#MY GUY YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE SO MANY LEGAL ACTIONS TAKEN AGAINST YOU.

[bl0rbohandbag]

twst really said h*man trafficking 🥰😘😍

fellow kidnapping and attempting to sell elite college students, who are very important people whose absence will be NOTICED (they literally missed school to go to the park AND told all of their friends about it!!!) is so fucking funny, in a way. leona is a literal PRINCE. vil is a celebrity. kalim has a history with kidnapping. the tweels are mafia heirs (allegedly). ortho is a shroud!! from book 7 events we know his parents would notice something was amiss and would storm playful land if he sent a signal. their nrc colleagues are going to notice they are missing in no time.

the fact he chose to kidnap them all at the same time. are you not afraid of the law. are you not afraid of being murdered.

[mmyashas]

COMUNICADO IMPORTANTE: quackitytoo

TRANSCRIPTION -> TRANSLATION BELOW THE READ MORE. i am not an experienced translator and some may be a bit off, but i've done my best to translate all of it!

hello, hello! hello everyone. good night– good night everyone, i hope you're all well. um, i did this stream since i'm making an announcement to talk to you all in relation to qsmp's structure. i know people have questions, about a lot of things. so, i hope this will help you understand a little bit more. i'll be saying all of this in spanish since i find it easier to find the words– in spanish, as it's my native language.

i want to give you and explain a bit of context about everything. these last three weeks have been incredibly turbulent in many, many aspects. the restructuring process that's in course for the project hasn't been very easy. before my involvement— and i've said it before— there were people that affected the project in damaging ways, financially and administratively. i had already commented about this.

and i haven't spoken about giving updates and nothing of that nature and i haven't spoken about it since all the updates i've had are internal and of the legal type. hence why, there's no visible changes but they're changes that have to happen. i reaffirm, malicious people have been removed from the server and i'm still in (legal) processes against people who've caused many of this damage since the start. and that has been one main focus of this restructuring that's been happening.

guys, i want to leave this very clear. during all this process, all the words and actions that have been taken have to be done very, very carefully. recently, i've wanted to give many updates, such as internal and external, but we're against a really critical problem– that being leaked information.

i don't know if the people that leaked announcements or information from the inside knew that this was happening, but when i gave out private information and this info got leaked to places it shouldn't have gone– that affected the required process to solve a lot of stuff. and the people that harmed me both administratively and financially, that i've talked about in a past stream, were finding out about things and situations they shouldn't have and used this information to misrepresent and affect the process. so that complicated things– it's why i haven't given any announcements or talked freely as much as i wanted to. it's not to ignore or evade but there's a really, really delicate process going on.

and from the start, i knew in my involvement, to achieve a total change– we had to start with the people that affected me and the project. and caused a lot of the mistakes that have been occuring this whole year.

and when this could be defined, what was done was starting to find a financial strategy for the project since the project's costs are very high– and the project was going to close. i've also mentioned this before. and when i could define with strategies and events in the qsmp if there was a way to support the project, the next step was to restore different elements of the qsmp that no longer existed. and i want to make something clear, given the circumstances of the server i didn't want to make any promises to anyone i didn't know i could keep.

this is the reason i was figuring out this part and the financial part, and i couldn't give any more internal updates because i was working in an important part of the server, the financing. so, i understand and comprehend the lack of communication has been notorious. and i reaffirm, i tell you, it's not on purpose. there's a lot of situations i've tried to solve behind the scenes but i've had to be very careful. i understand if there's people that don't agree with the methods or the process. and if you dont trust in the project or the process– don't worry. there's no problem if you stop consuming the project. i totally understand. i've said i have a personal conviction with the project and it'll stay like that.

i've been working very hard and i'll do everything that's possible so the project keeps running but with the best conditions possible. and something i have to make clear is that this process takes time. i have to leave it clear– this process takes time. guys, there's people that have left the project and will keep leaving the project on their own will and i understand it fully. and i have no problem with someone that takes or will take that decision, and i wish them the best. in fact, i gave an internal announcement where i said that a restructure would take time to finish. and there's people that for reasons don't want to be part of that process. and i understand completely! because it's not easy to be in transitional phases.

something i said at the start was that my main objective was that this project came back to normal but with the best conditions. this is able to happen following the dynamics and examining the exact scenario for each person contributing to the project— and this isn't achieveable in three weeks. and all of this process continues.

so, giving you all a bit of context, behind a lot of things about the project. i ask you all, that keep wanting to do it, ask you your full patience. i don't want to promise or talk pretty. i want to make concrete decisions, and that's what i've been doing. if it's seen or not, it's what i've been doing. it's what i've been doing step by step.

friends, the changes i've been doing is for the best of the project and i'll say it transparently, the changes are for the good of the project and the people that love it. to the people who the project's impacted and the ones who keep up and love everything that this project's for. those people are the motivation and inspiration who the project was created for and is created for and the reason i'll keep doing the qsmp.

i'm not doing this, and i want to leave it very clear, i'm not doing this for the people that for a long while have wanted to see the project destroyed by actions that have demonstrated the- total opposite of love for the server. like not constructive comments, bad actions, bad wishes for me, the team, and any community that consumes the qsmp and the project in general. to me, all those people with damaging intentions don't matter to me that they stop consuming the project. leave that very clear!

and let's not forget something important guys, it's very difficult to build and way easier to destroy. to all the people that wants to join this building process is welcome, and those that want to maliciously destroy, this project from the start wasn't and isn't for you.

and lastly, i want to say these days i've received a lot of calls, emails and messages from people from a lot of parts of the world expressing what qsmp means to them. it's why i tell you punctually, that this project isn't over and i'll do what's necessary so each day it gets better. it's a process, step by step, that takes a while but i'm doing it. so, beforehand, i want to thank you for your trust and reaffirm my personal compromise to strengthen this project.

i hope this cleared up some doubts and given the necessary context to some people. and i reaffirm, i have a personal conviction with this project and i'll keep working to better it. just wanted to say that. thank you all and goodnight! bye!

[ghostinthegallery]

As a transformers fan I love robots who have divorce drama stretching millions of years but also have a body count in the trillions. Thus it has taken little convincing but I think I shall investigate these undead robots.

In the event of my death I'm Telling. This is your fault. How do I start wading into this mess bc my only encounter with Warhammer was when a very drunk frat guy tried to explain the horus heresy at a party.

Well you are in for a treat then! Robots with marriage/divorce drama, severe mental health issues, and body counts best measured on a planetary scale are our specialty in Chez Necron.

If you want a setting overview before you dive in, Bricky's two part series going over all the factions is quite solid. Long, but hey this has been around since the 80s. (no drunken Horus Heresy rambles*)

First, watch this clip of Trazyn the Infinite, as an amuse bouche before your meal.

As for books, there are two main places I'd start for necrons:

The Infinite and the Divine- the classic starting point for necrons (and 40k in general). Trazyn the Infinite, lord of the Prismatic Galleries, battles against Orikan the Diviner, master chronomancer and prophet. Clash of godlike beings over...what amounts to a magic Rubik's Cube. It's so petty. This fight spans epochs, multiple wars, and one legal case. There's no heterosexual explanation for their dynamic. Also this book has dinosaurs. Some of whom carry shuriken canons.

Now, this book has a ton of 40k stuff. Most major factions make an appearance so there's a very good chance there will be words/things that a new person is unfamiliar with. If that doesn't bother you, awesome! Proceed. Ask me things, I'll explain that an aeldar is just a space elf or whatever. Or watch a lore vid beforehand. However if that is a turn off I'd recommend starting with...

Severed- Novella, so shorter which is nice. Do you like angst? The horrors of immortality? Lord/knight love story? One very silly guy? Then meet Zahndrekh and his loyal bodyguard Obyron as they set out to conquer a planet where the necrons are...wrong. Complicating factors include Obyron's crippling depression, Zahndrekh's asshole ex, and the fact Zahndrekh is insane and believes them all to still be the creatures of flesh and blood they were before a bunch of star gods ate their souls and turned them into robots. Prepare to cry.

After those, I cannot recommend the Twice Dead King duology highly enough. Oltyx, an exiled prince attempts to save his dynasty from destruction while battling his own creeping madness. He's got an adorable crush on his hot best friend. The voices in his head were put there on purpose so its fine. Well most of them were. Everything is fine. I didn't cry multiple times reading these...

Then refer to my reading guide for the good short stories and boom! The wonderful world of gay undead space robots is open before you.

I accept full responsibilities for my actions. If you die I promise to say mostly nice things at your funeral.

*mini rant, but I honestly think the Horus Heresy is one of the worst ways to introduce someone to the 40k world. It's a series with like 70 books! Many of them are bad! You need a flowchart to keep track of the timeline! I know there's some good books and characters, power to all who love the HH, but it is not newbie friendly! Also it only has humans which robs you of some of the best parts of the setting (like...y'know. Necrons). Ease people in, then they can make an informed decision about tackling the mountain of buff space men with daddy issues shooting each other.

[namig42]

Hello there, I finally finished the first part of a Wyllstarion fic I started writing ages ago. Please enjoy.

Just One Yesterday (Ch. 1)

Next Chapter >

Read it on Ao3 as well!

Summary: Originally inspired by the lyric "anything you say can and will be held against you, so only say my name. It will be held against you," from Fall Out Boy's song "Just One Yesterday."

This is a modern AU where Wyll is a police officer and Astarion is a sex worker. Despite a problematic start, the two manage to find a connection and have it build in time into something more.

---

Wyll Ravengard was a young rookie on the police force of Baldur City. He's been working the scene for a few years now, but has yet to feel like he has made any real difference. Part of that is due to his chief, Mizora, who makes a point of sending Wyll to do all the more unsavory jobs that are passed down directly from her own boss, Zariel. Early on in his time on the force, Wyll was optimistic and very loyal to the people of the city. Mizora saw this and used it against Wyll, leading him down a dark path of less than legal actions that Wyll now cannot afford anyone knowing. In exchange for her silence, Mizora has now made Wyll her personal pet. She sends him on secret missions to chase down certain felons, detain criminals of seemingly victimless crimes, and on one occasion, even taking the life of someone before things could get out of hand with a case. Wyll detests his career now because of Mizora, but if he stepped out of her shadow, the things that he's done would solely be on his head and he would be seen as the villain, not the hero. For now, he grins and bears his duty, telling himself that at least he can still help people while also serving Mizora’s means.

On this evening in particular, Wyll was sent on a mission to detain some of the countless streetwalkers that have been reported downtown. One too many problematic incidents have taken place with some higher ups in the city, and Zariel has decided that the field needed to be weeded out. Mizora had left this job to Wyll, deeming it unfit for the rest of the force to be seen doing these jobs since it would bring awareness to the drama happening with those problematic higher ups she was supposed to be protecting. Wyll was expected to go undercover for this case and arrest anyone who approached him offering a service without making a scene.

And that is exactly what he planned for, though he already felt a wave of guilt and anxiety at the notion that he needed to allow himself to be seduced and lured. When it came to exploits of lust and love, Wyll was a traditional romantic. He was genuine and authentic and wasn’t interested in acts solely of the flesh. Whether Mizora knew that and decided she wanted to watch Wyll suffer or not or was simply unaware, Wyll still had to deliver on the mission. One step at a time , he thought to himself as he made his way downtown for the evening.

Wyll was dressed in some worn jeans and a burgundy henley that he'd owned since his teenage years. It was an old shirt that was a little tight now, but it still got the job done. He looked like a regular guy out for a late night stroll near the downtown park, as if he was on his way to a bar to meet some friends or play some pool. Just a normal person. That’s all he had to be for now, but Wyll knew that he was anything but a normal guy with casual plans, and it made the guilt surge through his body all the more, leaving his hands clammy and his mouth dry.

His intel had told him that this park was a common spot for a certain gang that was known for its promiscuous services. They were a group of beautiful, pale people that often stalked in groups of two or three, luring people away with their charm and promises of a good time according to the reports. Sometimes the victims came back with empty wallets, but more often, they were never seen again. If Wyll walked around enough, he was likely to find a target or two to detain.

Wyll was feeling nervous about this whole endeavor. He hadn't ever had a job like this before, and he wasn't known for being the best liar. Omitting information, sure, that was understandable, but pure deception? That was something he was afraid of screwing up immediately. He had never had a knack for it, and his father taught him that honesty was the truest way to justice. He had hammered that notion into his son, leaving Wyll without the skillset he needed for this scenario. Wyll knew how much his father would disapprove of him these past few years, but he couldn’t bear to tell his father the truth. His father, Uldur Ravengaurd, the pinnacle example of honor and justice, would arrest his own son on the spot if he knew the terrible things Wyll had done for Mizora, even if Wyll has always tried to mean well and do these heinous jobs on his own terms.

It was as he was thinking about his father and the dread that filled his stomach that Wyll spotted a group of three people standing in the main square of the park, leaning on a fountain and surrounded by street lamps emitting a soft white glow. There were two women and one man, and they were all extremely attractive and fair-skinned. All three were dressed in attire that seemed more fitting for a nightclub rather than a night in the park, fitted with tight pants that left little to the imagination, skin tight tops, and their hair pulled away from their faces. Both women had their hair pulled back in a bun with lips painted ruby red, and the man’s curly hair was short and sculpted to frame his handsome face.

He was still feeling nervous, so instead of approaching the group, Wyll leaned himself against a nearby fence and glanced at the group every now and then. He noticed that the group of three began to stare back and began whispering amongst themselves. Wyll looked down at the ground and tried to calm his nerves as he felt the eyes of the beautiful strangers piercing him. After a moment of pointing and the small sound of soft voices, the handsome man with white, curly locks approached him.

"Well hello there darling~."  The man approached Wyll from the side and casually leaned against the fence. His voice was low and dripped with sex. Wyll had to swallow before looking into the man's red eyes. "Whatever is a dashing thing like you doing in a place like this~?"

"Just out for a late night stroll.” Wyll choked out, sounding fine enough but feeling somehow even more nervous under the predatory gaze of this handsome stranger. “Lovely night, isn't it?" Wyll looked up and gestured to the full moon that sat directly above the two of them. Wyll hadn't noticed it before, but now that he saw the pale glow of moonlight, he realized the color was very similar to the man's hair. It was a lovely color… Wyll began to wonder if the stranger’s hair was naturally that silver.

"A lovely night indeed," the man said, his eyes not moving from Wyll’s face. "What's to say we make it an even better one?"

Wyll made eye contact again before asking, "what do you mean?" He had a feeling he knew, but he didn't want to mess this up and blow his cover so quickly.

"I know a charming little spot not too far from here. Perhaps we could steal away for a bit and… get to enjoy each other's company?" As he spoke those last words, the man's fingers gently grazed the back of Wyll's hand. Wyll wanted to recoil as if he had been electrocuted, but he resisted the urge. This was definitely a target he was supposed to take back to the station. He needed to get this beautiful man alone first, that way the other two in his group wouldn't immediately be on high alert.

Though he was tense, Wyll managed a soft, polite smile. "Lead the way."

The man with the hair like moonlight smiled devilishly before gently taking Wyll's hand and leading him deeper into the park. As they walked in the night air, Wyll got a better look at the man he was about to arrest. They were about the same height, though Wyll's frame looked a bit stronger and more filled out than his newfound companion. The other man was a bit thin and gaunt, as if he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in a while. His skin was almost as pale as his hair, and his eyes were a bright red. Wyll wondered if they were contacts. The silver-haired man wore tight leather pants and a leather jacket with only a top made of fishnets underneath. His nails were painted black, though they looked a bit chipped, almost as if they had been bitten slightly. Wyll looked at the back of the stranger’s head and saw just how soft the man’s curls looked. The front of the man’s hair had looked polished and styled, though the back looked as if the curls had been left in their natural state.

Wyll pondered this mysterious man, but quickly tried to block out the thoughts. He couldn't let himself get distracted or attached. The more he humanized his target, the harder it would be to do his job. A job like this was hard for Wyll to justify for himself already. After all, sex workers weren't offering any services that harmed others. Though it isn't the most honorable line of work, he didn't think that they deserved to be arrested for providing the services they did, especially if they were being pressured by a boss of their own. Wyll could relate a bit with his own predicament, but he shoved that thought right out just as fast as it came into his mind. If he felt himself relating to a hypothetical, he’d have an even harder time following through on the job he was supposed to do. It didn't matter though what he thought in all of this. Mizora told him to do his job, and so his job had to be done. If not… it may not even be worth going back to the station.

After a few moments of strolling in silence, the man led Wyll through a shrub and entered a small clearing near the edge of the park where a little shack was stowed away. It didn't look like more than a storage shed, but that didn't seem to matter. The mysterious stranger led Wyll with that same gentle grip through the door and into the small building. Inside was a bit dusty and barren, save for a few large crates in one corner and a mattress on the ground on the other side of the space. A bit of the pale moonlight seeped into the room from the small windows that lined the tops of the walls along with the remnant glows from nearby street lights, just like the ones back in the main square. Besides that, the room was quite dim.

"Well now, we should introduce ourselves properly before getting down to business, hm~?” The stranger dropped Wyll’s hand and turned to face his client. With a dramatic flourish of one hand and the other on his hip, he introduced himself. “My name is Astarion."

Astarion, little star. A lovely name fit for a gentleman of the night. Gods, it rolled off the tongue so well. Was that his real name, or one he simply used for this line of work? Either way, it was beautiful. 

Wyll was still a bit frazzled as Astarion stared at him with that hand on his hip. He leaned to the side so casually and gracefully, as if he was posing for a piece of art. It was incredibly alluring. Wyll could feel himself falling into the trap that he was sure many others did as well at the hands of this mysterious man. Astarion gestured to him with a relaxed flourish and asked, "what should I call you, darling?"

The way he spoke was like music. He was so captivating, Wyll lost himself almost entirely for a moment, wanting to drop the mission and be engulfed by this stranger of the night. He had a false name that he had planned to utilize for this mission, but before he could even think about it, his mind slipped and he simply said, "Wyll."

"Wyll," Astarion said in that theatrical tone of his. Wyll took a small gulp after hearing his name on Astarion’s lips. "A fitting name for a proper gentleman." Astarion began to step a little closer to Wyll. Wyll took a step back, but after only one step, he felt his back press against the cold brick wall behind him. "It's funny, most people are upon me before we even reach this spot. I appreciate someone with manners and decency. No need to be afraid though…" Astarion began to enter Wyll's space even more, trailing a finger up Wyll’s chest, then his neck, and then his jawline. Wyll could feel the other man's cool breath on his face as the mysterious man leaned in a bit closer. Just as Wyll tightly shut his eyes and thought he was about to be kissed, Astarion leaned into Wyll's ear instead and whispered seductively, "I won't bite."

Wyll had never been with anyone in this capacity before. Yes, he had had sex. He was a young man in his mid 20’s, after all, but that was less about sex and more about making love. There were the few girls he dated seriously in his past and a couple handsome men he fancied, though never approached or engaged with. The women were all lovely at first, but the sex had been mediocre at best. Eventually, they all left Wyll because apparently he wasn’t exciting enough for them. Everyone loved a hopeless romantic until the novelty of chivalry wore off, and they ended up bored and uninterested. They loved the fantasy it seemed, not Wyll Ravenguard. In regards to men, Wyll had never allowed himself to pursue another man before. The culture he grew up in didn’t shame the idea of homosexuality, but Wyll had this feeling that if he didn’t do things traditionally, then his father would’ve resented him, but that was a tale for another time. 

The point was that in all his escapades, nothing had ever been like this. All his other experiences had been so tame, so simple and focused on romance with people Wyll had tried to establish a connection with. Already though, just the way Astarion moved and spoke, it was enough to excite Wyll and send a flush to his dark cheeks. This wasn’t romance. This was lust. Pure, intoxicating desire filled Wyll’s mind, and it was beginning to be too much.

As Astarion’s mouth began kissing down Wyll’s neck, Wyll decided he needed to stop this before things got out of hand. He already felt himself slipping away from control, and there was a part of him that felt… scared? Empty? He couldn’t be sure why, but it was likely due to how unfamiliar this situation had been for him. He grabbed Astarion by the wrist and flipped the man around so that it was Astarion against the wall instead of Wyll, though it was Astarion's front instead of back being pressed against the wall this time. Astarion’s arm was pinned behind him in Wyll’s strong grip, holding the pale man stiffly in place.

"Well, aren't you a cheeky thing~?” Astarion said coyly. “You really know how to lower a man's guard. I didn’t take you for the forceful type.” Though he spoke with that same theatrical style, there was a small anxious tone that entered his melodious voice. Wyll didn’t like how that new tone made him feel, but he shoved the unease to the side of his mind to think about later.

"You're under arrest," Wyll spoke firmly, regaining his composure and sense of duty. Astarion sighed, sounding more annoyed and disappointed than worried. "Of course, the handsome ones are always too good to be true…"

Wyll tried to ignore that comment as he continued. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you-"

"’Anything,’ you say?" Astarion interrupted, that playful coyness coming back to him. Wyll paused in the middle of his speech, taken aback by Astarion’s interjection. What kind of question was that?

"What if I were to only say your name~?" The tone of voice filled with sex came back as Astarion asked the question. He moved his hips back and grazed Wyll's front with his ass, grinding ever so gently on the officer. Wyll jumped back, beginning to lose his composure again at the prospect of what was just said. Astarion took the opportunity of freedom to turn himself around and step away from the wall, leaning towards Wyll and giving him that same devilish grin from earlier. Wyll hated to admit how well it was working.

"Wyll, would you hold yourself against me this evening~?" Astarion asked the seductive question with such ease, as if it wasn’t the first time he had said those words. Wyll noticed now that Astarion’s actions were so perfect in this moment, as if he was performing in some kind of film. Every action and word was so perfectly alluring and so flawlessly executed, as if he had performed this scene a million times. Wyll, not knowing the script that Astarion was working with, took a step back once more and felt himself lean against one of the larger crates on the other side of the shed. His hands moved back to grip the edge and support himself as Astarion stepped closer and moved into his space once again. The pale man put one hand on the crate behind Wyll, leaning into the younger man and using his other hand to gently caress Wyll's chin. With the most tender of touches, Astarion pulled the officer in for a kiss.

As much as Wyll should’ve resisted, he allowed himself to be kissed. His hands dug into the wood of the crate as he felt the erotic sensation course through his body. The soft, cool feeling on his lips felt like a shock, sending waves of strange, terrifying pleasure through him and down to his lower half. He had never kissed a man before, and no other kiss had ever felt like this. Though it wasn’t all that different from kissing a woman, this scenario felt more exciting and terrifying than anything he had ever felt. The charming stranger seduced him so effortlessly. Perhaps Wyll was weak, maybe even a bit lonely, but he allowed himself to be swept off his feet for a moment. Astarion pressed his body against the cop’s, using the hand that wasn’t supporting himself on the crate to move gently down Wyll’s side and to his lower back, pulling the young officer even closer. He could feel Wyll’s excitement starting to build in his jeans, and Wyll even heard a moan escape his own lips as he felt Astarion’s cold body press against his.

Astarion broke the kiss and moved to whisper Wyll’s name in his ear again, this time a bit softer and filled with quiet desire, as his hand trailed down Wyll’s side once more and moved to the front of his pants. At the sensation of being palmed, Wyll inhaled sharply and his whole body jolted. In his panic, he grabbed Astarion’s wrist that had just grazed his front and pulled it to the side, gripping it tight. Astarion made a small, pained noise as Wyll tried that same flip again, though Astarion was better prepared and resisted this time around. He pulled his arm towards his chest so Wyll couldn’t twist him around as easily. Instead, Wyll used his leg and hooked it behind Astarion’s ankle, sending the pale man falling onto the mattress behind him. Wyll quickly flipped Astarion over while the man was still surprised and sat firmly on Astarion’s lower back, that way he couldn’t flip over again. Now that he had the advantage once more, Wyll didn’t hesitate to pull out his handcuffs that were stashed in his back pocket and begin cuffing his newfound companion.

“Wait, please!” The cool, seductive confidence had left Astarion’s voice. Wyll did pause, surprised by the quick change of tone. He kept his grip tight on Astarion’s wrist, but had only cuffed one hand so far. The pause didn’t last long though as Wyll regained his sense of duty and began cuffing the other wrist. Astarion’s breathing began to quicken, almost like a cornered animal. “I’ll give you anything you want, I’ll do anything, just please don’t take me away.” He was panicked, but there was still some sense of composure behind his words.

“You’ve committed solicitation of sexual acts and prostitution. As an officer of the law, it is my duty to take you in.”

Astarion wriggled under Wyll, the sensation of his squirming body sending a guilty wave of pleasure through Wyll as the friction in his pants rubbed against him, but Wyll held out strong. As he tried to break free, a thought clicked in Astarion’s mind and he went still under Wyll. “What evidence do you have?”

Wyll froze. “I’m sorry?”

“What evidence do you have that I have charged money for sex?”

Wyll opened his mouth to speak, but then realized that he had none, not officially anyway. All his assumptions this evening have been based on the intel he received from Mizora, but he had no actual proof that Astarion was one of the members of the group he came to this park looking for. Though he made a slew of incriminating remarks, there was nothing that would work as evidence in a court of law to accuse Astarion of prostitution. All he had as of now was speculation and conjecture. As Wyll pondered this new set of circumstances, Astarion continued, “all I’ve done is offer a bit of fun, which you consented to. The only crime I’m guilty of is being a whore, but there’s nothing illegal in what I’ve done tonight.”

