#You can tell I missed ren by how much this made me laugh

[bmblboop]

Jaune: How old is [Oscar/Ozpin]?

Nora: You mean in normal years, or possessed-by-an-ancient-immortal years?

Jaune: ...Is that like, dog years?

Ren: *ImSurroundedByIdiots sigh*

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic 1210: Gardening with Mr. Xiao Long (RWBY)

2:41 p.m. The Xiao Long Cabin's Backyard........

'Cling'

Oscar: ('Phew') (Uses his Arm to Wipe the Sweat Off his Forehead While Panting and Holding onto the Stick Part of the Shovel He Placed Next to the Now Slightly Shaded Garden) Okay! I think....That's everything.....for now.....

Tai: (Chuckles Lightly) Hey now, don't get tired on me just yet there, kiddo! I thought you're used to this kind of work.

Oscar: (Turns to his Girlfriend's Father) I am. Heck, I'm all for doing more of it nowadays, but not in this level of heat capacity. It's unbearable!

Tai: That's the Summer Heat for ya. It's so hot that it could make even most strongest willed warriors worn out after a while.

Oscar: Yeah, but did it really have to be here now? It's not even technically Summer yet!

Tai: (Smiles More Sheepishly) True, but it.....practically already start the moment the first day of June came around, so.....

Oscar: ('Sigh') You're not wrong there. The road was already filled with traffic before Ren brought me here.

Tai: (Shrugs) Eh. The roads are always busy in Patch, no matter the season- (Forms a Cheeky Grin) Or Weather the forecast~

'Badum Tssss'

Oscar: (Eyes Widened Before Slowly Turning his Head to Taiyang) Was that pun you made just now?

Tai: Yep! Been a long while since I've made one believe it or not, so I gotta make up for lost times. 'Less I wanna be pass my- (Points and Shows Off his Watch) time! (Chuckles Some More)

Oscar: ('Sigh') You are definitely Yang's father alrght.....

Tai: Hey, if you can stomach through my little firecracker's puns on a daily, you can handle a few of mines as well. (Wraps his Arm Around Oscar's Shoulder) Now, come on, let's head back in and get away from this heatwave before it gets even more un-BEAR-able! (Let's Out a Single Laugh Before Walking Himself and Oscar Back to the House) I still got it.

Oscar: (Oh god. He really is the King of Corny Dad Puns......)

Inside of Xiao Long's Cabin............

Tai: (Pouring a Two Glasses of Cold Lemonade for Both Him and Oscar) Thanks again for helping me take care of the garden out there, Oscar. There's no way I would've gotten everything done alone in that heat. (Hands Oscar his Drink)

Oscar: (Smiles Softly) It's no problem at all, Mr. Xiao Long. As exhausting as today was, I'm glad we got the chance to spend time together today at least. You're a pretty good company to have around. (Takes a Sip of his Drink)

Tai: (Smiles Brightly) Likewise, kiddo! Better be careful now. (Forms a Playful Smirk) We wouldn't want the girls thinking I'm stealing you away from them.

Oscar: ('Scoffs') Please. As if those two would ever get mad at their dad, let alone over me of all people.

Tai: (Takes a Sip of his Lemonade) I dunno. You seem like a pretty lovable guy for people to protect and fight tooth and nail over.

Oscar: That's true. I can't begin to tell you how many legs Nora broken trying to kept me from getting killed in battle......

Tai: (Chuckles Lightly) Is that right? I take it her and Pyrrha playing the mother hens these days?

Oscar: Yep. They can be a bit much at times, but I still love 'em regardless. Jaune and Ren too. They're all are amazing to have around.

Tai: Good! I'm happy life been treating you a whole lot better these days, especially after all the crap you all had to endure.

Oscar: ('Sighs Heavily') You said it. To this day, it still surprises how far I've come to here, with and without Ozpin's help.

Tai: You ever missed having him around?

Oscar: Sometimes. We never see eye-to-eye in a few instances, but it was nice to have him around inside my head until the very end, especially when we're both at the lowest we've been in our lives.

Tai: (Smiles Softly) I'm glad you two got along throughout all of it. That man has been a tortured soul for as long as i knew him, which made sense to me why he doesn't trust people as easily as either of us do these days.

Oscar: ('Sigh') Yeah, that's been a century issue believe it or not. B-But he had gotten better at it overtime! Even more so when everyone stop being angry and gave him one more chance, despite their trust in him weren't the same as it was before. (Sighs Once More) But regardless, I'm just glad he's finally resting in peace now.

Tai (Happily Nodded in Agreement) As he should.

Oscar and Taiyang raise their glasses of lemonade towards one another before taking another sip of their respective drinks.

Tai: ('Sighs Relaxingly') You know, Ruby's been talking about you quite a lot these days.

Oscar: She has?

Tai: Yeah. Way before you two started dating. I mean, she talks a lot about her and your friends as well, but....not exactly in a way she does on you, if you catch my drift.

Oscar: I- (Raises an Eyebrow a Bit in Confusion) think so?

Tai: Like, how happy you've made her and how you've inspired her to better herself as huntress and person and what have you.

Oscar: Ohhh! Okay, gotcha. (Chuckles a But Before Rubbing The Back of his Head and Putting on a More Sheepish Smile) I honestly feel like she inspired me a lot more if anything. Can't imagine what my life would've been like if Oz didn't convinced me to go meet her and the others in Mistral.......

Tai: (Casually Shrugs) I'm sure you two would've met under different circumstances. (Smiles Brightly) Even then, there wouldn't be any doubt in my mind that you two would be a perfect match for one another.

Oscar: (Stares at Taiyang For a Brief Second Before Happily Bowing his Head to Him) Thank you, sir. I'm not as strong as Ruby, at least when it comes to combat, but I promise I'll continue to keep her safe.

Tai: You don't have to the strongest in the globe to try and look after her, yoi know? You're a team, partners in crime busting. You really think Ruby gonna let you fight on your own at your very lowest?

Oscar: No, she would beat 'em down in a bloody pulp if anyone dares lay a finger on me. Her words.

Tai: (Burst Out Laughing) Exactly! She'll always have your back and you'll always have hers, even when she'll propose to you on the spot one of these days!

Oscar: Pretty sure that's too early to- Wait. (Raises an Eyebrow Again) You think Ruby will propose before me?

Tai: (Forms a Cheeky Grin) I believe so, yes~ Girl's loves you way too much not to at this point. Especially since she takes under her mother, Summer.

Oscar: She proposed to you in the past?

Tai: Oh yeah. Night out under the stars, in the middle of the forest. (Starts Snickering) She quickly swept me off my feet and kissed me the very moment I said "Yes". That was like the most romantic thing she'd done yet!

Oscar: (Chuckles Lightly) Oho she is definitely Ruby's mom alright.

Tai: What? She swepts you off your feet too?

Oscar: More times than I can could.

'Door Opens'

WE'RE HOOOOOOME!~

Oscar: (Sighs as He and Tai Turns to See Two Very Familiar Faces Entering the Room) Speaking of which.......

Tai: (Smiles Brightly at his Two Daughters, Ruby and Yang) Hey there, ladies! How was your mini patrol today?

Yang: (Rolls her Eyes a Bit) As uneventfully time wasting as you can imagine.

Ruby: Yeah, they weren't any sight of Grimm anywhere so they let us come back home early. Which is great- (Rushes Over and Hugs Oscar Very Lovingly) Cause we missed you like crazy, honey!~

Yang: (Gently Ruffles the Top of Oscar's Hair With a Bright Smile) Hope you and dad had a great time at home together today. He wasn't boring you too much, was he?

Oscar: Nah. Not really. He was cool enough to make us both lemonade after I helped him take care of his garden and whatnot.

Tai: (Forms Another Cheeky Grin) I'm a good company in his eyes. Possibly better you girls are.

Yang: ('Playfully Scoffs') Please. I'm a FAR more funner company for him than you'll be, old man.

Ruby: (Starts Pouting at her Sister and Father) Um hello! Girlfriend in the room! I'm clearly the most superior company he ever has around here!~

Yang: Over Nora? I don't believe it.

Tai: Yeah, that kind seems far fetched there, kiddo.

Ruby: (Comically Glares at the Two) IS NOT!!

Oscar: Guys, guys, you ALL are amazing company to me. Now cool already.

Yang: (Points at Ruby) I will once she's brave enough to pop the question~

Ruby: (Turns to Yang) Hey! I'll put a ring on his finger one of these days, quit rushing me!!

Tai: (Watches the Girls Bicker Along with a Flustered Oscar) Well, whaddya know? (Gives Oscar a Bit of a Cocky Like Smirk) I was right on the money this hole-time~

'Bada Tssssss'

Oscar: (Gives his Future Father in Law a Deadpinned Look) Don't start. (Turns Back to his Girlfriend) Hey Ruby, I have a surprise to give you if you shimmer down a bit.

Ruby: (Growling at Tongue Sticked Out Yang Before Quickly Turning Back to Oscar) ('Gasps') You do? Truly?

Oscar: Yeah. (Gets Himself Up From his Seat) It's not much, but consider this a token for your hardwork as a huntress- (Gives Ruby a Kiss on the Cheek Before Turning Away, Blushing and Smiling a Little) As well as being the best girlfriend I could ever ask for~

Yang: (Clasps her Hands Together in Awe) Awwww~ That's so sweet~

Tai: (Chuckles Lightly) And very gentleman like!~ That kid's a real keeper, Ruby.

Ruby: (Giggles Softly While Blushing as Well) You darn right he is!~ (Hugs Oscar Again) How bold of you to kiss me in front if my dad like that, Mister Farm Boi!~

Oscar: (Shrugs) Yeah, well, it took every nerve in my body to even think about doing this. Don't expect this to be a recurring thing.

Ruby: Don't worry, I won't. (Forms a Mischievous Grin on her Face) Buuuuuuuuut~

Oscar: Oh god, what is it?

Ruby: Given that you've been so kind as to bond and help my dad with gardening, I think it's right that I return a favor, no?~

Oscar: Yeah, sure, if that's what you wanna- DO!? (Immediately Gets Swept Off His Feet by Ruby)

Ruby: (Happily Carrying Oscar in a Bridal Carry) Of course!~ (Looks Down at Oscar With a More Flirtatious Smirk on her Face) Now brace yourself and plucked up~ (Ignite her Kissy Fury Upon Oscar's Freckled Face)

Oscar: (Chuckles Ticklishly by Ruby's Love and Affection) Rubyhehehe!~ Not in front of your familyhe!~

Yang: (Let's Out a Bit of a Playful Grossed Out Noise While Watching the Couple's Antics Along with Her Father) ('Ugh') Young love.

Tai: (Smirks at Yang) Oh and like you haven't done the same to Blake.

Yang: Hey, at least we had the common decency to do it closed doors. Those two have no shame at all!

Tai: Just like your mother and I~

Yang: Summer or Raven?

Tai: ...............Yes.

Yang: (Sighs While Rolling her Eyes) Barf.

Tai: Hey, you asked!

Yang: And I'm regretting it as we speak! (Turns Back to Taiyang) Get off my freaking back!!

Tai: Twerp!

Yang: Old Fart!

Tai and Yang glare at each other for a few seconds before they start breaking down laughing.

Yang: ('Sigh') But no seriously though, dad. I'm glad you like Oscar.

Tai: (Smiles Softly as He Wrap his Arm Around his Elder Daughter's Arm) I am too, Yang. He's a really good kid and so long as he keeps my girl happy, that's good enough for me. Though I do wish he would appericate my puns a lot more. I'm getting desperate here.

Yang: (Gently Pats her Dad on the Back) He'll come around to them eventually.

Happy Father's Day!!!

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

@bestpony666

@maripr

@rwbyrosegardenweek

[mj-102009]

Queen of Chaos (Gojo x oc Part Four)

Masterlist for previous parts

dw this hasn't been abandoned lol Enjoy---

Megara had no regrets.

Gojo was an egotistical ass that needed to be humbled; and his buddy Geto was getting close to the same point. Shoko just had pretty privilege.

She will say however, that the way he called her a curse and spat out the term– stung a little. Geto was morbidly curious about the feeling of her going through his arm; this was just flat concerning. But Yaga’s pride and faint grin made up for it all.

Much later in the safety of her quarters, Ren thumbed over the rim of her phone and stared at the empty wall.

‘-a rare opportunity for the Ren family; you should be grateful.”

‘Play your cards as I’ve taught you Megara.’

‘Don’t acknowledge that bitch.’

“You’re a fool for thinking those dimwits could keep me down for long.”

Megara refused to move her stare from the wall, Yasha’s figure stood in the corner of her vision. The curse’s voice was smooth and drew every word out with a melodic lit.

The curse was attractive for her kind; She was tall with a full chest and a slim waist, but could throw a man with a flick of her wrist.

Meg opened her phone and checked the time, ‘12:43.’

“It’s late,” The curse mused looking around the room. “Dingy…anyway– how long did the other Ren say we’d be here?”

She didn’t answer, just stared at the wall.

“Gods Megara,” Yasha growled, kicking the bed. “Answer me!”

She blinked sleepily and rolled onto her back.

“Don’t you fuckin-”

“My mind,” Megara whispered, her eyes turning their natural green as she fell into the colorless depths of her own mind.

“I don’t want you to use your cursed techniques if you can handle it without,” Yaga said.

Gojo frowned and crossed his arms, a whine already on his lips. “But-”

The teacher barely turned his head to look at the white haired boy. “Shut it Satoru– you’re not going.”

“But whyyyyyy-”

Geto sighed and turned to the blind girl, Ren was listening to the whole interaction with an amused smirk. “I’ll take the lead on this, you just-”

“You’ll both be equals on this,” Yaga interrupts with a stern look.

Ren gave him an appreciative smile but Geto rubbed his face and nodded.

“What if it’s a special grade?” Geto asks. “Can I…?”

Yaga nodded. “One exception.”

The blind girl’s shoulder slumped and she turned on her heel. “C’mon I don’t want to miss dinner.”

Gojo huffed and mumbled something about “Old farts”. 

The pair frowned at the old post office. 

“I thought it was just a second grade,” Ren huffed softly, tilting her head to look at the bricks.

Geto nodded before flushing and stuttering. “Y-yes.”

She chuckled before walking into the building. She paused when she didn’t hear footsteps. “Coming?”

“Should you wait out here?” He asked, making her frown. “If it really is a special grade…?”

“I can hold my own,” She told him, a hint of offense in her tone. “Only thing I can’t do is drive back to the school if we miss our ride; now hurry.”

The pair walked inside slowly, Megara had her head cocked and pale eyes shifting around. Geto followed her movements with rapt attention, her mannerisms and body language, and the way she distributed her energy to flow. Her hand gently caressed the walls as they walked down the halls, following the trail of cursed energy.

“Do you have a plan?” He whispered.

She stifled a laugh. “You were the one that wanted to walk in without me, I thought you would have a plan.”

He would never admit to the shamed flush that crawled up his neck. “I thought it would only be me.”

“Well, tell me what you had.”

The pause spread on for a while. “I got nothing.”

She chuckled under her breath. “I figured,” With a sharp turn she waved her hand. “We’re two of the most powerful sorcerers in the world; we’ve got this.”

This time he was following her lead as she followed her senses to a hallway with a door at the very end. She tilted her head and frowned. “There’s a door right?”

He hummed in confirmation and she confidently strode towards it. “Hey– shouldn’t we come up with something?”

Megara turned to him. “I suppose…what do you think?”

“When you fought us,” Geto began analyzing her reactions. “You used our eyes.”

Her ears turned red. “...yeah.”

“If you can use my eyes, to get to it and freeze it so I can use my technique,” He was extending the olive branch– slowly albeit but still.

Megara nodded. “You're okay with me…?” She trailed off slowly vaguely gesturing to her eyes.

With a steady breath in, he answered: “Yes.”

“Alright,” She agreed, shutting her eyes and exhaling. “His eyes.”

This time when he was paying attention he felt a calming buzz just behind his eyes, like a series of rapid taps. She opened her eyes and his own irises met him.

“Ready?” She asked, standing up and offering him a hand.

He blinked once then took it.

The door opened with a creak that Megara didn't feel comforted by.

“Hey!” She called into the open room, walking in with full awareness from Geto’s bird eye view from the top floor. “I’m here!” She cupped her hands together and shouted. “I know you can feel me, come out ugly!”

A hiss came from the farthest corner of the room, she faced in with searing intensity. 

“I see you,” She said lowly, widening her stance to be steadier. “Come on out.”

Its head slowly came out from its veil of shadows, rows upon rows of teeth snapped at her as she provoked it. Gray tentacles made themselves known to her as she shifted her balance.

Geto watched in fascination as she held herself with confidence.

“Gonna fight?” She growled curling her hands into fists. “I know you want to,” Her eyes narrowed. “You feel my energy,” She pulsed waves of cursed energy into its awareness. “Come at me.”

As one long limb shot at her side she shifted left and pivoted to face the side of it; in one swift and powerful swipe charged with energy the tentacle was sent sprawling.

She flexed her hand and frowned. “It’s tentacles,” the curse froze and she studied it. “You can come down now.”

Geto leaped down and approached her. “What’s wrong?”

“I think there’s something in it,” Her eyes were pale again with the shift in control. “It is a second grade but…there’s some sort of cursed object.”

He approached it. “I feel it but I can’t see it.”

She kicked the limp tentacle and swept her foot to find it. “Here,” She searched over it and pressed her hand on a thin vein looking lump. “Do you have a knife? Or-”

“I got it,” He brushed her hand aside and jabbed into it.

“Fuck,” Megara whispered feeling her side.

Geto had his hand in the curse already, but looked over his shoulder in concern. “What?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Her hand came away dry but the feeling of a knife going through her stomach was briefly sickening.

“Found something,” He told her, grunting at the unappealing feeling of the curse’s bodily fluids.

