#I was going around a town trying to pickpocket people

[im-no-jedi]

someone tell me why I had a dream last night that I was Asterion from BG3… I was doing the voice and everything wtf slfjskakdfkskdh

[simpxxstan]

i’ve just finished reading your wonwoo!fics from the 550 followers event and i decided i need to request something myself because they were just TOO GOOD

given that, i thought about police officer!wonwoo (or mingyu, i wouldn’t mind—) who’s like super handsome and hot and all but also super nice and helpful and loves cats and—

and maybe he’s living in the same neighbourhood as y/n and they just feel drawn towards each other? idk, i’m not really good at making up scenarios 😭😭

it can go both ways, starting fluffy and then get smutty or angsty, everything’s gonna be fine <3

all i know is that i need to read something from you again 🫶🏼🫶🏼

THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST! so firstly, I apologise if I disappoint you because instead of wonu, I did mingyu, because I had this wildest fantasy about him but I hope you like it still!! And I also added a few twists in the plot, because I wanted to spice it up a bit. I really pray you'll enjoy my version too!

this is part of my 550 followers celebration event! find the rest of the content of this event here!

also, thank you to everyone who's interacted with the event <333 your enthusiasm is so so much appreciated! the event is still on till the end of this month so you can still send in requests, my inbox is open hehe :) also to those who have sent in requests, T_T i am SOR SORRY for making you wait but honestly i am trying my best :((( i will answer your request as soon as i can, thank you for your patience <3

genre: strangers to lovers, police and criminal au, smut, fluff, neighbours au

word count: 5k words

warnings: 18+ NSFW MINORS DO NOT INTERACT police officer!mingyu, discussions of illegal racing, gangs, criminals, criminal activities, gambling (but nothing is explicit except the racing activities). smut warnings: unprotected sex (please please do not do this irl), almost public sex, oral (m. receiving), making out, usage of pet names, size kink, mingyu's a perv for reader

It's been six months since Mingyu has shifted to this town, and he's not regretted it a single day. it's a wonderful, quaint little town, on the edge of the city, that's close enough to the hustle but far enough to not be a site for trouble. The people are lovely and they've really accepted him with a full heart- the old ladies who bring him their delicious cooked food during his lunch breaks, the young boys who follow his gym routine meticulously, the mothers who either shamelessly flirt with him or try to set up their children with him, the fathers who pat his back proudly after a long day of work, the children who run around his clean police station with curious eyes.

After his busy five years in his posting at the city, this feels like heaven to him. He had joined the force in his craving for adrenaline and his innate nature of being helpful to everyone had driven him deeper into the profession. But he's twenty-seven now, and maturity has dampened the fire within his soul, although not his desire for social peace and justice- hence his choice to shift here.

It's not a town renowned for crime, and most of his days are peaceful with minor reports of petty theft or pickpocketing. But Mingyu has his fair share of excitement- being on the outskirts of the city, the edges of the town are less tame than the heart of it. It's a den for many gangs- all linked by the illegal racing grounds outside the town. Mingyu doesn't have any way to reach the gangs- they're being pursued by the force in the bigger cities with far more resources than sanctioned to his police station. But he tries to ensure the gangs and their dirty business doesn't get into his town. And Mingyu has his hands full with it.

But being busy keeps Mingyu happy. He's loved by the townsfolk and he's found a kind of peace here, different and yet beautiful. It's a slow town, and he's fallen into a routine that's good for his slowing-down body and his slowing-down mind.

So it's been a long, long day of work and at the end of the week, he's tired and ready to fall into his bed after eating anything that's in the fridge. But when he's walking up the stairs of his apartment building, his eyes meet a scene that's out of routine.

"Hello? Can I help you?" Mingyu walks up quickly as he sees you struggle to pull up two suitcases up the stairs, along with the clearly heavy rucksack on your back. "No! Thanks, no, I'm fine." "Please allow me, I live right here on this floor." And Mingyu casually picks up the suitcases, with a smile on his face. He doesn't miss the ways your body relaxes instantly and your eyes light up. "Umm, I'm here on this floor too. Just moved in into 309." "And I'm in 311. Right across your flat!" "I'm so happy to meet a neighbour already. I'm Y/N." "And I'm Mingyu."

And Mingyu feels the exhaustion of the day wear out when he sees your whole smile- not a tight-lipped smile, but the one that shows your teeth and your dimples. Well, dimple. There's only one big dimple on your left cheek, and it's a beautiful smile that stays on Mingyu's mind long through the night after you disappear into your flat and Mingyu goes into his own.

_

Mingyu doesn't know why he's suddenly choosing to skip his daily gym routine in favour of a run through the town at 5.30 am (nearly an hour before he's ever woken up in his entire life). Maybe one day he wakes up at 5.30 to use the washroom but spots you leave the building in your jogging shorts and earplugs. He joins the dots and his body joins them too- safe to say, he couldn't sleep again that morning. And neither the morning after that, because he's determined to join you on your run.

You don't talk much except brief interactions, and your speed is much faster than him, but he doesn't mind the exhaustion. The wink you throw him every time he lags behind and the bottle of water you offer him right after you drink from it too is enough motivation for him to keep running. Of course it helps that you compliment the way his muscles strain through his tank top and Mingyu's chest blows up even further with pride.

And it's so subtle, but Mingyu feels you slowly open up more to him.

It's in the won't you come in for coffee? I make a mean iced coffee.

It's in the I was shopping for groceries and brought you cooking oil, since you were asking for it yesterday. I thought you may not have had the time to go for shopping, since you're so busy at work.

It's in the see this magnet? my baby cousin made it.

And Mingyu goes to you like a moth drawn to a flame. He's drawn to you when he decides to take you out (for a friendly afternoon outing, he calls it officially, but internally he's treating it as a date). He's drawn to you when you show him around the veterinary where you work. He's drawn to you when he sees you eating ice cream on his couch after he's cooked dinner for the two of you. He's drawn to you when you barely touch his arm and tell him that you really like all your neighbours and the entire community in the town is great, but you're especially glad to have found Mingyu because he's one of the only people here who's near your age. And he's drawn to you when you smile for him, that rich, dimpled smile, after he tells you that you're exactly the friend he's been looking for since he's come here.

After that, Mingyu doesn't know what happens in what order. Do you kiss him first? Or does he kiss you first? Do you climb into his lap? Or does he pull you onto him? Do you bite his lip when his hands wander down to your ass that he's been eyeing for weeks now on every morning run? Or does he bite your lip when your hands weave through his hair? It's a blur, and when you pull back for a breath, your lips swollen, the first button of your shirt open, and a hickey already blooming near your collarbone, Mingyu knows only one thing. How he wants. Wants you. Wants more. Wants now-

"Mingyu, I- I don't know how to say this... it's not like I didn't like this. And I- I- umm. Maybe I should leave? Because if I stay I won't be able to hold back and I want to think about this a little bit?"

And oh, your eyes are so wide and so pretty, and the skin of your arms feel like butter under his touch, but he lets you go. He lets you walk away, a shy smile on your lips. He lets you kiss him on his cheek once before disappearing into your own flat, and Mingyu shuts the door and takes deep breaths as he leans on his door.

He's ready to give you all the time in the world to think, but he's sure that he's already yours. He just knows at the end of it, he needs to make you his too.

_

"Hello, darling."

The tone on the other end is unmistakable, and Mingyu sighs. "Don't try to seduce me, love. It's not gonna work." He's said this before, but the message clearly hasn't gotten through. The honey voice drawls on in a painfully slow pace, "You're late tonight. What's up?" "I was busy," he huffs, his heart still beating fast from making out with you a few minutes ago.

"Busy? Unbelievable." "A police officer can't be busy? Is it so unfathomable?" "No. What's unfathomable is that Kim Mingyu is off his routine. I wonder if there's something new... or someone new?"

The voice laughs, and Mingyu knows it's friendly prodding. His relationship with the person on the other side of the line might be anything but friendly but it's yet again become a part of his routine, and at least the friendly banter breaks the monotony.

"Are you jealous that I talk to women apart from you?" Mingyu smirks, knowing two can play this game.

"I'm jealous that she's taking up my time. You have to show her what's her place, really."

"Don't be rude love. You know I've got my ears on your voice only. Now, tell me if you have any news."

"Oh, getting straight to the point, I see..."

"Oh come on!"

The voice becomes serious instantly. Gone is the sexy drawl, and it's replaced by crisp words that are music to Mingyu's ears. "I've heard Taffy's gang making some noise in the borders. You might wanna come and look at it once for yourself."

"Do you have any more information?"

"Nothing much right now, officer. Look, I'm holding up my end of the bargain but you've got to be patient."

Mingyu groans. It's not good news, and it's certainly not enough news. But he'll take a look himself to make sure he understands the graveness of the situation correctly.

"Okay. When should I come? Tell me when Taffy's men are lurking around the area?"

The voice shifts again into a teasing, seductive tone, making Mingyu jerk at the sudden transition.

"Come tomorrow? Race night."

"Yeah no that's not happening. I'll-"

"Tomorrow, babe. Wanna see you race. A big boy like you likes his fast bikes, don't you?"

The thought of racing sends a spike of adrenaline rushing through his veins, but he knows this is illegal. It's one thing allowing the leader of the races to become his informant so that he can keep an eye on the circuit as well as get key pieces of information that remain hidden to the legal eye. But it's an entirely different thing getting into the centre of the mess himself and be involved in it.

And yet, a part of him wants to feel the thrill again. Tonight, after years, he felt that adrenaline rushing through him when you'd tugged at his collar and kissed him repeatedly. Fuck. It had felt good, hadn't it? One night won't matter, will it?

"I'll be there."

"Fantastic. Can't wait to see you, babe."

_

Mingyu doesn't see you the next morning. He waits outside your door at 5.30, but doesn't knock, hoping you'll come out eventually. But you don't. He doesn't spot you through the rest of the day either, and it makes him worry. But he's decided to give you your space and time, so he will be patient... at least for one more day.

It's a Sunday so Mingyu has a half-day at work. When he's back from work, his mind is still all over the place. Should he even go to the race tonight? He's raced a bit back in college days, but everything pretty legal. Nothing like the den of vice he knows he's going to walk into tonight. But he also knows that this is the best way for him to infiltrate through the layers of middlemen that stop information from reaching his ears.

By the time 8.30 comes around, there's no text from you. Instead, there's a text from his informant, saved under the codename of layla (he knows it's not her real name, but he doesn't care enough to ask about it).

I'll see you at the circuit tonight, darling. Don't be late.

Mingyu's heart speeds up. Is it wrong to feel excited right now? As a conscientious police officer, he should definitely not feel excited. But as nothing more than a man, he feels his blood become warm at the thought of meeting the woman behind that voice he's spoken to for almost three months now. He's almost 100% sure the voice isn't generated by a voice modifier or AI, but it's also impossible for that to be someone's real voice, so there must be some pitch changes or something along those lines. Nevertheless, their conversations has often made him wonder about the woman herself.

She's a shadow- no one really knows who she is. But about four months ago, when she'd called him up herself to supply information in order to buy protection for herself and her racing infrastructure, Mingyu had yielded instantly by weighing his priorities. And since then, he's tried endless times to put a face to the voice, but it's been a search in vain.

Not tonight.

Tonight, he's gonna see the face for himself and put all his wandering thoughts to rest. Thoughts late at night after a particularly long phone call with his informant, that made him wonder whether the flirting was real or all for show. Wonder whether the woman herself would be as sexy as the voice. And wonder what kind of woman she must be in order to be capable enough to singlehandedly run an entire illegal racing system.

Fuck it, Mingyu thinks, after seeing the clock strike 8.45 and still no contact from your end. He wears a black tank top along with a black leather jacket- intending to fit right into the crowd he expects to see there. He just hopes there's no one else there who'll recognise him. And he certainly hopes nothing will happen to make him regret this decision for life.

_

You're such a fool, Mingyu, he thinks to himself. You're such a fool for thinking you'd fit in.

Mingyu may be just twenty-seven but he doesn't feel young at all when he sees the crowd at the race. The people here must be of his age, but they all seem so different from him. Perhaps it's because his job has taken away his youth that he'll always feel perpetually distant from even people of his own age.

And so Mingyu stands there awkwardly, stiff amidst a crowd of half-drunk and half-high people, wearing colourful headbands and smearing eclectic neon colours on their skin. He feels out of place- and yet, a part of him wishes he could fit in. He wishes he could have enjoyed his youth like this- on the edge of the other side of the law. He wishes he could have lived like this for even moment of his life- beyond academics, beyond career, beyond mere survival.

"Hi beautiful, looking for someone?" A woman with a cigarette between her fingers strolls up to him. Her hair is flying in the wind, exposing the tattoos all over her skin.

Before Mingyu can say anything, the crowd around him suddenly erupts in loud cheers, and she quickly pulls his hand and drags him towards the centre of the entire crowd. He sees two bikers mount on their bikes- exquisitely reworked to glow in the dark. A woman hops up on a platform in the middle of the two bikers and lifts a gun towards the sky. And as the crowd counts down, she shoots the gun right after 1 and the two bikers zoom out into the blackness ahead, the crowd going wild with cheers for the biker they support.

The scene makes Mingyu's skin feel alive too- the sheer speed of the two bikes, the sound of the engines revving and the general merriness around him induces adrenaline to flow through his veins. When he turns to look at the woman next to him, he sees her looking at him with a curious smile on her face. "Umm, I'm... I'm not really here for the race."

"You're not? Layla told me you would be." The smile on her face deepens, and Mingyu gasps. "You know Layla?" "I do. But that's not important. Let's get you on a bike, hmm?" Mingyu's somehow missed to noticed how her hand's still on his arm, gently stroking his bicep over his jacket. "No, really I don't want to." She steps right up close to him, "But you can try once, pretty boy." Her eyelashes cast long shadows on her cheeks, but Mingyu doesn't care. "I don't want to try." "Let loose for one night." "I'm not here for fun. I'm here for work-" The woman in front of his laughs. "Yes Layla said that too. Don't worry, she's going to work. But only after you race against her."

