#and I loved that Mew refused to be friends again with Boston

[dark-blue-piss]

Also i watched Only Friends and like, it was far better than I expected lmao, I just expected something very messy and like not very good but still entertaining, and I was actually so into it! Like ofc it's a lot of drama and things are indeed messy but it's not badly done idk, I think the dialoguzs were nice, the characters made sense (more or less) and idk they seemed fleshed out. I really liked the different interactions with the characters and stuff idk. idk how to explain

[bl-bracket]

Deserved Better Round 2: Boston (Only Friends) vs Korn (Until We Meet Again)

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Boston: "He had his flaws but he also had his reasons! He deserved some of his ending, because of his actions, yes. But it was way too much just for not having the same view on relationships as everyone else."

"I mean one could argue that Boston got the best ending out of them all because he's living his best life slutting it up in the US away from his shitty friends while they still have to deal with each other, but like... why did they have to revenge porn my guy TWICE"

"Sure Boston was a bit of a dick (sleeping with a friend’s boyfriend) but he didn’t deserve the treatment he got in the show. He got non-consensually recorded for porn and then was blackmailed by a friend with it. Pretty much all of the Only Friends characters did shitty things but only Boston is unfriended by the group because he was being a bit of a slut. And arguably what Boston did was actually less worse than a lot of the other characters on the show. The retribution he received was incredibly disproportionate."

"Look... was he an asshole? Sure. But the only person he actually deserved ill treatment from was Mew. He did not owe Nick, Top, Cheum or Atom ANYTHING. His privacy was violated multiple times, even though he was always clear about how he wanted things and how important consent was to him. He did not ask Nick to fall for him either, and it was Top who was in an actual relationship and went behind Mew's back to cheat on him. Yeah, i do think that he shouldn't have gone for a guy his friend was interested in because bro code, BUT HE GOT WAY WORSE THAN HE DESERVED."

Korn: "Korn tragically took his own life because his homophobic parents refused to let him and In be together. They loved each other and were happier together."

[plantsarepeopletoo]

Control, Mew, and Top

So I got the idea of control from @dewtu post here and the idea of mew's mugshot from @sunshinechay post here Thanks @rocketturtle4 for the posts and the talk (along with Midsomer from the discord)

Music playlist here

I think Mew likes to be in control. Of himself, of his emotions, of the situation. Top is a schemer, doing everything to give Mew a storybook romance.

Mew

I love how Boston isn't even in the light, he's uninterested, aloof. The next scene he wonders away from the group as soon as Ray suggests they help him with actually running the hostel for the project. Support my ass.

Mew is shadowed here, even though we see parts of him, like his mouth... We know what he says about himself, but I'm not thinking we get the whole picture from him yet. Also, I think he uses the glasses as a way to shield himself from the world.

"I read books a lot, that's why I'm wearing specs." Which could be he's ruined his eyes from reading, but also we know he reads books to feel things he's never felt before, go places he's never been, and this:

He is using reading to buffer himself from feeling the real thing. We know he is afraid of himself. "You know what I'm afraid of? I'm sensitive, If I have sex with you, I'm going to be so into you." He goes on describing how he'll be addicted and it'll turn out bad. He knows Top only wants a one night stand.

So the glasses can be a sort of symbol of that separation of him, his emotions, and the world.

Back to the quiz night at the bar:

Side note the song saying "It's one thing what you promised, but it's another to deliver, You don't want it now that you got it, to hell with it" nice. None of Top and Mew's songs are romantic.

Mew refuses to drink, giving what he wins to his friends. He wants control of his emotions and what is happening, which we see through out the night, Top thinks he is scheming his way into Mews room but realizes quickly that Mew knows what's going on. And Mew stops as soon as he feels like this situation and his emotions are getting out of control. So, he chooses Ice Cream. Top asks for a cuddle, and he allows it, but is still in control.

Mew's freak out goes along with the song that is playing "Check for pulse" Specifically, "You will hurt the ones you love, and they will hurt you right back. Sing along, Sing along, our love is a heart attack, You better check for pulse" Mew is afraid of this exact thing happening. Again, "I don't want to cry alone in my room"

Another thing about Mew being in control, he thinks he knows how to read people, we get him saying it twice.

Makes me think he's got Top's number. He knows what Top is doing.