She pulled off her hoodie and held it out to him leaving her in a white long sleeve and shorts. “Put it in here.”

It was a finger. Long and dark, with two inches worth in nail black as pitch.

Geto cringed and the curse bubbled into nothing with its power gone. “God this thing has to be decades old.”

Megara wrinkled her nose as well. “It feels like centuries at the least.”

“C’mon we’ll bring it back to Yaga,” He said, wrapping it up.

With a sigh, her shoulders slumped the slightest inch. “Don’t want to keep Ijichi waiting.”

After a moment he finds the words to ask: “Enjoying the school?”

She chuckles. “It’s a blast,” Sarcasm was apparent in her tone.

Geto rubbed the back of his neck. “I do owe you an apology.”

“For what?” Her tone was genuinely confused.

“For judging you based on your…” He trails off.

“Curse?” She finishes with a shrug. “Don’t worry I’m used to it.”

He winces internally. “Then let me apologize for Satoru.”

She laughed, a high peel of laughter like bells in the wind. “That’s something he needs to do himself,” She smiled at him. “Thank you though.”

And while she couldn’t see it– he found himself smiling back.

The silence as Yaga studied the finger stretched along the room. Megara and Geto stood stalk straight as he twisted it slowly.

“Well done you two,” He tucked it away and gave them a tight smile. “You’re dismissed.”

Geto walked to the door and turned his head to Megara. “Coming?”

“Just a moment,” She said with a kind smile. “I’ll be out in a minute or two.”

He left the room and closed the door. 

“Ren,” Yaga said politely. “How can I help you?”

She nodded to the artifact. “What is that thing?” Her tone was riddled with disdain.

He should have known nothing gets by her. “It’s one of the 20 fingers of Ryomen Sukuna.”

Her eyes fluttered. “You sent us to get that thing?”

“I knew you would have been fine,” He argues.

“Me? Yes. But not that boy,” She told him, breaking her rigid posture. “The bloody god of curses– are you mad?!”

He shushed her quickly. “He’s not helpless.”

She sighed and clenched her fists. “I didn’t say that.”

“I knew you’d protect him, Ren,” He told her calmly. “I had no doubt in your abilities.”

She shook her head and turned to leave. “I will not be your beck and call, Yaga,” Yasha made herself known in the corners of her mind, feeding off her frustration. “I am here to learn and train– not collect your missing fingers.”

And she missed dinner…great.

Yasha pulled herself into Megara’s vision with a stretch. “Gods it’s so fuckin’ hot out here.”

She frowned and didn’t regard the curse, flipping open her phone and used voice typing to make sure a local ramen shop was still good for pick up.

“You can’t ignore me forever out here,” Yasha sang, poking her cheek. “I already apologized.”

She batted away her hand and started to find her way to the gates. 

“This is stupid,” Yasha mused. “Do you need help?”

“Leave me alone,” She said miserably.

“Ren!”

She turned over her shoulder and said. “Geto?”

A quick tap of feet and a hand was on her shoulder. “Where are you going?”

“Oh wow he’s cute,” Yasha said, studying him closely.

“Dinner,” Megara answered. “We missed it.”

He shuffled. “You seem like you need help.”

She bristled as Yasha started to laugh. “I’m fine.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” He sighed as she shrugged off his hand. “I know you're capable but Tokyo isn’t as easy to get around as a curse.”

“Tell him I’ll help you if you’re that desperate not to go,” Yasha offered walking circles around them.

Her shoulders slumped and she nodded. “Yeah, some help would be great.”

Megara found the difference between Gojo and Geto to be simple. The first time Gojo had spoken (if you could even call it that) with her– he hadn’t even tried to look through her cursed energy levels; thinking with his ego and not his head. Whereas Geto tried to understand her and how she worked with her curse, the ways that affected her. He got to know her.

Perhaps that would be her downfall.

Tell me if you enjoyed! I'll keep going with this I swear-

Taglist:

@witchbybirth 

@enchantingkitty

@aish777

[pumkinbones]

@discountdps and my eternal bonding ceremony! It was gorgeous and so much fun. It was honestly the most special thing to me. I will treasure this moment always. I love you so much.

I will put my speech below the cut. It's similar to my partner's but we practically have same brain. It made me tear up writing it and then I did actually cry for Kitsu's speech. <3

Now before I start mine, I will preface that I bet Ran that our speeches would be almost the same. So you get to hear it first from me you nerds.

The moment I met you, I knew you were special. That night we sat in Ren’s café and talked for hours about lord knows what, I felt a connection. Even though you were this mysterious cool guy I just met, I felt like, hey I need to talk to this guy more.

As the years slowly passed I found myself wanting to be in your presence more often. All because you made everything in my life a little bit brighter. So, I’d always try to attend farm parties, Jagd events, or even idle in front of the market board to strike up a conversation if my schedule allowed it. Then when I could catch you in a voice call, I made it my mission to get you to laugh. Because it’s honestly one of my favorite things about you.

These small moments made me happy. And when we got separated, I felt devastated. I felt like I left a part of me behind. Though I dismissed it as I miss my friends in the FC. Although it was true, when I looked a little deeper, I was mostly missing you.

When I finally had enough and did come back, you were still there by the bell, and greeted me with a /dote. My heart swelled with joy.

When I was going through hard times, you were there for me. Talking me, listening to me… I felt seen and heard. That’s when I knew you were my missing piece, but I did not want to ruin what we had.

I could never stop talking about you before and it totally got worse despite wanting to maintain balance. Always leading with a “My buddy Ran-”. Convincing myself we are just friends. Ignore the fact that we started spending more time together in call. And that I plastered art of him all over the FC discord. And that we should totally ship our characters “for fun” and you agreed. Ahem…

We finally stopped dancing around each other when I was at Tyr’s convention, after a little adventure. My shy guy told me how he truly felt. Everything screeched to a halt, and I was flabbergasted and elated, unable to believe this was truly happening. You made me the happiest person in the world that day! I would have never bet on you being the one brave enough to say something first. And I am glad you were.

Since we’ve been together I have learned so much about you! I can confidently say you are the biggest nerd and goofiest guy I’ve ever met. Not this suave cool dude, as I initially thought. (As you tell me, you never claimed to be cool.) But you know… I wouldn’t have it any other way. This just made me love you even more.

So today I will tell you all that I found my person, my gerblin, my gay little treasure that I want to hold dear for as long as I am able. And I vow to do whatever it takes to be the partner he deserves.

I love you Ran, with all my heart.

[lightlycareless]

First, it hurts— Chapter XXXIII

Naoya Zen’in x Fem!Reader

While arranged marriages are not uncommon in the jujutsu community, it was strange to receive a proposal from none other than the Zen’in’s, nonetheless your clan accepted and before you knew it, you were married off to Naoya.

Your new purpose was clear: to serve and submit, to be seen and not heard. To forget any sense of individuality in favor of obeying your husband.

Will this marriage ever flourish into something else? Will it change…for better or for worse?

Chapter warnings: because I’ve been asked about it quite frequently, it’s safe to say that… mentions of adultery, a bit of fluff while at it, some sad bits as well and a shocking revelation.

A/N: The storm might've tried to stop me... AND IT BRIEFLY DID, but I'm back at it again. :) Nothing much to say, except that I'm happy to be back hehe. Thank you for waiting for me 🥺❤️

Now, without any further ado, happy reading! 🥰

Masterlist ➸ Chapter 34

Ao3 link.

━─━────༺༻────━─━

“Dear Hinata—

I hope this letter finds you well.

I’m still not used to writing that, the dear Hinata thing. It reminds me of those really old letters, like those from the Victorian Era or the war, when people used to be very polite and stuff, super formal, even with their own friends and family! I don’t know how to describe it… it was just weird. I hope you get what I mean.

But yeah, reading back through my letters after I'm done writing them always makes me laugh because I think I’m being melodramatic.

In my excuse, it’s all because of those etiquette classes we were forced to take since we learned how to walk. Ugh, and only because of our roles in the clan! Which I don’t mind! Really… but sometimes the elders tend to be very weird about it, and it makes me feel like they don’t deserve to be treated respectfully at all! And I know that you, more than anyone else, would understand perfectly.

Ah, well, I’m not writing to you to complain about my experiences, I’m doing this because… there’s no other way to put it: I miss you.

It’s been a while since I heard anything from you, or anything at all. And I’m not writing either to complain about that! I don’t want you to feel guilty for not responding because I know you've been very busy with work. 

Last thing I knew about the crisis was that it was getting worse. It was already bad on my last mission, so I can only imagine how it is now.

Either way, even when I understand why you can’t respond, it’s still… painful to not hear anything from you. I wish I could at least get one letter from you, a call, even a smoke signal for god’s sake, I don’t care, anything to let me know how you, Ren, dad, and everyone else is doing.

I hope Satoru isn’t bothering you too much, Sumire as well. I am well aware how annoying they can be on their own, so I feel even worse knowing that I can’t help you ease the burden of their antics ^^; hang on, Hinata!!

As for me, life here has been… ok, I guess. The life of a married woman is surprisingly boring and overwhelming at the same time, but I think it’s mainly because there’s so many new things I now have to take care of that I ever thought of before! Mom and dad sure made it seem so fun… or maybe it’s just them.

Anyways, now that I’ve experienced a bit of the “married life” I’m now confident enough to tell you that you did the right thing when not marrying Satoru. 

Being a wife is boring, you’re expected to keep most of your time inside the house, tending to it and its inhabitants… So yeah, I wouldn’t recommend it to you. Although I think Satoru could’ve managed to also make it irritating. 

But yeah, being a sorcerer is much more exciting, totally. I wish I could’ve done a few more missions before retiring.

That kind of makes my life sound terrible, right? Like I’m locked or something. Please, don’t worry. I’m ok, busy, but ok. Just missing you, and Ren. 

I hope dad is ok too. He worries me the most. I hope he hasn’t taken up on drinking again. You know how bad he gets when he does… so please, take care of him if possible.

From there, I don’t really have anything new to say. My ladies, Mariya, Haruko and Hitomi, have been quite calm nowadays, and that’s a bit eerie if you ask me! I hope you can meet them one day. 

Or Mai and Maki, I think you’d find them adorably funny too! And mischievous, mostly that. They kind of remind me of us when we were younger. Oh, but they’re definitely way nicer, we used to be our parent’s nightmare, remember?

All in due time, I suppose.

Well… I guess the main point of this letter is to tell you that I miss you, very, very much. That I hope you’re ok and… don’t worry about me. Keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll be here, waiting for the day I can see you again.

Take care, and give everyone a big hug from my part.

Yours truly, Y/N.

P.S. Please Stop Satoru from getting the idea that just because I’m not there, my things are his. They’re not. And please, please, please don’t let him delete my save files. I do intend on playing them again when possible”

━─━────༺༻────━─━

And that’s how much of your discreet, seemingly harmless letters seem to go—an activity that took most of your attention when you weren’t the Lady of the House or Mai and Maki’s older sister.

One that would quickly become your go-to method when trying to ease the pain in your heart, even if Hinata has yet to write back, thanks to the catharsis it provided.

You’ve long lost count of how many letters you’ve written to her at this point. It’s in the double digits without a doubt, but not all of them have been sent. Because… not all of them were intended to be read.

And since they’re not meant to be seen… you don’t limit yourself when writing your thoughts down—whether they were good, or bad,  none of that mattered once the ink fell into the paper.

━─━────༺༻────━─━

“Dear Hinata—

I wish you could meet him, but who knows when that will happen, so for now, I’ll tell you about him.

Naoaki is the best guy I have ever met in my life. I swear.

He’s sweet and caring, sometimes a bit blunt and a little bit weird too (in a good way!), but that doesn’t undermine what a great person he truly is. 

Just to give you an example, I once told him that I liked mochi, and since then, he gets some for  me whenever he can! I’ve had so much mochi in such a short time… maybe for a lifetime because of him. Although it’s not all bad, I got to taste all kinds of flavors I didn’t even know existed! Still, taro remains the best. 

Although I have to admit that I feel kind of bad whenever he brings me stuff, because it’s like I’m forcing him to do that, you know? Even though he already told me that it’s nothing to worry about and that he actually likes doing it… Can you believe he’s even told me he likes doing that… because he likes thinking about me? The mere thought of it makes me blush!

I’ve had these kinds of things happen to me before, but never… like this. It’s different, special… and yet, I’m afraid of acknowledging these feelings. Why?

Well, moving on… You must be wondering what he looks like. All I can say is that he’s very cute—or more like cool! Like a bad boy kind of thing (∩˃o˂∩) 

Oooh, I hope Naoaki never gets to read this letter, because if he does, I think I’ll die!!

But yeah, no amount of words could ever compare to meeting him in person. I’m sure once you meet him you’ll like him too… not too much, I hope (  •̀ - •́  ) Just kidding!

I hope Ren likes him too, since he can be quite… protective sometimes. You know what? Nevermind, the two of you can be like that, dad too!—guess that’s the one thing I don’t miss about you three—now I’m hesitant if I want any of you to meet him, you’ll probably scare him while at it! 

Well, I’m sure neither will feel that way with him. He really, really is… special.

I long for the day I’ll be able to see you all again. Take care.

Yours truly, Y/N.”

━─━────༺༻────━─━

“Dear Hinata—

I hope you’re ok with the fact that I’m no longer the youngest sister, because our family has grown thanks to the addition of the adorable twins Mai and Maki!

Mai is very sweet and soft spoken, rarely gets herself into trouble… or so that’s what she wants you to believe, because when you least expect it, she’s a mischievous little demon! I’ve already lost count of the times I’ve been spooked by her, and I’m 100% sure she’d give Satoru a run for his money—imagine all the things we could’ve planned together to get back at him? With guidance from us, the masters, Mai can be an excellent addition to our cause, and an unstoppable force ᕙ(  •̀ ᗜ •́  )ᕗ !!

But if you think that Mai is unstoppable, Maki is on a whole different level! She’s a bit rougher than her, although I think assertive is the right word for this situation… But don’t be fooled, for deep inside, she’s very sweet too. She’s caring and very protective of Mai and her mother, and isn’t afraid of speaking her mind. She kind of reminds me of you, and I think you two would definitely get along well. Also, I think I finally found your competition in her! Whenever we play she seems to never run out of energy, she’s also very strong, and sharp… is that even possible for a little girl like her? Maybe, you exist after all (￢‿￢ )

I wonder what Ren and dad would think of them—I know my mom would’ve loved them.

Yours truly, Y/N.”

━─━────༺༻────━─━

“Dear Hinata—

Have you ever seen something you weren’t supposed to? I promised not to tell anyone, but the embarrassment is killing me! So I need to tell someone, and that someone is you.

I saw… one of my ladies… with her boyfriend… doing… that. Kind of. Yeah. I don’t need to say more than that. And please don’t ask me to go into detail. 

Obviously it wasn’t on purpose!! It was all an accident, but even if everything’s fine now, I still can’t get the image out of my head!!!

It was like… I don’t know, like when you hear that one of your teachers is pregnant. Like, sure, one can suppose those things happen in their personal life… but you don’t want to be told about them, you know?? Ugh!! The mental image!! Ewwww!!!

But ah, it certainly feels good to finally tell someone. I’ve been holding onto this secret for the longest because the rest of my staff doesn’t know, and can’t know because of some stupid details on their contract, but who am I to judge? Nonetheless, it was killing me!! But now you know too.

Now it’s only you, her, and me that knows this. So if this somehow leaks to the rest… I’ll know it was you! (◕‿◕)

Well, I can’t wait to see you again. Give Ren, dad, Sumire, and Satoru (optional) a big hug from me.

Yours truly, Y/N”

━─━────༺༻────━─━

“Dear Hinata—

I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya.

I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya.

I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya. I hate Naoya.

Yours truly, Y/N”

━─━────༺༻────━─━

“Dear Hinata—

…Does Kento ever wonder about me? Because I do. There’s moments where I can’t stop thinking about him, wondering if he knows where I am, what I’m doing now—or if he thinks I’ve abandoned him. 

I hope not…

Well, I’m sure you and Ren already managed that, so I guess there’s really nothing to worry about. Or perhaps he already found out what happened to me by himself. You know how Kento is, always the one to seek out the truth when something’s aggravating him…

Still, I wish I was the one who told him that personally. If only I had the time to do that… then maybe I wouldn’t feel like this. 

Do you think he ever foresaw me getting married? Maybe because of our clan, but… I, for once, did not think it would happen, not like this anyways.

And there’s so many things that I missed from him too—like how he’s doing at his job, if he’s already moved to where he told me he was going… or maybe even a promotion! 

I can’t believe I’m missing out on my friend’s life… and even if nothing has occurred, I still would’ve liked to be there. Take him out to eat to celebrate… or be the shoulder he can lament on.

…

I hope he'll be able to forgive me for not being there, and that I’ll also be able to make it up to him in due time.

Please let him know I’m ok, and that I miss him very, very much.

Yours truly, Y/N”

━─━────༺༻────━─━

“Dear Hinata—

I can’t hide it anymore. I feel like I'm suffocating whenever I have to swallow my feelings and act as if nothing is happening, when the truth is completely different.

I need to get them out, get all of my pain out, less I want to be consumed by it.

My life at the Zen’in estate has been nothing but a nightmare—no, more than that. Nightmares at least end when you wake up. But I haven’t been able to do that. Whether I’m awake, or asleep, this is never ending, every day, getting worse as each day passes.

I can only assume this is hell. 

The things I’ve been forced to go through just because of their depravity are ones I don’t think myself capable of writing down. The mere thought of them nauseates me, makes me want to run, as fast as I can and scream, to let everyone know what I have suffered… but I can’t, and I won’t, because I know no one will hear me.

Naoya has defiled my body, broken my spirit, humiliated me in all kinds of unimaginable ways, taken pride in it, and done it all over again.