Mingyu feels his heart speed up. Race against Layla? Fuck. Now, why does that sound so tempting? It makes him only more curious to meet his informant, because why must she make herself so mysterious?

"Are you her friend?" Mingyu knows that this woman is not Layla, because the voice doesn't match by miles. This woman here has a lisp in her voice, unlike Layla's clear diction, and no amount of pitch changing or machine alterations can change that (Mingyu knows that the hard way).

"I'm her sister. Well, kind of. Now, no more questions pretty boy. Next race starts in a few minutes. Let's get you on a bike!" And Mingyu finds himself in no position to protest as the woman drags him away without hearing him anymore.

_

In the blink of an eye, Mingyu finds himself on a beautiful beast of a motorbike, his entire body drunk on adrenaline. There's so many people he's never even met before, but they're hyping him up. The attention-whore in him goes crazy at the cheers. There's coloured smoke being released into the sky, and Mingyu wears his helmet to prevent it from clouding his eyes. And finally when the smoke fades away, he sees his opponent standing along side him.

Layla.

Fuck.

Still no face to the voice in his head, but it's still an enigmatic visual that draws Mingyu in and reels his mind. He watches the way her black latex pants hug her long legs as she swings her legs over her bike. And he watches the way her helmet covers her face but her hair's still flying in the air. There's something still mysterious about her, and yet so oddly familiar.

But before he can say or do anything, the crowd begins the countdown, and in a second, the gunshot goes off. And Mingyu zooms ahead, revving his engine from 0 to 100 in a moment, a smile spreading on his face as the excitement of the speed injects itself in his veins. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Layla take a spin around the corner of the racetrack, her stable figure undeterred by the sharp turn. Mingyu may not be a professional, but it's not the first time he's racing. He's done this before and he can feel that familiar thrill returning, as he picks up speed and makes up his mind to defeat his worthy opponent.

It's a long and winding course, but to Mingyu it feels like a few minutes only. The cold night air hits his body and makes him feel like he's flying. Soon the ending flag is in sight, and he sees Layla speed up, hunching over her bike, determined to get there first.

But at the last minute, she steps back, her posture loosening as she sits back and watches Mingyu whizz off ahead of her.

Fuck, he mutters under his breath. Knowing she let him win easily hurts his ego, and he slows the bike down as they drive into the nothingness of the deserted roads ahead. When he finally comes to a stop, he gets off the bike and sees her stand a few metres away from him, her helmet still on her head stretching her legs.

"Hey! Layla! You let me win! I would've won anyway- fair and sq-"

Layla spins around and takes off her helmet, her hair whipping across her face, and Mingyu finally sees the face behind the voice.

_

"Y/N?" Mingyu's eyes are wide, his brain running as fast as his bike was a short while back, as he tries to connect the dots.

The voice is unmistakable, now slightly higher in pitch, and Mingyu wants to kick himself as he realises how big a fool he's been. "We finally meet, Kim Mingyu." There's a beautiful smile on your face, one he's not seen before. There are other things too- there's a nose pin on your button nose, making your features look sharper, and a necklace hanging off your neck, which is odd since he's never seen you wear jewellery before.

"Y/N? H- wh- how?!"

You don't answer him. You simply walk towards him, your hips swaying and Mingyu groans at the sight of your pretty legs in those tight pants. Fuck him for not recognising that ass sooner in spite of being obsessed with it for weeks.

"I thought I should come clean to you, officer, before you make any choices." You casually slot yourself between his legs, as Mingyu leans back against his motorbike. "What do you think?"

What does he think?

He thinks he's a fool for not finding out more about you before falling for you. He thinks he's a fool for maintaining a contact with someone as dangerous as La- you. And he thinks he's a fool for finding you even sexier after discovering this persona of yours.

And he thinks he would be a fool with regrets for all his life if he lets go of you now.

So Mingyu grabs onto your hips, and pulls you closer.

"You've got me by my balls, baby. Got me eating out of your hand. And you know I happen to like it. So it doesn't matter what I think, love. What matters is what you think." His fingers rub against the skin exposed as your crop top rises up as you dangle your hands around his shoulders. You laugh at his words, pressing even closer to him, the air between you two turning to electricity. "It doesn't matter what I think either- because I'd fallen for you ages ago when I first saw you around in town. The new, dashing police officer, Kim Mingyu, enquiring about gangsters and fending himself off prying old ladies at the same time. Since then I've just wanted to make you mine." Mingyu's heart hasn't stopped thumping loudly all night, and at your confession, his body tingles with a dangerous feeling.

"Glad we're on the same page, baby."

_

"This is my office," you whisper to him in between kisses as you drag him to a shady-looking room at the back of the building that's on the edge of the racing circuit, now deserted because everyone's busy at the races. "Office?" Mingyu giggles, because the term is ridiculous. The place is anything but an office- with the way dishevelled boxes are just stacked everywhere, and instead of desks there are more pool tables and boxes of alcohol. It's a small, dingy place, and the single tubelight at the end of the corridor flickers every other minute, but it's a vibe. Mingyu's not unfamiliar with seedy places in his line of work, but it's so novel to think this is where you truly work.

But fuck him if he doesn't think it just makes you hotter. Because there's something about you being the boss of a pack of hundred delinquents associated with even more hardened criminals that makes his dick chub up real quick.

Like it is right now, when your hands make quick work of removing his jacket and throwing it on the floor as you touch his bare muscle. Mingyu carelessly runs a hand through his hair as he sees you push him onto a chair on a desk that's in your office, the room lit only by the mercy of the distant tubelight and the moonlight streaming in through the window panes. "Fuck, you're so big Mingyu. Let me blow you? Please? Wanted to do this for so long." Your eyes are so pretty as you bend in front of him, fingers lazily rubbing into the tent in his pants, making him hiss. "Go on, baby. Whatever you like. Fuck, but kiss me once more."

And you do. You taste like berries, and Mingyu loves it. Mingyu knows he's got it bad, but he doesn't care. You're on your knees and you want to blow him, and if this isn't the mental image to which he's jerked off for days now, he'd be damned. So he pushes you down in between his knees after kissing you to his heart's content, and you quickly take off his pants. "God," you almost drool and Mingyu whimpers when you take off his boxers too. "You're so fucking big, Gyu. Never seen such a big, pretty cock," you say reverently, as you pump it and it twitches in your hands. Your eyes go wide when you lick it and fit your mouth barely against the tip, and Mingyu throws his head back and moans. He's not going to last long, if just this much has got him feeling like this.

Thankfully, you don't tease him much, eager to feel the heavy weight on your tongue too. So you take him as much as your throat allows, and Mingyu feels himself on the brink of heaven. When you bob your head a couple of times, Mingyu reaches down to tug your hair back and you moan around his cock. The vibrations send him over, and he cums into your mouth even as you continue to suck him. When you finally pull off with a pop, another squirt from his dick leaves a string of white cum on your lips and Mingyu feels himself getting hard again.

"That was so hot baby. You're so hot," he says, as he picks you up from the floor and on the desk. It's so easy for him to manhandle you like that, and you pull him close quickly. "You're hotter, Gyu. Can't tell you what fantasies I've had about you in these last few months." Mingyu smirks, his hands removing your beautiful pants, and spreading your thighs apart as he feels his way through your folds. "Umm? Really? Now don't be a bad girl, and tell me what you've thought about me."

You open your mouth to say something but then Mingyu pinches your clit, and any words fall away as you moan out loudly. Your hands steady themselves on his biceps as Mingyu begins to finger you painfully slowly- to the extent that he can hear the squelching sounds, and it drives him crazy.

"Tell me, Y/N."

When your breathing slows down as you feel Mingyu driving two fingers into you at a steady pace, his eyes fixed on yours, biting his lip in concentration, you tell him softly.

"Before I shifted into the flat... I wondered what you'd be like from up close. Because I'd only seen you from afar. And after hearing your v- aaah- voice, it just got worse." You feel Mingyu stretching you, hitting your g-spot repeatedly as he kissed your neck.

"And then when I did shift in... fuck. It was so hard to not give in to you. Whenever you looked at me with your puppy eyes and y- y- your smile- ah, fuck I'm g- gonna cum, Mingyu!" You scream as he fingers you through your orgasm, and he licks his fingers clean once you come down from your high.

"Then who asked you to not give in to me?"

"I wanted to make sure you'd like me in real life and not judge me simply as an informant." Your simple, vulnerable words take his breath away, and Mingyu pulls off your top in one go. "Fuck, you're so cute baby. I'd like you in every form, in every life. You drive me crazy, do you know that?" And Mingyu knows that now, as you hold on to his shoulders as he enters you in one go. "God, you're so tight, Y/N. Tighter than your pretty mouth, fuck." He's trying so hard not to cum right now, but as you grip his hair and moan filthily, a stream of curses falling off your pretty lips, Mingyu lets his adrenaline take over. And he thrusts into you without any hesitance, hips moving fast, his balls heavy as he slams against you again and again. The desk creaks, and you pant in his ears, begging him to go harder, and Mingyu can feel the way your pussy clenches him at every thrust.

"Gonna cum, Gyu. Please-" Your nails dig into his nape, and it drives him over the edge. When you come along with him, there's a sharp buzz spreading through his body and he feels like he's gone to heaven.

He holds you close like that for the next few minutes, unable and uninterested in letting you go. When you both finally feel the high subside, you look up at him, a hazy smile on your face. "I really like you, Gyu. I hope you can like me too beyond who I am in this racing circuit. Trust me, it's.... it's not my entire life. I am a person bey-"

He kisses you quiet. "Stop explaining yourself." You try to protest, but he kisses you again. "You know Y/N, I think I liked you from the first day I met you. And I get what you're saying but... trust me. Fuck. I don't know how to say this. But safe to say if I thought you were amazing as Y/N? I think you're absolutely the epitome of perfection as Y/N plus Layla. So hot, so gorgeous, and I love every bit of you."

And then there's that single-dimpled smile again.

"I also like the nose pin. Why'd you take it off?"

You giggle, "Didn't want it to be a deal-breaker once I had my mind set on you."

Mingyu kisses your nose at the pin itself and you shiver in his arms.

"Nothing about you can be a deal-breaker, baby."

[islayhawkin]

Rescue

Jack dawkins x f!reader

Summery: jack is accused of thieving and you take the blame for him instead.

Request: Hello could I request a Jack Dawkins x reader? Where maybe reader knows he’s a thief and is fine with it and when he maybe gets caught for something she takes the blame for it? And fagin and Jack have to scramble to save her

A/N: honestly had problems coming up with this whole plot so idk how to feel about it but hope it is somewhat what you had in mind

Jack wasn't particularly proud about his past and he tried to start a new life but it seems he couldn't escape it and it came back to haunt him. In the form of Fagin.

He had built a reputation around Port Victory town as a surgeon. And he met you. You were a great enrichment in his life as you brought your sweetness to his side. You were always there for him and he was for you. It was a unspoken promise.

Contrary to what he'd known since his childhood there was a good intention and softness behind everything you did. He relished the evenings with you in his room. Sometimes you came to watch his surgeries but you had to work hard to survive in the pottery factory too.

So naturally you understood that jack was a pickpocket back in the days. He was reluctant to tell you though- a part of him he wanted to leave desperately behind. You were okay with it. You reassured him that you understood that he needed to.

But something changed when Fagin came back into jacks life. You noticed immediately. He tried to hide things from you. He said you couldn't meet in his room anymore since he seemed to try and hold Fagin as far away from you as possible.

He wanted to keep you out of his mess and Fagin only did bring a mess everywhere he went. Jack was afraid you'd get caught up in it somehow. And as long as you wouln't get to see Fagin you wouldn't know what was going on. Or so he thought.

Of course you found out. At first you were angry with him. Especially for trying to hide it from you. But after you talked about it you let it be. You didn't like it. But it was okay.

Until that day were he got caught.

It was a quiet evening at the pub. Jack had his neckerchief loosely slung around his neck and a few drinks already drowned. Fagin sat across from him. A few high society families were seated near them. A girl came over to jack and sat in his lap with a smile. He shook his head politely and gestured for her to remove herself from him.

You saw them sitting at the table and joined them as you sat down in jacks lap yourself. Giving him a kiss on his temple in greeting. He hummed contently and pulled you close to him by the hip. "You had drinks already?" You questioned quietly.

"Yeah. Sorry. You want the rest?" He held the glass up for you to take.

"No thanks."

He sat the glass down on the table again and watched as Fagin got up and got another drink. A short moment later Fagin came back and patted jack on his vest before he sat down again.

The evening went on as you and jack enyojed eachothers company. He had a few more drinks and Fagin scrambled up a few times from the table.

Until a small shriek could be heard. "My pearls! They've been stolen!" A seemingly rich woman screamed histerically. Everyone looked around and started speaking incoherently. They started to search every man in the pub.

Your eyes twitched nervously around the room and you noticed jack to be particularly anxious as well. You were certain it couldn't be him since he was with you the whole time though.

As they came to your table and started to feel jacks clothes up and down they stilled at his pocket and gripped into it. A pearl necklace was fished out of jacks vest pocket.

Jack had a horrified expression on his face and started to stammer out excuses. Trying to deny his fault. A gasp went through the the crowd.

"Doctor Dawkins. Is this your doing? Our doctor is robbing the people of this town!" The people roared with shock.

He would be losing his job because of this. He'd be losing his life here.

"No sir I-" jack tried to reason but you interrupted him as you saw no better way out of this.

"It is my doing. I have to confess as I do not want doctor dawkins to be blamed innocently. He had no part in this. My conciousness can not lie to you anymore. I needed the money-" another gasp went through the room.

Jack turned his face to you. A look of fear in his eyes. He tried to grap your arm to stop you but you shook him off. He wouldn't be able to pull you both out of this so you took the chance to at least save him.

The man took you roughly by the arm. "You are accused and guilty of theft."

"No." Jack muttered shaking his head. But nobody paid any attention to him.

