#ALSO CROSSFIRE FUCKED ME UP BYE

[remholder]

finally watched a certain episode yesterday

i think it got to me:

[linniewrites]

Good day ; we can fly off. | Meliodas

Meliodas x f!goddess!reader

Summary : 

“Good bye, wipe off the tears

Good day, please believe in me

Wake up, the scenery is changing

Hey, we can fly off”

Words : 4,097

Warnings : crying, killing/death, fighting, language (fuck, dick, etc.).

Notes : the music always makes me cry when I hear it so I had to write something with it. i think im going to write a lot of this au where reader is Ellie’s sister, I really like it. I also think I might do modern au for nnt. Once more, let me know if you have any tips to get better. Enjoy <3

The sound of battle would always haunt you. Be it the sound of swords clashing, pained screams, grieving cries, people strategizing. All of it sounded awful, but no one you knew seemed to share your opinion, apart from your older sister. You had both understood a long time ago that as daughters of the leader of the goddess clan, you’d have no choice but to fight.

“___, look out !” You friend Nerobasta screamed at you, she had launched off towards you and eliminated the demon that had been aiming at you. You didn’t understand why though, it was only a small grey demon you easily could’ve talked off. Still, you thanked her and apologized.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. We’re in the middle of battle, you can’t just zone off and risk both your life and the life of others !”

“Yeah, I know. And seriously, I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s up with me today.”

“I don’t know either but it doesn’t matter, focus.” Just like that she was gone, off to kill more demons.

“Jeez, what’s wrong with her today ?”

“Maybe Ludociel told her to stop sucking his dick ?” Elizabeth had settled next to you, and had her hands on her hips, eyes looking straight at the pink haired goddess.

“Ellie ! Don’t be so crude !” A group of demons came over to the two of you and started talking about how disgusting goddesses were and how they would bring your heads back to their princes as gifts. You and Elizabeth simply shrugged them off, trying to continue your conversation, if those demons wanted to attack you, you’d fight back, if they didn’t, you’d let them be. They finally decided to attack you, or at least they tried. Two of them went to you and your sister, they seemed pretty weak, one was a short weird ochre color demon and the other one was a taller copper one. You simply set off your feet to avoid them, but copper one tried to grab your feet which only resulted in both his arms exploding from a small Ark you had invoked.

“What, I’m sure it’s true. If someone was following me like that all the time I’d kill them.” Elizabeth closed the palm of her right hand, and with that, the core demon was no more. Literally, not even dust was left from its body. “Oh, look at these two.”

“And look at their friends, somewhere along the way I guess they got in the crossfire.” You pointed at the cadavers that were laying under you, there were about fifteen of them. It was true, you didn’t mean to kill them, maybe they were just so weak that such a small part of your power was enough to kill them.

“These lowlifes…” A demon that had the same appearance as a lion muttered under his breath, stopping everyone that was battling.

“We’re the Six Knights of Black, the most vile warriors of the demon race ! Bend down to us and admire our power !” A tall blue haired one screamed, shaking up the ground. Goddesses as well as demons fled, scared for their lives. Nerobasta joined you and your sister before whispering to you.

“We have to call Sir Ludociel. He’ll be able to help us.” You shook your head, if she wanted to go she could, but you weren’t going to flee a battlefield. Surely you could explain to them you didn’t want to fight them, and they understand.

“There’s no need for that Nerobasta. Don’t worry we’ll take care of it if you’re scared.” You smiled softly at her, you didn’t want her to do anything she didn’t want to, if she found comfort in Ludociel’s embrace than that was okay, but there was no need to drag more people into what was supposed to be a small disagreement.

“I’m not scared ! How dare you say that ! It’s just, he would take care of it way quicker than anyone else would.”

“There’s no need to bring any more people here. Go back to the realm, we’ll take care of this.” Elizabeth swiftly added, stopping Nerobasta who was about to say something else. The older goddess frowned, but left without more complaints, even if she was your friend, she hated that you were both of higher ranks than her, and that she had to respect you a way you didn’t have to do with her.

“Oh, is it only these two small children ?” One that was half man, half made out of what seemed like flesh said in an almost robotic voice.

“Leave it to me then.” The same one that had screamed earlier stepped in front of the rest.

“Nuh-uh ! Bellion, it’s not fair you always get the coolest fights !” The only woman in the group whined.

“Go back to the realm, and have them tell Prince Meliodas I’ll bring him the heirs of the hideous goddess clan.” The five demon complained loudly but with one look from the man, they quickly set off back to the demon realm.

“Wow, look at that guy. So much charisma into one mediocre appearance.” You sweat-dropped at what Elizabeth had whispered to you when she thought the man couldn’t hear.

“You, with the white hair and the foul mouth, you must be Elizabeth, and you, you haven’t said a word yet, so you must be ___. I have to say, it’s impressive to finally meet the bloodstained sisters of the goddess clan.” He let out a humorless laugh and jumped into air to aim at you with his large sword. The two of you easily dodged, which angered him, but not as much as when you ignored him to speak to each other again.

“Ellie, people are hurt. One of us should go heal them.” You pointed at the people on the ground, somehow, humans had ended up here, and although there were other goddesses around, you knew none would decide to help them.

“You think you’ll be okay taking him on ? I can finish off the rest of them before healing anyone.” You nodded at her, concerned, Elizabeth was usually the one that fought, and you’d stick to healing, so why she wanted you to take care of him was a mystery to you. She set herself down and left to finish off the weaker demons as you turned, still in the air, to the leader of the Six Knights of Black.

“You’re Bellion right ? The others listened to you immediately, so I’m guessing you’re their leader. That’s weird though. You claim to be the most vile group, and yet I’ve heard no word of you.”

“You wrenched goddess ! How dare you insult me that way !” He moved his arm, and with that, ruins from the battle flew at you. So he can control things with his mind, you’d have to remember that. You let the rocks follow you, and Bellion almost laughed at how pathetic you seemed, the strongest of all goddesses running away from a few rocks, and then you stopped when you ended up above a lake. With one swat of your wings, you were higher up, and the rocks had fallen down in the water, thus not harming anyone.

“You’ve avoided a few stones, so what ? Death Burn !” He swung his long blade at you and dark violet flames enveloped it before coming at you.

“Jonah’s Ordeal !” A whale made out of light raised from the lake and swallowed up the darkness from the sword. “Actually, I lied earlier, I’ve heard of you. Bellion, the demon that got rejected by his prince. You asked him to be part of the Ten Commandments, and he told you the harsh truth about yourself. You’re so full of yourself, you boast your strength everywhere, and anywhere, but the truth is, even your own race thought you’d be a bother to them in battle.”

“You-“

“Ark !” With a swing of your hand, he was gone, sent back to the demon realm, of course, the attack wouldn’t hurt him too much, it was just to get him as far away as possible. You flew all the back to where you had left your sister and everyone else.

“Ellie ! Is everyone okay ?”

“Yep ! The hurt have been healed, and the demons have been sent back to their realms.” She dramatically said, flying over to check you for any injury. She jabbed her finger on your left cheek, showing a scratch you hadn’t even noticed until now. “What happened to you ?”

“Ellie, it’s a small scratch… I think I got it while sleeping.”

“I told them jewels on cushions was a bad idea, I think I chipped my tooth on one.” You looked down and saw everyone going back home, you were glad, people were going back to their loved ones. “Well, let’s head back.”

You were sitting at your vanity, dabbing some moisturizer onto your face. Elizabeth was laying with her head hanging from your bed and her legs propped up the wall.

“So how’d you get the weirdo to leave ?”

“I didn’t think he’d listen to me so I fought him.” She stared at you, worried about how it might’ve gone on. “Don’t look at me like that, it was quick, one Ark and he was gone. I told him a bunch of mean things and I think that got to him.”

“You told a demon… mean things ? And he actually got hurt ?”

“Yeah, turns out he’s the one that the elder prince rejected.” She sat up, eyes wide and full of excitement.

“Shit, really ? If I’d known I would have fought him myself. How come you know all of the gossips and I don’t ?”

“Well you’re the one that told me a demon had been rejected by the leader of the Ten Commandments and I remember Nerobasta told me the same story, but she actually said the guy’s name.” You stood up and joined her on the bed giggling at her answer to that.

“Ey, Nerobasta knows all the gossip, I need to have lunch with her more. You did good today, I’ll let you sleep.” You rolled your eyes at how she was exaggerating such a little fight but didn’t say anything because you know she just did it because she cared for you. You stopped her before she could fully close the door.

“I’m gonna go on an early walk tomorrow. You wanna come with ?”

“I would’ve love to, but I’ve got a bunch of juniors to train, maybe when I’m done with that we can have dinner together though ?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You haven’t been spending as much time together as you’d like. Your mother had insisted you focused on how to work administrative, deal with which battle was worth looking into, as if they were some sort of game and people’s lives weren’t on the line. Elizabeth however had a training focused on direct battle, she was so good she was training the younger generations. You sighed and got comfortable in bed, turned off the light and closed your eyes, allowing the tears that had pooled up to fall, and sink into your soft pillow. It was so tiring, of course, resolving conflict without violence was amazing, but most of the time, it didn’t work and someone would end up hurt, or dead. You rose up from your bed and grabbed a tissue from your bedside table to wipe your face. You laid back down, and prayed that your night would, for once, be free of those nightmares from the war.

Good bye, wipe off the tears

Humans have a lot on you, but flying is something you’re so happy to have. It makes you sad that they’d never understand how great it is to feel the breeze raking through your hair, or how small everything feels when you’re so high up. You stopped when you saw someone standing at the edge of a cliff and decided you’d come down to say hello. However, as you got lower, you felt your stomach start to churn, and you head started aching. Your breath got stuck in your throat when you ended face to face with the person on the cliff. It was a young man, with blond hair, and possibly the largest set of wings you had ever seen. Clearly he was a demon, and from the mark on his forehead you could tell he was a very high ranked one. He also seemed to stop for a moment and stare at your face intently. His curious stare turned into a glare when his eyes set on your white wings. He picked up the large sword that he had earlier stuck in the ground and launched at you. You shrieked and decided you probably would be able to avoid him if you flew up, so you let yourself fall a few meters down. To your surprise, that didn’t surprise him at all, and he just chased right after you.

“You goddesses are always here, lurking around, waiting until you find someone to sneak up on.” He spoke with pure hatred and disgust.

“No, I swear, I just wanted to sa-“

“Hellblaze !”

“I don’t want to fight !” You screamed at him, you didn’t want to, but if he continued like this, you’d have no choice but to fight back. When the flames finally caught up to you and burned your legs, you decided you couldn’t not defend yourself. “Fuck, Ark !” The Ark was big enough to engage him and bring him far away, but not enough to kill him.

“Fuck, why isn’t my commandment working on her ?!” He gritted through his teeth, it was loud enough so you could hear it before he was taken away. Commandment ? Blond hair ? Black marks all over his body ? Was this the leader of the Ten Commandments ? The next in line to be the demon king ? Meliodas The Love, is what you heard them call him. How you’d never met him was a surprise, but now he was in front of you, you were glad you hadn’t. Was it your bad luck, just yesterday you were beating one of his comrades, talking about how ruthless he was, and now you were the object of his wrath. You didn’t have time anymore, you felt the cold, hard blade graze your cheek, it was well aimed. He had intentionally avoided hurting you and only left a small wound on your face. Your head was bashed against the cliff and you could feel his angry breathing on your face.

“Move, even just one millimeter, and I will have your cut up body sent to that cursed sister of yours.” At the mention of Elizabeth you froze, and before you realized, you had locked him in another Ark. This time bigger, brighter, stronger. He dropped his sword and screamed in pain, clutching his head, almost ripping out his blond hair. Your palm closed little by little until you couldn’t hear him scream anymore. You directed the Ark to land on the edge of the cliff he had originally been standing and let his now unconscious body fall. You sighed again, now it would take a while for him to wake up, you’d go pick up his sword -that had fallen in the water when he dropped it- heal him and when he woke up you’d explain that you were harmless to him. How he was going to believe you were harmless after rendering him unconscious, you didn’t know, but you hoped you wouldn’t have to fight again.

Getting the sword out of the water was a hassle, it was the largest and heaviest you had ever wielded. It now rested next to the healed man, he looked to be around your age, but he was the demon king’s oldest son, so maybe he was a few centuries older. Maybe once he woke up you’d ask him, you’d also ask him if he had siblings too, if he spent time with them. On cue, the blond groaned, and sat up, rubbing his head with his two rough hands. He didn’t notice you until he looked up and saw your worried face and small smile.

“I’m sorry about that. Your head doesn’t hurt too much does it ?” He was speechless, his head didn’t hurt at all, and he had a feeling he knew why. He ignored your question and apology, grabbed his sword walked away.

“Wait, stay for a moment.” He stopped and for a second you thought he’d turn around and answer you but he only just let his wings out to fly away.

“You’re Meliodas The Love aren’t you ?!” He turned around, annoyed, his commandment wasn’t working so he couldn’t even question you without risking anything. Why were you pretending to not know him ? “I don’t want to fight with you, I was just on a morning walk and I thought I’d come say hello.”

“To me ?”

“Yes, I didn’t really see who you were, but it doesn’t really matter.”

“So you just, walk around, greeting demons for fun ?”

“Yeah.” He flew away. “No, come back ! I’m not mocking you !”

Good day, please believe in me.

“You met who ?!” She raised her voice, closing the door quickly behind you.

“Ellie, don’t yell !”

“You’re yelling ?!”

“Right, sorry.”

“You met the leader of the Ten Commandments and thought, you’d say hello ?” She was speaking with a mocking tone, because she knew you were the only person that would think this way.

“I didn’t know it was him at first, but that didn’t change anything, why can’t I say hello to him ?” You pouted, people paid too much attention to stuff like race nowadays.

“You can, it’s just, you know how we get along with them…”

“Well if they find out about it, I can just tell them the truth. We fought and then he left.”

“At least you won.”

“Yeah I felt kind of bad, I didn’t want him to hate me for losing his sword or getting a headache. There’s no way he’ll want to talk to me now.” You threw your face onto your pillow, angry that the only time you could’ve had a calm encounter with a demon turned into a fight. She put her soft, comforting hands on you back and rubbed it up and down.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll meet him again, and when you do, maybe he’ll agree to speaking with you. Just be careful, okay ?” You yawned before answering sleepily.

“Yeah, I hope so. And if I do meet him again, I’ll be extra careful, he seriously could’ve hurt me with that giant sword.” She smiled, stroked your cheek and wished you a good night before turning around to get to her own bedroom, but not without whispering under her breath.

“He’s as small as you are, how can you two be so dangerous ?” Still, Elizabeth thoight about you, amazed, you truly were one of a kind. The only goddess that wanted to be friends with the prince of the enemy clan. She loved that about you, when she had those same thoughts, before she understood what was and wasn’t possible in life, she could talk to you without being judged. And you listened to everything she had to say, now, Elizabeth had gave up on those ideas for herself, but you, you were different, something about you was special. You’d change the world, shake up skies and grounds, and show people what real life truly is. Maybe things could actually change.

Wake up, the scenery is changing

A few days later, you had gone on another one of your morning walks, once again, Elizabeth couldn’t join you, so you decided to keep your promise and be extra careful. You took the same road you usually took, even after last time’s events. You flew past the same cliff you fought with Meliodas and since nobody was here, you decided to lay down on the grass. You set your palms flat down on the grass and let your power seep into the dirt. Flowers bloomed all around, bringing life to the usually dead looking cliff. You smiled and giggled happily, and closed your eyes, feeling the sun shine warmly on your face. Unbeknownst to you, the same demon you had met last time was staring at you from above. What exactly were you ? Since when did goddess try to have conversations with other races, especially demons ? Since when did they use their powers for something so trivial as flowers ? And since when were they so adorable ? He’d never heard one of them laugh like this, usually they were mocking people, laughing at their pain or sadness. He felt a few drops of water on his hair and realized it started raining. He heard you groan and complain about how you couldn’t just go on a normal walk without being interrupted. You raised your head and that’s when you noticed the blond demon that was staring at you, he turned around when you two made eye contact, his face warming up quickly.

“Oh, hi !” You waved hello at him and beckoned him over. “Come ! Sit !” He hesitated before slowly lowering himself onto the ground. “Hello. I’m ___”

“I know.”

“Oh. Well still, at least I’ve introduced myself.”

“I’m Meliodas. But, you knew that, no ?” You nodded and patted the space next to you, hoping he’d sit with you. He walked over to the spot, but didn’t sit, so you looked up at him, and for the first time in his life, he shied away and couldn’t stare at someone’s face. You didn’t seem to understand that he was flustered so you just stood up to stand next to him.

“So, how’s your life going ?” You hesitantly asked, looking around, nervous from his staring.

“I’m not doing this.” He turned around and you thought he was going to leave so you hurried to grab his shoulders.

“No, wait !” You released him, and calmed down. “I’m sorry, I just want to talk.”

“About what ?”

“Life. I just thought, since we both come here, maybe we could be friends ?”

“You want to be friends ?” From his voice, it didn’t sound like he was mocking you. He just seemed genuinely surprised, and also maybe, curious. “With me ?” He hated how weak he sounded, like no one had ever asked him for his company. Before he could stop himself, he continued. “Why ?”

“Of course I want to be friends. I know that our races don’t get along too well but I think it’s nice to know more people. I know that demons aren’t actually that bad.”

“We’ve always been at war, and somehow, you believe that we’re good guys ?”

“You’re saying so yourself. It’s a war, you’re fighting to protect what you care about, and I do the same. I don’t believe there’s a good or a bad in a war. There are just people, who fight for something, or someone.”

“That’s a nice way to think. I guess it suits your character.”

“My character ? You don’t even know me…” Maybe now, he was the one laughing at you, he says he wants nothing to do with you but then he acts like he knows you.

“The whole goddess character. How you guys tend to see the world like there’s nothing wrong in it.” He gestured to you, frowning when your face hardened.

“That’s not how we see it though. I think most of us see what’s wrong first, and then notice the happy things.”

“Yeah ? What do you see first ?”

“Depends, I like to think I see the positive in things. What about you ? I don’t really know what fits the whole demon character.”

“I guess I see bad things first, and then, when it’s too late I notice there are still good things.”

“Maybe, we can try and show each other how we see life ? You’d understand us better and I’d understand demons better. At least two of us won’t hate each other for no reason.” He didn’t know why the clear hope in your voice made him so vulnerable, but when he looked into your eyes, he knew he could only answer one thing.

“Yeah. We can try.”

Hey, we can fly off

[ackermanbitch]

Teenage Dirtbag (Peter Parker x Fem!Reader) Part 6.5?

a/n: so this is honestly just filler (which is why it's so SHORT) before the part of the fic that takes place during the beginning of homecoming. i dont see the point in writing for the rest of civil war when realistically this is as far as reader would be involved. also not using (y/n) bc i dont like it anymore :D

warnings: arguing?? but it's kind of funny, reader being very much tony's daughter and repressing very real and important emotions

pt1, pt2, pt3, pt4, pt5

word count: 730 (augh its so short im sorry, next chapter will be the normal length dw )

"Ross wants you in juvie, and honestly, I can't totally blame him! You were assisting war criminals. War. Criminals."

The teen groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose and trying to lean as far away from the boy sitting next to her, wondering why the hell he chose to sit right there when there was an entire private plane for him to roam. "Why didn't you have this conversation with me before I left?" She whispered angrily, adjusting the phone in her hand to speak directly into the microphone.

Regardless of where Peter sat, he would've heard Tony's yapping through the phone in response to being interrupted during a lecture.

"Oh I'm sorry my scolding doesn't line up with your schedule young lady, but this is the only time I could fit in to talk to you, what between all the meetings I'm having in an attempt to keep you out of jail!"

"Can't you, I don't know- tell them I happened to be going for a-... a nice stroll? Walked into the crossfire by mis-" She stumbled over her words, eyes darting to Peter who snorted at her idea before she even finished. He quickly cleared his throat, head turning away so quickly she thought he might've pulled something.

Tony brought his palm up to his forehead, some measly attempt to soothe his growing migraine, "This is not a joke, we're talking about you potentially doing prison time-"

"I've hardly done anything deserving a real charge Dad, they just think I'm going to do something and I obviously won't, seeing as my team of 'war criminals' are in fucking Alcatraz-"

"One, you need to watch your damn language and two, you think I don't know that? Of course I think these allegations are a load of bullshit, it doesn't make it any easier to shut them down." Tony sighed, checking the time on his phone before bringing it back to his ear. "Listen, I have to go, call me when you land and don't let Happy fall asleep. Can't have you two teenagers unsupervised on my private plane."

She glanced at Happy's snoring figure on the other side of the jet, "Yeah, sure, he's wide awake. Love you, bye." She deadpanned, hanging up before Tony could finish reciprocating the sentiment.

She may have forced a mask of indifference, even carelessness, when faced with the consequences but behind all that, her brain felt like a fucking circus. A circus with multiple tornado sirens going off, fires and mass hysteria. Oh, and every clown wore her face. Her stupid, 'rebel against dad' at any chance, war criminal assisting face. She'd rather end up in prison than have to face her dad again. What if he never forgives her for this, what if he never moves on, what if this isn't like every other time she's done something stupid, this could change the course of her li-

"You're not.. actually gonna go to jail, right?" Peter interrupted her raging thoughts, giving her quite the worried stare.

She sighed, fiddling with her phone, "No, he would never let that happen. Not with his troupe of lawyers. I'll get let off with a 'hefty warning'," She emphasized with air quotes, "AKA forty torturous minutes of Cap telling me how I need to make better choices. Though he's stuck in the clink right now so I don't know."

She tried to hide the slight shake to her voice, how it sounded more like she was convincing herself rather than explaining it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Don't tell Mr. Stark I said this but uh- Y'know, he's Captain America, he'll probably break out of there in no time."