Top

This whole time Top thinks he's in control, the bathroom scene with Boston and Top

"I also want to date him, he's interesting" Man never doubts for a second that he's got Mew under control.

Also song playing is Hate Me here it's just saying "hate me" over and over so... yeah. Doesn't feel good.

Cue Spying game with the lyrics "We're both lost, out of date, bitter stargazers, Pretty much similar, Homeless heartbreakers. I don't wanna hear your thoughts, You don't wanna feel my skin, You just wanna dream of sin, Sickness floating in our veins, Players in a spying game"

"I'm going to be there to comfort my friend" is met with a rolled eyes. The amount of contempt Top has for Boston. Man thinks he's got the situation down.

Enough that when he grabs the mic, he just assumes no one will stop him. Doesn't care about Sand, or anyone else. He's in control.

So we've got Mew who thinks he knows how to read people vs Top who wants get what he wants.

This smile at the end though. is it Mew falling for Top or is it Top falling into Mew's control. Who's world is ending.

[heretherebedork]

Wait, so Mew spared Boston the exposure of his sex tape, but he's also now the villain to you for not stepping in to vouch for Boston's selfish ass personal 'ethics' now about Atom? Mew could have made sure he suffered so much more than getting kicked out of a required graduation project...

Mew is plenty interesting and amazing, daring to risk it all and be willing to try and trust again. I just don't get it why some people refuse not to see it that way. Boeing's already a dud for me that he's clearly there just to scheme and be vengeful. It's a shame he isn't genuine with Mew, because I could FEEL potential.

(Welcome back, Mew anon! I'm glad you at least left Ray out of this ask. Thanks for that~)

No, no, the villain is Boeing. Haven't I been clear about that? Boeing is the real villain we all deserved! Mew is just judgemental and sanctimonious and exactly as toxic as all his friends just in a way that agrees with a lot of people's moral codes so they approve of him judging people because they would judge them too.

Mew is the morality police who puts his own morals above everything else in his life unless he's seeking revenge. I wish that went farther. I mean, do I dislike that he punched Ray to get his own version of revenge on Top? Yes. But was it one of the most interesting things he did? Hell yes. I want more of that! I like when Mew gives up on judging other people and seeks out revenge.

But he never does longterm. And now he's holding this cheating over Top's head and he might say he's giving him a second try without actually making any move to forgive him, instead constantly referencing back to the cheating while talking about loving and hating him. Honestly? It's the most interesting he's been but it's still dull because, and this is personal, I'm not invested in their relationship.

You say he's risking it all to try and trust again but he's... not showing any signs of actually trying? He says he is but he's still not stopping mentioning it or focusing on it to the point that he can't let it go. So he's not actually risking anything. He's just saying he is and then holding it like the sword of Damacles over Top.

I'll be honest here, anon, you think this ask is getting me to like him more but all it's doing is making me think more and more about all the ways he find him dull in this show of messy gays being messy. Mew and Cheum needed villain arcs that they appear to not be getting and I'm just... tired of it.

I get it, Mew's morals fit into the vast majority of people's morals. They really do. He and Cheum are the Good Queers TM. They hold onto the ideals that the majority of the world does, frankly. But that's why I don't like them in the messy gays and messy queers show.

(@respectthepetty wrote a gorgeous post about not liking Mew and Cheum that is better than I can make and @iguessitsjustme has made so many posts explaining the dislike of Mew that I can't even pick one to link, they're all brilliant.)

[savagebisand]

The girls are fighting but who brawled first and Who Makes Mew 180 Next Ep? From disgust and disbelief at Rays accusations to Confronting Top...

Seen a couple theories posited that the SandRay fight is actually before the RayMew fight and at first I was like there is no way buuttt now I'm thinking about it more I can see a scenario playing out

Imagine Ray is riled up by that point and hellbent on telling Mew what he discussed with Boston earlier, they argue about Rays choice to tell Mew what he knows about Top and Ton because Sand just seems the person to go that's only gonna make it worse, Ray is refusing to listen and Sand snaps with "can't you focus on me instead" and Ray who is now Decidedly Pissed Treble because Sand is not listening and agreeing, everyone is lying to his best friend and wants him to play along aNd Sand wants to ask him to pick right now to focus on their issues instead. This is quite frankly far too much for Rays smooth pretty rich brain to problem solve at once. He tells Sand he has no business in it and what even are they to each other anyway and when Sand can't really answer the question bc isn't that Rays choice, enough is enough. Sand is in his way and he's on a mission, so an already desperate and exhausted Ray shoves Sand aside. Literally. Goes in all guns blazing to tell Mew a truth he thinks Mew deserves because how can this possibly go wrong? Ray is being good. He is looking after the person he said he would save back.

