there’s a constant one stuck in her brain, Poppy.

Veronica looks over at Bea, frowning. “Hey come with me.” She stands, excusing herself from the group and Bea follows her close behind. 

“Where are we going?” 

“We’re gonna play a private game of truth or drink.” 

[katcadecascade]

Dumplings Before this World Ends (ORV oneshot)

*spoilers up to chapter 235

Summary: 

First Murim is known for their dumplings. It's a shame that Kim Dokja mostly remembers that this place is gonna be destroyed later but for right now he'll enjoy the dumplings with Yoo Jonghyuk.

Kim Dokja is a bit ashamed to admit that he has never been asked out for dinner.

As a man in modern society that clings to traditional (heteronormative) relationships, Kim Dokja attempted to ask out a few women in his life. They all declined to no one’s surprise.

It didn’t discourage him to purse romance. It just reinforced his daily solitude to keep reading Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.

There wasn’t much else in his life to emotionally invest into.

So majority of his life is spent diverging into the words of a fictional world.

Then to everyone’s surprise, Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse became real. There is a lot to unpack there, the whole reality shaking knowledge of trying to understand how any of this is possibly and how so far Kim Dokja has not been dead.

Like permanently because he promised to his companions that he’ll come back.

Kim Dokja is still trying to make his way to them, currently preparing for the Demon King Selection. His plan right now is to get the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint on his side by shoving Yoo Jonghyuk back onto First Murin against the protagonist’s wishes.

It’s a good plan right?

So far, the only kink in the plan is the unexpected invitation to the Gourmet Association.

Oh and the fact that the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint forces Yoo Jonghyuk and Kim Dokja out of her temple to go have dinner.

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is ecstatic of these turn of events]

A bit dumbfounded, Kim Dokja tried to refuse all of this but instead Yoo Jonghyuk simply started walking to the town district and said one thing as if everything was normal.

“Are you coming or not?”

Kim Dokja could’ve just go back in the temple, pretend that Yoo Jonghyuk didn’t just ask him out for dinner in the rudest way possible, and remain as a dateless nobody he has always been.

After all, who would ever ask out Kim Dokja?

But this is Yoo Jonghyuk, a protagonist that he has followed and practically knows like the back of his hand.

Kim Dokja accepts the invitation and starts walking by Yoo Jonghyuk’s side.

First Murin’s nightlife is a pretty scene to witness in person. No amount of written words it has been described in the novel matches the way Kim Dokja is feeling. He feels otherworldly for stepping into this supposed fictional world, a real tourist in actuality, but as much as he enjoys the scenery is can’t help but morn.

Both he and Yoo Jonghyuk await the fated destruction of First Murim. This place of forsaken tradition is simply not to be. One day this place will fall as depicted in the original novel.

But before then, dumplings.

Yoo Jonghyuk leads them to a hole in the wall restaurant. The restaurant perfectly matches the one in the book, a small place filled with many people and yet the power of the protagonist guarantees a table in the corner for them.

A server quickly gets their order for the all-you-can-eat dumpling special and thus leaves Yoo Jonghyuk and Kim Dokja in silence. Obviously, Yoo Jonghyuk opted to stare out the window rather than the awkward shape before him.

As mentioned before, Kim Dokja has never been asked out on a date and he’s hesitant to even call this one a date. He will always be an introvert at worst and yet with Yoo Jonghyuk he feels weirdly comfortable, sort of.

Any time they’re together it was only to barely make it past a dangerous scenario.

Right now, the biggest danger is probably making it through this night with Kim Dokja’s dignity intact.

“So,” Kim Dokja idly traces the condensation on his glass of water, “how’s earth?”

What he really meant was how the others was but he already asked that back in the Demon Realm. If Kim Dokja knows anything about Yoo Jonghyuk, and he does, then small talk is the last thing the protagonist will indulge in.

Yet this is Kim Dokja and he’s known to annoy Yoo Jonghyuk.

“I wouldn’t have to tell you if did not die.”

“Look, I was fated to die.”

“By the one you love most.”

“Do you have to remind me?”

Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyebrow twitches. “I killed you.”

“It was a group effort.”

“Do you have any idea,” Yoo Jonghyuk begins hotly but like a star it dies out fast with a muttered, “…never mind.”

“Huh?”

Before Kim Dokja could question further, a server delivers them a big amount of steamer baskets. Yoo Jonghyuk wastes no time to take off the lid, releasing a puff of hot steam of the most delicious smelling dumpling ever created in a once fictional world.

As much as Kim Dokja wants to copy Yoo Jonghyuk on just happily eating the dumpling, he wants something else first.

“You were gonna say something.”

Stubbornly, Yoo Jonghyuk ate a dumpling in silence. In retaliation, Kim Dokja did the most suicidal thing he could ever do (discounting all his previous deaths of course). He stole the next dumpling Yoo Jonghyuk was aiming for.

The protagonist glares at the reader munching on the savory dumpling. It’s very good. A part of him melts at the sheer taste.

Before Kim Dokja could pick out another dumpling, Yoo Jonghyuk says something that shakes the constellation to his core.

“They miss you.”

Kim Dokja remains frozen for an impatiently long time, long enough for Yoo Jonghyuk to grab the next basket for a new set of hot dumplings.

“Bastard, why are you shocked?”

“Because I am.”

If there was another curse in mind, Yoo Jonghyuk doesn’t say it. He just studies how Kim Dokja is currently working his brain in overtime.

Truly, he is shocked because this would be the first time he has ever heard that sentiment directed towards him.

(Did his own mother ever say that to Kim Dokja?)

The concept of someone actually missing Kim Dokja has never occurred to him. It is a genuine surprise to a person lonely and new to friendships. It’s a strange detachment to reality for the reader, especially since he techniqually ‘died’ before them all.

So not only do they miss him, they have grieved for Kim Dokja.

It really is a strange idea to think about, especially since it’s Yoo Jonghyuk presenting all these facts.

Kim Dokja know that Yoo Jonghyuk can’t ever know if anyone has ever grieved for him because the moment he dies, it’s a new timeline. Meaning his friends forget all about the scenarios and sufferings, they all endured. Besides, they usually die before Yoo Jonghuk.

It’s harsh to suggest that maybe Yoo Jonghyuk and the others should get used to Kim Dokja’s death. However, Kim Dokja doesn’t think like that. Instead, he still trying to comprehend the idea that people miss him.

He who is out casted and unremarkable. He who prefers the words of a lonely book. He who has made friends in the first time in his life.

Kim Dokja died for them multiple times already with no regret… well except for this new one.

A ringing ache settles onto his heart, still struggling against these new feelings of something soft and precious.

“I’m going to see them again.” He swallows down a lump of that weird feeling, “I promised them.”

“I know,” Yoo Jonghyuk glares, “You better keep your promise.”

Kim Dokja forces a smile, ignoring the present jumble of emotions trapped inside, “Did you miss me too?”

“You bastard.” Yoo Jonghyuk’s glare is harsher than ever.

The man’s insult is a relief to Kim Dokja. This blunt rudeness is more familiar to him than the warm guilt-ridden idea that his friends miss him.

He orchestrated them to kill him. It’s a bit difficult to remember it.

Kim Dokja will die by the one he loves most.

In the end, Yoo Jonghyuk did the last blow.

Kim Dokja thinks Han Sooyoung will tease him about this ‘poetic’ event.

“I miss them too,” he finally says.

Yoo Jonghyuk stops glaring and nods.