She slowly turned her head to look at him, slowly letting a smile break out across her face. "Yeah, maybe. He's pretty crazy. Suuuch a rebellious guy, very anti-government."

Peter shrugged with a hopeful smile, "I don't know, this whole thing started over him not wanting to sign a peace treaty, that seems extremely anti-government."

"I guess you're right Parker, as always." She grinned, ignoring his flushed cheeks at her compliment and letting her eyes drift to Happy.

"You got a marker?"

--

taglist: @preciousbabypeter @lily-sinclair-2006 @b-barnes04 @ink-stained-eyes

[makeste]

hello! I’ve seen some debate as to whether the 2nd meant allies in general would bolster izuku and although I do think that’s true (ofc any sort of support system that he lets himself rely on would bolster him) I feel like if that was what was meant it would’ve been made clearer? maybe instead of just katsuki showing up, the final panel would’ve had several students burst onto the scene. what are your thoughts?

agreed. and incidentally this is another big reason why it's not Toga. if it was her then Horikoshi wouldn't have devoted any time to OFA II's little hype speech. it just makes it kind of pointless, unless this whole time we've been sleeping on Toga's hidden ability to bolster Deku lmao.

but anyways, yeah. and I mean, Two's commentary here is really just acknowledgement of something we've long since known already. Kacchan is the one who will ultimately be able to reach Deku. we don't actually need a piece of dialogue to tell us this, because the manga has been showing it to us since day one. his resume is fucking stacked. I mean, let's go through it.

he is mean.

I love this you guys. I honest to god love it. because the thing is, if you ask anyone what Kacchan's absolute worst quality is, this would be the obvious answer, right? "he's an asshole" lmao.

but that's exactly what we need right now!! someone who's not afraid to tell it like it is, and won't try to sugarcoat things. someone who's not afraid to argue back and risk hurting someone's feelings. because right now Deku is walking all over anyone who can't do that. All Might tries to feed him lunch and he's like "nah I'm good, anyways bye." Endeavor tries to tell him to rest and he's all "I'm fine" and fucking hangs up the phone. nuh uh. enough of that. what we need is someone who will call him out on his shit. "hah!? don't tell me you're fine when it's obvious to anyone you can barely stand on your own two feet, dumbass."

he is stubborn.

kind of ties into the other thing, but yeah. right now we need a bullheaded asshole who won't take no for an answer if he thinks he's right. good luck trying to sweet talk your way out of this one, Deku.

he understands the situation.

this one is important, because in fairness, simply standing in front of Deku and saying "you shall not pass" isn't gonna be enough to actually accomplish anything here. ultimately he's going to have to be able to reason with Deku too. and so in that respect, it certainly doesn't hurt that Kacchan is someone who understands the OFA situation as well as anyone, and has always had clear judgment about it. he understands the threat of AFO ("they all died young"), and he understands the burden of All Might's legacy. he knows what Deku is dealing with, and that's going to give him an edge when it comes to finding that elusive-yet-critical talk no jutsu knockout blow.

he's been where Deku is now.

Kacchan knows a thing or two about burdens. granted, they've more often than not been ones that he's put on himself, but that didn't make them any less heavy. Deku right now is struggling not just with his feelings of responsibility, but also with all of the misplaced guilt that's feeding into it. AFO is targeting him. if innocent people get caught in the crossfire then that's on him. every minute that AFO stays out there getting stronger and causing more chaos is all on him, because he hasn't defeated him yet. and so on and so forth.

and Katsuki knows what that's like. because he blamed himself for what happened to All Might. that feeling of "if I'd only been stronger" is one that he's intimately acquainted with. that feeling of blaming yourself, of not being able to look someone you care about in the eye because you think it's your fault they got hurt. this is something he knows. this is a road he's already been down. and so if Deku tries to pull any "you don't understand" nonsense, Kacchan is uniquely situated to immediately shoot that shit right down.

he's immune to low blows.

lol I keep thinking of all the different counterarguments that Deku could make, and all the different ways in which Kacchan is perfectly equipped to handle them. anyway, so this particular thing is a very recent development, but very fortunately timed. so as we all know, Kacchan was a first class dick to Deku during their childhood. something which Deku, with his abnormally kind and forgiving nature, has never once confronted Kacchan about, even though he would have absolutely had the right. but anyway, so here's the thing though -- right now I fully believe that Deku can and will do or say just about anything in order to get Kacchan and the others to leave. and that includes hurting them in order to save them. so it would not surprise me at all if Deku goes as far as to throw Katsuki's old, cruel, selfish behavior back in his face as part of a last-ditch effort to get him to back down. desperate times and all that.

and maybe there was a time when that actually would have worked. but here's the other thing -- we know something Deku doesn't. namely, that Kacchan has recently leveled up emotionally and has finally unlocked his atonement quest. he finally understands that it's not all about him. which means that it doesn't matter even if Deku pulls out the big guns. he may hurt his feelings, but he's not going to scare him off, because Kacchan's focus right now is on atonement, not forgiveness. he's not doing this for a pat on the head. he's doing it because it's the right thing to do. and no amount of insults will be able to sway him from that.

he learned from the best.

I said this in another post a couple of weeks back, but yeah. Angsty Nomad Deku has nothing on early Kacchan in terms of pushing people away. early Kacchan was the motherfucking king of pushing peeps away. if you so much as LOOKED at this kid in such a way that SUGGESTED you might even be THINKING about possibly trying to save him, he would straight up throw a ten-year hissy fit lmao. Deku's "All Might, you don't have to tag along anymore"s ain't got SHIT on all of Kacchan's "STAY BACK DEKU"s and "I'D RATHER LOSE!!!"s and "OMFG HOW DARE YOU BE THE ONLY PERSON TO TRY TO SAVE ME FROM THIS RAMPAGING SLUDGE MAN WHO'S ABOUT TO SUFFOCATE ME TO DEATH"s. Kacchan is the undisputed goat here lol.

but anyway, so what this means is that he has accumulated a whole HOST of iconic lines and fateful parallels which he can throw back in Deku's face at a moment's notice. and the best part is that he learned it all from THIS EXACT MOTHERFUCKER, RIGHT HERE. what is Deku even gonna do!! argue against his own past actions?? "well, uh, I guess now that you mention it I should have just sat back and watched you die all those times" OH REALLY?? YOU DON'T SAY. THAT SOUNDS SO CONVINCING.

and so guess what, Deku -- if Kacchan was worth saving, then you're worth saving too. it's an ironclad argument. congratulations son you played yourself.

he always wins.

okay so real talk, we all know that what's really driving Deku right now is his fear of losing people. he's helpless against that. he saw Kacchan get stabbed right before his eyes and it fucked him up. he saw all these other people getting hurt and killed because he couldn't save them, and he straight up could not deal with those emotions at all. he's scared. he's more afraid of that happening again than of anything else. and AFO knows that, and that's why he's resorted to his current tactics, which have isolated Deku even further and caused him to push even All Might away.

what Deku is missing right now, and what he needs to have restored, is trust. trust is the antidote to fear. and when you're as scared as Deku is, it takes an extraordinary amount of assurance in order to ease those fears. basically you don't want to place your faith in anything less than an absolutely sure thing.

but Kacchan is exactly that. this is the exact type of situation that Kacchan's "aiming for the top" overkill confidence was made for. he's the one who never loses!! the hero who's going to surpass all other heroes!! Deku inherited All Might's compassion, but Kacchan inherited his determination. Kacchan is someone who brings reassurance. his confidence is unwavering. and in the end, I think it will be strong enough to pull even Deku back out from the darkness.

he is strong.

Kacchan is Deku's rival in every sense of the word, and I fully believe he's capable of matching him step for step even now. and so Deku can try to push him away, but Kacchan is capable of withstanding that force and staying his ground. Deku can try to run, but Kacchan still has him matched for speed. and as a last resort, Deku can even try to defeat him -- but Kacchan won't ever concede to defeat.

and all of this ties back into what I was saying about trust. because Kacchan is strong. strong enough not to die. strong enough to live. strong enough to not make others worry about him. and that's what Deku so desperately needs right now in order to finally let go of his fears. Deku needs someone who can get him to trust in others again, and to do that, he has to be able to trust in their strength.

and last but not least...

he has a secret weapon up his sleeve.

several, as a matter of fact. his hero name reveal. his apology, if he chooses to give it now (though I could see him waiting for a more sincere moment, rather than whipping it out now when it could be misconstrued as a manipulation tactic). but perhaps most importantly...

never underestimate the power of an iconic role reversal. because that's what I'm getting at here, if it wasn't clear lol. this probably would have worked better if I had a picture of him actually reaching out to Deku. but I mean, that's kind of the point lol. I don't have one because he hasn't done it yet. BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE. good luck withstanding that, Deku.

so yeah. look at all that. he really is a one-man Deku-saving army. which is not to say that the other kids won't have a part to play as well, or that it's not important for them to be there, because it is. but as far as the lead role goes, it's Kacchan. like that astronaut meme guy says. always has been.

oh and as a bonus he was smart enough to finally leave the mask at home today lol. LET DEKU SEE THE SINCERITY IN YOUR EYES. YESSSSSSS.

[necros-writing-stuff]

Im currently going through kylar brainrot but like, what do you think kylar + the other LI’s if you wish would work as adults? my dude kylar wants “lots of babies” then he better provide for them financially istg 🤨🤨

I'll do the ones specifically described as the PC's age, so the school trio, Alex and I'll throw Wren in for shits and giggles.

Alex

A farm as a front for a breaking bad set up? Now that's fun.

Eventually you're gonna find out, and your reaction and the subsequent happenings are going to depend on a lot.

If they're low dominance and you disapprove there's a chance they'll stop, especially if Bailey is still sticking their nose in things.

High dominance? They'll insist that it'll all be well, no they won't get caught, you just focus on the fields, okay?

May let you join in if you're curious, but ultimately may keep you at an arms length about it. Just in case it does fuck up, you don't need to be caught in the crossfire.

Could end up in jail.

I think Alex might want a big family, if you're able.

You will meet more of his family and start realising what their mam/dad meant in their letter.

The family puts it on you to keep Alex safe.

Gives me motorcycle gang vibes, without the bikes.

Kylar

Kylar might be forced to take on the family business, demanding you be their stay at home spouse.

The wedding is very quicky done, its an elopement.

Will do a big ceremony if you ask, just be aware that their vows are gonna as intense as their English Poems.

Probably away from home most of the day, exceedingly clingy when they get back.

Constantly wants you/them pregnant. I don't think they'd allow a sperm doner if needs be, but if the PC brings up how being an orphan was horrible, you could convince them to adopt.

Convincing Kylar that they're an adult, and that if an office job makes them sad then they can try to build up what they really want in their spare time, you'll support them.

Kylar as an artist/game streamer.

Streamer Kylar having a small but loyal fan base, cryptid status. Known for slipping up and letting out what their fetishes are.

Fanbase bullies them, but if you come on stream they start behaving, they think you're the sweetest.

The path if they don't get you? Incel. Pure, should be on a watch-list incel.

Also possible future felon.

Robin

Therapy. Lots and lots of years of therapy.

Gets out of town as soon as possible.

Also could see as a streamer, Crankgameplays vibes.

Gets a cute pet, loves them dearly. Probably a dog, a big fluffy one with floppy ears.

Could also see them stuck in retail for years, trying to get by in University.

Robin growing up to be a History Professor with a loving healthy relationship with the PC.

Professor Robin being very forgiving with their students, giving them drinks and snacks when they come to the office.

Thinks about having kids for a long time before/if they decide to have them. Is terrified something will happen to them and the kid will end up with Bailey.

Whitney

I could picture Whitney just leaving as soon as school ends.

Packs a bag and fucks off, going to the nearest big city so they can start over.

Could end up homeless for a while.

Maybe getting an apprenticeship, working as a mechanic.

Or a hairdresser.

If they're with the PC then I could see them asking for you to run off with them.

Gets angry and has a huge argument with you if you say no, but won't kidnap you about it.

Storms off without saying bye, never stops thinking about you after and constantly thinks about going back for you.

If you go with them? Will protect the they'll out of you if you're on the streets.

If you try to prostitutes yourself for money they'll end up your pimp. You only fuck clients they say you can.

If they have kids it's an accident. Takes up the role, but its a learning curve.

Whitney is much smarter than they look. I think they'll end up pretty comfortable. Not rich, by any standards, but they'll calm down a lot and be far more respectful away from that shit town.

Wren

Might end up six feet under if Remy catches on to their shenanigans.

Or in jail.

Failing all that? Wren could get recruited by Alex.

Less chance of getting strapped up and tuned into a cow at Alex's. Could end up a drug smuggler for them.

Or Bailey. I think Bailey could see potential there and hire Wren to sabotage the orphans lives so Bailey can make more money off of them.

Wren is a little chaotic shit. I think they're too used to a life of crime to have a normal life by now, and would appreciate a ride or die s/o.

Wren playing the long game and finessing the ranch from Remy.

Kids with Wren is a bad idea. Don't do it.

[yourfangirlfriend]

It’s Nothing Serious - Chapter Seven

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Five and a Half

Chapter Six

A/N: Hey. Been a while. Here’s an update and a loose promise I’ll be better? Also thanks for all the notes, comments, and messages recently! I forget who wanted to be on the tag list, but comment and I’ll know for next time!

“It’s not serious.”

 You pinch the bridge of your nose.

 “Mother.” 

 “It’s not. You’re really overreacting.”

 You curl your fingers into the bed of your palm and feel the bite of your nails digging into the flesh. “It’s cancer.”

 “Psssh.”

 You want to throw the phone across the room. Instead, you screw your eyes shut and lean back against the wall.

 “Do you have an appointment soon?”

 “You know I don’t like hospitals.” She says just as you see the deadbolt to your apartment flick unlocked. Javi pushes in seconds later, looking just as tired as you feel. You give him a little wave.

 “Well weigh that dislike of hospitals against your dislike of death,” you say, turning away and putting your hand on your hip. You don’t want to burden him with this, but you see his eyebrows perk up anyway. Shit. You lower your voice. “Can’t Dad sit with you? Or Luna?”

 “You worry too much.” She chides.

 “You don’t worry enough!” You scold into the phone. You feel a hand around your waist and turn just in time to get a kiss on your forehead. It calms you down.

 Sighing, you regain your composure. “Mom? Please promise me you’re going to go back.”

 “Well of course I’ll go back, Bean, but really, I don’t want you worrying about me.” Somewhere in the background, you hear a crash behind her.

 “Mom?”

 “It’s just your father. He’s putting up shelves for the crystals and I think he fell. Can I call you back?”

 You sigh. The only thing your mother is worse at than soothing your anxiety is calling you back.

 “Yeah, sure.” You say. “But actually call?”

 “I always do.”

 “Hmm.”

 “Bye Bean, I love you.”

 “I love you too,” you say before you hear the line go dead. You put the phone back on the hook and drop your head, trying it to calm yourself down. From the couch, you hear Javi perk up.

 “Sounds like you had a worse day than me.”

 You look up and give him a weak smile. “We’re having a lot of those, recently.”

  How long are honeymoon periods supposed to last? You would have at least guessed six months. That only seems fair, given the seven months of angst and hookups that preceded finally, finally being able to admit to one another that maybe this meant a little more than you led on. You would have taken three months, even- three months of everything just being calm and quiet and nice, where the most stressful thing to happen is burning dinner because you’re too busy fucking on the counter.

 You moved to the wrong fucking city.

 It wasn’t even a week after your drunken exchange of I-love-yous that it began. All those bodies piling up once more, only this time the cops and their allies were giving just as good as they had got. Bodies from both sides seemed to pile up in higher stacks all around you two. Three days hadn’t passed without you having to calm down one of your students -or worse, one of your fellow teachers- over recent events. It was getting to you, too, if you were honest. Javi had warned you against going out like you once did, and as much as you hated it, you knew he was right. You thought of the friends of friends who had disappeared or died, caught in the crossfire or in the consequences of their poor decisions. The more you heard, the more you wanted to lock yourself in your apartment, hidden away from the chaos of the outside. You managed to see your friends at work but meet-ups outside had dwindled severely. Alessa found out she was pregnant and didn’t want to risk it. Lisa’s brother-in-law got caught in between two sides of a gunfight and couldn’t work any longer, so she was helping them more around the house. Maritza was the only one who still tried to go out, but it was a rare occasion you could even gather everyone up for a dinner at home.

 Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if you could have spent all this new, anxious free time with Javi, but if anything, he had picked up your slack when it came to existing in the outside world. Since Los Pepes had entered the picture, the man worked around the clock. Sometimes you would go the whole evening without seeing him, only to be awoken to the feeling of his body falling on the bed next to yours. While he still insisted on driving you to work every morning, he had begun staying at the office later and later, sometimes not returning until 2 am. The fire and anger that once fuelled him seemed to have died out, and the poor man is running on fumes. You could see it when you both woke in the morning in the dark circles under his eyes and the uptick in cigarettes he had been smoking. You try and take care of him - bringing him coffee in bed, rubbing his shoulders when he sits up, lost in his own thoughts. He appreciates it, he tells you as much, but no matter how hard you try he’s still as weary as ever when he finally comes back to you.

 You don’t want to add to that. You know that what he’s seeing at work must be leagues beyond your little pep-talks and lonely evenings, and you don’t think it’s worth mentioning even if it has started to take its toll on you. You miss your friends. You miss days at work where the kids are sunny and mischievous, instead of withdrawn and scared. Hell, you miss your boyfriend- it feels weird calling a man his age that- you’re supposed to be in loved-up bliss, but instead it seems the universe decided to throw you another curveball. You overcame the intimacy issues only to come face to face with this bullshit not days later.

 And now your mom is sick.

 Javi gets up from the couch and comes to stand beside you, his tired hand dropping down to take your fingers. You smile at the effort, which seems small, but you know takes so much for him these days. You reach up to wipe a stupid tear out of your eyes.

 “Swear she thinks she could cure this with sage and essential oil,” you try to joke. He doesn’t say anything, only runs his thumb along your cheek bone and tilt your chin up to look at him. You try and give him a smile before another year drops down your face. Frustrated, you press your hands into your eyes and let out a groan.

 “Fuck.” You say. You drop your hands and look back at him. “I’m sorry.”

 “What are you sorry for, huh?” He asks.

 You shake your head.

 “I don’t…I don’t know.” I’m sorry I can’t be soft and happy for you when you come home? I’m sorry that he has to spend all day on the front lines and come back to this mess? “Things have been rough lately. I don’t want to add anything to your pile.”

 “It’s not my pile that’s getting added to,” he pulls you against him, pressing a kiss against your head once more. You close your eyes and let out a sigh. “You okay, hermosa?”

 You nod, pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes. “They caught it early. She’s just stubborn. She’ll go, though. Her dad was an oncologist. She pretends like she doesn’t know, but…” you shake your head. “Fucking parents, huh?”

 “Yeah,” he says, reaching out to push a loose curl behind your ear. “Fuckin’ parents.”

 You relax into him, letting your head dip down into the dip when his neck connects to his chest. He brings his arms around you to keep you there. The two of you stand like that for a moment, two idiots swaying to the silence of the world’s chaos.

 “You’re not bad,” you sigh against him, snuggling in deeper. “For an alcoholic cop.”

 He chuckles. “Agent.” He combs his fingers through your hair. “You’re not bad for a teacher who lets strange men finger her in a supply closet.”

 You hold a finger up. “One time.”

 He catches your hand and brings your fingers up to his lips, kissing the tips. It’s enough to make you melt.

 “I am sorry,” he says, placing your hand against his chest and holding it there. “About your mom.”

 You sigh. “What can you do?”

 “Do you need to go back?”

 “I’d never hear the end of it if I did,” you pull away from him and make for the coffee table, where you had set out two drinks for Javi’s arrival before your mother had called. You pick them up and extend one to him, and he takes it gratefully, dropping onto the couch next to you. “She’s convinced I worry too much. Me, her brilliant daughter who chose to live in the middle of a war zone,” you purse your lips. “Sorry,” you say.

 He shakes his head. “You’re right,” he leans forward to set his drink down on the coffee table before resting his elbows on his knees, bending forward in a pose of contemplation. Sensing the shift in the air, you sit up and run your fingers along his back.

 “Javi- I didn’t mean…”

 He shakes his head again. “This thing…it’s a fucking mess. All of it.” He sighs. “Sick of seeing fucking bodies.”

 You reach for something to say to comfort him, but you know there’s nothing. Instead, you scoot closer to him, resting your chin on his shoulder.

 “Have you thought about it? Going back to Texas for a while?” He asks.

 You shake your head. “She doesn’t want me to. And neither do I,” you reach up and lace your fingers through his, unclasping a worried hand. He turns to you, his eyes flicking up and down your face.

 “You shouldn’t stay here because of me. You’d be safer.”

 You blow a raspberry. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Sensing he took the joke to heart, you nudge him with your chin. “I’m here because I want to be here. With the kids. With you.”

 He turns back to face forward, and you’re unsure if he’s satisfied with your answer before he speaks again.

 “If anything happens to you…” he shakes his head. It forms a pit in your stomach.

 You reach out and press his hand against the center of your chest. When he looks at you puzzled, you smile. “See? Still beating. Think that’s a good sign.”

 He sighs, but not without a small smile on his face. Taking advantage of the moment, you reach out and take him by the chin, pulling him in for a long kiss. When you break away, his hands come up to pull your face back to his, and you can’t help but smile as he presses his lips against your mouth and begins to trail down your neck.

 “Yeah,” he says, kissing the pulse point that makes you shiver. “I think it’s a good sign.”

      You’re not great at taking care of yourself when you’re stressed out. Who is, really? You hope he hasn’t noticed, though, the way the bags under your eyes have darkened to match his or how much more quickly you seem to go through liquor bottles. You want to think he doesn’t notice- that he’s too focused on other things, but it’s getting harder to pretend. You try and rally your energy every time you see him. You want to be this bright spot for him in the middle of all this chaos and violence. You cook, you clean, and you go down on him like you want to live the rest of your life on your knees. You smile. You joke. You try to be pure sunshine in the bullshit he’s caught in.