Mew, on the other hand, does not want and is not ready for this truth especially not from a rowdy Ray who has always had an issue with Top and kissed him just last week anyway. This is jealousy talking right? What else should Mew think when Ray just told Mew he hasn't moved on from him in years and still loves him. Oh the tragedy. But oh the glee. Because if this is the case and Sand follows Ray back in to battle because FFS he's infuriating but he cant leave Ray in that state and seemingly picks Ray up from his mortal kombat style finish him blow from Mew (again literally and metaphorically). There is ample room for Sand taking a hurt and shell shocked Ray home and providing that oh so sweet hurt/comfort. Perhaps we will get SandRay patching bruises up together, finally. Perhaps they can finally have that communication they blocked off last ep. That is, ya know, before Ray realises without Mew as a bluff he might actually be allowed to love Sand and that's impossible, time to push Sand away with five times the force.

Sidenote: It is very interesting to observe that Nick is there as well. Now Sand did not shock me after all he's the bar singer and that is the bar, he may not be there for Mew but this is where we find Sand anyway when Ray isn't with him. But Nick? Nick has never entered that bar space before, in a way it hasn't tainted him the way it has all the others. It's another thing he hasn't been exposed to that sets him apart. But suddenly Nick is there in this world with the core four once again seeing different sides of them. Arguably, he has no business being there, he's not friends with them really and Boston has never made a point of showing him off before unless it benefits Ton to do so (e.g. the pool party where Nick was in charge of a specific job). He could be there for Sand which, again, is interesting.

Even more intriguingly, we can see Title's character in the background of the RayMew fight scene. Evidently, this character is significant somehow, enough to be in the opening credits. I'm very much side eyeing what his role is here and now of all moments. I do think there's a strong chance after Nick witnesses RayMews showdown, he takes it upon himself to confirm what Ray claims to Mew. I don't see Mew believing anyone else but someone seemingly inconsequential, with no reason to lie other than Nick. And we do have the TopMew fight in this ep as well so evidently Mew starts believing Rays talk at some point.

The only other possibility I could see right now is feral protective Sand trying to back Ray up, pissed as hell that Rays pretty face looks so beat up and devastated, by throwing an off hand comment out that makes Mew double take and realise Ray is telling the truth because again he approves of Sand, thinks Sand is lovely and doesn't see why he'd lie. Sand knows as much as Nick does so either of them have the potential to be candidates Mew would rather hear the hard truth from.

Then again, sometimes this show blindsides us into thinking there will be more drama than there really is. It's quite possible Mew only starts to believe what Ray claims because one of Tops ex flings crops up and gives mew some sort of vague warning that seems to corroborate things mew had already noticed and ignored and what Ray was accusing Top of. I'd rather it be Nick personally cause I love that crazy gone girl. But I do agree with others who have pointed out Mew and Ton have another confrontation later which is more likely to be about the cheating, in which case it makes sense for Nick to bite his tongue for now esp since Boston is currently where Nick wants and being more "coupley" toward him and if Mew and Top have relationship drama, it may only push Ton toward Top more again.

That does lead me to wonder if Sand being the one to back Ray up in this RayMew showdown and make Mew doubt Top where Ray couldn't is what prompts Nick and Sands fight where Nick claims Sand has embarrassed him and hurt his feelings and Sand argues why should you care, he's an asshole. I could see why Nick would be hurt and annoyed if Sand telling Mew causes issues for Nick and Ton because ya know Boston's in a pissy since Mew is off with him, Tops giving him shit since clearly Boston gave shit away and perhaps Sand even lets something slip like "just ask Nick" which is why HE personally is embarrassed cause now Ton is also onto him. Also Sand stands with the most to gain. It pushes Ray into his arms more to be there for him when everyone else is dismissing him, esp Mew and Sand doesn't like Top in the first place and knows Top has a habit of carelessly fucking other people and putting his feelings first.