Under his breath, Kim Dokja adds, “That includes you.’

He stuffs another dumpling in his mouth.

It took a lot of boldness to breathe that out. Kim Dokja can’t look at Yoo Jonghyuk.

Yet over Omniscient Viewpoint…

[He missed me?]

If Kim Dokja looked up from his food, he would’ve seen the smallest of smiles on Yoo Jonghyuk.

[…that bastard.]

Eventually the rest of the dumplings are gone but that warm feeling remains inside Kim Dokja.

[straightouttaneptune]

You’ll come with me, won’t you?

Pairing: Harley Quinn x Reader

Warning: It’s different. Joker is a bitch. Reader becomes kind of morally weird as the fic progresses. People die. 

Summary: Y/N is a baby psychiatrist, who just started out. Suddenly, she is trusted with the most feared case of all. Harleen Quinzel. Y/N thinks it’ll be good for her career, or will it?

A/N: I couldn’t find a good ending to this for the longest time, I’m so glad I did. Also, this is for my 500 followers fic queue :) Thank you for the love, darlings✨

—————————————————————

“Harleen Quinzel?”

That was a name you’d heard before. That was a name everyone’s heard before, at least once in their lives. But it was not the name that had surprised you, but it was the fact that her name was right there on top of your long patient list.

“Yeah, congrats Y/N. She’s pretty famous around here. Straighten her out and you’ll probably be in the big city in less than a year.” Your colleague, Megan peered into your books over your shoulders and patted your back affectionately.

You were one of the new psychiatrists in the business, and you had been dealing with criminal minors, the less mental mental patients and all the clients that newbies would usually handle. Being fresh out of university after holing up in the labs and libraries, you needed to gain some experience first before taking on the really hard cases.

Or... that’s what you were told.

“C’mon, Meg, you gotta know more than that. Why would they pass her case to me? She’s a rank SS psycho.” You pushed, looking up at her through your lashes in a slightly accusatory manner.

She gave you a look that asked; “Do you really want to know?” And you nodded.

“Well, I heard the other docs, the guys who were like 10, 20, hell, 30 years into the business, they all got their brains scrambled by... this girlie.” Her index finger landed on the profile photo of Harley Quinn, an apologetic look in her eyes.

You rolled your eyes, not necessarily at Megan, but at whoever it was that tried to deal this card to you. “You gotta be kidding me.”

“It’s cruel, but you can always turn it down, y’know?” Megan set her books aside, her left arm cradling your slumped shoulders.

“Yeah... But I might not.”

Megan’s dropped gaze snapped back up, her eyes wide with surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s a good way to kick-start my career, I guess.”

\|/

“Hello, new doc.” The moment you entered the room, you regretted making this decision immediately. Harley Quinn sat in a big contraption-looking chair, her hands and feet shackled onto the armrests and legs of the seat. Her platinum blonde hair was untied and unkempt, its bottoms still dyed red and blue, although it seemed to have faded over time.

The only thing dividing the space between you and Harley was a metallic table bolted on the floor, wide enough so even if Harley broke off her arm shackles and reached for you, she wouldn’t be able to touch you. You swallowed your nerves and entered the room with a confident stride, smiling sweetly at the guards as they closed the door with eyes of concern.

“Hello, Miss Quinzel.” You thanked heavens that your words came out right, especially in front of a woman who could sniff out people’s fears from thousands of miles away.

“You’re the first girl I’ve had.” She mused, her eyes twinkling with mischief. But the light in her eyes has lost its original color, you thought. She looked much more lively in photos taken way back then. When she was just a psychiatrist.

“Hm. I guessed that it would be nice to have some heart to heart, female to female.” You reassured your anxious self calmly in your head, repeating the words ‘you got this, Y/N.’

“Do you know why I’m here, and not... Damien? Who usually comes in for your check-ups?” Stowing your clipboard away on your lap, you continued.

“Yeah. Before him was another guy, then a grandpa and just... a buncha stupid-lookin’ guys. But I didn’t like them.” She replied as if it was the most simple thing in the world. The files back in the company would argue differently. Every single guy, either was tormented by her psychotic attacks or totally gone insane from her mental tricks.

“Are you going to do the same thing to me?” You asked, not really knowing what answer to expect. Your eyes remained soft, a small smile gracing your lips as you waited for her answer.

“No. I like ya.” She answered quickly, shrugging and adverting her gaze away to look down at her shackles. “Can I sit down like you?” She shook her wrist lightly, the chains rattling against the armrest.

“Maybe next time, Miss Quinzel.”

“There’s a next time? Yeah!”

You internally smiled to yourself, what a successful human being she would’ve been if not for a man like Joker to ruin her life. Right then, you vowed to whatever higher power was out there, that you’d get Harley Quinn to break free from his spell.

The people in your office were surprised, to say the least, that you were able to keep up your visits to the prison, and that an amateur therapist like you could get the queen of Gotham in a tight little leash. You didn’t like to think about it like that, but rather that she trusts you better than any of the others.

The weekly visits became 2 days a week, and from weeks of good behavior, Harley was allowed to be without handcuffs during her sessions now. You weren’t afraid she’d leap up and strangle you, because of some sort of connection the two of you formed after all those times spent together.

“Hey doc, why can’t you visit me more ‘round here?” Harley pouted, interrupting the current therapy session with an abrupt comment.

You looked up from your clipboard, dumbfounded. Why would she want to have you around more?

“Harley, I’m just your therapist.” You tapped the end of your pencil against the material of the clipboard, locking eyes with the woman. Anyone could see that she was starting to look better, particularly her eyes. They looked more human, compared to the hollow shell they used to be.

“I know, Y/N. But I’ve been doin’ some thinkin. It’s pretty fuckin clear that Mister J isn’t coming for me, and the suicide squad was probably just a one-time thing. And... You’re all I have.” She admitted, slowly sliding down from her pipe chair and laying down on the concrete floor.

The wooden chair you sat on scraped against the hard floor as you pushed it back. Standing up from your seat, you walked over to her in 3 steps. You kneeled down beside her, her skin just inches away from you. “Do you want a hug?” You questioned quietly, your voice softer and more inviting than usual. Harley felt this too, sitting up in a millisecond just as the offer left your lips.

“Yeah.” She almost crawled over to you, her arms wrapping around your neck desperately. That would’ve been terrifying if it was out of context, but she actually wasn’t trying to kill you. She genuinely just wanted a warm embrace.

You felt her slender torso tighten and loosen as if she was trying to repress a sob. Hand carefully sliding over her back, you whispered; “Let it out.”

And she did.

\|/

Time flew by as you continued to work on her case, and you fell into the worst situation a psychiatrist could possibly be in while working. You grew emotionally invested in your client. As a friend, who cared for her well being and happiness. 

Maybe... even more.

You still didn’t know if you could trust her though, you managed to keep a cool head and your mind was rational, but that only confirmed the fact that Harley wasn’t playing any tricks on you. That you were genuinely becoming attached to the beautiful prisoner.

Harley, on the other hand, did intend on ruining you at first. Make them run back to where they came from crying, so no one would disturb her again while she waited for her puddin.

But it was all starting to feel different with you.

“Hey, doc?” Harley called out from inside her electric cage. She was being a little bit mischievous that day, and she pulled an armed guard against the buzzing bars when he wasn’t looking. He probably died, she guessed.

But she didn’t like that she couldn’t be near you during your sessions. So a man died, big deal!