 But now your mom’s sick. And, fuck, you’re empty.

 He must notice it. He has to see it when he comes home to you, and your house is a mess. He has to hear it when you spend the next few weeks by the phone, arguing with your family- Luna is too busy with the baby to go home, your father doesn’t want to believe it’s real, and your mother-fuck! - she keeps telling you not to worry. Not to worry! Like the few times she calls, she doesn’t tell you offhandedly how much worse she’s getting. Like you’re not trying to keep yourself from telling her how you hear gunshots every night, or how you can’t go a week without seeing a dead body. Like you’re not protecting everyone from your feelings because surely, they have it worse. You know everyone has it worse. How do you compete with cancer and being a foot soldier in the war on drugs? You’re just some teacher. You’re just some lady in over her head. Like everyone else in this country.

     Maybe it was just a bad day when he came home that Wednesday. For both of you. One of your students’ siblings had died the day before, and you had spent the majority of the day trying not to cry alongside an eight-year-old. You had been trying to reach your mother for days, but the calls kept getting picked up by the answering machine and you couldn’t come up with any other way to say, “please call me back and tell me you’re okay”. When you finally came home, it was to a messy house - why are you so disappointed? it’s been a disaster for weeks- and you barely have enough energy to kick a few things out of a sort of path. You check your messages, willing there to be one overlooked recording of your mother’s voice assuring you she’s doing fine before her scheduled surgery, but the tape is woefully empty, just as it was yesterday and the day before. You pick the stupid machine up from the table and throw it to the ground.

 You chain-smoked three cigarettes by your window, zoning out into the ether as night descended upon you so gradually until it was suddenly dark. You thought of your student, the one who came home to a massacred older sibling, and your stomach cramps. Before you can stop yourself, you imagine your mother in the same position they described to you that morning- spread out like a starfish on the floor, eyes wide open and dull as they stare up to the ceiling, a halo of blood around their head. Your throat itches and you light a fourth cigarette.

 When you went to the refrigerator, finally, but discovered upon opening the door that you had once again forgotten to go grocery shopping. The only things that stared back at you were three-day-old pasta leftovers, some eggs, and a few beers.

 “Fucking idiot,” you said to yourself.

 You pulled out the carton of eggs and had begun to whisk them together when you heard the door creak open. You turned around to call out a greeting but bit your tongue when you saw his face. A deep scowl marked his otherwise handsome features, and he had already lit a cigarette before coming in.

 “Hey,” he said as if he was annoyed with you. You tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the eggs in front of you. He made for the couch, stripping off his jacket as he walked.

 “Fuck!”

 You turned around to see him wavering, trying to regain his balance. He reaches out and grabs the edge of the counter, but it’s stacked so high with papers that his hand slips and he’s falling back onto the floor- but not before hitting the back of his head. You run around, dropping to your knees beside him as he pulls a bloodied hand from the back of his head.

 “Hang on- “you run to the sink and grab a wet towel. Jogging back to him, you reach out to nurse the area when he snatches the rag out of your hand.

 “I can do it myself,” he says. “Why is your fucking answering machine on the floor?”

 You feel stupid and lost for words, like a child who just got scolded. You hold your hands in front of you.

 “I want to help- “

 “If you want to help, why don’t you clean the fucking apartment?” He snaps.

 Your eyes widen. He’s been grumpy for weeks, surly even, but there’s an extra bit of venom in his voice tonight. Before today, maybe you would have called him on it, snatched the rag out of his hand, and told him to go fuck himself, to go to his place and bleed over his own towels.

 But…fuck you’re tired. You have been hanging by a thread all day and the only thing that was keeping your eyes dry was the thought of curling up with him tonight. Maybe if one of the many, horrible things hadn’t happened today you would already be kicking his ass out, instead of standing there dumb and speechless, taking this abuse you don’t deserve.

 So, you let him have the rag. You turn back and walk to the kitchen and keep making the eggs.

 He has it worse. He has it worse.

  You two eat dinner in silence. You can tell he’s not pleased with the meager meal, but he just grunts and shovels it into his mouth. You barely eat, picking at little bites like a bird. Instead, you think about how chemotherapy makes people lose their appetite, and wonder if your mother can eat right now. You imagine her too-long blonde hair must have begun to fall out, and for a moment you think you can feel the sickly strands tightening around your fingers. It’s all-encompassing, and you don’t hear when Javi tries to get your attention.

 “Eloise!”

 You jerk your head up, your blank face meeting his. He frowns.

 “I said do you want a drink,”

 “Oh,” you say, softly. You shake your head. “No.”

 He rolls his eyes and pushes up from the table, going to the liquor cabinet. When he pulls the doors open, his head drops, disappointed.

 “You’re out.”

 “Oh?” You turn around. He turns and sends you a look.

 “Yeah.” He says

 “I forgot to go to the…” you wave your hand.

 “Seems like you forgot to do a lot of things,” he sighs. You frown, a bit taken aback by his annoyance. But yet again, you bite your tongue. He sighs and walks towards the table, snatching up his keys.

 “Where are you-?”

 “To get some from my apartment.” He says. He swings the door open with too much power, and when it falls closed with a crack it makes your shudder.

 Across the room, the phone rings.

 You scramble to your feet, nearly tripping over that same answering machine that had claimed Javi. You yank the phone off the hook, shoving the phone to your ear.

 “Mom?” Your voice is like a little girl’s.

 “What?” The male voice says. Your shoulders deflate.

 “Sorry,” you say, pressing your hand to your forehead. You look up as the door to your apartment swings open again, and Javi walks in with a storm cloud over his head, whiskey clutched in his fist. “He just walked in, hang on.” You hold the phone out to Javi. “Steve.”

 He lets out a sigh and walks forward, taking the phone from your hand. In a daze, you walk towards the kitchen and begin to clean up the few dishes you dirtied, your mind zoning in and out of reality. You don’t notice you’re just standing with the water running until a hand comes from the corner of your eye and switches the tap off.

 “Stop watering the pipes,” Javi says. He walks back to the table and lights a cigarette, sitting down and kicking his feet up. You turn back to look at him.

 “Everything alright?” You ask.

 He scoffs. “No, it’s not fucking alright.” He takes a drag and blows a plume of smoke out. He looks up to you, his eyes darting to the glass he left by your hand. He makes to sit up.

 “I’ll get it,” you say, and you pick it up, walking over towards him. You’re just about to hand it to him when your ankle gives, and you drop the glass, spilling his drink over his pants.

 “Goddammit!” He yelps. He looks up at you - and you know it’s not you, you know he’s had a bad day, you know there’s so much on his plate- but the snarl he has feels like a punch to the stomach.

 “I’m sorry, let me- “you reach for the napkins you thought were on the table before realizing you forgot to buy those, too. Your hand flails around you as you’re caught in your anxiety.

 “You’ve done enough,” he grumbles, pushing up and walking past you to pull a rag from the counter.

 You’re not sure why hearing him blotting his pants behind you does it, but you feel it immediately. That hot, wet trail down your face. And once that first tear is loose, you know you can’t stop. Suddenly, you’re silently weeping, snot and water running down your face as your shoulders shake and you reach up to try and hold yourself.

You let out a long breath, but it comes out as shaky, and the sounds from behind you stop.

 “…El?”

 You begin to paw at your face but realize it’s a lost cause. Shaking your head, you ignore him and walk back to your bedroom, closing the door behind you before dropping against the wall.

 You were doing so well. You hadn’t cried, you hadn’t screamed at him during his shittier moods, you had been an angel. You pushed through all of this bullshit, hoping that, even though you couldn’t compete with his life, he would notice. He would realize how much of toll your own, lesser bullshit had begun to take on you, and had some sympathy. More than that, you had hoped he would appreciate it- how you never pushed him to take care of you, how you were always there for him with a meal and warm arms, how you were soldiering on for him through all the stress. You wanted him to think you some sort of martyr, a girlfriend who was pushing all her needs down to take care of him when he needed it most. If he was emotionally unable to reciprocate, he could at least fucking notice.

 But he didn’t. He was too up his own ass, too busy at work, too concerned with being the only person in this relationship with problems that he didn’t even fucking see how much your teeth nearly cracked every time you faked a smile for him. You were mad at yourself, too- you had folded into this smaller version of yourself after making excuses for him, and now you had the gall to be sad about it? You had paved this path. You tried to protect him from your pain, thinking it was kind, when really you were coddling him.

 You feel anger rise in your chest. You clench your fists in your hands, and you’re about to scream into your knees when you hear the soft knock on the door. Furled by anger, you stand up quickly and swing the door open to see a much softer looking Javi in the doorway.

 And that takes the wind out of your sails. Instead of laying into him like you wanted, you let out a pathetic sob. Immediately he’s pulling you towards him and you’re caught in a tight hold as you sob into one of his nicer shirts.

 “El,” he says softly, and you choke out another sob on his shoulder. Carefully, the two of you descend to the floor of your bedroom as he keeps his hold on you, tracing his fingers up and down your back as you continue to cry against him.

 His tone is soothing as he circles through what little he can say - “baby” and “I’m sorry” and “it’s okay”. As your cries come to a slow, you pull away from him and try to wipe your face.

 “Baby,” he says again, reaching out to touch your cheek. You dare to make eye contact, and, fuck, it breaks your heart. He looks like a little boy who just realized he had crossed a line. You let out a pathetic little hiccup as you wipe your eyes again.

 “I’ve tried- “you stutter on your words as your tears keep falling. “I- I know it’s hard for you, really fucking hard, I know my d-day to day can’t compare to the shi-shit you see,” you try to take in a deep breath. His hand runs down your arm. “But I’m not doing okay. And I’ve tried to put that aside to t-take care of you, but - fuck, I need- “you feel yourself begin to hyperventilate. Fuck, you haven’t cried this hard since you were a kid.

 “What do you need, baby?”

 “Fuck, Javi, my mom is dying!” You yell. “She’s dying and I can’t get a hold of her. And every day I have to go to the school and hear more awful fucking stories about other kids’ families dying. I have to let them think I have any kind of answer when I fucking don’t! I’m just as lost as they are! I’m in my godamn thirties and all I want is to hug my fucking mommy, too!” You huff a few more breaths. “But I can’t, so I pretend. And I come home to you, and I- fuck, I love you so much, and I don’t want to burden you or make you take care of me when you have it so, so much worse but today- “you swallow, your mouth dry from crying - “today she was supposed to go in for surgery. And I haven’t heard anything. I spent all of lunch not eating because an eight-year-old, a fucking eight-year-old! Was telling me that she found her brother with a gunshot wound between his eyes. And I can’t do anything to help her! Just like I can’t do anything to help my fucking mother who won’t even call her daughter back to leave a message to say ‘hey! I SURVIVED SURGERY’. And maybe if I hadn’t had all of that I could put up with your shitty moods like I have been for weeks because I know it’s hard and I know you have it worse but today I just-I fucking couldn’t! I couldn’t do it! I couldn’t take YOU yelling at me when all I wanted was for you to fucking- I don’t know! Pull me in your lap and pet my hair! Ask me how my day was! Ignore my dirty apartment the way I’ve ignored your passive-aggressive moody bullshit for a month because you understand I’m not doing the fucking best right now! And I need the person who loves me to fucking act like it!” You fall forward, sobbing again. The arm on your shoulder drops, and you expect for a moment he’s going to get up and leave you to cry into the night. Instead, though, he scoots back until his back leans against the footboard of the bed. You look up in time to see him open his arms.

 “Come here,” he says.

 Too eager, you scramble over to him as he pulls you against him, petting your arms and face as you keep weeping against him.

 “I’m sorry,” he says. “I do see it. I do. I promise.”

 You hiccup and he pulls you tighter.

 “I know you have it worse- “you start.

 “Stop,” he says, pressing your head against his chest.

 You keep crying over the next half hour as he whispers sweet things to you. When you’ve exhausted yourself, you drop your head to his lap, fading in and out of consciousness as his fingers comb through your hair, soft and comforting. You don’t quite remember him urging you up and into bed, but by the time you’ve regained your senses somewhat he’s pulled your back against him, tucking his nose into the nape of your neck.

 “I’m sorry,” you say softly. He shakes his head.

 “You don’t have anything to apologize for.” He says. “Go to sleep, hermosa.”

 You do.

     The next morning is quiet. The two of your dress quickly and rush out the door, having slept past your alarm. He tells you briefly he’s got a lot on at work today, and you take it as a sign you’ll be walking back this afternoon. You nod and give him a quick peck before running up the stairs to the school, at least somewhat happy to have avoided talking about last night.

 So, you don’t expect it when you leave the school one afternoon and see him waiting for you outside, his arms crossed on his chest, aviators on, posed in front of his car like he’s in a film. You fight the urge to smirk when you drop down to the final step and his mouth jerks up at the corner.

 “You look like a cliche,” you deadpan, walking up to give him a quick kiss. Only, it’s not quick- you try to pull away tastefully, but he takes you by your waist and pulls you into a deeper kiss. You give him a swat on his shoulder but return it regardless, luxuriating in the attention. It feels nice.

 “Get in the car,” he says when he finally pulls away. You tilt your head.

  “You takin' me somewhere?”

 “Not if you don’t get in the damn car,” he swats your ass, causing you to shriek, before beginning to walk around the front. Despite yourself, you smile as you clamber in.

 You don’t ask questions throughout the whole drive, but you admit you’re a bit disappointed when you just pull back up to your apartment building. You try and mask it, hopping out of the car and waiting expectantly for him to come around and join you. He climbs the stairs quickly, beating you to the door to hold it open.

 Without thinking, you reach for your keys. It’s almost muscle memory now. You haven’t been to his place for any real time in months. You think it reminds him too much of work.

 Except, now he’s nodding you over to his door he’s begun to unlock. You come to stand by him, eying him as he fiddles with the lock. As the bolt clicks, he smiles, then turns to you.

 “Close your eyes,” he says.

 “Really?”

 “Fuck you. Yea really.”

 With a small grin on your face, you make a show of daintily closing your eyes. You see a flash of light- him waving his hands in front of your face. Convinced you really have your eyes closed, you hear the door open, then feel a warm hand taking your own. You walk inside, blindly stepping after him until he drops his hand, and you feel his hands come to rest on your shoulders.

 “Alright,” he says.

 You open your eyes, and it takes you a while to realize what he’s even made a fuss about. In front of you are two plates with a single sandwich and a side of potato chips. You’re kind of annoyed for a second- when you surprise him, it’s always with a cake or really good head, never just dinner. Dinner that’s basically a sandwich.

 You turn to look at him before noticing that the apartment has been cleaned up. You swivel around, taking in the sight, noticing the repaired answering machine has been put carefully back on the side table. You haven’t seen your home this clean in a while, and you realize that he must have done this, too. You start to say something, but he’s already pulling out your chair for you, urging you to sit down. Lost for words, you drop yourself into the seat and watch as he comes around to sit in front of you. He waits for you to say something, but when you don’t, he begins.

 “It’s not much,” he says finally. “But you were right. I’ve been a dick, and I’m not the only one with shit on my plate.” He rubs the back of his neck. “When my mom was sick…I should be better to you. For you.” He bites his lip. When you still don’t say anything, he continues. “I’m sorry, El. You’re so…good, and I’m…” he shakes his head. You reach out your hand, covering his. There’s a flash of a smile across his face. “I called sick to work. They were having me doing bullshit paperwork, anyway. Murphy can handle that.” He clears his throat. “It’s uh, not much, but a rich guy owed me a favor, and he had a smoker. I had some old rubs from Señora Garza, the one with the hands? My dad sent me them from back home a while, and I know it’s not going home, but I know you miss the food- “you reach forward and pull the top of the sandwich off.

 Brisket.

 You look up at him, and you start to cry.

 His face drops, alarmed. “Oh- no, baby- “

 “Javi,” you wipe a tear away. “This is- this is - “you bend forward and let out another small cry. Immediately, he’s on his feet, coming around to kneel beside you. Just as he’s about to say something, you lean forward and catch his face in your hands, pulling him in for a kiss. It’s long and warm, and when he finally breaks away, you’re rewarded with a bright smile.

 “You like it?”

 “I love- I love it.” You say, running a hand through his hair. “This is very sweet.”

 He looks down, pleased with himself. You lean forward and press a kiss to his forehead. He reaches up and takes your hands.

 “I…I really love you, El,” he says, not quite daring to look you in the eyes until he’s finished his sentence. “I just hope you know that.”

 You nod before pressing another kiss to his lips. “I do,” you say. “Even when…I do know, Javi.”

 He nods, and the two of you sit there, blissed out together for a moment before he lets out a breath.

 “Well, you better eat. Fucking thing took six hours to smoke, better not let it get too cold.”

 You let out a laugh as he stands and comes to sit across from you. With a smile, the two of you eat. It’s not the perfect approximation of the food back home, but it’s enough to fill you with the comfort you had been craving for weeks. Javi watches, proud of himself as you lick the remaining sauce off a finger, smiling at the flavor.

 “You did good, Peña.” You say, flicking your eyes back to him. He smiles, tossing the napkin down between the two of you before making to stand. He walks over and extends a hand down to you, and you raise your eyebrows.

 “Is there more to eat?” You ask, somewhat hopeful. It’s impossible, but if he found a way to get a malt shake down here too you think you’d have to spend the next three weeks with his dick in your mouth.

 “Something like that,” he says, urging you up. You send him a playful look as he reaches behind you and pulls the zipper to your skirt. With strong hands, he pulls your underwear and skirt down to your ankles, dropping to his knees to let you step out of them. With a twinkle in his eye, he smiles up at you.

 “Go sit on the couch,” he orders. “And keep your knees apart.”

   Turns out his surprises come with pretty good head, too.

A/N: Idk if this is of any interest but in my head Eloise is played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. But of course, you cast her however you like!! She’s yours, too

[heybeybey]

Hey ! Some Criminal Levi x Student Petra ??

YASSS thanks for this @himebee-5 bec. the thought of Thug/Criminal!Levi is always a turn on for me Petra.

This is canonverse AU ppl

Petra is a senior college student majoring in nursing. She still wants to join the Survey Corps but she’s naturally caring and wants to ALWAYS be prepared whenever someone needs urgent medical help. 

She thinks taking up nursing first will give her the in-depth knowledge she needs once that time comes. 

Levi is a notorious thug in the underground and often gets hired as a hitman above ground.

While Levi is on a mission in the surface, sleep-deprived college student Petra accidentally finds herself in the crossfire. 

She was just picking up her black coffee then holy shit, are those gunshots?? 

She was trying to run away and make sure that she doesn’t get killed when a man pulls her out of danger. She was fucking terrified because he has a gun but she realized that he was bleeding. Levi was shot and losing blood fast.

She thought about grabbing the gun and defending herself in case he tries something but she knew deep down that she can’t just leave this man to bleed out on this dark alley when she has the medical training to save him. 

Petra was supposed to take Levi to the hospital but Levi tells her no since he’s going to get caught. 

Petra started to nag him about how he wouldn’t have gotten in this situation if he wasn’t trying to kill someone but she shut up when he glared at her. 

She drags him to her apartment instead. She lives alone because she studies within Wall Sina and she takes care of him. Fortunately, the bullet didn’t hit anything that would make it fatal.

He tries to escape from her apartment every single day but he ends up opening his wound every time.  

Levi would sometimes wake up and see Petra asleep on her study table, medical books and notes scattered around. He’d help tidy it all up as a thank you. 

Since Levi is an insomniac, he’d sometimes also stay up late at night with Petra as she crams for an exam the next day. 

Petra wakes up late and since he’s living with her for a few days now, Levi’s aware of this and sometimes preps her breakfast before she runs out of her place in a hurry. 

One day, he’s really well enough to actually leave and he does so while Petra was in school. 

Petra didn’t want to admit it but she was a bit heartbroken that Levi didn’t even say good bye. 

Fast forward to Petra finally joining the Survey Corps, she’s surprised when she finds herself serving under Captain Levi. She didn’t know what Humanity’s Strongest looks like and she always just thought that the criminal she met before only has the same name as THIS Captain Levi.

She almost tripped when she meets him and saw that it’s the same man.

The first thing Levi asked her when they meet again is how her grades were when she graduated from university. 

Petra continues to save his ass during expeditions. Other soldiers would call her Nurse Petra and Petra would sometimes notice the faint blush on Levi’s cheeks when he hears them call her Nurse Petra. 

[imagine-docx]

dresses.

Summary: Bucky is a cute single dad who needs to get a dress for his daughter because his ex wife’s wedding is in a few weeks. Insert you, the cute kids shop owner who has a ton of knowledge in this department. [ChubbyBucky!SingleDad!AU]

Warnings: swearing, and some insecurity mentions and some body shaming, suggestive content right at the end.

A/N: the amount of love i got on sneaky is astronomical! and i love and appreciate each and everyone of you who read it and enjoyed it! also, please remember to sign all the petitons, and donate if you can and attend protests if you can! black lives matter. - amanda

➽───────────────❥

Nope, nope, no, absolutely not, fuck this. Was the exact thought process Bucky went through his mind. The reminder just popped up that in two weeks was his ex wife’s marriage ceremony and reception.

Bucky and Natasha were once married, and had little Layla from the marriage. Layla was caught in the crossfire of a nasty divorce when Bucky and Nat ended things when she was only 3. When Bucky got the invitation for the wedding, he felt the same exact heartbreak when he realized Nat was cheating on him, and felt someone throw his heart into a fire when he realized the man she was currently engaged to was the exact man she cheated with.

He got up and realized that he should check if Layla had any clothes to wear to the wedding. He looked through her closet and realized Layla outgrew almost all of these or weren’t there for the wow factor.

He sighed, closing her closet. He ran his hands through his hair, he turned around and was greeted by the mirror that was there. 