But this is only friends, maybe in reality the argument RayMew have isn't even about Top anymore by the end of it, maybe what Ray tells Boston he knows which clearly makes Boston nervous has nothing to do with BostonTop at all. From the small snippets we have we truly have barely any context but these are some scenarios I'd like for the timeline of things.

[akkpipitphattana]

Most of the audience hates Mew for being holier than thou but I’m just not seeing it. Ray is a drug addict who doesn’t care about boundaries at all, is territorial, refuses to go rehab or fix his addictions, is short tempered and unavailable all the time cuz he’s either high or drunk because once again he’s a addict. Yes he’s traumatised and fiercely protective and loving but he is difficult to be around because he will eat and eat and eat at you until there’s nothing left (like look at how he treats Sand). Mew is mean because he has to be. Mew has to constantly define his boundaries with ALLL of his friends (and his ex now). Boston videoing him, Cheum constantly needling him about his virginity, Top fucking his friend lying and exchanging sobriety for sex. Like???

while i don’t hate mew for it, he absolutely is holier than thou nonnie!! like you’re absolutely right in everything you said about his friend group but he’s truly not any better as much as so many people want to paint him as some innocent bystander driven crazy by his psychotic friends and this episode was just SUCH proof of that

like aside from the fact that the company you keep says a lot about you, mew has been using sex to manipulate top from the very beginning. withholding it just to test him, leveraging it so he’ll quit drugs, it’s been there the whole time! and he did it again this episode with gap in order to get the video. i mean do you seriously think someone who’s just “mean cause he has to be” would go through all that trouble not even to release the video but just to tell boston how much better he is than him?? like cmon. he’s just as crazy as the rest of them he’s just better at hiding it and only pulls it out when he needs to

[saifahname]

things I'm sure of in only friends:

Mew is manipulative and he knows how to play people

Boston has feelings for Top, more than a big ego

things I desperately want in only friends to happen:

Top is the reddest red flag walking around and my least favorite character I hope he gets his ass beat by Sand (because I love Sand and I think he deserves a little treat)

Sand and Nick to hook up just because, I don't know I just want it (both drank, Sand is upset over Ray leaving him for Mew once again and Nick is upsed over Boston use of 'fwb' again so they have consolation sex. great time, but instant regret in the morning they never speak about it ever again)

Boston gets jealous about TopMew so he turns to Nick but!!! Nick is hooking up with Papang's character I want Boston to be refused by Nick so much

[rocketturtle4]

Checkpoint: Only Friends Brain Rot, Ep2

(I'm still shadowbanned despite brief evidence to the contrary)

Ray: He went from prickly stray cat to little lost puppy and somehow remained both broken and sexy. Definitely going to get way too attached to Sands unfiltered caring. Definitely going to wreck Sand's emotions with his unchecked attachment to Mew. (I wonder if Mew was there for him when his mum died...)

Sand: Boy is far too succeptible to both stray cats and lost puppies. We all knew he was lost the moment he stared at Ray on the floor of his own bathroom. He knew he was lost the moment he ditched the hookup and then refused the money on the off chance his stray puppy was lonely. Hopefully the sex is worth it.

Boston: Still clearly pissed that his plan to bring in the hot boy he once fucked and wanted to fuck again got derailed by his prude of a friend who's way to full of himself (in Boston's eyes). Needs Nick's affection but doesn't know it, casually making Nick fall in love with him with every throway kiss.

Nick: Falling in love with every throwaway kiss despite the fact that he'd vehemently deny it (to Boston). Clearly needs to get laid by someone better at sex. I'd say his new roommate might knock some sense into him, but after this episode...maybe not. We're all worried for you sweetie.

Top: Sleeps around so that he can sleep at all. Very intrigued by his New Challenge but also beginning to run thin on patience with his teasing yes no (stop slow go) approach. Yanking Mew around by his feelings while not noticing his own feelings being yanked in return.

Mew: Self-Control R Us with his confidence and his clear boundaries...only problem is self-awareness only goes so far and emotions are real pesky at shoving one's control off a cliff. Yanking Top around by his feelings (read: dick) while not noticing his own feelings being yanked in return.