“Can you let me out?” She pleaded in the sweetest voice she could muster, calling out to you who was currently propped up on the usual desk, writing down some notes on your clipboard.

“No, Harley. I don’t have the keys to your cell.” You replied without looking up, but you could imagine the cute pout that Harley had when you denied her of something.

“But would you open it if you did?” You looked up at that question, seeing her smiling from ear to ear now, anticipation glowing in her eyes.

“Maybe. I know you won’t hurt me.” You smiled back at her, watching her facial expression carefully. How would she react if you showed some warm friendliness towards her? Could she possibly return to the life she used to have?

“Maybe I will, doc. You don’t know what goes on in here.” Harley leaped up to her cloth swing she’d made for herself, her now almost completely platinum hair draping down her back.

“I hope you won’t hurt me, then.”

You couldn’t forget that split second where Harley’s eyes looked more humane than it ever has been for many, many years.

\|/

“Warning. Warning. Escape Attempt in Sector 9H11.”

The sound of the speaker and the blasting alarm merged together in a chorus of chaos, guards and officers running around to stop whoever the escapee was.

It was 9:30AM and you were just about to enter the asylum for your shift, when this sudden noise almost blasted your ears off. Before you could process what was happening, a bomb went off right next to you, making you scream and clutch your head as you ducked.

The debris fell everywhere along with broken pieces of concrete, and you just stayed there trying to collect your thoughts. Right when a random hand grabbed you by your wrist. 

“Hi, doc. I was lookin’ for ya. You’ll come with me, won’t you?” Harley pulled you to the side, hiding the two of you behind a few bushes. Her eyes were electric making you realize that the true “Harleen Quinzel” you’ve been trying to look for is right in front of you now.

“Yeah. Yeah, I will.” You didn’t hesitate to take her outreached hand. Your mind had already been made up since the first time you laid your eyes on her. 

[princessrainbows]

Genuine Laughter

Title: Genuine Laughter

Warnings: Mentions of; Depression, Suicidal thoughts/attempts(maybe?) Alcohol intake. (The reader is the depressed one out of the paring!!) Mention of the reader’s Quirk being Teleportation. Ends with fluff

Words: 2k+

A/N: I’ve been wanting to write something for a while now. Seeing so many of the Keigo x reader blogs that I currently follow rn, has hugely inspired me to write up a small drabble!

Paring(s): Keigo Takami | Hawks x Fem! Reader

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

             Depression is like battling a 200 foot Dragon every day. It’s not something so easy to overcome. Many people don’t even know when  somebody they know have depression whenever it’s brought up in a conversation.

They’ll think that everything is fine and dandy, and that the person who mentioned the mental illness is trying to find attention when, in reality...They just want to be loved, cared for, and helped. They don’t want their thoughts to be true, they want to be saved from them.

So, when you, ever so casually, mentioned that you felt like dying one day to Keigo, it caught him off guard. It really bothered him that somebody  so smart and so powerful just...Wanted to give it all up. “Hey hey, what’s the matter dove? Something bothering you” He asked, noticing that you where....Off, and have been for a long while now that he thought about it.

       That night stuck with you. The fact that he picked up on your casual self-loathing habits of talking about death so casually like that, surprised you to say the least. Most of the time, people around you would either scoff or just ignore you, or Meme your mental illness, thinking that’s what you wanted to do since, that’s what you’d always do to hide the pain you felt all the time.

Being a hero isn’t that easy. Especially with a quirk as powerful as your own, your in constant demand all the time. Always teleporting everywhere to save people and give back-up to pro-hero’s who need it. And now that you where sought out by The Commission people who raised Hawks, you’ve become his body guard so to speak. Sure, he might be fast, but, you can match up in speed thanks to your quirk.

So, not only are you in high demand, you never get to catch a break! Hell, you didn’t even want the spotlight! So, this made you start becoming depressed. You where so busy all the time. You barely got any real decent rest, you hardly have time to yourself for a nice bubble bath, or read a cool book.

You did your best to hide everything from everybody. You’d play it off and fake-laugh with people that would question whether or not you where really okay or mentally sane at the time of the conversation/interaction.

         But, you didn’t take into account for Hawks noticing it. He noticed everything. He noticed your facial expression visibly changing with every minute of the day depending on your mood. He’d notice the way you’d get snippy at different people if you’d woken up to a particularly bad mental day for you. He EVEN noticed that one day when you locked yourself up in your bedroom at his place around 8:30pm at night. He heard your weak sobs underneath the blanket.

The man was like a Dog with his hearing. he heard and saw everything. But, he knew that if he asked, you’d joke it off and turn down his help.

It wasn’t until when things got REALLY bad for you was when he stepped in and demanded that you explained everything to him. You had three drinks that night after poppin’ in quite a lot of Tylenol pills for your severe Migraine you where having that same day. You just wanted it to stop so you could be Okay for once.

After some prying, you finally told him what’s been happening. You told him that you’ve been battling with Depression and your Suicidal thoughts for the past several months. You even mentioned that your PTSD was starting to act up again, which just made things worse for you in the end.

He didn’t show any emotion. he just...Stared at you, in pure shock. You’ve been battling this battle by yourself this entire time that the two of you have been seeing each other, you’ve kept EVERYTHING to yourself until you blew up and tried ending it all.

It terrified him. He didn’t do anything out of worry that he might make it worse for you, but also, he felt like he should have done something, ANYTHING to have helped! “...Oh god........I’m so sorry” was all that he could really say before you passed out from being so damn tired, drunk, and dizzy from the Tylenol pills you took that day. Falling right into his lap, all he did was let you stay there and fall asleep.

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

             That happened two months ago. You never really FULLY changed but, you noticed that you weren’t as bad as you where back then. Actually, you made a little chart marking down the Really Bad Days, from the Good/Okay days, and you’ve never had a single Really Bad Day since then. You’re days from two months ago to now have just been Meh/Okay and sometimes, even Good!

Today was different for you. When you woke up, it was around 11am, you felt...Light. Like as if you where floating in the air. But, it wasn’t a bad feeling by any means! Which lifted your spirits up quite a bit.

You reach to your cell phone and check your stuff, ignoring the majority of it except for Keigo’s messages (and selfies) and your Boss’ message, which woke you right out of bed! You blinked at it with your glasses on and notice a message from him: [”You’ve been invited to a Pro-Hero exclusive Gathering. Along with Hawks, Endervour, and many others. Dress nicely, and behave.”] Blinking several times, you groaned, falling back on the bed with an arm over your eyes, pouting in annoyance, “I hate fancy parties...” you sighed out loud.

Today was a really good day for you and your mental state. You weren’t smiling by any means but, you weren’t frowning either. You did your usual routine before heading out to work, since you’re with the Commission now and not some Hero agency, you’ve been given permission to have your own schedule (with the help from Hawks so that way he could keep an eye on you of course.)

“---And since I’m in a good mood today....I’ll give you a minute of a head start to try and run.” You say before grinning as you watched the group of bad guys try and flee with the stolen loot from the local store you where shopping at for a Brunch. “Too Slow..” You commented, teleporting right in front of them, grabbing the enemies uniforms and rolling your eyes as they tried running.

The police where called, and you where thanked for your efforts, “Wow! You look happy today y/n! Something happened?” The officer noticed your mood and commented on it, you shrugged, giving a slight chuckle, “Nothing in particular! I just feel good today that’s all~” you cheered before waving them off, seemingly having left them dumbfounded by your response.