You glanced back at him as you were escorted outside and you could see a look of desperation in his eyes.

Jack couldn't believe it. You took the blame for his buggin' thievery. He knew it would get you in trouble if he got you involved and the one thing happened he was afraid of.

He turned around to grab Fagin by the collar and pushed him harshly against the wall in a quiet corner.

"I told you not to do anything when she's around! You should be escorted to prison. Couldn't even stand to your bloody action!" He roared into Fagins face. His eyes held pure fury in them.

Fagin held his hands up in surrender and looked sheepishly. "It was a good oportunity. I didn't know they'd notice so soon." Fagin shrugged.

"You got her buggin' imprisoned. She never did anythin' ." He pushed against Fagins chest again in frustration.

"That's her own doing."

"No it is not. It is your doing. Our. Mine." Jack pushed the words painfully out. He removed himself from Fagin and ran throught his hair with his hand.

His inability to stop with the thieving, with the gambeling, to leave his past behind got you into trouble and he'd never forgive himself for it. He never should have started with this. He should have kept you safe. Far away from the mess. Far away from him.

"How do we get her out of this?" Jack asked quietly.

Fagin was quiet for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. "You're a doctor."

Jack frowned confused. "What has that to do with anythin' right now?"

"You're her doctor."

"You mean...I can't do that..." It dawned on jack and he shook his head.

"Do you want to free her or not?"

"I'd have to declare her insane. She'd be the talk of town. She'd have no job anywhere..." Jack closed his eyes and pinched his brows. Whatever he did it would come down to harm her life in some way. "I need to know what their doing to her." He whispered and dashed out of the door.

Fagin ran after him panting quite a bit. There was determined expression on Jacks face as he made his way across town to the police station.

Fagin complained a bit about the pace and that they should call a ride but jack ignored him.

Finally standing in front of the door he knocked. There was a moment of silence and no reaction. Jack sighed and walked around the building. Searching for any way in or at least see something. A small window with bars on it suggested a look into the cell at the back of the building.

Jack waved Fagin over and told him to give him a lift. Fagin grumbled but held his hands to the ground for jack to climb onto. He could barely see through the bars but he could clearly make out a form of a person pacing back and forth in the cell.

"Y/N?!" Jack whisper-shouted into the window.

You reeled around at the sudden voice and you saw his mop of blond hair pop up behind the bars.

"Jack?! What are you doing?" You looked up at him surprised.

"Trying to get you out of there obviously. Isn't there any bobby (name for police officers in victorian times) in there with you?"

"Uh..." you looked around the room to check again. "No. I think he left to gather more information or something."

""Y/N I need to testify as your doctor. They'll let it slide if I insist."

"Testify what? That it wasn't me? Then you're guilty."

"No." His head disapeared for a moment and Fagin seemed to grumble complaints. Then his head appeared again. "I have to testify as your doctor." He cleared his throat. "I'll have to come up with some sickness. One that is cureable."

You looked at him incredilous. "You want to declare me insane? That's your way of thinking about rescueing?" You scoffed.

"Sorry." His head disapeared again. You shook your head and sat down against the wall.

                                *** It was morning when the door to the building opened again and the bobby came in. Shortly after jack did too from what you could tell. You could hear them talk but couldn't make out coherent words until they came in your direction.

You sought jacks eyes for some kind of information or reassurence but there was none. The bobby unlocked your cell door and took you by the arm to pull in jacks direction.

"You have a close look on her. Something like this happens again I will not be so kind. She's your responsibility doctor."

"Of course sir. I will keep her in line until she's cured. Thank you." Jack gave the bobby a nod and he gave jack one back out of respect.

Jack hadn't even as much as glanced in your direction. He took you by the arm bow too to escort you outside. You stayed silent the whole time. Knowing your place.

As soon as you both walked around a corner jacks expression changed completely. He turned to you with his soft deep brown eyes. "What were you thinking taking the blame." He racked a hand through his hair.

You took his rough hand in yours. "I couldn't let you be blamed. You have way more to lose than me."

Jack opened his mouth and closed it again. "Wha- that's not the point. You had nothing to do with it. I didn't want you to be involved in that stuff. I should've never started again. It's my fault and I should own up for it too."

"I know. But I gladly did it okay? I just couldn't watch you loose everything you built."

He sighed. "Thank you. But you still shouldn't have done it. I feel so guilty. I was...afraid."

You pulled yourself against him. Wrapping your arms around his slender back. "Thank you for getting me out."

He buried his face in the crook of your neck. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I'd always stand up for you."

"I'd always rescue you. Whatever it'd take."

[the-ace-with-spades]

I need a fic where Ghost and Soap are on the run but like, framed and on the run.

They're on an assignment, just the two of them, to co-lead a team for the prevention of assassination for some big-name politician (dunno, I like to think this would happen either in usa or in the uk...) and it's all done and they're about to pack their shit and go back to base when Soap gets an encrypted call from Price to tell him that a video of Ghost killing the same big-name politician is on the telly

It's not Ghost, obviously, but it's someone of Ghost's posture, in Ghost's gear and Ghost's mask.

Also obviously, Soap doesn't believe it.

They get surrounded pretty fast by the local SWAT-like team and Soap makes Ghost use him as a hostage so they can escape with a minimal amount of maiming -- Soap is pretty sure Ghost could escape on his own, but it'd be a bloody mess that would follow him after he was proven to be framed.

Of course, Ghost tries to get Soap to leave once they're out of the danger zone. He does not.

Cue Ghost and Soap on the run while Price, Gaz and Lasewell try to find out who is framing him.

Simon's existence was erased so much that there are no pictures of him anywhere so instead, his APB has a sketch and a description. Problem is, the scars on his face were included, and way too characteristic to miss them (whether it's the glasgow smile or other scars, dunno, but you get my point). At first, it's really hard to move around because scars/mask + Simon being like 6'4 and built like a tank scream 'notice me'. Simon grows out a beard - it's red-ish blond colour so he ends up dying his hair red too. He absolutely doesn't care but Soap mourns because he's barely started being able to see Simon's face and hair and now it's all changed up.

Soap doesn't have an APB at first, but after a couple of days he is named as complicit (because he's seen helping Ghost run) and his photo is out. He has to shave the mohawk because it's too eye-catching (he's fucking bald and he hates it). He has to rein in his accent because he is described as glasgowian scottish. He can't call his maw so he sends her a random postcard he picked up a few towns ago and sends a short and cryptic message, hoping she believes he's not a terrorist.

Soap also finds out Ghost knows way too many shady people and knows way too easily where to look for even more shady people if he needs something the former people don't have. They steal shit out of necessity, often clothes and food, but sometimes they pickpocket cards and wallets. Some days they sleep in the car, some days they stop at questionable motels or hostels, and some days they don't sleep at all. They have burner phones but don't contact Price at all.

There would be a mandatory 'taking care of each others' wounds' scene (no bandages, please, you rarely use bandages in healthcare nowadays) after a dangerous run-in, a mandatory 'pretend to be a couple to lose the trail' and after that, an awkward 'there was only one bed' scene where things happen for the first time and they have a sloppy handjob or two.

They're probably trying to escape the country but can't do it via air because of the APBs and have to make their way to some shady port and even shadier ferry or cargo ship that won't run their fake passports in the system if they pay well enough.

Ghost is surprising Soap once again with an off-shore bank account and a knowledge of whichever country they're in's language. They move somewhere less crowded but not small enough that two Brits would be weird. Some people refer to Ghost as Soap's husband.

Weeks or months go by.

"What if they can't prove I didn't do it?"

"You faked your death once, love, I think you can do it twice."

[nevermorgue]

Hii :3

Do you have any headcanons for misfits if they were in steampunk/fantasy au?

I love your headcanons so much <3

Hi anon! Thank you sooo much, you don’t know how happy it makes me that people actually like my stuff LOL

Fantasy time? Fantasy time. Imagine your standard DND world with steampunk technology. Let’s see…

- Lenore is a human artificer. And in this universe we can actually KEEP her family’s influence with the railroad.

- Her family’s trains and steam powered machinery are more than just that- they use magical components to be more effective and better than competition.

- Lenore and Theo were still very musically gifted here. Can’t take away that sibling bond

- maybe in this universe Theo died under more mysterious/foul play circumstances? Giving Lenore a motive to go and form a party and all that

- maybe Lenore was present and got injured/lost consciousness and can’t remember what occurred that day. got her hip injury from it

- then her father keeps her locked inside not only to protect her from whoever did this to her and Theo, but because with her hip now permanently injured he doesn’t really see her as useful anymore (asshole)

- Speaking of which, she still sets fire to the mansion and ditches at night.

- Steals a prototype of a very fancy gun that her father was planning to make to her sold. Magic, of course.

- Also still resumes the identity of the fictional Leo Vandernacht.

- She fled on horseback from the house and to a small town. This is where the story of the party begins

- Lenore has a kinda shitty cane right now, forced to use a large stick until she can actually find a store that has canes.

- She comes across a small crowd watching a bard perform. A tall, elvan man using illusion magic to entertain while also somehow playing a floating lute without touching it.

- As she stops to peer over, she feels a hand poke at her “cane” with a clicking tongue sound

- “Goodness, how is this supposed to support you at all?”

- Lenore sees- the same man. Turns out he has his illusionary self performing while he goes around to loot the crowd for anything that looks valuable. A very shifty bard indeed.

- This is how Lenore meets Duke, an elf bard that uses his charisma and many skills to draw crowds and hopefully people careless enough to leave valuables unattended.

- oh speaking of Duke. So I can keep his French. French = Elvish here. Let’s pretend.

- Lenore makes a lot of jabs at him for what he does, but he insists that the performing is his main thing and that’s what he loves. He only does the ‘look around for things to take’ deal in richer areas where they won’t notice losing a few things. Think like…a better Robin Hood.

- He gives her exactly 5 gold pieces and tells her to get an actual cane. After some more banter and light hearted jabs, he just decides to go with her. They’re fast friends.

- Lenore ends up getting a nice cane that supports her hip far better than an oversized stick could ever do. She vaguely explains her circumstances in half truths to Duke, who then decides to take her to the tavern.

- The walk between the store and the tavern is where they meet Pluto…because he tries to pickpocket Duke.

- Duke doesn’t even seem phased. He just shakes his head in fake disappointment, lifting Pluto up by the scruff of his cape.

“Again, mon minou? How many times must we go through this?”

- turns out they know each other. Pluto is a human rogue who has lived underneath this town his whole life, using theft to barely scrape by. He tried to rob Duke once and now it’s like a little game. Duke finds it amusing, and Pluto honestly keeps trying just to see him again.

- Now the three are a trio!! Lenore keeps jabbing at them both for being thieves, even revealing that she stole most of the items on her person as well.

- Pluto and Duke doing the same thing for different reasons: listen. Pluto using theft to survive, barely holding on. Duke doing it to make a statement, someone who has plenty but takes anyway to very slowly make an influence on the world both through performance and helping others. Nice little “doing the same thing for very different reasons” thing.

- Tavern time. They meet an adorable Eladrin girl who is working there as a waitress named Morella (Paladin of course). She’s a student in town and this is her part time job.

- They also meet Berenice and Eulalie here. Berenice is a tiefling fighter, Eulalie an aasimar sorcerer. They’re actually part of the local adventurers guild and are celebrating a recent victory in which they took back a village from a raid.

- Lenore takes interest in the guild, which leads to them all sitting together with Morella frequently coming by to chat.

- Oh yeah Pluto definitely has met them before too. He made eye contact once with Eulalie while he was sitting on a roof and he nearly fell off.

- He’s seen Berenice underground. He doesn’t know what she does, especially watching her go between the dangerous underground and to the surface, but he watches her wrap her bleeding knuckles with concern.

- This is the start of something new for her, something she can tell is worthwhile. All of the people she’s met since coming to town have already started to mean something special to her.

I did WAY more than I expected i’m so sorry anon-

[thegirlwiththeblush]

Topolino

Ezio Auditore x Reader

Summary: A pickpocket runs into an unusual altercation on his way home from his daily antics. 

Words: 1.9k

Warnings: Swearing in Italian

Special thanks to @vorsdany, one of my fav humans who courageously proofread for me once again (love ya bro <3)

i hope at least one person enjoys this because i have no fellow assassin's creed fan friends :,D

The wind whistled lowly through the alley I crouched in as I counted my day’s worth of findings. I shook the florins into my hand, trying not to grab the attention of passersby. Counting money wasn’t a crime, but had I been lucky, the total would’ve been incredibly suspicious.

But unfortunately, the victims of my shenanigans that day must not have been as wealthy as I would’ve liked, because I hadn’t even come close to my goal. I grumbled softly as I spilled my findings back into my leather purse, pulling the strings taut before stowing it in my shirt.

Findings, plunder, dirty money, call it what you want.

I rose to my feet with little enthusiasm; I didn’t like going home without hitting my target. Maybe on my way back I could sneak a couple more florins, just for the satisfaction. I’d have enough to buy something substantial for breakfast the next morning before starting up my escapades once again.

Peeking out of the alley, I joined the crowds with the smallest movements possible, careful to avoid the attentive gazes of any nearby guards as we headed into the town square. The sun sank lower in the sky as I shifted through the streets, jumping from group to group, never walking alone. People were quick to recognize a pickpocket, and if I ran into anyone I’d previously preyed on, my small collection from the day would be the least of my problems.

Shopkeepers all around were packing down their stalls, and travelling doctors were packing up their equipment. No doubt they all had families or friends to go home to, wives to complain to their customers about, frustrating children who took up their personal space, neighbours who intruded at the most inconvenient times. They must consider themselves so unfortunate, and yet I’d give anything to be in their shoes, instead of going ‘home’ to an abandoned, dilapidated gondola. I sighed heavily and shifted from the crowded town square into a narrower street, gently pushing aside an obnoxious minstrel as I went.

Only to stumble upon two figures dueling around three corpses.