Wyll sat there, still holding Astarion’s wrists in place and pinning him against the mattress, though his grip began to soften. God, did he already screw this job up? He didn’t even think to try to get evidence. He was so inexperienced with work like this, with interactions like these, he hadn’t even thought past allowing someone to lure him to a secluded area. After that, his plans fizzled out. God… I’m such a fool.

He didn’t confirm or deny Astarion’s accusations, but he did move to uncuff Astarion. Once he was free, Wyll rolled off of Astarion and to the side. Astarion moved to his knees and stretched his back, then rubbed his wrists where the cuffs had dug in and left faint, red lines on his fair skin.

“I’m sorry,” was all the rookie could muster up, pulling his knees to his chest.

“Oh, no need to apologize. I’ve been handled much rougher than that.” There was a lingering, awkward silence that thankfully Astarion broke quickly. “You’re not a virgin, are you?” The question was sincere and non-judgemental. The bluntness of it turned Wyll’s face a new color that he didn’t even know he was capable of.

“No!” he said, a bit louder than he intended.

“I see,” Astarion said dismissively, turning and sitting back against the wall to face Wyll as he continued his questioning, “but I take it you’ve only been with women?” The flush that burned Wyll’s face only got deeper at the accusation, but he couldn’t deny it. He turned and buried his face in his knees. “Is it that obvious…?”

Astarion giggled. It sounded so light and playful, ringing in Wyll’s head afterwards. That may have been the first sound that Wyll heard from Astarion all evening that didn’t sound so rehearsed. “You’re not as subtle as you may think, officer.” Astarion moved his foot and nudged Wyll’s leg with it. Wyll’s face immediately lifted from his knees and turned to look at Astarion, who had another smirk on those lovely lips of his, though this time, it seemed a bit more relaxed. His eyes were softer, and there was a sense of desire in them this time that seemed more genuine than before. Would he still want an inexperienced fool like Wyll after all that?

“Would you still like to hold yourself against me this evening, Wyll?” Astarion asked, a new, softer, more genuine tone appearing in his voice. There was a bit of exhaustion and sincerity that was now apparent on his face as well.

“I… I don’t know…” Wyll said, the nerves returning. He had to turn his eyes away from Astarion’s face again. The nerves were coming back, and he still had a job to do. He couldn’t do something like this. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to. Astarion was incredibly attractive, that wasn’t the problem, but there was a hollow feeling in his stomach, one that left him nervous and worried. What would Mizora do to him if he didn’t come back with at least one arrest tonight? Would he be committing a felony if he slept with Astarion, even if he technically didn’t have any solid evidence against him that proved he was a prostitute? Why would Astarion want to spend the night with an officer anyways?

As the questions ran wild in Wyll’s mind, Astarion nudged Wyll’s leg again to get his attention. Once Wyll finally met his gaze again, Astarion asked, “what would you like then, darling?”

Wyll stared at the man of the night blankly. Astarion had a soft, exhausted expression that resonated with something in Wyll. He had thought of Astarion as handsome and alluring all evening, but that soft expression was something that he could only describe as beautiful.

“Maybe, for now… we could just… talk?” Wyll said, his voice shrinking in embarrassment. Thankfully, Astarion didn’t seem put off by the suggestion. Instead, he moved to lie down on the mattress and stretch out his legs. “Alright, we can talk. Did you have a topic for discussion in mind?”

“Well… can I ask why you invited me to this place?” Wyll asked, not comfortable enough to lie down. He remained in his fetal position towards the foot of the mattress.

Astarion sighed, “well, to have a little bit of fun, obviously. I thought that was fairly clear.”

“Well, yes, but… why me? Why didn’t one of those other women you were with invite me somewhere instead?”

“Well,” Astarion began, rolling on his side and resting his head on his hand to get a better look at Wyll. “I thought you were adorable, sitting and showing interest while nervously dodging our stares. You’re a handsome young man, you know.” Wyll blushed at the compliment, averting his gaze again. He had never had the chance to flirt with another man before, and Astarion had so much experience that left Wyll feeling like a babe in the woods. Astarion was amused by Wyll’s darkened cheek, then posed a question of his own. “Did you not intend on having a bit of fun this evening? Were you simply a good officer trying to do your job?”

“It’s… complicated, but yes, I was out here solely for work.” There was no point in trying to be coy about it. He had already tried to arrest Astarion, so he already blew his cover.

“Well, darling, in the future, if you’re scouting for workers of certain occupations, might I suggest trying to pay them first or requesting their rate?”

“Yes… I didn’t… think about the details before jumping into this…”

Astarion scoffed playfully. “Clearly.”

Wyll wanted to curl in on himself in embarrassment and his lack of experience. Astarion saw the reaction and only felt moderately guilty. He rolled onto his back once more and decided to be courteous enough to change the subject. “Well, what do you enjoy doing in your free time then, Officer Wyll?”

“I enjoy reading…” Wyll couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious about his hobby, but the new topic relaxed him a bit. His shoulders softened and his knees relaxed away from his chest a bit.

“I do as well,” Astarion admitted. Wyll was a bit surprised, honestly. Astarion continued the conversation. “What do you like to read?”

“Stories of fantasy and… romance, mainly.”

“Of course you’re a romantic,” Astarion said with a tone of pseudo judgment, unsurprised by Wyll’s taste.

“And what’s so wrong with that?” Wyll asked with a curious grin, turning his body to face Astarion a bit better.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” Astarion said with a dramatic flourish of his hand. “It’s just so predictable that someone as polite as you would be a hopeless romantic. Let me guess,” Astarion turned on his side again and began to gesticulate even more as he proposed his theory of Wyll. “You love a good fantastical story where a vigilante of justice comes in and saves a poor heroine, and the two of them fall deeply and madly in love and live happily ever after?”

“And if I did?” Wyll said, managing to regain some composure and enjoying the turn of conversation. It wasn’t the first time he had been teased for his taste, though he had to admit, it was more fun coming from Astarion. Astarion scoffed and fell on his back again, waving his hand above his face and dismissing the comment. “It just means you’re horribly predictable, but there’s no shame in that, darling~.” The last statement had that playful snarkiness return, and it put a smile on Wyll’s face.

“Alright, then what do you like to read, Astarion?”

“Oh, nothing in particular. Fiction, non-fiction, histories, whatever I can get my hands on, really.”

“Well, what kind of stories are you fond of? I take it you’re not one for romance?”

“I don’t mind a good deal of romance,” Astarion said, a bit offended, “but I much rather prefer stories of adventurers, revenge, and deception. They are much more interesting reads, if you ask me.”

The two continued on like this for hours, talking about stories that they were fond of and wanted to share. Wyll even admitted to his appreciation for more promiscuous types of fiction, and Astarion was impressed that Wyll managed to even quote one particularly bad erotica that they had both happened to read at one point in their youths. As the conversation continued, Wyll felt more and more comfortable around the beautiful stranger. He wasn’t comfortable enough to lie down, but he did move to rest against the wall at the head of the bed, sitting right next to Astarion’s face and watching the man’s dramatic expressions as he talked about one of his favorite stories, The Count of Candlekeep . It was the story of a man who was falsely arrested after being accused by four other men and forced into prison for over twenty years. During that time, he met a wise man and learned about a hidden treasure that, after escaping the prison, he found and made his own. Soon, he became one of the richest men in the world, and through the power he gained for himself, he was able to get terrible, gruesome, satisfying revenge on all four of the men who had betrayed him. As Wyll watched Astarion passionately recount the tale, he couldn’t help but admire him. The smile that appeared as Astarion talked about the Count and how fascinating his character is, the way his brow creased slightly as he recounted more intense scenes, the way his hair fell to the side on the bed and slowly became a bit messier throughout the evening as the mattress ruffled it. He really was handsome, but he seemed to grow more alive as the night continued, and it captivated Wyll immensely.

“Of course there’s romance involved as well, and it’s incredibly well written, but there’s so much more to the story than just that. I can’t believe you’ve never even heard of the book, but you can quote The Salty Mermaid .”

Wyll shrugged. “It never came up in my father’s library, it seems.”

“Well, your father should develop better tastes.” Astarion said, waving his hand dismissively. Wyll laughed and responded, “perhaps you’re right.”

The two sat in a moment of silence for the first time in a while, though this time, it was comfortable. Astarion lay next to Wyll with his eyes closed. He looked so serene. Wyll couldn’t help but stare and take in the delicate yet chiseled features of his companion’s face. His soft, delicate white lashes, his strong, lovely nose, those soft, slightly thin lips… He was truly a vision. Wyll was tempted to reach out and place a hand on Astarion’s head, maybe even petting him and feeling how soft his curls really were, but he resisted the urge. He didn’t want to be too forward.

After sitting in the silence for who knows how long, Astarion yawned and rubbed the exhaustion from his eyes. “Do you happen to have the time, darling?” Wyll looked at his watch and saw that it was already past three in the morning. Upon hearing the time, Astarion’s eyes shot open and he shot straight up. “Is everything alright…?” Wyll asked, concerned by the sudden shift in Astarion’s demeanor.

“Yes, of course, I simply lost track of the time is all. It’s quite late and I should be getting home,” he then turned and gave Wyll a concerningly serious stare. “As should you.”

“I suppose so… but what’s wrong?” Wyll asked, genuinely worried now. He reached out and placed his hand softly on Astarion’s shoulder. Astarion jolted away from the touch and stood up from the mattress. “It’s nothing… “ he said, brushing off his leather pants. “I just think that it’s late and you should be on your way. You’d be much more comfortable in your own bed, surely.”

“Well, yes, but are you alright?” Wyll asked as he stared up from where he sat.

“Of course I am!” Astarion turned to face Wyll, but that rehearsed feeling returned to his demeanor. His voice lilted in a way like it did when they first made their way to this shed, and Wyll felt a bit nervous. He stood up as well, brushing dust off his backside and looking at Astarion with what must’ve been visible concern. “Wyll, darling, I’m perfectly alright~. I just don’t want a young, handsome thing such as yourself losing out on your much needed beauty sleep. How do you think I kept this face as charming as it is all these years~?”

“Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?” Wyll asked. He couldn’t imagine what he had done, but he had an even harder time understanding Astarion’s new urgency.

“Darling, of course not,” he sighed and placed a hand on Wyll’s arm, and this time, Wyll enjoyed the touch. There was a warmth to the sensation that had been missing earlier. “You’ve been the perfect gentleman all evening. Well… besides our little wrestling match, of course.” Astarion said with a small giggle and a smile that seemed a little too perfect. “It’s just… well…” Astarion paused for a long moment, then finally managed to continue. “You failed in your mission this evening, and so I think it’s only fair that I fail in mine as well.”

“Fail? What mission? What do you mean? Are you in danger?” Wyll asked, a sense of urgency rising in his own throat. Astarion shook his head and made his way over to the door. “No, nothing like that, I’ll be alright.” From the way he spoke, Wyll had a strong suspicion that this new companion of his was lying. Astarion turned his gaze to the door and opened it for his guest, then motioned and smiled at Wyll. “You should go.”

Wyll walked slowly to the door, standing in the doorway for a moment and staring at Astarion. The man with the silver hair couldn’t bear to make eye contact with Wyll, it seemed, but managed to speak. “It’s been a pleasure spending an evening with you, Wyll.”

“The pleasure’s been mine. Perhaps… it doesn’t have to be the only evening we spend together?” This seemed to catch Astarion’s attention. The pale gentleman looked at Wyll’s expression and saw that the young man seemed sincere. There was a softness in his face that made Astarion freeze for a moment. Though he was concerned, Wyll was pleasantly surprised to see Astarion fumble for the first time all evening.

“I’m… not sure if that’s the best idea…” Astarion said tensely.

“Well, I won’t force you, of course, but I’d like to enjoy your company more, if you’d permit me.” Wyll grazed the back of Astarion’s hand with a finger, and Astarion seemed surprised. Instead of running away from the touch, Astarion turned his hand and let Wyll hold his with a soft grip. He sighed, “Wyll, I don’t think it’s a wise decision for us to associate further.”

“Well… could I ask why?”

“My… occupation. It involves certain people that… I don’t like them knowing who I associate with, and I’m afraid if we spend any more time together, they might become curious.”

“Are they often that nosey in your personal affairs?” Wyll asked with a small hint of disbelief.

“You have no idea. ” Astarion said with a deep sigh. Wyll squeezed his hand and offered him a smile. “Well, if I did happen to want to search out your company again, is there a way I could find you?”

Astarion cocked his head to the side and looked at Wyll with admiration and frustration. “You won’t leave me alone, will you?”

“I will if you want me to,” Wyll responded.

Astarion stood for a moment and looked at their entwined hands. After what seemed like a long moment of heavy contemplation, he met Wyll’s gaze. “There’s a bar near the park. It’s called the Elfsong. I tend to spend my Saturday evenings there starting at dusk. If you’d like to search out my company again, then I’d suggest there. For now,” he released Wyll’s hand and motioned to the open door again, “I believe this is where we should say goodnight.”

Wyll sighed and nodded reluctantly. “The Elfsong at dusk, I’ll keep it in mind. Have a good evening, Astarion.” He stood for a moment, wondering if he should offer a handshake or even a hug before leaving. Instead, Astarion leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Wyll’s eyes opened a bit wider as he stared at Astarion, who was now smiling nervously. “Good night, Officer Wyll.”

With that, Wyll stepped outside the shed and Astarion closed the door behind him. He stood there for a moment and touched his cheek where Astarion had kissed him. It wasn’t like the kisses they exchanged earlier in the evening. This one left a sensation not of nervous electricity, but of something pleasant and ethereal. There was a warmth that lingered on his skin. Wyll never recalled kisses from his girlfriends ever feeling like this. It was something special.

As he began to exit the park the way he came, he had a feeling of something watching him. The feeling made Wyll nervous, but he did his best to maintain his composure and walk just a bit faster than he usually would. It was a Sunday, so if Wyll was lucky, he would get to see Astarion next Saturday. That’s if Mizora or this gnawing sensation of being watched didn’t get him first.

---

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

[useless-bi-otch]

Cookies'n Cream - Chapter 8

Last chapter / MasterList / art by @aneenasevla

Chapter 8 - Bodyguards

"... And that's all for today. Thanks for today's services, guys!," Kanami declares, rubbing her hands with satisfaction, to which the employees, both hired and volunteer, let out big sighs, all happy for another workday. It was tiring, but productive, and it couldn't be otherwise.

After the incident involving the three troublemakers, the rest of the afternoon at the Heavy Bakery had passed without anything a hitch. They half-expected, not really anticipating, the police to show up, but hours had passed and none of them had heard a siren or seen the pulsating lights of a police car through the windows. Thank God. And anyway, Kanami was cautious and would have a video ready to show the cops, recorded by the security camera just above the area where the cash register was located, serving as evidence to justify her actions. None of them would have to worry about possible legal actions being taken against the bakery. Which was good, because Tomori wanted to fill her head with thoughts and memories far more pleasant than those.

The time she spent with Okubo and his friends was relatively short, due to the inopportune interruption, but no less pleasant. They even surprised her with some really yummy rice balls! If she could, she would like to have many more lunch breaks like that.

"You're welcome, Kana-chan! Are you sure you don't want help with the cleaning?," She asks while removing the apron and then the hairnet "There's more trash than usual, even though we've already got rid of the stinkier ones, hahaha."

Hiro laughs along with her, one hand over his mouth.

"By now Kana could open a second company, specializing in the collection and disposal of medical waste!"

"That's a bit too much, Hiro, c'mon," The baker rolls her eyes, although she smirked at the cashier's jokes. "And don't worry, Koga and Ryuki offered to help Paikon and me with the cleaning."

"Wait, what?", Koga widens his eyes, his jaw dropping a little, to which Ryuki, playing with a reusable pastry bag full of water, says: 

"Did you forget that she asked for a night sparring session, Koga? We'll go straight to the SJPW headquarters from here."

"Ooh, it's true…" He nods. And then he asks, arching an eyebrow, "But how about we still get some croissants as compensation for the extra service, huh?"

"Croissants are given to students on merit, so you should start to work harder to earn them."

"Shut up! And why are you still holding that pastry bag? You even filled it with water…”

"Oh, I just like squeezing things out of a sac, it's kinda relaxing... what?," Ryuki blinks as Koga bursts out laughing, bending over himself. Tomoyo rolls her eyes as the adults allow themselves exasperated chuckles, Kanami clapping her hands again and raising her voice to be heard.

"Okay, enough with the double entendre! Tomori and Tomoyo have already organized the kitchen and Hiro has already closed the cash register, so they're off the hook for the day. Koga, Ryuki and Paikon, the sooner we start clearing tables, the sooner we'll be done."

"I already said I don't need help, but if you insist, Miss Oomori…" Paikon shrugs before turning to the two boys "And you two, use the mops to clean the floor this time, instead of hitting each other with them. They aren't cheap, you know..."

"It was Koga who challenged me to a sparring session with cold weapons, I just accepted," Ryuki points to the said challenger, who screeches: 

"For when we had finished cleaning, and with bo staffs! If you want to blame someone for the lost mop, Mr. Paikon, blame Ryuki, who broke it on my back!”

"There will be no sparring sessions inside this establishment, or none of you will get croissants!"

And that threat seemed to be enough to convince the boys to behave. Tomori would always laugh at the control Kanami was able to exert over them. She was an all-natural big sister, however much she denied it.

After saying goodbye to those who would stay at the bakery to finish their end-of-hours arrangements, Tomori, Hiro and Tomoyo leave the establishment together.

"Okay, we are a little short of time, but if we hurry, we can catch the next train," The cashier says while checking his cell phone "I'll go off my usual path, but at least once I need to be a gentleman and escort the ladies, instead of feeling like one of them..."

"You can focus your chivalry on Tomoyo for today, Hiro," Tomori says with a chuckle "I'm not going straight home."

"Last minute shopping?," The girl asks, to which Tomori makes a brief gesture with her hand.

"Kinda. Mom texted me and asked me to pick up Dad's medicine from the pharmacy nearby. He was supposed to have done that himself, but he forgot," She rolls her eyes a little "He never forgets the snacks and soy sauce on the market, but his diuretics are another story..."

Hiro laughs, putting his hand over his mouth again "Your mother deserves a medal for putting up with those things, I swear. Well, we're off then. Be careful on the streets, girl. See you tomorrow."

"You too. See ya!," She waves to both of them, smiling, before adjusting the strap of her purse on her shoulder and starting to walk. If she quickened her pace, she could make it to the pharmacy, two blocks away, and be back in time for the next train. It was at these times that she regretted never buying a car.

Fortunately, the streets at that time were well lit and busy. The Heavy Bakery was located in a busy shopping area, with people leaving or arriving at their workplaces, customers on their way to restaurants and pubs, all of which made it a reasonably safe area to walk around, as long as care was taken with what was carried, such as purses and shopping bags. Tomori had never had a problem with her walks through that region until here…

Except, at that moment, she felt strangely alert, aware of the fact that she was a woman walking the streets of Tokyo alone. Memories of the afternoon's events flood back into her mind; the most unpleasant, in this case. It was amazing how the human brain was able to remember the bad things in detail more effectively than the good things. Those clueless idiots had been pretty furious with the humiliation they had been through. If they decided they weren't going to let it slide…

She shakes her head as she feels a shiver run up her spine. No, dwelling on that would only make her paranoid, looking over her shoulder at all times, looking for pursuers who weren't even there. And living in fear, always anticipating an attack, was just what men like that wanted from their victims. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction.

She walks more purposefully, her hand steady on the handle of her purse, until she feels it vibrate slightly. She fishes out her phone from inside it, taking care to walk as far away from the street as possible (pickpockets on motorcycles that took advantage of the distraction of passers-by to grab purse straps were common there) while she checks her messages. There were two: one from her mother, sent just now, and another from Okubo, sent a couple of hours ago; probably shortly after he and his friends left the bakery.

She smiles, her chest getting all warm, her spirits lifting considerably as unpleasant thoughts are put on hold. She decides to answer him first; she knew her mother well enough to know that the conversation with her would be a long one.

Okubo_Naoya:

hey

I know you're still working miss uta

no need to answer now

I just wanna thank you for the company and the compliments on the rice balls

Not seeing you turning green and running to the bathroom like rihito said tyou would made the hours in the kitchen worth it ^^

sorry, it's a joke

but seriously, it was really worth it

and hope all is well with you after that bs that happened earlier

She laughs, allowing herself a fanciful moment in which she imagined him fumbling around with his phone after sending that message, cursing himself in his thoughts. She felt kind of privileged to be one of the very few people who knew that cute side of the legendary King of Combat.

Uta_Tomori:

lol it’s ok

I'd be lying if I didn’t say I was relieved by that too

LOL jk

I'm the one who needs to thank you mr okubo

both for the visit and for your concern

don't worry, we're used to dealing with this kinda thing

dumbasses like that don't last one minute under kanny's rough treatment LMAO

She then clicks on her mother's contact, still laughing. She had sent more texts after the first one, deciding that needing to wait more than a minute for a response from her daughter was a disrespect to her maternal authority.

Mom:

Tomoh, could you bring a bottle of rose water along with your father's medicine? I already transferred you the money

honey??

aren't you off of your shift by now? Kanny put you off the clock today?

Uta Tomori, you have 3 minutes to answer me or I'll call the bakery's phone!

Tomoh:

mom calm down

I'm here

I was just replying to a friend

so don’t freak out

Mom:

watch your words young lady

how am I not going to freak out when you take this long to answer me??

not knowing if you were still at work or if you'd been attacked in the street, run over by a car or something

your father has high blood pressure, but mom's heart is not much better

Tomoh:

your heart's fine

if you can make such drama without having tachycardia there's nothing to worry about lol

But seriously, I'm fine, chill

I'm on my way to the pharmacy now

so

a bottle of rose water, right?

Mom:

yes please

I'll pick it up tomorrow morning before taking the train to the shrine

want to go with me?

Tomoh:

I can't, I’ll be at work

If it was in the late afternoon it'd be fine, but since it's not...

sorry

but which shrine is it?

Mom:

It’s Meiji Shrine

Tomoh:

in Harajuku?

it's so far away, mom!

there're closer shrines, why don't you go to one of them?

Mom:

it’s called a pilgrimage sweety!

the gods appreciate it and are more inclined to answer our prayers

and the ones I have are very important

Tomoh:

are you going to throw some coins in the offering box and light some incense to ask for Seki's victory in the next sjpw tournament?

Mom:

Not only that

I will thank them for the promotion your brother received at work

Ask for them to give your father's heart a break

And ask for my daughter to finally find a good husband

Tomori almost drops the phone in fright, her face heating up until it almost looks like it's burning.

Tomoh:

oh my god mom

we already talked about this

I haven’t had time to think about these things

Mom:

and when will you do??

time is passing, you're getting older and I still don't have a son-in-law!

you sure  you don’t want to give a chance to Watanabe's kid?

he's such a good boy and he also majored in gastronomy

Tomoh:

no mom I don't

we are no longer in the Edo period

enough with the arranged marriages

Mom:

what am I supposed to do then?? 

you're not helping at all Tomori

I want grandkids, darling

I want to see you happy with someone 

like Tatsu is with Saeko

I don't want to see you alone anymore

Tomoh:

I'm not alone

I have you guys and I have my friends

I'm anything but alone

so you don't have to worry ok?

now I'm gonna be offline cause I'm going to cross the avenue

love you bye

Tomori shoves the phone back in her purse, not waiting for an answer, still embarrassed. Year in, year out and her mother wouldn't freaking let it go. Typical mother, she supposed. If she had the slightest idea that her daughter was already interested in someone, but not for the pure reasons she fantasized about...

"... easy there, Takeh, you're still all fucked up. Are ya really sure it was a girl who did this to you?"

"Shut the fuck up! You weren't there, that bitch was a freakin' monster! She hit like a fucking man..."

"And yet you want to go back there? Why? You wanna get beaten again?”

"Takeh saw the light, guys, he got his ass kicked by a hot chick and now he can't get enough of it, hehehahaha!"

A chorus of loud voices starts approaching Tomori's field of hearing, pulling her out of her awkward thoughts. She lifts her head with a slight grimace of annoyance. Jeez, groups of boys were always so noisy...

"You guys are such dicks! I'm going to hit that tomboy where it fuckin' hurts, and that's why I called you. Did you bring the spray paint?"

"And baseball bats, yes. I swear, dude, if we end up in jail because of you, you're fuckin' dead."

"If you brought the masks too, it won't happen. And even if it does, Masahiko's dad is a great lawyer, he'll bail us out in no time. 'Come on, I want to blow that fuckin' place up-"

Tomori locks herself in place at that, that voice unpleasantly familiar to her ears, an icy, horrible feeling spilling into the pit of her stomach. In her distraction, she gets in the way of a passerby, who bumps into her shoulder, causing her to momentarily lose her balance due to fright.

"Aah...!"

"Whoa! Careful there, lady, watch your step."

She felt fingers close around her arm, catching her before she hit the pavement. She plants the heels of her flats on the floor, panting a little as she looks up at the man who had helped her.

"Oh, th-thanks-"

"Hey, hold on! You...!"

And her stomach plummets when she sees, next to the boy who helped her, a face that she immediately recognized. Not so much the features, but the bruises that covered him. And by the way he was looking at her, the fury being perfectly visible in the eye that weren't swollen, he recognized her too.

"You!," He points at her, his face getting even uglier when he bares his teeth "Katashi, don't let her get away! That's one of the bitches that humiliated us at the bakery!"