The divorce was hard on Bucky and it was obvious. He put on a few extra pounds around the waist, his shoulders rounded out, and his thighs filled out his pants from all the late shifts at the security firm. Another sighed escaped his lips, he was seeing his ex in laws again and he didn’t look the greatest. 

He walked down the stairs and grabbed his keys, and was going to pick up Layla from Wanda’s house and take Layla dress shopping.

➽───────────────❥

“Wow you look like shit,” Wanda greeted him.

“Glad to know someone like you is caring for my kid,” Bucky sarcastically responded, allowing himself into her house. 

“You already knew what you were signing up for when you knew I was dating Sam,” Wanda said, guiding him to the kitchen.

Bucky met Wanda through Sam. Sam met Wanda through the security firm, when Wanda was working for her old company and they changed the codes without her knowing, she flipped out and somehow Sam and Wanda clicked, and here they were. 

“Where’s my kid?” He said, looking around for the little bundle of joy.

“Upstairs with Sam,” she responded. He eyed Wanda, “Listen, they’re bonding because I need to talk to you.”

“Shoot,” he said, grabbing a banana from the fruit basket.

“Nat’s getting married next week.”

“I know that.”

“You should get a date,” Wanda said bluntly.

“I would, if I could.” He stated, “Oh, I need a dress for the wedding.”

“Even better!” Wanda exclaimed, “That cute shop owner seems like she can help you out.”

“Wanda,” Bucky warned. Wanda was referring to you. You owned this little shop called Sew Lovely and were always helping him out with clothes for Layla. 

He learned about it through Wanda as she was friends with you, and god was he smittened by you. You always helped out with what she wore, and the majority of her closet came from your little shop. 

Everytime he came to see you, he felt like he was falling deeper and deeper, and it didn’t help that Layla would spend any given moment with you, and you were amazing to his kid.

“I’m trying to help,” she said defensively.

“Daddy!” He heard a little voice exclaim from around the corner. 

“Hi pumpkin, did you have fun with uncle Sam and aunty Wanda?”

“Uh-huh, we coloured, watched movies, so much fun.” Layla said.

“Tell me more while we’re in the car,” he said, getting up from his seat and walking to the door. Before leaving he leaned back to Wanda, “I’m going for the dress,” Wanda smirked, “Not for the girl, for the dress.”

Wanda kept that smirk on her face, “Of course Buckaroo.”

➽───────────────❥

He decided to take Layla out for smoothies before shooting you a text asking you if you were free to help find him a dress. He poked the straw into Layla’s drink before he felt the buzz from his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the text message while poking his own straw into his drink. He let out a small smile “Come love,” he said grabbing her hand before making their way back to the car. 

Upon buckling her in, he brushed some hair out of her face, “We have to go shopping baby,” he cooed.

“I love shopping!” she exclaimed. 

“Glad to hear baby,” he said, before navigating to the shop. 

➽───────────────❥

He held Layla’s hand, while navigating to your shop. “Is aunty here?!” she asked, excitedly. 

“Of course,” he chuckled as Layla dragged him into the store.

He heard someone call out Layla’s name and it could have been confused with an angel. “I knew that was my favourite sugar puff!” you exclaimed, crouching to hug her. 

“Aunty! I’ve missed you!” Layla exclaimed, throwing her arms around you. 

“And would you look at that, it's my favourite client,” you said. 

Your hair was tossed into a messy ponytail, you were wearing an oversized white knit sweater, a pair of black jeans and some white sneakers. Even though the outfit was simple, you look like god himself spent ages creating you. “You know I would have no idea what to do with fashion,” he joked. 

“Of course I do,” you joked back. “So how can I help the two of you today?”

“I need a dress for a wedding,” he said, biting back the fact it was his ex wife’s wedding. “Say no more,” you said, before crouching back down to Layla, “Alright love, we need to get you a dress. What are you thinking?” 

“I want poofy! Colours! Flowers!” She exclaimed. 

“Oh she knows off the bat, let’s go sugar puff,” you said, getting up and grabbing her hand and taking her around the shop. 

➽───────────────❥

And that’s how Bucky spent the remainder of his day looking at dresses with you and Layla. He sat while the two of you looked around and tried things on. He admired how well you two bonded, as if you were mother and daughter, “I like this one the most sugar puff. What do you think?” 

“I love it!” She exclaimed, she threw her arms around you for the second time today, “Thank you Aunty!” 

Bucky looked over and saw that Layla was sporting a poofy white dress with red flowers and green leaves around it. “I love this one,” he said in awe at his daughter. 

“No problem baby, I guess we have to get you matching jewelry,” you said, engulfing her into another hug.  

Bucky let out a groan, “You guys have been shopping for so long.”

“Don’t rush a girl,” you joked. 

Another forty five minutes and almost two hundred dollars later. They were done. “Remind me to never go shopping,” he joked. 

“When you have a girl, you can never say no,” you smiled at him, making his heart melt. 

“Thank you so much,” he said, feeling insecure because he knew someone like you would never like him. 

“Not a problem sugar,” You said, and his heart skipped a beat. “See you next week?”

“You can count on it,” he said, giving you a small smile.

“Bye Aunty,” she said, hugging at your legs.

“Bye sugar puff, bye Buck,” you said, as they walked out the shop.

He should probably stop spending so much money at your shop, but seeing you made it all worth it.

➽───────────────❥

At this point, there was a week until Nat’s wedding and he was internally freaking out, he tried on his suit the previous night and it didn’t fit. The pants could barely make it past his midthigh, the dress shirt needed about three more inches before it could fit around his frame, and the jacket couldn’t even fit his arms.

Layla was asleep in her room, and he sat on the bed and tears started brewing in his eyes. Makes sense why Nat left, and why she wouldn’t like me, he thought referring to you.

He shut his eyes to prevent tears from slipping down his face. He steadied his breathing before shooting Wanda a text asking if she could watch Layla for a little longer than he anticipated. He tossed his phone on his bed, before dumping the suit in the trash can and going to shower.

➽───────────────❥

Bucky left work early, having asked Steve to cover for him while he went suit shopping. Once leaving work he somehow found himself on your street. He decided to see what you were up to before going suit shopping. 

He walked up to the shop and saw you were sitting on the bar stool, innocently chewing at the tip of your pen while looking at the notebook that sits in front of you. You were wearing a black romper with sunflowers all over them, an oversized black cardigan that was slipping off of your body, you had your hair tossed into a messy bun, glasses sat on your nose, and a pair of black sandal heels were on your feet. 

He found himself slowly walking up to the shop, opening the door, the bell went off from above him. You looked up and let out a huge smile, which made his heart melt and he returned a goofy grin. 

“Got worried for you Buck, haven’t seen you in a while,” you joked.

“Dad duties call, doll,” he said walking up to the counter, “You alone?”

“Jessica and Natalie are in the back,” you said pointing your pen off to the back, “It’s fairly early, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Don’t want me here doll?” He said, raising an eyebrow at you.

“No, I just need to make sure you have the funds to keep my store running,” you joked.

“Gotta go suit shopping, was on my way, and thought I should stop in and let you know I’m fine,” he joked.

“You going by yourself?” You asked.

“I have no one else doll, Steve and Sam are at work,” he said running his hand through his hair.

“I can come,” you said, quickly adding, “If you want.”

“I don’t want to drag you away from work,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hush hush, I’ll come.” You closed the notebook, got off the stool, “Let me tell them I’m leaving and grab my bag?” 

“I’ll wait here,” he said smiling at you.

“Don’t move,” you warned, before walking to the back.

He looked around at the new displays, he thought about how much time you probably put into it, “You moved, about an inch. Can’t trust you anymore, Barnes,” he heard you say from behind you.

“My apologies doll, how could I possibly make it up to you?” He asked.

You linked your arm around his, “I’ll come up with something,” you said, as the two of you exited the shop.

➽───────────────❥

The two of you found yourselves at this small suit shop at the edge of Brooklyn. Walking in, the two of you heard someone yell, “James.” And an elderly Italian man came and greeted him with a hug.

“Hi Bruno,” he said, returning the hug.

He pulled away and noticed you, “Who’s this beautiful dame?”

He introduced the two of you, before Bruno brought the two of you deeper into the store, “He’s provided suits since I was young.”

You nodded, “It’s cute.”

“How about have the pretty dame sit and I do the measurements,” Bruno said. You sat on the stool provided and sipped on the smoothie that you bought for the two of you. Bucky felt embarrassed as Bruno took his measurements in front of you, but you flashed him a reassuring smile, and he felt some of the insecurities fade away.

➽───────────────❥

An hour later and Bucky found himself getting frustrated. Nothing looked good on him. He tried navy blue suits, beige suits, grey suits, plaid suits, and to no avail he could find anything. Bruno went to look at other options, while Bucky looked in the mirror. It was obvious he was picking at his own body.

You got up and walked over to him, rubbing his back, “You look gorgeous Buck, don’t deflate yourself.”

“It’s just that,” he started, “It’s my ex wife's wedding, and I don’t look good. I want to impress the family, but I look like-”

You cut him off, “You look amazing, and she’s an idiot for letting you go. If her family doesn’t like it, that sucks, cause you’re no longer their family.”

“Thank you,” he said, pulling you into a hug.

“I got your back Buck,” you said, hugging him back, “But you should have told me we were dressed to kill, I would be on it.”

“Now that you’re in on it, what’s running through that mind of yours?” He said, pulling away.

“Black,” you said, “Can’t go wrong with that.”

He smiled before yelling out, “Bruno? You got a black suit?”

➽───────────────❥

He hated how right you were, but also simultaneously loved that you knew him that well. He smiled at you, “Doll you know me well.”

“Gotta look out for my two favourite Barnes, don’t I?” you asked.

“James, you look amazing, you just need a tie,” Bruno said, before going off to find a tie.

You got up and smoothed out the suit near his shoulders, “I owe you one,” he said, looking down at you.

“You owe me a lot sugar,” you said.

Bruno came back with a red tie, “I think this would look good on you James.” You moved away from him, and let Bruno tie the tie to complete the suit. 

“The colour brings out your eyes,” you commented. 

The tie was rich, vibrant, red, and contrasted nicely against the black suit and his blue eyes. “You look amazing James.”

“Thanks Brun, I’ll take it,” Bucky said, looking at himself in the mirror, smiling at how good he looked.

Bruno walked to the front and rung up the order, “You really know what’s good for me doll.”

“What can I say? I know my Barnes,” you joked.

“How about I go change, then I’ll treat you to dinner?” He asked.

“He’s living up to his word,” you joked.

“I always do doll,” he said, before walking back to the dressing room.

➽───────────────❥

Bucky was a man of his word and took you to the small dinner about three streets away, but still was on the outskirts of town. You finished up dinner and were driving back, “You know your way to a girls heart.”

“I always do,” he joked.

You two sat in comfortable silence the rest of the way back. Pulling up to your house, he walked you to your step. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Anytime Buck,” you responded.

He scratched the back of his neck, “Are you free this Saturday?” He realized what it sounded like, “I mean, you can be my plus one with Layla,” he rushed out.

“Of course I would come Buck,” you unlocked the door, “Text me the details?”

“Of course. Good night doll,” he said.

You kissed him on the cheek, “Night Buck,” you said before scurrying inside, missing the blush that rose to his cheeks.

➽───────────────❥

Bucky didn’t see you at all that week. He was busy getting his haircut, buying other last minute things he needed before the wedding. He kept in contact with you through texts, telling you he’d pick you up at four.

It was three fifty and he was in his car, with Layla in the backseat singing loudly to the pop that played on the radio. He was nervous, he didn’t know what to expect. He unbuckled Layla, before making his way up the steps. He rang the doorbell and waited for you to answer.

Once you opened the door, he felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs. Before him you wore a red satin dress, with a low cut exposing your cleavage, the black heels accentuated the length of your legs, you had a necklace with your initial as the pendant, a small gold bracelet and some gold earrings. 

“Aunty! You look so good!” Layla said, breaking Bucky’s train of thought.

“Thank you sugar puff, you look beautiful,” you said stroking her hair. You pulled the door in behind you and locked it, and dropped the key into your back. 

“You look gorgeous doll,” he said, still in awe at you.

“You clean up well Barnes,” you said, “Let’s get to that wedding.”

➽───────────────❥

Bucky found himself looking at you with awe whenever you didn’t notice. A lot of the family Bucky once met at his wedding leaned into him saying that his current family was cute and received their blessings. 

He didn’t notice how much the three of you looked like a family until one of Nat’s cousins pointed out that his tie, matched your dress, which matched the flowers on Layla’s dress.

He looked over and saw you, Wanda, Carol, Nebula and Sharon sitting and sharing a drink. He smiled, before he heard someone call out his name, he turned around and saw Natasha, “Can we talk?” 

“What?”

“I wanted to apologize for everything, and I’m glad you found someone who treats you well and loves Lay,” Nat said, motioning to Layla sitting on your lap.

“Thanks Nat,” he responded, sipping on his soda.

“Truce?” She asked.

“Truce.”

➽───────────────❥

It was well after twelve, and Bucky was dropping you home. Layla was taken to Wanda’s earlier, and Layla was going to spend the night there. You and Bucky had a grand time, you two laughed, shared drinks, shared a few dances, and a few glances here and there. 

You were wrapped up in his suit jacket due to it being colder than you anticipated when you were leaving the hall. “I had fun tonight,” you said, as you walked up the stairs.

“Thank you for coming, I appreciate it,” he said.

“Anything for you,” you said looking at him, you felt the air shift and you didn’t mind.

Both of you leaned in, until your lips were touching and moving in harmony. Your arms found their way behind his neck, and his hands were wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer. You broke away when you needed air. You gave him a sheepish smile, before he pecked your lips again.

“Glad this dress did its job,” you joked.

“You bought this just for me?” He asked, running his fingers along the satin material that was along your waist..

“Of course, I needed to match your tie, for obvious reasons, and I hope it would lead to something like this. Needless to say, it did its job,” you said brushing hair out of his eyes.

“Well, if this dress is for me, I would like to see it on the floor,” he whispered seductively in your ear.

“You better get to work loverboy,” you said, before he picked you up and took you into your house.

[musical-in-theory]

Caught in the Crossfire

Chapter 3: Did Someone Say Rebellion?

Chapter 1: x Chapter 2: x

Wilbur fidgeted with his beanie in his hands. His fingers trailed roughly over its fabric and caught on its worn through holes. The poor piece of clothing had seen better days, but barely anyone had ever seen the man without it. Even L’manburg’s revolutionary army could tell you he wore it underneath his tricorn hat.

Now it was being wrung through his hands in worry. Dream was supposed to meet with him hours ago, but the masked man was nowhere to be seen. He needed to get back to Tommy. They only really had each other, despite having the equivalent of a god on their side. Wilbur trusted Tommy with a lot, but Tommy had already shown that he couldn’t be trusted with his own safety. Ever since he lost his second life in the duel, Wilbur hadn’t been able to completely relax while his little brother was out of sight. 

Wilbur shivered and clutched at his coat. It was nearly nightfall, and Wilbur knew all too well how the cold could settle into his bones once the sun set. He made as if to turn back the way he came and start the walk back to Pogtopia when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Leaving so soon?” Dream said with a teasing lilt to his voice. 

Anger blazed through his worry and frustration, or perhaps the rage was heightened by it. “Where the fuck have you been? I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I don’t exactly have all the time in the world for you to decide I’m worth yours! So unless you’ve brought something that could make up for the two fucking hours I just spent waiting on you, I’d suggest you go back to sitting on your goddamn high horse to keep looking down on us mere fucking mortals, your Highness.” Wilbur’s shoulders heaved as he tried to breathe through his outburst. 

He shook his head and put his beanie back on, steeling his expression to keep from giving away his own surprise. He worked so hard for so long to keep his emotions in check, only ever letting them out for his music. In conversations, he stayed professional, in control. He needed to be the level-headed one to his brothers’ chaos. He didn’t know what it was about Dream that allowed this control to slip away from him. It was like the green bastard could read him like a book. 

Wilbur looked back up at Dream expecting to see signs of aggression or retaliation, but instead his shoulders were shaking under the force of barely contained laughter. “Wow, it’s been a while since anyone’s had the gall to yell at me like that. If it were coming from someone who actually posed a threat, I might have even been scared. It’s kinda refreshing.” 

Wilbur resisted the urge to glare at him for the backhanded compliment. He kept his stare blank and his face neutral in a practiced fashion as he could hear the unsaid threat that loomed underneath the statement. I could destroy you and you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. 

Dream cleared his throat and continued, “I do have something that could be of some value. I have an idea about our next move. As I recall, one of my most devastating moves was recruiting a spy on the inside.” Dream walked over to Wilbur and circled behind him. He placed his hands on the ex-leader’s shoulders and whispered, “As luck would have it, Schlatt is keeping quite the promising candidate close to his side. His right hand man, I believe he called him?”

Wilbur wrenched himself from Dream’s grasp and put distance between the two of them. “Tubbo? I don’t know, Dream. Eret’s situation was different. His life was already on the line with the war. It wasn’t as if he was risking anything new in that scenario. Tubbo has so much more to lose if he’s caught as a spy…” Wilbur looked away towards the direction of Manburg. 

Dream put his hands up in a placating fashion and chuckled. “I get your point. I do, but he’s also your only option. Nikki is the only other one that’s shown even the slightest bit of sympathy towards your cause, but Schlatt obviously trusts her about as much as he can throw her. She’s been very… outspoken about her dislike of his administration. Tubbo can be persuaded out of his shaky allegiance to Schlatt. He’s Tommy’s best friend. You can use that.”

The thought of using Tommy and Tubbo’s friendship for his own gain sat like lead in his stomach. It was far too much to put on the kid’s shoulders. Wilbur sighed tiredly. The anger-fueled adrenaline had all but drained from his veins. “We made a deal, Dream. What you say goes. I don’t like this at all, but-” He was cut off by more laughter from the other.

“Soot, this isn’t- this isn’t an order. This is just a suggestion. Trust me, you’ll know when the time comes for me to give you an order. For now, I just want to advise you on how to get your little rebellion off the ground. You can say no, but I’d strongly advise you to reconsider.” Dream shook his head. “Just sleep on the idea. You can give me your answer the next time we meet. But you should probably head back. It’s gonna get cold soon, and we don’t have any burning flags around to warm us up.” With that, Dream turned on his heel and walked back into the forest the way he came. 

Wilbur watched his retreating back for a moment before doing the same. That was the thing about Dream he hated the most; He was always able to point out the difficult truths. Wilbur despised the idea of using a child as a spy, especially when it was Tubbo. He already felt enough guilt about having him and Tommy fight in a war that he should have been able to prevent. But Dream was right about needing someone on the inside. 

Wilbur shook his head and picked up his pace. He could think about that later. He needed to get back to Tommy quickly. The kid had been acting off for half a week. Anytime Wilbur would seek him out for something, he’d start fidgeting and avoiding his eyes. Tommy was nervous, and it set Wilbur on edge. Now wasn’t the time for Tommy to start keeping secrets from him. Not when it was practically just the two of them left. 

His shoulders sagged in relief as he finally saw the mound of dirt that signified Pogtopia. The dirt that disguised the opening was a bit shifted out of place, but Wilbur learned early on that it was just another way to tell that Tommy had gone out and come back. He didn’t have a reason to suspect anything until he hit the stairs down into the ravine. 

Two voices sounded from below. They were hushed which immediately set Wilbur on edge. His mind raced. He was terrified of the prospect that someone else had found their base and had already found Tommy. He could easily pick out his little brother’s voice despite his unusually quiet tone. Images flashed through his head of arrows raining down on his head, chasing him, piercing him, killing him, as he fled from people he used to trust. Worry that one of them had finally found the duo had his mouth filling with bile. 

That’s when he heard the unmistakable baritone of the other’s voice. It froze Wilbur where he stood. It brought back far too many memories, almost all of which had been tainted by the bittersweet passage of time. He quickly shook himself out of his stupor and dashed down the rest of the stairs. 

His eyes immediately focused on the shock of bright pink hair standing in the middle of the walkway. He missed the look on Tommy’s face of both fear and hope. Instead, he could only watch as the man that had been speaking with the young exile turned around to face him for the first time in years.

Technoblade had joined the game. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 days earlier

Techno put the last of his netherite scraps into his chest and shut the lid with a sigh. His latest trip to the nether hadn’t been as productive as usual, but that couldn’t be helped. The mobs were starting to grow restless in this world, and a small part of Techno sympathized. This had been the longest he’d ever stayed in one place since he’d parted from his family. 

He cringed inwardly as he thought about the people he left behind. He never meant to be gone as long as he had been, but it seemed like the longer he was gone, the harder it was to return. More often than not, he’d just force himself to stop thinking about it or throw himself into another meaningless battle. 

The relentless buzz of his communicator drew him from his thoughts. His eyes widened in surprise. It was Tommy. Years ago Phil had helped code their communicators so that they could all message each other no matter if they were all on separate worlds. Not that any of them had particularly used this feature other than Phil making sure none of them were dead. 

TommyInnit: hey there bitch! wilbur needs you to come to the dream SMP land. we kinda bit off more than we can chew, and this guy schlatt went and fucked everything up. not that I don’t have everything handled and shit. being a Big Man and all. but maybe you could just stop bye and help out for a bit, yeah?

Techno snorted. He knew immediately that this was Tommy’s way of trying to brush off the fact that he needed help. He looked over the message a few more times and tried to ignore the slight sting that accompanied it being Tommy and not Wilbur that reached out. It was clear that the two of them were together, but he’d only heard from one of them. 

He looked out the window. Night was beginning to fall, and Techno could see mobs already spawning. He sighed at the thought of going through the motions of getting rid of the ones that strayed just a little too close to his base. It all had become too monotonous lately. 