I ran and grabbed a ledge nearby, hoisting myself up to avoid the clashing swords as the two of them moved up and down the alley with ease, their swords still swinging back and forth. I crouched and observed in stunned silence; one of the figures, garbed in a white, flowing cloak, appeared to be gaining the advantage over the other, who, upon closer inspection, I recognized as a guard, as were the bodies sprawled over the path. This guy appeared to be in over his head.

“It's a good thing I needed an excuse to test out this new blade of mine,” the mysterious man remarked. “I must be lucky, stumbling upon an eager idiot like you.”

I was shocked to hear the confident tone coming from the cloaked figure. He sounded young, but bold, and his wisecrack didn’t slow him in his advances.

“I wouldn’t call a man who lost his father and brother in one fell swoop ‘lucky’,” the guard sniggered in retort, and the cloaked figure’s strikes became swifter and even more aggressive as he growled lowly, “Fottiti, bastardo!”

The guard stumbled back, and the vigilante didn’t miss a beat; sheathing his sword with one hand and drawing a short blade with his other, he grabbed the guard’s shirt front with his now free left hand and spun him round, wrapping his arm around his neck. He held the blade to the man’s throat, his hood keeping his face out of my sight.

“Please,” the guard whimpered, “have mercy on me!”

The cloaked figure shrugged. “Va bene,” he relented, before sliding the dagger clean across his gullet. “I’ll make it quick.”

The guard crumpled to the ground, a few strangled moans escaping his mouth before he went silent. The cloaked figure knelt and wiped his blade on the guard’s shirt, and he snuck his hand into the leather pouch at the waist, withdrawing a few florins with a smirk.

Only then did I realize my mouth had been agape as I’d watched, and a short involuntary noise of shock flew out before I could shut it. The man spun round to face me, holding his dagger in a defensive position as he looked me up and down.

“Merda,” he murmured somewhat nervously. “What do you want? What are you doing here?”

“I- I-” I stammered, but before I could come up with an answer, he was on the ledge next to me in two or three steps.

“I didn’t even see you sneak in here,” he said, tilting his head like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. “You sly devil; were you sent to spy on me?”

“No, no, not at all,” I hurriedly assured him, my hands raised slightly, afraid he might not believe me. “I swear, this is my route home and I stumbled upon your little conflitto, and I did not wish to interrupt.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “Conflitto, hm? You think that’s all it was?”

He acted as if he wanted me to call him out. “What, are you some kind of dangerous criminal? Or did they call you bambino and hurt your feelings?”

He inhaled sharply and stepped toward me, and suddenly I lost my newly-found confidence and raised my hands once again. “Just a joke, just a joke!” I protested, and gave a short laugh as if to prove it. He rolled his eyes and turned away from me, climbing down from the ledge.

I blinked in confusion. “Y- You’re just gonna walk away?”

“I have better things to do than entertain a little intelligentone who’s up past their bedtime,” he replied without turning his head. “I’m going home.”

I was no longer impressed by this guy; now, he was getting on my nerves. I jumped down after him, and before he could turn to face me, I snuck his stiletto out of its place in his belt, slipping it complacently into my own.

“What do you want, birbante?” he demanded roughly, swinging something around on his finger by the drawstring.

My leather purse. How the hell-

“Give me back my blade and you can have your dirty money, fair and square.” He held his hand out patiently, and I handed him the dagger with little hesitation, reaching for the purse. He smirked at my desperation, and I scowled. “You think you’re clever, hm, furfante? You want to play a little game?”

I couldn’t say I liked the patronizing tone he’d taken on, but after that stunt, his proposition was enticing. I wanted to know what else this mysterious and strangely dressed young man had up his sleeve.

“All right,” I relented. “What did you have in mind?”

He turned to face the town square behind us, his gaze settling on the tallest building, and he nodded to himself. “I want you to race me to the top of that building.”

I blinked once again, but I let the moment of hesitation pass. “Sure,” I agreed, folding my arms confidently. I had no doubt this man was incredibly agile, but I was not going to back down after he challenged me like I was a toddler.

He cracked his knuckles and smirked at me. “On my count, then.” He took a deep breath and shook out his legs and arms in preparation. “One, two-”

“Three!” I could not possibly have resisted the opportunity; I took off, leaving him in the dust and reaching the base of the tower in seconds. Leaping up and grabbing a small outcrop with both hands, I resisted the temptation to look down and check his progress. I reached up with smug satisfaction, sure that my surprise was enough of a headstart to ensure my victory.

Until a light grunt a few palms away from me startled me out of my reverie.

He was not climbing, but rather, leaping; as he flew up from each perch, he reached for the next, clasping with both hands and using his incredible upper body strength to hoist himself up.

Unlike me, he was unable to resist the urge; he snuck a peek down at me and sent a charming smirk my way before resuming his ascent.

I groaned in frustration when I realized I’d come to a complete stop to watch his method. I continued climbing, reaching for anything I could get a decent grip on. I was fast, but nowhere near fast enough; by the time my blistered hands had gotten me half-way, he was dangling his legs over the edge of the top, watching me with his chin in his palm and his elbow resting on his thigh.

“You’re like a little mouse,” he taunted. “You scurry, but ever so slow! If I’d known you were going to take so long, I’d have brought some bread and wine up with me; I’m starving up here.”

“Maybe I did this on purpose, then, to give you a taste of my life,” I retorted bitterly. “Not everyone can just go around murdering soldiers when they want to break the law.”

As I pulled myself up the last few arms and up onto an overhang, he narrowed his eyes at me. “You think I was fighting because I had to steal food?”

I shrugged slightly as I crawled carefully over to where he sat on the edge. “How should I know? I just met you.”

He grunted. “Fair point.” Sighing deeply, he added, “It’s far more complicated than that, I’m afraid.”

Unsure of what to say, I nodded slowly, waiting to see if he would continue.

“My name is Ezio,” he explained. “Ezio Auditore.”

I recognized the name. After a moment of contemplation, I remembered where from; two men by that name had been hanged a few weeks ago, for a crime I could not recollect.

“My family was falsely accused of treason,” he added, as if reading my thoughts. “I seek to avenge them. That is all you need to know.” He looked so sad as he finished this statement that I felt a twinge of pity for him, forgetting our petty competition. I had no doubt he was telling the truth.

“Well, I live in an abandoned gondola and I steal money from people,” I said, “so, if that makes you feel any better...”

He chuckled lightly, and smiled at me; the gesture filled me with a warmth I had not felt in years; something like what I’d felt when my mother or father would smile at me, but, a little different.

Before I could express any sort of feeling, he rose to his feet, dusting himself off. “Well, topolino,” he said, “this was fun. We should meet again and have a rematch someday.”

I laughed. “Topolino, hm? That’s quite an upgrade from birbante.”

He grinned mischievously, tousling my hair and filling my stomach once again with warm butterflies. “Like I said,” he whispered, “like a little mouse.”

He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, perching on the overhang I’d pulled myself up on earlier. Turning back for one last look at me, he beamed and winked at me, before leaping over the edge.

My jaw dropped as he disappeared, but I breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of his body hitting a wheelbarrow full of hay below. I peeked over to watch him sprint away, already missing his charming aura, wily as it was.

Reluctantly, I began my descent, wondering if I’d ever see the hooded vigilante ever again.

Translation Guide: fottiti: fuck you bastardo: bastard va bene: all right merda: shit intelligentone: wiseguy/know-it-all/smart-ass birbante: rascal furfante: scoundrel topolino: baby mouse

[spahhzy]

I am not sorry for this one bit.

Enjoy.

-

The duo of Jaune and Neo had paid a visit to Saphron and her wife Terra, seeing as Jaune and Neo were in town for a mission. Jaune decided to go see his sister.

When they arrived, they were greeted with Saphron, inviting them in as she told them that Terra went out for some groceries and that she would return soon.

They gathered around the kitchen table as Saphron gave a coffee to her brother and Neo as Adrian just played with a ball in his high chair.

" So how long are you guys gonna be in town?" Asked Saphron to Jaune, who sipped some of his coffee.

"Probably just today, we're on a mission to eliminate some Grimm out in some abandoned foyer a little past the western exit of Argus" Jaune said before pointing to Neo who was busy putting tons of sugar in her coffee.

"Plus, this little gremlin here wants to get back to Vale soon. Apparently, a fancy big wig party is coming about, and Jacques Schnee should be their, " Jaune said as Neo just drank her coffee and hummed happily.

"Oooh, I see," as Saphron studied Jaune's girlfriend, seeing a slight mischievous glint in her eyes and before Saphron could ask anything else her scroll rang looking at the device, she could see her wife calling her.

"Hi, hun could you come help me with the groceries?" Terra said to her.

"On it, hey Jaune, mind coming with me?" Saphron asked, to which Jaune nodded, and they both got up from the table as well as Neo, but Saphron stopped her.

"Could you look after Adrian for these next ten minutes?" She asked, and Neo looked at Saphron like a deer in headlights as she froze immediately on the spot.

"Uh Jaune, is she okay?" Asked Saphron as Jaune just walked up to the tiny assassin.

"Neo is just fine. She's just a little shy," Jaune said with a hint of amusement as Neo just glared ot him.

"Come on, sis, let's go help Terra" he said as both blondes walked out the kitchen and out the main door.

*Wait! Don't leave me here with -* Neo thoughts were halted at the sound of the main door closing as suddenly a ball bounced at her leg, and Neo's head snapped back to Adrian, who had a tilt to his head.

Neo just stumbled up to the high chair as she looked at Adrian, who just stared back at the mute.

Neo just looked away, uncomfortable, unsure of what to do.

"What do little kids like!?" She didn't freaking know!

Roman just taught her pickpocketing and sleight of hand tricks when she was young!

And there was NO WAY IN HELL she was gonna do the latter lest she suffer Saphrons wrath.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head!

Funny faces! Yeah, yeah, like all the kid comedy movies do! Excellent thinking Neo!

Looking back at Adrian, Neo held one hand over her head before swiping it down and, using her semblance, changed her face.

Unfortunately, Neo didn't know too many people with funny faces, so the first thing that popped into her head wasn't anything human.

It was a Grimm.

A boarbatusk as a matter of fact.

Unfortunately, it had the wrong effect Neo wanted.

Adrian cried.

Neo flailed her arms at hearing Adrian cry as she looked around at what was causing him to cry. When she looked in the reflection of one of the hall mirrors, she could see her error.

Quickly, she dispelled her semblance as Adrian continued crying as Neo bit into her knuckle as an imaginary scenario played into her head.

"She made Adrian cry she is pure evil!" Came the voice of imaginary Saphron as she held her crying son.

"You fiend how could you!?" Came the voice of Terra as she went to console her wife.

"Why Neo!? Why!?" Came her boyfriends cry as he dropped to the dramtically as if he was in pain before looking at her.

"I guess we aren't meant to be after all..." The active imagination stops their as Neo let's out a silent scream as she paces back and forth, trying to figure out how to stop Adrian from crying, she was so distracted she didn't see the ball that Adrian had roll right under one of her heels until it was too late.

Neo slipped on the ball, sending her falling to the floor in what could only be described as comical.

Neo had birds flying around her head as she sat up on the floor.

"Ehehe!"

Neo looked up from her sitting position to the high chair as she noticed something new.

Their was no more crying, it was...it was replaced with something else...something different.

"Ehehaha!"

Neo peeked her head up and saw a wondrous sight.

Adrian was no longer crying.

He was now laughing!

Oh, happy days!

"Gotta keep the kid laughing, think Neo, think!" What could she do that could keep a kid entertained!

Another light bulb went off as an idea popped into her head.

She snapped her fingers as she mentally patted herself on the back.

"It's been a long while since I did this, so I might be a little rusty" thought Neo as she looked at Adrian's laughing face as an odd sense of peace and happiness flowed through her.

Checking to see if anyone was in the room and seeing that the coast was clear, Neo looked at Adrian before holding up her index finger as if telling him to wait.

Suddenly, before Adrian's eyes, Neo changed, and she was her normal attire. Now wearing a black and white stripped shirt, she had on black pants with suspenders with some black boots, a pink scarf, Romans bowler hat still on her head, and her face was painted white with black liner.

Neo had transformed herself into a mime.

'I knew those mime classes were worth something other than helping me kill someone!'

Neo looked at Adrian with a wave as she then began to pantomime.

She held on to what looked like a box she picked up from the ground, Adrian looked curiously as Neo sat the box to the ground, before going back to her original spot and 'picking up' another box and putting it in the same spot, she repeated this process a few times each time she would place the next box higher and higher as if she was stacking it.

At last, Neo wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as Adrian clapped in joy, obviously enjoying this.

Neo then 'looked' at the tall stack of boxes before she started to climb' them and Adrian marveled at what Neo was doing, Neo made her way to the tippy top it was stacked short enough to where her short stature could fully stand a top the boxes.

Adrian just clapped and giggled in joy and the warm feeling Neo felt before magnified.

'Keep the show going just a bit more,' Neo thought, wanting to keep the boy happy as suddenly the boxes from underneath her gaveway and Neo comically feel down, safely, from the boxes, the action earning Neo another laugh from Adrian as she smiled as well, tapping her chin she thought of her next trick. She looked at the ball at her feet.

She motioned for Adrian to watch her as she bent down and grabbed the ball with one hand and tried to lift it up, only for her to fall on her butt as the ball did not move an inch.

She tried to lift said ball again, struggling and failing over and over. The scene was hilarious if anyone was looking in, but heartwarming as the boy was just enjoying himself so much.

Soon, Neo, struggling with the heavy ball, had managed to lift it high enough to set it back onto Adrian's high chair.

Adrian looked at the ball in his chair and back at Neo, who looked at him, fanning herself before flexing her arms as if to show Adrian that she was strong.

Adrian looked at Neo and back at his ball before grabbing said ball and picking it up with ease.

Neo looked on with fake shock as she playfully fell to the floor as Adrian once again laughed in joy.

Neo just smiled, enjoying the sound of this small kids laughter.

*click*

Neo's eyes widened as she reverted back to her normal look as she looked behind her to see her boyfriend, with a smile on his face as he held his scroll out.