But what hurts me the most isn’t what he did, but rather… how I allowed it.

There are days I can’t even stand the sight of myself in the mirror because all that I see is a weak woman that allowed herself to be soiled.

I lived through a lifetime of training, and yet, I couldn’t even stop him from hurting me.

Our family was right when saying that I wasn’t suited to be a sorcerer. Because how could I expect to protect others if I can’t even protect myself?

I’m weak. I’m a disappointment to you, to our family, to the community, and to myself.

Yet… you still wish to save me. You’re working so hard to get me out of here, as if I were worthy of your effort, while I’m unable to do the simplest of things…

I’m ashamed of all the things I’ve put you through. I wish to relieve you of all of this.

If only I could… die, stop being a burden to all of those that care for me, and just disappear… I know everyone would be much better.

I’m sorry”

━─━────༺༻────━─━

So on and so forth.

There’s no particular order behind these letters nor a general meaning to them—outside of being nothing more than a way to vent out the emotions you’re hesitant of disclosing to others, eventually sealing them in their respective envelope, and securely stashing them away from your staff and Naoaki, never to see the light of day.

There were days where your prolificness would show up after particular occurrences, making you fear for their privacy for you didn’t wish to appear… obvious that you were doing something outside the usual before your staff, especially from Mariya since nothing seems to escape her keen eye.

But if she has noticed such a thing, she’s yet to let you know. Well, you guess you could rest easily knowing she would never tell your secret to anyone else, and she’d never confront you directly about it either… but living with that uncertainty might come to torment you from time to time.

Ah, it’s probably all in your head either way. You’re more careful nowadays.

Nonetheless, you appreciate her prudence towards your sensitive matters… and the fact that you were able to find a good friend in this never-ending nightmare that is the Zen’in estate.

Three friends, to be precise: Haruko, Hitomi, and Mariya—they are the definition of loyal, understanding, and empathetic. Even after all that occurred… the horrible things you did to them… they still stood by your side, unwavering.

If there was only a way to repay all they’ve done for you… you’d take it without hesitation.

Or at least a better way from what you already tried. The sweets you got during your last outing were an attempt at that, but that’s only the least you could do and certainly not comparable…

So even after giving them what you labeled a token of your appreciation, you kept wondering day after day, just what else was in your power to show how truly grateful you were towards them…?

“What’s got your cute little head all worked up?”

“Hmm?” you blink, pulled away from the deep realm of your thoughts, back to the present and to the young man alongside you, Naoaki, alongside the wide variety of snacks your staff had prepared for your first break after a long day of overlooking your customary responsibilities. Just like everyday. 

His focused yet inquisitive golden eyes intently stare at you, and this prompts you to shake off whatever remained of your thoughts away, and finally conduct all of your undivided attention to him.

“Oh, nothing, I was just… thinking.” you say, what happens to be somewhat of a truth.

“I can see that” he says, inching a bit closer to your side before reaching over for a grape and offering it to you. It’s been a while since you snacked on something, too deep into your mind to have noticed. He was getting a bit worried, so that’s why he called for you. “That’s a dangerous thing to do, you know”

You give him a small smile before chuckling, cheeks slightly warming up by the action as you take the fruit from his hand. Fingers slightly grazing each other, but you don’t think much of it.

“What? Afraid that I might be plotting something dangerous?”

“Maybe” he smirks, and then shrugs.  “Gotta know if I have to prepare for the worst”

“Where’s the fun in that?” you tease back, then place the grape into your mouth. “I like to keep some mystery when plotting my evil schemes”

“You? Evil?” He ribbed. “Impossible”

“Huh? Why are you doubting me? I can be if I put my mind to it.” you sassed back.

“No, not a cutie like you—You and your mochi cheeks can be anything but evil” Naoaki smirks, raising his hand to carefully pinch your right cheek, and then, you’re overtaken by a combination of embarrassment and shock.

Frozen by his words, you’re unable to do anything else but try to back away from his hand, looking away being the quickest solution, before whispering once freed from him “...don’t say things like that”

“Or deceivingly evil too” he adds with a chuckle. Naoaki is clearly enjoying just how easy it is to get you all flustered. Cute is the word he uses to describe how he sees you. “Feeling better?”

“... a bit”  Once your embarrassment disappears, you turn back to him, now able to appreciate the intentions behind his unforeseen efforts. 

You don’t know how he does it, (or why in some of your most self-conscious moments) but it’s like he has a sixth sense when detecting whenever you’re feeling down—Perhaps it’s your glaring gloomy face and your uncharacteristic silence that gives it away—and how always knows how to make you happy. 

You truly can't believe you were blessed enough to meet him in a place like this.

“Did you like the candy?” you proceed to change subjects, one that you remember not following through due to both of your unavoidable commitments.

“I’m not that much into sweets, but I liked the few I tasted.” Naoaki admits as he leans back into his arm, sighing. You move closer to him, placing your arms alongside his and resting your head on his shoulder, gaze landing on the garden before the two—it's one of the few that still had some spring flowers, the others having already withered away due to the cold weather. In order to make the most of them before they inevitably disappear, this has become your go-to place whenever taking a break. “Now that I think about it, that makes me sound a bit ungrateful”

“No— of course not!” you shake your head; the last thing you wanted was your gift to be perceived as anything else but what you intended: appreciation. “I mean… I was just trying to repay you for all the things you’ve given and done for me… but there’s nothing more I would’ve liked than getting you something closer to your preference, but I—”

“Don’t worry about it” he interjects, swiftly cutting the path he thinks to be leading you back into sour memories. He’s stayed away until now, and Naoaki wants to keep it that way. “I still liked them. I just hope you don’t mind I shared them with Naohiko and Naofumi so they wouldn’t go to waste”

“Oh, you did?” you blink, and your interest is hooked at their mention.

It’s been quite a while since you saw either, even more so to when you last spoke to them.

The only exception being Naohiko, and that’s only because of the surprising interest he had towards one of your ladies. From there, it’s not hard to guess why he kept his distance from you: he doesn’t like you. And honestly? You’re ok with that. He’s not very friendly to begin with anyways.

Naofumi, however, is the one you have not seen at all after your introduction, aside from brief glances here and there, occasional greetings whenever he’s close enough to hear them, but from there, nothing. He’s virtually invisible, and that’s a shame, because you felt a certain affection towards him and would love to get to know him a bit better. Maybe Naoaki can arrange something…? 

“What did they think?” you ask.

“I hope you weren’t expecting much from Naohiko, since he’s kind of… how do I say it…?”

“A jerk?” you blurt out, and he huffs.

“Heh, guess there’s no other way to put it”

“Hmmm, well, it seems he’s only like that with me. Others would say he’s not that bad.” you say, and Naoaki raises an eyebrow.

“Now that’s a new one. Where did that come from?”

“Oh, nowhere.” you shrug, reaching for another grape. You intend to stuff it in your mouth as if to create an escape from being confronted and telling on more than you already have, but Naoaki, who came from a family of exceptional sorcerers, caught on to your intentions almost immediately, and swiftly robbed the grape from your hand, foiling your escape plan and causing you to drop your mouth agape out of shock. “Hey!”

“Ah, ah” he grins, raising his hand to keep the grape away from you as you scurry to grab it back, to no avail. “No grape for you until you tell me”

“Tell you what? I don’t know what you’re talking about!” you feign ignorance, or more like try to save Hitomi’s reputation, with a wide grin on your lips that implies something else. You might be a bit offended by his actions, but you can’t say you weren’t having fun.

“I’ve never heard anyone say that about my brother” he explains, face leaning closer to yours. You blush, darting your eyes away at the sudden proximity. “Come on, Y/N. Tell me— or I’ll be forced to keep you here. I don’t care if you have more things to do, you’re not leaving until you tell me.”

“Well then, I hope you’re comfortable with what you’re wearing because we’re spending the night here!” you declare, crossing your arms and looking away. He huffs, clearly impressed

“Seems I miscalculated your loyalty for your staff.”

“My staff?” you blink “Who said anything about—”

“Guess.”

Ah, Naohiko, of course. His well-known imprudence goes hand-in-hand with indiscretion. There is no way he would’ve been able to keep quiet about his newfound interest on the then newest addition to the staff, the dark yet beautifully mysterious Hitomi, without gushing about it to his brothers, of course. It’s physically impossible for him to do so.

“...Oh” you murmur, sounding a bit defeated. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Well, putting aside Naohiko’s opinion, Naofumi liked them very much. I’m telling you, you don’t find these kinds of things around the estate, so it's only obvious they'd jump at the chance of eating them—even if they don’t like it.” he reassures you with a smile, enjoying the way your face seems to light up at the seeming approval of one of his siblings. A sight he never wishes to take his eyes from… or better, earn it for himself. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about anything, I can assure you, they liked it”

“I wasn’t that worried about them…” you slowly begin to confess, cheeks slowly obtaining a crimson color as you glance from the garden before you, to his hands, and finally, up to his eyes.  “...I was more worried… about you.”

“Really?” he murmurs, his voice low and husky, in such a way that makes something inside you… burn, as he tilts his head to the side. 

Naoaki is moved by your admittance, however, he’s not surprised, for you often portray your care towards others, it was in your kind nature after all.

But the more he gets to be with you, the more he can’t help but think that, from a moment forward, there’s been an additional value behind your words, your actions; and he’s not talking about the night he cuddled you, he’s talking about something else, something deeper.

Something more meaningful, intimate between the two—a thing he longs for, yet, saddens him.

There’s no doubt in his mind that if the circumstances between the two had been completely different, without his brother lingering in the background, and no commitments holding you down, he wouldn’t be this hesitant. Perhaps you neither.

But after all that’s happened… is it… impossible? Maybe… there is something to be done.

“Do you think of me often?” he incites. “Because I do”

“…There’s no way to answer that” you press your lips together, swallowing before looking away once again—you can never look him in the eye like this, yet, as overwhelming as it feels, you don’t wish to run away.

“I think there is.” He says, moving his hand close to your lips, hovering over them and carefully placing the grape there, as if inviting you to let it in. 

You were hesitant, beyond flustered by the seemingly intimate undertone of his action and the consequences that it could unleash, but you eventually relent, slowly opening your lips and accepting the fruit.

But when you thought your agitation couldn’t worsen, the moment you feel the warmth from his fingertips slide over your lips your heart explodes.

It’s not the first time you’ve been this close to him, the most being when you shared a bed with him one particular night you were feeling like absolute garbage, but this… this is beyond that—and you know so because it feels like that. 

You’ve long admitted feeling the existence of a sprout, the smallest of them yet ever present, of what you assumed to be feelings for him. 

It took you a while to get there, still working on it in a way, mainly out of fear of doing something that might endanger you, or… not wanting to go past the point of no return when you finally acknowledge them.

It’s not time for that, you’d say to yourself from time to time, as if to feel less guilty for them this isn’t something you should be doing if you want to survive…

But if all he’s ever done is bring you happiness in this cold, dark world, keep you… hopeful, perhaps even motivated, to keep on fighting…

Is it really that bad to indulge in them?

Anyone else would’ve supposed not.

After chewing your grape, you look back up to him, only for your cheeks to flare up even more—was that even possible at this point?—for his golden eyes were firmly set on yours, and it might just be your imagination, but you feel as if he were… asking you to do something. Do more.

It’s like he could see the essence of your soul, and the turmoil in your thoughts, discarding everything else around you, and hypnotizing you to solely keep your attention on him and make a decision regarding your feelings.

But that moment was not to arrive just yet, and when his exposure felt too much for your poor heart to handle, as well as remembering your current position, you instinctively looked away, comfortingly reaching for another grape, and shoving it into your mouth, in order to bail you out of this situation.

Had you been alone, in the confines in your room with him, underneath this exact situation, would you have reacted the same way? Or finally take the next step?

“…A—Anyways” you murmur, voice strained, as you do your best to wash away the lingering sentiments of this sudden encounter while praying that this hadn’t ruined anything between the two. After all, there is a possibility you were just misinterpreting his actions…

Can you still say that after he admitted to wanting to be close to you, outside of a simple friendship?

“How’s—How’s work?”

Naoaki falters for a moment at your unexpected detour, frantically asking himself if he had overstepped and caused you to feel uncomfortable.

Maybe, but even then, he doesn’t allow this change to upset him that much—out of the necessary of course. Naoaki hates the possibility of hurting you, so much that he’s already thinking on how to make it up to you— for  he's long learned that these small moments with you are the ones he should value above anything else; if it’s meant to happen, it will… he supposes.

Instead, he smiles, holding back his disappointment and angst for longing something more, before continuing on with conversation.

“Busy, it’s been terrible. And it’s only getting worst since we’re getting close to the busiest day of the year” 

“Busiest day…?” you repeat, wasn’t that usually during summer?

“October, finals of” 

Oh. Right. It’s only the second busiest day of the year for sorcerers.

“Halloween” you answer “Wow, time sure goes by fast”

Has it really been that long since you married Naoya?

“Especially when you’re busy.” he groans. Naoaki sure loves working as a sorcerer, but sometimes it just… ugh. “I’m not enjoying the fact I rarely get time to spend here anymore, from the moment I wake to when I sleep, all I do is work, work, paperwork, and more work”

“I’ve noticed—you rarely spend the night here too.”

“Hmmm, when you put it that way, I guess I got lucky.”

“Why?” you tilt your head, confused.

“I saved myself from your cold hands and feet”

You pale.

“Jesus… Naoaki” you frown “… you always have to make fun of me, don’t you?”

“I can’t help it, you make it too easy” he smirks, and your indignation (or worry, more likely) is ignited once more.

“I’m working on it. It was supposed to be a surprise but… I guess I could tell you now” you effused, now both excited and nervous to see his reaction. “I was making gloves for you! So… my hands wouldn’t bother you that much”

Naoaki blinks, now it’s his time to be flustered.

“Oh, Y/N… I—I was only joking about that!”

“... it doesn’t have to be just for that” you say, embarrassed to have taken his words a bit too seriously. But you couldn’t be blamed, the last thing you wanted to be is a nuisance for him… and you felt your hands too… maybe you should be the one wearing them? Oh, how… awkward… “You can take them to missions, or just… use them in general… If I ever get to finish them”

“What do you mean?”

“I was doing them alongside Hitomi, but now she’s doing something else so I had to pause that. I hope I’ll be able to catch up before winter ends!” you chuckle nervously, scratching the back of your neck and Naoaki smiles. He already thought you couldn’t be any more perfect… but your enthusiasm towards his gift proved him wrong.

“I’m sure they’re going to be great when you finish them” he reassures you and your heart flutters. For him, you’ll do your best. “As for catching up… there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you before I leave again”

“Oh” your heart sinks. Already so soon? He’s only been here for a few hours, must he really go? “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow. And it seems I won’t be able to visit you until halloween season is over, but I’ll try to do my best to be here.” he says, and you press your lips. It definitely sounds like it’s going to be a long time before you’ll be able to see him again… you just hope nothing bad happens until then.

“What is it that you wanted to tell me?”

“I saw your sister the other day���

And in less than a second, the sentiments you had of anguish pertaining to his absence were swiftly replaced by those of shock and optimism, for what this sudden course of events could mean to your predicament, and overall, the closure you've been desperately seeking.

“Wh—where? When??” Unable to contain your emotions, you fret, instinctively lunging towards him and grabbing his hands. Although when it comes to him, when do you not?

“HQ called for a reunion a while ago” Naoaki starts, holding onto your hands gently. It was endearing for him to see how your big round eyes glistened with anticipation at the mention of your sister.

Oh, if only…

“I wasn’t expecting to be there at first, but since I’m covering for Naoya for the moment… Anyways, the meeting turned out to be a pretty important one since a bunch of other sorcerers were there, amongst them, your sister.”

“Was—Did you see my brother too?” you naturally presume, your expectations now soaring in the sky.

“No, unfortunately I didn’t” he responds, and you press your lips, discouraged. «Well, you shouldn’t be greedy» you try to reassure yourself «it’s good enough that he’s been able to see at least one person from my family»

“What happened? Did she talk with you? Did you talk to her?”

“Ah, Y/N… I’m going to be completely honest—I tried approaching her but she… she didn’t seem very friendly” Naoaki chuckled nervously, so as to hide his own disappointment towards himself. It seems that whenever he has advancements regarding your family, it’s always negative.

He wishes that the day he’d be able to tell you something good will come soon… if only to easen some of your burdens.

“What… happened?” you prod on. To say that you were also disappointed… well, it was only expected that you’d be. “Did she say something?”

“I tried approaching her, at first to say hi but as soon as she looked at me I felt as if I had done something terrible. She gave me a stern look, remained quiet, and then… left. I gotta say Y/N, if it wasn’t because you two look alike, I would've never guessed you were related to her—since you’re so kind and friendly…”

With that, alongside the fact this wasn’t the first time you heard such a thing, you’d have to agree with Naoaki.

Hinata always carried an aura that was colloquially known as  “scary dog privilege” wherever she went—especially with you. 

In other words, whenever out together, Hinata acted as if she were your own personal bodyguard, scaring off unsuspecting passersby she considered unworthy of your attention, presenting a threat to you, or just people she didn’t vibe with—and that’s a behavior she had since childhood

To make matters worse, Ren was like that too—you grew to assume that their overprotectiveness came from your status as the youngest of the family (and in some peculiar cases, fear of being replaced), a quirk that came straight from your father’s side—although you could feel a bit at ease with him, since he acted that way that with everyone… kind of.

So to hear that your sister wasn’t that receptive towards Naoaki was not surprising—if anything, it just made sense. From a start, Hinata never liked the Zen’in, considering them to be too conceited. A sentiment that naturally extended to Naoya. Who Naoaki looks like…

You sigh.

Had Hinata known Naoaki the same way you did, you were absolutely sure their encounter would’ve been way different—maybe even worked with him to get you out of there— but since all she has for reference is Naoya, it’s only natural that she’d treat him with a certain… disdain. 