In a sudden panic, Tomori tries to pull away from the man, but he tightens his grip on her arm, making her squeak and flinch.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, lady," He arches an eyebrow before looking sideways at his friend "Are you sure, man? I don't want to go beating women without reason..."

"Yeah, I'm fuckin' shure! We don't forget a face that easily!," Another of the man exclaims, and Tomori also recognizes him as one of the idiots making a ruckus in the bakery earlier. She feels her entire body freeze with sudden fear, her breathing becoming louder and raspier as she tries, almost in vain, to control her panic when she finds herself being trapped inside a circle formed by about ten young men, wearing school uniforms and carrying metal baseball bats. She tries to scream, asking for help from the people who were walking past them, but the Takeh guy immediately growls:

"Make any and we'll beat the hell outta right here! ‘You have a lot of nerve, sis. Walking alone through the streets and thinking you're so tough, even though you knew there were three guys out here, dying to repay your and your boss' kindness…”

"She probably thought we wouldn't have the guts to come  back for a rematch. Well, you're wrong, weren't ya?," Another young man, the third among those who were at the bakery, smiles mischievously "We not only came back, but also brought our entire crew. That's one of the girls we talked about, guys! She's cute, but also a raging bitch, hahaha.

"But she's short. She isn't the girl who busted your face up, is she, Takeh?," Another boy asks, to which Take shakes his head.

“No, she was the little smartass who teased me until I lost my cool. But look, she's shaking all over!," He lets out a mocking laugh "Not so tough now that your friend isn't here to protect you, huh."

The others laugh too, one of them tapping the baseball bat discreetly against the palm of his left hand. They spoke in a casual tone, trying not to attract the attention of other people on the street. They were probably planning to take her somewhere more deserted where even screaming for help wouldn't save her, she thinks, her heart feeling like it's about to climb up her throat and leap out of her mouth.

She felt like she was about to throw up. Something clogged her throat, icy sweat making her shirt stick to her back, her mind conjuring up the most horrible scenarios, the worst possibilities of what they could do to her if she didn't gather the strength to scream, free herself and run, do something...!

“Don't panic, Tomori, don't panic, think, think…!”

There was no running back to the bakery, they had her surrounded from behind and she would only manage to bump into a wall of human bodies bigger and bulkier than her own. But the street ahead was busy. If she managed to run and lose them in the crowd... but they would still be able to block her...

"Is this really necessary?," Katashi, the boy who was holding her, asks with a grimace "She's just a short chick who's no match for any of us. Seriously, I really don't want to beat up a girl..."

"You want me to let her get away with humiliating me, asshole?! No way, she will get what she deserves!"

"If that's the case, just humiliate her back," Katashi lets go of Tomori, as she stumbles forward, her legs weak with fear almost giving way under her weight "Make her kneel and lick your shoes, I don't know. An eye for an eye and so on..."

"Heh… that doesn't sound too bad, Takeh," Another of the boys smiles, as Take seems to consider the proposal.

"Hnnn… yeah, that could be it then," He approaches Tomori, looking down at her with an expression of contempt "Go on, cutie, kneel down to show penance. Put your forehead on the floor and then give my shoes a good wipe. Then I'll decide if that'll be enough for us to forgive you..."

They all laugh again. Full laughs that made her ears ring. Something in the pit of her stomach bubbler. A certainty that, added to the fear, made her mind strangely clear.

The smartest course of action was to accept humiliation. There was no room for pride when you were in such a risky situation. But something inside her told her it wouldn't be enough. The idiot wouldn't let her go even after she agreed to bow her head.

If she wanted to save herself, she would need to fight.

She swallows hard, moving her eyes to the floor and nodding, clutching her purse to her chest as she slowly begins to bend her knees. The boys laughed more while Take smiled satisfied.

"That's how I like it. But damn, seeing you kneeling like that in front of me is making me think of something else, heh-"

And he is interrupted when Tomori takes momentum with bent legs, hoisting herself forward and bumping into him violently, at the same time that she rotates her arm, her teeth clenched with the force she put into the movement, and hits his swollen eye with one end of her purse. Take lets out a painful yelp, staggering to the side and clutching his aching face, nearly knocking two startled friends over in the process. And Tomori wastes no time, taking advantage of the opening in the human wall and dashing through the crowd.

"Aaargh! You fucking bitch!," She hears him shout, furious "Don't just stand there, damn it! After her!"

She doesn't look back, doesn't slow her pace, even pushing stunned and angry people to the side while keeping her eyes wild on the path ahead.

She didn't feel tired, even with her chest burning. Her legs had never felt so energized, adrenaline drawing from them a strength she didn't even know they possessed, her survival instinct on the peak making her more focused than she'd ever been.

She wasn't going to stop running. No matter what’d happen, she wouldn't stop running.

* * *

"Yamashitakazuo, we're leaving," Ohma announces, with the four idiots behind him.

"Yes, guys, good night," Kazuo smiles, following them downstairs "Do you need anything before you go?"

"Nope. We're good, Kazzy," Rihito assures, smiling, as Okubo, Himuro, Kaneda and he go down the stairs, right behind Ohma, leaving the office on the second floor "We just wanted to know what were the plans for after that whole scheme involving  Koga’s rematch, but you already explained everything in detail."

"I should've been more involved, considering that I was part of that scheme…," Himuro comments, closing his eyes while lighting a cigarette. Kaneda just laughs.

"Well, we'll be now, won't we? Anyway, thanks for the coffee, Mr. Yamashita."

"Yeah, thanks! It was great, and we came back from the bakery with our stomachs full and everything," Rihito comments smiling, while Okubo, the last to go down the stairs, takes the phone out of his pocket when he feels it vibrate. He smiles a lot when he sees that Tomori has replied to his text, and immediately starts typing a reply, his ears barely registering the conversation that takes place ahead.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry for not showing up more often too..."

"Relax, Ohma, we know your reasons," the old man smiles, waving with his hand "Just stop by and sign your papers from time to time, it makes it easier instead of making this old man here go to Nara province, where you are living , hahaha."

"I intend to get out of there, sooner or later," Ohma says "It's about time."

“We honestly don't know how you manage to live among those demons...," Himuro comments, blowing smoke to the side, while Rihito frowns with a snort.

"Especially with that fucking psycho..."

"Come on, guys, they helped Ohma when no one else could," Kaneda tries to appease "Assassins or not, we still need to recognize that they can be helpful, honorable..."

"Yeah, but there's a price for that, right? Tokita here will even have to marry that crazy chick, the patriarch's grand-granddaughter..."

"I won't," Ohma says dryly, interrupting the others with a hard look "And if anyone insists on that, they'll have to fight me," he looks at the others and turns to walk again "It's about time I stopped depending on them, that's my way to give back… and I'm also going to see what to do with the house they gave me here in Tokyo."

"The good 'ol word-of-mouth rarely fails either. We can spread the word around. Right, guys?," Rihito looks at his friends. Himuro and Kaneda nod, but Okubo continued with his eyes glued to his phone, smiling dumbly. The three exchange exasperated glances before Rihito sneaks up on him, leans close and whispers in his ear, in a sly moan: 

"Don't forget the mosaics when sending the nudes, Mr. Okubooo..."

Okubo jumps in fright on the bottom step of the stairs, letting out an alarmed exclamation and quickly pulling away from Rihito while shivering, eliciting loud laughter from the other three idiots.

"Go moan like a slut in someone else's ear, you sicko!"

"Watch where you step, Okubo," Kazuo says, and then looks at the others "And are you seriously sending lewd photos to someone at this very moment? Shame on you..."

"Unless she wants to, whoever she is," Ohma completes.

"There are no fucking nudes! It's this idiot here who keeps projecting his perverted fantasies onto others!," Okubo blusters, red as a tomato, while glaring at Rihito, who was busy wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"My fantasies? Dude, you wouldn't know how to disguise your intentions even if we paid you to do it!"

"That's right. At least try to pretend you're listening to our plans on how to help the Seaweed Head, man," Himuro jokes, smirking.

"‘Wait- help? With what? Do you need help with something, man?," Okubo blinks as he turns to Ohma, and Rihito lets out a fart-like noise through his mouth while Kaneda shakes his head slowly.

"He wasn't even listening to the beginning of the conversation..."

"And he's not even exchanging nudes with her yet! Just imagine when it starts," Rihito laughs out loud "He'll be the first recorded patient in a vegetative state capable of walking and talking, a modern medical miracle, hahaha!

"I'll show you what a medical miracle is, asshole! Rihito, the first man in history to survive with his head up his ass," He tries to grab Rihito, who escapes his hands with a high-pitched laugh.

“Who are you talking about, anyway?," Kazuo asks as he closes his ofice for the day. Kaede had already gone home, so they were the only ones there.

"Apparently it's a girl," Ohma shrugs "As usual."

"And it is! You remember that we have been visiting the Heavy Bakery, right, Tokita?," Rihito asks while dodging the slap on the ear that Okubo tries to give him "Kazuo himself recommended the place to us. The food is delicious, by the way, as much as the owner-"

"For heaven's sake, Rihito, show some respect! Anyway, Okubo ended up getting closer to one of the employees there," Kaneda explains "One of the cooks, Uta Tomori. She gave him her number that day you appeared there and found us."

"She is apparently a die-hard fan of his. A guaranteed sustenance for the egghead's giant ego," Himuro nods solemnly "They've been exchanging texts and everything. Today was the third time we went back there, and two of those visits were just for him to have a chance to flirt with her."

"I'm gonna beat the everloving shit outta you guys, I swear...," Okubo growls, putting a hand on his red face, before clearing his throat in an attempt to calm down "But yeah, that's basically it. She is a cute, kind girl and a very devoted fan. I'm just giving back by being a helpful and sympathetic idol..."

"In hopes of eventually banging her."

"And what's wrong with that? She wants it too, dammit! I'm being very respectful about that, at least..."

"Oh yes, I know her. Short, wavy brown hair, big eyes, and it seems that she gets springs in her legs when she's happy. She's always jumping," Ohma nods "Kanami handed her a paper with the SJPW guys' autographs and she went screaming across the room as if she'd been stabbed… but in a happy way."

"Oh... really?," Okubo looks to the side, frowning a little – So… is she also a fan of Sekibayashi and the SJPW crew?"

"Well, it was to be expected, isn't it?' They’re famous pro-wrestlers and all," Kaneda comments, and Himuro nods, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Are you going to be jealous of even a fighter in his forties, Okubo? It's true that she seems to like older men, considering that she has a crush on you, but Sekibayashi must be more of a surrogate grandfather to her than your possible rival..."

"Fuck off, Himuro! Let’s change the subject, okay?," Okubo waves his hands, desperately wanting to stop being the focus of attention. Even Kazuo seemed half interested in his misadventures in pursuit of the indisputable affection of what must have been his only female fan in the entire district. He really didn't want to dwell on how he needed to share her admiration with who knows how many other martial artists. That would spoil the joy that her most recent text had brought him, and he didn't want that "Spit it out, what's this about Seaweed Head needing our help?"

"Ohma is thinking of giving up the house the Kure gave him," Kaneda explains "Since he's going to leave the village and their protection."

"It's not like that, I'm not thinking about giving it to anyone. The house was given to me, so I intend to give it back to the Ku– FUCK!!," Ohma jumps back when a figure almost bumps into him, making the others bump into his back with fright.

What happened next was a real domino effect in descending order: Okubo lost his balance with Ohma's bump and bumped into Rihito, who collided with Himuro's shoulder, who accidentally hit Kaneda's stomach with an arm, which finally hit the Kazuo's chest with his back. The result, of course, was that the three smallest of the group ended up on the ground, screaming and struggling with their legs up in the air, while the two largest had to hold Ohma.

"Fuckin' hell, Tokita!"

"Himuro, I can't breathe!"

"Me- Me too! You two are on top of me! I'm too old to be dogpiled like that!"

"Sorry, Mr. Yamashita!"

"Dude, are you crazy? What the fuck was that? This isn't a rock concert for you to be throwing yourself on top of others!," Lihito exclaims.

"It wasn't on purpose… Didn't you see the woman who ran past us? She seemed to be running away from something...," and immediately they see a bunch of teenagers also running in the same direction "There! See? I wasn’t making it up," Ohma points, indignant, in the direction they were running.

They all watch, half dumbfounded, as the group of boys in school uniforms run past them, yelling and brandishing baseball bats. Further on, they could see the woman who had almost run into Ohma, running wild, her hair and skirts whipping around.

"Get her!"

"Go faster, damn it, or we'll lose her!"

"Get back here, you fuckin' bitch!"

"Hey!," Kaneda exclaims, worried, while Himuro and he helped Kazuo to get up "Wait a minute, are they chasing that girl?"

"And with baseball bats, to top it off," Himuro frowns, biting his cigarette a little "Holy shit, did she steal something from them?"

Kazuo widens his eyes, alarmed "My god, but that reaction is unnecessary, even when dealing with a theft-"

"Miss Uta?!," Okubo suddenly exclaims, shocked, to which all the others startle and turn to him.

"What did you say, Okubo?"

"It's Miss Uta! She was wearing those clothes earlier today at the bakery!," He repeats, turning pale, his stomach plummeting as he sees the woman, who was running away quickly, look over her shoulder to make sure her pursuers are far away. It was her, without a doubt! But why the fuck...! He feels his body go cold in sudden fear "Shit!"

And then he dashes off after the group, not waiting for the others to react. Ohma looks at Okubo and then runs after him, also without hesitation. Soon everyone left in a stampede, and Kazuo stayed behind, not understanding anything.

"Hey, wait!," He blinks, following them more slowly. "I knew I saw that girl somewhere… oh, someone has to stop these idiots before they commit a massacre…"

Okubo hears the others following close behind, but he doesn't turn to look at them. His eyes were fixed on the group of angry teenagers chasing Tomori, brandishing those baseball bats as if they wanted to... anger rises in his chest like magma about to be spewed out of a volcano. Those cowardly pieces of shit, attacking a woman like that! If their parents didn't teach them to be respectful, their friends and he would teach them, and in the hardest way possible.

"Hey!," He shouts when he sees them turn into a street, a few good meters away from Kazuo's office "HEY! Holy crap...!"

"Isn't that a dead end over there? They'll corner her!," Rihito exclaims right behind him, to which Himuro snorts.

"In that case they're fucked! They won't be able to escape us either."

“One of those brats is kinda familiar,” Kaneda says, panting a little. Okubo was about to ask what he was talking about when the five of them heard, coming from the alley, a very distinct sound. Was that… shattering glass? And then a female voice, very familiar to him, shouts: 

"Step back! Don't come any closer!"

Okubo's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. Holy shit, had they managed to corner her?! He is the first to come to a stop at the entrance to the alley where the group had disappeared, his fists already raised in preparation for the blows he would deliver. But the scene before him brings him to a standstill, fury momentarily replaced by shock.

The boys had stopped running. They were staring at the brick wall that closed off the alley at the end, panting, baseball bats raised, but looking unsure whether or not to advance. And soon the reason became clear: Tomori had her back to the brick wall, teeth bared and brown eyes gleaming dangerously, holding tightly to the neck of a glass bottle that had been broken in half, the sharp shards of its remains pointed to the group menacingly.

"Step back! Now!," She yells, brandishing the bottle "Don't touch me!"

"Are you crazy, lady? You can rip someone's throat out with that thing," One of the boys comments while the others look at each other indecisively, nervous about the weapon their target has acquired. Another brat snorts.

"Are you sissies scared of a fuckin' bottle? We are ten and she is only one! She won't stand a chance with just glass shards..."

"You can stop right there, dammit!"

Okubo finally finds his voice again, his scream echoing through the alley, making both the kids and Tomori jump in fright. The brats turned, alarmed.

"Fuck, now someone's decided to go full white knight on us?!"

And Tomori's eyes widen, her jaw dropping, as she recognizes the huge figure figure approaching.

"Mr. Okubo?!"

And not only him, but four other men, all of them as imposing as the first, appear in the alley. The bald man was the tallest and broadest, but there was also a blond and a black wavy haired man, and two more behind him, a dark-skinned man with white hair and a young man with lank hair wearing a kimono. All of them looked at the scene.

"Hello," Ohma waves with one hand, looking the most relaxed of all of them "Do you need help there?"

Tomori gasps a little, taking a few steps back and leaning her back against the brick wall.

"You... but how... where...?"

"We'll explain later! Now be nice and just stay put, all right?,” Rihito cracks his knuckles, smiling devilishly, while Himuro throws his cigarette butt in a corner of the alley and Kaneda assumes a fighting stance "We don't want to end up hitting you by accident."

“Dammit… that's none of your fucking business! Get lost!," One of the kids screams, all ten turning to the newcomers, the baseball bats positioned for the attack. And Okubo feels a brief shock when he lands his eyes on the brat that screamed, more specifically on the swellings and abrasions that adorned his entire face.

"Wait a second! You're one of those idiots who made that ruckus at the bakery earlier today, aren't you?," He growls "Fuckin' hell, haven't you been beaten enough?!"

"Now I know why he looked so familiar," Kaneda comments, to which Himuro snorts.

"So you came after revenge, huh? And went right after the target that cannot fight back. Cowardly little shits..."

"Oohhh… so they started it?," Ohma raises an eyebrow "Now I understand…," He smiled, a bit malicious " So Kanami beat the crap ou of you, huh."

"And apparently they want more! They just don't know how to ask for it, the shy bastards...," Lihito laughs maliciously "Relax, we have a special delivery for you, courtesy of us, loyal customers from the bakery. It's called 'knuckle sandwich'!"

"Fuck you! We'll deal with you first then!", The kid with the swollen face screams, and soon, the whole group is advancing towards, baseball bats raised in the air. Tomori huddles closer against the brick wall, distressed, but unable to take her eyes off the scene.

…

It didn't even last a minute.

"Enough! Please stop!," The leader of the group screams, desperate, his face even more bloodied while Okubo holds him in an armbar "We surrender! You won!"

"That's not enough, damn it!," Okubo growls, grabbing the kid's right ear and pulling it hard, making him scream sharply "Apologize to Miss Uta right now, you little shit!"

"Uuugh..."

"Do you want another wedgie? 'Because that's what you'll get if you don't fuckin’ comply!"

"No! Sorry, sorry!," He was almost crying at that point "We won't do anything to you, miss, I swear! We won't go near that bakery ever again! Now stop beating us up, please...!"

“Yeah, that's more like it,” Okubo nods in satisfaction and lets go of the boy, who falls flat on his face with another squeal. He wasn't the only one. Most of the rowdy group was sprawled on the floor, half-conscious or curled up in a fetal position, moaning and whimpering. The few who put up the most resistance had been restricted by the quintet; Rihito even had two terrified kids under his arms, grinning from ear to ear.

"Holy shit, and I’ve been told that I don't have the capacity to educate brats! That, my guys, is what I call 'well intentioned bullying'! Take this as a lesson for your lives, boys, because there's always going to be a kid at the playground whose dick is bigger than yours!"

“That didn't give me any satisfaction. I really don't like beating kids up," Kaneda comments with a grimace while twisting the arm of one of the boys back, who whined like a puppy "Well, it was for a good cause, I suppose..."

"Yeah, both for Miss Uta and for these little shits here," Himuro grumbles, grabbing another whimpering kid by the hair while he was on his knees "Now they'll choose their next battles more carefully. Boy, who would have thought that I would be this good at disciplining cocky brats..."

"This has become an everyday occurrence for me," Ohma says, looking at the last two, hugging each other as they looked at him as if he were some kind of cosmic being "Every now and then I find someone like that to put in their place..."

"Boys, where are you-oh!," is the voice of old Kazuo, who had finally reached them "My God, what happened here?"

"Yamashitakazuo," Ohma nods, "Nothing, just the usual."

"Oh. Troublemakers," Kazuo sighs "I guess calling the police is the next thing to do, right?"

"Nope, these are minors, it's not even worth it," Ohma looks, hands in his pockets, as if he never took them out.

"Alright, to the hospital, it is," The old man pulls out his phone.

"And- And our mothers, please..."

"Don't give me that 'mother' shit! Grow a fucking pair!," Rihito growls, abruptly dropping the other two brats to the ground, while Himuro and Kaneda do the same "Start acting like men and stop terrorizing defenseless chicks!"

“You should be saying that to yourself, Rihito..."

"Fuck off, Kaneda!"

"Forget about the brats for a bit. The ‘defenseless chick’ right there is a more pressing concern now," Himuro points to the end of the alley, where Tomori was still paralyzed, breathing shakily, eyes wide. And the half-shattered bottle was still in her hand, poised as if about to be used as a weapon.

Okubo immediately turns to her, the anger fading from his features, his eyes wide with concern. She didn't look hurt, which was a relief. But she was very pale. And that tense, hostile pose...

"Miss Uta," He calls in a gentle tone, approaching slowly "Hey, are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

She doesn't answer right away, staring at him as if she didn't recognize him. The others behind watch them, confused.

“She's in shock,” Kaneda concludes, and Rihito and Himuro exchange worried looks.

“Shit, I don't know how to deal with people in shock… do we throw water in her face or something?"

"Hell, bro, I'm glad you didn't train as a paramedic at Teito University..."

"Hey," Ohma looks at her, getting closer "Where are Kanami, Koga and Ryuki? Why are you alone?"

She looks at him sideways, still not moving from the position she was in. Okubo, even more nervous, turns to Ohma.

“Dude, she just got through a hard time. Give her a break," He asks before getting closer to her, still cautiously, briefly wondering if he had to worry about being attacked with that bottle "Miss Uta? It's okay now. Those assholes won't pester you anymore. You're safe, okay? Now let go of that bottle, please...," He asks, slowly reaching with his hand "You could cut yourself on those shards..."

She looks from him to the bottle, looking kind of dumbfounded. And then her eyes clear, bulging a little. She straightens up with a gasp, dropping the bottle to the ground, and Okubo and Ohma have to step back as it shatters further, sending shards flying across the concrete.

"Aah! I- oh damn, I'm sorry!," She exclaims, her voice hoarse, before clearing her throat "I- I think I was kinda entranced by what I was seeing, I don’t know what came over me…," She claps her hands quickly on her skirts, flustered "And I think that's what they call the fight or flight response too..."

Okubo sighs in relief, relaxing a little. 

"Good… I'm sorry you had to watch that. I swear that we don't go looking for people to beat up in the street," He guarantees, a little embarrassed "That was an exceptional case."

“A necessity, considering the circumstances,” Kaneda adds, and Himuro nods.

"Yep. Good thing we were around taking care of some business..."

"So no need to thank us, it was a pleasure!," Lihito smiles smugly, pointing to his chest with his thumb "But if you still want to show gratitude, your friend's number is more than enough-"

"Shut up, Rihito! But yeah... sorry for the shit show," Okubo scratches the back of his head, looking to the side. Tomori blinks in astonishment. And then she bulges out her eyes, screaming:

"Shit show? That was one of the most awesome things I've ever seen in my life! A live group fight featuring professional fighters, one of them being the Ultimate Fight Heavyweight Champion himself!," She stares at him with twinkling eyes, now looking absolutely delighted "I'm the luckiest woman this side of Tokyo, Mr. Okubo!"

… Alright, they didn't know what kind of reaction they were expecting, but it definitely wasn't that one.

"Huh?," Okubo blinks, perplexed "‘Wait, that's- are you serious?"

"Of course I am! I watched a professional level match without having to pay for a ticket or a pay-per-view channel!," She clenches her fists close to her face, which was now flushed with excitement "Do you have any idea how many people would kill to be in my place? It's a privilege! I got to watch your jabs, your submission, your famous Okubo tackle, all from less than five meters away! And you!," She turns to the others, enchanted "You were amazing too! Himuro, is your style Jeet Kune Do? It was like watching Bruce Lee in 'Enter the Dragon'! And you, Kaneda! I had never seen the Kujin Style used without a weapon, it was awesome! And I don't know Ohma and Rihito's styles, but you guys were awesome too! I had never seen anyone redirect blows like that..."

Himuro and Kaneda just stare at her, just as perplexed as Okubo, while Rihito looks at Ohma, blinking in amazement.

"Holy shit, either the girl went insane after seeing that display of gratuitous violence or she always has been…"

"It's the second option," Ohma sighs "Aaand those are the springs, look," He points when he sees her practically jumping in place, as if she was under the influence of cocaine.

"Hey- Hey, hey, wait, Miss Uta, we- we thought you were in shock," Okubo gestures a little, accompanying her jumps with head movements "You were chased, cornered, threatened with baseball bats.. ."

"Please don't remind me of that!," She suddenly asks, stopping jumping "I'm still running high on adrenaline and I want to continue like this a little longer, because when the rush's over I'll probably fall to the ground and not be able to get up anymore!"

"Uuh… so you were scared?"

"Of course! I was terrified!," She guarantees "Who wouldn't be? I mean, besides you," She turns to the others. She fixes her eyes on the boys who were still whimpering on the floor, huddled close to each other. She seems to quiet down at the sight, the surge of excitement giving in, the smile fading from her face "They… they could have… if you hadn't shown up…"

"Ooh… I think the shock came with a delayed effect," Himuro comments as he watches her lean against the brick wall again, her legs weak, one hand on her chest. Okubo immediately supports her with a hand on her shoulder.

"There, there… I’m glad we were around… but trying to fight them wasn’t a good idea," He tells her, not managing to hide the distress in his voice "You know the protocols when it comes to robberies, right? Resisting them doesn’t help at all. They could have hurt you, or worse!"