He eyed the communicator again and smirked. Perhaps it was time for a change of pace. From what he heard of Dream’s land, a fair amount of people lived there. Plenty of people to fight, especially if Tommy was there to rile them up. 

Technoblade: What’s in it for me?

It was less than a second before Tommy responded. Techno laughed as he read over the message, although deep down it worried him how desperate it felt.

TommyInnit: WOMEN

Technoblade: I guarantee you don’t know any

TommyInnit: i’ll get wilbur to spar with you again

Now, that sparked Techno’s interest. He was going to say yes anyway, but getting to fight with his twin was too good a chance to pass up. He wanted to see if Wilbur had improved any from the last time they’d seen each other. It was a question that popped up every so often when his brothers’ safety ever came across his mind.

Technoblade: You’ve got yourself a deal. I need to tie off a few loose ends here, but I’ll be there in a few days. Keep an eye out and stay safe, gremlin child.

The buzz sounded again, but Techno didn’t look. He could live without the rant about being called a child. He left his communicator on the table while he left to start gathering up the necessities for world travel.

TommyInnit: please hurry…

Thanks everyone for reading! Also thanks for being patient. Finals kicked my ass and I needed some time to focus on that. Thanks once again to @the-ruler-of-rabbits for being such a lovely beta reader! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I’m really excited for the next one. Wilbur and Techno get the chance to talk, and it might not go how either of them expect it to.

Taglist: 

@obsidiancreates @strawberiitea @coindoesstuff @unlikelypaperwitch @corrine-370 @crazymecjc @ducklingqueen @idkhowbutimgayer @whydoilovesomanyvillians @anne-the-historian-ish @wilburs-soot @belonginthesky 

Message me if you want added to or taken off the taglist!

[gins-potter]

TV Guide Article

So I had a lot of fun running down what happened in the teaser and thinking about what it means for the new seasons, so I thought I would do something similar for the tv guide article that came out a couple days ago.  Thoughts and musings under the cut because it got long:

Chicago Fire

“We are going to reflect what the world is like in 2020 for Chicago firefighters, pandemic and all” so that’s pretty blatant that we’re going to get covid-19 storylines in some regard on Fire.  Maybe Stellaride is the couple who have to quarantine together (again i heard that was going to be upstead but am not sure if that’s confirmed or not).

“[Brett] becomes a mentor to young medic Gianna Macket, who grew up in the same rough South Chicago neighborhood as firefighter Joe Cruz” hopefully is Brett is becoming a mentor to Gianna that means they’ll be friendly pretty quickly, I’m not a massive fan of drama within company’s.  I do love that the new girl might already know Cruz going into the house (altho they lowkey missed the chance for a cross-show dynamic, because I think the Halstead bros also grew up on the south side?)

“Look for Brett and Macket to quickly find themselves in harrowing circumstances, Haas reveals: ‘Don’t miss the premiere’s last 10 seconds’“ so we’re gonna have a cliff hanger in 9x01 which is interesting.  Usually they leave that sort of thing for the season finale, altho they could be making up for the one we didn’t get in s8.

“Brett could experience a new partner in her personal life as well.  Will she begin a serious romance with smitten Captain Matt Casey?  The first two episodes will tell.” Well, there it is Brettsey fans.  We’ll know if our ship’s setting sail by 9x02.  The use of the word smitten is giving me hope, along with the knowledge that they’ve been building this ship for two seasons.  Hopefully they don’t back out in the last second.

“Firefighter Stella Kidd heads in a new direction when Chief Wallace Boden asks her to take the lieutenant’s exam.  Her ambition could cause tension between her and boyfriend Lt. Kelly Severide.”  I’m down for Lieutenant Stella Kidd, but not down for tension between her and Kelly.  Happy Stellaride all of s8 was amazing and I don’t want trouble now.  If she does get her bugles (if i’m using that phrase right) I wonder where she’ll go since all the Lt spots are full, but she could pull a Herrmann and just stick around until something opens up and fill in when she’s needed.  I’m a tiny bit worried they’re gearing up to write one of our Lt’s out, but I’m hoping I’m very wrong.

“’Ritter has an epic rescue coming up,’ says Haas, ‘and he might be taking a break from [his boyfriend]’” Yay epic rescue, boo break from his boyfriend (unless that means Ritter/Gallo in that case I’d totally be here for it).

“While Gallo’s effort to woo EMT Violet Lin fizzled” rip, I wasn’t a massive fan of Violet/Gallo but sad to see her go cause she was a badass paramedic.

“[Gallo] now faces an even bigger challenge: impressing his boss, Captain Casey. ‘Especially,’ warns Haas, ‘if he decides to cowboy a call instead of following orders.’“ I’ve seen the theory that Gallo cowboying a call is what puts Brett and Gianna in danger and Casey loses his shit and it leads to Brettsey and honestly?  I’m here for it.

Chicago PD

“... new Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller who arrives in Chicago with an intense police reform agenda, in a story inspired by the country’s current movement.  ‘Miller wants to abolish the ‘warrior-cop’ mentality and help Hank Voight and Intelligence adapt to the new reality’ says exec producer Rick Eid.... Facing hostility from the community and scrutiny from his bosses, Voight must assess whether, indeed, ‘he’s part of the problem of part of the solution’.” Honestly this type of storyline is long overdue and I really hope they’re committed to following it through.  Because we’ve seen them explore themes of ‘reform’ in the past but they never seem to stick.  I think if cop shows want to stick around they need to take a hard stance against police brutality in their story telling and be willing to be critical of their own main characters.  It’s not enough anymore to see the characters stand up against other racist cops, they now need to look at how their own policing has been racist.  It won’t make PD a completely unproblematic show (and I don’t know if there can be a completely unproblematic cop show) but it will be a step in the right direction.

“While the unit lost undercover specialist Vanessa Rojas at the end of last season...” so, did I miss this happening?  I assumed Lisseth would come back for 8x01 to write off her character but this makes it sound like she isn’t.  Which has me confused because I’m pretty sure they haven’t given her a proper exit yet, but maybe I’ve just forgotten about it.  The fact that they specified she’s an undercover specialist makes me think she’s just going to disappear and they’ll throw out a single line about how she’s gone undercover for another unit.

“Upton’s chemistry with Det. Jay Halstead did not weaken during her absence, but both know the complications of dating colleague.”  this ain’t gonna be a smooth ride to canon Upstead, me think.

“As do officers AdamRuzek and Kim Burgess, still mourning her miscarriage.  ‘It’s become an emotional impediment to their relationship,’ Eid says. ‘They have an unbreakable bond, but are they better off as friends?’“ Fuck off Eid, and just let them get back together already.  That’s all I have to say on that.

“Intelligence’s Kevin Atwater has his own troubles - with members of the force.  After breaking the ‘blue wall of silence’ by testifying that racist cop Tom Doyle was killed in crossfire after racially profiling an innocent Black man, Doyle’s connect friends and family want vindication.” This storyline coupled with the new superintendent sets up a very interesting season.  But I will say this, they better let Kevin Atwater carry this season, because it is his time and he deserves the spotlight.

Chicago Med

“The stories on Med’s sixth season will consider how first responders have been impacted by the coronavirus.  But while the docs at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center will see covid-19 patients, ‘we focus more on how other types of cases are treated in this new environment’ exec producer Diane Frolov says.” this is an interesting way to do covid storylines and i’m interested to see where it goes.  clearly none of the shows are shying away from the current state of the world which i’m personally fine with, but can understand why some people don’t like.  tv is a form of escapism for a lot of people, but personally i enjoy when tv shows aren’t scared to go there and get real with certain subject.

“Amid all this, Dr James Lanik quits as emergency department chief (but stays with the hospital)” rip bye Lanik, can’t say I’ll overly miss you.  I find it interesting that they specify that he’s not leaving the hospital though.  I wonder if that means we’ll see him in another position.

“...and a main character is unexpectedly named to the position.”  I feel like it might be Ethan, because iirc Will is running some sort of clinical trial or something?  And being a surgeon I doubt it can be Marcel.  Nat’s lower than Ethan in terms of hierarchy I think so I don’t think it’ll be her, but maybe that’s the unexpected part.  Ethan or Nat for the position would be my guess.

“‘There’s always a push-pull between Dr Ethan Choi and Nurse April Sexton, but deep feelings remain on each side,’” guess we shouldn’t give up on Sextoi just yet.  pretty ambivalent on them these days which is a shame cause i used to really like them.

“trauma surgeon Crockett Marcel and Dr Natalie Manning have drawn closer since Marcel opened up about the loss of his child.” okay this is the one thing I’m actually interesting in seeing in s6.  Not a massive Marcel fan but I liked the storyline about his past (not liked as in glad he’s gone through shit but liked as in it made him slightly more sympathetic to me).  I’m also curious to see where this thing with Nat goes.  Especially because I swear I saw a lingering glance between her and Will at Maggie’s wedding.  I smell a love triangle?  Love quadrangle perhaps if April’s still into Marcel?  Love pentagon, if Ethan’s still into April?  Goodness.

“...and Dr Will Halstead, who’s tapped to supervise a clinical trial on a new heart disease medication, is still entangled with ob-gyn Hannah Asher.  Whether Halstead should trust the recovering addict is still to be determined.” yup knew Will had some other big thing going on this season.  Don’t need the Asher relationship stuff tho.  Sorry Jessy Schram, I’m sure you’re lovely but you can leave now.  That being said if they pull a Bekker level stunt and have her go batshit in order to write her off, I will actually lose my shit.

And there we have it.  All my thoughts on some pretty big scoops for the new seasons and what I think might happen.

[otterplusharchive]

what's your onion on the other akatsuki duos?

- konan and pein are very tragic with how they founded the akatsuki because of being orphans from a country destroyed in the crossfires of war wanting peace and that idea of peace became completely twisted and peins whole deal of being yahiko controlling nagatos body is completely fuckin wild. i really love konan shes one of my favorite characters in naruto in general and i wish kishimoto actually did his girl characters justice because she shouldnt have fucking died and deserved better. her whole moment of raising her arms up and the rainbow and the quote about being a pillar in the bridge of hope?? it kills me i love her

- hidan and kakuzu are so wild. to be fair all of the akatsuki are wild but these two are literally unkillable and kakuzu is a 90 yr old grandpa having to work with this 20 something year old who stabs himself for funsies. that entire dynamic is so fucking funny a grumpy grandpa and a deity of chaos on a non stop evil roadtrip

- kisame and itachi are very good because theyre the only actual team (not counting pein and konan bc theyre like the fuckin bosses and knew each other from childhood) that actually get along?????? kisame is just like well itachi its another day of going out into the world to capture tailed beasts and makes some joke about sharks and itachi sollemly nods and says some very vague short statement that somehow both relates to his tragic past and also the mission at hand. and then they just go get tea and dangos in konoha without even trying to conceal who they are. theyre just chill dudes who also sometimes are capable of absolute destruction

- zetsu kills me. i never truly appreciated zetsu as a naruto loving 14 year old. im studying plants now in college and i know better now. if i could be a plant man and just photosynthesize every day and have a venus flytrap for a head you bet your ass i would

- sasori and deidara...... are my favorites.. and i wont go into an essay long rant about them altho i could but their dynamic is so fucking funny deidara is this 19 year old living purely on adrenaline and chaos waxing poetry about the fleeting beauty of an explosion and sasori is the crankiest 5 foot 4 inches motherfucker sitting inside a huge puppet that looks like a turtle man while he himself is a 35 year old that looks like a teen. in the akatsuki novel sasori canonically responds to deidara running off from him to talk to someone by saying "you made me wait im going to kill you now". sasori sees lee wearing an akatsuki cloak and goes "obviously this is a new recruit to our organization and not anything shady going on im a genius" i love these dumbasses

- tobi and deidara are so fucking bizarre. tobi is actually obito, a 30 year old man who is putting on this facade of being some happy go lucky weirdo who somehow got into the akatsuki and is literally just doing all of his antics to fuck with deidara. and deidara has just shifted from being in the lower rank of his coworker group to being in charge of tobi after having sasori the ultimate grumpy bastard as a coworker since he was 17. why did this 30 year old decide that he was just gonna mess with this 19 year old non stop until he literally and actually exploded. deidara is so tired of this man non stop and is also just like What The Fuck Is Your Deal Who The Fuck Are You Really Bye Im Done at all times

anyway. thanks for coming to my akatsuki ted talk

[sethrine-writes]

Come What May - Ch. 1

Pairing:  Captain America/Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Words: 2596

Warnings:  Slow burn, some violence

Summary:  There’s quite a few coincidences that happen throughout anyone’s lifetime. It just so happens that you’re experiencing far too many in a short span of time to be considered mere coincidence - and others are also beginning to take notice. Just how many times can Captain America actually save you before things take a turn for the worst?

A/N:  Whelp, only needed a few interested to actually want to post this thing! This fic was started out of a bored idea to have my best friend give me one-word or short phrased prompts, and I would write a cohesive, continuing story out of the prompts, of which turned out to be each chapter’s title. I’m six chapters in, so if anyone wants to post a prompt (short phrase or one-word) feel free to do so! I’ll be sure to mention you in the chapter, should I use your idea!

Without further ado, here we go!

------

Chapter 1: Oops

Being late to work wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world, but for you, someone who took pride in good work ethics, it was damn near close.

It felt like everything was working against you that morning, all thanks to your carelessness the night before. Your alarm went off thirty minutes later due to you forgetting to change it back from yesterday’s later start to the day; there was no coffee anywhere in your apartment, and, somehow, you missed the button on the dryer and had to wait over thirty minutes for your clothes to dry.

As it was, you should have already been on your way out the door, yet you were rushing to dress yourself while attempting to finish off your meager breakfast of orange juice and toast. You were just slipping on your shoes and deciding whether to grab your coat or leave it when your cell rang. Groaning, you reached for the device blasting the chorus of one of your brother’s favorite songs before answering in a rush of breath.

“Hello?”

“Hey, wow, you okay? No need for that tone with me, young lady!”

Despite your rushed antics and not-so-thrilling morning thus far, you couldn’t help but smile at your brother’s voice.

“Andrew, hey! Sorry, I’m just…I’m running late, and-“

“You, late? Wow, never thought I’d live long enough to hear those words in the same sentence.”

“Yeah, haha, so funny. Just…this hasn’t been my morning. Look, I should have been out the door over fifteen minutes ago. Let me call you back later, okay?”

“That’s fine, don’t worry about it. Wouldn’t wanna stop a working woman, anyways. Oh, hey, did you at least eat? I know how you are when you’re in a hurry.”

You rolled your eyes as you rummaged through your tote bag, making sure you had all your papers and reports for the day.

“Yes, mother, I ate my breakfast.”

“Good, just checking. Have a day.”

“What? No having a ‘good’ day?”

“Well, considering you’re on the verge of being twenty minutes late-”

“Yeah, thanks, okay! Talk to you later.”

You both gave amused good-byes, and as soon as your phone was tucked away safely in your pants pocket, you were reaching for your house keys, your tote bag, and then heading out the door.

The walk to work was a relatively short one, usually only ten minutes at a brisk walk. As you made your way through the bustling streets of New York, your busy mind wandered to Andrew and his protective manners while your feet carried you on autopilot.

Andrew was a Marine, had been since he was fresh out of high school. He had learned so many things, had climbed up the ranks, and though you weren’t completely sure what he did within the Force, you supported him wholeheartedly. He loved the work, the rush of dangerous situations that sent his adrenaline soaring, something of which you would never understand and, frankly, worried you greatly at times.

As of recently, however, you took solace in the fact that his station for the time being was at the Avengers Tower. You had no idea why he was stationed there or what exactly it was that he did. Honestly, you didn’t want to know. But knowing he was at least in the same building as the group of heroes  that had saved countless people in numerous cities gave you some peace of mind.

You were forced out of your thoughts by the insistent ringing and buzzing of your phone going off once again that morning. You reached into your pocket and answered it automatically, not at all surprised to hear your boss on the other end.

“Hello, (Y/N), is everything alright? You haven’t signed into the network, and no one’s seen you around the office, yet.”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just had a late start this morning, but I’m almost there, I swear!”

“Oh, good, glad nothing serious happened! I believe you gave the others a fright when you didn’t show at your usual time. You’re known for being very punctual.”

“I am so, so sorry, Jennet, it won’t happen again.”

“Don’t even worry about it. Honestly, shit happens, and I’m not going to hold life against you.”

You both gave a short laugh at her statement. You loved how laid back Jennet could be while still being a fierce leader and a hard-working boss.

“I’m actually glad I caught you. It’s a bit out of your way, I know, but could you stop by our partnering bank? Mr. Perez has some files ready for us, and last time I sent Jimmy, he somehow got everything mixed up.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem! I can grab a taxi, be in and out in a jiffy. It shouldn’t take me any longer than an hour, if traffic is light.”

“Great, thanks! I’ll go ahead and… you in…work, see you w…here!”

The call ended abruptly without so much as another word spoken on your part. You gave your phone a look, glancing at the signal bars to find they were fully lit up. Well, that was strange.

Replacing your phone, you changed your direction and stepped to the curb, throwing your arm up at the first sight of a yellow car. Two attempts were all you needed to hail an empty taxi, and within another fifteen minutes, you had arrived at your business’ partnering bank.

It was a very big bank, one that had quite a lot of traffic from opening to closing. Mr. Perez was a nice, trusting man, very fair, and his numbers were always well calculated. He made financing look like a piece of cake, which is why Jennet had partnered with him in the first place. It also helped that they were longtime friends.

You paid your fare and entered the building, not at all surprised to find several small lines having already formed at the open windows.

Shifting your tote bag slightly, you made your way further in and to the left, intent on rounding behind the counters and to the back where several offices, including Mr. Perez’s own, were held. The man himself, a short, stalky man with dark hair and glasses, was out and discussing something with the security guard beside the entryway to the back. He must have sensed your gaze on him, because not a moment later, he turned and gave you a welcoming smile and a wave of his hand to come on over.

You hastened your pace just a bit, though in your sudden change of speed and eyes firmly locked forward, you hadn’t seen the man passing beside you and bumped into him harshly, tripping over your own two feet in the process and falling to your knees with a sharp gasp. There was a large clatter beside you, possibly something the man had dropped due to your clumsiness, and already you had an apology as you attempted to right yourself.

“Shit, I am so sorry, I didn’t…didn’t mean to….”

Looking to where the object fell, your eyes widened to find a gun not but two feet away from you. Your gaze moved slowly up to the now scowling man standing above you, his dark eyes seething in anger.

“What the fuck did you do?” he asked, though it seemed more like a rhetorical question. Nevertheless, you gave an answer that only you could come up with in such a dire situation.

“Um…oops?”

Three sharp shots suddenly echoed in the air, causing a tide of panic and fear to take hold of the people in the building. Within seconds, people were scattering and running for their lives, several making it out the front doors before another few shots rang out, halting most of the movement.

You attempted to take advantage of the situation in hopes of making a mad dash out of there, but as soon as you made a move to stand, there was a rough hand in your hair, pulling hard and effectively stopping your attempt to get away. Your hands were instantly around his wrist, but his grip was firm, and it didn’t feel like he planned on letting go any time soon.

“Don’t think you’re goin’ anywhere, sugar, not after you done fucked up our plans,” he said, pulling harder on your hair and forcing you to your feet. He retrieved his gun in the process, of which had fallen from his large coat pocket when you knocked into him, and began pointing it randomly at those who hadn’t been able to escape.

“Alright, alright, I need all of ya to shut up and get down on the floor,” he shouted out, everyone doing exactly as he had told them.

From your unfavorable vantage point, you could see a man holding a rather large gun where the security guard Mr. Perez had been talking to once stood. Said officer was now splayed out on the floor beside the man’s feet, his gun sticking out of the other man’s pants. Poor guy; he must have tried to stop whatever this was turning into and got caught in the crossfire. At least he hadn’t been shot…or so you hoped.

“Good, you lot are quite the listeners! Now, we don’t want much; just give us the money, no one gets hurt, that sort of thing. Any difficulties,” he paused, pulling your head back by your hair hard enough for you to let out a cry of pain, “and we might just have to retract that last part.”

He looked to his right at another one of his partners, a stone-faced man who looked like he’d been through war or something similar in that nature, and gave a firm nod. The stone-faced man then moved to the first window, throwing a large duffle bag at the woman behind it while pointing his gun directly at her. She was quick to comply and began shoveling money into the bag in hopes of keeping her life.

You could see everyone from your unfortunate vantage point, scattered across the floor in hunched positions, and they were terrified. Most of them had their heads down, trying to make themselves as small as possible so as not to become the next target. Others were quietly comforting one another or subtly attempting to look around or at the group of criminals’ faces to most likely give the best description of them to the police once they were on their way.

Hell, you were just as scared as all of them, especially being put in the position you were in. You and your clumsy self effectively turned your day into possibly the worst one of your life. You weren’t sure if there was any way out of this for you, especially since you had messed up whatever plans they had before they could even begin, yet even if things seemed meek, you couldn’t help but wonder….

If Andrew were in this situation, what would he do?

“H-hey,” you spoke up, cursing your rapidly beating heart and your stuttering voice as the ring leader, your captor, looked to you.

“Hm? Got somethin’ to say, sugar?”

“Why…why are you doing this?”

Your question gave your captor a chuckle as he grinned maliciously at you.

“Because, money makes the world go ‘round, and we’re in short supply. No better place than a bank to get what we need.”

“Or, maybe you could, I don’t know, get a job like everyone else?”

Yeah, that’s definitely what Andrew would say in this situation. He’d have earned a nice hit to the face, too, just like the one you received immediately after that comment, the butt of the gun hitting hard against the side of your face and forcing a pained shout from your lips.

“Boy, the mouth on you, sugar! Makes me wanna….”

The man pressed the barrel of his gun against the corner of your mouth, laughing cruelly as you flinched away from the contact, pressing your lips firmly together in hopes he didn’t try it again.

“Let her go.”