Perhaps not stupidly obvious as to not set off any alarms, but she wouldn’t relate to him any more than necessary. For all she knew, Naoaki might be just as guilty as Naoya.

Is that—is that the reason why she hasn’t responded to your letters? They are signed under Naoaki’s name after all…

«Oh, Hinata…»

You really hoped she would’ve seen through their façade and given them a chance… Her stubbornness can be quite the powerful enemy when it comes to it.

But if that hasn’t been achieved in the past, what makes you think it would change now?

“Yeah, that sounds like my sister alright” you murmured, releasing another sigh. “She’s always been like that, not… very friendly.”

“She did greet me eventually” Naoaki interjects, as if trying to save the reputation of your sister before your eyes. As an older brother, he knows all too well that awful feeling of disappointing your younger siblings. “It was a quick nod, and I can’t blame her, she seemed to have the heaviest workload of the season, at least from what I heard at the briefing—no wonder she wasn’t all too friendly, she’s probably overworked.”

Another reason, the most plausible one, for her silence. One that consoles you into not being so harsh towards her.

You can’t imagine that being a very important, highly sought after sorcerer was any fun, or that it left her any time to do something. That was already her life when she was just a student, getting to see her less and less during holiday breaks, so now that she’s a professional it just got worse.

Yet, as overworked as she was, you never left her mind. 

This doesn’t make you feel any less regretful than you already were when it came to your frustration for her lack of response—but it at least reminds you to be extra careful if you decide to send more letters to her.

Your actions, even though taking place in a secluded area, must not jeopardize her in any shape or form. Avoid giving away anything that might inform Naoya you’re planning your escape with your sister and ruin her efforts. 

Now that you think about it, Naoaki actually exposed himself even more than he already has when it came to interacting with her. 

If anyone from the Zen’in clan, or someone close to them, had seen the two or gotten the faintest idea that something was going on, they might’ve rushed to relay this information to your tormentors with the purpose of enacting punishment—more so after your reputation as been notably tarnished after the rumors that sprouted between you and Naoaki.

You assume that because something has yet to occur, they didn’t know—but risks are something you can’t afford to take and maybe next time you won’t be as lucky.

“It’s good she didn’t say anything then” you say, and this catches Naoaki by surprise.

“Why do you say that, Y/N?”

“Because someone could’ve seen you with her and assumed something bad” you explain “I’m… supposed to be here, cut away from the world, right?”

“…right” he frowns, whenever he remembers that you’re virtually locked up in this fancy jail infuriates him. Yet, he doesn’t want you to lose hope, and he reminds you that. “I’m still willing to send her letters.”

“Thank you… but right now I don’t have anything” you say, omitting the fact that you’ve been writing consistently, although as explained before, for therapeutic reasons. Not exactly letters you’d want to be delivered any time soon, if at all, and certainly not the ones you’d wish to get intercepted if you ran out of luck. “For now I just want you to focus on your job, do the best you can, and get back safely—from what you’ve told me, it seems it’s only getting worse.”

“Ah, that’s nothing new” he shrugs. “The only thing I look forward to when out are the days I’ll be able to see you again.”

“…gee, you just love making me feel bad, don’t you?” you pout.

“Huh? Why?” he chuckles. “I’m just saying the truth”

“Because you make me sound like I’m so interesting, when that couldn’t be any further from the truth! I just tend to the house, help Mai and Maki with their homework, or follow Junko around the estate. Certainly not things I’d call exciting.”

“That’s not true. And you know that.” Naoaki frowns, he never, ever liked this denigrating aspect of yours. To him, you were doing equally important work. “Either way, I’d rather you do that than be out there where it’s not safe… Although I’m sure you’re more than apt in defending yourself, fellow sorcerer—even if you hadn’t told me your technique yet.”

Ah, if only he knew you were questioning your abilities in one of those many letters…

“Like I told you… I’d rather show you.” you explain and he smiles.

“I’ll look forward to that day then” He gently pinches your cheek, and you huff, annoyed by the pain from his pinch, before laughing once he releases you and chuckles as well.

A shadow suddenly emerges at the distance, catching your attention just by the corner of your eye, making your head swirl into its direction in an attempt to figure out what it was. 

The answer soon appears clear as day: It’s Mariya, with a tray in her hands intended to pick up your plates, walking towards the two, alongside the reminder that your break was over.

“I have to go now” you say, a bit embarrassed at the notion that she might’ve seen your closeness with Naoaki, as well as upset that it had to end seemingly so soon—It’s been well over an hour, far longer than what you intended, but with him, time seems nonexistent. “Well, I’m certainly happy that I got to see you before you left”

“It was nice seeing you again too, pretty” he smirks and you halt, mind attempting to process his compliment, before continuing on by standing up quickly, an effort made to aside your fluster, and begin to pick up your plates—but Naoaki wins you to it by doing the same, if not a bit faster.

“…Thank you” you say, receiving the dishes from his hands, before looking up to him. No words were said between the two, but you knew it was not time to say goodbye.

Your farewells with him now consisted of a hug, which you were more than tempted to do on this occasion, but Mariya’s presence stops you, so instead, you opt to perform a simple bow, wish him a good trip, and turn around for your own departure.

Or so that’s what you intended to do, for Naoaki had another plan; before you were able do as much as think of heading towards Mariya, he swiftly grabs you by the arm, careful to not startle you into dropping the plates and pulls you into his chest, tightly wrapping his arms around you and encasing you there.

Your heart was already a mess the moment the back of your head landed on his chest, more so when you unwittingly imagined the look in Mariya’s face for acting witness to this moment, but when you take a whiff of his scent, and feel his head resting on yours before kiss it, you spiral.

“In case I don’t see you for a while—I don’t want to forget how you feel in my arms”

With your hands slightly trembling, Naoaki eventually releases you from his grasp, slowly turning you around to give you a soft kiss on the forehead—another gesture that has your heart thundering against your ears.

“See you later, Y/N. Don’t work yourself too hard.” And with that, Naoaki leaves.

Your eyes remain glued on his back as he walks further and further away from you, as if trying to ensure his safe departure, before returning to the present and to the stern face of a woman who wasn’t too fond of this relationship (but under divergent circumstances compared to the Zen'in) when he was finally gone—Mariya.

Once seeing you walk towards her, Mariya snaps out of her trance and steps closer to you, intending to swiftly maneuver the plates from your hand into her tray. 

“Did you enjoy your food?” She asks. You tried to help her with her task, but no matter how many times you tried, she never relented. Well, Mariya didn’t gain her outstanding reputation for nothing.

The first thing that Mariya noticed from the plates was that the snacks were completely gone. She usually doesn’t make a big deal out of it, outside of watching what kinds of things you were inclined to eat and see if they matched Junko’s… “suggested” diet, however before she could do all that, she first needs to assess whether it had been you the one behind its emptiness or Naoaki, whom she has now unwillingly taken the role to feed as well.

Which she did not like, not one bit.

Couldn’t he just ask his own staff or something? Her loyalty only extends to you, not him. Ah, well, it doesn’t matter anymore, she’s long accepted the fact that whenever he’s around she’s feeding two.

“Yes, it was good as always” you say, a quick nod and a smile on your face as you now follow Mariya deeper into the estate and onto your following chores—your previous sentiments of awkwardness now slowly dissipating. “The grapes were particularly sweet today.”

“They’re from a fresher batch, Haruko made sure to check them.”

“Haruko’s taste never fails.” you proudly state. “I know I can always count on her for that!”

Mariya’s lips tugged upwards at the mentions of one of the sisters, and it wouldn’t take much longer before she comes to the conclusion that she’d be a fool to let Naoaki ruin her time with you. After all, she too has found a good friend in you.

“Her reactions are the best way to know if a food is good or not. If it’s good, she’d grin, but if it’s bad, she’d twist her mouth in the funniest way ever that always has me laughing!—Ah, this takes me back to the face she made upon tasting the sweets you got her. I’ve never seen her that happy!”

And how could you forget? It had been a sight that eased your nerves, caused by your indecision when it came to selecting gifts for your staff. 

Of all of them, you were most hesitant towards Haruko due to her peculiar appetite. While she was known to be a great lover of all the edible, you didn’t want to choose the one thing she didn’t like.

Fortunately, of all things that were said of Haruko, being a picky eater was not amongst them, apparent on her excitement upon receiving your gift, wasting no time to rip the box open and gobble all of its contents, which naturally earned her a scolding from Hitomi.

“If you eat them too quickly you won’t get to enjoy them!”

Haruko was on her way to retaliate, but you swiftly interrupted her by taking out another bag of sweets and handing it over to her.

“I… kind of suspected that would happen, so I got more.” you explain nervously. “I wasn’t sure which of the two to get you, so I got both… I hope it’s ok.”

Moved by your gesture, Haruko would begin to cry, much to your shock, and then, happiness.

“Oh Y/N-chan…!” she then lunged towards you to wrap her arms around you, unwittingly rattling you. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, thank you so much!!”

You chuckle, immediately wrapping your arms around her, reassuring her it was fine and to continue on with tasting out all of the sweets—you got her a variety pack after all, and all flavors must obtain her approval before anything else!

Hitomi on the other hand, relents to accepting that her sister will always be like that, sighing and crossing her arms as if disappointed, but then, a smile parts her lips, proving that it really didn’t bother her that much either way.

Hitomi and Mariya would also get a gift from you, showing their gratitude in a less theatrical way than Haruko, but holding the same sentiment.

The seamstress would have a few samples at that moment, before saving them for another occasion, in her own words: to have after dinner, or when craving something different from the usual.

And Mariya would do the same, keeping her two bags for another moment, but for an entirely different situation. Which wasn’t a decision that raised any suspicion amongst the rest of your staff, only clear to those involved: she intended to share them with Tatsuro, her boyfriend. And you wanted her to share them with him, for you also wished to acknowledge how he, although indirectly, supported you as well—it’s why you gave her double the gifts in the first place.

From there, last but not least, Mai and Maki: as a reward for all the hard work they’ve been doing at school and to keep persevering, as well to show that you cherished them very, very much. God knows they deserve it the most.

However their mother, always the attentive one, seemed to sense the intention from you as soon as it crossed your mind, and before you were even able to do as much as ask for them, Junko warned.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Well, now you were left with more bags that you would’ve liked, and the responsibility of finishing them before rumors began to make their way across the halls.

Haruko, Hitomi and you tried to finish them to the best of your ability, but the team took a hit when Haruko went into a small sugar coma, forcing the rest of the members to delegate this task to someone else, that person being… Tatsuro.

Ever since that aspect of Mariya’s personal life became apparent, all of her actions gained another layer of meaning—it was so obvious that when she wasn’t partaking in her responsibilities, she was spending time with him. Either through her slightly pinkish cheeks, the smallest strands of her out of place from her usually tight bun, or the subtle stammers accompanying her speech… all roads that led to him.

Which prompts you to ask…

“So… how was Tatsuro today?” you say, a mischievous smirk on your face as the two continue on your path.

“Good… thank you for asking.” Mariya says, carefully glancing at her surroundings as if to check no one’s around, before continuing on. “He’s been in a happier mood since you got him those candies, said it reminded him of his childhood, when he’d go to the convenience store after a hard day at school, to cheer himself up.”

She laughs at the memory.

“Oh, and what was a hard day for you, Tatsuro? Getting to study instead of playing? ” she’d tease.

“Absolutely! A kid has to enjoy a healthy balance of work and play! You’ll have the rest of your life to worry about those things—so why not make the best of your youth when you can?” he states proudly, before pulling her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist, and resting his head on her shoulder “And I just happen to know someone who needs to be reminded of that”

“Just eat” she says, hearing him laugh before kissing her cheek.

“I’m glad he liked them” you smile before sighing. “Ah, but I’m still upset that I wasn't able to give them to Mai and Maki…”

“Don’t torture yourself with it. You know how their mother is, it’s the intention that counts at the end, and I’m sure they would’ve liked it either way”

“I would’ve loved to hear it from them though… and isn’t it weird that Junko-san doesn't let them eat candies? They’re kids! That’s when you’re supposed to!” you justify.

“Is that what you told yourself when you were younger to not feel bad?” Mariya raises an eyebrow, taunting you with a smirk.

“…Maybe” the two laugh. “Oh, come on, Mariya! Don’t tell me you didn’t indulge in sweets when you were younger!”

“I couldn’t afford them when I was younger” she declares, and her statement makes you feel… a bit like a jerk, honestly. You really should remember that not everyone has the same facilities as you—Hitomi and Haruko being prime examples of that, having previously confided to you that they virtually send all of their money to their mother and sister in order for them to live a comfortable life. 

Mariya catches your gloomy reaction, which immediately makes her regret her selection of words, and proceeds to clear up the guilt in your face. “I mean, I might not specifically indulge in sweets, but there were other things I liked.”

“Like what?” you eventually ponder, now feeling less imprudent. What could the talented Mariya long for when the midnight craves hit?

“Shaved ice— I know it’s not that easy to do, but, oh… it’s so, so worth it.” She says, with a tone that drips of desire to get her hands on a bowl.

“What’s your favorite flavor?” 

“Strawberry, but I’ve been leaning more into lemon nowadays, or a combination of flavors. Ever since Tatsuro bombarded me with strawberries I’m done with it—at least for now.”

“Aaaahh, so the best way to win your heart is through food?” you gasp “Who would’ve known!”

“You’re quite cheeky, aren’t you?” she grits her teeth, you laugh.

“But am I lying though??—Oh, how sweet!”

“…He is! “ Putting aside your playfulness, Mariya succumbs to doting on her undeniably adorable boyfriend—and let him be appreciated too! “Whenever there’s a new delivery of shaved ice he always does his best to save some for me…”

“Aww, I can see he loves you, very, very much” you gush “How long have you and Tatsuro been dating for?”

“We’ve actually been together for a few mon—”

“Who’s Tatsuro?” A gentle voice asks, coming from behind the two and certainly unaccounted for, evident by the way you and Mariya freeze on the spot, wide-eyed and skin pale, while darting at each other distressed we messed up glances before slowly turning around to uncover their identity:

It was Hitomi. The last person they wanted knowing of Mariya’s secret. 

There’s a reason why you and Mariya had kept this aspect of her life away from them, specifically the seamstress. And it’s not because neither believed them capable of keeping a secret, as you stated before, they were tombs when it came to that.

But rather… Mariya didn’t want to disappoint them. Didn’t want to appear hypocritical by saying she was following the guidelines of the estate, and then, not.

She already went through her fair share of doubts when it came to accepting her feelings for him and subsequently starting a relationship, so she could only imagine how this would shatter the perfect image of responsibility she conveyed to them—the one that worried her the most was Hitomi, the stricter of the two, and the most sensitive as well.

Thus, it’s only reasonable that she’d lie on this occasion.

“Oh, no one important.” Mariya explained, jumping to adopt the indifferent stance she has to take in these situations, while scrambling to create a good enough response to stop Hitomi’s rising suspicions. “Just a fellow staff member, one I talk to from time to time to check the goods that arrive at the estate. He’s part of the group in charge of the exteriors, like finding wood, or the food that isn’t found at the village, those kinds of things—that might be why you don’t know him.”

The seamstress keeps quiet while intently staring at your main lady-in-waiting, seemingly with no other intentions than to scrutinize her words down to the smallest details and find the underlying deceit, if there’s any. 

As seconds pass and she has yet to say anything, both you and Mariya feel the pressure of her judgment growing heavier and heavier in the air, slowly coming to realize that the moment both did the best they could to avoid, has finally arrived.

Time goes by agonizingly slowly under Hitomi’s sharp gaze, and you could almost feel a confrontation was to happen, the anticipation making your palms sweat, Mariya’s heart pounding painfully —it’s such a nerve wracking moment, that when Hitomi finally decides to speak, both feel like they’re going to pass out.

Fortunately, it seems that all their worries were for naught, for what she says and does is nothing less than music to both yours and Mariya’s ears: she sighs, crossing her arms, and takes the conversation to an entirely different direction.

“I see. Well, I just came to see Y/N.” Hitomi says “There’s some clothes I want her to try for the cold season, before it gets cold obviously.”

“Oh—it’s that what you’ve been working on?” Mariya asks, now feeling safe that her secret will continue being just that, a secret. Nonetheless, something from this moment would continue to bother her the back of her mind, as if telling her to not lower her guard just yet, for Hitomi might’ve moved this topic for another day…—or maybe it’s just her paranoia speaking.

“Yes—I wanted to make something for Y/N-chan as a thank you for the gift she gave us.” she explains—and suddenly it all made sense as to why she’d paused your lessons with her, why she’d disappeared for hours, or why she was going down to the village more often than necessary. It’s because she was preparing warm clothes for you.

And as if that wasn’t impressive enough, the reason behind her actions makes you feel more silly when comparing what you gave her in the first place. 

You don’t try to believe, at all, that your candies are adequate competition against the amazing garment you were absolutely sure she had prepared for you…

“Oh…” you murmur, cheeks red with embarrassment yet, moved by her gesture. “thank you…”

“It’s nothing” she says, turning to you and giving you a smile. “I already have the things in your room—if there’s nothing else pending to do, I’d like you to try them on now.”

“There’s only one thing left on your schedule, Y/N” Mariya says “But it’s not urgent, so we can postpone it to later.”

“Then it’s set, let’s try on some new clothes!” You grin, clasping your hands. Truth to be told, you were glad this change happened, because you weren’t feeling like going back to your duties just yet. So no resistance from your part.

“Where’s Haruko, by the way?” Mariya asks once the group begins to head towards your chambers. 

“She’s in the kitchen, but she’s already making her way here.” Hitomi responds. Knowing her sister well, she made it her duty to tell her first before searching for you, for in Haruko’s own words… I’d die if you made something and didn’t show me! 