           You had a really good day of just, doing whatever you wanted! Holding your drink in your hand with a small snack in the bag in your other hand, you walked by a clothing store with several outfits in the window. You noticed a very nice looking dress with a paired Tuxedo beside it, shrugging you walked into the store, you DID need a dress for tonight’s Por-Hero exclusive Gathering after all! Even if they weren’t your favorite thing to wear.

“Hi there miss! Welcome to our store! is there anything that I can do for you?” You where greeted by a worker who wore a very nice business suit, you took a pause from your drinking and looked at her outfit, “Actually...Yeah. Can I ask where you got that outfit? See, I’m heading to a fancy ball and stuff...But, I’m not that much of a Fancy Dress type of person.” You replied, gesturing your jaw at her outfit, as to not point since that would’ve been rude.

“Oh sure! We actually just recently added these types of outfits to out store so, we’d be happy to have a pro-hero wear one!....You are Pro-Hero Y/N correct?” You nodded in response, sipping on your drink. You followed the business woman to the stores selection and looked around...The shop was nice despite how cold it was.

It didn’t take you that long to find what you wanted. Coming out of the change room in front of the business woman, you stood there with a blows, a nice pair of black work pants, fancy black shoes, and a nice jacket to cover yourself with. Once you changed out of it and went to the cash, you purchased the outfit and thanked the woman for the help.

           You returned home with your now, not so hot Brunch and outfit in tow, getting ready for the fancy ball party for tonight while eating at the same time. You weren’t positive that you were going to have a good night but hey, you where invited! You couldn’t say no! Especially since you where in a good mood, you figured ‘eh, why not? Keigo’s gonna be there anyways so~’ and went with it.

A few hours had past, and it was time for the gathering. You rode in a somewhat fancy vehicle to the location of the party. Getting out of the car, you could already tell that eyes where on you. You ignored them, and thanked the driver and went into the building.

Using the elevator, you went up to the highest floor, which was a party room dedicated to pro-hero’s and their parties. You were slightly nervous since your mental state was still...Not exactly the best but, a lot better than a couple months ago. Putting those thoughts aside, you walked into the entrance area. You saw two doors both opened with two guards there, one stopped you and looked down, “Ma’am, this is a Pro-Hero party. Please show proof that you’ve been invited or we’ll have to remove you from the premise.” You sighed in annoyance, knowing that the guy was just doing his job. You pulled out your Hero License and showed it to him. He nodded and allowed you in.

Walking into the main area, you stood in awe, ‘They really went all out huh?’ You thought to yourself, staring up at the fancy decorations that seemed to blend in well with everything else in the room. You took in the atmosphere, not used to the Party life At All, staring off into the area as you listened to the soft music playing on the small stage area. “Wow! I didn’t think you’d show up of all people!” You hear a familiar voice from a loud woman behind you. Her grin was wide and she was excited to see more people coming to the party, “Yeah....The Commission had invited me over. I’m assuming it’s to keep an eye on hawks since he’s been invited as well...” You automatically noticed the wingless man near the farthest end, standing beside Endervour, laughing it up with the small group that gathered there for the night.

“...You know y/n. Most of the public knows your not a party person. Just imagine the press when they get a hold of this! ‘Y/N seen at a fancy Galla ball with Pro-Hero Hawks by her side!’ haha, they’ll get a good scoop for that one~” She chuckled, patting you on the back shoulders gently before walking towards the crowd giving them a wave. You groaned...You really hate the media being in your face all the time. So, something like this would DEFINITELY, be a pain in the ass to deal with.

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

                 The party continued on for the night, you talked and hung out with everybody at the party. You also did your job and reported to your boss at what was happening with Hawks, telling them that he was behaving well and having a blast. Once you sent in the report, you decided to spend the rest of the night with Keigo, walking up to the small group of pro-hero’s that he was telling a story too. “---And even tho I was trying to make the poor woman laugh, safe it to say, that didn’t help my situation at all. it just made the other’s more angry--” The group chuckled with him, and you just rolled your eyes.

The party went on like this for hours. By the time you where ready to go back home, it was around 12am. You and Keigo spent the last hour going home. He was just a tad bit drunk and a little bit silly as well, trying to handle him when he’s a bit drunk was hard but, you somehow managed.

“Hey.....Hey y/n....” He mumbled, trying his best to keep what little composure that he had left. “Yes Kei?” You asked, grunting while you placed him on your couch, grinning, he pulled you down into a cuddle, you didn’t mind it at all. Since you were quite tired from the party, having been out for a long time on your feet for the most part.

Keigo wasn’t really talking per say. He was mumbling random words in between some cute sweet nothings to you as he held you close to him. “Hey...y/n?.....” He whispered in your ear, first telling you how much he loved you...And then, telling you a silly joke that was, actually pretty funny! You couldn’t help but snicker then laugh in his chest, burying your face in it, you snorted off and on until you could breathe from the laughing again.

Keigo blinked in surprise. he managed to make you laugh.....Like, genuinely laugh at one of his jokes. He didn’t put any thought into it at all, he just went with it, and that made you laugh until you snort-laughed in his chest.

           This made your night. Just that one time with Keigo on the couch, making you laugh. You felt at ease, happy, even safe. You don’t want to forget this night, you want to cherish it for the rest of your life.

With Keigo being your partner, your depression and suicidal thoughts where a little bit easier to handle. Because you were no longer by yourself dealing with them anymore. You had Keigo to help. And you knew that this man would do anything to make your life, a little less painful to deal with.

[omegafan101]

The Death of Tommy Innit Chapter 7

Summary:  Feeling hated by everyone, and fed up with Dream's treatment, Tommy fakes his death and sets out to live a brand new life without having to worry about the interference of Dream. Leaving everyone to react to his death.

Warnings: Suicide mention

Word count: 1270

This was written during Tommy’s exile arc and before the “beach episode” and will continue to be written in that context

Start

Chapter 6

Chapter 8

Chapter 7: The Hunters

Sapnap was in El Rapids when the news broke, hanging out with George, Bad and Ant. The four of them were still of course good friends, despite whatever conflicts any of them had gotten into.

They were in the middle of a conversation when Quackity entered.

“Hey, Big Q!” George greeted happily, though his expression faded to confusion as he looked at Quackity. He looked exasperated, his eyes were red and he was clutching tight to a book. He turned to the hunters and handed Sapnap the book, “You guys should read this…” he said, before walking away.

“What was that about?” Bad asked.

Sapnap opened the book, his eyes scanning the pages as they widened and his mouth slowly hung open in shock, “Tommy’s dead.”

“What?” George asked.

Sapnap read the note out to them, his voice cracking just a bit as he did.

“… Oh my god…” Ant said as he stared down at the table, dumbfounded.

“… Does it say anything else?” Bad asked.

Sapnap flipped through the pages, “There’s notes for everyone… Wow there’s even some for us.”

Sapnap, I don’t know much about history, but I have a bad feeling that you and I will be painted as enemies. Although we had plenty of conflicts in the Pet War, I’ll remember you more for being my first ally in the Disc War. I’m truly sorry I made you release Mars. Hopefully you can find him someday, my friend.

Sapnap didn’t read the words aloud, he was frankly shocked Tommy actually cared about him enough to write such a message. He didn’t even notice he was crying until he saw a tear hit his hand.

He wiped his eye and handed the book to George, who read the rest of their messages aloud.