Your captor turned abruptly at the demanding voice, pulling you closer once again by your hair and causing you to wince. There stood a man dressed comfortably in jeans, a thin jacket over some sort of graphic tee, and a baseball cap covering his head. His bright blue eyes were staring down your captor with such ferocity that if looks could put people into motion, the ring leader would have already been knocked to the floor by such intensity.

“Well, look at you, pretty boy! Didn’t your momma ever tell ya bein’ a hero will only get ya killed?”

“Last chance, buddy,” the man said, his posture changing to that of someone gearing up for something more to happen. He was scanning the area in a quick glance around, taking notice of the other two lackeys who were both keeping their eye on their boss’ situation, but continuing their jobs as collector and look-out. His eyes then found yours, and for a brief moment, they softened in a manner that made you feel things might just turn out okay.

Your captor gave a hearty laugh, clearly amused at the man practically begging to be shot.

“What’re ya gonna do, huh? You gonna make me let her go? Wanna test if you’re faster than a bullet to her head?”

The gun shifted until the barrel was against your temple, a malicious smile slowly making its way across the ring leader’s lips. You gave out a shuttering breath, attempting to keep yourself calm, but unable to stop the slight prickling of tears at the corners of your eyes. You looked to the man trying to save you once more, begging him with your gaze to back down, save himself. You’d already come to terms with your possible death, the last thing you wanted was to have someone killed because of you.

There was a moment of challenging glances between your captor and the man, though after a moment, the blue-eyed savior seemed to relent. Your captor was more than pleased, easing the gun from the side of your head to point it at his new target.

“Good on you, pretty boy! Now, down on your knees, hands behind your head.”

The blue-eyed man’s eyes were sharp as he took a small step back, placing his hands behind his head. Just as he made to kneel, his gaze shifted to just behind your captor, a look of fear crossing his features.

“No, don’t!”

Your captor turned abruptly at the other man’s outburst, ready to stop whatever was taking place behind him. It was the perfect distraction for your blue-eyed savior to run up and grapple with the ring leader for his gun, the grip in your hair loosening just enough for you to free yourself. You fell to the floor just as your savior effectively knocked the gun from your captor’s hand and sent a hard punch to the side of his head, effectively knocking him out.

He looked to you for a brief moment, his worry soothing over as soon as your gaze met his. The moment lasted only a short second as shots rang through the building, a panic once again settling over the people. Your blue-eyed savior was on the move instantly, ducking behind pillars in an attempt to get closer to the other two lackeys.

You remained on the floor, following the man’s swift and calculated movement as it dawned on you exactly who had risked his life for yours.

Captain America had saved your life.

[purecolby]

61- REQUEST!

“Could you do a Colby imagine where his girlfriend has an abusive brother who she cut out of her life and Colby finds out she has a brother (but not that he was abusive) and gets mad. She runs off and Jake tells him the truth and Colby can’t find her. I know it’s intense and hard to imagine but this is my reality (where I never mention I have a twin brother because he was very abusive towards me) and I know you will write a beautiful imagine that is sensitive to the subject.” - anon

Thank you for taking the time to ask for something that you can relate to. I absolutely do love this idea, but I am so sorry that you have had this experience through your life. I’m very happy that you were able to cut your ex-brother out of your life, and i’m also very happy and would like to shine to the fact that I can’t believe you trust me with this, being as the topic is about you. Thank you, my love, for trusting me with this information. This is definitely one of my favorite imagines that i’ve ever written. I’m so sorry it took forever to get posted, this one took a lot of editing and rewriting because I felt it wasn’t good enough the first few rounds. 

“Who’s Drew?” Colby asked. You winced at the sound of his name. You hadn’t heard it in a while. I guess Drew made another FaceBook account to text you from. To bother you from. To taunt you from.

“No one. I swear. I tried telling him to stop texting me. Don’t worry about it.” You said quickly, trying to get off the topic of Drew.

“Wait, what? This dude has been texting you? How long? Who is he? Why?” He asked. Colby didn’t know you had a brother. He especially didn’t know that said brother was named Drew. There were many reasons that held these statements together, but the main one was that you didn’t want to believe that Drew was your brother. You never wanted to think about him, let alone tell Colby about your horrible past, and how Drew affected your life. “Who is this dude?” He asked you. You wanted to change the subject of the conversation immediately, but you knew this conversation would end in an argument.

“He’s no one. I promise. I never answer him. Can we just drop this? I’m getting tired of talking about it.” You said, trying to veer from the fact that Colby was just getting angrier and angrier.

“Are you cheating on me?” Colby asked as if it was a question that would change everything. He sighed and sat on the couch. You gasped, and now you were shocked. You felt like you were getting stabbed in the gut. The anger started to wash over you. 

“Do you really think i’d ever do that to you?” You exclaimed, getting up off of the chair.

“Yes- No- I mean… I don’t know. Are you? Are you cheating on me with Drew? This… This dude that you don’t want to talk about?” He stammered.

“No! How dare you accuse me of cheating! I don’t want to be here anymore. Bye, Colby.” You said. You grabbed your bag and ran out the door. You got in your car and just started driving around. You didn’t know where you would be going for the night. You lived with Colby. You didn’t have many friends in LA. You only really knew Colby, Jake and everyone else that lived in the house. You only really hung out with Devyn or Katrina. And even that was an occasional thing with Katrina.

It was hard to talk about Drew for a number of reasons, but when you moved here, you felt alone and vulnerable. You thought that Drew had followed you from your hometown, so you were constantly paranoid, but you couldn’t be sure. When you met Jake, that’s when you started opening up little by little to more people. The only reason you told Jake about your abusive brother was because you trusted him not to tell anyone, or to get mad as an instinct to protect you. You knew Colby was overprotective, but you also didn’t know if he’d want to be apart of the crossfire if Drew were to miraculously find out where you lived.

*COLBY’S POV*

“Colby! What the hell? What is it with the slamming doors?” Jake exclaimed as he groggily got out of bed. You realized that Y/N wasn’t one to do that often. She was really mad about something. Maybe accusing her of cheating wasn’t the right thing to do.

“I asked if Y/N was cheating on me with some guy named… Drew I think? Anyways, it ruptured into a small argument and then she left.” I explained. I didn’t think Jake would know who Drew was until I heard what he said as I tried walking back into my room.

“Wait, did you say Drew?” He asked. What the fuck?

“Yeah. Why? Is she cheating on me? I knew it!” I yelled. Filled with rage. Everything that was considered anger is what I was.

“No! She’d never do that. She would never do that to you and lose the friends has!” Jake told me. I was puzzled.

“Then what is going on? I really would like to know! This is driving me nuts!” I yelled.

“Drew is her older brother. He’s abusive and doesn’t talk about him because he ruined her life. She didn’t want you to find out because it’s a dark chapter of her life.” He explained. I realized in that moment that I needed to find Y/N, and I needed to find her fast. There was only two places they could have gone, and I needed to find them fast. I called her cell every five minutes. No answer. It was making me more and more concerned.

*YOUR POV*

He was calling your phone, over and over again. It was deafening in the dark, and when you were all alone. You were at the beach, where you had your first kiss with Colby. It was your safe space. It meant everything to you, and now you were losing the one person you thought would be with you forever. You started to cry at that thought. You stopped at a rock. The rock. The one that Colby kissed you on and you sat on it, and sobbed into your hands. You didn’t know how to act, how to handle or react to the situation. This is all just pouring out of you, because you realized that it needed to come out. Your phone rang again and you answered it.

“Yes?” You answered. You sniffled.

“Baby? Where are you? We need to talk!” Colby exclaimed into the phone.

“I need to be alone right now. I’ll be back in the morning.” You said. You hung up the phone. You were sitting there, sobbing for another 15 minutes. You heard footsteps in the sand behind you. You jumped when you heard your phone go off. Colby. You answered.

“Colby. Please. Stop calling. I’ll be back in the morning.” You said into the phone.

“No need. I’m here now.” He said. The sound was behind you. “Baby. Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother? We’ve been dating for almost a year and you’ve never mentioned it. Yet, Jake knows? Why?” He asked as he hung up on the phone and got closer. He sat on the rock next to you.

“You need to understand that Jake was my only friend when I moved here. Everything I did to get here was by myself. Drew was- is, my personal hell. He would call me names, hit me and kick me in my stomach, and my thighs. He would ridicule my dates coming back. He’d call me a slut after every date. Tell my mother I was failing classes, which was true because I’d end up not doing my homework because he’d want me to do things for him. If I didn’t, he’d hurt me. I am physically and mentally and emotionally scarred. You need to know that he’s tried to do everything to make sure that I didn’t have a good life. That’s why I got away. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I don’t talk about my brother. Because he ruined my life in ways you could never imagine.” You poured your heart out. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know if you would be okay with my brother coming to find me. Coming to taunt me. I didn’t know if you’d do something stupid. I don’t want you losing your life because you love me. That’s not something I would be able to live with.” You continued, and sobbed.

“Babe, i’m glad you’re telling me this. I don’t want you to feel unsafe in any way. Especially not around me. And you’re right. I would be very protective of you. I would die trying to protect you than sit on the sidelines, just waiting for a shadow from your past to come back and taunt you again. He’s not going to get to you. I can promise you that. I swear to you, Y/N. I love you. Your brother will never be able to get to you.” Colby said as he took your hands and kissed them.

Your eyes were glossed over. What he said made you feel protected. Like you were the only person in the world that he cared about. You hadn’t felt this kind of a connection with anyone in your life. But, it felt like you’d known Colby for decades, but you had just gotten together and it felt like your world was finally getting together.

“I love you.” You sobbed into his chest. He hugged you and took you in. You and your dark past. This was him saying he was all in.

“I love you too.” He said as he pulled you up to his face. You two kissed, like you had on your second date, a year ago. The spark was still there.

[stayextrafrosty]

Of Saints and Sin: Chapter 6

Fall Out Boy mob boss AU

Warnings: cursing, violence

Read on AO3 // Official Playlist

-

Reggie read the response from his little sister. A lazy smile rested on his face. This was the perfect opportunity to ruin that fucking kids’ life. Strangely enough, he might have even been willing to accept his sister back. That is… if she performs as he expects.

“Hey babe. Looks like you’ll finally get to see him.” He shook the woman laying next to him, her naked body looking not a day over thirty. But even then, she didn’t care if he slept with whores. She knew how much he cared for her.

She groaned and rolled over to press herself against him. She kissed her way down his body, dirty blonde hair following her.

“Think he’ll be disappointed,” She wondered. Reggie smirked.

“Do you care?” She giggled and sank beneath the covers.

“Nah.”

-

“Hey, you said you’d take me for a drink.” Pete rolled his eyes as he pulled into the police station. “If you even try to put me in witness protection, I will castrate you.”

“Calm down, princess. I just gotta talk to the chief about our plans. Don’t need anyone getting arrested unless it’s them.” Mana huffed and clenched her fists.

“You mean my brother and the Snakes right,” she asked quietly. He glanced at her. Maybe he should be more sensitive. That asshole is still her family. Pete nodded and opened the car door.

“I’ll be quick. You’re welcome to come in with me if you want. No witness protection. I swear.” He raised a hand as if to say, ‘scouts honor.’ She cracked a smile and got out of the car with him.

They walked into the station and the first person to greet them was the guy that had pulled Pete over. Pete tried not to show annoyance. This guy had been tailing him for the past couple weeks and it was bordering on suspicious.

“Can I help you,” he asked, spite dripping from his words.

“The chief in? Tell ‘em Pete has an update.” He could tell this guy was biting his tongue. Smart of him. Pete wasn’t exactly in the mood to argue. He disappeared down a hallway for a minute. When he returned, he nodded for Pete and Mana to follow him.

They stopped in front of the chief’s door and he knocked a couple times. Pete could hear the chief talking to someone on the phone, and he didn’t sound pleased. Great. Now he was going to have to play the convincing game with him.

“I’ll get you for something. No one can escape forever,” the guy mumbled. Pete turned toward him.

“You do your job well. Thanks for that. But sadly, you’re chasing the wrong guy,” he said. The guy raised his eyebrow as the chief opened the door.

“You know better than to keep me waiting, Martin,” Pete joked. The sheriff glared at him.

“I’ll take it from here officer Callaghan.” He clenched his fists and opened his mouth to speak. This oughta be good, Pete thought.

“Forgive me if it’s not my place, sir, but I strongly advise against working with a criminal,” he said. Pete heard Mana chuckle beside him. If Callaghan heard, he didn’t show it.

“I understand your concern, Leo, but trust me when I say this is the best thing for the city.” He signaled for Pete and Mana to step inside. Pete nodded a good bye to the shocked officer and shut the door between them.

Mana and Pete sat in the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. The sheriff rubbed his temples as he waited for Pete to tell him their latest plot to destroy the city. Pete chuckled.

“Don’t look so worried. I’m just here to let you know about our plan to get rid of the Snakes.” He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

“All of them,” he asked?

“Well we’re gunna try and take out my brother.” The Shariff stared at the both of them as he registered what was being said. “My brother is the leader. Get rid of him and the Snakes will be leaderless while they rebuild. You could easily take a bunch of them down.”

Pete nodded along with Mana. He was trying to prepare a speech about why this was a good idea but he couldn’t quite read the sheriff’s feelings on the situation. He leaned back in his chair and sat silently as he thought.

“And how much shooting is this going to entail? And if you’re the sister of the leader, why should we trust you?” Mana gripped the arms of the chair she was in.

“You should trust her because we do,” Pete said flatly. “That includes the Boss.” The sheriff looked skeptical. Pete understood his thought process but that didn’t make it any less irritating.

“And the shooting? Should I be evacuating an area?” Pete sighed.

“Ideally, no. Reality is probably likely. Our goal is to not involve civilians at all.”

“That’s always the plan but it never happens. Someone is always caught in the crossfire,” the sheriff said accusingly.

“That’s why this is happening at night. Less people around. But we are sending her into Snake territory with little backup on our part. We need you and your team’s cooperation to keep her and as many people as possible safe.”

“There a reason why the Overcasts aren’t sending proper backup?” Pete heard the doubt lacing his voice. He wished he could just punch the guy and make him listen but that wouldn’t be good for their relationship.

“Our boss isn’t picky about who kills Reggie but he needs to stay behind so he doesn’t get shot. Already has an injury. And if we send too many of our guys then we could be spotted. Don’t need him pulling a gun on the little girl here.” Mana kicked him in annoyance.

The sheriff looked between them, still skeptical. He finally sighed and nodded. Pete’s shoulders relaxed. The less he had to explain the better.

“You have my support. Just let me know how many you want on duty. Time and location would also be helpful.” He handed a pad and pen to Pete who scratched out the specifics. He handed it back to the sheriff and watched as his nose scrunched.

The neighborhood wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t pretty. Some areas of Cicero were nice but people stayed away during the night. Like most places in Chicago.

“We have the disadvantage because most of these things need to be on his terms. Makes things difficult.”

“And what if your brother doesn’t show up?” A valid question. One that they hadn’t considered. What if he sent someone to pick Mana up and bring her somewhere else? Reggie wasn’t stupid. He would be right to be cautious. “Hadn’t thought of that?” Pete pulled his phone out to message Patrick about the issue.

“That’s why we come to you. We trust you to point out holes,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Why should I be trusting you to help clean up this city if you can’t even think through your plans?” Pete’s eye twitched. But before he could say anything, Mana shot up from her seat.

“Look. I grew up in this damn business. Family ties I’m afraid. But if you’re really going to give the people who are trying to help you shit, then it’s time to hang up your hat. They get things done, unlike the police. I feel safer with them then I ever had in all my dealings with police.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. You have to understand why the law isn’t very trusting of your kind.” Pete’s anger flared as he waited for him to specify that his comment was about people in the business they were. It never came. Mana had her fists balled and Pete stood, taking her arm gently.

“You don’t get to talk to her like that. And let me make something very clear,” Pete snarled at him, trying to keep his composure. “I can have you thrown out of here faster than you could say ‘sorry.’ Fix your fucking views. I could end your miserable existence.”

Pete pulled Mana out of the room, his anger threatening to make itself known. People moved out of his way and he wasn’t stopping for anything. Since running with the Overcasts, he hadn’t experienced problems with the police. But it was out of fear for what he would do rather than respect. He knew that, and it still surprised him.

“Pete slow down. I’m used to it,” Mana said, tugging him back. Pete spun to face her.

“That doesn’t make it ok! Don’t you dare let anyone treat you like that,” he said thorough grit teeth.

She stepped close to him and placed a hand on his cheek. Pete’s shoulders relaxed and he had to consciously try not to lean into her. Her brown eyes were significantly darker than his and easy to get lost in. She was so gentle, despite growing up on the wrong side of town.

“We have bigger problems to worry about. We can deal with the racist cops another time,” she said.

Pete inched toward her, not really thinking about the problems this would cause. He knew her. The past few weeks had shown him exactly what he wanted out of a partner. She was a lot like Patrick he realized. But that wasn’t what drew him to her. She was beautiful. Anyone with eyes would see that.

But she was also smart. She had a quick mouth and rarely let him get away with anything. She didn’t deserve the life she had been born into. She had made some bad choices regarding guys in the past, her ex was proof of that. And yet there was still fire in her heart that never ceased to keep pushing her forward. Mana was always looking forward. He only hoped that maybe the future she saw included him.

Pete’s forehead pressed against hers. Mana never moved away from him. Simply stood and waited. His eyes had closed. He opened them, trying to assess her feelings. Hers were still wide open. She wasn’t protesting but something wasn’t right. Pete pulled back and cleared his throat, hoping the blush on his face wasn’t visible.

“Sorry. We should get going.” He released her arm and moved to get in the car. Mana sucked in a shaky breath and headed to the other side. Pete pulled out his phone to read the reply from Patrick as he waited.

Then we get Mana to give him incentive. No info unless he comes to get her.

I’m heading to V’s to ask for backup.

Pete slipped his phone back in his pocket. It was a temporary answer that had its own flaws. They were assuming that Reggie cared enough about information and his sister to come personally. And that was a pretty big “if.”

“Pete,” Mana said quietly. He glanced at her sideways. “I just don’t think… us… is a good idea,” she continued. He could have guessed that much. He clenched the steering wheel and started the car.

“I get it. It’s better to keep personal matters and business separate anyway.”

“Pete don’t act like this please. I like you, I just,” she pleaded. He didn’t want to hear it.

“Drop it, ok? I understand.” The rest of the car ride just filled with silence.

-

Patrick knocked on the door to the club. The cool air threatened to break through his leather jacket. Casual clothing was infinitely more comfortable. He was also less likely to be recognized. The old door swung open and the guard did a double take but stepped to the side. Patrick ginned.

“Go ahead and say what you’re thinking. I won’t be offended.” The guard shook his head but let out a deep chuckle.

“I was going to ask if you were here as a paying customer today,” he teased. Patrick blinked in surprise and tried to suppress his blush. He wasn’t exactly dressed to be an attendee. Black jeans, converse and a red shirt. Hell, he probably looked closer to a high schooler, given his height.

“V’s in her office. I’m sure she’d love the company while doing the books.” Patrick nodded and pat the guys arm ass he passed. Some beautiful girl danced about the stage but he paid her no mind.

Patrick wondered why only V seemed to distract him. It was almost frustrating. He could hardly get a sentence out in front of the person he needed to communicate business with. The guys teased him about her often enough but they were just friends.

Patrick tapped on her door a couple times. He waited but there was no reply. He leaned closer to the door, trying to hear anything going on inside. He thought he heard quiet arguing but he couldn’t be sure. He jumped as the door was flung open and Patrick was nearly run over by an angry man.

“Move it pipsqueak!” Patrick raised an eyebrow at his back but shook his head, deciding to let it go. But the man stopped and spun toward him, looking furious.

“You the worthless mobster she’s fucking these days? Step off cause that’s my woman.” He grabbed a fist full of Patrick’s shirt and jacket.

“Hey! Tony, that’s enough! I’m not seeing anyone right now, not that it’s any of your business. And you best let him go because I don’t think you want the trouble that comes with hurting him.” The larger man, Tony, shoved him back and stormed off. V sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I’m sorry, Trick.” He stepped into her office and looked around. Nothing seemed broken.

“Am I allowed to ask what that was?” Patrick leaned against her desk. She shook her head.

“Just an ex. He doesn’t seem to understand what it means to break off an engagement.” She moved to her liquor cabinet, pulling out two glasses.

“He’s not violent, is he? Should I get someone to take care of it?” V laughed but there wasn’t any humor.

“You can’t solve all of my problems for me big guy,” she said, pouring a glass of whiskey. She didn’t answer his question. “He’s not violent but he thinks he owns me. Didn’t like that I dance for men’s pleasure. Gave me an ultimatum and I chose my job. Simple as that. He just can’t handle rejection.”

She hopped up to sit on her desk, taking a sip from her glass. A simple t-shirt and jeans. An outfit not unlike his own. He watched as her shoulders relaxed and she smiled at him.

“So. This visit business or pleasure? By the way you’re dressed I’m hoping the latter.” He laughed and rolled his eyes. She had told him last time he was here to come visit her not on business. Sadly, it wasn’t the case this time.

“Raincheck on that. I came to request help from your guys. I need backup and apparently the cops aren’t willing to be helpful.” She nodded and almost looked disappointed.

“Yea sure. I’ll give a few of them a call. When do you need them,” she asked?

“Tomorrow. Unfortunately, we have to work from Reggie’s schedule.” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Why?”

“Because we’re using Mana to get to him. He wants information and her back. We figure this could be a good time to get him to lower his guard.” V nodded along but didn’t look completely convinced.

“Just be careful, ok?” Patrick grinned and tapped his glass against hers.

“If we go down, we’re going down swingin’.” She rolled her eyes and shoved his arm. He winced at the sudden pain it caused, the gunshot wound still being fresh. V’s eyes narrowed and she hopped off the desk.