“Then it won’t take long to see her.” Mariya presumes, and just as they enter the living quarters, the blurry image of Haruko sprinting to their direction makes its appearance. “Talk of the devil…”

“Ah, I’m so happy I managed to get here before anything started!” she breathes, rushing over to the group while seemingly holding something underneath her sleeves and obi—her enthusiasm makes you feel anxious and a bit embarrassed, for it makes it seem as if you were attending some kind of gala… 

Well, you won’t say that underneath all those sentiments, you weren’t a bit excited too.

“What do you have there?” Hitomi frowns upon noticing the protrusion on her clothes, silently hoping it’s not one of her usual escapades that will definitely put her in trouble if seen by the wrong eyes…

“Snacks, of course!” she grins, making the youngest of the two groan. Mariya and you hold back stifled chuckles, the performance was just about to start.

“Oh, Haruko! How many times have I told you not to do that? Were you at least careful to not be cau—” 

Thud!

The noise, although relatively demure when compared to Hitomi’s voice or the sounds of water coming from the nearby pond, is prominent enough to cut through their conversation and immediately pull their attention towards it’s direction.

They kept silent, as if waiting for a repetition…

Thud!

It came from the same direction, and now, all of their attention is on it. With their curiosity growing stronger and stronger the closer they got to its origin, more so when distinguishing rushed, heavy footsteps amongst the commotion.

Walking deeper into the living quarters, they eventually see a group of staff members gathering in the hallways, who were carrying two large boxes as they walk towards one of the rooms and stop just outside the door—coincidentally, yours.

“What is going on?” you’re the first to ask when they put down the cardboard boxes outside your room. Unable to figure out by a mere glance, the first thing that comes to mind is that the Zen’in finally grew tired of your presence and decided to gather your things and kick you out—although by Naobito’s threat, you doubt that’s the reality…

Or maybe they’re transporting something and decided to take a small break, completely unrelated to why they were standing out your room.

… But they’ve been there for a while now… so that couldn’t be it either.

You’re back to the starting point, with a mystery that appeared to make less and less the longer they stared, keeping you and your staff at edge.

Eventually your group decides to walk towards the men, where one of them was seemingly dusting off a layer of dirt from the top of the box, with the intention of getting an explanation. 

Mariya had her doubts when watching them from afar, but now that they’re close she’s able to recognize one of them as none other than Tatsuro himself.

Knowing well to keep her relationship with him as neutral and unsuspecting as possible, Mariya throws the following inquiry into the air for whoever desired to respond.

“What is the meaning of these boxes?” Your prime lady-in-waiting asks, eyes darting from the box before them.

Tatsuro is the one that ends up responding either way.

“It’s a delivery for Lady Y/N”

Mariya, Haruko, and Hitomi raise their eyebrows out of surprise—but you… your heart jumps out of excitement instead.

“Delivery?” you breathe “For… me?”

If so, this could mean that Hinata… that she finally responded?

You try to not show your elation… something that is easily achievable when remembering that your sister would never make her contact that obvious.

Had it been the case, you more likely than not would've heard of it from someone else first… if ever at all, since you were supposed to be under the harsh isolation.

So if not her… then who?

“From whom?” Mariya asks what’s troubling you. “Who signed it?”

“It doesn’t say” Tatsuro responds, his face lamenting he doesn’t have any more information, she tries to reassure him it’s fine. “All that we know is that it’s under her name, and that the post service delivered it to us a few hours ago, but we weren’t able to deliver it until right now” Tatsuro then turns to you “We first have to get clearance before delivering any packages to the recipients, it’s a measure imposed to ensure the safety of all members. I apologize for the tardiness if this was something urgent.”

“No, it’s fine” you say, gently shaking your head. “I… wasn’t even aware I was to get something.”

Haruko and Hitomi look at each other at the notion, before glancing at Mariya— curiosity and concern evident on their faces. 

Well, they could at least relax when it came to danger, assuming no threat was to come from the box since they passed the filters, but then… What exactly was inside the box?

“If there’s nothing more I can help you with, we’ll be going back to our posts” He says, and you nod, a gesture that serves as permission to do just that. 

Tatsuro rounds up the rest of his fellow coworkers, bowing to you, and giving Mariya a quick glance, before departing, leaving nothing but the elephant in the room and the overwhelming debacle of whether to acknowledge it or not.

“It’s truly under your name” Hitomi says once stepping closer to the box and getting a better look at the shipping label. “But it also doesn’t say who sent it—at least not directly.”

“What does it say?” Haruko asks, peeking over her sister’s shoulder.

“Something about… storage, no, warehouse. I think”

“It’s from a store more likely” Mariya explains.“Does the name sound familiar to you?”

It’s now your turn to look over to the shipping label, walking over to Hitomi and glancing over her shoulder—you’re hoping to recognize it, get to the bottom of it, but unfortunately it doesn’t ring any bells.

“No” you shake your head, disappointed. “…What… could this mean?”

“I don’t know” Mariya truthfully speaks, equally disappointed that she hasn’t been able to figure it out yet. “There’s no other way to know but to open it”

“Are you sure? What if it’s something that.. well, that I shouldn’t open?” you counter, and she presses her lips together.

“We won’t know either way if we don’t do it—besides, it’s under your name… if it wasn’t intended to be seen by you, then why send it?” Mariya explains, and it makes sense—thus after slight reluctance, you proceed accordingly.

Cue her, Haruko, Hitomi carefully picking up the surprisingly heavy boxes, a fact that made all the women dart their eyes at each other out of surprise and confusion, while you opened the door and allowed them inside.

Their size makes your already small room appear even tinier, but you reassure yourself by thinking it’s only for the time being. Who knows, maybe the things inside the box are intended to be stored somewhere else, naturally, allowing you to regain the robbed space.

Either way, once everything and everyone was inside, the decisive moment was amongst your midst.

“Which one shall I start with…?” you ask—as if the order mattered at this point— while taking a seat on your futon.

“Maybe with that one?” Hitomi suggests, pointing to the box right in front of you. It seemed the easiest route for something you didn’t want to deal with, so you concur.

“I just need something to cut—oh” you blink, surprised by Mariya’s swiftness when giving you a cutter, taken right out of her pocket. You’d seem to have forgotten that she always carried an assortment of tools on her… just in case, as she’d say. And it seems you were the only one that knew that, judging by Haruko’s and Hitomi’s intrigued faces. “Thank you”

“Don’t mention it” she says, taking a seat next to you, the sisters doing the same but on the opposite side.

With nothing else to say, you proceed to carefully take out the protective cap from the cutter —Mariya storing it away— and pressing the knife in between the flaps and against the tape, steady enough to cut through it, and effectively tearing it open.

Your hands then move to pry open the box, eager eyes landing on the sight of layers upon layers of bubble wrap—whatever was inside, it was fragile. A notion that does nothing to ease your or your staff’s rising interest, and if anything, urges you to act faster.

Removing the protective layers from the top, it’s then revealed that the box was carrying an extensive selection of… thin books? No, something else…

It’s here that the group's opinions heavily deviate from one another.

While your staff were nothing less than intrigued when it came to figuring out what they were, and who was the sender… your blood slowly began to run cold as your mind fearfully began to realize exactly what they were.

But your definite conclusion doesn’t come along until your trembling hands pluck out one of the many thin sleeves from the box, pulling it out completely, before your heart sinks to your stomach, flinching and instinctively throwing the item away while frantically stepping back from the box when your eyes eventually landed on the recognizable cover on it.

Your reaction, alongside the echoing noise of the object crashing against the wall makes your staff immediately jolt to your aid, concerned faces, and supportive hands on your back as they fret.

“What’s wrong? What happened, are you ok, Y/N?” Mariya asks but you can’t seem to muster an explanation before lunging over to the box to verify all of its contents.

“What’s wrong, Y/N-chan?!” Haruko cries as she goes to pick up the item you throwed away—she glances at it, attempting to find something horrifying, dangerous, but unable to discover anything wrong.

Oh, but for you, that couldn’t be anything but wrong.

Why?

Because it had been nothing less than a vinyl, belonging to none other than to the Spice Girls.

The rest of the items inside the box were albums as well, ranging from studio albums, EP’s, live concerts, and even special editions exclusively released in other countries, pertaining to the Spice Girls, Dio, some of Michael Jackson, and even…. Super Junior.

All artists you mentioned the last time you spoke to Naoya.

You don’t know what to make out of this revelation, outside of the horror it engulfed you with, and the now false belief that this piece of your personal life was to remain in the past, alongside the embarrassment of the indulgence you’ve committed before him, never to be spoken of again.

But once again, you’re proven wrong when it comes to your expectations pertaining to him—no matter what you thought, what you wished, it was never bound to happen, evident by the unavoidable presence of the boxes, alongside the mysterious motive behind them.

“What are they?” Haruko asks as she takes another good look at them, Hitomi still trying to ease you down by gently caressing your back.

Their humble beginnings never gave them the opportunity to afford beyond the necessary, and by the time their interest for music began, cassettes (and eventually CDs) were in their way in, thus explaining their ignorance over the matter.

“Vinyl’s” Mariya says. “They’re… music albums, not really in circulation anymore, except for those that collect them”

“Albums?” Hitomi asks, finding the whole thing… confusing. If they were nothing more than simple music, then why did you react that way? “Who… did you—Did you buy them, Y/N?”

It’s a question they all knew had a negative answer, for you didn’t have the means to do so, but considering you hadn’t told them of what happened with Naoya the last time you were out, they had nowhere else to look.

You wished to avoid coming to this point, still suffering the shame of having disclosed something so personal to him, someone who clearly didn’t deserve this aspect of your intimacy—or any.

But now that the cat was out of the bag, as well as owing it to them to be truthful after everything they’ve done for you, you were influenced to speak.

“This—This is all related to the day I was out with Naoya”' You begin, and the women, as if they weren’t shocked enough by your reaction, freeze at his mention—with Hitomi’s face going sour while Haruko’s saddening. 

Mariya was unquestionably confused as irked by this acknowledgement, yet… a bit relieved that it hadn't been Naoaki the one behind these supposed “gifts”. 

Over and over again, your prime lady-in-waiting has declared that she’s not too fond of the relationship you had with him, only tolerating it because it seemed to bring the best of you; Nonetheless, she wasn’t appreciative of his gestures towards you because all they do is put you in a tight spot—and this would’ve done more than just that. 

Fortunately it didn’t, and it seems that she could relax if only for a moment.

«It’s the lesser of two evils» Mariya thinks, as if attempting to reassure herself. «But it doesn’t make me any less angry that it occurred through Naoya’s will»

“You don’t have to tell us.” Mariya, noticing the gloomy, slightly teary look in your eyes, interjects.

“No… I think—I think I need to tell you” You say, turning to see her “I’ve been holding on to this for a while now and I… I don’t think I can keep it any longer.”

“What… happened?” Hitom asks, your lip trembles.

“After we went to the doctor, he decided he wanted to go eat. He was insisting that I eat too, but I refused everything. I didn’t want anything from him. However, that didn’t stop him from saying he wanted to do more things, such as looking around the city” you pause, pressing your lips together, swallowing “...after walking for a bit, we eventually stopped at a record store; at that moment I didn’t know why, but after this… I—I’m now sure he noticed when I looked up to it. Anyways… we ended up going inside. Naoya left me alone for a moment, I don’t know why, and I just… started looking around. I eventually bumped into the albums I used to see a lot around my house. Guess I was too focused on them to notice when he came back, but he started asking me about them and I…. I don’t know why, but I ended up telling him how much they meant to me—hell, I even told him how my parents met because they liked music, and what I liked to hear!”

Sensing your distress, Mariya wraps her arms around your shoulders, as if to tell you that everything is alright. 

“You don’t know how regretful I’ve felt for doing that… for telling him that about my family… But I just… couldn’t stop myself—I wanted to… wanted to remember when my parents were still together, when my mom was still alive, when I was happy.” you eventually confess, pulling your hands up to your face and releasing out a wail.

As she tried to calm you down, Mariya was deep in disbelief. She couldn’t believe it— nor did she like where this was going — after weeks and weeks of making you suffer, he suddenly wants to be attentive with you? This had to be a joke.

There had to be another reason behind his actions — but what exactly?

“I didn’t think he’d remember” you sniveled. “He was very dismissive afterwards, like always, as if I were boring him!”

“And yet, here are the albums” Hitomi says, and you nod, tears falling down your cheeks.

Mariya has heard enough, enough to know exactly what to do—she just needed your permission.

“What do you want me to do with the boxes?” she asks.

“I don’t want to open the rest, and I don’t want to see them—I don’t care what you do, I don’t want them near my room.”

With that set, Mariya gestures over to Haruko and Hitomi who take less than a second to understand her silent command and get up to work.

“Go to the north wing of the estate, outside, and ask for Tatsuro” Mariya explains “He’s one of the staff members that delivered the boxes here. Tell him that you need to move them somewhere else—and tell him that I sent you, he’ll know exactly what to do.”

Hitomi and Haruko as they made their way to your door, but not before giving you a small reassurance smile as if trying to tell you they’ll handle it from this point forward, urgently heading to their new destination soon after.

Finally alone, with nothing more than the weight of your sorrow on your shoulders, and Mariya’s concern wrapped around you, you allow yourself to cry freely.

“Why—why is he doing this?” your voice cracks as you move deeper into Mariya’s embrace, she holds you tight. “Is he… is he trying to tease me?! Make fun of me?”

“I… don’t know” she answers truthfully—the always-knowing-Mariya is blank when it comes to him for the second time that day. She hates not having the answers for your sorrow, not being able to do much but give you a hug and let you cry. 

“Why does he always have to taint everything that is precious to me?!” you condemned “Why can’t he just leave me alone?! Why—why me?!? Of all people, why did it have to be me?!”

Mariya presses her lips together, attempting to keep her own tears at bay, while pulling you closer to her, as if trying to swallow your pain. 

“I just… I just want to be happy” you gasp “I want to go home; I want to be with my sister…. My brother…”

“I know, I know” she coos.

“… Guess I finally know what he was doing the second time he left.” you say “The thing he was shoving in his pocket, he probably bought the things right then and there.”

Mariya can’t say that your assumption didn’t go against what she initially thought of his gifts: that they were done in order to pull your attention back to him after you effectively ignored him once returning to the estate.

That wasn’t to be the case, however; Naoya had indeed bought the albums soon after the conversations ended. Just another layer of mystery added to your already troubled dilemma.

“What else happened after that?” she ponders carefully—Mariya knows you were already bottling lots of sentiments inside you, but she’d be damned if she allows you to carry even more burdens into your already heavy shoulders. 

“… We went to another store, a candy store. The one where I got the sweets for you guys. Said he wanted to go because he knew I liked them.”

“How… what?” Mariya asks, fear invading her voice at the prospect of Naoya finding out the depths of your relationship with Naoaki—

Having gone through these same steps yourself, you proceed to clarify the situation.

“It’s because of the wedding. Because I—I ate two slices of cake, apparently enough evidence for him to assume I liked sweets” you murmur “I also thought he’d figured out the situation with Naoaki, but he hasn’t… or if he has, he hasn’t told me”

“I don’t think he has.” Mariya concurred. “I made extra sure to keep things hidden from him.”

“… thank you.”

“don’t mention it” she says, giving you a smile.

“But it still doesn’t make sense.” you frown. “All of it, everything—Why would he do that if it wasn’t to make fun of me? To mock what they mean to me? I thought he would forget about it, like he always does when I speak to him, but somehow this was the exception!”

“You won’t have to worry about that anymore” she says “We’ll keep them away from you. Out of sight, out of mind.”

“… Do you think he’ll approach me to ask about them?”

Mariya wishes to say no, but that would only be lying to you.

“I think he will, eventually. Particularly after being informed you’ve received them. Although I’m more worried by the fact that he hasn’t already.” He’s kept a close watch on you days before your second visit to the doctor, but after that, he kept away. 

Why?

“…why can’t he just leave me alone?” you lament.

“Try not to think about it anymore” she soothes. “It’s being dealt with. The next time you come to your room those boxes are going to be gone, as if they were never here, and all that you’ll have to worry about is trying on Hitomi’s clothes”

“…I wish I could do more for all of you, for all the things you’ve done for me”

“Seeing you happy is enough for me”

“Then I’ve never been able to repay you”

“That’s not true… moments ago you were teasing me about Tatsuro!” she laughs, and her reaction makes you give her a weak smile. “I’m happy when you’re happy. Hitomi and Haruko too, they love to talk and spend time with you; there’s even moments where I have to reel them back into doing their job!

And don’t forget Mai and Maki too. They’re always looking for you whenever they can, even if their mother doesn’t want them to be that close to you. In fact, I dare to say that even Junko-san is getting to enjoy your company nowadays! That’s been more than enough payment if you ask me”

At her words, all you can do is sob.

“Oh, Y/N—”

“I’m—ah, I’m sorry you have to see me cry all the time!” you gasp, frantically wiping the tears out of your face “It’s pathetic, isn’t it? I want to be happy for all of you too!”

“Take it easy, one day at a time” she smiles, squeezing you.  “We don’t have to do anything else for today if you don’t want to—you’ve already completed most of your chores anyways, we can just stay here and rest”

“What about the pending one?”

“Eh, I’m sure I can make something up” she shrugs, and you sniff before chuckling.

“Then I guess I want to do that” you respond. “And try out Hitomi’s clothes, maybe take a nap after that.” 

“I can arrange that.” Mariya grins. “Let’s wait for Tatsuro and the rest, I’m sure they’re already on their way here. And once that’s set I’ll get you something to drink so you can relax while you get ready for Hitomi”

And just as she said, footsteps were soon heard gathering outside your room, a quick knock on your door before it slid open, revealing the rest of your staff and Tatsuro’s entourage. 