"I know… but when you’re a woman, you- you also learn to operate on the other side of the coin," She nods, breathing slowly to calm down "Those who resist, put up a fight and don’t cooperate are a lot more work than it’s worth, so they are best left alone. I thought... no, actually I didn't," She admits, shaking her head and swallowing hard "It was really inconsequential, I know. I'm glad you were around to save me," She smiles at him tenderly "My Bodyguards."

And they all felt certain that Okubo would try no more to argue as he stared at her with wide, glittering eyes, as if she were too wonderful to be real.

“Damn, she is so cute!!!”

 "Well, Yamashitakazuo and I are going to take these kids to the hospital. You’ll go with Okubo, right?," Ohma says behind the fighter "He's the only one with a car…"

"Uh- oh yes!," He exclaims, widening his eyes, waking up from his reverie as he turned to look at them over his shoulder, barely disguising his excitement "That's right, I- I mean…," He puts a fist over his mouth, clearing his throat, before smiling at Tomori, puffing out his chest a little while saying, "If you consider us your bodyguards, then allow us to take you safely to home. I won't- I mean, we won't be able to be at peace if you go walking alone after all this."

"Oh... I- I was going to the pharmacy to do some shopping and then catch the train, but I'd have to go back to the bakery to do that...," She thinks for a moment, and Okubo sees with some satisfaction that the possibility of being in a car with him seemed too tempting for her to pass up; she was even biting her bottom lip a little "So... no problem? I don't want to take you out of your way..."

"No problem at all! The cavalry is at your disposal. Right, guys?," He turns to his friends. Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda exchange quick glances, communicating without the need for words. They stare at Okubo, who was practically begging with huge, pleading eyes, before Rihito shrugs and says: 

“The cavalry will have to squeeze their asses in the backseat to make room in the carriage, but what's one more chivalrous sacrifice, am I right?"

“You're talking like giving her a ride would be too inconvenient for us, Lihito,” Himuro rolls his eyes a little, and Kaneda nods.

"That's right. It wouldn't cost us anything, especially considering what happened. It's even better that way, because then we'll have peace of mind knowing you arrived safely, miss."

"Haha, I'll be too, to be honest... thank you so much," She bows to them, her hair falling a bit down the sides of her face, so she didn't see when Okubo cast an irritated look at the other three, who were shaking their heads in clear disapproval.

Fucking hell... they tried to create an opportunity for him that only a freaking idiot would pass up. And he did, which said a lot about his mental acuity, he supposed. But he didn't think this was a good time to be alone with Tomori. Not after what she'd been through. He didn't want to give the impression that he was cornering her. And it's with that thought that another more worrisome possibility pops into his head, making him turn to her quickly.

"I- I'll stop by the pharmacy so you can pick up what you need, but… you don't mind being in a car full of men, do you? I promise I won't let those idiots try anything funny! And you can write down my license plate number and send it to someone if you like!," He adds, agitated, to which she laughs a little, blushing slightly.

"Hahaha, I- I appreciate it. After what you've done for me, it's hard not to give you my full thrust, but I need to prioritize my safety. You understand, right?," She smiles sheepishly when they immediately nod "All right, I… I'll accept the ride. Thank you so much, Mr. Okubo, everyone. And Ohma...," She looks back to Ohma "Sorry for not answering you earlier. Kanny, Koga and Ryuki stayed at the bakery to help with cleaning, and they intended to leave straight to the gym. And speaking of them...," She now speaks lower, sounding worried "Can you not tell Kanny what happened here? She would be worried, paranoid, and that would interfere with her day-to-day activities..."

"Hnmm…," Ohma seems to think for a bit, crossing his arms as he stares at her "Alright. But if it happens again, she'll have to know," he uncrosses his arms and looks at the kids still cowering in fear "Let's go."

And he helps line up the miscreants, facing all ten of them "And you... are you going to mess with us again, you brats?"

"No! We won't, I swear!," One of the boys screeches, eyes filled with tears, while the others nod vehemently "We won't even go near the corner of the bakery! S-Sorry, miss," He turns to Tomori, trembling "We're not going to do anything with you anymore! Just don't throw those monsters at us again, please!"

Rihito laughs out loud, while Himuro rolls his eyes again and Kaneda comments, looking satisfied:

 "Am I considered a monster too? My, I'm flattered, haha."

Tomori doesn't respond, though. She looks away, hugging herself and shuddering. Okubo extends a hand in an automatic gesture, but quickly catches himself. He'd wanted to comfort her, but after that scary experience, she probably wouldn't want to be touched anytime soon. She now looked so different from the woman he'd seen minutes ago, with a wild look in her eyes as she threatened to shatter the faces of a battalion of men bigger than her with glass shards... that stirred up his protective side.

"She has nothing to say to you. Piss off already!," He grunts at the kids, who shrink back, almost running in a single line and bumping into each other. He then turns to Tomori "Ready to go? You must be tired..."

"Yeah… to say the least," She manages a weak smile "Thanks again. I promise I'll help pay for gas..."

"No need to. These three will already be contributing, anyway."

"You mean she has privileges we don't? Holy shit, being a woman must be a peach..."

"Don't be rude, Rihito. It's common courtesy."

"A courtesy that would cost nothing to pay with a phone number..."

"Forget about it for five minutes, you nutcase! Anyway, good night for you, Tokita, Mr. Yamashita," Okubo nods, and the others follow suit, waving their hands, before walking away, Tomori being held securely between them in a sort of protective semicircle. Ohma and Kazuo watch them walk away, until the sound of approaching sirens catches their attention.

"And your ride arrived," Ohma says while turning to the kids, a serious look on his face "My employer is a nice person who wants to leave you in good standing with us, so be thankful for that."

"Eh?," Kazuo blinks "Oh, it's nothing, honestly," he smiles friendly "After all, you're tyoung kids with a future ahead of you. We're not going to ruin this because of a mistake, are we?"

The boys goggle at him, jaws dropping. Was that skinny little old man the boss of all those muscle-bound monsters? Holy shit, if he alone was capable of commanding that much respect...

"Let's just do what he says, Takeh," Katashi whispers in his friend's ear, shuddering again. "That old geezer must be one hell of a Yakuza if he's in charge of this gang. If we piss him off, losing a finger each will be the least of our worries."

Take nod before answering, with a nervous smile, "Of- Of course! We- We'll turn a new leaf, sir, I swear!"

"Alright, good luck to you," Ohma nods, satisfied. And the ambulances arrive.

* * *

When the SUV was parked in front of an absolutely ordinary middle-class residence on an ordinary street in an ordinary residential neighborhood, Okubo felt pretty stupid for expecting anything else. A house that would be a monument to everything its owner idolized, perhaps? Statues honoring fighters she admired, posters adorning the facade, maybe bushes artfully pruned to represent Sekibayashi's head or his... 

Holy shit, he better take those ridiculous mental images to his grave. He tries to smile at Tomori, sitting next to him in the passenger seat, in an attempt to hide it.

"Alright, ma'am, we arrived at our destination," He announces, opening the driver's side door, getting out of the car, turning around and going to open the passenger door for her, trying to ignore how Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda looked at him with mockery in the backseat "The Okubo Cavalry appreciates your preference. Please try to leave five stars and a good review on the app."

Tomori laughs as she unbuckles her seat belt and climbs out of the car. She looked a lot calmer now, and he liked to think that meant that her traumatic experience hadn't caused her to develop fear and distrust of men in general, especially them.

"I will, you deserve it. A very pleasant company and a very interesting music selection. I had never heard of this band before... what's the name again?"

"Maximum the Dogegencho!," It is Rihito who answers, smiling excitedly. "They only released one album, but still managed to record two or three hits that reached the top of the charts four years ago. The lead guitarist is the most talented by far."

"Eh, he has some quick fingers, but he's too out of tune when it comes to sustaining a semitone," Himuro comments casually, to which Rihito glares at him with a frown. Kaneda chuckles, turning to Tomori next.

Thanks for the company too, Miss Uta, and for ignoring Okubo's protests and helping with the gas money. We spent more at the bakery than we expected, but we don’t regret it."

She laughs again "Kanny would say it was money well spent, and so would I. Anyway, thanks for the ride! Come back to the bakery when you can, I promise I'll thank you for what you did today in the best way."

Himuro and Kaneda immediately cover Rihito's mouth, already anticipating the kind of thanks he would suggest she give. They smile and nod at her.

"We will be there on Wednesday. Goodnight, Miss Uta."

"Goodnight!"

"Hey, Okubo, are you just gonna stand there like a stuffed gorilla? Accompany her to the door," Himuro says suddenly, leaning forward a little to stick his head out the window. Okubo starts a little, and he's not the only one; Tomori blushes slightly, playing with the strap of the purse on her shoulder.

"N-No need to, the door is right there-"

“Yes, he needs to, it's pure politeness and chivalry,” Kaneda says, and Rihito nods vehemently.

"Yeah, captain, don't you want your five stars on the app? You need to earn them, man!"

"I- Seriously, there's no need..." Tomori hurries to say, still embarrassed, but shuts up when Okubo turns to her, a hand on the back of his neck. He also looked embarrassed, but his expression was of someone who was just waiting for her permission to enthusiastically accept.

"Uuh... I have to show that my service is the best to guarantee customer loyalty, right? Haha..."

Tomori blushes again, but if her delighted expression meant anything, it was for reasons other than embarrassment. She smiles, biting her lower lip a little before nodding slowly. Okubo then follows her towards the gate, not without casting a glance over his shoulder. There were three hands giving him a thumbs up, sticking out of the windows. Fuckin' bastards…

The walk to the front door of the house is shorter than he would have liked. But the light from a lamp shines on them as they step onto the porch (motion sensor? How timely), illuminating her flushed, smiling face, and he decides it was well worth it.

"Thanks again, Mr. Okubo. I really don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't been close by..."

"Try not to think about it," He suggests, smiling as gently as he could "You're fine and that's all that matters, right? For you and for us. I was going to feel pretty bummed out if something happened to such a nice girl who makes the best cookies I've ever had, anyway..."

She laughs, shaking her head "I don't know whether to be extremely happy or extremely offended that my cookies are considered a valid reason for me to win such an elaborate escort, hahaha!"

"It's because they always have something good to go with 'em, hehehe."

"Me, isn't it?," She arches an eyebrow, and laughs again when Okubo has a brief coughing fit, looking away, his face turning red under the light from the porch lamp. Damn, neither she nor anyone else would let him forget that faux pas, would they?

"I-I was going to say 'your company' specifically, but- but of course, you alone are someone worth fighting for."

... Damn, he didn't mean to sound so intense and sappy, like he was confessing to her or something! Why did he always let his tongue walk two steps ahead of his head when he was with her? Was it because his experience with the opposite sex was meager, to say the least? Or was it her specifically who had this power to leave him bewildered and with the eloquence of a stutterer? He didn't know and he was, in addition to being too mortified, too worried that his friends in the car had overheard him to think about it.

She stares at him with wide, shining eyes. She discreetly wets her lips and bites them, making them fuller and pinker, and he had to fight the urge to cup her face in his hands and reach down to kiss her. She then manages to say, her voice coming out hoarse, even breathless: 

"No... Don't talk like that, or I won't be able to let you leave, hahaha! I- I already knew about your ability to make an impact with words, but hearing it in person is something else. Don't make me want to listen even more at this hour of the night, it's kind of mean..."

"I’ll be less mean then," Okubo says immediately, without thinking, the astonishment and elation with her words making him grab the opportunity tooth and nail "Let’s schedule a day for you to be able to listen to my rambling without having to worry about the time or the place, how about that?"

She blinks in astonishment, going a little speechless for a few moments.

“You… are you asking me out on a date? That's it?

"... Yeah. Yeah, that's it," He nods after a second of hesitation, his heart racing, something jumping and fluttering inside his stomach "If you want to, I mean. You don't have to feel obligated to because of what happened today," He hastens to add "And I swear I'm not taking advantage of the situation either. I... I've been wanting to do this for a while, actually. Invite you to go somewhere more relaxed, reserved, just the two of us. So... what do you say?," He tries to smile, hopeful, the anxiety almost eating him inside.

Tomori's face lit up so much it was as if she had swallowed the porch lamp. She clasps her hands to her chest, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, looking like she was almost dancing with happiness for a second. Damn, how could she be so adorable?!

"Yes! I'd love to, it's going to be so much fun! How about this Saturday, around seven in the evening?," She suggests, and Okubo almost drops his cap as he nods enthusiastically.

"Sounds perfect! You can choose the place, then we can settle everything."

"Okay! Ooh, I can't even believe it...!"

"Yeah, me neither..."

They smile at each other, her face flushed with happiness, and Okubo wonders for a second if this was a good time to go for a kiss. Just a quick peck, a gesture to seal a deal, a promise...

"Well… yeah, I- I better get going then…," She says suddenly, twirling a lock of her hair around the index finger of her right hand "I now have to look for a nice place, besides having to make dinner... can- can we talk more about that via text?"

"Sure!," He nods, trying not to get upset at the missed opportunity. No problem, he'd have several more on Saturday, and he sure as hell wouldn't be wasting these "I'll text you as soon as I've got rid of the freeloaders on my backseat.

"We heard that, Chrome Dome Head!"

"Shut up or I'll tie you to the car hood like a dead deer!," He growls at Rihito over his shoulder, his smile still in place, since he managed to get a laugh out of Tomori "So… see you on Saturday?"

“Absolutely.” She nods, unlocking the front door. She enters, still peeking through the gap, smiling with a shyness that only makes her more beautiful in his eyes "Goodnight, Mr. Okubo. I can't wait 'til Saturday."

“Me neither, Miss Uta. Good night,” He removes his cap in a chivalrous gesture, and she laughs again. He walks away towards the gate, without turning around, walking backwards as he watches her slowly close the door. She, too, seemed to have a hard time taking her eyes off his, still smiling and waving at him, until the door finally clicked shut. He leaves through the gate, closing it (it was also automatic, how convenient), facing the front windows. He sees the lights turning on inside, and it doesn't take long before the curtains on the right window are drawn aside and Tomori's face appears peering through the glass. She waves to him again, and he waves back.

It was the second stupidest, sappiest and funniest thing Rihito, Himuro, and Kaneda had ever seen him do. The 'I-Want-You-As-A-Company' faux pas still held the lead.

Lihito comments, smirking, "I guess, considering everything, we can't be pissed that Egghead missed the chance to make out with her today, right?"

"For God's sake, Rihito, she went through a traumatic experience," Kaneda says disapprovingly. "I would be outraged if Okubo took advantage of her fragility like that."

"But I also wouldn't be surprised if it actually turned her on," Himuro comments "You saw how she reacted after we took care of those brats earlier. She seems kinda nuts..."

"Kinda? She's completely nuts! Comparing Himuro to Bruce Lee was the last fucking straw," Lihito laughs again, and Kaneda smirks.

"Yeah. She’s nuts... but in a kinda cute way.

"Yeah, fair enough," Rihito concedes, nodding "One way or another, all that craziness is Egghead's problem now. A cute, hot as hell problem. Lucky motherfucker..."

"Shush, he will hear you!," Kaneda puts an index finger in front of his lips. Okubo opens the driver's side door not even five seconds later, sitting up with a sigh, eyes closed and a goofy grin plastered on his face. But he doesn't give any of them a chance to say anything, commanding: 

"Play Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who gets to sit in the front 'cause I'm nobody's chauffeur."

"Dibs, dibs!," Rihito opens the door and gets out of the back seat immediately, sitting next to Okubo and putting his seat belt on "I want to have the privilege of sitting next to my dear mate knowing that he's about to pop his cherry!"

"Fuck off! Did you hear everything then?"

"There was no way, you and that muscle-eater seemed to want to announce to the whole fuckin' world that you scheduled a horizontal tango for Saturday, hahaha!"

"Don't talk about her like that, you asshole... but seriously, do you think I'm going too fast?," Okubo asks, a little fearful, looking at Kaneda specifically. He smiles and shakes his head.

“No, you followed protocol perfectly. You were respectful, kind, and you waited patiently. Now you can go right ahead, just as I said," He makes a V for Victory with the fingers of his right hand "Just don't rush things too much during the date, enjoy every second and make sure she enjoys it too."

"That's right. The more you please her on Saturday, the more she'll want an encore later," Himuro guarantees "This can even turn into a friendship with benefits, why not?"

“Hey, hold on. The girl might end up getting the wrong idea, and then it'll be Okubo's turn to worry about having a stalker," Lihito warns, to which Okubo shakes his head.

“But I wouldn't mind that, man, honestly. Having a nice and pretty girl as a friend to call when I'm in the mood... boy, now I know how you feel, Himuro," He opens a stupid smile "Having a guarantee like that for times of need is the best thing!"

"It sure as hell is!," Himuro raises a thumb, to which Kaneda twists his mouth a little.

"I just hope you don't forget everything I said and starts seeing her as just a guarantee..."

"I won't, Kaneda! I... fuck, I like her. I couldn't help it with how cute she is," He turns the key in the ignition, and the car comes to life with a soft roar of the engine "I'm in too deep in this to see her any other way..."

"Yeah, pal, but it won't stop there," Rihito slaps him excitedly on the shoulder. "You're going to sink much, much deeper. Tell me, guys, how deep will our friend here go?

"Keep it down, Rihito, we're still close to her house-"

"Balls deep!"

"I'm going to throw you out of the car, dude, I'm not even joking!"

The car pulls away down the street, its passengers laughing and celebrating the resounding success of the driver, who could only wish, with a mixture of excitement and apprehension, that Saturday would come soon. And that absolutely nothing went wrong until then.

NEXT CHAPTER

[northwest-cryptid]

To all my fellow Americans who live in a dystopian hellscape. I urge you genuinely to understand that we live in the “cyberpunk future” already but we’re either too unaware of how, or too scared to go out there and actually be punks. 

When I say “genuinely understand” I literally mean you should look into your rights, understand what power you hold and where your legal limits are, understand what legal limits you can push without serious consequence, and which you can do without hurting others.

For example: Shoplifting is something I see a lot of tumblr blogs preach as being good and moral and harmless uwu but in reality, if you shoplift from small businesses, even chains; it hurts their lowest ladder employees. I watched as our upper management cut hours for our associates thanks to theft, at one point one of my employees was working literally 4 hours a week trying to support his family. We were a novelty store, there was nothing we sold that someone needed in order to survive. Our CEO never felt the impact of that theft, I as a manager; never felt the impact of that theft. When I made a fuss over it and actively stepped up to stop theft I was asked by a fellow manager why I cared so much since it ultimately doesn’t hurt me. I really had to sit a grown ass adult down and explain that I watched the company cut employee pay from 10 an hour (which is bullshit as it is) down to barely above 7 an hour, and then cut hours from 12 a week (which again isn’t even part time) down to 4, and how that negatively effects our employees abilities to live a basic comfortable life. 

You want to know how I prevented shoplifters? I caught them, and proceeded to educate them. I explained to them who they were hurting, and even offered to buy whatever it was they were trying to steal for them. I would then explain that if you’re going to shoplift you need to educate yourself on where you can safely shoplift without hurting the employees. I got to know several shoplifters who would regularly stop in and ensure me “don’t worry I’m not here to steal, I don’t steal from you guys anymore but I am fine if you still wanna keep an eye on me.” 

I don’t wanna take up all the space on your dash because I understand many of us come to social media like this to escape stress and go laugh at silly memes and the like, so if you’re at all interested in this topic and understanding the rights you have as an employee the button is right there.

As far as employees go, when it comes to just about 90% of retail staff, your employer needs you more than you need them but they really push for you to forget that. I wasn’t previously aware of this, but as little as 2 employees qualify as a legal walkout. That means if you and one other associate decide you’re not being treated fairly, paid properly, or are just being taken advantage of, you can participate in a legal walkout which is protected under law and counts as protest. However understanding your legal working rights is super important because if you don’t your employer can hold that lack of knowledge over you and use it against you. I once had a manager get furious with me because I pulled up the actual legal law for my state to explain “actually according to this government website of laws I am legally allowed a break given my working hours, so yes I will be taking a lunch or you will be facing legal action.” 

Punks in media are so often displayed opposing the power with guns and violence, but in reality we live in a time of facial recognition we can fight with funny anti-computer makeup, and the authority isn’t necessarily a cop but rather an employer or landlord holding our right to a comfortable life over us and assuming we will be a slave, I don’t need a gun when I am armed with my knowledge of the law and the bravery to outright declare that I will take legal action against my employer if they you know, break the law. There is a genuine power to being able to say “actually I am not the one breaking the US legal law here, you are. Unless you want me to take action on that, I recommend you allow me my rights.” 

We so often talk about being punk and fighting against the oppressive power, but in reality every time I hear someone say that to me they really me “we” as in “someone else” and let me tell you right now, in a room of people who are all waiting for “someone else” to fight their battle for them, no one is going to get what they’re waiting for. I understand it feels tiresome and pointless, I understand it can be hard, those who stand against you have made it that way on purpose, because they’re relying on you being too tired and too worn down to ever properly arm yourself. Stop waiting for some punk knight in hot topic clothes to fight your battle for you, get out there and be punk, arm yourself with knowledge of the law, use their own power against them. I say this as a manager who has been empowering my employees for years now. I have genuinely fought for and achieved higher wages and better working conditions at places who have since banned me from working there because I was the one who martyred for the cause and they never thought someone would dare do such a thing or have the power and understanding to do it. 

I want to really quickly remind you, or inform you that simply put; someone who is calm and collected will not threaten you. People only make threats when they’re scared, when they’re upset that they’ve been backed into a corner where they can’t actually post an argument against you. This is why my managers attack me as a person rather than my arguments and claims, this is why my managers have threatened my job while knowing full well they can’t actually fire me legally. Because they never thought someone would come along who demanded to be treated like a human and was willing to back up those demands with actual solid understanding of their rights and laws. 

If you’re curious how you can go about learning this stuff, there’s a few ways. One of those ways is genuinely to talk to people like myself about it. I’m a manager, I’m privy to fun little training videos all about unions and how “scary” they are and as such I’m taught specifically what my employees are legally allowed to do. It’s funny because they tell me these things as if I should be scared and keep this information from my employees lest they try to use it. Meanwhile I go out on the floor and go “HEY GUYS DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN JUST WALK OUT AND WE CAN’T DO SHIT ABOUT IT?!”

Okay that’s great and all but I don’t live in your state, and I don’t work at your company so your laws might be very different from mine; right? Well yea that’s very true so then how would you learn about your specific rights and laws to empower yourself to protect yourself from corporate bullshit? Well honestly, I know it sucks to say this but; the internet is your greatest asset here. Whether that’s reaching out to unions for your line of work, looking up your state’s labor laws and reading through what applies to your situation (literally use the search function to go straight to the relevant information), or even finding forums and online communities for people in your job/field. There are people out there fighting the good fight and they are more than happy to help arm you properly. 

I can only help so much, if you actually want to be prepared you need to take those extra steps, you need to actually go out and learn for yourself and understand your rights.

When it doesn’t come to work laws, things like piracy and the lot work very similarly. Talk to experienced pirates (yar har my friends I can help) and learn how communities operate. Learn about how IFC chips function and how to protect yourself from them, or how to best use technology. Investigate how to actually take back your privacy and use technology to foil those who wish to monitor you. 

In the end, I need you to understand that you have power, you’re not some weak defenseless victim; you’re simply told that you are by the people who are scared that you might wake up and realize you’ve had a gun in your pocket this whole time.

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝐷𝑖𝑙𝑓!𝐴𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑧: 𝑆𝑒𝑥 𝑇𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝐺𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑑 (𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑)

Warnings: NSFW content. Aged up/Older Ateez but age differences are still within legal boundaries. Allusions to infidelity. Also contains major spoiler for the dilf!Yeosang fic.

❥𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰

"Hongjoong? Hongjoong baby?"

You lightly tapped his cheek in an effort to wake him up from his nap on the couch. Fluttering his eyes open, he yawned softly, almost an exact replica of how your son often would.

"What? Is it dinnertime already?" He asked while sitting up.

"Almost, but I noticed your phone was going crazy with notifications so I thought it must be something important."

Kissing his sleepy face, you chuckled and returned to the kitchen before anything accidentally burned. Fixing his hair, Hongjoong picked up his phone to see about 10 missed calls, 20 unread messages and a dozen emails all from different people, most of them from his fellow teachers at the university. Scanning through the first few, Hongjoong became wide awake and immediately began looking back to see the email he had sent right before going to sleep.

"Ok food is- what's going on?" You noticed how agitated he looked.

"Um...well.... funny story. You know how I was supposed to send in my report to the administration? I might have accidentally attached the wrong file on there.." He sheepishly admitted to you.

By his tone, you knew it was probably something serious.

"Ok and what was the file?"

Hongjoong grabbed your arm and placed you next to him.

"You're gonna want to be seated for this."

Hongjoong opened the file and held the phone out for you to see. You widened your eyes as you saw it was the old video he had taken of you sucking him off for the first time when you were at the university. You couldn't help the tiny grin tugging your lips as your loud slurping sounds blasted through the speakers.

"Fuck! Miss Y/N, do you really enjoy sucking cock so much?" Hongjoong's raspy voice was heard on the background, one of his hands holding the back of your head to plunge your mouth further down onto his length. You were seen moaning dramatically as you pulled away slightly, drool falling down your chin.