“What happened?” Patrick bit his tongue and avoided her eyes. “Take off your jacket. Now.” When he didn’t comply, she grabbed it and shoved it off. He hissed in a breath as she jostled his arm again. Mana did a good job with bandages but they needed to be changed. He watched as her jaw clenched.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he started. She moved quietly to pull a first aid kit out of her desk.

“Don’t start with me. Roll up your sleeve.” But Patrick was proud. He didn’t need her worrying about him.

“It’s fine. I’ll get it rewrapped when I get back to headquarters or when I get home.”

“I swear to god Patrick I will cut this shirt off you if you don’t listen to me,” she threatened. Patrick had no doubt she was serious but he couldn’t stop the chuckled that escaped.

Meeting her gaze forced him to choke back any more laughter. He adjusted his body so she could access his arm. She rolled up his sleeve gently and began unwrapping the bandage. She worked quickly and quietly. He pretended not to notice the pain from his wound. Or the pain on her face.

“You idiot,” she mumbled. The bleeding had mostly stopped but he wondered if he could even hold a gun up, much less fire it.

Her fingers brushed against his skin every now and then. He had to shut down any thoughts of her touching him anywhere else. Christ, he was in trouble. Bringing any sort of romantic relationship into this business was bad news. It was just a distraction.

If it was just sex, that was one thing. But Patrick had never been one to work like that.

She finished wrapping his arm and rolled his sleeve back down. Her hair had started to grow out. It was longer on the sides, no longer fitting the term “buzzed.” She was so close that he could smell the perfume she wore when dancing. She must have had a show today.

“So,” he started, clearing his throat. “How’s the books looking? Profits going up I hope.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow but nodded.

“Yea. Things are great like usual. But I try not to get too cocky. Only takes one bad thing to send a business like this into the ground.” She stood next to him, picking up and finishing her drink. Patrick laughed.

“I’m sure this place would stay alive even if it was just you dancing.” He blushed as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He basically admitted that he noticed her. He dared a look at her and a small smirk sat on her face.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Both as a business woman and a dancer. The Boss, of all people, noticed me.” She was being sarcastic but Patrick knew a teasing tone when he heard it.

“Don’t get cocky, not like I know much about dancing,” he said, chuckling nervously. V rolled her eyes and packed up the first aid box.

“While I have you here, why not tell me about how your family got stuck in this business?” Patrick thought for a moment. There wasn’t any harm in telling her.

“Uh, well, I was really young when my brother started running around with these guys. He could probably tell the story better than me. I only know general details.” She hopped onto her desk, swinging her legs slightly.

“Well Dom isn’t here anymore. May he rest in peace. But just give me your version of it,” she said. He wasn’t the best at ‘get to know you’ conversations but she seemed adamant about it.

“Alright, well. My mom died. I was seven. She got caught up in gang business and well, we had to have a closed casket memorial. According to Dom it was pretty bad.” V sat silently, nodding along. Losing parents was a common introduction story to the gangs. He wasn’t special in that regard.

“With my mother gone, my father spiraled. He drank and played around with some drugs. He stopped being a father to us. He would get angry easily and would take it out on us. Dom would take most of it. For both of us. So, when he was 19 he started running for the Overcasts. I don’t really know how he took over as the Boss but the rest is history.”

The silence didn’t last long. V pushed herself off the desk and stood in front of him. He shrugged at her. There was nothing he could do about it now. Patrick tried not to jump when she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

“I’m sorry. That really sucks.” He considered hugging back but before he could act, she pulled away. He cleared his throat and smiled at her, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Well, what about you? Seems only fair you spill, too.” She shrugged.

“I don’t know either of my parents. My mother was sold into sex and I was an accident. At least that’s what they told me. Aged out of the system and built myself up from there. Dancing was one of the things I was good at.” There goes the light mood. He shouldn’t have asked. He opened his mouth but her hand covered it first.

“Don’t say ‘sorry.’ It’s not your fault and I can’t miss what I never had. I danced for the former owner of this club and eventually I took it from him. With the help of your brother. The rest is history,” she said with a small smile. V moved her hand away and Patrick grabbed it, holding it gently.

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I am. You came from a worse situation but you’ve made something amazing of yourself.” Her eyes watered but she blinked the tears away. V pulled back slightly but Patrick refused to let her go.

“When ever this whole mess is done, let me take you out. A proper ‘get to know you’ thing,” he said, smiling. She shook her head, trying to hide a grin.

Her perfume drifted up his nose again and he couldn’t help but lean closer. She tugged her lip between her teeth as Patrick rested his forehead against hers. His eyes closed as he leaned into her, feeling her breath against his lips. He thought he felt the briefest of touches.

The banging on the door made them jump apart. Just like they were a couple of teenagers getting caught by a parent. He was sure he was blushing and V had wrapped her arms around herself, refusing to look him in the eye. Another three quick raps on the door.

“Kid, I know you’re in there. This is not the fucking time to disappear.” Smyth sounded pissed. He had run off with out so much as a body guard. V hurried to open the door.

“Christ, this is literally the worst time for you to come over here,” Smyth scolded as he stepped inside.

“What’s the problem?” He stared at Patrick as if he had grown a second head.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s the problem?’ Are you blind? The cops aren’t willing to help us, Pete couldn’t sweet talk them, you’re hurt, Andy isn’t in the best shape, and Mana just got another demand from her brother.” Patrick and V shared a look.

“What was the demand?” Smyth shook his head.

“He refuses to show up personally unless you do,” he said. Patrick clenched his fists. While he hadn’t planned to stay behind, he knew better than to show himself. “Something feels off about this, Boss.”

Patrick agreed. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t threaten Mana. She was their one ticket to him. Reggie would call that bluff instantly and would know it was all a setup. He ran a hand over his face.

“Well what choice do we have? I’m fine enough to deal with this.” Smyth looked skeptical but nodded slowly.

“Trick are you fucking crazy?” He raised an eyebrow at V using a nickname. “That gunshot is not a ‘brush it off’ type of wound. If it reopens you could need a hospital.”

“I agree with her, Boss,” Smyth added slowly. “At least talk with the others about this. I ain’t gunna hold you back but try to think rationally.” He sighed and tried to move his arm around. He flinched more than a few times from the pain.

“Yea, there’s no way you can go to this meetup with that arm. You couldn’t even hold a gun,” V pointed out.

“I’ll talk it over with the other three. But I know they’ll understand when I say this might be our only chance.”

-

“Abso-fucking-lutely not!”

Patrick was back to arguing with Pete. Except this time, it was over his safety. Were they all blind to this opportunity? Even Mana was trying to talk him out of it.

“You’re gunna get yourself killed dude,” Joe added.

“Yea, screw Reggie’s rules,” Andy said, shifting his weight off his injured leg.

“Guys, what if this is the only time we can take a shot at him? We won’t get another opportunity like this anytime soon.”

“But it will come again. You’re in no condition to go up against my brother. It can wait until you’re healed.” Patrick ran a hand over his face. He wanted to scream at them.

“The longer we wait, the more suspicious he’ll get and the less likely he is to show up anyway. We’re doing this tomorrow. I’ll wear a bulletproof vest if you guys are so worried.” Pete ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Patrick was right, and they knew it. He didn’t want to be the thing that held them back now.

“This is stupid. Probably the most idiotic thing you’ve ever done.” Patrick took a breath to compose himself. Pete wasn’t letting up. “It’s like you don’t even care about the rest of us! What about our safety? Andy’s hurt. And what happens if you end up dying? Where does that leave us?” Patrick flinched at his harsh tone.

“I’m trying to protect everyone! We get rid of him and then we can take everything back! I can end this tomorrow and you guys seem so against it! It’s like you don’t want to end this damn war.” Patrick clenched his fists. They couldn’t talk him out of this. He’d go by himself if he had to.

Smyth reached out to grab his arm but Patrick jerked away. He was not in the mood to deal with this shit. He knew what he was doing. He needed to act. Smyth shoved him so he stumbled a bit.

“Ain’t you listening kid? It’s not happening. You don’t make executive decisions like this. You’re supposed to listen to the advice of your fucking friends.” Patrick shoved him back and stormed toward the door.

“You all stay here then. I’ll handle it myself. I’ll protect you guys. You’re my friends after all.”

“Trick,” Joe called after him.

“Let him go. If he wants to die then so be it,” Pete said, loud enough for Patrick to hear even as the door shut between them.

Patrick earned more than a few looks of surprise as he hurried through the halls. He had to get out of this place. It was filled with people who didn’t trust him. People he probably couldn’t trust. His circle kept getting smaller. Reggie would have all of them in no time. He wasn’t cut out for this but now he had no choice. He had to fix the mess he created.

He shoved the front doors open and almost ran to his car. He forced himself to appear calm although it probably didn’t matter anymore. They would find a new boss by tomorrow and overthrow him. He pressed the unlock button but his car refused to open.

“Fuck!” He threw the keys to the ground and slammed his fist onto the hood. He winced at the pain from his arm.

He didn’t care if it was stupid, he needed this to be over.

-

“What do you mean ‘no one should go after him? He’s going to get himself killed,” Mana tried to follow Patrick but Smyth and Pete refused to let her past them.

“He’ll come to his senses before tomorrow. He’s impulsive but he won’t go by himself,” Pete assured her.

“I don’t think that’s the case. He seemed pretty riled up. Put a body guard on him at least!”

“I have to agree with Mana on this one dude. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so angry and betrayed,” Joe jumped in. Pete knew Patrick better than any of them. He wasn’t stupid. Just had stupid ideas that he later realized were bad. It’s always been like that.

I heavy silence weighed on the room. They waited for Patrick to stomp back in, willing to discuss a new plan. Pete cursed under his breath and pulled out his phone. He tried calling Patrick but it went straight to voicemail. Smyth tried next but the same thing.

“Find him.” Mana shook her head at the boys and ran out the door.

Something wasn’t right with him. And how could friends just let him feel abandoned like that? They were as close as brothers. She slowed her running to a stop as she realized that she didn’t have a car to look for him. She had been riding with Pete but she doubted he wanted to cart her around anymore.

“Mana. Where are you going?” Andy came up behind her. She couldn’t tell if he was worried or not. And he never spoke much.

“I’m going to look for your boss. None of you seem worried so…” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Of course, we’re worried. But he can handle himself.” Mana wrung her hands together and looked down the hall behind her. There was no more time to waste, even if she had to cover this whole city. Pete would be destroyed if Patrick died. She knew there was some sort of history there. Andy sighed.

“He might not look it but Patrick is the best shot out of all of us. He’s no chump in hand to hand combat either. But I still have him beat in that area,” he said, a small smile sneaking onto his face. Mana smiled when he did, she couldn’t help it.

“That’s great but I still think it’s important to find him before he does something stupid.” He nodded and shrugged.

“Need a ride?” She rolled her eyes and they hurried out to a car together. “Maybe you can tell me why Pete’s sulking.”

She blushed, thankful it wasn’t visible. How does she explain to one of his friends that she likes him but they wouldn’t work because of the business they were in? It was a literal ‘Romeo and Juliette’ scenario. And she hated that play.

“Probably because I turned him down and he didn’t give me a chance to explain why.”

“Yea, I figured it was something like that.” Andy started up the car and he pealed out of the parking lot.

“Where are we checking first?”

“His house. And try talking to Pete once he calms down. He’s a bit of a dumbass when it comes to relationships. Pining after your best friend for a couple years can do that to a guy.”

She sat quietly, considering his words. He pined after his best friend? Patrick? Oh, she thought. That explains why they were so close.

“Don’t worry about it though. Patrick is straight and Pete got over it. At least as far as I can tell.”

She laughed a bit. He wasn’t prying into her reasoning, which she appreciated. Maybe he could figure it out on his own. She knew Andy was smart. He survived being a captive of her brothers’ minions after all.

“You should talk more. You’re pretty great.” He chuckled as he swerved around traffic.

“Noted.”

-

“Pete don’t stress so much. We’ll find him,” Joe said. Pete clenched the steering wheel. He was the idiot of the group. How could he have let Patrick leave like that?

“If we can’t find him, he could die. That’ll be on me. And if he’s gone, I might as well die too.”

“Way to value the rest of us,” Joe joked lightly. He understood their friendship was the longest going. He knew how Patrick had pulled him out of more than a few rough places. Both in the gangs and in his head.

“We should check the club. V probably knows something.” Joe nodded in agreement. Was this how Patrick felt when Pete wanted to bring Mana into things? Like there was a breach of an unspoken rule. Breaking open and expanding the circle without thought.

Pete knew Patrick was into her. But he thought they would screw and be done with it. He should have known better. Patrick didn’t think like that. If he was going to see someone, he was serious.

His thoughts drifted back to Mana as he sped through the streets. He was sure he noticed a couple cops but none pulled him over. She was infuriating. He could have sworn she was into him. But nope. He wasn’t good enough for her.

“Pete, you’re gunna pass it,” Joe pointed out. He shook himself out of his day dream and hit the breaks hard. Joe gripped the door as the car squealed in protest. “Geez dude, you could have jut made a U-turn,” he mumbled.

“My bad. Head was somewhere else.” They walked up to the door and knocked a few times. A familiar bouncer opened up and waved them through. Joe laughed to himself.

“Patrick always has problems when he comes here,” Pete tried not to smile at that but it was a common topic of jokes between them.

Pete looked around for V but didn’t see anything. She wasn’t on stage either so they pushed their way through the crowd. Joe lead him to a staircase and up. A simple office space surprised him, though he wasn’t sure why. The door was cracked slightly. They pushed the door open.

V turned to face them but didn’t stop whatever phone call she was in the middle of. It didn’t sound serious but sometimes people within the gangs had codes that not even the boss knew. Safer that way. She hung up a minute later and placed her hands on her hips.

“What can I do for you? Patrick was here earlier. I’m sure you all told him he was an idiot for thinking you could go through with that plan tomorrow.” Pete and Joe shared a look.

“That’s why we’re here. He won’t listen to us and now he’s gone missing. Have you seen him?” Her eyebrows pulled together in worry.

“He’s gone? I haven’t seen him since he came by to ask for my help.” She turned and grabbed a jacket. “Well you bet your ass that I’m going to help find him.” She pulled out her phone to try calling him.

“His phones off. No tracking or calls. He’s hiding,” Pete told her. V cursed and bit one of her nails.

“Well then I hope he’s bad at ‘hide and seek.’” They wanted to laugh but if he didn’t want to be found. They wouldn’t find him.

-

Patrick drove north and out of the city. It was early morning at this point and he knew they would be worried. But he had to talk to his brother. Whether he believed in an afterlife or not. He needed the peace of mind.

He pulled into the small cemetery. He always wondered why this place was open twenty-four hours. Drug deals happened here all the time. What a place to bury a brother who ran the mob.

He drove around, trying to remember how many turns it was before a short walk. He was buried next to his mother. Patrick wished he could talk to her. The closest he had to a mother figure was the bakeshop lady who sometimes gave him a muffin when he was younger.

Patrick slowed the car when he found the familiar tree. He hadn’t been here since he took over the gang. He used to sit here for hours when Dom first died.

But when he stepped out of the car, he noticed a figure. There was never anyone here at this time. All the drug deals happened farther in the back of the place. A glowing cigarette sent a chill down his spine.

“Dad?” His voice was just above a whisper but it seemed too loud in the night. He was slouched over. Flannel filled with holes.

“That you Patrick? How nice of you to visit.” His voice was scratchy and Patrick could guess where most of his money went. His father turned and he looked like he could be seventy. Patrick couldn’t look at him for long.

“Still scared of me boy? Man up would ya? As I recall, it was yous who left me to rot. That wasn’t nice.” He lifted the cigarette and walked toward him. Patrick froze and waited for the burning.

“Speak you fucking waste of space!” He flinched at the harshness. He hadn’t seen his father is years and he was still hateful. The streetlight flickered above them.

“Why are you here if you hate us both so much. Leave us in peace. Mom would hate what you’ve become.” He cackled and took a drag.

“How is the bitch anyway?” Patrick ground his teeth together. Was he so delusional that he forgot she died?

“She’s still dead. How high are you that you forget that?” He laughed some more and it turned into a coughing fit.

“You’re in for a rude awakening boy. Watch who you talkin to,” he said before taking a swing at him. He was slower than when they were kids. Patrick could easily take him down now, despite being shorter by more than a few inches.

He kept after him, his swings sloppy. Patrick was able to dodge most of them but hissed when the one that did land, hit his bad arm. It made him stumble and suddenly he didn’t have the upper hand. His father swung repeatedly, making him worry that the wound would reopen.

“Still running with those thugs? Getting hurt? Good, you deserve it!” Patrick jerked his leg out to kick him away. He dropped his cigarette and it landed on his leg. He hissed and grabbed at his leg, shaking away thoughts of the past.

“Come visit your old man once in a while. Could really use the company,” he sneered before stumbling away. Patrick panted and gripped his arm. He could feel the warmth and knew he would need to have it stitched up.

He had no idea what his father was doing here. He seemed to hate his mother just as much as them now. Patrick was amazed he was still alive and not in jail. That man tore apart what was left of their family and he knew that he shouldn’t care. As horrible as he was, he was still his father and a bit of him ached.

“Mom, why did you have to die? Were you fixing your mess… or his?” He turned toward his brothers grave. The short twenty-seven-year life span made him angry. He deserved so much more than what he got. “I miss you bro. I could really use your advice. But I know I’m going to end this. I promise.”

-

Pete got more anxious every hour that passed. None of them could locate Patrick. V had spent last night and all morning with them looking. She seemed to really care about him. Joe and Andy ended up passing out on a couple of the couches.

Not at his house. Not at his favorite bar. Not at his favorite pizza place. Not wandering the museums. Not even visiting businesses.

Mana wandered in, giving a nod to Smyth and V who talked quietly at the table. Pete redirected his attention back out the window. She had become one of them. She was in on the secrets and plans. Patrick trusted her with more things now. That didn’t make things any less awkward. She walked up and sat on Patrick’s desk.

“Maybe he left the city entirely?” Pete glanced at her. She was smiling gently at him and damn his heart for skipping a beat.

“If that’s the case then I hope he stays away. At least for tonight.” She nodded.

“But if he doesn’t show up before the scheduled meeting time, shouldn’t we be scouting the spot we’re supposed to meet,” she pointed out. She was right. Pete and the guys would have to go pick up his sorry ass. And it wasn’t safe to be in the area when bailing on a deal.

“Yea. The guys and I will go grab him,” he said. He thought he heard her sigh in annoyance but she didn’t push the issue.

“Pete, about earlier,” Mana started. He turned toward her slightly. This oughta be good. “I know you’re hurt and I’m sorry. I just want to make it clear that I do like you.”

“But,” he questioned?

“We’re from the opposite sides of town. My brother is a monster and you… You are part of one of, if not the scariest mob militias in the city. And it’s only three of you! There’s a laundry list of reasons why we don’t work. And I’m sure you know that relationships in this business only cause problems.” She paused, waiting for him to say something. “If the situation was different, I’d love to go out.”

“But it’s not different. This is the life we have. And in this life, I might lose my best friend tonight. So, forgive me if this isn’t really high on my list of problems right now,” he said coldly. He turned and headed toward the door. “I’m going to look some more. Call if he turns up.”

-

The sun had disappeared a while ago and Patrick glanced at his watch, sitting in a corner booth in a bar. He thought about turning his phone back on but he didn’t need the lecture from Pete.

This was something he had to do. He shifted uncomfortably, shirt slightly too tight due to the bulletproof vest he wore. The waitress came over and handed him a beer. He raised an eyebrow in question. He hadn’t ordered anything except some food.

“It’s on the house. From the manager.” Patrick looked behind her and saw a familiar guy standing there. He hadn’t interacted with him much but never questioned his authority. At least as far as he knew.

“Well thanks. How late are you guys open tonight,” he asked? Maybe he could get them to clear out before everything went to hell. She thought for a moment.

“One I think.” Patrick nodded.

“If you guys can afford it, it’d be best if you closed at midnight. Let the manager know.” The waitress looked skeptical but hurried back to her boss anyway. He observed the interaction. The manager raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, then nodded.

If only Patrick could get other places in the area to do that. This meeting was at two in the morning. Hopefully, no civilians would be out and about. Ten thirty. How was he going to pass the time? He might have considered going to see V again but she would try to stop him from doing the meeting.

He also considered sleeping. But he didn’t trust anyone enough to not stab him in the back. Literally.

-

The group got more restless as the clock ticked another minute closer. They would need to leave soon. Pete bounced his leg, much to the annoyance of the other guys.

“I’m going to strangle you if you don’t knock it off,” Joe threatened.

“I could say the same thing about your finger tapping,” he shot back. Mana sat next to V who was annoyed at the bickering more than anything.

“I’ll strangle you both if you don’t stop arguing and call Patrick again. If we’re going to cut him off then we need to leave. It’s already one.” The two boys glared at each other but surrendered to the more pressing issue.

Joe pulled out his phone and calling first. He prepared to hang up the phone but shot out of his seat as it continued to ring.

“His phone is back on! Track it down!” Andy jumped out of his seat and crowded around Pete who had turned on an app for tracking. It had been designed specifically for them. The idea was that the phones wouldn’t be turned off. Pete would have to talk to the friend that made it to change a few things.

Joe left a shot voice mail about how Patrick better not do anything stupid, before joining the group around Pete. The two girls exchanged a glance as they waited for the locator to ping his location. They would have to rush out before the guys could stop them.

Smyth stood slightly off to the side, observing to worried group. None of them were cut out for this business. He was amazing they got anything done at all, especially under Patrick’s rule. But the trio from hell was a scary group he would admit.

Pete’s phone dropped a beacon where it had found Patrick’s phone. V knew that area rather well and could guess which bar he was at. But he wouldn’t be there for long. And she wasn’t sure if he planned to walk or drive. The two girls sprinted out of the room, much to the surprise and worry of the rest of them.