Mariya peels away from you so as to help them get the boxes out of your chambers as soon as possible, but her boyfriend halts her, telling her that it was their job to do… to which Mariya reluctantly agrees, more so after Tatsuro’s teasing smirk (to which she responded by rolling her eyes), gestures that did not go unnoticed to Hitomi, who has yet to place the pieces together, but is moving dangerously close to doing so the longer she ponders at them.

After the group quickly retrieved the boxes, they made way towards an unaccounted chamber, —the same one your yellow kimono from the first time you went to the doctor (the one you couldn’t even dare look at due to it’s painful significance) was stored in— and placed them there, never to be seen again.

The rest of your day proceeds accordingly, with you fitting on Hitomi’s newest kimono, which fits perfectly on you, a testament of her incredible skill, outside of a few small details to be fixed here and there—things she could easily handle—while Haruko shared with you all of the snacks she had stolen from the kitchen; apparently there were many new fresh ingredients delivered that morning, and she wanted to be the first one to try them all out.

Mariya would come back with tea that she assured would help you relax, easen a bit and enjoy this moment… Yet, her efforts alongside those of your staff would be for naught, for as much as you wanted to think of anything else but what had transpired, your mind kept pulling you back to the shocking sight of the albums before you, and how to overcome this obstacle.

You considered rushing to seek Naoaki out and tell him what happened, but you’d either miss him for he’s already on his way to work, or distract him from his responsibilities…

And you didn’t want to bother your ladies anymore than you already have… crying and lamenting yourself had become quite embarrassing for you, even though there were days that was all you could do…

Well, whatever your entangled sentiments held, there was one thing that remained persistent, and that was Naoya’s presence in your mind:

The moment you’d encounter him again, the excuse you’ll have for when it happens, and most of all, the intentions behind those gifts.

[scitties-enjoyer]

The Octagon - JSR×MCYT

Grian talks to Martyn, who also has no idea what's happening and is facing his own loss.

@bluiex more JSR AU plot stuff!

The Jellie flashback is in reference to the dog being an unlockable character in JSR.

--

Grian rolled surprisingly easily off the ledge to fall right in front of where Scar was messing around with Jellie.

"And... done!"

Grian clicked his tounge.

"See, look," Scar picked her up, "I gave her little spray cans and tiny headphones Cub made and-"

Jellie shook her head, dislodging the headphones.

"No! Jelllieeeeeeeee! How can you be the newest boatem member without headphones!"

Grian laughed. "You're so silly sometimes, Scar."

"You love it."

"I do."

--

Grian reached the roof first, but a few moments later Cub was right behind him, and once again their hands were clasped together, grounding and comforting each other. Cub pressed a kiss to Grian's temple.

The Octagon's rudie gang had an odd base of operations. Strange architectural decisons up here meant that despite technically bein open air, a lot of the walkable space up here was sheltered from the elements completely. Grian had traced the pipes in his head on previous visits and given himself a headache with it.

Across from them, Martyn was clicking away on a computer setup, frustration building til he eventually shoved himself away from the makeshift setup in frustration, rolling backwards until he found himself facing the visitors.

"Hello, Martyn." Grian said.

"What are you two doing here?" Martyn asked, tone accusatory. "We're very busy right now."

It would probably be more intimidating if Martyn hadn't still been rolling towards the edge of a sharp drop. He kicked back to stop the movement.

Grian and Cub shared a look. Because why would the Octagon be busy if not for the same reason Grian and Cub had come in the first place.

"We- ah, we come in peace." Cub said.

"Then you've come at the wrong time."

"I think we've come at the right time." Grian argued.

"Really, do you have any idea what's-"

Grian cut him off. "Scar's missing. Mumbo, too. And unless I'm mistaken you're also missing someone."

Martyn swore under his breath. "Ren. Ren's missing."

--

Ren was chained to a chair. This was excessive. Weren't the police officers usually more interested in shooting them than taking them in for questioning?

Just what was going on?

"This is usually the part where I ask you for information." Said the well dressed man who entered the room.

"You won't be getting anything from me." Ren growled.

"But I already have everything I could want from you." The man grinned. "Except for your obedience, of course, but I'm sure I'll get that soon enough."

What was that supposed to mean?

--

The song on the radio faded out, and ... oh, Scott sounded pissed.

"Jimmy's missing." Scott's voice came through everyone's headphones. "I know he's not the only one. Share any info you have because we're going to tear these bastards down."

Suddenly, Scott's voice changed to something perky, "Anyway, how about something a bit different!" The next track was not an Ariana track, a small mercy in an otherwise horrific situation.

Well.

--

Jimmy was curled up in a corner of the room.

Kind of pathetic for the supposed leader of the 'codvengers', if he was being honest with himself. He didn't even need to do anything.

"What can you tell me about this?" he held up a piece of a disk, shoving it in Jimmy's face.

"I don't know anything!" Jimmy hissed, showing marginally more fire than expected. Marginally. Still.

"completely fucking useless." He threw a chair across the room.

--

"Anything you know could help." Cub said.

Martyn and Grian held eye contact for several moments before Martyn sighed and rolled back over to the computer setup. "I don't have much of anything, but I'm working on what I can. Doc's on the streets right now- he knows he's better here than I am!"

"He's also better out there." Grian said, without thinking.

Martyn glared at Grian. "Do you want my help, or not?"

He paused to rethink his statement, a little sheepish, "I'm sure he's just worried you'd get snatched up out there, too."

Martyn made some sort of noise. "I'll tell you when I find something. Just go."

There was one pipe that started up at the roof which spiralled all the way to the ground. Last time, Grian had laughed all the way down, loving the rush.

Every disappearance Grian learned about just made him more anxious.

And okay, maybe Boatem had enemies. Maybe all of the rudies in the city were locked in a fierce turf war over it. But this... it felt bigger. Grian was scared.

Cub, when they reached the ground, didn't even try to offer any words. No 'it'll be okay' because Cub couldn't be sure of that. But the hug helped.

"We'll find everyone." Grian said. "Or die trying." A promise, a declaration, not a meaningless platitude.

[spaceacealex]

Hello @grimaussiewitch!! I have some Pearlescent Moon goodies for you for @mcyt-valentines!!

I have a Playlist.

A painting (its traditional art with minor adjustments for lighting)

And below the cut, a fic.

I hope you have a wonderful day! Happy Valentines!!

The sound of rockets interrupting her cleaning was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Pearl expected Scar, checking in on her progress, or maybe even adding more to the mess. Instead, a very recently dethroned and tomato-covered monarch kicked up dirt with his landing.

Ears pinned back, Ren smiled. “Hey there, dude– Pearl! Miss Pearlescent Moon! How’s it hangin’?”

And Pearl would never have accused the man of being proficient in subtlety, but this was a completely new level of blatant anxiety. “Ren? What’s up, buddy?” She sidestepped, moving between shulkers to continue her sorting, but glancing at Ren as she worked. “If you’re looking for Scar I think he’s avoiding working around his base, and me, by making another fancy bow.”

The dogman’s tail thrashed as he chuckled. “He, uh, actually was the one who told me where you were. Which it great, because I think your base would have eaten me if I tried to walk around without you there.”

“Ah, well.” She shrugged, dropping another stack of diorite in a chest. “It hasn’t eaten anyone, yet. You’d probably be okay.” Pearl leaned over, dropping  an elbow on top of a shulker and plopping her head in her hand. “Now what’s bugging you?”

Now he looked downright embarrassed. “Nothin– okay well, lying won’t help.” His nervous chuckle was a sad sound.

“True! Come on, you can tell ol’ Pearl-o anything at all.” Her antennae perked up, a move she knew from experience triggered Ren’s ears to do the same.

It worked. As soon as his ears were no longer glued to his head, Ren looked much more relaxed. His shoulders slumped. “Pearl, I owe you an apology.”

Her head tilted, but she waited to speak.

“I really lost my head with the whole, ‘King’ business.” He smiled thinly at his own word choice. “I hurt everyone, and I don't rightly know how to make it better. And specifically,” his ears drifted down again, though more gently then they had been pinned before, “I know I really hurt you.”

Pearl blinked, wide-eyed. “Ren, do you think I’m angry with you?”

His barked laugh was more strained than it ever should be. “How could you not be? I was stealing your resources! Claiming your hard work for myself!” Ren started pacing, hands moving as he talked. “I made petty laws just to spite you, and I was so angry–” He scoffed, still pacing. “I wanted you dead, Pearl! You and the rest of Soup Group. I was so ready to hurt you and for what? Some pranks? Light teasing? My head was full of hideous plans and awful things I was going to do to you, all over just the threat of a bruise to my ego.”

“Hey now.” Pearl tried not to sound too offended. “We did some mischief that must have done some actual ego-bruising.” Her antennae lifted again, but Ren wasn’t paying enough attention for it to work a second time. “We were very proud of our vandalism.”

He froze and turned to her. “Pearl, ‘vandallism’ is no excuse for me carrying around the head of your basemate as a comfort item.” 

She winced, and stood up straight. “Okay, good point.” Pearl started taking careful steps towards Ren, not wanting to spook him. “But we did try to blow you up in your own throne room.”

“A throne built on empty promises and corruptly-gotten-gains!” The roll in his words was more in line with the theatrics one should expect from their beloved Rendog.

Pearl took it as a good sign. “And we swapped the diamonds for emeralds in the Crastle?” She was just a couple meters away now, hands held out to show her intention was good.

Ren huffed. “You were right though, by the rules I established, that was a perfectly reasonable exchange of currency. So I shouldn’t have lost my mind about it.”

“But you did.” She shrugged. “Okay. Apology accepted.” Pearl was within arms reach of her friend.

“And I sent out that hit order on– Wait, what?” His ears stood straight up. "Sorry, I could have sworn you just said–"

"Apology accepted." Pearl smirked. "Did you expect this to go some other way?"

A small sound, almost a whine, escaped Ren. "Well, no. Yes? Maybe!" He dropped his head into his hands and stumbled forward, into Pearl's waiting arms. "Aren't you furious with me?" He bemoaned, the words muffled in his friend's shoulder.

"I was." Pearl sighed and began rubbing Ren's back. "But then I did some minor terrorism about it and I'm okay now. You're not the king anymore, there's no more ridiculous laws, and you've apologized. I think we're all set."

Ren squeezed her around the ribs. "I was prepared to grovel. I'm– well I'm not sure I feel right about dropping it at that."

"Oh, don't be mistaken, my fine, fuzzy, friend. You're not off the hook entirely." She pulled back and fixed a disciplinary gaze on his face. "I'm not mad at you. I forgive you. But you still have things to make right."

“Yes, yes, of course!” Ren’s tail wagged, his sincerity was written all over his face. “I’m cleaning up all my nonsensicals in the shopping district. And I forfeit any ownership of the Crastle or the contents therein. Any diamonds left in there are not mine to touch, but yours– I mean all of yours. The people’s.”

Pearl giggled. “And I’m sure ‘the people’ will appreciate all that. But if I’m totally honest with you?” She reached for his hand and began tugging him towards the disaster that was Scar’s shulker monster. “What we need is our friend back. You say our Rendog is back with us? Come and prove it, starting now.” She pointed to a half-emptied shulker.

“Are you sure you don’t just want me doing your chores?” She had missed his easy, warm chuckle. “I am back with you. I missed you dudes. And I would be delighted and most honored to spend some time with my bestest of buds, doing…” He faltered, peeking into the shulker. “What, exactly, are we doing?”

“Cleaning!” Pearl scooped a stack of fenceposts from the container and shoved them into Ren’s arms. “I suggest you familiarize yourself with my excellent chest system over there.” She nodded to the wall of double chests on the other side of the shulker monster. “I’m gonna make you gossip and chat with me while we get this all under control.” At Ren’s slack-jawed, disbelieving look, Pearl grinned and reached to pat him on the cheek.  “It’s not so bad. I’ve done most of the hard part already. Now we just need to put things in their lovely, labeled chests.”

Ren blinked away the shock and shook his head. “Whatever you say, dude. Ren the dog, at your service.” He took the first steps towards the sorting system, eyeing the seemingly endless sea of shulkers before them. “Might even be kind of fun, poking through all of Scar’s things!”

“That’s the spirit! You’ll make an excellent intern to the cleaning lady.” Pearl resumed her rummaging, sorting the remainder of the chest’s contents in her inventory. “Now, tell me, Ren: where the heck are you gonna live if you’re giving up the Crastle?”

Having Ren’s ‘assistance’ really didn’t make the business of sorting go any faster. But it was worth every extra second spent. When Ren hugged her in farewell, Pearl felt warm, overjoyed to have her friend back. Not that she wouldn’t plant explosives in his base in the future. Or that he wouldn’t overperform a role as a tyrannical ruler ever again. But knowing that they were still friends, still able to come together at the end of it all and make amends, was the only thing that mattered.

They’re a dysfunctional family, but a loyal one.

[deedeli-liveblog]

RWBY ReWatch Notes, part 2: how the hell did this get so long this was supposed to be quick and simple--

Starting a new post for Volume 2 because I apparently had a lot more to say about Volume 1 than I thought and I didn’t like how long the post was getting.

Mercury is so obnoxious in his introduction, lol.

Oh my god, the food fight!! 

I kind of miss RWBY having these low stakes, sort of slice of life episodes.

Also, Glynda storming in and righting the cafeteria in a single move is kinda scary strong. And kinda hot.

It’s kinda funny that they put Junior and the Malachite twins in the opening for Volume 2 but I don’t think they ever show up? Guess they just needed to pad the villain shots.

No, wait, they do show up, but they don’t really do anything. Their appearance is more cameo than anything else, lol.

Ah, yes. Ironwood. Glynda’s distaste for him is all too understandable now, lmao.

“Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?”

Hm. The conversation between Ozpin and Blake is a lot more interesting having seen the whole show. There’s the obvious angle that Ozpin was giving Blake the opportunity to tell him about the White Fang so that he could handle it. But I’m sure he also believed the White Fang were the “Queen’s” (Salem’s) pawns, and was hoping Blake was a thread he could follow into figuring out their next move.

Also, I know I said this in my liveblog but “They don’t know the White Fang like I do!” after you refused the one opportunity you had to teach someone in charge about the White Fang. Like, you can’t blame them for not knowing when the guy in charge is like “Hey, is there anything else you think I should know about?”

I will say, Blake’s VA is doing a fantastic job this episode though. 

“I love it when you’re feisty!” Yang says to Blake.  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I love the very villainous drawl Cinder speaks in. This girl can’t say a single thing without sounding like she’s up to something.

And by love, I mean hate.

“That’s dumb, you should always get friends involved.” lmao, he’s not wrong.

akdsfhkjahsdkf, Ruby’s fucking laugh at Weiss suggesting Neptune go with her.

PENNYYYYY!!!!

Damn, how fast was that truck going that it cracked the fucking road when Penny stopped it. Also what is that truck made of? Titanium??

Also, the metal thunk Penny makes when Ruby drops her.

her little hiccups ;o;

I know shipping is (or was?) a big thing in the RWBY fandom. I don’t ship anywhere near as much as I did when I was a tween, so there’s usually only about one or two ships that interest me in any given show. Arkos was that one for me in RWBY, and anything else fell into the “Yeah, that’s cute, I guess” category. But if I had to pick another ship, Ruby and Penny (Nuts and Dolts, i think?) would probably be the next one. They’re so sweet together.

into the dumpster you go, ruby

Oh my god, I forgot about the fight scene in Painting the Town. Definitely one of my favorites. The road chase, the team attacks, the part when Die kicks in just as Yang gets up and starts kicking ass.

I don’t think Weiss uses that speed glyph nearly enough.

Clownie rolling out of the carnage of the robot is still the funniest thing to me.

NEO! :D

Also, love how unaffected he is to losing, too. The robot he was battling in was just punched to pieces and he’s just like “aight, imma head out”

oh my god, watching Pyrrha kick Team CRDL’s ass is brutal, especially that last attack on Cardin. That shit was personal, lmao.

“I consider you to be the brother I never had!” “...And I, you.” Please, that’s so cute.

Love that Jaune was having this private conversation with Ren with Nora in the room and the door wide open, lmao.

God, I love Yang. I don’t think I say that enough, but I love her so much. The scene with her and Blake is so beautiful. She’s gentle with Blake, relating to her on a personal level, but also firm when she needs to be to drive her point home.

Also, from Yang’s story. I imagine it’s more likely that Qrow just followed Yang and Ruby that whole time, rather than just happening to show up. So I assume he waited until they were in actual danger to show up because he felt like Yang needed to search on her own, regardless of what she’d find.

We were robbed of seeing Yang and Blake’s dance.

I kind of miss adult Ozpin, cryptic riddles and all.

I like how Ruby doesn’t question Jaune at all, just holds his punch like he said. and then sips it.

oh no, Pyrrha’s talk with Jaune is actually making me tear up

“You treated me just like anyone else.” Remembering how Pyrrha followed Jaune into the cave that was clearly marked to have a dangerous Grimm inside. It’s funny in the moment, but if Pyrrha had been with anyone else, that person probably would have expected Pyrrha to take the lead and find the relics. But because she was with Jaune, she was able to kind of sit back and just support him. Because he didn’t have any expectations of Pyrrha and her skill. (and also a bit of him feeling the need to prove his own skill)

“If you want Weiss, she’s all yours.” fuck off

Oh my god, I forgot about the dance!!

Me, quietly making a screenshot of Jaune dipping Pyrrha into my desktop background.

So. What the hell is Cinder doing when she’s changing her outfit?? Is that part of her maiden powers? Is that her semblance?

Wait, the glass isn’t Cinder’s semblance? *pulls out my companion book* Okay... so the glass isn’t her semblance, but a byproduct of it. She’s able to superheat things and then change the shape.

oh god, I forgot Tai fucking sent Zwei in the mail. He just sat in that little tube package the whole time ToT

Tai sent them Zwei to take care of for a few days because he wasn’t able to, but this fucking dog was packaged in a tube. I think he’ll survive just fine on his own for a few days.