"I used to, but now I think I'll only love sucking cocks that are as big as yours." You winked as your hand pumped along his shaft, your tongue coming out to swirl around his head.

"Still think a pretty young thing like me can't take a cock like yours Mr. Kim?"

Getting so flustered, Hongjoong stopped the video and ran a hand through his hair as he waited for your outburst. When you were silent for a while, he looked over and was confused to see you smiling.

"I can't believe you kept that after all this time." You giggled as your hands cupped his cheeks.

"Well I.... I just like reminiscing about the old times when you used to give me the best suck of my life."

You raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean used to Kim Hongjoong?"

Hongjoong flushed even more when you came down and sat in front of him as you began pulling his pants down.

"I can still give a blowjob that'll leave you breathless."

❥𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪

"Well it seems your wife and her lawyer have decided to stoop low in methods to stop the divorce from happening."

Seonghwa's lawyer seemed uneasy about telling you guys about it.

"What did that witch do now?" Seonghwa could already feel a headache coming.

"She submitted a video for the judge and other attorneys to view and hopefully use against you.. but the nature of it...... well it's not exactly something we can show in the courtroom but most of us lawyers have unfortunately seen it."

Leaving the laptop open and sliding it forward to you both, the lawyer stood up and cleared his throat.

"I thought perhaps you two would want to take a look and decide what you'll want to do after this." The poor man left the room, feeling embarrased for you.

You were the one who leaned forward to press play. Seonghwa and you stiffened in your seats when you saw it was an old video you had taken during one of the nights he often went over to your place after one of the many fights he'd have with his wife.

"How did she even get a hold of this?" You asked but you weren't really paying attention to your question and neither was Seonghwa, both of you just watched the screen in front of you, seeing the erotic action unfold.

"Shit! Look at you, all stuffed to the brim with my cum, it's leaking out of you."

Your body jolted underneath Seonghwa as his hips once again slammed into yours, your body aching from the overstimulation he had already been giving you for the past hour but you didn't want him to stop, even after he had cum inside you three times already.

"Keep my cum inside your body my little slut. Don't drop any of it out." His voice was raspy and hoarse as he continued his merciless pounding into you.

You looked like a mess by then, your face was buried on the pillow, nails nearly tearing the sides of it and even though it was muffled, your screams of pleasure could still be distinguished through it.

"I'm gonna breed you my little bunny. Stuff your little hole until you're carrying my babies."

Yanking your hair, Seonghwa pulled you so your back was pressed against his chest.

"Cause that's what you promised me right? You promised you'd let fuck my babies in you right?" He cooed as he nipped at your neck.

You whimpered loudly and nodded at him, tears falling out of your eyes.

"Yes! Please! Breed me Mr. Park. I wanna get fucked with your babies." You begged him, your face scrunching up as another orgasm was being pulled out of you.

Seonghwa and you sat there silently after watching all that, taking it all in. It was him who broke the ice by spinning his chair to you and looking all too smug.

"Well I did knock you up didn't I?"

❥𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

Yunho calmly scrolled over the messages in the group chat he had with his friends, all of them bragging or retelling about what they had done over the course of their vacation.

"What'd you do Yunho?" "Something boring probably."

He rolled his eyes at Jongho's sense of humor.

"I actually had a lot of fun at the waterpark with Y/N and my son. I even have a cute video of it."

Scrolling through his gallery, he didn't realize he accidentally clicked on the wrong video thinking it was the one you took as your son was learning to swim. Confidently pressing send, Yunho waited for them to coo over his boy as they always did when anyone shared pictures of their kids.

"Um.... Yunho? What exactly am I watching?" Seonghwa asked while Hongjoong just replied with a shocked faced emoji.

"Damn, did you have fun turning that bed of yours into a waterpark?" Wooyoung added with a winky face emoji.

Wondering what the hell they were talking about, Yunho opened the video he sent and his face fell when he realized what it actually was that he had sent.

"Yu-Yunho.... too big. I can't." You whimpered pathetically on his screen, your hands rubbing along where his bulge poked out on your abdomen.

"Yes you can baby, you've taken all of me before." He reminded you as he slowly stuffed more of his cock inside you until he bottomed out and his cock was enveloped in your walls.

"There? You see. Your tight pussy can fit me just fine."

Feeling so full yet not having him move inside you, you began whining and clenched around him.

"Yunho, please fuck my tight pussy. I wanna get destroyed by your cock. Please." You begged him.

"Awww do you want me to fuck you dumb with my huge cock? Is that what you want?" His mocking tone was unmistakable even if his face wasn't shown.

"I'm gonna fuck you til you're crying baby, don't say you didn't ask for this."

The rest of the video transpired with his grunts and your whimpering. Yunho's cock disappeared in and out of you at a brutal pace, one of his large hands holding you down so you couldn't move away from him. He ripped orgasm after orgasm out of you until your eyes rolled to the back of your head and you began squirting all over the sheets.

"Fuckfuckfuck! Yunho!" You cried out, unable to stop shaking as he just continued his pace and made you squirt all over again.

"That's it. Be a good girl and squirt more for me. By the time I'm done, all you're gonna remember is this feeling of me breaking you."

Yunho was giggling out of embarrassment now that he knew what his friends saw.

"All of you delete this right now and pretend it never happened."

❥𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰

Yeosang looked down beyond the railing on top of the staircase. Although he should have been horrified, disgusted or the slightest bit sad, his face showed absolutely no emotion whatsoever. He just looked at the scene with no remorse, no emotion and nothing at all.

"Sir?" His trusted butler immediately came up, hands behind his back as he awaited for any instructions

"Take care of this Damian. And make sure no one knows about this. If anyone else knows.... take care of them too." He ordered.

The proper English butler let out a chilling smile as he adjusted his cuff links, happy to be able to put his hidden talents to use.

"Rest assured Sir, no one will suspect a thing." He walked away with chest up and shoulders back.

Meanwhile Yeosang turned his attention back to you, who was sitting with back pressed against the wall, eyes shot wide open as your body couldn't stop trembling and shaking from what had just happened. Kneeling in front of you, Yeosang cupped your face, trying to get you to calm down he began hushing you close to your ear.

"It's ok baby. You're ok, you're going to be ok. And our baby is ok." He cooed at you as he stroked your hair.

"She's..she's..." You couldn't form a proper sentence as your mind replayed everything what just happened.

You had just returned from a small trip to the store and went to your room, only to find Mrs. Kang in there, back turned to you.

"Madame? Is there something I can help you with?" You offered.

When the lady turned to look at you, her face was tear strung and red from all the crying she had done, not from heartbreak, but from rage. In her hand, she had your phone and your heart dropped as you heard what it was that she had been looking at.

"I knew you were probably nothing more than a low, poor common whore, but to actually know you slept with my husband!"

You gasped when she came up and slapped you harshly across the face before yanking your hair and throwing you on the ground. Your hands immediately clasped around your belly protectively and the lady's face fell in shock.

"Don't tell me that the bastard you're carrying is actually..." She clasped a hand over her mouth as it all made sense to her now.

You couldn't help the tears that sprung out from your eyes. This was not what you wanted to happen

"I'm sorry, I-"

You began screaming when she suddenly pulled you up and began dragging you out of the room and into the hallway. When she pressed you up against the railing, you began to fearfully fight back for your and your baby's life, desperately trying to get out of the mad woman's grip.

"I'm going to fucking kill you! You and your child! How dare you do this to me?!"

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷

"How was I supposed to know there would be a camera right in the middle of the beach placed on a totally secluded place? I mean come on! Hardly anyone ever goes to that spot, why install security cameras on a place hardly anyone goes to?!" San tried to justify himself as you both looked at the computer screen in front of you.

"Maybe precisely because people prefer going to secluded places to do illegal activities?" You glared at him.

"In my defense, it's not like we were hiding a dead body." San wanted to lighten up the mood.

You groaned as you covered your face.

"Why did I even agree to letting you fuck me in public at a beach?"

San rolled his eyes at you.

"Oh stop. You could have said no many times but instead you actually begged me to go harder on you. Don't believe me? I got evidence to back me up."

Pressing play once again, San nudged you so you could look at the video playing again. The good thing about it was that it happened during the night so your faces weren't that visible. But it was clear enough for anyone to see what was going on.

It happened during the vacation you two took to the beach. While talking a midnight stroll through a lonely part of the beach, San had gotten a little too wild and began groping you.

"San! Right now?" You squeaked when he cupped your breasts from behind, pulling your biking top to the side so he could squeeze them better.

"I'm feeling a little romantic babygirl. Wanna have my way with you right here." He whispered in your ear as a hand dipped inside your bikini bottoms, rubbing along your clit.

Your legs were turning to jelly the more you felt his caresses and the steamy kisses he pressed along your shoulder blades.

"If you'd rather go back to the hotel room, I'll carry you there right now." He offered as he began his pull his hands away.

"No! Fuck me right here." You told him.

"I knew you'd open up to the idea." He chuckled as he layed down on the sand, pulling you on top of him.

Both of your swimwear was soon discarded and you were bouncing on top of your husband's cock as the moonlight illuminated your sweaty and dewy bodies. Even after you had both came, you were begging San to keep going, which prompted him to grip your hips and start ramming up into you as he sputtered out words about making another baby with you.

Your lips were still pursed tightly even after the video was over. San stroked your hair and kissed the top of your head in an effort to calm your worries.

"If it makes you feel better....... the camera really captured your gorgeous figure." He snickered and held his hands up protectively when you started smacking him.

❥𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲

"You like that my little slut? Like being treated like this?" Mingi's deep voice asked as he tugged on the leash that was wrapped around your neck.

You grunted when he pulled you forward, the tip of his cock pressing against your lips and nose. Your mouth instantly parted, tongue licking the underside of his shaft.

"Such a dirty little cockslut." He teased you.

"Only for you daddy." You winked up at him but were met with a harsh slap on your face.

"Did I say you could talk slut? I don't remember giving you permission to talk." He harshly said.

"Why don't you shut me up then?" You challenged him.

Mingi plunged his cock deep inside your mouth, stuffing himself down your throat, making you gag around his long length. Using the leash, he kept pulling your face to and fro so he could fuck your face. You were moaning and choking all over his cock, spit running down your chin and onto the floor as his tip hit the back of your throat.

"Oh fuck!" Mingi cried out as he pulled out to cum on your face, splattering his hot liquid all over your forehead, cheeks and your tongue as you had it stuck out to eat up some of his cum. Mingi's thumb grazed over your swollen and red lower lip, pinching it slightly.

"You look so pretty like this." He said as he began tightening the leash around you.

"Well you did look pretty." You laughed when Mingi spoke up behind you.

"Shut up!" You pushed his face away when he began nuzzling his face against your cheek as he tried to keep you from freaking out over the fact one of your private videos had accidentally ended up online.

Mingi just chuckled and pulled you onto his lap.

"What are we going to do?" You sighed.

"Look on the bright side, your face was covered by the mask and no one really saw me so as far as anyone is concerned, it's an anonymous couple." He assured you. Wanting to get a little funny, he joked:

"Maybe we could even start an OnlyFans account."

You slapped his chest.

"Song Mingi!"

❥𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰

Although Wooyoung should have been furious over the fact the CCTV footage of you two in the strip club you used to work in got uploaded without your permission onto an adult site, he was surprisingly calm.

"I could have sworn I payed them to turn the cameras off?" He questioned as he knew fully well that customers weren't allowed to touch the strippers, hence why he paid an expensive amount just to be able to get alone time with you.

"Clearly that didn't happen." You stated as you just watched the video play out in front of you. You weren't going to lie, besides the slight arousal it was giving you to watch the sex tape, it also made you feel fuzzy to remember how your relationship with Wooyoung started in the first place.

"One thousand dollars if you hop your pretty ass over here and bounce yourself on my cock."

Your naked figure wasted no time in going over to take him out of his confinement before fucking yourself on top of him. Wooyoung was spilling out a clutter of curses as he watched your ass bounce on his lap. Soon enough he was landing slaps on your skin until it became red, his hips fucking up into you.

"Your own place, monthly allowance and anything else you want if you leave this place and become my own personal fuck toy."

You nearly came at his words when he made his final offer.

"Fuck! Yes! I accept!" You exclaimed.

Shifting positions, Wooyoung got you on all fours on the couch as he began to relentlessly thrust into you from behind, his cock hitting deep inside you.

"You're my little fuck toy now beautiful. No one else gets to fuck this cunt of yours but me."

You let out a loud yelp that was probably heard outside the door when you felt his hand slap your clit.

"No one, got it?" He snarled at you.

Your thighs clenched together as he remembered how possessive he was, and still was, towards you.

"Did the video affect you so much?" You heard Wooyoung ask as his hands came up to rub your shoulders. You shivered when his teeth grazed at your earlobe.

"Cause I know it affected me."

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸

"Which one of those fuckers hacked into my personal computer and leaked this?"

Jongho single handedly split an apple which terrified the person in front of him.

"We don't know s-sir...." He trembled.

"Well find out who they were and report back to me, I want you to work fast too. Now get on it!" He ordered harshly.

You came into the office and were confused when a poor intern sped out of there looking like he saw a ghost. Closing the door behind you, you handed Jongho a folder.

"The vein on your forehead is sticking out, what happened?" You knew he was majorly stressing over something and it was probably no small thing.

Huffing, he turned the computer so it could face you.

"One of those fuckers out there got a hold of the systems and managed to hack into my computer. Not only that, they decided to spread a certain video around." He explained, fists clenching and unclenching.

"What video?" You asked.

"Press play and find out."

Doing as he said, you blushed when you saw it was an old video of a time when you and Jongho were still a secret couple. He had stayed over at your house and during the night, he had snuck into your room and crawled his way into your bed, which you allowed him to.

"Shhh. You gotta be quiet princess. Don't want to get caught by your dad right?"

You shook your head and bit down onto one of the plushies laying around you in an effort to muffle the sounds coming out of your mouth as Jongho's thick dick kept sliding in and out of you.

"This is so fucking dirty. I'm ruining you even more by fucking you in the bed you grew up in. Tell me how does it make you feel? To have me shove my cock deep in your pussy in your childhood bedroom while your parents are asleep? Are you enjoying it?"

You whined loudly and clenched more around him as your breathing became more labored and you panted like crazy.

"You enjoyed it so much, you ended up pregnant by me."

You lifted your head to see Jongho wink at you which made you giggle.

"You enjoyed it too, don't even lie."

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners

[ejzah]

Ain’t It A Kick In The Head, Part 6

***

The drive back was quiet, Deeks sinking a contemplative silence that was in stark contrast to his irreverent and dangerous demeanor earlier.

She wasn’t entirely sure why Deeks’ actions at the club, his overall approach to defective work, bothered her so much. If she was being honest, they’d all crossed lines on the team many times and taken on covers—Sam and Callen more so—that forced them to behave in less than honorable or legal ways.

Maybe it was in part because Kensi was used to being in control and Deeks had completely obliterated that control within seconds of meeting her. For someone who’d worked extremely hard to be independent and take charge, having it yanked away stung.

Or maybe it was that despite all of that, she found Deeks attractive. Even when he was annoying the hell out of her, there was a tiny part of her that was impressed his quick comebacks and intelligence. Oh who was she kidding? The way he filled out a suit and his damn blue eyes didn’t hurt either.

Glancing over at him now, she saw his lips were pressed into a grim line. He didn’t look happy, she realized. She’d expected more bragging about his skills as an operator, but he just seemed tired and almost dismayed. Kensi almost interrupted the silence to ask him what was on his mind, but stopped herself at the last second.

She spent the rest of the 20 minute ride to his apartment, watching the dark scenery pass by and wondering about the man beside her, who seemed to be so much more than she first imagined.

***

“Alright, so as you can probably guess from Andre’s description, Dimitri isn’t the friendliest guy. I met him one other time back when I was new and my predecessor set up a sale. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough evidence back then or the means to take him down,” Deeks explained to Kensi, showing her the picture of a man with thick black hair and dark eyes.

He was attractive Kensi supposed but all she saw was the dangerous, unfeeling gleam in his eyes.

They’d spread out on the couch in Deeks’—well, Max’s apartment—while he debriefed Kensi on their meeting with Dimitri.

“What makes you think he’ll agree to a meeting in the first place,” Kensi asked, sifting through the scant profile available. Given his vulnerable position, Deeks kept little evidence on hand.

“Because he likes me.” Deeks dropped a wry smile in Kensi’s direction.

“Can’t imagine why,” Kensi teased. “Was it your hair?”

“Actually, I think it’s my eyes,” Deeks returned, relaxing a little. “No, Dimitri’s used to everyone doing what he wants out of fear. When I met him, I ran my mouth like I usually do. It got me a fat lip and black eye, but Dimitri laughed and he liked me.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing.” Dimitri was sounding increasingly unpredictable and she didn’t like the idea of either of them going into an unknown situation with the man.

“Mm, probably not.” He sighed deeply, running his hands over his face. “I’m used to guys like Dimitri though who want a challenge after a while.” He paused for a beat. “And he likes intelligent women even more than a challenge.”

“So, I’m the bait?” Kensi guessed.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Deeks insisted quickly. “You’ll be a distraction for sure, but you’ll still need to convince Dimitri that you are Bella Mendez and that you’re worthy of his time.”

“Don’t worry, I can sell it.”

“Good.”

She paused to take a drink of the wine Deeks poured for her when they arrived. Normally she didn’t drink on the jobs, but she’d decided that a single drink wouldn’t be the end of the world. She did notice that Deeks nursed a single beer and she hadn’t seen him drink anything stronger.

A little furrow grew between his eyes as he responded to a text, fingers tapping furiously against the screen while he muttered under his breath.

“Why do you do this?” she asked, resting her cheek on her fist as she tucked her legs underneath her. Deeks shook his head slightly, so she clarified. “Why do you go undercover like this.”

“I don’t know, I suppose I want to serve my country and make the world a better place,” he responded quickly and glibly. Kensi shook her head, fixing him with a censuring look. “Deeks, you know what I mean. “You clearly don’t enjoy it. I mean, you pretend to, and I think you like the cloak and dagger aspect, but you hate what you’re forced to do.”

He sighed again, shifting his body to face her. For once his expression was completely open and honesty shone through.

“I’m good at it,” he answered simply.

“Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for you.”

“That’s true.” Deeks nodded, rubbing his thumb just under his bottom lip. The movement drew her eyes to his full mouth and she had to remind herself this was a serious conversation. “Not everyone has the skill to go undercover and be play the bad guy though. It takes a lot out of me for sure, but it needs to be done.” He shrugged. “Besides, I’m not always a criminal. I can blend in just about anywhere as a homeless guy and I play a mean janitor.”

“Now that I would totally buy,” Kensi teased him, sensing he was trying to lighten things again. “Just don’t get too committed and forget who you are.”

“I won’t,” he assured her softly, then quirked his upper lip, running his fingers through his hair. “And as long as we’re on the topic of getting too, uh, invested, I’ve been meaning to apologize for my behavior on that day we met.” He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I know it was in character for Max, but I shouldn’t have kissed you like I did. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Kensi responded, realizing that it was true. She’d furious at the time, but barely though about you since. “I punched you after all.” Deeks chuckled breathily, pursing his lips.

“Not sure that’s really a comparable trade.”

“Oh.” Acting on impulse, she curled her hand around the back of Deeks’ head, sealing her mouth over his. It took Deeks approximately two seconds to catch up and then he returned the kiss, lips soft on hers, palms cupping her jaw.

She’d intended it to be a quick kiss, a joke more than anything, but now she didn’t want it end. It felt like tiny sparks were erupting wherever he touched her, leaving behind growing desire, and she moved closer.

Deeks merely rearranged his legs to accommodate her as she straddled him, lips parting on a sigh at the change in angle. He slid his tongue along her bottom lip, hands still gently framing her face while she swayed closer, breasts just barely brushing his chest.

He groaned this time, breaking away to bury his nose in the curve of her neck. Breathing shakily, Kensi pressed her lips to his ear and whispered,

“I guess we’re even now.” Then urged his mouth back to hers.

***

A/N: Well, that was unexpected and sure to pose absolutely no problems. Hopefully it didn’t come too out of left field. I decided to have them be a little more direct this time around.

[saturnsummer]

oh, how we’ve grown.

prompted by an anon from my ask here! 

notes: this was probably the fic that stumped me on so many occasions, since it was really bittersweet. editing, grammar and other mistakes will be taken responsible by me! it took me longer than expected and i’m not sure if everyone would be able to catch on how i interpreted the group’s futures and personalities! if anyone would like to know more, do dm me! as always, enjoy and thank you for the support and love!

original prompt: I think Joon Hwi and Sol A was already dating during their 3L (since Sol A looked so comfortable acting flirty and cute aroud Joon Hwi on their way to the old man's trial). Now I wonder what happen with them during time skip and by the ending, what stage of relationship they are in. Can you write a fic or headcanon ab that? Thank you! 🥰

words: 4373 words

it was finally the day of graduation.

joon hwi was beyond excited. he was nostalgic, sad and emotional, for sure. but after crying so many tears yesterday and the past week, he found it useless to cry any further. he lets the adrenaline set in for his new chapter lying ahead.

joon hwi was finally going to be a prosecutor.

his letter came in a few weeks after the bar exam. he counts himself lucky, being one of the students that helped to capture assemblyman ko, solve his uncle's murder, prove his professor's and his own innocence. all in his first year. it was no surprise that when he applied, they immediately wanted him. his grades were just the cherry on top to his stack of achievements. he was certainly overqualified for a guy who just passed the bar.

(well, he did pass the second round judicial exam.)

further than that, he was crowned valedictorian and was tasked to give a speech to his fellow batch mates. he had practiced his speech countless times, and he could recite it in his sleep by now. but he can’t quite place the feeling that he feels. his thoughts are all over and he can’t seem to keep his heart rate constant.

a knock on the door of his now empty dorm room distracts him from his thoughts. there, dressed in similar graduation robes, with long wavy brown hair is kang sol a, or to him, his kang sol. she walks in with a small smile on her face, but her smile fades away to a face of concern after studying his face. her eyes dart to the door, and she strides back to shut the door, giving him and her the privacy that he needs.

"what's troubling you?" she asks gently, taking his hand into hers. a quiet, simple gesture done by sol could soothe him so much. joon hwi is silent, not knowing why he’s so nervous. he’s done speeches and talked to crowds bigger than this. heck, he has testified for court. yet, the knot in his stomach refuses to cease.

“i don’t know… it’s nothing new, yet…” he trails off, avoiding his eyes with his girlfriend. his thoughts race through his head, but it leads back to his uncle, his samchoon, the man that brought him up: seo byungju.

“joon. joon, look at me.” sol brings a hand up to his cheek, gently raising it so it meets her eyes rather than the floor. joon hwi promised he wouldn’t be emotional today, yet he found his eyes glassy when he met sol’s eyes. as a tear slips, her fingers wipe it away gently.

“your uncle… he would be so proud of you to see the boy he raised achieve his dream.” sol says, a voice so quiet and soft, it seems to echo to joon hwi. she always knew what to say and always knew what was troubling him deep down, even if he denied it.

samchoon… are you proud of me?

“i’ll always be supporting you, like how your uncle did. when you’re on stage, if you feel intimidated, just look at my eyes, alright?” sol says, rubbing his cheek. he gives a small smile and nods slowly. taking his hand, sol intertwines it between her fingers, an action that he knows she only does when they are alone. an act so simple, yet his heart was so soothed by then.

joon hwi’s free hand reaches to the back of her head, as he lowers his slightly, so their forehead rest against each other. he breathes her perfume in, the one he bought for her a few months into their relationship, the one that she always wanted but could never buy. he takes slow breathes with her, her thumb rubbing his knuckle gently.

sol pulls away, much to joon hwi’s disappointment. he wanted her skin ship even more, just savouring her touch under his skin. sol notices his disappointment and only gives him a smile.

“they’re waiting for us. come, let’s go.” sol says softly, letting go of his hand after giving him a squeeze. he knows she hates being affectionate in public, even in front of their close friends. he gives her a quick peck on the top of her head before following behind her, walking to the lobby where they were.

“yah, hyung!” bokgi waved with enthusiasm, gathering the attention of the group. joonhwi maintains his composure and lets out a deep breath.

“nervous, hyung?” yebeom asks, his fingers fiddling.

“tch, it’s me. i’ll be fine.” joon hwi replies. it’s a half truth, now that sol is by his side.

“that’s why sol-noona had to find you, right?” bokgi teases, earning a nudge from yeseul. bokgi looks in mocked offence, but he recovers. everyone eyes at sol with prying eyes, the look of teasing on their faces. she takes this moment to shut her eyes, bring her hands up to face and shakes her head while sighing. these kids have literally nothing better to do than to just tease her and joon hwi.

“it’s time. you should go.” jiho says as he nods towards the lecture hall. the ceremony doesn’t start till half an hour later, but being valedictorian, he had preparations to do. they send joon hwi their last words of encouragement, but joon hwi was not going to leave unless he embarrassed his girlfriend a little longer.

his hand reaches up to sol’s hair, sweeping the curls behind her and cutely arranging her fringe the way she likes it. sol blushes as the group ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ in front of them. joon hwi knows she hates being so affectionate in front of her friends, but it’s always fun to tease. sol’s bright red and her face forms the smallest pout. joon hwi knows he’s achieved his mission.