"Awe, this is gonna be my new contact picture for you-ooof!" He didn't get say much as a blur of pink and brown tackled him out of sheer embarrassment, Jaune was lucky to set the bag of groceries down as he was sent to the floor past a confused Terra and Saphron, who just peeked their heads into the kitchen to see a laughing Adrian.

-

"So...what heist or contract did you and Roman go on that made you take up mime school?"

*I will gut you like a fish...tell NO ONE!*

"Aww, but it's cute, my little mime assassin"

*...*

"Babe...what are you doing with Hush... sweetie meant it as a compliment! Ahhhh!"

*SUFFER!*

[pluppsauthor]

OC Interview

Thanks to @themboty, @phoenixradiant, and @sunglasses-in-the-bentley for the tags! I'm not sure who to do this time around, we got a three part special this time. Anyway I will do... let me get a wheel Bene (Wounded Reflection), Akita, and David (both Hellfire)! (cw: swears)

Are you named after anyone?

"No. I asked my father what my name meant once. He shrugged and said it was a name. No deeper meaning." "No. Never heard of anyone with the same name as me." "Am I named after someone? ...I mean, it's a common name--not here, but just... generally. Can't really ask anyone so I don't know."

When was the last time you cried?

*deep sigh* "When my father died." "I don't know, and I don't really care. Why would I keep track of when I cry?" "Well, funny story, it was right after I almost died. When I was a given a second chance to live, I cried. But then I learned of the curse I had just taken on to be given such life. Then that joy turned to regret."

Do you have kids?

"No... although sometimes I wished I had chosen to start a family rather than fall into that pit of revenge." *Laughs* "How old do you think I am? At least you don't think I'm a kid." "Nah, not really interested in that stuff. Settling down ain't my style. I like travelling, I like doing things that having a family might... impede or make unavailable."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"No." "I don't think I know what that means, so... maybe." "Haha, yeah."

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

"Their aura. Not only can it inform me of their Frequency, should they posses one. But, it can gives a vague read on their strength and vitality. It's a good thing to know I think." "How easy it would be to pickpocket them. Also if I can outrun them." *sigh* "I'm not sure... I tend to assume the worst in people, so I guess I try to gauge if they have ill intentions."

What’s your eye colour?

"Brown." "I've only seen it in the reflections of broken shards of glass. It's dark, so maybe brown." "Grey. Although I SWEAR they look blue under the right light."

Scary movies or happy endings?

"Movies? I'm not sure I've heard of that. So I guess a happy ending." "What? I don't care for stories." "Oh, that's a good one. I've been somewhere where they have a theatre. Not for plays, but for reels. Honestly, I don't think their too impressive, from an enjoyment perspective. But I do like scary stories, so I'll go with that."

Any special talents?

"Excluding my Frequency, no. However, due to the effects of my Frequency I am fairly resilient against the cold. More than the average person at least." "It isn't a special talent, but people underestimate me. A real talent is I can create energy from my hands. Not a single person has expected that, scares people off of me too." "Oh, where do I begin? I have a lot of tricks I know. Sleight of hand, misdirection, illusions, that sort of thing. I'm also very lucky, or at least that's what I say. In truth, I have a sort of sixth sense of certain things. It allows me to cheat at most games of chance. Don't tell anyone that, or else I'll probably be banned from every gambling bar I visit."

Where were you born?

"Shadecross. It's a... connecting town. Brings in a lot of trade. Try not to go there much, brings back bad memories." "Redwick. Awful place. Nobody cares for you there, they beat the downcast and feed off misery." "Leeside. Shithole of a place, I'll be honest. Not worth going back."

Do you have any pets?

"No. Vesa has a cat and I was with her for some time. But I'm not any more, and I still wouldn't consider that my pet." "No, it's another mouth to feed. It's already enough to feed myself, why would I take on another creature to care for?" "No, but I kind of want one! I think I travel too much, though. Plus, it's kind of hard to find the time to care for an animal, at least for me."

What sort of sports do you play?

"I'm not the biggest fan of sports. Me, my brother, and Ollie used to play outside a lot as kids, but not really sports." "None." "I know I said Leeside's a shithole--and it is!--but the people there are great. The kids I grew up used to play a bunch of games and sports. I think all of the names were made up so I don't know what they were."

How tall are you?

"178 centimetres." "Are you making fun of me? You better not be... *sigh* ...anyway, I don't know exact numbers. a little bit under 170 centimetres I think. Maybe 167, I don't remember." "Uh, I think it was... 180?? Centimetres, of course."

What was your favourite subject in school?

"My father taught me everything, Shadecross still doesn't have a school." *chuckles* "Are you assuming I went to school? I wouldn't be scrounging for scraps if I did." "Leeside didn't have one, a school that is. But now I'm doing a lot of learning and stuff myself. I think one thing I've enjoyed to some extent was learning a language so, whatever that field is called."

What is your dream job?

"I don't have one. I think I'd either like to keep doing what I'm doing or retire and only do what I have to. I'm not one for professions like learning a craft." "Not being homeless, I know that's not a job. I survive for myself I don't care for anything like money, it only serves as a way to get what I need." "Honestly, I don't have one. I'd rather make my money gambling then work a day in my life."

Missed doing these, I want to do more about the Hellfire cast. I love those funny little gremlins so much. Anyway, onto tags!

Gently tagging (np) @mk-writes-stuff, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @kbwritesstuff, @illarian-rambling, @theeccentricraven, @tildeathiwillwrite, and open tag for anyone that wants to hop in! ❤

[trimalchiooframshackle]

Somehow, by some miracle (or curse), Finn managed to get into one of Jay's parties. Dressed to the nines in his new blue frilly dress and heels, he fit right in despite being a scrap.

His goal and the one and only reason why he got into this party? Pickpocket and scam.

He was already doing very good for himself, having managed to yoink a few pearl necklaces and golden jewelry that he quickly shoved into the secret compartments he sewed into the dress. Life was good for him right now, life was great!

..Until he bumped right into the host of all people, stumbling back and bumping into a few more richies as he tried to gather himself again

"Oh- my apologies" He tried his best to use the fancy people language that he heard all over this suffocatingly ritzy party "I hadn't meant to- uh- run into you..?"

Was that fancy enough??? The host probably had a few drinks already, maybe he was tipsy enough to not notice how Finn struggled to talk posh???

- @ask-finn-hollis

Jay quickly looked around, not being able to catch Finn in his eyesight til a moment later. He thankfully didn't spill any champagne on himself, thank god... But he could easily tell something wasn't... Correct. He was a bit fuzzy, so he didn't care... Until he realized his suspicions were more true than he thought.

╰┈➤ ❜ No worries, Old Sport. What brings you here, hm? ❛

He grinned, taking a drink from a nearby butler walking around with a tray of drinks. He held it out to Finn, (Praying to god its not alcohol so im letting you choose, don't cancel jay plEASE /j--) The rich man then signaled for Finn to walk with him to the base of the split staircase, watching over everyone People still surrounded them, but at least the view of nearly everyone was nice.

╰┈➤ ❜ I don't recall seeing you around here... Are you not from this side of town, or... Are you here to be a thief? ❛

Obviously he was joking, but he did know he must be right. Surprisingly enough, he's seen Finn before. Jay has considered going to him for a tarot reading once or twice, he just has never gotten around to doing so. Busy man, of course.

╰┈➤ ❜ I'm sure all these people here could be a bit stressful. How's about I point out some of my competitors, and you can take from them, hm? A favor for a favor, you see. They'll be a jackpot. You can even get some stuff for those... Other scrap friends of yours. 'Can bring them along sometime next weekend or the week after that to heighten the loot.❛

It was almost like he was trying to make a deal. He said what he wanted, but stated the side for his benefit if it were to be accepted. Jay knew that the chances of it being accepted were... Maybe 50/50, but he might as well try. His eyes stared off to the partygoers. The confetti in the air, drinks everywhere, flashing lights and jewelry matched with the loud fireworks made everything so open but so closed off at the same time. The only reason why Jay was discussing this so openly was because he knew nobody would be paying attention.

[tippenfunkaport]

Pickpocket AU

Short Version: I took Res's Glitra pickpocket idea and made it needlessly complicated

Long version:

So, previously on Tumblr, @resflower posted a short fic where Catra and Glimmer were fortune tellers who picked Bow's pocket. And I suggested that it would be funny if they thought they were picking his pocket but really he had picked theirs (given we see him do sleight of hand card tricks in canon). People enjoyed this idea and were like, "Write it!" but I never came up with a completel enough idea to feel like I had anything to post, just a few small scenes.

But here is what I have so far just for a taste. As is my brand, I have made it needlessly complicated.

Magic is thought to be extinct. That's the official line from the cities but people like Catra who live on the fringes of society know that's not true, it's just that anyone who shows any sign of having magic mysteriously disappears. Catra runs into Glimmer when she tries to rob her and decides to partner up with her for a big job… not so much because she needs a partner (she actually prefers to work alone) but because she's become an expert at sniffing out magic and she can tell that Glimmer has it and is trying to hide the fact that she does.

The two of them recently stole the moonstone, a relic of a necklace, long thought to be a myth. Now they are traveling to the edge of the city to the lawless wilds beyond where Catra has a buyer for the moonstone-- but what Glimmer doesn't know is she has a buyer for Glimmer too. Except the longer they travel together, the more she's starting to like the girl and not sure that she wants to turn her in after all. She doesn't know exactly what happens to people with magic but it doesn't seem like anything good and she's starting to feel a little protective of Glimmer.

They run an assortment of scams on their way across the country to make enough money for the journey and in one town they do their routine, Glimmer picking an easy mark in a young man (Bow) who's so innocent and trusting she almost feels bad about fleecing him. At least, she feels bad until she realizes that the innocence was an act and he swiped the moonstone.

Catra figures out he's a scholar in the city by his dress. Glimmer wants blood and Catra just wants their loot back so the two of them hatch a plan to infiltrate the Academy during the masquerade party on the coming night.

Meanwhile, Bow sneaks back into the Academy through his buddy Adora's room. Adora is soldier class and works as the personal body guard for Shadow Weaver, who leads the city (pretend I have given her some cool title). It's a boring gig because Shadow Weaver is barely around which gives her time to make friends like Bow. Bow himself is scholar class which is one of the highest classes there is because they are studying the nature of the darkness outside the city that kills everything it touches, but hates it. Instead he dabbles in the forbidden scientific arts, trying to find another way to keep the cities safe (because the secret the common people don't know is that the way Shadow Weaver keeps the city safe now is by draining anyone with magic she finds, effectively killing them and leaving them lifeless husks).

Bow's developed a device that can track magic and used it to trace down a device of tremendous power (the moonstone). He risked sneaking out to go get it because it's enough to power the city for decades and he's hoping if he gives it to Shadow Weaver she'll be able to use that to keep the city safe and no more magic people will need to die. He's planning to give it to her at the ball that night when she's actually going to make a rare appearance. (He justified stealing it from Glimmer bc he knew that the moonstone would only attract attention to her and probably get her killed.)

In the meantime, Glimmer and Catra have snuck into the ball. Glimmer has disguised herself and goes into the ballroom to try to find the man who stole from her. Catra warns her that they only want their goods back but Glimmer ignores her, fully planning to kill Bow as soon as she finds him. Meanwhile Catra is planning to watch Glimmer's back but she senses magic, so much magic it might be the moonstone. She follows the scent and finds... Adora.

Adora springs into action to fight the intruder! The two fight homoerotically, enjoying the challenge of having someone so evenly matched to fight with so they end up flirting, giving up easy chances to win to keep the fight going. Meanwhile Glimmer dances with / flirts / tries to kill Bow on the dance floor.*

(* I would have so much fun writing both of these scenes, you know I would. Fancy costumes! Flirting while dancing and trying to kill each other! Homoerotic flirting while fighting! Very much my jam!)

Then everything goes to hell when Shadow Weaver shows up. She goes to kill Catra and Adora protects her without thinking, accidentally activating She-Ra, a power she did not know she had. Shadow Weaver has been waiting for this moment, it was why she kept her close all these years, and goes for Adora to drain her (because she's not really draining people for the city, she's draining them to keep herself immortal.)

Meanwhile, in Glimbow's back and forth battle / dance of sexual tension Glimmer has gotten the moonstone back. She's got a knife to Bow's throat, ready to kill him but she can't do it. Then SW's head general, Hordak, appears. He's found out that Bow snuck out because Entrapta has independently invented the same magic scanning tech, and he goes after Glimmer, his scanner showing her to be full of magic. Bow tries to save her, knowing they'll drain her if she's caught, getting badly injured in the process. Hordak is about to finish him off, but Glimmer decides she doesn't want Bow to die after all and, in her desperation, activates power she didn't know she had, teleporting them both directly into the area outside the city they've been told is the darkness where nothing can live… but where they meet an old lady named Razz who greets them as the lost King and Queen of Etheria.

So Bow is dying and Glimmer is confused and Shadow Weaver has Catra and Adora and thaaaat's all I've got so far! shrug

For Inspired By Someone Else’s AU

[in-my-feels-probably]

hello didi it's been a long time how are you?

I saw that thy requests were open and i was wondering if I could please have a kaz x reader where reader is not a dreg for some reason i love fics where reader is not like a dreg or a crow and kaz still likes them

Thank you so much and I love you!!

Midnight Stroll

Request: I was wondering if I could please have a kaz x reader where reader is not a dreg for some reason I love fics where reader is not like a dreg or a crow and kaz still likes them

Hi my love! I’m doing ok, I’ve been pretty busy, but I’ve got some free time this week, how are you? Sorry I haven’t said hi in a while, I hope you’re doing ok. Also omg, you calling me didi is just the sweetest thing ever, I love it. My messages are always open <3

Thank you so much for the request, I haven’t written for Kaz in so long and I missed it. I don’t love the outcome of this, but I tried my best. I didn’t really know what to add to this request, so I’m hoping this was enough and what you were looking for. I hope you like it! If you have any other ideas or requests, especially for Kaz, I’ll gladly take them.