Couple I think most likely to NOT end up together: Top/Mew

Couple I most want to end up together: Sand/Ray

Character I am worried about relating way to much to in the coming chaos: Mew

Character I think most likely to die: ...Ray? (probably from something alcahol related).

At this point, I don't think anyone's going to get murdered, but death by accident...is a real possibility.

Other thoughts:

Ray collection post (adding as I find more - yes I am too attached)

Colour coding: Stop slow go: Ep 1, Ep 2.

Why does child Top have the same beadspread as adult Mew?

[theuntoldoriginsoftheportmafia]

Part Ⅳ The Port Mafia - Chapter 2.4

⏲ Miles To Go ⏲

1,134 Words

It's been a month and there still has been no one found in all of Japan that comes close to touching Ranpo's olympian intelligence.

'No matter, there is still the rest of the world.' Fukuzawa sighs, shaking away the fatigue as he continues to pour over lists of the world's most intelligent. Results from trivia competitions, chess and maths tournaments, memory challenges and more. No one is good enough.

Normally he'd have mafia grunts do this type of work, but this is personal. No one else knows exactly what Ranpo needs and all affairs relating to the third mafia executive are classified anyhow.

Just as the man's eyes start to close again he spots something sticking up from the bottom of the pile. It looks different from the other perfectly white papers.

He pulls it out, careful so as not to rip it.

'What's this, a newspaper clipping? And it's American? How odd.'

He presses it against the desk with his palm to flatten it. The paper's name says it's located somewhere called Boston, and the headline reads:

"Incredible Young Author Solves Murder That Stumped Police For Years, In Three Days!"

This headline is the first thing in the pile to truly intrigue Fukuzawa. He checks the date, it's only a week old.

"How on earth did a week-old newspaper, from America of all places, get here?" he mutters to himself. The only response he gets is the soft mewing of the calico cat at his feet. Elise insisted that they just had to take the poor animal off the streets. Fukuzawa thought it looked to be doing just fine, it wasn't scrawny and its coat was glossy, but Mori couldn't deny Elise's wishes.

He reads the article, written by a woman named Gloria Montressor.

"Early Thursday morning, 19-year-old Edgar Allan Poe, the son of late Elizabeth Hopkins Poe -nee Arnold, and David Poe Jr, the founder of Usher Publishing House, sought out the local 12th police precinct for help in searching for his lost racoon, Karl. While there, he happened to see some of the evidence for the formerly ongoing Iceman serial murder case. 

In exchange for finding the lost mammal, he offered to assist the police officers. At first, they were reluctant, but now they're glad they accepted. It took the incredible young writer only three days to solve the case and track down the culprit, an ability user by the name of Robert Frost. 

It turned out that Frost, who appeared by all accounts to be your friendly local elder, had ever since his early twenties, been luring victims to his poetry reading and then using his time extension ability "Miles To Go Before I Sleep" to lock victims in the basement of his estate and torture them. When faced with arrest the 88-year-old, ended his own life with a gun he had in his home. His victims were all found in various states of harm, but by far the most curious thing was that, according to IDs and driver's licences found in the basement, and medical tests, every victim is far younger than they should be. 

Authorities guess that the nature of Frost's ability is to slow down time and trap victims in this slowed time. They assume it is also the reason for the slow progression of the infections in their wounds. This may have spared their lives, but they will never recover these lost years. Many mourn the loss of pets and loved ones and wonder how they will ever reconnect with friends or return to their previous careers.

The hero of our story, the young Mr Poe commented that it was only fair he used his great intellect to help out, since it would hardly be any trouble for him and the police helped him reunite with his furry companion. He seemed in quite a hurry to be off and refused to offer more citing that he had to return to work on his next great mystery novel.

Thanks to this incredible boy, we can all feel a little safer, even as the threat of ability users becomes a growing concern."

'Oh, this is promising. He seems to have the same type of intelligence as Ranpo, and he writes mystery novels. He's perfect. He solved it in only three days, well, that's nowhere as fast as Ranpo, but this is as close as anyone has gotten. I ought to buy some of these novels for Ranpo. Yes, I'll do that.'

Fukuzawa can feel sleep overtaking him and decides to wait until the first thing the next morning.