The Vacuo students don’t have a uniform, that’s a neat detail.

I love Oobleck so, so much.

“I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school.” “But you hadn’t told us to listen to you yet... so I didn’t.” LMFAO. I mean, the logic is flawless here.

And he just fucking drops Zwei aksdhkjfafdsl

He’s so fucking funny, I adore this man.

“Remember, this is a job and you all signed up for it.”

Ironwood can’t help but feel like Ozpin is keeping him in the dark. A shame that he was right.

“You’re a good person, James. You’ve always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It’s admirable.” Oof. Love how this is worded, though. “What you think is best for the people.” There’s kind of no other way to move forward. There’s no way to know what’s best in the moment. The issue with Ironwood is the “against strong protest” part. Everyone else disagrees, but he’s gonna do what he wants regardless. That’s not how a leader should act.

These conversations are so fascinating now, knowing the full context of them.

“Moral grey area” i don’t think branding people in the face is a moral grey, weiss

Ohh, yes, the train fight. My favorite.

There has never been a moment in this show, before or after, as mind melting as Oobleck-- with no hesitation-- turning Zwei into a missle for just a moment.

neo is so tiny aklfdshkafklsd

I remember not liking Neo in the beginning, and I have no idea what changed, but I love her now.

I think it was how in control she seemed in every fight, and that irked me a lot. I’m usually not fond of characters like that, I like to see my characters struggle.

Like, compare Neo’s fight on the train, where she isn’t touched once, to Clownie’s fight, where he immediately gets rekted.

Damn, Weiss was kicking the White Fang guy’s ass, but it only took one hit from him to down her. Glass cannon, indeed.

akhdskafhksfdka Blake just kicks the shit out of Clownie.

Huh. I’ve never noticed before, but Neo’s eyes go completely grey when Raven shows up. She immediately leaves too, I guess realizing she was outmatched. Did she recognize who Raven is, or was she just able to read that Raven was way stronger than her?

Every part of the fight in the city is awesome, but when Team CVFY show up? *chefs kiss*

Coco is my queeeenn. She uses a heavy weapon like Yang and Nora, but it’s her goddamn purse.

Sooo... what did Cinder gain out of the train explosion? Just having Clownie arrested?

Also, the whole thing between Ozpin and Ironwood is fascinating, now having later context. Ozpin loses control of the Vytal festival and potentially his job as headmaster, all because of Ironwood’s “reports”. At the same time, Ironwood asks Ozpin to trust him, but we know that’s difficult for Ozpin to do because of his hundreds of years of working with people, and the many betrayals he’s likely had to endure. And this is yet another betrayal, cinching Ozpin’s ever shrinking ability to trust. But his inability to trust those around him fully is why others may turn on him, because there’s no transparency in his motives. And so, the cycle of mistrust and betrayal continues, the ouroboros eating it’s own tail.

Anyway, on to Volume 3!

[howlingday]

Can you remake that Barry scene where Barry is confronted by Albert please?

Previously

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

It was hot. So hot. But it must've been hotter in Hell, if that's where this asshole was now. Ren kicked his body into shallow grave he dug, panting from the effort he made in the hot, summer sun. God, it was so fucking hot.

"Lie Ren!"

He recognized that voice. Like the voice of an angel he'd known all his life, it called out to him. He slowly turned and found her standing in the distance. She was a good dozen yards away, but he could still recognize her pink and white outfit. Only thing missing from her usual look was her bright, chipper smile.

Ren stepped closer, away from the hole. His eyes grew hot as she stared at him.

"What are you doing, Ren?"

Ren couldn't answer.

"How much did you get for that asshole?" Again, no answer. No answer save for the shallow shaking of his head. "How much did they pay you?" He swallowed. "How much did you get Pyrrha?"

Ren's heart stopped. His blood ran cold.

"Huh?!" Nora barked. "How much, Lie Ren? HOW MUCH DID THEY PAY FOR PYRRHA?!"

Ren fell to his knees. He remembered the look in Pyrrha's eyes when she saw him last. Fear, horror, disgust, and... pity. The tears that should have fallen that night had come back to haunt him now.

"She was an innocent, Ren! And you gotta tell me right now, Ren! Why? Why Pyrrha? She was the sweetest person, and she looked up to all of us as much as we looked up to her!"

Memories rushed back as Ren's breath came out in shudders. The lunch and dinner dates. The camping trips. The hijinks. She smiled. She laughed. She haunted him, and Ren could barely breathe.

"But you had to kill her, right? So you need to tell me, Ren! Why Pyrrha?!" Still no answer. "Tell me, Ren! Tell me! TELL ME RIGHT NOW!" He struggled to look at her. "DON'T JUST FUCKING SIT THERE! YOU FUCKING TELL ME! TELL ME-" Nora rushed forward, Baretta M9 in hand and pointed at Ren.

Ren screamed as he curled into the ground. Pyrrha's ghost came back to haunt him from sobbing tears. Her ghost, and all the others he murdered for money. For greed. For simply looking at him the wrong way. The weight of it all came crashing down on top of him. In wailing screams and heaving tears, Ren finally answered Nora.

Nora held her gun in shaking hands, watching as the assassin she let into her home, into her life, sobbed like a child. Formerly so stoic, Ren let every emotion he'd bottled up for the past two or so decades spill out into the dry, thirsting earth. With sobbing wails, he said only one word.

"Don't!"

Nora lowered her gun.

"Ren. Ren, listen to me. Calm down." Nora gulped. "I have a son. His name is Magnum. He's six years old. His favorite food is french toast. I wouldn't know that last part if it wasn't for you. He wouldn't be here if you hadn't saved my life."

Ren looked up with weeping eyes for only a moment before returning his face to the dirt.

"I know evil, Ren. I've seen it. I know evil and I know you're not evil, Ren." She shook her head. "But this... This has to stop. All of it has to stop."

Ren gulped and looked up, meeting Nora's gaze.

"Starting... now." She blinked a few tears, then turned around. And after she turned around, she walked away.

[mochiwrites]

Hello, hi, I have just finished reading "i see the wolves at bay coming after me" and I have some Thoughts.

First of all: I love sea fruits Mumbo already?? He's trying his best and doing such a bad job <3 Running late, completely missing the fact he is being flirted with by the man he has been tasked to capture. Love that for him. But actually getting that little intro from his POV really enriched the rest of the story. And we get so many little hints at his backstory. I am very excited to see more of him!

So I had somehow managed to miss that this was a steampunk au until I started reading, so I got so excited when it was revealed in-text. Aaah I'm so excited to see how else it's going to be used (perhaps something to do with those cool abilities you mentioned Mumbo having in your response to Stitch's ask? 👀)

The introduction of the crew was amazing! So well written, and I loved how every character got to shine at least a little bit. You can really tell they've lived and worked together for a while, they were clearly very comfortable together. The whole beer thing made me laugh, even more so the payoff with Grian/Ren running away with the cups of rum. It worked so well within the scene.

The little Grian and Iskall moment with the eye contact? Hello? Waaah I am having an emotion. It's not a ship I've read a whole lot of fic for but I am already 100% on board with how you are writing them ❤️

Your characterisation of Grian is so good. The cockiness, the fondness for his friends, and the intensity of how much he loves to do the things he does. His personality and his voice are just so on point! And I loved him flirting with Mumbo, it was great! I loved every bit of it. And the line "Shame, we lost a real nice looking one to the blue jackets" is just.. ajkahdkjsahkjdsa. I have been spinning it in my head all day.

I was already very interested in Sea Fruits AU before this fic, and now I am hooked. Have subscribed and am very excited for more!

I LOVE SEA FRUITS MUMBO SM..... my biggest gripe with writing mumbo in Any au is making him seem cool(ish) while keeping him in character. so while he may be a lieutenant in the marines, he is going to be the Soppiest Man you will Ever see. I'm already developing a lot of things with stellar and mojo for mumbo's full backstory and I'm loving what we've got so far :D I'm excited to write more of him!

I'm really excited about the steampunk aspect of the au!!! steampunk has always been something I've wanted to play around with in a fic, so I'm looking forward to the chance to do that with this au

I LOVE THE CREW SO MUCH MAN :((( I wanted to give them all a chance to have their personality shine through. the beer bit is one of my absolute favorite bit of the fic, the ren moment and all <333

grian and iskall my LOVES... you've found my special ability: making you feel Emotions for ships you aren't fully familiar with >:3 welcome to my griskall propaganda

but WAHHHHHH TY :((( grian is so much fun to write here (I mean he always is, but this is like enjoyment to the Max). he's so cocky and confident and that really shines through in the way he interacts with his opponents and how he carries himself. him flirting with mumbo was so enjoyable to write, and the line at the end... I love it all so much. my ultimate goal with this au is to have grian flirt with mumbo at Any Possible Opportunity :3

but thank you for reading!!!! :D I'm so happy I've finally been able to write something for it, and I'm brain rotting so bad about it. I've been planning things all day <3

[ginsoakedgirl80]

dramas I watched in 2022

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (2022, my first cdrama, damn the ppl who brought this one down, will probably rewatch because now I get more about the cdrama tropes they subvert, Li Jiaqi hopefully will get more main roles despite this debacle)

Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022, tumblr loves it for good reason, so good, well written and gorgeous costumes and scenery, I laughed, I cried, I shaked my fist at communication failures, learned to like Yu Shuxin's voice, who doesn't like a story about a demon lord who lost all his emotions and regains them with the help of a cute fairy, cultivation in several senses xD, some songs made it to my spotify 100 most played songs of 2022 list, will rewatch now that it is on Netflix)

Word of Honor (2021, the hype has a reason it is so goood, started out not liking WKX, how the tables turned, hahahaha, side characters who rock, morally grey main characters yay, "A'Shuuuu", you don't need on screen kisses to feel the love, character dump was confusing as hell, somehow missed that WKX is also boss of Ghost Valley in the beginning bc of that. 🤣🙈 Taught me to rewatch the first episode a little bit into the drama to actually get what's going on when there are a lot of characters.)

Old Fashion Cupcake (2022, my first jdrama, cute office romance about finding joy in life again, will make you hungry)

The Rational Life (2021, watch it if you want soft, caring, loyal WH but it is actually about Qin Lan's character overcoming bullying at work and being a model employee in a car company (and promoting e-cars 😄), could have been shorter)

The Blue Whisper (2022, wrecked me with all the suffering but so good and pretty, Ren Jialun going from cutiepie to badass, rocking his ear jewellery, red flags but you ship them anyway, Diliraba and Guo Xiao Ting, another talk it out already yelling at the screen drama, going from hating SML and his attendand to pitying them, LuoLuo 🫶, side characters you will root for, some songs made it to my spotify 100 most played songs of 2022 list, story is by the author who wrote LbFaD, not set in the same universe)

The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020, Zhao Lusi the Queen, much needed comedy after TBW, loved it, nothing like a writer caught in her own badly written drama world trying to rewrite it while the rules of the world she wrote fight against the rewrites. Su Mu and First Lady just needed to talk to each other aaaargh)

Who rules the World (2022, find yourself a person who looks at you like Hei Fengxi looks at Bai Fengxi, geez Yang Yang, Zhao Lusi is a delight in this, they wrote the two lead characters too perfect??, draws you in with wuxia, gives you a lot of palace drama, including emo first prince who deserved more screen time but they ran out of ideas for him, Writing, editing and fight scenes got worse in the 2nd half of the drama, I guess because the director had to leave, needed to give more side characters a life, the sismance is perfect)

The Untamed (2019, watching to be finished in 2023, I was intimidated by the amount of characters and episodes so only started watching late in the year and am glad I waited because now I know wuxia storytelling better and can fully enjoy it, taught me that you don't need great cgi, sets or fight scenes to tell a compelling story, Wang Yibo 🥹, Xiao Zhan 😼, great side characters)

Semantic Error (2022, my first kdrama, watched it because of this and was not disappointed, enemies to lovers at university, cute quick watch)

The Blood of Youth (2022/2023, just started, the character dump is a lot but it is a romp so far, despite the kinda choppy writing/editing, also geez Youku those youtube subtitles are too fast for my tired eyes)

As someone who enjoys series/movies like the UK North and South, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, etc, where a small touch or little gestures can already be a big deal, slow burn romances in cdrama fit me perfectly. (The barbie kisses are something to get used to though. Props to Wang Hedi and Yu Shuxin who went for organic kisses once the feelings hit their characters.)

(and as someone who likes men with long hair 🤣)

Thanks to my friend B who got me into cdrama. 💕

[kiwikiwikiwisstuff]

3-2

Enko: What's wrong, Flame Hashira? Did you think we were just lazy artists? (Next to him were Yoru and Kaito laughing) (Rengoku and the others were stupefied. They had never seen those guys and girls among the corps in their lives, no one carried crows with them, but they only recently noticed their uniforms: indeed, they were made of the same material as theirs, but each one was authentic to theirs. In the case of Enko, who Rengoku had in front, had an asymmetrical turquoise yukata but without one shoulder, exposing a tattoo of Byakko, the white tiger, representative of the four guardians of Kyoto, and the pants of the uniform of the Demon Slayers) Uzui: Where did you get that? (He asked as they continued running after them… he realized that the material of Kaito's pants were the same, although he was too bold to just wear a terracotta-colored haori, exposing not only his muscles, but also his respective tattoo on chest, almost reaching his neck, Suzaku, the phoenix) Kaito: We stole it… (he said laughing while feeling the handle of his Tachi) How do you think we got it? Yoru: Oh, like any average hunter, taking the exam… Tengen Uzui… (He said with a malicious smile as he received his respective Yari from his falcon. His shirt had no sleeves, however, it was made of the material of hunter uniforms, he only wore the black haori with green on top)

Uzui: How do you know my name? (The four of them were still stunned to see that those boys were one of their own… or not?) Tsubame: Hey ladies, you can flirt with them later, now… ENKO! THROW THE BAG HERE! (The middle-tailed boy threw Tsubame the bag… it was an accurate long-range throw. The girl was quite tall and stocky, but it seems like she wanted to stall for some time while they waited for four of the missing members) Tsubame: Wow, wow~ but if they are the same gentlemen I talked to at the circus… why do they want this miserable bag when like Hashiras they are the ones who receive a better and bigger payment?

Uzui: Why should you be stealing? And why do they know my name? Ren: Because we are psychopaths~ Tsubame: Something like that, the truth is that we only did a little research on you… but as I say, this is not the time to talk, just to annoy~ Shinazugawa: YOU ARE THE UNPATHIC GIRL! Tsubame: … I AM UNPATHIC WITH ANY MAN, DWARF! Shinazugawa: DWARF- (Shinazugawa was very close to her… in fact, Tsubame was much taller than what they saw at the circus) Tsubame: Ah, Sanemi Shinazugawa, it would be an honor to humiliate you in a duel… oh, wait, it may not be a duel, but I'm already doing it! (She did a pirouette jump on top of him while taunting…that whole group was taunting. Sanemi was red with rage as he turned around to look Tsubame straight in the eyes. She calmed down a bit and slowly walked towards him, the rest also slowed down) Tsubame: Hey, dear, these are just jokes, come on, have your money bag, little one… (Shinazugawa was furious and accelerated his pace towards Tsubame) Tsubame: (sighing) There's no point in those who have anger problems… YUUKO! (Tsubame threw the bag on top of Shinazugawa, as he turned around) Yuuko: Thank you, baby~ (she winked and quickly started running, but it seemed that at least two people had already caught up with her) Oh, Iguro Obanai and Kyojuro Rengoku, what an honor to have you here by my side… tell me, Rengoku, What was it like kissing my sister? (The comment made Rengoku blush) Rengoku: Your-your sister? Yuuko: That's right, the beauty next to you~ (Hiroko appeared next to Rengoku, causing him to lose his balance for two milliseconds while Yuuko threw the bag towards her) Hiroko: You took an eternity… Yuuko Yuuko: Oh, calm down a little, Hiroko, at least there is one more here… how about we bother this pair?

(The twins began to juggle the bag, somewhat confusing Obanai and Rengoku… even now it was Yuuko who flirted with Rengoku and caused him to lose his balance a little and fall towards the edge of the roof. Uzui managed to catch up with them and roughly grabbed Yuuko by the wrist) Yuuko: OUCH! GROSS SHIT! (Strangely, the air of the young people changed a little, becoming thicker when they saw that the tall white-haired boy had grabbed Yuuko's wrist tightly, but she let go of the bag and kicked it) Yuuko: RYOKO! (The fire girl appeared with a jump, with a Yumi in hand) Ryoko: (in a cheerful tone) Sorry for the delay, guys ~ (she giggled as she shot a couple of arrows at Obanai's haori, causing him to get stuck against the ceiling for a moment) Apparently it's fun to make this night eternal!

[tankmiral]

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If you're a long time fan of Spongebob, this is a great movie to relive your childhood a little bit more. The live action visuals were impressive, but during those scenes, the comedy hit a dry spell until the last moments of the movie. All in all, this movie would have been a 10/10 if Spongebob stayed anchored, and never had left the water. Thankfully this part only lasts about 20 minutes, and moves onto one of the greatest movie endings, tying it up all in a bow with a nice rap battle that came out of nowhere (Creators of Epic Rap Battles of History), and some interpretative dance from Squidward that parodies his famous dance moves from a previous episode. Also this movie is sure to leave you wondering "what will happen next?!" As you can never quite predict what the writers will throw out at you (others have compared this movie to an acid trip, and I don't want to spoil anything, but I found it a rather enjoyable one) The only thing I did not like was the "superpowers" part, (this was the part that turned me off in the first place) as I felt some of them tried "too hard" to make the audience laugh, and it just didn't feel like Spongebob. (Listen for the "my leg!" recurring gag!). Not only this, but the jokes and gags are hilarious, and only occasionally fall short, but when they do, they make sure to make up for it. (If you ever watch/re-watch this movie, take a good look at the facial animations during the 2D parts, they're absolutely brilliant). I found every frame enjoyable, and it almost has a Ren and Stimpy like feel to it which made me appreciate it so much more. The 2D animation is the best animation I have seen in a LONG time.