“Hey! Get back here,” Pete called. But they were long gone. All the guys could do was follow them.

-

Patrick knew the group was going to show up any second. He wasn’t backing out of his plan but he knew it would be best with some back up. He ran a hand over the gun that sat on his hip. He wasn’t a lousy shot with his injured arm but it certainly wasn’t accurate.

He had been wandering around to different businesses in the area, trying to get them to go home before the fighting started. He succeeded a couple times, but some of them were on Snake territory and threatened to kill him. He knew that none of them would but he didn’t want to take a chance.

He was heading back to his car when a couple of guys in all black clothing came up to him. There were no defining tattoos visible but that didn’t mean they didn’t have snakes poking out of their collar.

“Can I help you two,” he asked cautiously.

“Yea, the word is you supposed to be meetin’ with the boss tonight? We just here to escort you.” If Patrick went with them, he would die. They wouldn’t bring him anywhere close to Reggie. Maybe he got over his pride and sent them, to kill him instead. Patrick reached for the gun at his side and the two men chuckled.

“I’m insulted he don’t trust us,” the other guy said.

“What do you want?” The first guy smirked and held his hands up.

“Don’t shoot the messenger. Just a demand from the Boss.” Patrick glared. What more could that guy want? “I’m afraid I’m gunna have to take that gun from you. No weapons. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, we won’t have them either.”

“Like hell I’d buy that bullshit. Tell Reggie, ‘tough shit.’” The two guys shared a look and shrugged.

“Your funeral.” Then they left. Hopped into a van he hadn’t noticed before.

Reggie had to have known that was a pointless demand. There’s no way he would be that stupid. Patrick allowed his shoulders to relax as he continued to where he parked his car. He knew he needed to be getting to the meeting place.

But something wasn’t sitting right, thought he couldn’t quite pinpoint what.

The walk wasn’t long but in the middle of the night, seconds slowed to minutes. Being aware of every slight rustle of leaves or dog barking wasn’t exactly the most encouraging feeling. By the time he got to his car, he had freaked himself out. Almost to the point of worrying that Reggie was going to jump out of the bushes.

“Get a hold of yourself, Patrick. You have shit to do,” he mumbled to himself.

He hardly had time to pull out of the parking lot before a line of cars was squealing to cut him off. He slammed on the breaks and cursed. He reached for his gun. God, he hated when his worries were right.

Patrick scrambled out of the car, crouching down behind the open door. This would do next to nothing if they had machine guns, but it was the best he had. He heard car doors slam and footsteps pounding against pavement. He cocked the pistol and jumped up, aiming at whoever was closest.

“Wait! Don’t shoot! Trick!” His finger froze over the trigger, eyes wide at the group of both angry and worried faces in front of him. He knew they would come for him eventually. He just didn’t expect it to be so soon.

“Guys? What are you doing here?” Patrick lowered his gun, looking between the three guys. Pete looked both livid and relieved. Joe and Andy both seemed relieved but were waiting for Pete to yell at him.

But before he could get a word out, a girl stormed past them, shoving them to the side. V all but stomped up to him. He couldn’t tell if there were tears in her eyes and he didn’t have time to look closer. Her palm connected with his face and he tried to not stumble from surprise.

“You fucking idiot! Why would you go off on your own?” Her voice cracked slightly.

“I had to go through with this. It’s our only shot at him,” He replied, rubbing his face gently. V fumed and ran a hand through her hair. Pete stepped up behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head in disbelief and stepped to the side.

“I honestly wish I could slap you too. This has got to be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” Pete scolded.

“It was our only—”

“Bullshit! We told you we’d figure out another way!” Pete grabbed his shoulders, shaking him slightly. Patrick blinked in surprise, not expecting him to yell. “You have all of us, dude. You don’t need to do things by yourself. And when we say something is a bad idea, it’s a bad idea.”

Patrick looked behind them to Smyth, who stood with his arms crossed. Patrick knew he wanted to say something. But he was probably deciding whether to address him like a child or the boss. Mana stood next to him, waiting patiently for his scolding from Pete to be over.

“You’re supposed to trust us, Trick. We would never back out on you unless it’s something really dumb. Like you insisting that this will be our only chance to get Reggie,” Joe pointed out.

Patrick clenched his fists. Maybe he was stupid. But at least it would protect everyone else.

“Let’s get back to headquarters. Or better yet, just go home,” Mana said.

Smyth opened his mouth but turned around as dark cars pulled into the lot. A base line pounded through the car walls. Pete, Joe and Andy surrounded Patrick, readying their guns. The cars stopped and Snakes poured out of them. Patrick knew he wasn’t late. What on earth were they doing here?

Reggie wandered lazily to the front of the group with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Could he be any more cliché? Patrick wondered. V had paced herself in front of Mana and Smyth in front of her, much to her annoyance. Patrick assumed she had never called her guys when everyone had insisted the idea was dumb.

They were cornered and Patrick only had himself to blame.

“A shame you turned my request down. We woulda had a much more civil conversation,” he said. This was exactly what he wanted and Patrick knew it. “But I hafta say, little sis. I’m hurt. Not that I expected any more from you.”

“You’re a monster! You hurt people and I want no part of it,” she yelled. He scoffed at her.

“And these shits are better than me?” Patrick clenched his jaw and pushed through his friends turned guards. Pete mumbled whispered his name in warning but Patrick ignored him. Reggie raised his eyebrows and smirked.

“You ain’t exactly in a negotiating position, boy.” Patrick reached for his gun but heard more than a few click in response. “I’d rethink that move,” he said, nodding to Patrick’s right. Smyth stood in front of V and Mana who held each other. But neither showed fear even with pistols and rifles pointed at them.

Patrick oved his hands up and away from his weapon. He needed to make sure they were safe before anything else. If Mana got hurt, Pete would never forgive him. If V got hurt, he may as well never look at her again. Smyth was willing to die for them, but he had to make sure one of his brothers’ best friends didn’t have to take care of things anymore.

“So, if you knew you weren’t getting anything out of this meeting, why’re you here?” Reggie shrugged nonchalantly.

“Cause if you ain’t gunna show up, I can’t destroy you.” He heard three clicks behind him. He guessed that the guys had aimed at the mob boss. “Restrain your lackeys’ would ya? I just wanna have a convo.”

“Forgive me if I don’t trust you,” Patrick spat back. His eyes flicked over to the group of three. Smyth had a hand on his gun and he had a shot. But if he fired, V and Mana would surly die.

Reggie shrugged and pulled out his phone. He tapped a few times and then slipped it back into his pocket. He then asked one of the guys standing next to him for a lighter. He blew smoke into the air as a door slammed and another person walked over to them.

They wore a hoodie but their walk seemed more feminine. They kept their head down. Her hips swayed and her curly blond hair slipped out of the hood. She stopped next to Reggie and leaned up to kiss him. He wrapped an arm around her.

“Little boy, I want you to meet my new wife. Go ahead and take that hoodie off babe.” The woman chuckled, low and seductive. What’s the point of this? Patrick wondered. Then he froze.

Her hair flowed down her back as she shook it out of the hood. The street lights illuminated her familiar face, though she looked older than he remembered. She shared the same face as his brother. She smiled almost sweetly at him. But there was no love there. Patrick wanted to reach for the woman he thought had been dead for so long.

“Mom.”

[bartsugsy]

i'm not trying to be fun sponge but its just weird for me when people try to attribute words and feelings to a character when that's not the case. from reading some posts you'd think that was a scene where aaron was worried about robert but it wasn't. it was a scene where he was justifiably annoyed about robert basically ruining people's livelihoods and scheming when they'd just had an argument two days ago where he'd asked robert to stop said scheming

fair play anon, this legit made me go back and rewatch the scene lmao

OK U KNOW WHAT,

ETA OK I STARTED OFF THIS POST DISAGREEING WITH YOU AND THEN I KEPT WRITING WITH IT AND FRANKLY U HAVE CONVINCED ME, SO I AGREE WITH YOU, TY ANON, UR THE REAL ONE

LET’S KEEP THE REST OF THE POST IN HERE ANYWAY BC OOH META 

LET’S DO THIS, I’LL GIVE U MY EXTENDED THOUGHTS ON THE SCENE and if we still don’t agree by the end, that’s cool, but i rewatched and i still feel the same way about it (and i kind of love the scene even more honestly, it was great, there’s lots to it that one can meta and those are my favourite kinds of scenes) ETA I DO NOT FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT IT, I WAS WRONG

so we start the (robron part of the) scene out by aaron just

the second robert walks into the house, dramatically throwing away surrogacy forms lmao

robert obviously immediately spots him and is like why are you throwing all of the surrogacy stuff away? and he sounds sad and concerned

aaron, having thrown that shit in the bin, responds with a still dramatic because what’s the point? we could never afford it and now we never will be able to

rob admits that he messed up, but says it isn’t over and that he can still make it happen. he says he can find another way

aaron is meanwhile legit rolling his eyes and generally looking tired. he answers with another scam?

and rob is obviously like yes if that’s what it takes, yeah. 

AND THEN

DUMBASS MISTAKE, BUT EXPLAINS SO MUCH

ROBERT IS LIKE i could see how much you wanted it, so i was willing to take a few risks. aaron, i did this for you, you have to see that

AND UH

AARON =/= NOT HAPPY

he says don’t try to blame me for this mess. i warned you it wouldn’t end well.

WHICH OK

LO INTERJECTION

AARON, AS WE REMEMBER, LOOKED A BIT LIKE HE WAS MID-BREAKDOWN WHEN HE WAS CAMPAIGNING FOR SURROGACY

BUT ROBERT LEGIT DID NOT AGREE UNTIL HE’D SPENT TIME WITH NICOLA AND JIMMY’S KIDS AND WAS LIKE hmmm ok i need 50

and so maybe robert did do it for aaron, but it wasn’t just for aaron. it was for their family and for both of them, just in a very robert-like way (i.e. the quickest but also by far riskiest way)

but also robert is trying to??? sweet talk aaron round maybe??? in a stupid ass way though, lol 

or he’s just being a dumbass, one or the other

and aaron is immediately mad at this because HE DID IN FACT TELL ROBERT NOT TO DO THE ILLEGAL THING UNTIL ROBERT SWEET TALKED HIM ROUND AND GAVE HIM VETO POWER

AND THEN AARON IS ALL LIKE

AND JIMMY’S A MATE. YOU AND NICOLA PROBABLY RUINED HIM

AND AGAIN, EXCUSE THE META, BUT PLS POINT ME TO ANY MOMENT WHERE AARON HAS EVER CARED ABOUT JIMMY MORE THAN ROBERT BEFORE. he’s just mad and spewing shit at robert, literally. he’s just accusing robert of being a terrible person and a bad friend bc that’s all aaron has got here and he’s MAD

rob is like i never meant for that to happen and aaron is like *pew pew parting shot* yes well u never do, do you robert. so long as you win that’s all that matters *pew pew anOTHER PARTING SHOT* and yeah u know what i did want a kid. i did. but not like this. it’s too big a price to pay. and no, i’m not talking about the money. *fucki MIC DROP bye*

and then rob looks guilty as hell and the scene ends.

SO ANYWAY MORE META HELLO

AARON IS LEGIT JUST SAYING SHIT AT ROBERT. HE’S JUST FIRING OFF SHIT AND SEEING WHAT WILL STICK. LIKE, AARON HAS NEVER CARED ABOUT JIMMY’S FEELINGS BEFORE, SO IT’S SENSIBLE TO INFER THAT IT’S PROBABLY NOT ABOUT THAT

BUT THEN WE GET TO THE END OF THE SCENE AND AARON SAYS THAT HE DOESN’T WANT A KID “LIKE THIS” BECAUSE “IT’S TOO BIG A PRICE TO PAY”

AND HONESTLY LIKE

LOL OK I JUST CHANGED MY MIND ENTIRELY AND I FEEL LIKE I’VE HAD A REVELATION BUT THE REVELATION IS IN FACT JUST AGREEING WITH YOUR ASK slfkkldo classic lo, what a donut

OK MIGHT AS WELL FINISH THIS

OK SO THE QUESTION BECOMES WHAT IS THE ‘IT’ THAT IS TOO BIG A PRICE TO PAY

not to be dramatiq, but honestly from what aaron’s saying, the ‘it’ is robert’s fuckin soul lmao. it’s robert not ruining people’s lives, as u say, and not being terrible. aaron doesn’t want this experience of them having a child together to also be tainted by robert... uh.... not being.... great.... (touchy subject, moving on, might explain why he’s particularly mad/suddenly v reluctant to procreate with his husband though) (what if they spoke about it) (would anyone else be highkey down for that, or just me?)

ANYWAY, aaron’s mad because robert fucked up people’s lives and got caught. he was, it should be noted, a lot less bothered about fucking up graham’s life, even in this scene. i think there’s still just... some anger at robert getting caught and being in a shitty situation in general. he specifically says it’s not about the money. he’s not actually mad about the money. it’s about robert getting them into this situation, about people they (and robert specifically) supposedly care about getting caught in the crossfire, particularly after robert fucked over vic to get to billy literally just a few days back (as u said) 

and aaron at the moment, bc he’s dramatic and kind of insane, but also probably bc he knows his husband, can’t see a way out of this that doesn’t involve robert potentially sinking further down that rabbit hole of ‘bad’, which aaron absolutely doesn’t want - he’s ok with robert doing shitty stuff up until a point (providing he’s careful) and we know this, but he actively doesn’t want robert.... i guess, throwing people he supposedly cares about under the bus for his own gains again? because that’s understandably like a step back for rob, in the soul and morality department

even though frankly, we all know robert would throw every single person under the bus for aaron at any given opportunity and that will never change

it’s probs for the best that aaron is someone who is going to call rob out on that shit and try to stop him from fucking up his life, though. aaron cares about robert’s terrible little soul. 

SO ANYWAY, AARON IS CONCERNED AND LASHING OUT AT ROBERT BC OF IT AND THIS SCENE GOT MORE PERFECT WITH MORE REWATCHES AND EXTRA META AND NOW I LOVE IT AND IM SORRY THIS POST IS LONG AND EXTRA AND ALSO IM SORRY FOR CONTRADICTING YOU EARLIER, WHEN I’M NOW P SURE YOU’RE CORRECT this has been a real journey for me 

[disneydreamlights]

For the controversial ship meme - ALL symbols for Persona, Kingdom Hearts, and Hatoful Boyfriend.

You really out here wanting me to die tonight for my opinions.

Persona:

Ship that you have as an OTP: 🌹

SHUAKE FOR LIFE. God I love Shuake. Enemies to lovers in general just gives me life but the fact that Akechi and Akira were made to be foils to each other is just good shit.

Ship that you’re indifferent to: 😑

Honestly most Phantom Thief shipping I’m pretty ambivalent to, but if I had to pick the one I’m like...truly the embodiment of “meh” about I’d probably say Ann/Akira. I don’t love it or hate it, it just kinda exists.

Ship that makes you sad: 💔

God I’ve got two: Akiham and Fool Moon. You want depression? Great, take these ships and run with it. And if you thought the fact that Shinji dying made Fool Moon depressing, how about the fact that if you romance Aki you can’t save Shinji, so he’s lost his parents, his sister, his absolute best friend in the entire world, and now you too.

...Akihiko deserved better.

Ship that you find disgusting: 💩

KEN/MINAKO CAN GO DIE IN A HOLE BYE.

Ship that you find cute but don’t ship: ✌

I don’t really ship it but of the female confidants and Akira, ShuMako is definitely the cutest.

Ship that you secretly like: 💚

I will never own up to this again but Ann/Ryuji actually lowkey is kinda cute, and while I’m not super into it I’d definitely get behind it.

Ship that you used to have as an OTP: 💙

None really? For me to dump a ship at OTP status you gotta cataclysmically fail as bad as Lotura and have a fanbase worse than some KH ships.

Ship that you find most sexy:👅

I got held up on this for like ten minutes because I’ve never actually thought of this in regards to Persona...I guess probably Shuake? All my other ships I see as sexually incompetent to some degree. 

Ship that you can never see happening: 👎

Any of the kid/adult ships. Also Futaba/Akira, the two are practically like adoptive siblings and that’s just weird.

Ship that is canon but you don’t ship: 💤

n/a. The only canon ship in Persona is Junpei/Chidori and that’s...good.

Ship that is unpopular but you still like: 💘

...Honestly Ann/Ryuji I’m pretty sure is unpopular. Also anything P3 because the fandom is too quiet.

Ship that is taboo: 💦

Shuake? I can see this ship being classified as taboo given I had to leave a server over hate for it.

Ship that pisses you off: 💣

...Ken/Minako please fuck off.

Ship you’re curious about: 👀

I would love to see more of MakoHaru, it’s got a lot of potential but not a lot of attention and that’s a real shame.

Ship that needs more love: 💖

Every one of my P3 ships. Give Akiham more love, give Fool Moon more love, give Mitsuru/Yukari more love. Give Junpei/Chidori more love.

Ship that is most misunderstood: 💢

Shuake is misunderstood even by its fans because too many of its fans white knight Akechi and erase his wrong doings when half of the interesting things from the ship come from Akechi growing from everything he did wrong and that’s the tea.

Kingdom Hearts:

Ship that you have as an OTP: 🌹

I always crossfire my OTPs but I guess if I had to pick one to top all of them it would probably be RikuShi? Hard to say.

Ship that you’re indifferent to: 😑

Tequa. I want to like Tequa, I really do. I just can’t bring myself to care about it that much, and that saddens me.

Ship that makes you sad: 💔

Hey canon SoKai absolutely broke my heart, crushed my dreams, destroyed my soul, and I want to cry.

Ship that you find disgusting: 💩

I sat here for like an hour because I genuinely wanted to avoid naming the ship and in the end I decided I’m tied between Ak*R*ku and Ak*Shi. The age gap plus the fact that Axel feels more like their dad just makes me uncomfortable, that being said if the arts good I’m still gonna reblog.

Ship that you find cute but don’t ship: ✌

There are a lot of good high crack combinations out there like Sora/Ariel, Sora/Rapunzel. I also admire R*kuShi from a distance but the fanbase kinda turned me off pretty bad given the ship wars between them and RokuNami.

Ship that you secretly like: 💚

Terra/Cinderella is a ship I will never talk about shipping but it’s actually genuinely really cute and I blame Talia for making me ship it.

Ship that you used to have as an OTP: 💙

Once upon a time back in 2018 I was a huge S*RiK*i shipper. Then KH3 came out and well...

The behavior of some people has kinda turned me off big time from a specific third of the ship and if you don’t like all three parts then what’s the point of OT3ing.

Ship that you find most sexy:👅

Vanqua. Which I feel weird saying but you know what, that would one hundred percent be it. The rest of my ships completely lack sex appeal but Vanqua has Aqua in it and she’s literally the most attractive character in KH.

Ship that you can never see happening: 👎

Well of my own ships...Vanqua, but of the other ships...

You know what, for my own safety, I’d rather not say.

Ship that is canon but you don’t ship: 💤

Well I ship the canon and implicated canon ships so...

Ship that is unpopular but you still like: 💘

GULAVA HAS THREE SHIPPERS AND YOU KNOW WHAT I WILL PROUDLY BE ALL OF THEM.

Ship that is taboo: 💦

Vanqua. Big taboo here.

Ship that pisses you off: 💣

...

...

...

Look.

I don’t want to die Perla.

You already know my answer and why.

You know how much I hate that one theory and hate the fandom’s attitude and it’s made me legitimately angry over a ship.

I think you know the answer.

Ship you’re curious about: 👀

Aquarella looks real cute. So does NamiXi but not enough content.

Ship that needs more love: 💖

RokuNami needs more love, the ship’s fallen into quietness, but also my eternally rare pairs of GulAva and RikuShi and Vanqua and XehaEra need more content and deserve to be fed.

Ship that is most misunderstood: 💢

VANQUA

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST GUYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH AN AGE GAP BETWEEN A SIXTEEN AND EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD STOP PORTRAYING IT AS GROSS THERE ARE UNDERSTANDABLE REASONS TO CALL VANQUA BAD AND A REASON I WOULD NEVER WANT IT CANON BUT THE AGE GAP DIFFERENCE IS NOT IT.

Hatoful Boyfriend:

Ship that you have as an OTP: 🌹

My oc x Yuuya because Zoe and I rped that and it’s one of my top ships period. Sakuya/Ryouta is honestly a very good ship and 10/10 would ship again.

Ship that you’re indifferent to: 😑

Honestly most ships? There’s just not a lot of birdie combinations I’m super into in general.

Ship that makes you sad: 💔

Hiyoko/Ryouta is particularly tragic, even if I’m not a shipper of it, once you take into account BBL.

Ship that you find disgusting: 💩

Yuuya/Sakuya

Fuck off with that incest.

Ship that you find cute but don’t ship: ✌

I’m not super big into Anghel/Nageki but it’s real cute anyways, just not enough canon substantiating it.

Ship that you secretly like: 💚

N/A. Don’t really had any of my Hatoful ships.

Ship that you used to have as an OTP: 💙

None? Same deal as P5 there was no fuckery in the fanbase to turn me off. It’s a nice chill fanbase over here.

Ship that you find most sexy:👅

...They’re birds.

Ship that you can never see happening: 👎

Shuu/Yuuya. I know there are people who ship it and no.

Ship that is canon but you don’t ship: 💤

N/A. No canon ships.

Ship that is unpopular but you still like: 💘

...I’m not involved in the fandom enough for this tbh.

Ship that is taboo: 💦

None I’m interested in tbh.

Ship that pisses you off: 💣

PEOPLE WHO SHIP EITHER SETS OF BROTHERS. JUST NO.

Ship you’re curious about: 👀

Anghel/Nageki. Let them interact more in the next game.

Ship that needs more love: 💖

...All of them. This fandom is tiny give the game more love before its ships.

Ship that is most misunderstood: 💢

None that I can think of?