(Warnings: swearing, mention of gangs and weapons, let me know if i missed anything)

—

The streets of the Barrel were buzzing, the hour growing late as people made their way to the center of town. It was an unusually pleasant night, a breeze coming in from the harbor, the moon out early as the sun was setting. You were sure your luck with it wouldn’t last, and you decided to enjoy it while you could, taking the long way back to your apartment just off the busy stretch of shops.

You work on a case to case basis, employed when your services are needed. Being a jack of all trades wasn’t exactly the most reliable when trying to fit into a group, and after your years in the barrel, you simply stopped trying. You had not one unique skill, at least not one that someone would seek you out for full time, but you could hold your own, and you were incredibly reliable. You made a living off of that, people knowing they could trust you to take care of the little business they had that you weren’t above doing. In fact, you were a little too good at getting people to trust you. 

It’s not that you were particularly a people person, you just had something about you that made people comfortable enough to let their guard down a little, just long enough to get what you needed out of them, or the means to get it out of them if they weren’t so easy to comply. Either way, you always got it done.

You had a relatively uneventful day, everything going smoothly. Your jobs went easy, you were paid well, and you made it back in time to avoid the riffraff of the stray gang members and pickpockets. 

Most of the gangs in the area didn’t like you.

You took a lot of the undercover discrete jobs, lining your pockets with the money gang members thought should be theirs. But you always beat them to the punch, like tonight. Still, while you could hold your own, it was ill advised hanging around. They tended to get too rowdy at night, and you were on the outskirts of Dime Lion territory. 

You made note of the knife strapped to your thigh, covered, but easy to access if need be.

You cut through the square, taking a side street back to your complex. You made it just around the corner, when you heard a familiar shuffle behind you. 

Inej.

She clearly intended for you to hear her, she always made herself known in some way when she approached you. 

The first few times she was sent out to find you, she scared you out of your skin, and you were amazed at how quiet she could be. By now, you had picked up on her tells, her steps light and quick. She cleared her throat, and you sighed, turning around.

“Shit.”

She grinned, chuckling. “Hello to you, too.” 

“I was having a decent day. You can go back and tell him that.”

She watched you, amused at your antics. Kaz had clearly sent her, coming to collect you for whatever scheme he had cooked up.

“What does Kaz want, then?” You asked, bending down to pull out the hidden dagger in your boot. “I suppose I’ll need this?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He just asked me to come find you. Said he’s got a good offer.”

“He better. He really could come find me himself, for once. Instead of having you running around the Barrel all day.”

You walked in stride with Inej, keeping up with her pace.

“It’s better than door duty,” she replied.

You smiled, your face brightening. “Jesper! Saints, I missed him. How is he? Staying out of trouble? I hope he’s causing Kaz some grief.”

Inej’s laugh was warm, and you enjoyed the comfort. You really did miss the Crows when you were away from them. Over the years, joining the Dregs had been a thought, but Kaz never asked, and you never pushed for it. Still, he called for you often.

“He’s behaved himself this week. He didn’t see me leave, he’ll be happy to see you. We all are.”

You raised a brow. “All?”

“Yes, all,” she grinned, hoisting herself up onto a wall in the shadows. “Don’t be coy, you know who I’m talking about.”

You fought the blush creeping onto your face, playfully scoffing at her. Before you had a chance to retort, she had already started climbing away in the shadows.

“Be safe!” She called from over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

She had left you a few blocks from the Crow Club, on a street lined with merchants, who were calling out about all their products. You averted your eyes, determined not to get stopped by an overeager seller, and quickened your pace till you made it just outside the club.

You gave a friendly smile to Rotty, who was standing guard. “Hello, Rotty.”

He winked, stepping aside and letting you enter. 

The club was packed, the card tables full. You could hear Jesper across the room, chattering about something as he sipped his drink at the bar. He didn’t see you come in, clearly already mildly tipsy, and too focused on his one-sided conversation with the bartender to notice. 

You rolled your eyes, loudly clapping your hands together to get his attention. “Jesper!”

He turned at the sound of his name, eyes widening when he took in the sight of you. 

“No way!”

He excitedly got up, abandoning his drink. “My love!”

You giggled at his composure, rushing over to meet him in a hug. You wrapped your arms around his middle, squeezing him tight. 

“I missed you,” you murmured into his chest.

He pulled away, swinging his arm around your shoulder, walking you to the stairs that lead to Kaz’s office. 

“I missed you. Why are you here?”

“Kaz called,” you explained. “Inej found me, said he had an offer. Any idea what that’s about?”

He stopped at the stop of the stairs. “No, I’m on tables and the door tonight. Did I miss something?”

You shook your head. “Inej is off somewhere tonight too, so no, I don’t think so. I’ll come find you later if I need you, I guess.”

He nodded, giving you a squeeze, before making his way back down the stairs. “Alright, love. Be careful, Kaz has been in a shit mood today.”

You frowned, groaning. “Isn’t he always?”

You could hear Jesper chuckle as you made your way to Kaz’s door, knocking.

“Come in, Y/N,” you heard, muffled through the door. You sighed, opening the door and stepping in, before closing the door behind you. 

Kaz was sitting at his desk, rummaging through a stack of papers. His hair was disheveled, like he had run his hand through it too many times. His coat was laid out on the desk, his gloves off and tucked neatly next to it. He hadn’t looked up yet.

You raised a brow, confused at the state of him. He didn’t look ready to go anywhere, and he hadn’t acknowledged your presence yet. His gloves were off, a rare sight you had only seen once before, when he had to take them off on a heist. 

You cleared your throat. “How’d you know it was me?”

He finally looked up from his papers, stacking them up before moving them to the side of his desk. He sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“I always know it’s you.”

You looked at him, brows furrowed. You didn’t know what to say. “How?”

“You knock twice, and then step back, like you’re waiting for someone to open the door. I can hear the floorboard creak. And then you step forward, like you’re going to knock again, but you never do. You just stand there. You’re the only one who waits like that.”

His voice sounds strained, as if he’s had a long day, and he doesn’t want to be patient enough to explain stupid things to you. 

He still does, though.

You suddenly feel bad for asking, and are uncomfortable by his lack of energy. “Did you need me?”

He nods, standing up and pulling on his gloves. “Whatever you made tonight, I’ll double it if you come on this job with me.”

“What is it?” You ask, although you’re not sure why you asked, you would’ve gone anyway.

He pulls on his coat, then grabs his cane. “I have a meeting at the harbor. I’ll explain on the way. Are you coming?”

You had come for the harbor, and would’ve had a much easier time staying and waiting, had you known that’s where Kaz wanted you. He’d made Inej take the time to come find you, and you had spent a good amount of your evening walking to see him, but you chose not to bring it up. 

He looked tired.

You still didn’t understand what you’re needed for, but you don’t push it, not wanting to further trouble him, and you nod. There’s a faint moment of relief on Kaz’s face, before he nods, opening the door and motioning for you to step through. You murmur a thanks, waiting for him to lock up his office and take the lead, and then you follow him down the stairs. 

On the way out as you follow him through the club, you spot Jesper, who had resumed his post near the door. He shot you a confused look, and you just shrugged, giving him a wave before catching up to Kaz, matching his pace.

For most of the walk, Kaz was silent. As you got closer to the harbor, all that could be heard was the songs from the birds, and the rhythmic tap of Kaz’s cane against the cobblestones. His pace was slower than usual, more of a stroll, and you figured his leg was bothering him a bit. Although, he seemed to be calmer, less stressed than before. He’d occasionally glance your way, before looking forward again. The silence was comfortable, and easy. It always was with Kaz. But you still were unsure about what you were walking into.

Finally, you spoke. “So, what am I here for?”

“The Razorgulls have some business to discuss. I needed someone to be my second. They won’t be expecting you with me, you’ll help keep their guard down. You’re just for show, there won’t be any trouble,” he assured you.

You nodded slowly. “Got it. Why me, though? I hardly have anything on me, just a knife or two. Surely this is more of a skilled matter, in case this goes to shit. Seems like more of a Jesper talent.”

He raised a brow at the question, glancing at you. “Like I said, there won’t be trouble. And you were my only option. Rotty is on the door tonight, Inej is looking into a matter, and Jesper is working.”

You chuckled, retorting. “Jesper was gambling, and a little drunk.”

“So he was,” Kaz said matter-of-factly.

“Am I to believe that you simply enjoy my company, then?” You joked, grinning.

He was quiet for a moment. He finally turned to face you. 

“And what if I do?”

There was no hiding the blush that crept up your cheeks, and you cast your eyes to the floor, smiling to yourself. When you finally looked up at him, he was looking forward again, but the corners of his mouth were turned up into the smallest of smiles. It was clear he caught you.

“I do too,” you muttered, fidgeting with your sleeve.

His faintest of smiles turned into a small grin. 

On the way back after the meeting, which had gone smoothly, you took the long way. You could tell his leg was aching, but he didn’t complain, maintaining the slow stroll. It was quiet for most of the way, only small chatter between the two of you.

You followed his lead, and you noticed you had gone too many streets past the Crow Club, and when you were about to question Kaz, it dawned on you that you were headed in the direction of your apartment.

He was walking you home.

When you made it within a few blocks, you stopped and turned to face him, not letting him go any farther on a bad leg. 

“Go home, Kaz. Rest. I can make it the rest of the way on my own.”

You expected him to argue, say he was fine, but he didn’t. “I know. Inej is over on the next block. She’ll see you make it home. She’s done for the night after.”

You didn’t fight the smile that made its way onto your face. 

“I’m expecting another offer soon, then. I need an excuse to come visit Jesper, of course. He gets lonely, you know.”

He nodded, fighting a grin. “Well, we can’t have that. I’m sure I can think of something for you.”

“I’ll see you soon, then, Kaz. Goodnight.”

He nodded, turning away from you and making his way back to the Crow Club. You watched him go, waiting until you couldn’t hear the click of his cane, and then you headed towards your apartment, expecting the familiar sound of Inej checking in on you to appear.

She jumped down after a few minutes, giving you a knowing smile, and you nudged her shoulder, walking ahead.

“Don’t even start.”

—

A/N - Hi! Hope you enjoyed this. If you look at my recent posts, I opened my requests for the Grishaverse and a few other fandoms, and I still have a few requests to fill, I’ll get to them as quickly as I can, thank you for waiting.

[twilightknight17]

Today on P3R, we spend at least 3 days playing an MMO, let a small child steal our food, and head to The Club for a night of… well, actually we just popped in and then went home to go on the computer. Minato is me, for real. XDDDD

So it’s the start of Golden Week, which means days off school! Which means I can barricade myself in my room and play the game Junpei gave us!

We’re off to a great start. EP starts in October, and IS starts in August, so, close enough. I wonder what the plot is gonna be li--

...

......

.........

WELL. I guess he’s here in some small way, at least.

Of course, even when it’s a fake version of Phil, he’s just giving his vague speeches.

Thanks for the enlightening intro about anything that’s going on in this game, Phil. No other info is forthcoming. We just load into an area called Shinagawa Dungeon (which is not P2) and are immediately approached by another player.

...it’s 2009. It’s 2009. It’s 2009. I’m fine. X’D

Did people really ask “ASL” on MMOs?? I thought that was like a chatroulette/omegle/etc thing.

At least she’s nice, even if she talks like the most LOLSORANDOM 2009 Internet Girl.

...You can’t call me Tatsuya the whole game. You can’t. Aaaaaaa.

I’m having a stroke. Oh my god.

Anyway, Golden Week vacation is not a whole week, so it’s back to school on Thursday to guess my way through another class. At least I guessed right this time. But all my teachers continue to be completely ridiculous. None of them want to teach.

My education is suffering! Let’s go to track practice instead and worry about my physical health instead! Except wait, shit, Kaz has fallen down.

You are NOT fine! You collapsed!

He told his teammates he has anemia, but he confesses to Minato that his knee is fucked up. But he’s supposed to take over as team captain next year, and there’s a big national meet next year, so Minato has to keep it a secret.

Now I’m keeping secrets for TWO classmates. Good lord. Because Kenji wants me to keep it a secret that he’s gonna ask out the ethics teacher, so… grife. I guess I’m too used to P5, where most of my links involved making mutually beneficial deals. You guys are just… guys. XD Which isn’t bad, it’s just very different.

Anyway, Atlus, stop putting dudes on the track team and then giving them knee problems.

I’m also attending to my student council duties, and this dude needs to chill so bad.

Like… dude. The teachers at this school don’t give a shit, and you’re walking around like an army general.

My guy, it’s a single cigarette butt in the boys’ bathroom. This is not treason. Calm down. You’re gonna give yourself high blood pressure.

The manager of the track team walked home with us, and Minato got a new social link out of it. Which was interesting mostly just because it happened after track practice, so I got to do two things in one afternoon. Yuko is very nice, though.

I also went to the shrine to see the little girl, Maiko, and she pickpocketed my weird takoyaki and Mad Bull without actually asking. But I think that means that next time she’s there, she can be a social link too?

It’s been a day for social links, and the usual weird drinks.

I don’t know what happiness tastes like, but I’m suspicious as hell of that lemonade. It’s trying too hard to convince me. XD

The last thing I did around town was finally become courageous enough for Club Escapade! We are rocking out completely motionless up in the club.

I do like it here, though. And it gives me great reference pictures to use. XDDD I wish you had the option to dance, but nothing is perfect. I do wonder why the fortune-teller is in the nightclub, though. And the expensive accessory store???

The funny part is meeting the guy here so we can purchase URLs that lead to the dark web… and the first two lead to a random city rumor board, and an unofficial forum for the school. With… do we think this was renamed, or was it called this before and it’s just a call-forward?

SO. Now that we’ve stopped running around town, it’s the full moon, which means Mitsuru has detected another massive shadow! This one is camping out on the monorail leading to the island, so it’s going to be interesting getting there.

...like father, like son, lmao.