“i’ll see you later.” he says with a wink and walks away, hearing the tease from yebeom and sol squeaking back.

when he’s on stage later, giving his speech, the words fall out of his mouth effortlessly. but the only thing that changes is that his eyes are fixed on the warm brown eyes of sol. as he addresses his late uncle at the end, he pauses and takes a deep breath. sol looks at him and gives him an encouraging nod. he ends his speech, eyes never once leaving her gaze, as the student body claps for him and he takes a bow.

one by one, the students are told to line up and take their certificates on stage from dean oh. she gives the seven graduates a knowing smile when they step on stage, knowing how much they’ve been through, after being swept up by their problems in their first and second years. even after all that, they managed to graduate with excellent results.

when they gather to take their photos (taken by seungjae, who decided to attend their graduation. it was the least he could do to show his support.), joon hwi swears he sees his uncle standing at the rock by the entrance of the school. he swears he sees the knowing silhouette of the tall man, grey hair and his metal spectacles. but what warms him the most is the smile of seo byung ju’s face and the slight nod.

yes, my boy. i’m so proud of you.

with that, joon hwi lets himself smile as seungjae snaps the camera.

(he doesn’t notice his blurred vision from his tears, but rather blames it on the sun hurting his eyes.)

-----

the group takes individual shots of themselves, even jiho and sol b are smiling when their photos are taken. sol doesn’t lose a chance to tease her roomie about her cute smile, one she only reserved for limited situations.

joon hwi watches as his friends spread out across the field to meet their family, sharing the good news of graduation and their new starting jobs. the smiles on the parent’s faces warms his heart deeply, somehow, even though he’s standing alone.

jiho was going to be a prosecutor with joon hwi in their new office. jiho could care less about joon hwi, but he can’t help but admit that it comforted him knowing a familiar face to be in his office in about two weeks. after all, they did share a room for three years.

sol b, against her mother’s wishes, has decided to take a gap year. her mother initially planned for her to continue her training, securing her route to being a judge. but sol b has had enough of her mother’s toxicity. as they went through therapy as a family, sol b had expressed as best as she could her need to discover what she wants for herself, not what her mother wants for her. what she will be doing in her gap year is still undecided, but she has chosen to move out for the time being.

yeseul was going to be in a firm that mostly did cases of women rights. while she initially was hesitant, bokgi encouraged her to take this opportunity, using her experience and her trial as a voice to the other victims. from time to time, she promised professor kim that she would come back to help at the legal clinic.

bokgi, on the other hand, had finally achieved his dream of being a human rights lawyer. while he was upset that he couldn’t work near yeseul, his spirits were immediately lifted when he heard that yebeom was going to be working just at the building across from him, another big law firm. (it was settled that as much as they went through, the bok-beom duo was never to be separated.)

sol, on the other hand, accepted her first job at attorney park’s firm, ironically. just when she had her first internship, she remembers screaming that she would never work with crooked lawyers like him. sol chose to work with him, as a return of the many favours she owes professor yang, starting with the one from high school. it was the most she could do for her role model.

joon hwi observes as he notices the proud faces of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, and spots the few sightings of grandparents. somehow, he can’t help but feel a little lonely. his parents, the two individuals he had a short-lived relationship with had long passed. his uncle, the closest thing he had to a father had too passed. he can’t even guess where his aunts or other distant relatives are. his distant relatives probably don’t remember him, and neither does joon hwi.

a small body crashing into him breaks his flow of thoughts, as he looks down to see who it is. byeol wraps her arms around joon hwi’s waist happily and joon hwi breaks into laughter, realising who it is and lifting her before spinning her. she’s giggling in a mess as joon hwi spots sol’s mother and her walking to them.

“ah, hello, mrs kang.” joon hoi greets with formality. sol’s mother playfully smacks his arm with a smile, clearly embarrassed from such formality.

“ah! how many times have i said to not call me that, joon hwi-ah! at this point, you should just call me halmeoni!” she says, earning a big laugh from joon hwi and sol’s face burning with embarrassment.

“umma! don’t say things like this!” sol squeaks back. joon hwi only smiles and insists to call her ‘mrs kang’. byeol is getting introduced to their friends as bokgi and yebeom play a game of tag with her. sol’s mother stands by sol, her hand on her back and her other rubbing joon hwi’s back.

“joon hwi-ah, i hope you know how proud i am of you. sol has told me your own fair share of troubles. i know... you don’t have much of a mother figure in your life, but as your girlfriend’s mother, i hope you know i treat you like my own.” sol’s mother comments to him, holding both his hands in her warm ones. “more than just tutoring my daughter and helping her, you got through your troubles on your own.” joon hwi can only smile as he suppresses the emotions.

“your parents must be so glad to have such a righteous son.”

joon hwi, for a moment, is reminded of his limited memories with his parents. he doesn't remember much, being so young when they died. but how his mother would teach him the importance of kindness and compassion. his father would teach him to be strong, to stand up for the bullies that picked on the poorer kids in his preschool.

hearing his girlfriend’s mother tell him that, he couldn’t help but just pull her into a warm hug. sol joins in from behind, enveloping them with a warm that joon hwi was unable to explain. burying his face into the older woman’s hair, he lets himself be a child, as she rubs his back and holds him lovingly.

for the first time in his life, he finally experiences the warmth of a mother’s hug.

-----

as the field starts clearing out, the seven graduates and seungjae are left behind. their families have gone home, leaving them on the field, laid down in a circle, heads together. there was just silence, as they breathed in the air of hankuk university once more.

once more, as students.

once more, as graduates.

once more, before they step into their next phase.

“i’ll really miss you guys.” sol says quietly. yeseul, lying next to her, nods, although no one can see.

“we’ll meet up. especially you, seungjae-hyung! don’t be shy to ask for babysitters!” bokgi announces, earning a smile from seungjae. they slowly got up from the grass, dusting off the dirt and making their way back once more to the university lobby.

this was the place where these eight students met, all with different objectives and from all walks of life. yet, as different as they are, they got along and went through hell together, for each other. the short lived three years were filled with so many troubles, yet they pulled through together.

truly, they were more than friends. they were family.

seungjae took his leave first, being the family man he was. yebeom had to rush to a family event, and yeseul was going to catch a meal with bokgi. (yeseul promised bokgi to give him a chance once they graduated, and so she kept her promise.) jiho and solb were silently headed off in the same direction with their only conversation being “i’ll drop you off” by jiho and solb nodding. (joon hwi and sol only eye them, making mental notes to tease their ex-roommates.)

“are you going home?” joon hwi asks as sol grabs her bag. after graduating, sol made the decision to move home for the time being, to pay off her loans and support her family and ease her mother of some financial burden. joon hwi has opted many times to help, even wanting to pay off her loans. he had no loans, and after he sold his uncle’s mansion, he had a huge sum of money along with the inheritance. but sol couldn’t do it, she needed to work for this herself.

“yeah. i promised byeol i’ll help her with her work and catch a movie with her too. it’s been long since i could just spend time with her.” sol says. the lobby was now empty, with a few students walking in and out. sol looks at the lady justice statue, almost reminded of the many times she stared at it to remind herself of why she chose law. why she chose this profession.

together, they walk out, holding hands for the first time openly in their school. they were no longer students, and there was no point hiding from others anymore. she was just kang sol; he was just han joon hwi. no more ‘second round judicial pass’, no more ‘uncle killing nephew’, no more ‘klutz’, no more ‘twin failure’. just them.

joon hwi takes the bus to sol’s home, still in the ground floor apartment by an alley. sol’s mother invites him in, but he quickly declines, saying he needs to run some errands back at his own apartment. well, it wasn’t a lie. he just shifted in and he certainly had to clean and unpack.

when the apartment is packed with law books stacked neatly in his bookcase, the floor dusted and mopped, furniture clean and the fridge stocked with fresh groceries, he picks his phone to find seungjae sending the group their photos. there’s numerous comments on how yebeom is already missing us, and even jiho gives a ‘tch’ as a reply in the chat. he notices an unread text from his professor and opens the chat box.

you’re on my speed dial for cases. don’t ignore me.

joon hwi scoffs. he sets his phone aside as he flops back on his bed, for the first time processing all that has happened.

he can’t wait for the future.

(on his wall, he hangs a childhood photo of him and his uncle. on the frame, it has a tag with his daily reminder to judge fairly, and to make sure no one suffers unjustly.)

-----

the next few years for joonhwi are an adventure. his experience in the prosecution office is busy and stressful, but with jiho working just next door, he finds comfort in having him by his side. he battles many cases, slowly but surely, making a name for himself. instead of being known as the man that solved his uncle’s murder, he was now known as the prosecutor that never loses.

the study group kept in touch, meeting every two weeks for dinner at a barbecue place. somedays, they drank. on others, they just chatted and kept the plates of pork coming. seungjae did his best to join, but with his toddler kid, things were difficult.

seungjae took a year after his hearing to be with his wife, and take care of her during her pregnancy. he then decided to work as a forensic examiner. if he couldn't practice law and help people with it, the least he could was to uphold it and enforce it. his job was new and interesting, but he humbled himself to push through his training. he meets the group when they are dealing with criminal cases and helps them out as best he can.

the study group also took turns meeting his kid, and would always love babysitting. sol, as expected, was the best with chaotic duo bokgi and yebeom. instead of dinners some nights, they met at his house to catch up with him and spoil his kid. (seungjae couldn’t stop it. when the kid was born, he immediately gained 7 new aunts and uncles, ready to spoil and pamper him.)

his relationship with sol grew as well. working such long working days was tough, but they tried their best. sol would sometimes deliver homemade stews to his apartment and joon hwi would deliver jjajamyeon with her extra pickles on some nights. they met on the weekends, where they would just go to the park and take strolls or hole up in joon hwi’s apartment to work on their cases together.

sol was doing exceptionally well as a new attorney, almost successfully appealing to all her clients. her clients love her, not only for winning, but for always being so caring to them. many say she still keeps in contact with some clients, even after the case has been closed. while she thinks it is no big deal, sol’s career was climbing up. her loans were fully paid, and she has begun looking into apartments for her family and her to shift out of. that alley brought too much danger, especially with byeol growing into a teenager and her mother’s joints weakening.

sol b took that gap year to work at an administrative office at a law firm, before deciding to continue her law career to gain experience before moving forward to be a judge. throughout the gap year, she split her time on herself and therapy, as well as on her study group. she found herself wanting to be a judge, not for her mother, but for herself.

jiho and sol b also started dating each other shortly after they graduated, when joon hwi spotted sol b and jiho holding hands when he was leaving his office. they only told the group a few months later. but of course, everyone knew by then. ever since then, they caught sol b and jiho smiling a bit more, even if their smiles were just the slight curl at the corner of the lips.

yebeom was doing well in his law firm, handling mostly small cases, but he was content since he had a fun time handling the many cases and making visits to meet clients instead of being stuck in the office. bokgi was a human rights lawyer, with most of his cases about the discrimination of citizens in any aspect. he fought for the rights of those of different sexual orientations, races and religions and was extremely happy being able to do that.

yeseul was defending women of all walks of life, from their unequal treatment to domestic abuse. she was passionate and has made headlines a few times over the years when she chose to speak out about her story. she was well known in this area, being the first few lawyers to be a victim of domestic abuse and defending them. she also kept in contact with professor kim and made regular visits at the legal clinic.

bokgi and her only started dating a year after the graduated. bokgi respected the reasons and her space and yeseul found herself falling in love with him. after all, he stood by her all this while for the whole three years and have seen her at her worst. more than that, he treated her with respect and loved her equally, even after all that.

one day, as joon hwi and sol spent their day on the sofa at joon hwi’s apartment, joon hwi was nervous to ask this question. sol was busy looking at different apartment listings.

“sol, can i ask you something?” joon hwi asks, grabbing her hand. sol nodded, eyes still focussed on her screen.

“would you... would you want to move in with me?” sol’s hand stops scrolling as the words sink in and she slowly faces her boyfriend.

“i... i don’t know. i mean, byeol and umma will be left alone, right?” sol says, her voice quiet and soft.

“we can live near them. i think the lease of the apartment is ending soon, anyways.” joon squeezes her hand.

“but... i don’t know if i have enough money to get an apartment for them and us. joon, i really want to, i really do. but...” sol’s eyes are uncertain, and joon hwi sees her eyes guilty, almost like she feels bad for saying that.

“we can get the apartment in instalments. you can buy one for your mom and byeol first and we will slowly pay for ours.” he says. placing a finger under her chin, he raises it so her eyes meet hers. “sol, they are going to be alright on their own.”

sol nods her head and reaches up to pull her boyfriend’s face to hers, letting their lips connect. his lips are soft against hers, as she taste the slight coffee taste from his mug. it’s almost frenzy, from what started as a simple kiss lead to a fight for dominance. without knowing, sol is straddling joon hwi, as his hands pull back her long hair.

when they pull away, he feels her hot breath on his face, and her face burning red, embarrassed at how she acted.

“should we get back to looking at apartments?” joon hwi asks, a small smile on his face, ultimately an act of tease to her. she quickly nods and climbs off of him as they look at apartments together. joon hwi gives her a knowing smirk, before sol swats his arm and they resume scrolling.

and it was true, when professor yang had him on speed dial.

he was just about to leave for a coffee and bother jiho for a bit at his office one day, when a call came in from professor yang.

“han joon hwi.”

“professor.”

“you’re needed, now. meet me at hankuk university in thirty minutes.” and the call disengages. it was a habit of his professor’s, to give blunt replies and just cut off without saying goodbye. he slips on his blazer and grabs his briefcase before picking up the call from sol instinctively. so much for listening to orders, even though he wasn’t a student anymore.

“called you too?” he asks once he picks up, scribbling on a post it note, noting his early leave from the office.

“what else? gosh, i really hate it when he hangs up like that.” sol replies, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

“i’ll pick you.” joon hwi says, as he leaves his office, then knocks on jiho’s door. jiho’s head pops up from his laptop, before nodding in acknowledgement.

“no, don’t bother. i’ve already caught the train.” sol replies and joon hwi hears the familiar beeping of train doors. sol knows she’s got to hang up soon, if she doesn’t want to irritate other commenters on the train.

“love you.” he says back. sol’s face is blushing red, but she’s lucky everyone on the train was busy on their phone.

“i love you too.” she whispers before hanging up and storing her phone away in her handbag.

when they meet at the doors of hankuk university each time they are called in for a case, they can’t help but to think of how far they’ve come. sol, the girl with bad grades and on a scholarship. joon hwi, the top student with a hidden secret. yet in a matter of years, they blossomed together with their friends on their routes.

professor yang is by the lady justice statue, and when he looks up to see his students stroll in with authority and confidence, he gives a knowing smile.

shall we start?

[arminty7]

𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘦

Mermaid!Jungkook x Reader [Part 3]

Trapped in this life of expensive wine and judgemental eyes Y/N met an unusual lady who offered her a job at an aquarium a few towns away. Despite being hesitant and uncertain for the future she decided to take the offer as it was her only way out, not knowing that many dangers might come her way.

Jungkook swam his way through the small tunnel in wonder. He didn’t realise what he was ‘walking’ into as he took the entire night to explore a tunnel. He thought it might lead to you, how naive. It is only when he heard the piercing sound of drilling from the small tunnel entrance did he know what was happening, he was trapped. With that, his instincts took over.

Chapter: #3 Swimming in Wine

Words: 4843

Warnings: Mild Swearing // Fluff // Eventual Smut? Idk maybe depends // Jungkook obsessive // Evil Namjoon (im sorry guys) // It might be a little messed up.

AN - It's been a while. I know. 

© arminty7 2020 - All rights reserved.

This work shall not be copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission. In a case where this might happen, legal action will be taken as it would be a criminal act under the law and breaching these terms. Upon reading my work you are acknowledging that this work is mine and that you know the consequences if this work is copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission.

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It was early in the morning when the sun started to creep its way into the room. You were sitting on your bed and surprisingly enough, you were already awake. You never used to be such an early bird, but throughout these past few nights, you would wake up drenched in sweat. No matter how hard you tried you couldn't stop thinking about the incident on the cliff. Upon sleeping, you could almost feel the arms of the creature wrapped around you, like its haunting touch has placed a permanent mark on you. When thinking about it more deeply, it felt human to you. The arms of a human, but its touch too deeply pressed on your skin: the coldness you felt, reached down to your bones. It was like death was clinging onto you, with you as its life source.  

 "Hey Y/N? You up?" You heard a whisper and you saw Julie poking her head through the door as she opened it slightly. You look over at her with a relaxed expression and a soft smile.  

"Yeah, I'm already up. Did you want to go and get a coffee near the waterfront before dropping me off to work?" You stand up from your bed and start fixing the blankets and pillows. 

 "Yeah that sounds like a good idea, let me go get my bag and we can leave soon." She spoke as she left the room, closing the door but not all the way. 

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Looking out onto the ocean, it felt calm today. Although the tranquillity that you felt while looking out onto the shore exhibited a chaotic kind of peace. The calm before the storm. You could feel it, the anger of the waves crashing down and the freeing nature of the water wanting to come out. But it held restraint, it couldn't do anything even if it tried. Something was missing but you didn't know what. All you knew was that the feeling you had felt when looking out towards the ocean, changed somehow. The calm waters seemed too good to be true.

 You sat there at the coffee shop across from the beach near where you work. The smell of sea-salt and fish mixed with coffee seemed like a horrible combination, but the locals were used to it. You found comfort in the idea that you might get used to it too. The coffee that you held in your hands was hot against the cool air. You sipped your coffee while waiting for Julie to come back with her usual morning cravings of insatiable sweet pastries. 

 “So, tell me. Have you made any work friends? Any of them cute?” Julie sat down across from you, taking you away from your thoughts. You looked over at her and chuckled, rolling your eyes.

“I have made some friends, not many but hopefully that will change in time” You smiled slightly looking out at the ocean again, feeling yourself get distracted but not with anything in particular. "Well it’s your first day today so make sure to stay on your toes, but don't overwork yourself," Julie spoke while her mouth is full of sweet dough-like pastries, more focused on the icing coating the top of her lips, not realising that you have been spacing out this entire time. 

Thankfully you're good at multi-tasking and you chuckle at her comment, "It’s funny, people keep forgetting that I have worked at an aquarium before you know? It's not that much of a big deal." You sip your coffee but immediately placed it back down on the table, it was too sweet.

You look at your watch, realising its time to go. Plus, you would rather be at work than trying to have a normal conversation with her, you know she's trying but she's not your caretaker or mother, she doesn't need to try so hard.

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As you walk through the entrance of the Aquarium you could immediately feel the difference in atmosphere from the other day. The busy environment that you knew so well back home at the aquarium suddenly felt familiar. The buzzing sounds of life engulfed the reception as many families and residents were chatting away while waiting in line. Kids nagging at their parents and young couples looking at each other lovingly while waiting in line.  There were not many people though as it was early, and it wasn't officially open for another 30 minutes. 

You walked past them towards the reception and saw Seokjin who looked busy talking to the people in line. He glanced over at you and he made an expression as if he remembered something.

"Ah Y/N, Jimin told me to tell you to wait for him at the food court at the bar. You'll be working with him today. Taehyung is meant to be here, but he called in sick". You nodded, silently chuckling to yourself as Taehyung probably just called in sick because he was "too busy" or had some "emergency". While in reality, he's probably watching a new season of a drama he recently got addicted to. 

You head your way to the food court after you say goodbye to Seokjin. It seemed quiet in the food court but simultaneously busy as workers prepared for the day. You could see some workers running around in their little cafes or tourist shops as you walk towards the main bar. You could hear your heels hit the glassy floor, echoing as it bounced off the wall of the gigantic room. 

The bar had no one in it. You suppose it didn't open till later in the day. It was weird to you, you have never seen an Aquarium that had a bar before. Mind you, you never really travelled anywhere so you wouldn't know if it's a common thing to have at Aquariums. 

You sat on the stool, looking at the giant tank circling the entire food court, acting as a wall around the large room. You tried to look through it to see how far it went but all you could see was the light blue ocean that seemed almost endless. Some small school fish could also be seen swimming in the tank. It felt as though you were in the middle of the ocean. All alone. 

In contrast to the light blue colour that is seen throughout the rest of the room, the small tank that was built into the wall behind the bar looked darker and overgrown. It was a very small square tank that resembled a small window. You could barely see through it, a thick layer of algae covering the glass, it looked so dark in there. Maybe it was connected to another section of the aquarium, perhaps it even descended underground?

You shivered and looked around the food court, were you being watched? You could feel the sudden nervousness tingling throughout your body.

It was a weird feeling that came upon you, an icy cold feeling of loneliness like the air had suddenly shifted. The voices of the other workers in the food court were drifting away and you were slowly slipping away from reality. An alluring voice crept into your ear, singing an enchanting but hypnotising harmony. Somehow you could sense that it wasn't one of the workers for the voice sounded too angelic, too sweet to even be real. Your bones were chilled as you sensed the familiar feeling of cold strong arms enveloping around your waistline and chest as if you were reliving the moment by the cliff. You could physically feel it, its touch… his touch. Closing your eyes, you could feel the cold sharp wind from that moment above the water as it brushed against your cheeks. The creature’s hot breath giving you some type of warmth in the moment, yet it felt unknown to you. Mortality was clutching you in its hands, but you felt so safe. Like it was saving you despite drowning you at the same time. 

You shook your head, awaking from the trance that you were in. Glancing back over at the tank behind the bar and you saw a dark figure in the water. It stayed there looking through the algae ridden glass. You could only see a face, black and blue scales on its cheekbones and jaw. It looked human, but at the same time, you knew it wasn't. Its alluring golden eyes, shining in the water, staring into your own. Its eyes were soulless. 

By the time you blinked, it was gone.

You stood up, wanting to go closer to the small tank behind the bar. Making your way behind the bar, you were stopped by a strong hand pulling your shoulder back. "What are you doing here?" You turned to see a man who held your shoulder with a firm grip, his eyes staring straight into yours.

Oh, if looks could kill.

"I uhh.." Your mind went blank as you stepped back a bit, away from the man. He looked annoyed while you struggled to let the words out. By this time, you forgot what just happened moments ago.

"Answer my question" He spoke quietly but sternly, letting go of your shoulder but moving a step closer to make sure you can't run away. 

"I was waiting for-" 

"Yoongi-Hyung, what are you doing?? Leave the poor girl alone, you'll give her a heart attack" You sighed in relief as you saw Jimin walk up to the bar. 

'You know this girl?" He spoke in a serious tone, you remembered what Taehyung said earlier about the Bartender, I guess this is him.

Jimin nodded, leaning on the bar. "Her name is Y/N, she's the new recruit Hoseok was telling us about" Jimin looks over at you with a charming smile while you take the opportunity to escape the bar and onto Jimin's side. 

Yoongi looked at you and then back at Jimin, "well get outta here will you, the aquarium opens up soon”.  

You nodded and Jimin just smirks before looking over at you "Come on Y/N, we have a busy day ahead of us" He stands up, grabbing your hand, giving you his signature smile before leading you out of the food court and down the hall.

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Third Person POV

"I can't believe we are opening up the aquarium a day after we caught it, what if it escapes?!" Hoseok looked down at the ground continuously tapping his foot on the ground as he leaned on the bookshelf in the office. Namjoon sat there in the chair in front of him. 

"Don't worry, it can't escape" Namjoon reassured him and then continued. 

"We have reason to believe it got stuck in an old tunnel filled with water that was built throughout the aquarium. We constructed the tunnel ages ago for the public and we were going to add glass windows to it, so you can look through the tunnel. However, the construction wasn't going as planned and we halted the idea." 

"So, it's just swimming in a small tunnel throughout the aquarium walls with no way out? Like a maze? In pitch-black darkness?" Hoseok widened his eyes, he never heard of such a thing. 

"You have nothing to worry about, the tunnel that he swam through to get in the aquarium was connected to the ocean, but we blocked it off as soon as we found out he swam in it. He's stuck in there." 

"Are you certain? Have you swum through the tunnel yourself? How do you know there's no other way he can reach the other aquariums for the public to see?" Hoseok said, his voice raised. He walked up to the front of the desk, his hands crossed, Namjoon could sense his doubt radiating off of him. 

"Before this place was opened to the public, I got some divers to check it out, it has no pockets or windows. It's pitch black down there" he tried to reassure Hoseok again. Namjoon looked up at Hoseok and he nodded, uncrossing his arms. 

"Let's hope he doesn't go too crazy down there, we'll have to get him out soon." He continued, "Oh, by the way, Jackson called. He said yes to the deal." Hoseok 

"Good. We will prepare the creature for transport soon".  

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It was a busy day. 

You sat off to the side as Jimin stood in his wetsuit on the platform of the dolphin's tank. He had a big smile stretched across his face as he instructed the dolphins while the crowd watched from the bleachers. With every flick of his hand, the dolphins would jump up in the air and the echoes of cheering would fill the small arena. You had a bucket of fish with you and you watched as each dolphin would come up to you after doing a trick. You sat on the side of the tank, you were visible to the public eye, but they weren't paying attention to you. It was sad really, you knew what went on in aquariums. How ironic that you want to be free yourself when working at an establishment that rejects freedom. You looked at the next dolphin that swam your way, it seemed weaker than the others. You went closer to the tank and sat on the edge. It slowly swam up to you, it was at that very moment that you saw a gash stretched out on its back. It wasn't bleeding, and you could easily see that it’s been there for a while.

You looked up at Jimin in worry although he didn't take notice. He held the microphone as he catered to the audience. You looked back at the dolphin and reached a fish from the bucket. Perhaps it was self-inflicted somehow. You heard that stuff can happen in aquariums. You watched the dolphin gently swim away, back down into the water, following the strict routine that was given to them before the show. 