-

Ever the early riser, Fukuzawa is up at 5:00 AM and having nothing urgent to do he begins the search for the novels. With the internet these days, he should be able to find them without much effort at all, not to say he wouldn't search the ends of the earth to find his son a friend.

He frowns when he doesn't find them on the Usher Publishing House website. Why wouldn't his own father's publishing company carry his son's books, dead or not?

He tries again searching: "Edgar Allan Poe novels"

Another website comes up, it's clearly a much smaller company. The banner says Rue Morgue Publishing. On the right side is a grainy, pixelated graphic of a black cat scratching digital claw marks on the screen and on the left is a raven, the gif blinking and letting out a silent caw every few seconds. 

'This looks like some type of website where one would buy illegal things. Is this the dark web?' Fukuzawa thinks.

But sure enough, all of the teenaged author's books are available here, and for reasonable prices. The site claims that these novels will leave even the most erudite readers stumped until the very last detail of the solution is revealed. Fukuzawa buys a copy of each of the three novels.

'I wonder if his gift applies to fictional mysteries as well? If not this will be a nice challenge. It should entertain him for a while . . . but he's so used to knowing everything. I hope it won't be distressing for him.'

-

Pleased with himself, Fukuzawa returns to his usual routine with his morning workout.

He's only startled out of his concentration when a large weight settles on his back. He manages one more push-up before surrendering and sinking back down.

Ougai doesn't get up. "There's an incident that needs our attention."

"Well, I can hardly give any attention to anything with you sitting on me, now can I?"

"Oh, was I sitting on you, I must have forgotten! How rude of me!" the mafia leader teases, standing and extending his hand to his partner.

"Yes, very rude."

Elise mimes falling over dead. "Dying" with a dramatic, "Ugh!"

"Can this issue wait until after I freshen up?"

"I could tell you as you do,"

"That works just as well." Yukichi shakes his head as his partner falls into step beside him.

[emospritelet]

Heatstroke - chapter 3

These prompts arrived within minutes of each other XD

I’m open to more embarrassing and awkward prompts for these babies!

[AO3]

x

Realising that the woman who had thrown a drink over him and then disparaged the size of his manhood in the middle of Granny’s Diner was now his next door neighbour was not how Mr Gold had wanted to start his day. 

The previous evening had started badly and finished even worse. After completing his rounds he had gone home in a foul mood, trying not to remember the derisive way she had spoken of him to Miss Lucas, or the look in her eyes as she had glanced up and down his body. A toxic relationship and an acrimonious divorce years earlier had left his self-confidence battered, almost non-existent. He had worked hard to build it back up, or at least to wall himself off from others to keep them from knowing the truth. Most days he could pretend that he didn’t hate himself. Today was not one of those days.

He had gleaned from listening to her conversation with Miss Lucas that she was staying in Storybrooke. At first he had thought that perhaps she meant that she had a room at the inn. There was very little property in Storybrooke that he didn’t own, and he certainly couldn’t recall agreeing to any new tenancies. Perhaps her stay would be short-lived; what was there in Storybrooke for a young woman to do, after all? She would have more luck in Boston if she was seeking work. Whatever it was she did when she wasn’t talking about his unimpressive cock.

The following morning, he glanced out of his bedroom window and was surprised to see her in the backyard of the small house next to his, a yoga mat spread out on the grass. She was working through some poses, stretching and twisting, hands raised to the sky before folding forwards and wrapping her arms around her legs. The pose made the lilac pants she was wearing hug her buttocks, and Gold found that he was staring. He shook his head, twitching the curtain back across and going to get dressed. So. He had a new neighbour. A neighbour that had not only seen him naked but had laughed and gossiped about it in the diner. Wonderful.

The house next door to his was one of the few he didn’t own; he had been trying to convince Regina Mills to sell it to him for years, but she had refused, no doubt because she knew it would annoy him. He wondered how much she knew of the tenant, and whether this was all part of an elaborate plot to piss him off. If so, he wasn’t about to admit that it was working.

Tugging the knot in his tie straight, he looked himself over in the mirror and nodded curtly before heading downstairs. It was a coffee-for-breakfast type of morning. Two cups, and he could head to the shop and make a start on inventory. He needed to restock in a few areas, and switch some of the pieces between his home and the shop. That would take up most of the day.