This was actually a pretty cool sequence. You do actually get to run down part of the tracks, but not before Junpei gets all pissy that Minato’s been put in charge again. As soon as you encounter the lesser shadows, he runs off to fight on his own.

It’s pretty clear what Junpei’s character arc is gonna be. We save his overconfident ass, and head for the front of the train.

Literally my worst nightmare, dude.

All the way at the front of the train, the Priestess shadow is driving it out of control, and looks… much more chill and tolerable than the Magician. XD It gives you a 30 minute time limit for the fight, which is fine… and then cuts that in half and in half again partway through. X’’’’D

I don’t do great with time limits. But we made it!

And did not die on the runaway train.

Hehehehe

Pharos promised to come see me afterwards, but he hasn’t yet. :(

Ah well, I guess, since I saved the world last night, I deserve to play my MMO all day on Sunday~

...I’m going to die. :’’’D

It is kind of funny how 2009 this is. You meet some random person online, and whoever they are, you just end up talking about random generic shit from your lives, no matter who’s an adult or who’s a teenager or whatever. In some ways, it was the best thing.

But now, time to log off. The phone is rin--

...never going to understand how the Velvet residents even have phones to call me with.

Anyway, I have been introduced to the Velvet door in Paulownia Mall, as well as Elizabeth’s requests. So next time, I guess it’s time to see what kind of nonsense she comes up with for me. But that’s two full moon shadows down, which means that barrier in Tartarus is down, too. So there will be lots to do!

[sobredunia]

Hey u should tell me oc lore ok? ok we can exchange oc lore like uh. uhm. like. we can exchange. like telling stories around a campfire yeah thats it. yeah. yay

okay so i started writing this and then i had to go to sleep and now that I wake up in the morning tumblr has eaten the entire fucking ask. thankfully i decided to copypaste it on a drive folder but fucking christ i did a lot of text and tumblr eated it all and didnt even care :(

This started out remotely normal and I ended up writing it like fanfiction lmao

(TW: cannibalism (?), death, mentions of alcohol consumption)

Okay so there's this guy named Charcoal, he's a fox that can turn into a human :D. He's been alive for a very long time, causing mischief be it through good actions or bad actions just to see what would happen. Although he can easily blend in with the humans, he changes his aspect to show more fox-like features just to see how they'd react. Most of the towns he's been in either consider him a small god to pray and make offers to or a threat that needs to be eliminated (but he's always faster, always smarter. he knows humans all too well)

The years pass and pass, and he's decided that he's gonna enter this one city looking like a starved and sad teenage boy, trying to see if these humans are foolish enough that they'll treat him kindly

They don't

He begs for money on the streets and no one gives him anything. He begs for food in restaurants that are about to take out the trash and no one gives him anything. He begs other homeless people to make space for one more in their makeshift huts and no one does

The bigger the city, the ruder the people, he's noticed

Eventually, he just pickpockets someone and goes to a random bar to get at least a bit happy before sleeping somewhere as a fox. He'll go to a different city tomorrow

"Are you sure you're old enough for a drink?"

The bar is run by an old man that looks like he should've retired more than a decade ago

This was the most compassion Charcoal had been shown in the entire city, so he decided he'd try to play his role just a bit more

"Psh- of course!" He says in a tone that makes it seem like he's lying, and then slides the coins he stole over to him

The old man frowns, before going under the bar and pouring the drink he had asked for, and then retrieving the coins

He takes a sip, and notices that it's a non alcoholic drink. Still, he technically gave him what he asked for, so he can't complain. He can appreciate a fellow trickster

The two engage in conversation, Charcoal coming up with a sob story about how he's an orphan that escaped a cruel orphanage and is now looking for refuge in an unknown part of the city. He also sees how the old man engages with the other clients, remembering their names and preferred drinks and how much they had all drank, knowing when to stop pouring them glasses. Despite some rude and some annoying customers, the old man dealt with them with patience and appropriate responses, and he always gave a listening ear to any who needed them. Charcoal was definitely impressed

Once everyone had had their fill, the old man shooed them out, all but Charcoal

He offered him a job and a place to stay, living in his house that was over the bar and working as a barista or when he wasn't able to work due to age

"Isn't it illegal to work while you're this old?"

"As long as none of the clients snitch, it doesn't matter. And it's not like you're living a very lawful life yourself"

He cackled. "You got me there"

When Charcoal went to sleep, he decided he'd keep up the bit for just a few more days, just to see what it's like to be a bartender, and maybe snatch all the money in the register once he bails out and goes someplace else

He did not, in fact, stay there for "just a few more days"

He hated to admit it, but he'd actually grown attached to that old man and the barista lifestyle. It was fun listening to stories and breaking or starting fights. He also began to gradually change his appearance, to simulate the concept of growing up. When the old man began to teach him how to pour and mix drinks and what the regulars' preferences were, it genuinely felt like an honor, and his days of aimless wandering and pranks and thievery were long behind him

And then tragedy struck

The old man had a heart attack

He had actually written a will. A will where he left everything he had to Charcoal, the closest thing he'd ever had to family

It actually hurt

He actually wanted to cry

He had been alive for years and years, and this was the one time he had cared so much about someone. Not as a human, but as a person

He decided he'd continue running the bar, to honor him

He wasn't so sure why he did that so determined. But he did

But it wasn't the same without him there

He started to lose regulars and newcomers alike, leaving the bar nearly empty most nights

On a rather populated night, though, he met a certain someone

Someone like him

An animal that could turn into a human

A hare. Chalk was his name

He looked like any other person, although he was rather insistent on keeping his hat on

They didn't recognise eachother for what they were. Not right away, anyway. It was only when he saw a bit of a hare ear poking out from under the hat that he realised

They hit it off right away after that, happy to not be the only ones. Charcoal offered a job as a bartender, like the old man had done all those years ago. He took it, because why not

He was far far younger than him, in his 20s. He still had that bit of respect for human rules and didn't view them as distanced from him as Charcoal did. It was probably a thing that came with age. There were still plenty of humans older than him, after all, and he had next to no life experience

Money wasn't exactly an issue. If they wanted, they could just steal some, but Charcoal knew that's not what the old man would have wanted. He wanted to try living clean. For at least a while. But the bar just kept on losing clients

And then, the straw that broke the camel's back

Charcoal was out in the back, about to throw a trash bag into the larger container, when he noticed something in it

A corpse

A young woman's corpse

He panicked. Someone must've dumped her there after killing her

He couldn't let the body be discovered here. If it did, it would be the final nail in the coffin for the bar, and they would have to close it for good. No one wants to go drink in a place where they murdered a young lady

So, in a panic, he retrieved the corpse and put it inside the bar, locking the door

Chalk panicked when he entered the kitchen and saw the scene

"What the fuck did you do!?"

Charcoal hurriedly explained the scene and the consequences this would have for the establishment if she was found here

"S-so, you want to move her someplace else?"

"No, we can't risk it getting traced to here. Then we'll get in even bigger trouble for having moved it"

"Then what do you suggest we do!?"

"..."

Charcoal took a cleaver and chopped up the body, before turning his mouth into that of a fox, and eating desperately

Charcoal could only watch in horror as his friend ate a human like a rabid beast, turning his hands into claws to rip apart the flesh better

Eventually, he finally stopped being locked in place and left to fill up as a bartender for the two clients they had. Luckily, both of them were too drunk to notice anything. Chalk shooed them out before going back to the kitchen. It was a mess. So was Charcoal. He was too busy licking the bones clean to notice him coming back. Or even leaving in the first place

They cut up the bones even more, before keeping them in a plastic bag to turn into stew later. Things like the skull or the hips were grinded up beyond recognition and thrown out through drains, sinks and toilets, and the two silently agreed to never speak about this again

Besides, they just had to wait around 30 years until the case went cold. What's that to someone who's lived for far longer than that?

At least Charcoal could say that. Chalk was still very disturbed by the whole ordeal. He couldn't really blame him

They pretended not to care when they started seeing the missing person posters

[byrdstrolls]

🌵 now what the hell was hikaru even Going by at this age. Whatever, I just wanna see what an average day for him was

At this age he is Kokoro Kimura. A tiny child with long hair, quick at weaseling into small spaces and not making a sound. Which suits him well enough in his occupation as a pickpocket and thief in the docks of a small, homely portside town that would hundreds of sweeps later become Tes Roven.

He is now trying to convince a cashier he rightfully bought a locket from their store and wants to return it for cash while the owner is out and not able to contradict his story. The item was, of course, stolen. Gihyun and Artemi, who would later become Midas, are across the dock, watching out for the owner and killing time gossiping about town members amongst themselves.

Kokoro glances back at them on occasion. They are also teenagers, older than him by only about a sweep, but it feels like so much longer when they're this young. They are a pair of other street rats he has just met but follows around like a lost puppy, desperately longing for their approval. He has been teaching them what he knows about robbery, but their hands aren't yet as nimble as his own, and are more suited to thinks like run of the mill muggings and orchestrated cons. In turn, they are telling him everything they know about this town, which he had only come too recently, and pooling their meager resources and assisting him in his schemes.

If you told him everything that would come of these friendships he has just made a couple weeks ago, the city him and these people would raise from the ashes, how that gangley jade would become one of the most important people to him in his entire life, he probably wouldn't believe you. He's hard at trusting. He doesn't expect this companionship to last more than a couple weeks.

[warrior-angel]

NOT THE ONLY ONE.

Author: @warrior-angel

Word Count: 3.3K 

Warnings: Fluff, Angst. Flashbacks, Child Abandonment. Female insert. Use of Y/N

Note: Part of me wondered what Eddie would have been like if he had been there from the start, with finding Eleven and all and that inspired me to write this. Eddie is such a relatable and loveable character and I think he really would just wish to take care of those he’s close with.

I wasn’t comfortable with posting the full series I had planned on this. Most of my stuff has been deleted from Wattpad due to a copyright claim issue. ( they stated I copied from a tv show/movie. Even when I tagged it as fan-fiction.) hopefully things work better around here.

➳ All mistakes in this fic are my own.

Summer of 1985.

Leaning against one of the trees in the middle of Hawkins forest she let out a deep sigh, trying to get rid of the pain and the tension in her body, without use. 

StarCourt mall had burned to the ground, and so was the hiding spot she’d found near it.  She had relied on what was thrown into the dumpers behind the mall for months, clothes, food, anything that could be useful and would fit in her bag. Waiting till midnight to go through the mall's dumpsters had been a lot easier than shoplifting or pickpocketing.

She’d tried her best to stay away from police and society as much as possible, staying in empty cabins or run down buildings. It was far from comfortable but it wasn't as bad as sleeping in the dangers of the outdoors, the dangers of Hawkins in general.

Hawkins was a town known for its bizarre happenings, People dying or disappearing, some even returning from death. People knew things were going on but nobody dared to say a word or ask any questions about it.

The less people knew the better, it was exactly why she herself had been running and hiding for so long. When you ask the wrong person the right questions things tend to happen and most times you don't walk away from it without consequesions, she learned that the hard way. She knew the right person, the right questions and even the answers and that is precisely why she ran away.

Cleverness, to think of putting a piece of paper between the door to keep it from locking completely, patiences for the time to pass until it had been midnight and knowledge of the right path towards the exit to get herself out and away from the place she grew up in.

She may have been young but she was far from stuppid, she knew when to speak and when to stay silent that way you heard things others did not although sometimes she wished she'd never listened to those around her at all. 

She was sore and covered in cuts and bruises, every movement making her his in pain. The woods of Hawkins might have had its charm if it hadn't been this brutal against her, the rocks and tree she had to climb came with a new scrap or cut on a daily basis, something that she accepted over time and risked day in and day out for a place to sleep.

Her eyes shot up at the sound of crumbling leaves and snapping twigs. She was on high alert, movement slow  as she tried to process which way to run. her feet carried her backwards in a slow pace, heartbeat running wild as her knuckles turned white from how tight she was grabbing onto her backpack straps.

"Hey!" she flinched at the sudden voice, eyes going wide as she turned around. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you,” there he stood, a boy not older than herself messy hair, denim and leather covering his arm and a strange demonic picture staring right back at her. “Are you okay?” Her eyes met those of the boy who scared her, giving him a single nod. She messed up, she messed up badly. 

He was looking at the marks on her arms and her face, staring particularly long at the noticeable scar under her left eye “Jezus- what happened,” His face dropped “did someone hurt you?”

“I’m fine” She said, voice hushed. She was nervous, scared, would this guy follow her if she ran? Would he tell people he saw her? “Don't mean to pry and all but you look far from fine.” he stated. “Do you need a doctor or something, I could take you to the police if you want.”

“No!” Her blood ran cold at the sound of police. “No police.” He hummed in acknowledgement, his eyes scanning her as he tried to read her body language. 

“Did you run away or something like that?” He guessed. She didn't know why but her head dipped in a nod just slightly, something that didn't go unnoticed to him  “I’m taking that as a yeah?”

“Yes.” He just nodded his head. She didn't know why she even answered him, two years of silence and running thrown away all because a friendly face looked worried about her.

“So,” he began, “uhm how long have you been running for?”

“Two years.” she was cursing herself out internally scolding herself to stop talking. He looked at her shocked.  giving himself a second to process what she just said. “That’s, that’s a long time.”

“Yeah.” She said softly. “You’re terrified of me aren’t you?” taking a step backwards, he caught up to the reason she was so cautious towards him. “Usually nobody comes out here, so you're safe.”

“You're here.” she retorted, making him grin. “It's a shortcut from my buddy's place back to my van,” he pointed towards where he came from. 

“Lovers Lake.” she mumbled. “yeah, he was sent to jail, again.”

“He’s bad?” she said, looking at him scared. “oh no, Rick's cool, totally cool just uhm, just got caught selling. Was supposed to buy from him to get my supply up again but that’s a big no.”

“You do drugs?”

“It makes sense I didn't really want to take you to the cops now does it?” She smiled at that, her shoulders slumped a little as she realized he wasn't going to call the police on her. 