“‘To George, we may not have ever been very good friends, but you were a very good political opponent. Hope you got plenty of sleep. To Bad, I’m sorry I constantly swore at you, even if it was very funny. And thanks for Chirp, it was one of the only good things I had. To Antfrost, I’m sorry Technoblade and I kidnapped you. That was not very poggers…’ Did he really write ‘poggers’ in his suicide note?”

“Oh hush George…” Bad said, “That’s not the thing to focus on here.”

George continued flipping through the pages.

“What are you doing?” Sapnap asked.

“I’m curious about what he wrote to everyone,” he answered.

“That feels like prying into personal stuff,” Bad said.

George started laughing as he flipped to the next page.

“George, what the heck?” Sapnap asked, sounding annoyed.

“Sorry it’s just,” George held the book up to them, “The page for Dream literally just says ‘Fuck you, bitch!’”

“Language!” Bad exclaimed, almost instinctively.

“You can’t language a dead man, Bad!”

“Wait, there’s one more page,” Ant said, drawing their attention back to the book.

George flipped the page, looking confused as he looked at the page. Though his eyes couldn’t be seen behind his goggles, he began to look shocked as he took a while to read.

“Oh god…” George said.

“What, what is it?” Bad asked. George just handed the book to him, Ant and Sapnap looking over his shoulder to read it, looking just as shocked as they read what the last page read.

***

“Dream!!!” Sapnap yelled as he and the other three chased after Dream, currently walking down the Prime Path.

“Hm?” Dream said as he turned to them, “What is it?”

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” He exclaimed.

Bad opened his mouth but George just put his hand over it and said, “Not now, Bad.”

“What are you talking about?” Dream asked.

“What am I talking about!? This you bastard!” He held up the book.

“Oh. You got the note. Yeah I found it at Tommy’s base. Didn’t expect him to do that just from being exiled.”

“Not just that! Did you read the whole thing!?”

“No. What does it matter?”

Sapnap opened the book and flipped to the very last page, holding it up to Dream, “This! Tommy wrote about everything you did to him, everything! This is horrific!”

Dream just stared at the book, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking when he was wearing his mask, there was no way to read if he was genuinely shocked or confused or anything.

“Well!? What do you have to say!?”

“… You’re really going to believe what that says?” Dream finally said.

“And why shouldn’t we?” George asked, crossing his arms.

“Come on guys, Tommy’s a liar. Of course he’d use his last words to lie about me.”

“Tommy’s a lot of things, Dream,” Ant said, “And a liar may be one of them, but I highly doubt he’d lie about something this horrible.”

“What!? Of course he would! He hated my guts!”

“Don’t lie to me Dream,” Bad said, “I was there when you did it the first time. I didn’t think you were that horrible about it.”

Dream stayed silent as the hunters stared at him. They all stood there in silence for a while, before Dream finally spoke again, “Fine. I did all that. Happy?” Dream turned around to walk away.

“No, you can’t just walk away from this, Dream!” Sapnap said as he grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back, “What the hell made you think any of this was okay!?”

“Tommy Innit was a menace! He did so much to hurt this SMP, I was just seeing out a punishment.”

“He was a child!” Bad yelled.

“That doesn’t change anything! He did awful things to all of you! I even banished him because he burned down George’s house!”

“I didn’t ask you to do any of this!” George said, “I didn’t even ask you to banish him!”

“Dream, you’ve made it very clear lately that you don’t care that much about us,” Sapnap said, “So tell us, what was your excuse to basically torture Tommy?”

Dream once again had no response.

“Well!? Tell us! What brought you to mentally torture a sixteen year old at his lowest point!?”

Dream didn’t respond, instead, he suddenly swiped the book from Sapnap.

“Hey! What are you-” Sapnap couldn’t finish, as he suddenly had a netherite sword pointed at him.

“Dream…?” George asked.

Dream simply tore the last page out, tossing the book back to Sapnap and pocketing it, “I did what was necessary,” Dream once again turned, walking away as the hunters stared at their former friend in shock and disgust.

“Hey guys,” their attention was turned to Fundy as he walked towards them, his face wet from tears, “Quackity told me you had the book. We need it to… Properly announce to everyone. Did you all read it?”

They didn’t respond at first, still shocked at Dream’s actions, “Uh… Yeah, here you go,” Sapnap said as he handed over the book.

Fundy nodded and walked away, back to L’Manberg.

“… What do we tell them?” Ant asked.

“The truth.” Sapnap said.

“No, not yet,” Bad said, “Everyone needs time to grieve. Let some time pass. Then we can tell them.”

“Why wait that long?”

“Because, once the grief has faded, everyone will be ready to be angry enough to take down Dream.”

Sapnap looked down at the ground, clenching his fist, “Yeah… That’d be for the best, huh?”

Sapnap, Bad and Ant all walked away, leaving George behind a bit as he continued staring at where Dream was a moment ago. His lip trembled a bit as he simply mumbled to himself, “Dream…” before turning and walking away as well.

[sheadre]

Aurora Borealis (Jiang Cheng x Reader) Part 6

Summary: Zhu Ran'En (Reader) the imperial princess, was sent into exile for a crime she did not commit. Meeting Jiang Wanyin, the Yunmeng Jiang sect’s leader was not just a chance meeting. Their fates were written in the stars however, her relations to the royal family will never let her live in peace. How will she manage to save the kingdom while trying to keep Jiang Wanyin away from the snakes of the royal family?

Word count: 2538

Previous chapter - Series Masterlist

Jiang Wanyin stood in front of the closed doors of the infirmary. His back tense, posture rigid as he stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He stood like a statue ever since the healers brought the princess inside. The dark shadows over his handsome face reminded Wei Wuxian of the thunder storms over the sea. The Yiling Patriarch was worried for Zhu Ran’En as well but knew that he needed to stay composed.

No one explained to him how the princess ended up in the middle of the battlefield but decided to wait with his questions. As Wei Wuxian remembered of the plans, the princess should’ve stayed behind to not draw attention to herself. Hanguang-Jun slid his hand onto his lower back without others noticing it, making Wei Ying turn to his lover with a reassuring small smile.

“It will be alright, Lan Zhan” he said more for his own reassurance. His lover only nodded quietly. Both of them grew fond of the princess as she brought a new dynamic into their lives. He enjoyed her company compared to the strict rules in Gusu. She was mischievous and playful, always ready for some light teasing when Jiang Cheng was around.

“How will anything be alright, Wei Wuxian?! Nothing will be alright!” Jiang Cheng growled angrily. “She shouldn’t have been a part of the plan, she should’ve stayed inside-“

“But she didn’t” came the voice of Xiao Pei from behind them. Wei Wuxian remembered how Zhu Ran’En described the general and called him Xiao Pei but his real name was Pei Xiu. Wei Ying heard people talk about the general because of his grand achievements on the battlefield. The man was quite handsome, tall and regal especially wearing the fine clothes of a high official. His eyes looked at Jiang Cheng like he wanted to run his sword through the sect leader’s chest. “For the time being I decided to not ask who is to blame for her injuries, but once she recovered, I will find the one who hurt the imperial princess.”

“General Pei” Wei Wuxian quickly greeted the man politely bowing to him. His smile was far from genuine but held no malice. Yet. He couldn’t help but feel that something was off about the general. “The healers said that the Princess will soon gain consciousness.”

“I would say that it is nice to meet you, Mo gongzi, but I would have to lie then” Xiao Pei replied coldly and walked past him without giving him a second glance. With his reputation, Wei Wuxian wasn’t surprised that another person treated him this coldly. Most people thought it was disgusting and unbefitting to have a lover from the same gender. Though, he was surprised the general knew his name – or rather the true owner’s name of the body he was in – without him introducing himself.