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Sponge Out of Water is an absolute TREAT for both old and new fans of the series alike, and the movie kept me entertained to the very end. I was expecting this movie to be the nail in the coffin for the Spongebob franchise, and I was legitimately concerned that I would never see a good thing come from the series ever again. Let me start off by saying, before I saw this movie, based on the trailers, my expectations were as low as they could possibly be.

[beehachu]

Flowers and Hopeful Forgiveness

Prompt: Happy Anniversary. pt 2!! Read pt 1 here!

Pairing: Poly!Reader x Mumbo Jumbo x Grian x GoodTimesWithScar

Warnings: Angst lol, yelling/arguments??

Word Count: 1217

A/N: GUESS WHO’S FINALLY BACK!! I meant to get this out last week, so I’ll try to get another fic out this week. No promises, however, I have no clue how busy school can be.

Thank you guys so much for the support on part 1! I appreciate each and every one of you!! <3

Gem was the first to check up on you after you disappeared again. She’d apparently sent a message to the Hermit servers saying you were back online, and after some Hermits tried to contact you without a response, they grew worried. You had barely moved from your spot, just frozen in time. You didn’t pay any attention to the pinging and buzzing of your communicator, which you only realized was your comm when Gem burst in and frowned at all the notifications.

“They told me what happened, darling. I’m so sorry.” The hug she pulled you in was so soft, it made you feel like you were a fragile piece of crystal. It made you pause, and everything you’ve been trying to suppress and hide came back to you. You started sobbing, and she carefully rubbed your back.

The two of you just sat there, letting time tick by as she just comforted you. Your older sister hummed before pulling away slightly, her hands still on your upper arms. “How about we go to Hermitcraft for a bit?” She shushed you as you tried to protest with clear hesitation on your face. “I know, they’re on there, but if we just ignore them we can do some fun things with Stress, Cleo, False and Pearl, yeah? I can tell Xisuma to try and keep them distracted while you’re there.” Worrying your lip between your teeth, you think before nodding.

“Yeah, alright. Besides, I missed hanging out with Ren too. I think working on my megabase could be good for me.” The wizard grinned and held out her hand. You took it, pocketing your comm and throwing on a cloak before taking her hand and letting her pull you to the off-world portal.

The feeling of traveling was still weird to you, even if you switched between your two home servers a bunch. Xisuma was waiting for the two of you, and you happily handed him a little pouch with berries and other fruits from your empire as a small gift. Gem pulled you along right away, rocketing towards Stress’ dark oak forest. Laughing, you followed. It felt good to be back on the server again!

False and Pearl dragged the four of you along to a clearing in the forest, filled with flowers. You grinned as Stress pulled out a picnic basket from her inventory, settling down on the blanket. The idle chatter started up easily, catching each other up on whatever you had missed. Cleo eventually pulled you against her chest, holding you as a source of comfort. You smiled up at her gratefully.

Night came quickly, and you all ran back to Stress’ place in giggles. Dodging skeletons and spiders, you joked around and the buildings of the brunette’s base came into view. Stress had convinced all of you earlier to have a sleepover, and you were grateful for the distractions everyone was giving you. Somewhere throughout the night, around the time where Gem had convinced Cleo to let her pay the zombie’s nails, Iskall joined.

You hadn’t spoken to the Swede in ages, and it was a lot of fun to catch up with him. Did you understand anything about the redstone plans he explained to you? Absolutely not. However, that didn’t stop you from being excited for him and helping him with suggestions about the aesthetical aspect.

Of course, your peace wasn’t long lasting. It appears Xisuma must’ve gone to sleep, because a knock at Stress’ door made all the chatter pause and a familiar British voice echoed through the building. “Stress, are you in here? I’m trying to find Iskall to help me with a little project I’m stuck on, yet I can’t seem to find him.” You visibly drooped at Mumbo’s appearance, and Stress frowned. The footsteps got closer and she and Iskall shot up, rushing to meet him before he got too close.

Pearl immediately started talking about some stuff she got up to in a singleplayer world, and you just tuned her out to background noise as you got lost in your head. You should talk to them, right? At least demand an explanation about why they were so.. cruel to you. Voids sake, you all promised no one would be left behind at the beginning of your guys’ relationship.. They knew how much anniversaries meant to you!

Standing up, you ignored the frowns shot your way. With a simple, “I’m going to talk to them,” you pulled on your elytra and huffed. Anger and frustration slowly replaced the heartbreak you had felt recently. Gem silently wished you luck while Cleo just cheered on your rage. You smirked at them, the zombie waving you bye as you practically stormed out. In the hallway you came across Stress and Iskall frantically trying to get Mumbo out. With a frown, you marched past and grabbed his wrist without sparing an actual proper glance to his face.

“You, with me. Now. Show me where the other two are.” The noirette stumbled along startled, equipping his own elytra with shaking hands. He was scared, good. Normally you’d hate the sadistic little voice in your head, but you think they deserved it this time. You ignored Mumbo’s nervous attempts to chit chat during the flight and simply landed when you saw the other two chatting in front of Grian’s rock.

The elf and avian immediately looked up when they heard someone land, brightening when they saw it was you however pausing as they noticed the pissed off look you wore and the way your arms crossed defensively. Mumbo landed next to you, hands fidgeting while he looked to the ground. Scar opened his mouth to question what was happening before you spoke up. “What the fuck? We make an agreement, a promise, and the three of you just go on behind my back? Sure, you know I’m all for one on one dates. But on our anniversary? What is wrong with you guys? Do you even know how happy I was when Gem gave me a fixed comm, and how crushed I was when absolutely no one answered me?”

“Y/N-” You practically growled at Grian. “No, you fucking listen to me. There’s no excuse for this! You could’ve sent Gem or Pearl a message about what you were doing or, Void forbid, just tell them you’d be gone for the day!” Your angry rant was cut off by a hug, a teary-eyed Scar burying his face in your neck as he whispered. “We missed you so much. So, so much.” The raging fire simmered down to just a small flame, and you hesitantly hugged him back. You might be mad at them, but you still loved them more than ever.

“We, uh.. We spent our anniversary building us a little cottage. We included things from your empire!” Your heart panged at Mumbo’s admission, anger getting replaced by heartbreak again. Your voice was weak when you spoke up again. “You guys.. didn’t forget about me?” “Goodness, no! We would never! Do you want to come check out the little house?” Biting your lip, you nodded.

Maybe it will take a bit to fully heal from this, but being back on this server hugged by all three of them? It felt like it’d be alright.

[giggly-squiggily]

🛎🛎🛎 Hello, yes! Hey there! Can I order a Demon Slayer piece/ the sixth strike of the Ten-Ren tickle attack please? Maybe with a side of...

OMG ITS SO GOOD TO HAVE U BACK! I MISSED U! I PRAY U HAVE A BLESSED MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, HONEY🥰☺️

I absolutely love the energy! Thank you so much friend! :D

And so, we've arrived to the sixth and final part of the Ten-Ren series! This was an absolute joy to make, and I hope y'all like it!

“Hehehe, not many left to get, huh? Now, where or where is our dear Mitsuri?” Tengen teased with a grin, eyes darting along the butterfly mansion as they seeked out said Hashira. Word had it she was delivering some herb packages, so they hadn’t wished to miss their opportunity.

Was attacking everyone with tickles necessary? Not really.

Was it fun?

Of course.

“Kanao might know where she is- do you think she’ll tell us?” The flame breather paused momentarily. Kanao was quiet- getting the information out of her would be difficult.

“No worries, she’ll tell us. Afterall.” The Sound Hashira wiggled his fingers dramatically, eyes twinkling. “We can be rather persuasive!”

“Is that so?” A new voice made them pause. Rengoku and Tengen turned to find none other than Giyu standing by, chin lifted and eyes cautious. “Tell me, do you two really think your little game will last forever?”

“Oh ho ho! What’s this? I haven’t seen this side of you before, Tomioka!” Tengen grinned. “I will say the boldness to approach after today’s events is rather flashy. I respect it!”

“I agree! Though I wonder why you didn’t bring Shinazugawa with you?” Rengoku looked around, eyes falling onto the crouched man in the bushes. “Ah! There you are!”

Sanemi let out a muffled curse. Damn, he was busted.

“Oi, Ren. It seems like our favorite victims just can’t get enough!” Tengen teased, taking a slow step forward and wiggling his fingers. “Shall we give them what they want?”

“But of course, Ten! How can’t we?” Rengoku smiled, rolling up his sleeves for maximum tickling. “Who shall I take on first…”

Like all great monsters, the duo failed to consider their greatest flaw. Too caught up in their game, Tengen failed to see the small pink warrior sneaking up from behind…

“Heh, go ahead and try.” Sanemi smirked, taking his spot beside Giyu. “You two will be the ones laughing in the end.” He raised his voice to the lone figure in position. “Now! Do it!”

“Do what-Gah!” Tengen suddenly jerked, stumbling forward as Misturi let out a battle cry, jumping on his back. “Whoa, Mitsuri! Whahahahahhahahahahat?” Instantly the Sound Hashira was in a fit of giggles, the smaller girl’s hands flying across his ribs and armpits with nimble speed. “Hehe! Take this! And this! And that and this!” She cried, eyes twinkling.

“Mihihihihihihihtsuuhuhuhuhri! Wahhahahahahait! Yohoohohohhou’re suhuhuuhuposed to behehehehehe ohohohohohn oohhoohohohhur sihihiihide!” Tengen tried to grab her, but she was too fast, easily avoiding his attempts at her limbs while delivering playful blows left and right.

Rengoku blinked.

Then he turned to look at Sanemi and Giyu.

Sanemi cracked his knuckles, snickering. Giyu started to smile.

Oh dear.

“Reeeeen~” Was all the Flame Hashira heard before he took off, racing down the butterfly estate, Sanemi and Giyu hot on his heels. Had he not been on the run, he’d laugh at the irony of it. “Haha! Good luck trying to catch me, boys!” He called back, a fatal mistake. “Whoa!”

Rengoku hadn’t seen the trap wire until his foot was around it, sending him flailing to the pavement. Before he could eat gravel, a hand grabbed the back of his Haori, catching him. “Oh, Tengen! Many thanks!” He turned to smile at his savoir. “I appreciate that-”

Gyomei angled his head down at him. Ren’s smile froze.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you, Kyojuro?” He asked kindly, the smile he wore full of vengeance. “If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.”

Just a few meters away, Tengen had been quickly overwhelmed. In the short time Gyomei grabbed Rengoku, Obanai, Shinobu, and Muichiro were upon the former shinobu, latching to various parts of his body and tickling like there was no tomorrow. “My my, seems like the great tickle monster is the weakest of them all!” Shinobu cooed from her spot on the ninja’s left, her hands squeezing along his belly and knees.

“It’s almost like he’s been asking for it, don’t you think?” Muichiro was kneeled beside Tengen’s legs, squeezing against his knee and thigh. “Him and Kyojuro-san.”

“Oh yeah! These two are super ticklish!” Mitsuri giggled as she scribbled against Tengen’s neck and armpits. Obanai was wrapped around his front, focusing his energy on absolutely wrecking the bigger man as he drilled into his ribs. “I’m surprised no one came to me first- I could have told you where to really get them.”

“Gahahahhahahahhahahahahahaha! Yohoohohoohohoohhou guhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuys! Ahehahahhahhaha! Hehehehehehhdhelp! Thehehehehhehe shohoohoohohohortiihihihies aahhahare buhhuuuhuuhuhhllying mehehehhehehehehe!” Tengen cackled, nearly falling to the ground as the four abused every sensitive spot along his body. “Kihiihihiihiihihihihihyoohoohohohohu!”

Said Hashira himself was in no such state to help. He was trapped in Gyomei’s arms, Giyu’s fingers flying across his ribs and belly as Sanemi worked the wire trap off his flailing leg. “Gahahhahahahehahahahahaha! Whahahahahhahahait! Ahehahahahahahahhahaha! Nohohohohoohohot thehehhehehehehre!” He hooted, twisting and turning when the silver haired man found a rather deadly spot against his calf. “Sahahahahhahahhaahahemehehehhhehei!

“Ha! How’s it feel, owl eyes?” He grinned over his shoulder at the other, wire tossed away and free hand yanking off his Zori. “If your calves are this ticklish, what about your feet, huh?”

Judging by the shriek of laughter he let out, it was safe to say they were.

~~~

It wasn’t long before the infamous duo were utterly wrecked. Lying against the cool gravel of the estate,  the boys huffed and wheezed with mirth, flushed and exhausted by the day’s events. “Ahehehe…hehehehe…hehe…” Rengoku could only laugh, both an aftereffect of the tickles and the reality of just how silly the whole ordeal was. Tengen snorted, weakly glaring up at the delighted crew of hashira around him. “Mehehehean!”

“Ha! As if you didn’t deserve it!” Sanemi grinned, the others giggling to themselves as they celebrated their victory. “We got them back! Great work, everyone!” Mitsuri cheered.

“What do you mean ‘we’? You weren’t even targeted!”

“Hey I helped!”

“My my, what an amusing outcome for your little game.” Shinobu smiled down at the pair, kneeling as she gently patted the boy’s heads. “We should do this again sometime.” “I’m all for getting these two knuckleheads back.” Obanai mused. “Knowing them, they’re probably gonna do it again.”

“The thought…has been considered…” Tengen huffed, getting him a rare snort from Gyomei.

“Tengen is right! We’ll be back!” The Flame Hashira declared, letting Giyu pull him to his feet. “Be ready, friends! Team Ten-Ren will live on!”

“Whoa.” Muichiro deadpanned. “I’m so excited.”

The others cackled, going on about their day and reflecting on the hilarious mess they’ve created. Sanemi and Giyu shared a look, understanding forming between them.

“This doesn’t mean anything but…if they do decide to target us again…” Sanemi huffed and looked towards the distance, the top of his cheekbones flushing. “Do you…want to team up?”

Giyu startled, and then he smiled.

“Sounds good.”

I hope this was good!

[lightlycareless]

sooo can we get a sneak peek 👀👀

Heya anon!

Was planning to do a post for that, kind of like "if I get one like I'll post a sneak peak" and then like it myself lol but you won me to that!

Anyways, here's the first page/segment of the next chapter :) I hope you enjoy it!

WARNING: spoilers for chapter 33🤭 also, some words might change. Gotta give it that last proofread if you know what I mean.

“Dear Hinata—

I hope this letter finds you well.

I’m still not used to writing that, the whole dear Hinata thing. It reminds me of those really old letters, like from the Victorian Era or something, or those during the war, when people used to be very polite and stuff, super formal even with their own friends and family! I don’t know how to describe it… I hope you get what I mean.

But yeah, reading back through my letters after I'm done writing them always makes me laugh because I think I’m being melodramatic.

In my excuse, it’s all because of those etiquette classes we were forced to take since, I don’t know, we were born? Ugh, and only because of our roles in the clan! Which I don’t mind! Really… but sometimes the elders tend to be very weird about it, and it makes me feel like they don’t deserve to be treated respectfully at all! I know that you, more than anyone else, would understand what I mean.

Ah, well, I’m not writing to you to complain about my preferences, I’m doing so because… there’s no other way to put it: I miss you.

It’s been a while since I heard anything from you, or at all. And I’m not writing either to complain about that! I don’t want you to feel guilty, if you ever get time to read my letters, for not responding because I know for a fact you’re very busy with work. 

Last thing I heard was that the crisis was getting worse. It was already bad during my last mission, so I can only imagine how it is now.

Either way, even when I understand why you can’t respond, it’s still… painful to not hear anything from you. I wish I could at least get one letter from you, a call, even a smoke signal for god’s sake, I don’t care, just to let me know how you, Ren, dad, and everyone else is doing.

I hope Satoru isn’t bothering you too much, Sumire too. I know very well how annoying they can be on their own, so I feel even worse knowing that I can’t help you ease the burden of their antics ^^; hang on, Hinata!!

As for me, life here has been… ok, to say the least. The life of a married woman is surprisingly boring, but I think that’s mainly because there’s so many new things I now have to take care of that I ever thought of before! Mom and dad sure made it seem so fun… or that’s what they wanted us to think? 

Anyways, now that I’ve experienced a bit of the “married life” I now feel confident to tell you that you did the right thing in not marrying Satoru. Being a wife is boring, you’re expected to keep most of the time in the house, tending to it and its inhabitants… So yeah, definitely boring. Although I think Satoru could’ve managed to also make it irritating. 

But yeah, being a sorcerer is much more exciting, totally.

That kind of makes my life sound terrible, right? Like I’m locked or something. Please, don’t worry. I’m ok, busy, but ok. Just missing you, and Ren. 

I hope dad is ok too. He worries me the most. I… hope he hasn’t taken up on drinking again. You know how bad he gets when he spirals… please take care of him if you can.

From there, I don’t really have anything new to say. My ladies, Mariya, Haruko and Hitomi, have been quite calm nowadays, and that’s a bit eerie if you ask me! Anyways, I hope you can meet them one day. Or Mai and Maki, I think you’d find them adorably funny too! And mischievous. They kind of remind me of us when we were younger. Oh, but they’re definitely way nicer, we used to be our parent’s nightmare, remember?

But all in due time, I suppose.

Well… I guess the main point of this letter is to tell you that I miss you, very, very much. That I hope you’re ok and… don’t worry about me. Keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll be here.

Take care, and give everyone a big hug from my part.

Yours truly, Y/N.

P.S. Don’t let Satoru get the idea that just because I’m not there, my things are his. They’re not. And please, please, please don’t let him delete my save files. I do intend on playing them again when possible”