After the show ended, you still couldn't get that dolphin out of your head. Its empty expression in its eyes is still burned in your mind. All the hope and optimism you once associated with dolphins was now gone. 

You stood there in the tiny tin room out the back of the aquarium near the dolphin tank, cleaning buckets of fish that were now empty. Jimin left you and went to go help another co-worker and gave you the task of cleaning out buckets that radiated the smell of decaying fish. You remember the innocent smile he gave you when he asked you for this little favour. It was your job, you couldn't say no - and he knew that. 

"Thanks, Y/N! I owe you" Jimin yelled out, waving his hand as he ran off. 

It was around 4 pm when you finished cleaning. Your body felt tired from the long day and you and Jimin were headed to the bar.

As you stepped into the food court the feeling you had before suddenly crept through your body. You shivered, and a sudden feeling of dread came upon you. It was weird, you didn't even think about the incident after it happened. Like you suddenly forgot about it. But now, as you slowly walk up towards the bar, you felt a chill encompassed around your bones. 

Jimin sat down on the stool on the bar and placed a hand under his chin. He looked up at Yoongi with a smirk, "So, how's business?". Yoongi took a glance up at the both of you and looked back down again, wiping the bar down. 

"It was pretty slow today. It was weird, I expected more people to come" Yoongi said quietly. You sat down next to Jimin and crossed your arms over the bar, letting your head rest gently on your arms. 

"Hey, I just cleaned that" Yoongi looked over at you but after the day you had, you couldn't care less. You replied with a monotone "sorry" but stayed in your current position. He could tell that you were tired and surprisingly enough, he didn't push it. 

"So, you remember that key I gave to you right? The one I found?" Jimin straightened up at Yoongi's words and looked over at you for a split second. 

"Yeah I remember, what about it?" Yoongi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well I need it back" Jimin looked confused, "but I thought you found it, that it had no meaning to you. That's why you gave it to me in the first place"

Yoongi sighed, "To be honest it was actually Hoseok's. I was curious to know what it's for, so I gave it to you. I didn't realise you wouldn't tell me after you found out. Still, after all these years, you haven't told me! To think, I was the one who gave you the key in the first place". Yoongi grabbed a glass from under the bar and shoved some ice in it before filling it up with apple juice. He passed it to you as if to tell you that he still remembers that you're here.

Jimin rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you gave me the key because you were too lazy to figure it out on your own". 

"The point is, I need it. Where is it?" Yoongi looked somewhat anxious as he wiped down the bar for the third time. 

Jimin shrugs, reaching his arm over to take your drink from the table that you haven't touched.

It’s too sweet. He sipped it casually and looked over at you before landing his eyes towards Yoongi again. "I don't know, I threw it away, I found no use for it". 

Yoongi crossed his arms frowned, "that's bullshit, you are lying, and you know it, you've always been a bad liar". Yoongi then looks at you, your arms still crossed as you lay your head there, if they didn't know any better, they would have assumed you were asleep. Except you laid there, silently listening. 

Jimin then also frowns, "look I don't know what to tell you, it's been years since you gave me that thing. The truth is, I lost it." Jimin looks up at Yoongi but Yoongi scoffs. 

"So, you threw it away or lost it? Come on Jimin, just give it to me, I know you have it". Yoongi looked right through Jimin's eyes, you looked over at both of them, you could tell there was tension in the air. 

Jimin was silent and Yoongi sighed grabbing the drink that you obviously weren’t going to finish and pouring it into the sink before placing the glass in the dishwasher under the bar. 

Yoongi spoke quietly but you could tell that his words held a lot of weight, "Promise me". 

Jimin looked up, "I don't get why you are so obsessed with this key, I don't even have it!" 

"Promise me that you don't have it" Yoongi looked at him, his facial expression was the look of hurt more than anything. You could tell that there was more to this than what Yoongi was letting on. You sat there next to them, waiting for Jimin to spill the beans about giving the key to you.

Jimin was hesitant for a second before strongly responding, "I promise I don't have it." Yoongi stood there silent before nodding, mumbling a soft "sorry" under his lips before going back to cleaning the bar, even though he already finished. 

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"I can't believe you lied for me," You spoke as you walked around the dolphin tank outside, Jimin walking beside you.

"I didn't lie. I don't have it. You do." Jimin smiled at you brightly, although you could tell that something was bothering him. You both kept walking before Jimin looked at his watch, "I'm sorry I got to go, feel free to stay here as long as you want, Namjoon doesn't mind us staying after hours. Although you do realise our shift ended an hour ago, right?" Jimin smiled brightly as he looked down at you, his eyes shining in the moonlight. 

You chuckled, "Yes I knew, I just like your company. Thanks for being there for me. I haven't known you long, but you made me feel comfortable on my first day" You smiled, it seemed like you and Jimin were going to become really good friends. 

"I'll always be here Y/N... Anyways I'll see you at work tomorrow yeah? Have a nice night" Jimin waved goodbye and walked away. 

You sighed, reaching for the key from your pocket. 

"Might as well check it out while I still can?" You thought. 

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It was late, really late and you found yourself questioning Jimin's earlier statement about being allowed here after hours. You wandered through the halls of the aquarium, following the directions Jimin and Taehyung showed you last time, careful not to make any loud noises to gain any attention. 

The halls were cold, and you could hear were the sounds of your heels tapping against the hard floor. While walking, you felt your chest become heavy, looking around you started to hear weird sounds coming from the walls. You shrugged it off however, you've been in aquariums long enough to know that it could be anything and that it's never completely quiet. 

Finally reaching your destination you head down the metal steps. You've never been to this part of the building apart from when Jimin and Taehyung took you, you suppose it's for private personnel only. Continuing down the steps you reach the door to the moonpool, the sounds of water can be heard dripping and sloshing from behind. Inserting the keys and turning the metal handle you slowly walked inside. It was darker than the last time you saw it. What was surprising was the glow worms on the roof of the moonpool illuminating the moonpool and stone walls that surrounded it. You didn't see them during the day. They were beautiful.

Walking along the gravel towards the moonpool, you took off shoes your socks and placed your backpack next to the moonpool. You sat on the edge, dipping your legs in as you rolled up your pants, so they don't get wet. You closed your eyes, feeling the water reach up to your kneecaps. The water was lukewarm, and the smell of sea salt radiating off of it. 

What a long day. 

If you were being honest, all of this was too much for you. You never thought you would say this, but you miss home. You miss Marina's cooking and weirdly enough, you miss your mother. She hasn't called, even texted since you left. You felt like you thought this would be different, the people here are nice but every so often you get reminded about the flaws of this world, the treatment of animals, – the dolphin – the uneasiness you felt about Julie and her intentions. Even Jimin and Yoongi, you didn’t want to cause a fight between them because of some stupid key.

The water had suddenly started to turn cold, starting from your feet you feel a rush of icy water spread to your knees, eliminating any prior warmth you felt. The dripping stopped, the sloshing of the water halted. You opened your eyes curiously to see a figure from the other side of the moonpool staring right at you. You looked right in its eyes. Time stopped, and you could barely see anything else but the wide golden piercing gaze of the creature. You sat there frozen in place. You don't know how long you stayed like this for, but it took a while to realise what was happening. It didn't say a word, but you could tell by its knowing facial expression that it somehow knows who you are. Looking down in the now murky water you could see an outline of a human’s body, his muscles and broad shoulders prominent underneath the dark blue scales that stretched over its torso. You continued to examine the long outline of a tale - a big tale at that - with the front looking slimy however you could guess that the back of the tale was sharp enough to cut through any piece of flesh that it would encounter. One aspect of the creature that seemed almost beautiful were some parts of his scales that were brighter than others, acting as a highlighter around his cheekbones and arms. 

You didn't want to make any sudden movements, frightened that the creature would drag you under. Eat you. Kill you. You decided that it was now or never and spoke quietly under your breath, looking back up at its eyes that never left yours. "Hi, my name is Y/N". Your breath was shaky, and your lips were dry. 

"It probably can't even understand you," You thought to yourself. 

The creature stopped staring into your eyes and lowered its focus to your legs that were swaying in the water. You shivered, the cold air getting to you. Goosebumps appeared on your legs and arms and you could have sworn you sore the remnant of a smirk that appeared on its lips. 

You suddenly had an idea. 

Carefully, you looked up at the creature, "I'm just going to grab something out from my backpack, okay?" Slowly you stretched your arm out towards your backpack while maintaining eye contact with the creature. The creature stayed still, however you knocked something metal in your bag and it made a loud noise that echoed throughout the moonpool. The creature’s facial expression turned darker and it went full force towards you, grabbing your calves as it didn't let you go. It was close to your face, its golden eyes peering into yours as you could feel its grip and claws on your legs tighten, its body between your thighs leaning in on you. You breathed in slowly, feeling almost petrified, but somehow you knew the creature didn't mean any harm. It looked over at your hand that was inside your backpack. You waited a few seconds before slowly, lifting your hand out of the bag, to reveal a container of prawns that was meant to be your lunch today. 

The creature's grip loosened from your calves as it watched you open the container, taking a prawn before slowly reaching over to the creature's lips. One of its hands let go of your calf as it held your hand, guiding it towards its lips before it opened its mouth biting the prawns head off. You looked at the creature, a little startled. Its teeth were sharper than a normal human, like razors. In fact, you looked closely at the details of the creature's face, noticing the similarities to that of a human. Everything was the same except for the scales on the sides of his face, neck and on his cheekbones. The outline of his eyes was darker though, making his golden eyes brighter than usual. It had brown locks of hair, wet but you could see it was starting to dry. He resembled a male in his 20s.

He finished the prawn quickly and looked back at the container, wanting more. You spoke softly, "have more if you would like". 

He looked down at your hand and then back up at you as if it was asking you to feed him again. His grip on one of your calves was softer and you could feel his thumb running circles over your calf. You grabbed another prawn, reaching over to his lips as he was careful not to cut your fingers with his teeth as he ate the prawn. 

You sat there, feeding him the rest as he grew more comfortable around you. His hand reached out of the water towards the gravel next to your thigh as he spelled out the words "Jungkook" on the gravel. 

"Jungkook?" You questioned, "is that your name?". Jungkook looked up at you before placing his hand on your thigh. 

"Yes", he answered. Your eyes widen in shock, you didn't think he could understand you. You frowned and asked him curiously, "could you understand me this whole time?". 

He smirked slightly, "I'm not the best at this human language but yes, yes I could" He looked up at you, his eyes shining. You frowned, feeling a little messed around with since he could have at least answered you the many times you spoke to him. But then again you understood, he doesn't know you, and you don't know him. 

His grip on your calf and thigh tightened as he started to pull you in the water. You freaked, holding on to the edge of the moonpool. "Wait, wait, wait! I can't get these clothes wet and I uhh, have to get going soon..." Jungkook frowned but stopped pulling. He let go of you. 

"Promise me you'll come back?" He looked at you with a sad expression, lowering himself in the water. 

You looked down at him as you took your legs out of the water and grabbed your bag with your shoes and socks.

"I promise"

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AN: I know I haven’t updated, but I do really wanna update more. I feel like this chapter was a good one, give me some feedback? :)

tags:  @mjlock​

[shotofire]

Ethereal

Levi Ackerman x F!Reader

(Requested) I changed a small part of it, I hope you don’t mind anon.

Overview: Levi has an s/o who works at a flower shop

Warnings: Cursing, smut mention, age gap (legal of course), mentions of death

Season: Not specified, but I imagine it in the 1-2 range

-

Most knew about the flower shop by the name of Sweet Stems within the walls of Rose. It’s funny, really, to have that kind of shop behind a wall with the same name as a flower. It’s been in the same spot for years, selling the most vibrant and smell good flowers anyone has ever encountered. Business hasn’t been slow since day one, everyone adored the place.

Women grew up dreaming a boy would buy them beautiful flowers from the shop. It’s a vibrant spot on a world of grey and fear, and everyone wants a peice of it. Most felt as if they’ve stepped into another world once they’ve gone in, and that’s why Levi Ackerman loves it so much. He’ll sneak off during his free time just to smell the flowers and bask in their energy.

Sometimes Levi can’t stop himself from buying a bouquet, falling in love with how it makes him feel. His favorite are the purple lavender flowers, the smell reminds him of his mother. It brings him comfort and warmth to have them around, to smell them whenever his mind is struggling.

Everytime he goes it’s the same sweet old lady standing behind the counter with a smile. She has a strong liking for Levi, he reminds her of someone she once knew in her younger years. “My granddaughter is going to start helping me out, so I won’t always be here.” She’d said to him one day, but he didn’t think much into it. He assumed it would be a child trying to make extra money for toys.

Levi was pleasantly surprised when a beautiful women approached him on his next visit, asking him if he was in need of assistance. Honestly, calling the girl beautiful is an understatement. She’s absolutely breathtaking, and had Levi at a loss for words. Her eyes sparkled when she spoke, and a smile was on her face. “Are you a regular?” She’d asked once he’d come back a week later, buying the same lavender flowers as before. “Somewhat.”

There’s no denying the mans attractiveness. Even with the stone cold expression she can feel his warmth within. “I’m y/n, possibly the new store owner.” Her hand was held out for him to take, and he accepts it. “I’m Levi.” “Oh, my grandmother has told me about you,” her eyes light up, “she said that you’re a kind soul.” No one has ever referred to him as that, most found him extremely intimidating. It was refreshing to know someone didn’t see him that way.

Visit after visit Levi began talking to her more. Conversation wasn’t his strong suit, but her personality made it easy. Everything he said, even the most random things, somehow she could say something about it. “How come you only buy Lavender?” She’d asked him as he was checking out, and he froze up. The old women had never asked him that so he assumed the question would never come up.

She saw the way his body stiffened and immediately regretted asking. “I, um, i’m s-sorry, it’s none of my business. I just didn’t know if you were buying them for a possible girlfriend or something-“”They remind me of my mother.” He cut her off from her rambling. “She died when I was really young and the smell makes me remember things about her that age has taken away from me,” there’s a small smile on his face. As if talking about it somewhat makes him feel better. “That’s wonderful.”

There was no clarification of when the relationship started. Maybe it was when she’d closed up the shop and he’d kissed her under the moonlight. Or maybe it was in her bedroom when he’d stripped her bare and kissed every inch of her skin. There’s no denying they are a couple, and Levi is madly in love. He noticed early on that her smell changed with the day. Sometimes she’d smell of lily’s, violet’s, or tulips, but his favorite on her is orchids.

Being with someone in the survey corps is hard on the young girl, even if many have said Levi is the worlds strongest soldier. She’s witnessed the titans unruly actions and it scared her senseless. But it was too late to turn back, her heart was already smitten with his. Months went by of laughter and kissing, and getting to know one another.

Levi didn’t like talking about his profession, it was too dark for her light heart. She made him feel as if nothing bad could happen as long as he is with her. It didn’t take much convincing for her to get him to occupany her on a picnic. They laid there in a field of flowers, looking up at the clouds. “That one looks like a elephant,” she says, her eyes doing the beautiful sparkle that he loves. Seeing her like this made him feel all tingly.

“You’re ethereal.” Her head turned quickly to him, seeing the pure adoration in his face. “T-Thank you.” He always knew how to have her stumbling over her words. They stayed like that for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes. Levi was first to break the silence, “I love you.” That isn’t something he just says, honestly he doesn’t think he’s ever said it. Not even to his mother, not that he can remember. “I love you,” she said back with a growing blush. His lips are quick to attack to hers under the warmth of the sun.

His comrades noticed his growing absences. It’s not like the man needs training, he’s strong and skilled beyond most. Yet they still found it odd and wondered where he always ran off to. “Where are you going?” Hange asked while she stepped infront of him, blocking his way out. “Don’t worry about it.” He slipped underneath her arm that was pressed against the wall next to her, running off before he could be stopped.

“He wouldn’t tell me!” Hange says in a frustrated tone, hands flying in the air. Erwin is determined to know where the man is running off to just like Hange. “What if we followed him?” Hange asks. The commander knows it’s a total invasion of privacy, but he can’t help himself. And even if he doesn’t follow through Hange is going to anyway.

It’s a beautiful day and the sky is clearer than it’s been in weeks. As soon as Levi saw the bright sun above he knew it’s a perfect time to see y/n. It’s a Sunday so the shop is usually closed, so he’ll walk to her home only a block away.

You’d think the worlds strongest soldier might notice a pair of nosey friends following him. But his mind is set on her, and what’s infront of him. Hange and Erwin are close behind, but not too close, making sure to keep their distance as best as possible. They hide behind corners a few times to let Levi get more ahead.

The walk began to feel like forever to the prying two, then Levi begins to approach a small home decorated in vines and flowers. It looks straight out of a fantasy book, definitely not this mans type of scene. He looks out of place standing infront with a black jacket on his upper half and dark brown pants on his lower.

Levi knocks on the wooden door and Hange doesn’t even blink as she waits for it to open. She literally lets out the loudest gasp that has anyone nearby turning their heads to look. Erwin is about to thump the back of her head but he’s soon left speechless as well. The door has opened, and the beautiful girl Levi has grown so fond of wraps her arms around his neck and presses a kiss to his lips.

“There’s no fucking way,” Hange says as she rubs her eyes. “I’m dreaming right? I’m going to wake up soon.” She keeps letting out random phrases. Erwin is surprised too considering all his years he’s known the man. At this point the commander wasn’t even sure if Levi was interested in girls, or let alone people.

“She’s beautiful,” Hange says while inching closer. Erwin grabs her shoulders and pulls her back, “Remember we are not supposed to be here.” He can definitely agree that she’s beautiful, and obviously a bit younger than the captain. He wondered how a girl like her had even met Levi.

Hange can’t help but giggle at the sight of thr girl kissing Levi’s cheek as heat rises to his face. “Oh my gosh- he’s blushing! Have you ever seen Levi have that look on his face?” “I definitely have not.” The comrad’s felt as if they are looking at a whole different person. In a way they were, this is a different side of Levi that only comes out for y/n.

“I want to go say something, I don’t even care if it pisses him off,” Hange says and she moves too quickly for Erwin to stop her. “Hange, no! Fucking shit.” Shes next to the couple in an instant and Levi almost faints when he sees his friends face. “What the hell are you doing here?” Is the first thing he asks, with a wildly confused look in his eyes.

The beautiful mystery girl, to Hange and Erwin, looks at the stranger with equal confusion. She didn’t know of Levi’s comrades or even how living situations worked. “Erwin and I,” Hange motions to the commanders frame peaking around a nearby corner, “wanted to see where you’ve been sneaking off to for months, and now we know.” “So you guys invaded my privacy?”

Hange rolls her eyes at him instantly, “Whatever, we just wanted to make sure you weren’t doing some weird stuff.” She turns her attention to the unnamed person before her, “I’m Hange, a comrad of Levi’s, nice to meet you!” “I’m y/n.” The two shake hands. “And what are you to dear, sweet little Levi?” It takes everything in him to not yell at Hange to leave right now. “I, um, i’m, his girl- well-“ “She’s my girlfriend, so please don’t scare her off.” Weight comes off the girls shoulders as Levi answers for her.

As said before, the relationship has never been established. It hasn’t even been labeled. So to be asking her that infront of Levi she wasn’t too sure what to say. But Levi calling her his girlfriend makes her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. “Well i’ve gotten all the info I need, carry one.” Y/n definitely is beyond confused with what’s happening, and not used to Hange’s odd personality.

Before Hange can say anything else, or Erwin decides to but in, Levi is pushing y/n inside her home and slamming the door behind him. “Wha-“”Anywhere we go today my nosey comrades are going to follow,” there’s a dark look on his face, the same one he has that makes her knees weak, “so we are stuck inside.” Maybe it’s the annoyance with Hange and Erwin, or the fact that she looks stunning right now... little bit of both... but Levi just wants to get his hands on her.

His hands rest on her waist and she shivers, the slightlest touch feeling like waves. One hand trails up her waist, fingers pressing to the delicate skin of her neck. “I’m sorry they interrupted our day. Can I make it up to you?” She nods frantically and he smirks, “Use your words.” “Yes, please.” He immediately connects his lips to hers softly, slowly beginning to lead to her bedroom.

Today she smells of orchids.

[antiloreolympus]

7 Anti LO Asks

1. Do you know what really gets my blood boiling about this comic? Persephone and Demeter's relationship.

In the myths, Demeter and Persephone loved each other more than anything. Their reunion is so important - it marked the coming of spring and growth. A whole cult was dedicated to this for crying out loud. Yes, the myths were far from perfect, but the Persephone and Demeter myth showed the strength of a loving mother-daughter relationship with Demeter searching endlessly to find her child that was ripped away and had her innocence forcibly taken.

Now, RS is not the only author to make Demeter this over-bearing mother type in order to put more positivity onto the Hades-Persephone relationship. However, RS takes this trend to a whole new level - to the point where I would even consider it misogyny.

How is it, she takes this beautiful mother-daughter relationship and makes it out to be an abusive and controlling one, and then takes the Hades-Persephone relationship from a forceful one to a loving, perfect relationship with no problems? How is it ok to ruin one relationship to elevate another?

I understand that many versions of the myth try to downplay Hades' actions, and even make it so Persephone actually falls in love with him and there is no rape. But it doesn't change that this relationship was problematic, and meant to represent the loss of innocence.

Then fans have the gall to claim this comic is feminist and then claim on top of that that Demeter and Persephone's relationship was the same in the myth? These fans clearly don't know the myths, and neither does RS.

Making Hades a good person is fine. Changing it up a bit to make Persephone's loss of innocence something else is also fine. But ruining Demeter and Persephone's relationship? Especially when Persephone has to spend half the year with her? So horrible. 

2. im sorry, but rachel cant introduce KRONOS coming back and then dropping it for several episodes to focus on a stake-less trail and persephone not knowing what lingerie to seduce hades in. like thats too much of an earth shaking development and huge stake plot point to just ignore for months to focus instead on something as minor as hxp's relationship, which only points out a huge flaw: why is hxp's relationship so minor in this? isnt the whole point supposed to be about them?

3. I think LO completely dropped the ball over Hades’ characterization. 

From the first ep I thought ok, this is good, we have some bones to see he’s not that lucky in love and is just tired and lonely, and while ignoring the creepy actions towards Persephone, I thought ok, Artemis hates him, Hestia hates, even Ares hates him, maybe once Persephone finally sees the underworld and probably gets to know him it’ll be a clever twist and they’ll be proven wrong. The underworld will turn out to be fair and just, the citizens will love Hades, he’ll be revealed to be a good leader and king and not like his brothers, it’ll be like everyone saying Hades of myth isn’t actually that bad, and it’ll help reinforce why this sweet and bubbly Persephone wants him, she sees the real him, not the mean rumors and assumptions, this is perfect.

And then it just didn’t happen. The exact opposite happened, actually.

We’re shown the LO underworld is cruel and unjust, where the poor dead are forced into slavery and Hades created a harsh class divide with him and him only on top, the citizens hate him, the underworld gods don’t trust him and openly seem ok if he’s taken out of power, he’s not a good leader and king and doesn’t even want the job yet keeps it for his own ego and grip of power m, and on top of it all he is just like his brothers, if not worse. He loves to get violent over any little slight against him, he hoards wealth and resources to enrich himself while his citizens starve and struggle to survive, he’s corrupt, he controls all the media and laws to bend to his will, sleeps with his brothers wife for centuries behind his back while claiming to be holier than thou, he has sex with his secretaries who are made dependent on him for any way to survive, and now he lusts after his barely legal intern who is also now dependent on him for her way to survive, and that’s only what I remember off the top of my head.

LO perfectly set up to prove Hades isn’t the devil or the false pop culture assumption that he’s evil and to show some actual facts from myth, and yet Rachel only ended up reinforcing exactly that and even making him even worse with her made up ideas, all while thinking having Persephone ignore or excuse it somehow makes it not bad or even a good thing. It’s honestly kind of impressive just how bad of writing that actually is. 

4. Chapter 172 is not that interesting. It’s setup had me excited to see Hephaestus and Hera and learning more about echo, but it’s cut so short. Because again the story can’t leave HXP out for 2 seconds.

I can also see why Zeus is gonna go insane. 

5. i agree w/ other anon. LO should have pulled a PJO or a BoZ and just made up OCs and have them interact with the gods than whatever Rachel thinks shes doing, which is lying she's being accurate and faithful while completely changing all of it, removing what is needed, and adding what isnt so that it lines up with no actual myth besides like, various 50 shades fanfic she read in 2015 and some popular tumblr text posts.

6 . the animation studio behind blood of zeus literally can only draw one face for the men and one face for the women and they were still able to make the gods all look distinct and hot while LO can't even bother to use more than 6 colors and can only have the women look as tiny as possible with the biggest boobs while the men are all just lego men.

7. ////FP SPOILERS////

Okay so like I stopped reading LO way back before season 1 ended, and a majority of my knowledge of the series comes from what I read here on your blog which is enough for me lol and I decided to read the latest 5 chapters just to see what's up (on zahard. I refuse to give the actual series any views)

And I just. Could not take the whole scene with Daphne running from Apollo seriously? The anatomy and art inconsistency was so distracting that i genuinely could not find it serious. Even when Thanatos discovers her hibernated body I couldn't take it seriously because of how she looked?