“General Pei, you cannot just go in there” Jiang Cheng spoke up when the man tried to barge into the room where Ran’En was being treated. Wanyin was clearly shaken up and worried, Xiao Pei only added oil to the fire with walking around Yunmeng like he owned the place. Wei Wuxian wasn’t really surprised, the man was royalty with him being the emperor’s brother’s grandson. No one used the title prince when they were talking about him though, Wei Ying having no idea why.

“You may be the sect leader of the Yunmeng Jiang sect but you have no authority over me, Jiang Wanyin” the man hissed out before turning back to the door and walking in closing the door in their faces. Jiang Cheng seemed to be about to burst into the room and drag the general’s ass out, however, Wei Wuxian decided to interject before the general would behead his brother for insolence.

“A-Cheng! Come, come! You cannot do much here right now, let’s wait for the princess to wake up!” Wei Ying grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him over to another corridor. Wanyin pulled his arm out of his hold when they were far enough and hit the wall angrily. Disciples and servants ducked back to other corridors and rooms when they saw how irked their chief was.

“This is all my fault” Jiang Cheng gritted out as he leaned forward. Wei Wuxian knew how his brother was blaming himself over her highness’ injury but it made his heart not only sink with pity but fill with hope for his brother. Jiang Cheng deserved to be happy and he knew that the princess was the perfect match for his brother.

“That arrow was not fired by you, Jiang Cheng” Wei Ying protested.

“Could’ve been as well fired by me! She insisted on helping us making me let her run into the middle of the battlefield just because she knows some tricks! I sent her into danger! I shouldn’t have let her-“

“She knew what she was doing” Hanguang-Jun spoke up suddenly. “Ran’En was ready to take that risk.”

Wei Ying looked at his lover a little surprised by how casually Lan Zhan was talking about the princess, using only her first name. He noted to himself to question the mighty Hanguang-Jun about that later.

“By the way, when were you two planning on telling us about the change of plans?” Wei Ying crossed his arms in front of his chest. Jiang Cheng sighed tiredly averting his gaze from both. For a few minutes, the Yiling Patriarch thought his brother would stay silent when he finally spoke up telling them about all of it. His eyes widened in shock at what the princess agreed to. He read notes about the dark dragon back in Gusu’s library. It was a legend or supposed to be. The legends say that if the dark dragon emerges, the world is in great danger. Then suddenly, a servant approached the three of them with her head bowed and back hunched slightly.

“Sect leader, the princess is awake and asked for the three of you” she bowed to them but by the time she raised back up, they were nowhere to be seen.

Your PoV.

You woke up slowly, head fuzzy and chest hurting but you knew you were no longer in danger. The smell of medicine and clean sheets indicated that you were in the infirmary. You blinked a few times to clear your vision and gasped as you accidentally moved your torso making the wound hurt. You’ve only been hurt like this once when there was an assassination going wrong and you were in the way of the assassin.

“Ran’En!” a familiar male voice called you worry lacing his words as he spoke right next to you. “I was so worried, Ran’En…”

“Wanyin… where is Wanyin?” you asked weakly. You had to know what happened, you had to know if you were successful. The hand holding yours squeezed your fingers tightly at your request.

“It is me, Pei Xiu” your old friend spoke softly though his tone was restrained like he was holding back his emotions whatever they were. You turned your head to him as carefully as possible and smiled at him weakly.

“Xiao Pei” you greeted him. “I was worried that Lili wouldn’t reach you in time.”

“I came as fast as I could” Pei Xiu replied but you could easily tell that something was off about his expression after your mention of Lili. “I have much to tell you about the palace-“

“Where is she? Did she come back with you?!” you asked forcing yourself to sit up as you demanded an answer from the general. Your heart was beating in your chest loudly as your worry grew with every minute. Pei Xiu lowered his gaze from your (e/c) eyes making your heart clench in pain.

“She was caught by the Second Prince’ personal guard, Cao BaiXian after she reached me. Before he could get to torture her, she… she committed suicide.”

Silence fell on the two of you as you struggled to keep breathing. Tears ran down your cheeks as you sat there feeling useless. You promised to protect her, you promised to give her a good life, safety. It felt like an endless line of people you grew close to will inevitably fall to their death because of you. You were the reason she’s dead and the world can only blame you for her death.

You didn’t even register Xiao Pei’s strong arms circling your form, pulling you tightly against his chest. His familiar scent made your heart ache even more. You missed the simple days back when you were a child, when you still had your mother, when you had the time of your life hiding from the maids and servants who tried to chase you down and make you return to the classes you hated. Xiao Pei was the only one who treated you like a friend back then.

“Tell me what happened in the imperial palace since I left? Is it bad? Can we do anything?” you asked after a long silence. Your own voice sounded to you lifeless and dull, just like how you were feeling.

“Many things happened though I managed to keep Crown Prince safe but our days are shortening in number” he started with his eyebrows furrowed. After your friend told you everything there was to tell, you nodded silently.

“Xiao Pei… I need some rest” you spoke softly and patted his hand over yours. “I will see you once the healers let me out of here. Until then, please rest well and take care of Wanyin.”

“Wanyin? You never mentioned in your letters that you got on first name basis with the sect leader…” Xiao Pei’s tone was strange but you just chuckled weakly and shook your head.

“I like to tease him with acting like we’re familiar, it is amusing to see his dumbfounded face” you replied suspicious of your friend’s behavior. You noticed his intentions back in the palace but due to the two of you being blood related even if not closely, you still felt off about it. Not repulsed or disgusted but it didn’t feel right. You never encouraged his feelings and never called him out on it. “I will be fine, don’t you worry!”

You smiled at him trying to tell him that your conversation was over. Xiao Pei sighed and nodded leaving you alone. A minute later, a servant girl entered the room with new bandages and warm water to wash your wound and redress it. Once she finished, you grabbed her wrist drawing her attention to yourself.

“Could you please ask the sect leader to visit me? It is important” you smiled at her gently and let her go when she nodded. Her form slipped out between the doors and disappeared from your sight. You closed your eyes trying to relax some even though the feeling of dread. Something was off about your old friend, something made the hair on the back of your neck stand.

Were you strong enough to withstand the fight? Were you enough to stop the demise of the kingdom? No… none of that. You had to stand strong, you had to fight and never give up. You were trusted with this power for a reason. You got this power because of the Heavens finding you capable of solving the problem.

“Ran’En!” his voice interrupted your thoughts. His familiar voice sounded worried as the sect leader burst through the doors. You turned to Wanyin as much as you could and smiled at him gently.

“I’m here, Wanyin” you said quietly reaching out for his hand. Jiang Wanyin knelt down next to your bed, looking at you like you were a miracle. You wanted to be reckless, you wanted to be the little girl who died the night your mother was killed, the one who just wanted to live happily and find love. You wanted to grab his cheeks and pull him into a kiss, a promise of love and trust. Instead, you squeezed his hand reassuringly. “I’m here.”

“I was so worried about you, your highness” Jiang Wanyin said bowing his head. Your eyebrows furrowed and quickly reaching under his chin, you lifted his face so you could look him in the eyes.

“None of it was your fault, Wanyin” you said firmly.

“You wouldn’t be injured if I wouldn’t have let you-“

“Stop being like that! You’ve done nothing wrong! I wanted to help and did just that! I am quite proud of the fact that half of the enemy’s army was eradicated by just me!” you huffed as you clicked your tongue.