He offered her a smile “I’m Eddie, by the way.” he said casually, carefully awaiting her reaction. “You can tell me to piss off, you know.” he reassured making her shake her head. “Y/n.”

Eddie had helped her find a safe space to stay in, Cracking open the lock on his friend's boathouse to give her a temporary roof over her head. The space was cluttered, messy but it was a fine spot to hide from people and stay safe from police. Rick was in jail anyway, it wasn’t like he would know. There was a big part of her that thought Eddie only helped her find a safe spot out of guilt, the idea of leaving somebody in the middle of nowhere being something that didn't sit right with him, but to her surprise he came back the next day. Eddie had sofly knocked on the door before coming in, standing in the doorway with bags of snacks, water and even one of his own jackets to give her some form of warmth.

Their conversations were mostly one-sided, Eddie would talk about his band and try to explain the meaning behind his Hellfire club, his shirt finally making sense to her the more he talked about it. Eddie would come around in the afternoon, always having  some form of food with him, sometimes bread or something microwaved he had packet up and snuck out to the boathouse, he enjoyed watching her smile as she ate the food, the idea of her having been running and trying to survive on her own for two years not being something he liked.

As the days passed she grew more and more comfortable around him, so much so that she started to open up.  Her adoptive father used to be a nice man, he always seemed to want the best for her, for her siblings. He always spoke of family, of trust but as she grew older she realized things were not as simple as he told them they were. Her anger spun out of control easily, the older she grew the worse it got and the only one that seemed to be able to calm her down was who she was raised to believe was her older brother, and father did not like that.

Her brother would hush her, hold her and tell her it would all be alright, tell her it was safe and that he would take care of her, that he would find a way to get them out of the house and live a happy life without their father’s rules. He had promised, promised he wouldnt leave her and he still did, he had left her with their father. She spent the next few years on her own, angry at her brother for leaving her behind, angry at her father for abandoning her. She had been nothing more than another child that didn't meet her fathers perfection standards, just like her so-called brother. 

She had cried after telling Eddie, Shielding herself away from his view not wanting to show the tears, he wasn't having it.  Eddie had sat down beside her and wrapped her up nice and warm in a hug while he made a few jokes to get her to smile again only for it all to come crashing down the next day.

“Ricks coming home tomorrow.” Two weeks, that's all she had gotten in the boathouse, two weeks of jokes and laughter with Eddie and now it was gone, she needed to go back to the woods, it was time to run again. She pushed away her tears, and got onto her feet forcing herself to act emotionless. Taking the wrapped candy bars and sandwich Eddie had given her for that day she stuffed it in her backpack, trying to get everything ready to head out before midnight.

“My uncle works night shifts at the factory” she turned towards Eddie, his eyes going anywhere but to her as he continued to speak, “you could take the bed I’ll sleep on the couch or something, I don't know.'' 

“I can't,” She mumbled. The idea of staying close to Eddie was a dream come true, she really did care for the boy but it was not worth the risks. Eddie's eyes meet with hers, the look of rejection not suiting him well.

“Police will notice, and what would you tell your uncle.” He signed in relief, it wasn't that she didn't want to, it was fear that kept her from doing so. 

“It's a big risk and I don't want you to get in trouble because of me.” Part of her knew that if her father wanted to find her he already would have

but the fear of knowing what he’d do if he did find her was holding her back.

“I'm a big boy that can take care of himself.” He said with a grin. 

“Why do you care so much?” Eddie seemed taken back by that question but he answered it nonetheless. “I don't feel like living up to the Munson name,” he stated. “My dad wasn't the best, Wayne got me out of that situation.” She nodded, this was his way of saying he understood her. 

“You’ve only known me for two weeks Eddie and there’s a lot I haven't told you yet, I could be dangerous to you.” If she was willing to consider this things had to be out in the open, especially the danger she was putting him in.

“You do know I’m the town freak right?” he tells her like that was supposed to mean something. “You’re not a freak Eddie.” She hated it when he called himself that.

“And you're not dangerous.”

"You don't have to do this," Eddie insisted on taking the pressure away from packing, grabbing her stuff  before she could. He’d left the candy wrapper for what they were mumbling a ‘I'll tell Rick I came here’ before making her pull her hoodie over her head and taking her towards his van just on the other side of the road. 

Her hands in her lap, bag by her feet and eyes stuck on the road as she anxiously whisted the loose threat of her shirt around her fingers. Eddie kept a close eye on her, trying to find any sign of her getting second doubts but to his surprise beside a usually sense of fear there wasn't any, she was humming along to one of the songs that sounded through the van, the rhythm of the song itself  being far off but it seemed to calm her.

Eddie took a sharp turn into forest hill trailer park, the car shaking from all the potholes and gravel that created a path down the park, Eddie’s speed not slowing until they actually got closer to their end destination, her stomach twisting slightly as he drove up to one of the many trailers in the back and brought the van to a rocking halt.

Eddie looked over at her offering her a sweet smile before getting out of his van, rounding the vehicle until he was at her side to open the door like a true gentleman. “Ready to see my castle?” he said, his usual grin plastered across his face. Her eyes scanned the surrounding trailers, a deep sigh coming from within her as she carefully lifted herself out of the van and swung her bag over her shoulders. 

She stayed close by Eddie’s side, watching as twisted his key in the lock and opened the door to lead her into his home. 

Eddie was immediately running around cleaning up a bit, reaching for empty wrappers and empty mugs, giving her the room to wander the space on her own. The most colorful mugs and baseball caps line the walls, a two seat and an old worn down chair standing at one end of the room as a tv and a folded bed stood on the opposite side. It was messy, but it was a real home. 

Eddie watched her carefully move around, a grin coming to his face as he watched her move down the hallway and towards his own bedroom not missing the smile that came to her as he walked into it.

Again everything was messy, clothes were thrown on top of the dressers, posters lining the walls and guitar picks scattered around everywhere.  She let her bag fall from her shoulders, placing it on his bed without a thought before taking a closer look at the details, the room’s entire aesthetic screaming Eddie.

She walked over to the guitar hanging above the dresser, most of the red and black beauty covering the mirror it was hung before. she was carefully reaching out to strum her fingers of the strings being met with a little tune. “Beautiful.” Jumping at the voice she turned to see Eddie was watching her from the doorway. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.”  she looked at him silently, a giggle bubbling up in her at the familiar set of words. “So uhm, what do you usually do at night?” 

“I used the water from the lake to clean up a little, then I ate whatever you brought me.” 

"Bathrooms all yours," he said pointing behind him. Looking from the bathroom back to her he held up his hand in a silent ‘stay there’ before walking around her and pulling out a few pieces of clothes from different drawers. A pair of socks, a t-shirt and some sweatpants that were far too big were handed to her in a kind gesture.

“Hellfire,” she looked from the shirt towards Eddie knowing how much his club meant to him. He shrugged, giving her one of his famous grins before leading her to the bathroom.

“There's soap and shampoo on the shelf, towels are behind the door.” Eddie really was doing everything he could to make her feel safe. “I’ll see if I can whip up something edible.” he gave her another soft smile before turning away and  closing the door behind himself.

Eddie was a good guy he had never done anything to make her doubt him so there was no need to start now. Eddie promised her safety, was it a risk to put two years of running and hiding on the line for the words of a man she’d only known for all but two weeks, yeah, definitely but she trusted him with it all nonetheless.

Reaching over she turned the shower on, water falling from the showerhead and hitting the ground.  The tension in her body fell away from the hot water, body melting into the warmth as it eased the aches. Dirt and dried blood washing away to more she scrubbed herself down, 

her hair turning back to its light Hazel color the more she rinsed it out, watching the dirty water go down the drain.  The cleaner the cuts got the better she could see how deep and how bad it looked, starting to understand the shock Eddie had on his face when they met. 

She had wrapped the towel around herself, her hand whiping the steam from the mirror to get a better view of herself. Dark circles under her eyes, the cuts and bruises on her arms being much more clear now that the dirt was washed away, all the things that she never really stopped and thought about now all came crashing down on her. 

Her hair was longer than she could remember. The scar underneath her eye a reminder of her outburst from when she was locked in her bedroom, the ceramic of her plate having cut her after it smashed into pieces.

Growing up hadn’t always been the best, but things weren’t always bad either, lifting her wrist to her lips, a soft peck was placed over the mark there like she had done everynight in a reminder that where she came from hadn't always been bad. 

A soft knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. Taking a deep breath she opened the bathroom door, Eddie standing there in the doorway of his own room, eyes scanning her in his clothes. She held the pile of her own clothes in her hand, Eddie reaching out to take it from her and turning around in his room, dropping it carefully down beside her bag before making his way towards the living room where he proudly presented two bowls filled to the brim standing on the counter. “You can cook?”

“Yeah, with Wayne working I had too. all that microwavable shit gets expensive.” he said, dropping himself in one of the seats and patting the one beside him in an invitation. 

“Oh my god.” Eddie couldn't help but laugh at her speaking with her mouth full. The boxed mac and cheese he had made was gone within minutes, Eddie watching her as she ate spoon after spoon full of the cheesy pasta, part of him hating the idea that some boxed food was like a luxury to her. 

Things seemed easy, Eddie made small talk about his ideas of his new campaign, some jokes being thrown across as he watched her smile. 

As he put the empty bowls in the sink he watched her move around the living space, her eyes lingering on the folded bed that stood in the corner. 

“That's where my uncle sleeps.” Eddie stated, turning off the water and leaning back against the counter.  “Is he gonna be mad that you brought me here?” she asked, the sensation of fear returning. “He’s not that difficult, just be honest with him.” Eddie reassured.

There was a lot of stuff she hadn't told Eddie, the fear of rejection because of where she came from only edging on the beliefs she had been taught as a child. “my dad used to say nobody would accept us for who we truly are.” She revealed, trying her way of being honest.

“If he didn't accept you then why did he adopt you?” Eddie stated, his words having been ment as a reasurement. “My real dad used to say that,” she mumbled seeing the confusion on Eddie’s face. “There's a reason my older brother cared so much for me, the same reason father didn’t like our close bond.”

“He wasn’t your brother was he?” a tear at the memories of the truth slipped away from her as she shook her head.  “He was my dad.” She choked on the words, for the first time in years daring to call him what he truly was to her.

Eddie closed the distance and wrapped her up in a hug within seconds, her head gently falling onto his shoulders as she let the warm feeling of comfort he gave her settle in. She was letting Eddie in, completely. 

[espectres]

' you should stop getting into trouble like this. ' satoshi says it with the hush of someone imploring mercy. upon themselves, upon the other, well-hidden frustrations mingling with an exasperated fatigue. he recognizes, perhaps, the name suzuki toichiro better than he does suzuki shou, in bureaucracy files and brazen public declarations, both equal strangers at a personal level. the names and reputations of sons followed their fathers and it's why satoshi too was a hiwatari before a hikari, the tall, ominous black shadow of a man who proclaimed love but fostered only hate always looming out, over him, heavy and choking as a cursed white.

' none of this is a game, ' hiwatari says, and it's almost funny how the words he's used trying to defend himself in front of that domineering black obelisk becomes something in his hands trying to stop and bar the other from becoming a pitiful son. ' i already know who you are. ' boy who was supposed to inherit a sickening empire. all the world, its glory and power, yet none of its love. hiwatari does not say any of this. ' you don't want to end up like your father, making mistakes and causing messes for everyone while you do what you think is right. '

@audienceled

STRAY PENCIL TWIRLS IN HIS HAND, short and worn out by bite marmarks on one end. In hindsight, the Hiwatari and his power and knowledge mean what Shou assumes to be bad news. The Suzuki is supposed to start "a new life", after all, or whatever his mother and the government agenst were talking about. But he's always believed such a thing as a new life wouldn't be as simple as moving towns and playing with some legals things on a paper. Even if he were to go as far as changing his name and looks, nothing can change the fact that he's his father's son. And that fact will always make itself a burden, and that burden will always weigh on his shoulders. 

What's a new life if he can still remember ? If he can still tell how the hands on his shoulders and the hands around his throat were the same ? 

" UGH ... about time someone's figured it out ! "  Exaggerated frustration quickly turns into a bright smile as he turns to face his classmate, a smile that friends usually offer each other in congratulations or encouragement, when they've done something particularly impressive. He knows when his secrets are being weaponized against him, and he is having none of it.  " What was it ? The name ? The red hair ? Maybe I should learn to be a little more impulsive and dye it like I've been thinking. "  He goes on talking merrily, taking leisurely steps around like it would just kill him to stand in one place and be perceived for 5 seconds. " Good job either way, great detective, " Three short claps feel necessary as he pauses, maintaining eye contact. " Or should I say Commander ? " 

It's not like he can be proud for finding out himself. This whole thing feels like it should be common knowledge but it doesn't seem like it. It's a middle schooler leading a police department for fuck's sake. But either way, Shou doesn't care about that, it's none of his business. What he cares about is that this middle schooler, who's essentially a cop, has the audacity to order him around.  

" How's it going for ya ? Caught any bad guys recently ? Any pity lawbreakers ? "  The words are light with sarcasm, tight as he holds back a condescending laugh, but the bite behind makes itself clear, sharp and unsettling white. Pencil assisting the taunt as he points while talking.  “ Maybe a few pickpockets while turning your eyes away from bigger problems you can't do shit about. ”

That's where his act ends, smile slipping away, allowing the ever present chill of his eyes to get even more prominent, and it doesn't help how he stares. If the right people were to do their right job ... ( and if his mother cared enough, if law enforcers weren't greedy bastards, if the people forced into claw weren't so cowardly ... ) would it have been enough to left the burden from his shoulders ?  He has always wondered, but wondering led nowhere. At the end he did it all because he had to.  Because no one else would. Because they were all cowards. And for a long time, he was a coward, too. But not anymore. 

" You don't get to tell me what to do. " The shake of his head and glare on his features speak of disappointments and nauseated grudges. A cold, dismissive finality.  " Doing what I think is right has never failed me. I know it won't. Because I'm nothing like him, I never was and I'll never be. "