He was just pouring his first cup of coffee when the phone rang, the noise shrill in the still morning. Gold frowned to himself, but as he saw who was calling he broke into a smile.

“Neal,” he said. “How are you?”

“Morning Pops.” His son sounded a little harassed. “Sorry to catch you so early.”

“No problem. I’ve been up since six, you know me.”

“Yeah. Listen, Emma asked me to call and I figured I’d do it before work sucked my soul out of my body and left me for dead. We’re thinking of paying you a visit. Maybe next weekend?”

“Sounds good.” Gold tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder and headed for the lounge. “You’re always welcome, you know that.”

“Great! We’re just waiting for Henry to get rid of the latest cold he’s managed to pick up. Friday okay?”

“I look forward to it,” said Gold, with a broad smile, entering the lounge. “Maybe we can—”

He broke off as he saw something in the middle of the patterned rug. Something that had certainly not been there when he was drinking his whisky the previous evening. A scrap of fuchsia lace, one end just touching the leg of one of the chairs.

“Dad?” said Neal. “You there?”

“Yes yes,” said Gold vaguely. “I’m here.”

“You were saying something?” prompted Neal.

Gold put down the cup of coffee, bending to pick up the scrap of lace, his eyes widening. It was a pair of panties, if one could call them that. Little more than a triangle of pink lace with strings at the side. He held it up in bewilderment, his mind whirling.

“Dad?”

Gold shook his head, tossing the underwear onto the couch.

“Yes - uh - Friday,” he said quickly. “We can go to Granny’s if you like. I know how much you and Emma like the ribs.”

“Sounds awesome.”

“Right.” Gold found that his eyes were straying to the panties. “Uh - see you then. Love you, son. Give my love to Emma and Henry.”

“Sure thing. Love you too.”

Gold hung up, putting the phone on the coffee table and turning his attention back to the underwear. He had a sneaking suspicion that they belonged to his new neighbour. An image of her bending over in her yoga pose wearing nothing but the pink thong leapt cheerfully into his mind, and he shoved it away before it could cause too much mischief. 

He went to check the doors at the front and back of the house, frowning to himself when he found them both locked. This was getting more curious by the minute. Perhaps she thought it an amusing prank to break in and leave her underwear around the place, but he couldn’t see how she had done it without using a key, and he knew where every copy of the keys to his house were kept. He was tempted to march around to her house and demand an explanation, but he suspected that getting a rise out of him was what she wanted. She’d probably film the thing and post it on one of those stupid apps to giggle over with Miss Lucas.

Mouth flattening, he scooped up the underwear and put it in one of the drawers of his bureau. If she wanted to leave her panties around the place, he wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of letting her know it was pissing him off. She’d get bored eventually.

x

He made sure to check all the locks before he left for work, and spent a fairly enjoyable day buried in the back room of the shop, going through his stock, deciding what to display and updating his records. It was a quiet day; only two customers attended the shop and given that rent day was done, he had no tenants coming in to pay rent. He found that he enjoyed the solitude. Not that that was anything new.

By lunchtime he was hungry, and went to the diner to buy a sandwich. Miss Lucas greeted him pleasantly, as though she hadn’t been giggling with her new friend about him only the previous evening. For a moment he was tempted to ask about the woman, to at least find out her name and reason for being in Storybrooke, but pride was making him stubborn, and he bit back the question before he could ask it.

By the time he got home the sun was setting in a blaze of gold, pleasantly warm on his shoulders as he walked up the steps of his house. Locking the door behind him, he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up, and glanced around as he heard a tinkling noise from the kitchen. Gold frowned, listening intently. There was nothing further, and he moved as quietly as he could, edging towards the kitchen, cane grasped tightly in his hand and ready to be used as a weapon if needed.

The kitchen was empty, and a quick glance around showed that nothing had been moved. Shaking his head, Gold went to fill the kettle with water for tea. He carried a cup through to the lounge when it was made, and stopped in the doorway, eyes narrowing at what was looking up at him from the rug.

Today’s offering was white, the underwear dropped casually in the middle of the rug, as though their owner had undressed quickly. As though she had been ravished in the middle of his lounge. Gold put down his tea, using the cane to hook through the waistband of the panties. They were small, with a mesh triangle at the back and a lace waistband and front with a tiny satin bow in the middle. Whoever owned the panties was petite, which ruled out a number of possible candidates in the town. Gold’s suspicions still tended towards his new neighbour, but he currently had no proof. Nor a motive. Nor an explanation for how she was getting into his house. 