“Ah, so your highness is fine enough to boast about her achievements already!” Wei Wuxian quipped playfully making you chuckle mirthfully.

“Wouldn’t you do the same, Wei gongzi?” you teased back with a grin but then sighed heavily as a frown appeared on your features. “Though I called for you because of another reason. The first part of the plan is over now that the rebellious generals are captured. We have to execute the next part.”

“Are you ready to be a national hero, A-Cheng?” the Yiling Patriarch asked his brother but all of you knew that even though his words were playful, his tone was not. You could tell he was worried for the sect leader just like you. You were throwing Jiang Wanyin to the wolves with this plan but you needed to get back to the palace.

“Have you started spreading the rumors? We need to gain Wanyin a lot of fame by the time Xiao Pei would get back to the Imperial Palace. We need the emperor to hear about the brave and heroic Jiang Wanyin” you turned to Wei Wuxian who nodded but haven’t failed to notice how red the sect leader’s ears were becoming.

“When will your maid arrive back?” the Yiling Patriarch asked curious however, at the sight of your pained expression that oozed regret, he closed his mouth and looked to Lan Wangji who up until now stood silently further behind.

“She was killed after she gave my letter to Xiao Pei” you replied with your hands clenched into fists. “However… I have no idea why but have a strange feeling about it.”

The men stayed silent making you uneasy. Were they suspicious about your old friend? Could they feel the same strange feeling about him? You sighed tiredly which immediately drew their attention, alerting them about your state and so they quickly left you alone to rest. Before Jiang Cheng could stand up, you grabbed his hand making him look back at you.

“Never let your guard down, Wanyin” you said. “Once we arrive to the Imperial Palace, you will have to manage on your own for most of the time.”

“Mnn…” the sect leader nodded and left the room. You had to wait patiently for your time for now. Even if you were suspicious about Xiao Pei’s words and actions, you had to not act rashly. Every word, every action, every expression, you had to control from now on until the second prince and your cousin couldn’t do anything else but die or flee.

To be continued…

[mrallnight57-blog]

The Crystal of Mordokia

Chapter 15

      As Litias told the story of Billbo H Hero. The two of them had made there way to the fourth floor. Once there. Litias took Jenny to a room at the end of the hallway, this was the room that Litias slept in.

    Jenny had listened to Litias's story, yet she still had many questions. Once the two of them got into the room. Litias went to her bed, and began pulling a trunk from underneath her bed. That's when Jenny started asking questions. "So this Billbo, he was some kind..."

     Before Jenny could finish the question. Litias turned to her and cut her off. "Shhhh! Don't say his name. He might hear you, and neither one of us are prepared to face him. No... from this point on, just call him The Hero.

      Jenny raised an eyebrow. "He is more like a monster."

     Litias got up into Jenny's face. "No, pretty one. I'm the monster. I am the Dark Witch, the all powerful Ruler of Mordokia!" Litias paused for a moment. Then begrudgingly said in a low voice. "Ex-Ruler of Mordokia."

   Now Jenny was beginning to become more curious about Litias, but she knew that would have to wait for later. Right now she needed to get all the info she could on Billbo, or Litias preferred name for him, The Hero.

     Litias opened up the trunk, and her demeanor changed. It was as if this strange creature was genuinely happy.

     Litias pulled out a old parchment, and more excitement came over the creature. Jenny even picked up a little giddiness in Litias's voice as she spoke. "Ah yes! This is when he battled the ogre king!" Litias put the parchment down, and grabbed another one. This made Litias even more giddy. This is when he found the treasure of Goldoff!" Litias grabbed another parchment with her other hand. The creature's eyes widen, and she got even more excited. "Oh!!! This is when he battled the two headed dragon Korn Tello!!!" Litias gave Jenny the look of someone who had just came out of a fan convention. "Did you know The Hero was only ten years old, when he defeated his first dragon!?!"

      Jenny's eyes widen. "He slayed his first dragon, when he was ten years old?"

     Litias quickly shook it's head no. "Not slayed. Defeated. Korn Tello was still alive, the last time I was on Mordokia." Suddenly Litias spoke in a somber tone. "The Hero didn't believe in killing. Thought everyone deserved a second chance. That is why the Dark magic makes him do it. A punishment for interfering with the Difias's quest.

      Jenny was carefully watching Litias. She couldn't help but feel as if Litias, the creature who claimed to be a dark witch, seemly admired The Hero. Litias was acting like a child telling it's new best friend, about their favorite super hero. The only difference was, Litias was unlike any child Jenny had ever seen, and the creature's favorite super hero threatened to kill everyone in the building.

      Jenny kept her eyes on Litias as it continued to rummage through it's trunk. Not knowing much about Litias, and it's relationship with The Hero. It made her wonder if the two of them had ever met. As Jenny was about to ask the question, Litias cut her off. "No. I've never battled The Hero. He was before my time. You forget pretty one. This all happened over two thousand years ago."

     Jenny's eyes widen. She never actually ask the question, plus now she wanted to know how old Litias was, but before she could inquire, Litias spoke again. "I'm one thousand eight hundred and fifty seven years old." Jenny's was in complete shock. Litias then followed it up by saying. "Apparently, for my kind, that is very young."

       Litias was still pulling out stuff from her trunk, and Jenny was becoming more dumbfounded, it was at this point she thought about Gothic Mirror, and knowing it was this creature that probably taught him everything he knew. She came to the conclusion, Litias could read her mind. Jenny was going to say something, but Litias interrupted her again. "Yes Pretty One, I can read your mind."

      "Can you stop!?!" Jenny finally got a word out, and was becoming frustrated.

     Litias gave Jenny a look of a scolded child. "Meaah. I'm just making sure you don't try to hurt me."

     Jenny settled down. "I'm not going to hurt you."

     "Good." Litias seemed happy with Jenny's response. Then added. "It's not like you could anyways." Trust me when I say, many heroes have tried, and I humiliated every single one of them."

     Jenny smiled. "Well all of them except, you know who."

      Litias shrieked. "Meeaaaah!!! I was never suppose to fight him, and now he is here!"

     The two of them had a awkward moment of silence, but after a few moments, Jenny began speaking. "Look... If you want me help you defeat him. Then I still need some information. So I can fully understand what I am up against.

     Litias gave Jenny a look of annoyance. "Why would you help me Pretty One? I'm a creature of pure evil, and he is a hero."

     Jenny folded her arms. "Well The Hero said he was going to kill everyone if I don't stop him, and you haven't."

     Litias gave a faint laugh. "Not yet."

    Jenny gave Litias a dirty look, and Litias said. "Fine. What would you like to know?"

     Jenny unfolded her arms, and gave Litias another dirty look. "Don't read my mind this time. I want to actually be able to ask the questions."

    Litias, once again acted like a scolded child. "Fine... I see you take the fun out of everything, don't you? Ask your questions."

    Jenny was trying to think what she should ask first. Everything about Litias and it's story seemed unbelievable. Finally she decided to ask some basic questions.

"So I know the hero isn't a demon, what is he exactly?"

      Litias growled, then the creature began mumbling in a language Jenny didn't understand as it stared at the floor. Finally the creature looked back at Jenny, and began speaking. "I hate to have to explain it this way. Have you ever seen," Litias gave a look of disgust. "Lord of the Rings?"