And when Hades had that call (??? Was it a call? Or his inner dialogue? I couldn't really tell ngl) with Zeus and said he's causing Persephone unnecessary distress, and that she didn't pose any threat. B!tch??? She killed a ton of mortals??? She has no control over her powers???? She's literally a fugitive for the aforementioned things??? She apparently woke Kronos up? (Idk if anyone knows about that, again my knowledge only spans to whatever I read here) Hello????

And I have a lot to say about the chapters starting the trial but I'll only mention one thing; Hades saying "I don't think blindly supporting my little brother would be doing him any favours (as a ruler)" had me cackling. This is coming from a guy blindly supporting a girl he's literally only known for a few weeks, who's like what, only recently turned 20? Sit tf down Hades you're not cool, you creepy ass overgrown smurf.

Overall I still hate this series lmao. Regarding art though I feel like I wouldn't be so miffed about the anatomy much if the character designs were consistent and the story was compelling. They literally change hairstyles and body types frame by frame, and it's distracting.

The timeline from what I read here is laughable. 4 years in publication with almost 200 chapters and you're telling me only like a month has passed canonically. That's wild and such poor writing.

And as someone who literally will sympathise with any lead character pretty quickly, the story makes me hate them. It makes me want to root against them. I also hate the fact this trash is somehow top ranked on webtoons when so many other stories are far better then it.

Anyway, many thanks to this blog for existing and allowing me to dump so much text here to vent out my hate for this series lmao. You the mvp fam, hope you're having a good day 🥂🥂🥂

[pascalpanic]

“You can call me whenever you want… Even if you don’t have a reason to.” with Javi 😩 OR marcus moreno bc I think it fits him too

Personal Number (Javier Peña x f!Reader)

Summary: You’re lonely working as the American ambassador’s secretary. You miss the days of being down with the agents as a receptionist. At least you get to talk with Javier Peña on the phone somewhat often.

W/C: 1.5k

Warnings: language, brief mentions of sexual content. this is pretty tame.

A/N: I LOVE JAVIER. can you tell?? thank you for this idea Thea!!! I love it so much and I hope you like it too. Also, can you tell I like writing phone calls? I just think it’s so fun and a medium that isn’t covered super often.

it’s definitely not because I like not having to write about body language or action.

Javier Peña was a flirt. You knew that from the start, from the stories you’d heard from the other women around the embassy. He was cute, you admitted. Tight shirts and equally slim-fitting jeans, dark hair, lean and strong. He walked with power in his stance.

You liked him. He was a nice man, respectful. He flirted with everyone, but he never went too far. Sure, he’d slept with a solid chunk of the women who worked here, but he was supposedly a wonderful lover. His methods were unorthodox in the field, but he got what he needed. He was incredibly clever, setting up traps and getting information by any means necessary. You talked occasionally, when he’d stop by because you had a message for him at the receptionist desk. He was good for conversation. He liked the cinnamon candies you kept on your desk.

The other women talked with you more than he did. You and the other women chatted, ate lunch together. The rare female presence was much appreciated in such a testosterone-laden environment. You all got along well. Even compared stories of sleeping with certain agents, how their skills at finding the clit ranked, how snuggly they were after, how receptive they were to certain acts. It was fun.

Javier was a busy man. The phone on his desk rarely rang. If someone needed someone around the embassy, they went and talked to them in person. It was an excuse to get away from your desk, people figured. You rarely used the phone too, even as a receptionist. You’d answer calls when they came, but they were usually directed other places, with specific extensions. People here were more direct.

That was before you’d been appointed as the ambassador’s secretary. It was an honor. It meant you were good at your job. You’d taken it, bragging to the other girls over lunch. Everyone was excited for you.

The job, you found out, was dry. It consists most days of making phone calls. Stechner, Ambassador wants you. Ambassador? Stechner’s here. Yep. I’ll let him in. Hi, we’ll take three orders of arepas- sorry, yes sir? Scratch that, he wants four. And can you throw in a coffee- one second, yes sir? Got it- with four creams and two sugars.

You doodle on a notepad many days. You read newspapers or reports. You proofread memos for the ambassador before he sends them off to someone important. It’s draining and dry and you have to admit you hate it.

“Peña,” a voice answers the phone.

“Hi Javier. Are you busy?” You ask.

He smiles a little as he hears your voice, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “When am I ever around here?” He asks, and you chuckle.

“I know the feeling.”

The two of you had talked a few times before. He was nice enough, if curt. Usually, he was busy. People only came to you when they needed something as a receptionist, and now even more so as a private secretary.

“How’s the promotion treating you?” He asks. He’d heard word as he talked with others. Noticed your spot was empty for a day or two before being replaced by another woman. He missed the little candies you kept on your desk. You always kept cinnamon disks stocked in a separate jar from the seasonal candies for him.

“It’s… good,” you nod, drawing a little fish on your notepad. “Kind of feels like a demotion sometimes. It’s boring up here. And lonely. I miss being around to talk with people.”

“We miss you,” he admits with a smile. “You still keep those cinnamon candies on your desk up there?”

You shake your head, holding the phone between your ear and your shoulder. “No. Ambassador doesn’t like them, so I switched over. I did get some new fun caramel flavored stuff though.”

“Damn,” he chuckles.

“Would it make you come up here if I had them?”

“I may have to visit the ambassador more often if you did,” he teases, and you chuckle softly. “Poor little social butterfly, cooped up on the highest floor, away from humanity.”

“I do feel like Rapunzel some days,” you sigh, still smiling. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. I was supposed to ask if you were busy for the ambassador, not for myself. He wants to see you if you have a minute.”

“Yeah, I’ve got time. Right now?”

“Right now.”

You can hear shuffling on the other end. “Let me put my signature on one more paper and I’ll be up.” He hangs up and you sigh. There was the most interaction you’ll get for the day.

-

It seems that the closer the men get to Escobar, the more the ambassador needs to see Murphy and Peña. You don’t mind. The two men are funny, and the way they interact makes you smile.

Peña talks to you more than Murphy. Steve is more likely to go outside to smoke, while Javier smokes at his desk. That means you dial him more often simply because there’s a higher probability he’s at his desk. Not because you enjoy talking with him more.

The two men had picked up on calling you Rapunzel. Your energy and excitement was draining day by day, and they compared your new position outside of the ambassador’s office, high on the top floor of the embassy, to Rapunzel’s tower.

You playfully called them Javi and Stephen in return to annoy both of them. It didn’t work on Javier. It turned out he liked that, and you could tell by the way his voice softened. So you kept that.

“Peña.”

“Guess who?” you ask dryly, tapping your pen against your notepad.

The man chuckles. “You must be having an exciting day up there. I can hear it in your voice.”

“Ha.” The word is humorless and flat. “Ambassador wants to see you two.”

Javier groans. “Kind of busy.”

“Well, I’ll tell him that,” you nod and write down on a legal pad- separate from your doodling pad- Peña busy. 11:30. “How are things going down there today?”

“Annoying. Steve is a pain in my ass- hey, shut the fuck up,” you can hear him say even as he removes the receiver away from his phone. You giggle at that, smiling as he speaks again. “Sorry. Can you guess who that was?”

“What was he saying this time?” You ask, twirling the cord to the phone around your finger.

“Nothing,” he insists, but you can hear Murphy shouting. Some message he’s trying to get to you.

“Well, alright. Call up when you’re less busy,” you ask him and hang up.

You really want to know what Murphy was going on about. You dial his desk and he picks up. “S’this Rapunzel?” A southern accent twangs.

“Of course,” you chuckle. “What were you shouting into Javi’s phone?”

“Oh, nothing. Oh, hey, wait,” he says, pulling the phone down and pressing it to his chest. You can hear the muffled voices of the two men, but not what they’re saying. He puts it back to his ear quickly after. “Anyway, it’s nothing. We’ll call you back when we’ve got a minute to come up.”

Odd, you think, before going back to your work on your desk.

-

The phone rings again an hour later. “Ambassador’s office,” you say with a gentle lilt to your voice.

“Hey, Rapunzel,” a kind but rough voice speaks through the phone. Javi.

“Hey,” you chuckle a little. “You guys ready to come up?”

“Uh, no, not yet. But I do want you to write something down for me.”

“Anything,” you nod, priming your pen above the piece of paper.

Javier rattles off ten numbers, and you diligently write them down on the paper. You repeat it back and he affirms that it’s correct. “Got it. What is it?”

“It’s my personal phone number.”

“Javi, the ambassador already has your phone number.”

“No, I know. It’s for you.”

Oh. Your heart flutters excitedly in your chest, causing you to let out a soft giggle.

“I like talking with you. Our phone calls are the highlight of my day. You can call me whenever you want… even if you don’t have a reason to. I just… like hearing your voice. I like you.”

You clutch the paper, grinning ear to ear. “Well, I like you too, Javi. I’ll be using this,” you assure him, looking down at it and beaming. “Now, you said you’re busy. Get back to work.”

“Yes ma’am. See you in a bit.”

Click. Dial tone. Your heart fills with sparks and little fireworks, sending you into a loud laugh of excitement.

The thick oak doors swing open. The ambassador looks at you with concern. “Everything alright out here?” He asks you.

You nod, biting your lip and looking down to hide your grin. “Yeah, yeah. Great, sir. Peña and Murphy aren’t ready yet. They’ll be up later.”

The man gives you a nod and closes the door behind him.

The grin returns. You trace the freshly-dried ink, the nine numbers that will connect you directly to Javier at any time you want. You pull your contact book from your purse, sitting beneath your desk, flipping to a clean page.

Javier Peña, you write.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

personal number

You go back and draw a small heart next to his name.

[storiesforallfandoms]

sister’s approval ~ machine gun kelly

word count: 1415

request?: yes!

“Machine gun Kelly x female reader. The reader is Kells younger sister who’s a singer and who’s really close to kells. When kells and Megan start dating people start saying how Megan is trying to push her out of kells life, trying to make kells forget about his sister even though Megan and kells sister immediately became best friends when kells introduced them. She finally has enough of people saying stuff about Megan and she posts on social media saying that she’s tired of people saying stuff that isn’t true and that her and Megan are best friends and she doesn’t hate Megan and that she’s really happy that her brother found someone as amazing as Megan. Please and thank you”

description: in which the tabloids are trying to paint her brother’s girlfriend as a bad person, so she decides to set the record straight

pairing: machine gun kelly x sister!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist (one, two)

She ran right past her brother and immediately tackled his girlfriend instead. Megan chuckled and hugged (Y/N) back as Colson watched with amusement.

“Good to see you too, sis,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re cool I guess,” (Y/N) said, waving Colson’s comment away. “We both know I’m here for Megan.”

“Weird, I thought you were here to record a song with me.”

“That’s like the side quest, the main mission is Megan.”

Colson rolled his eyes. (Y/N) made her way to his home studio, basically making herself at home in his house.

Despite both of them being in the music business for over 10 years, neither of the Baker siblings had ever done a song together. With the production of his next album, Colson insisted that (Y/N) made a feature on the album. She said yes on the condition that they both kept it an absolute secret until it was released to which Colson agreed.

(Y/N) threw herself down onto the couch in Colson’s home studio and pulled her songwriting notebook from her bag. “I have a few different verses written just because when I started writing I couldn’t stop. You choose one that sounds best with the rest of the song.”

“I’m sure all of them would work.

“Yeah but we can’t do a six verse song, that’s just too long. Pick one and I’ll use the others for a different song.”

Colson took the notebook and read through the verses. (Y/N) took her phone to look through social media while he read them. Megan was sat next to her, sending each other 8 Ball games back and forth between social media sessions.

After scrolling through Instagram for a while, (Y/N) switched to Twitter to find her own name trending. Confused, she clicked it to find an article at the top of the trend. The title read: “MGK blows off sister again! The rapper stands up (Y/N) for Megan Fox yet again”, accompanied by a picture of (Y/N) sat alone outside of a restaurant.

She didn’t have to read the rest of the article to know it was bullshit. The picture was of (Y/N) waiting on a friend outside the restaurant, not Colson, and the headline was so false that (Y/N)’s hands started to shake.

“(Y/N)? You good?”

Colson’s voice brought (Y/N) out of her enraged trance. She looked up to see him and Megan looking at her, expectantly.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she responded. However, another brief glance at her phone brought her anger back. “Actually, no, I’m not. I’ll be right back.”

She got up and walked out of the studio. She went to the living room, far enough away that she knew they wouldn’t be able to hear her as she filmed her video.

The press had been trying to pin (Y/B) and Megan against one another since she and Colson started dating. (Y/N) and Colson had always been close, but once Colson started dating Megan, the paparazzi started taking pictures of just the two of them or just (Y/N), totally ignoring the fact that (Y/N) was constantly posting pictures and tweets about Megan, and that all three of them spent time together often.

(Y/N) had had enough of the lies and the clickbait just to make Megan and Colson look like bad people. She was about to set the record straight, whether people wanted to hear it and believe it or not.

She switched her phone to Instagram again and went to her story. She held her phone up so that she was framed perfectly in the shot and held down on the button to begin recording.

“Hey everyone! I just wanted to address something really quick,” she started. She held the phone out so that the camera would pick up the background. “You see this behind me? This living room I’m in? This is Colson’s living room, because I am in Colson’s house. I am here spending time with him and with Megan, as I do almost every day. I am bringing this up because I just saw yet another article trying to make it out as if Colson has stopped spending time with me due to Megan. These articles are nothing but clickbait and lies to try and grab reader’s attention, especially the attention of my fans.

“Colson and I have not had any sort of falling out. There are no ill wishes from me towards Megan, and vice versa. In fact, Megan is my best friend. I like her more than I like Colson. And no, Colson has not stood me up or dumped me for Megan. Does he like to have his alone time with her? Of course! All couples do! But we still spend time together and we still talk to one another. There’s no bad blood between any of us. To the tabloids that have been spewing this bullshit for nearly a year now, I’d like for you all to kindly and politely shut the fuck up and move on. If I keep seeing this slander about my family, I will not hesitate to take legal action. To any of my fans who actually believe this and are sending hateful messages to Colson and Megan, I also beg you to stop. They are my family, and by hurting them you are hurting me. Whether you choose to believe this video or not is totally up to you, but this is the truth. All three of us, we’re a family. So fuck off of my family.”

(Y/N)’s hands were still shaking as she pressed “post”. She watched the videos load one by one before they were all posted to her story. The moment they went up, the views came flooding in, as did the positive messages. Many of her fans sent her private messages in response to the story, telling her they were sorry that she and Colson had to deal with that and assuring her that the real fans knew there was no ill intentions between the three of them.

Satisfied that she had finally gotten that off her chest, (Y/N) went to Colson’s kitchen and poured herself a glass of water before going back to the home studio. As she walked through the door, both Colson and Megan’s heads turned to look at her.

“Did you guys want water, too?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“You could’ve told us you were going to film that video,” Colson said. “We could’ve addressed the rumors, too.”

(Y/N) sighed and took her spot on the couch again. “I know that, but I felt like it had to be me addressing it. I was the one being made out to be a victim. If you guys said anything before I did, everyone would just think you’re trying to cover your own asses. You can make statements if you want, but I felt like I had to be the first one to speak up about this.”

“She’s right,” Megan agreed. “If we came out about it first it would just be fuel to the tabloid’s fire. Although, I don’t think we should have to make any sort of statement about it. The fact that anyone believes that shit makes no sense to me.”

“People like to demonize celebrities they don’t like,” (Y/N) responded. “Whether it’s true or not. Chances are that video will be taken out of context to fit their agenda, but whatever. I said my piece, I’m moving on.” She nodded to her notebook in Colson’s hand. “Did you choose a verse?”

Colson looked down at the notebook before passing it back to (Y/N). “They’re all really good, so I thought maybe, instead of one single, we do an entire album together.”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? Like you actually wanna do that?”

Colson nodded. “Yeah! I think it’ll be a fun surprise to both of our fanbases, and it’ll definitely make up for the last ten years where we haven’t worked together.”

(Y/N) was basically bouncing with excitement. “Oh my God, this album is gonna be so fucking awesome! We should give it a really cheesy name, like Baker’s Dozen.”

“No,” Colson said.

“Yes!” Megan retorted.

“Two against one, it’s being called Baker’s Dozen,” (Y/N) decided. She and Megan high fived while Colson buried his head in his hands and let out a groan.

[nerdflash]

Lights, Camera Action

A/N: Here’s the second part of the Lights, Camera, Action series. You can find Part One here

Synopsis: Tom Holland x Fem! Reader. You’ve started developing feelings for Tom on the set of his new film. On a day off, you receive a message, that makes you question if he is flirting with you.

Word Count: 1.6k

Mentions: Alcohol and alcohol use, lousy ex boyfriends, men being players and social media.

PART TWO - Mixed Messages

You’re not sure what time it is when your room mate wakes you up leaving the apartment, but you mutter a curse word and reach for your phone to check the time. Even though it’s 10am you’re still feeling wiped out after getting home around 4am but you know you won’t be able to get back to sleep now you’ve looked at your phone. Vanessa has sent you a message, you click on it and smile.

“He asked me out on a third date! He asked ME!! Fancy going for a few drinks later and I can fill you in on all the details?” 

“Sure, I have an apartment viewing at 2pm but free after that. Let me know where, I don’t want to show up looking casual, if you’re in one of your dressing up moods! ;)” 

A few seconds later your phone pings with a reply.

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?! Fine, let’s meet at The Varnish around 7pm. Dress code smart casual!” 

“See you later! I can’t wait to hear about your date! <3”

You roll on to your side and reach down to plug your phone charger in. Time for a social media binge before you get out of bed. You scroll through Facebook and reply to a couple of messages to friends back home. This would be the longest amount of time you’d spent away from home, but when you’d been offered the job to coordinate on a feature film, you couldn’t turn it down. You’d had to say goodbye to everyone you loved, knowing you wouldn’t be able to see them for around 8 months, but Vanessa had become a firm friend fast. She was also proving to be a great mentor and had helped you learn so much more.

You click on instagram and are scrolling through, when you see that Tom has uploaded a photo. He’s sat reading through a script and the caption reads “Can’t wait for you guys to see what I’m working on. I hope you like it.” 

You smile as you scroll through the comments and see nothing but support and excitement for Tom from his fans. Quite a fair number declaring their love and apparent attraction to him. You lick your lips and decide to leave a comment. You’re fairly sure he gets that many notifications and comments, he probably won’t even notice it, right? Besides, he doesn’t even know you have instagram.

“They’re going to love it, because you’re much better than you give yourself credit for Mr Holland.” You hit send and decide to face the day, but first coffee. You switch on your Spotify playlist and head into the kitchen, thankful that you don’t have to make small talk with your horrible room mate and her horrible “boyfriend” Soon the kitchen smells of freshly brewed coffee and you’re feeling excited about a bit of a girls night tonight. Your phone pings with a notification.

You click on the screen and are taken to the Instagram app, you feel your palms break out in a sweat when you see that Tom has started following you. You click on the inbox and see a message from Tom. Letting out a little yelp of surprise, you throw your phone on the side as though it’s burnt you.

You pace back and forth for a moment before reaching for the phone and taking a deep breath. You open the message.

“You don’t have to call me Mr Holland on your day off! ;)” 

In spite of the nerves running through you, you can’t help but laugh.

“I don’t have to call you Mr Holland at all…” You hit send and bite your lower lip as you see that Tom is typing something back.

“True...But I kind of like it when you do… Anyway, I should let you get back to sleep right? :P”

Something warm travels deep within you and you realize that you have crossed a line now, where you no longer see Tom as a friend and a work colleague, but someone who you want to spend time with, someone you want to learn more about and give him reasons to smile and be happy. You want to reply with every cell of  your being, but you decide you’ll talk to Vanessa first. She’d noticed that you and Tom spent alot of time talking between takes weeks ago, when she’d asked you about it she’d known by the colour of your cheeks that you had developed a crush on Tom.

Whilst she technically shouldn’t encourage anything, in order to maintain a professional environment on set, she also said that the two of you looked good together and if anything was to happen, then there were some legalities with HR that would need to be sorted but it wasn’t against the law, you wouldn’t lose your job and that she would like ALL the details if anything happened.

You shoot her a quick text.

“Can we meet a bit earlier? Say around 4pm? I need some advice!”

“Of course, are you ok?”

You smile at her concern and reply

“I need to talk about Tom and get your thoughts on a message he sent me!”

“I’ll be there...I want to know everything!”

-

You smile over at Vanessa and pick up your glass.

“Cheers to you and your very successful second date. It sounds like he really likes you Vanessa.” The woman sat opposite you smiles and takes a sip of her drink, a shy smile on her face. Vanessa was so confident at work and amazing at her job, but for some reason, she’d seemed to have dated a lot of losers and in turn, it had made her not be as confident in herself. But she was beautiful, smart and successful, and honestly, this guy did seem really nice.

“You think so?” You nod your head and put your hand on her arm.

“Of course, I mean he kissed you and asked you on a third date, which involves cooking for you. Please. He’s smitten!” Vanessa smiles at you and clinks her glass against yours before taking a sip and sitting back in her seat.

“So...Tell me about this message from Tom.” You fill Vanessa in on a bit of the backstory about how he’d told you he doubted his talent and the name you use to tease him with. You show her his message and watch as she reads. 

“He is totally flirting with you!” Vanessa looks at you. “The way he says he kind of likes it when you call him Mr Holland!” She raises her eyebrows at you and wiggles them, causing you to laugh.

“But, what if he’s just a flirty person and it doesn’t mean anything?” You shrug your shoulder knowing this must be the only explanation because there’s no way Tom Holland could be flirting with you. Vanessa shakes her head and looks thoughtful.

“No, I don’t think so. Usually guys who are just flirty with everyone, tend to keep their comments private because they want to play multiple girls at once without them knowing about the others existence. You need to post a selfie or a hot pic of yourself and see if he comments.”

Your eyes widen at her suggestion. “A selfie? I don’t know. What if he doesn’t comment? I feel like it’s going to be worse if he doesn’t because then I’ll feel extra stupid for flirting with him.” Vanessa looks at you sternly.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You need to make sure he has no choice but to comment. Come on.” She stands up and grabs your hand and leads you over to a wall decorated with flowers, she orders another two drinks from a passing waiter and reaches into her bag. 

“What are you doing?” You ask, as she takes out some setting powder and starts wiping gently across your head and down your nose. 

“Getting you ready for a photo.” You sigh, unsure of what to say. She tells you to put some more lipstick on, so you oblige and shake out your loose curls. Vanessa adjusts them over one shoulder, and pulls one of the straps of your dress down.

“Again, what are you doing?” You reach for the strap but Vanessa swats your hand away.

“Leave it. Trust me, right now hold your drink in this hand, and look that way.” You sigh and roll your eyes.

“I feel ridiculous!” Vanessa laughs and snaps a photo.

“But you look amazing! Ok, stop frowning on this one. Smile….Y/N smile...No, you look like your cringing. Is it hard to smile because you’re British?” And you don’t know why, but this makes you genuinely laugh out loud. Vanessa walks over to you after a few moments, looking pleased.

“Here!” She passes you her phone and you look at the photo, feeling somewhat pleasantly surprised. Your smile is genuine and the way she’s framed the photo, makes it look as though your laughing at someone you’re looking at off camera. The fallen dress strap brings attention to your neck and clavicle, which kind of gives it a sexy vibe. 

“Ok I’m impressed. Send it to me?” Vanessa smiles and takes her phone back. You save the photo on your phone and bite your lip wondering if this is a good idea. Your friend shakes her head and looks you in the eye.

“Come on, post it. You look amazing!” In spite of your nerves you smile and decide to post the photo with the caption.

“Blowing off some steam after a long week at work! Photo credit to my girl @VCullenLA”

You look at your friend “Now what?” She smiles and leads you to the bar.

“More drinks!” And you think nothing more of the photo.

[fineillsignup]

hey guys I have more anger about the Mr. Love Queen's Choice situation

I don't mind people who choose to continue playing, but when people start simping for the company and act like we have to understand and condone what Elex and PG is doing... no, just no. I've lived in China and Taiwan in the past, I speak Chinese, also, so don't tell me I'm ignorant of the complexity of the situation either. It's not one thing. It's how kneejerk they fired Jonah, without giving him any chance in advance to take down the Tweet and apologize; it's how they scrubbed the content out, content that many people had spent money to acquire; it's how they've since then deleted that initial Tweet but refuse to say anything, disrespecting their customers of the global server who have spent money on their product and deserve timely explanations for it being taken away. They could have ignored what Jonah Scott did and their Chinese fanbase's complaints like they are currently ignoring our complaints, but they didn't. That should show you how they rank their international customers vs their Chinese customers. Chinese customers get immediate action; we get ignored.

I'm speaking as someone here who has spent money on the game and who got the Victor SP wedding card; I have a moral right to be mad that they bungled the fuck out of this, whatever the reason for them firing Jonah Scott.

The TOS means that we don't have any legal recourse other than stopping playing (and stopping paying); and some of you people want to act like we're being unreasonable to do that?!

This is a game, it's just a game! There are so many other mobile games, so many other forms of entertainment, and there's going outside and standing in the goddamn sun or rain or snow. We don't have to put up with a game company that has started treating its voice actors and players poorly, not even because their government is fucked up. Too bad so sad, Elex and PG! I guess you can't compete on the international marketplace against game companies from other countries that understand tolerance. That's NOT MY PROBLEM.

tl;dr fuck the whole idea of simping for companies, goddamn. they are NOT YOUR FRIENDS