Growling under his breath, he shoved them in the bureau drawer with the other pair and stomped back through to the kitchen, where he stopped dead. A black cat was sitting in the middle of the floor, staring at him with jade-green eyes. It was a handsome creature, its fur shining, long tail wound around its feet and a blue collar with a bell around its neck. On the floor beside it was another lace thong, this one a pretty powder blue, and Gold looked from the cat to the panties to the cat flap in the kitchen door, realisation dawning. He grounded the cane between his feet, fixing the cat with as stern a look as he could manage.

“So,” he said. “This is your doing, is it?”

The cat let out a faint miaow, pink mouth showing sharp white teeth.

“You do realise that these are neither my colour nor my style, hmm?” added Gold. “Perhaps you should take them home.”

The cat mewed again, getting to its feet and stepping forward to wind around his shins. Gold bit back a grin.

“No point trying to get into my good books,” he said. “I have to think of a way to get this underwear back without crossing paths with its owner. Unless you’ve got any bright ideas, go on home.”

The cat was purring, butting its head against his legs, and Gold bent to scratch its ears, receiving a nuzzle in response. He picked up the panties while he was at it, stuffing them into his pocket, and the cat trotted off to the cat flap, tail flicking as he disappeared through it. Gold shook his head. At least he knew who the intruder was now. He just needed to return the underwear.

[heretherebedork]

Have to say I am utterly perplexed why everyone is up in arms about Ton. I think it is entirely consistent with his character that he couldn't be "the boyfriend" that Nick wanted. That is not him & would have been weird message, implying that all a man needs is to find the "right man". No Ton likes to fuck around, the end. I'm proud Nick stopped hurting himself & said 'thanks, but no thanks' no bitterness or hate either. Mew is a bitch and Ton is better of without him, but also, I get Mew POV he don't need to forgive shit, Ton was awful to him & barely showed remorse until Mew flexed that Ton sex tape & then he was sorry. We see the journey that Ton has been on, his friends haven't. To his friends, he fucked Top, got caught, turned up at hostel, told Mew he had top first & without him he would never had gotten Top. Screwd his friends little brother (SA friends brother, turns out to be lies), only truly showed remorse with Mew threatened him with his own Sx tape, gets kicked off the group project....and then weeks later turns up at new Year party to apologise. He was not a good friend. I don't think he's terrible guy, but him going to New York for a new life make sense. The whitewashing of his character & the upset at his ending just confuses the heck out of me.

Look, if the ending made you happy and you feel this way? Enjoy it.

There's no reason to ask me impossible questions or to stand up for an entire fanbase of people when you think the narrative of the show and the character choices were correct. Just... enjoy? If my two dozen posts over the post two weeks about him haven't convinced you of anything, nothing I say here can change that and that's okay!

I also want to be clear that, yes, Boston is an asshole but so is goddamn everyone else in the show so why is he only one condemned to be alone and to never change and to be told repeatedly that he doesn't deserve to be loved?

I loved the scenes between him Nick and I loved that their relationship ended with the understanding that some people simply aren't monogamous but other people need that. My only issue with that is the part where Nick tells him he's better alone rather than trying to find a relationship that fits him but that's okay.

Again. Again. If you enjoyed the narrative the show told us and you feel this way about Boston... why are you here? I don't want to debate people. I don't want to be in arguments or try to defend something I've made so many posts about I don't know what else to say.

Everyone in the show was an asshole, many of them refused to apologize or accept that they might be wrong or move on from being wronged. But only Boston, in the end, is told that he cannot change, that he cannot be loved and should not be loved, that he cannot be forgiven, that he is not allowed back in no matter if he apologizes and that no one will apologize to him.

I have nothing else to say. I can't argue with this because what you're saying is that you enjoyed the narrative of the show and agree with it. So... please, sincerely, enjoy it! Just... enjoy it.

Boston is an asshole. He was and he is. But so is everyone else. So id Mew, so is Ray, so is Sand, so is Cheum. I am not, and never have, tried to cover up that Boston has made mistake. I am only upset that the show decided he's the only one who gets punished.