      Jenny let out a bit of a chuckle. "Yeah. I watched it with my dad as a kid. I really only watched it to spend time with him. It was one of his favorite movies." Litias gave another look of discuss. Then Jenny had a epiphany. "Bilbo was the name of one of those little guys, you know, the one with the r.."

     Litias quickly cut her off. "Stop!!!" Litias seemed to be getting angry. "That damn Tolkien! He got everything wrong! For fuck sake he thought Billbo was a Kender, and even misspelled his name."

    Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Kender?"

     Litias rolled her eyes. "Excuse me. I guess you would call them hobbits."

      "Is there a difference?" Jenny asked.

      "Yes." Litias replied. "You see Hobbits, went on a quest, to destroy the one ring in a volcano. Kenders would trade the one ring for a stock of celery."

     Jenny wanted to laugh. She even wanted to ask some follow-up questions about these creatures, but realized she was getting off topic, and needed to refocus. "So if The hero is not a Kender, or whatever. What is he?"

      "He's an Elf." Litias stared at Jenny as she answered her question. Then followed it up with. "At least Half-Elf, but it has always been up to debate, what the other half was."

     Jenny thought about it for a moment, then asked. "I thought Elves were short and fat."

      Litias shook it's head. "No, those are dwarves."

      Jenny was now scratching her head, then she snickered. "Well I prefer the Elves that make cookies, or Christmas presents." Litias just stared at Jenny. Then Jenny followed it up by saying. "Sorry. I tend to make jokes in stressful situations. It's how I keep my sanity.

     Litias continued to stare for another moment, until finally the creature went. "Ha." Then it went back to staring at Jenny.

     Jenny thought about her next question. As Litias sat on the end of the bed. Jenny decided to sit next, to her, but left space between them, before she asked her next question. "You said The Hero, was half elf. Could the other half be human?"

      Litias let out a hard laugh. "That is the problem with you humans. You all want to be part of everything. Earth is the only world I have been to that has humans. Yet when you fools make up stories about my world, you arrogantly put yourself in as the hero."

     "Is that so?" Jenny replied. Jenny scooted just a little bit closer to Litias. "Tell me this then. How are we telling stories about your world, if humans have never been there?"

     Litias let out a little growl, which caused Jenny to move away from the creature. Then Litias began to answer. "You been around the crystal, haven't you?" Jenny nodded. Litias continued. "That sickness you feel, the dread, and nightmares it gives when someone is exposed to it. The crystal has been on earth for over two thousand years. Even though the ones who are closest to it feels it's effects immediately. The orra it gives off still travels. It's possible that over time you humans had succumbed to visions, which turned into stories, creating a entire genre.

Basically, I'm saying, what you humans call fantasy, was once my reality."

      Jenny was now thinking about the story Dan told her earlier. "I heard that those visions, turned nightmares, may have droven some to suicide."

      Litias smiled. "You mean like one of the archeologist that found the crystal?" Jenny nodded, realizing that Litias had probably read her mind again. Litias snickered. "Don't lose any sleep over it. After the man died. It was discovered that he had a large amount of child pornography on his computer."

      Jenny's eyes widen. The only thought going through her head now was, damn! Even when trapped in the crystal. He still found ways to kill bad people.

     Jenny shook that thought out of her head, then came to a realization. "So you're telling me that dragons, elves, dwarves, and ogre all exist?"

     Litias gave a slight smile. "Yes... In one form or another."

      Jenny sat there in shock. Normally she would think that the person she was talking to was insane, but considering the fact, the person she was talking to wasn't even human, made everything it said, far more believable.

    

        Litias stood up and walked to a door that was in the room, she opened it up and it lead to another room. As Litias entered the adjacent room, Jenny followed her. Once in there Jenny noticed Litias had a desk. Litias picked up a parchment that was on the desk and began looking at it. Jenny looked around the room and saw another bed, she then sat down on the foot of that bed and asked. "Is that another one of The Hero's story?"

      Litias turned it's attention back to Jenny. "You're funny pretty one. You must think all I do is sit around, reading stories about The Hero."

      Jenny smiled. "Well you could have fooled me."

     Litias frowned. "It's a spell. Similar to the one that put The Hero in the Crystal. I'm going to need to memorize if I'm going to battle the hero."

      Jenny raised an eyebrow. Why did Litias have that spell on it's desk? Did Litias think there was a possibility of The Hero escaping the crystal tonight?

      Jenny didn't want to think about it to much, she was once again letting herself get off topic. She needed to focus, and figure out what she was truly up against. "Look if we are going to work together, I need to know what kind of powers The Hero has."

      Litias put the parchment down, and began pacing around the room. "He has many. He is extremely strong, and fast. He can summon his legendary weapon out of thin air. Any ability he sees, he can mimic it, and do it better. He can transport himself anywhere he wants. He can even read the soul of anyone he meets."

     Jenny stared at Litias. She was completely puzzled about the last thing, the creature said. "What do you mean, he can read soul of anyone he meets?

      Litias stopped pacing and let out a sigh. "The Hero can look inside one's soul, and see everything they have ever done. Everything they have said. All the knowledge one person has, can become his in a blink of an eye. Afterwards the victim will become disoriented, feeling as if hours have just passed them by."

      After listening to Litias, she began to mumble. "That's how he knew everything about me."

     Litias watched Jenny for a moment, then the creature asked. "Is there anything else you want to know? If not, I need to return to the task of memorization."

      Jenny looked at Litias. "So with soul ability, he can judge whether someone is good or evil, and he will kill the one's he deems evil first, right?"

    Litias growled. "Yes, that's why he can't know I'm here."

    Jenny shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about him coming for you anytime soon. He has plenty of other bad people to deal with tonight."

     Litias eyes widen. "What do you mean?"

     At this point Jenny realized that Litias probably wasn't fully aware of everything going on. "The Gothic Lights are putting on a concert, with a popular band, and has hired a really nasty motorcycle gang to be their security. They are doing this to promote the arrival of the Demon.

       Litias began freaking out. "No!!! That fool Travis promised he would only have a few of his followers here, when I gave him the contract!"

     Jenny didn't understand how Litias didn't know what was going on. "How did you not know about the concert?"

      Litias, who was now enraged, yelled at Jenny. "I was asleep!!!"

      Jenny gave Litias a confused look. "You must have been asleep for a long time not to know about this."

      "Yes!!!" Litias screamed. "I've been asleep for the last six months!"

     Jenny's eyes widen, but before she could inquire further, Litias continued speaking. "I can go many years with out sleep, but at some point I have to recharge my magic. I went into hibernation six months ago. During that time, Travis was suppose to be working on away to get me the crystal, now I see he has been far more busy than I expected."

      Jenny interrupted Litias. "He killed a person, to bring you that crystal."

      Litias looked to be bothered by what Jenny just said. She stood silently for a moment, before mumbling something in a language Jenny didn't understand. Then Litias spoke in English again. "That is none of my concern. My concern is to trade contract for the crystal, and to take my prizes. Once that is done, I will leave your world."

      Jenny raised an eyebrow again. "Prizes? Besides the crystal, what else was he suppose to get you?"

      Litias smiled. "Nothing, I was going to retrieve my other prize myself."

       Jenny became worrisome. "Where is this other prize?"

      Litias laughed. "Don't worry pretty one, I already have it now."

      Jenny knew it was pointless to keep asking her about the other prizes, because the creature apparently didn't want to talk about it, and she knew she couldn't make her. There was still a big problem though. The contract, she couldn't let it get into the hands of Travis, Aka Gothic Mirror.