#and even then i'll be extra worried that i haven't got the right idea

[halfdeadwallfly]

the only thing getting me through is the thought that i don't have physics lab next week

[changisworld]

“just try it”

fuckboy!hyunjin x reader

Word count;7,023

Summary: you’re known as quite a timid & closed off person in your college class, the one who studies 24/7 & doesn’t have much interest/ confidence in order to enjoy the usual college life, including having sex. You get partnered up for a project with the known fuckboy of the campus, hyunjin.

MDNI, 18+ only, smut warnings under the cut

©ANY translation, copy & paste, posting of my work is strictly forbidden for ANY posts/ writing i post.

main masterlist here

part 2 here

SMUT WARNINGS: Virginity loss (f rec), slight coercion, kinda manipulative hyune, fingering(f rec). oral (both rec), piv, multiple orgasms, slight needy hyune, slight body worship, nipple sucking, light marking(scratching, hickey), corruption???, mention of blood( It's extremely brief) kinda angsty ending??

"Hyunjin, for the presentation you can go with... y/n!" your lecturer says after scanning the room & you freeze as she says this, making you want the ground to swallow you on the spot. You know Hyunjin & you haven't got a good opinion on him whatsoever.

You give a faint, displeased smile to your teacher before she moves onto sort out other groups for the project & a minute later, the chair beside you is moved & your new partner is now sitting next to you.

"heya, glad to be your partner, don't worry, I'll actually pull my weight sweetie so you won't be doing it on your own." he says with a faint smile, resting his head on his hand as he looks at you.

You stare at him as he says this, honestly in disbelief. You know he is just trying to piss you off as he has asked you to do an essay for him, leaving you with all his notes before running off, not allowing you to even say no. "I don't want you to help me, you'll make us fail. I'll just do it." you say, venom in your voice & hyunjin 'tuts' at this.

"Cmonnn y/n, don't be silly, i'd love to help! You can come to my place at the end of today & we can start." he says as he rips the corner of the piece of paper you were writing on & writing his address on it before sliding it to you & then standing up & resting his hands on the back of your chair as he leans down to you. "See ya later."

He leaves the classroom as the bell goes & you groan, scrunching up the paper he scribbled on & shoving it into your jacket pocket before also leaving.

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You spend your lunchtime in the library, starting a few rough drafts so you can get a better idea of what you want to say as you present, taking the extra couple of minutes to write Hyunjins parts too. You have your headphones on & you're quite honestly in your own little bubble but as you look u from the computer to open your drink, you notice the same annoying guy from earlier, sitting across from you, looking at his phone, not paying you any mind.

"Can I help you?" you question, staring at him with an annoyed lookon your face. "Actually, you can. Stop working without me, I want to help." he responds back, not looking up from his phone as he texts someone. You scoff & roll your eyes as you swivel around in your spinny chair, looking right at him.

"I don't feel like failing because you do jack shit. Just go n i'll do it myself, go admire yourself in the mirror or something & leave me alone." you respond again before turning back to your computer but a second later your chair is being pulled by him so you're facing him again, his phone now on the desk.

"Stop being so weird y/n, I want to pass as much as you do so stop being so stingy. Move, I wanna see what you've wrote." he flashes you a closed mouth smile before lightly pushing your chair, allowing him to now have space for him to also sit. You groan before standing up. "Just take my seat Hyunjin, I'm leaving." You push your seat towards him & begin to leave but you feel him swing his arm out & hook around your waist before pulling you.. onto his lap.

"You're so hard to please, you like this with everyone n everything hm?" he questions as he begins reading what you've written down, grabbing the keyboard & beginning to tweak a few things.

You hate to admit it & glad there are no mirrors anywhere so you don't have to allow yourself to see how much you're blushing. You can't think of anything to say so you just sigh as you watch him type, his arm still around your lower half, him paying no mind to it as he pulls his airpods out & handing you one as he uses the other as he puts a random playlist of his on, your own headphones around your shoulders.

You both stay like this, you being too shy to move & he just simply not caring, he asks for your opinion on certain parts as he types out your opinions.

A minute or so later, you both hear footsteps entering the library but you both don't pay attention, up until the footsteps stop right in front of you, the footsteps belonging to another girl in your class, Lisa. You give her a small smile, trying to be polite despite not really being friends but she ignores you as she pulls Hyunjins airpod out & he flips his head around before looking up at her.

"Ah, hiya Lisa, you alright?" he asks as he now realises the perfume you're wearing, which he likes. "Yup. Wha'cha doing? I thought we were going for lunch together at that new cafe I saw, y/n keeping you prisoner? You're more than capable to do this without Hyunjin today, right? Can you stand up n Jinnie cmon." Lisa replies, trying to sound as if she is joking around but it's obvious she's pissed.

Her words make you remember that you're still sitting on Hyunjins lap & you instantly shoot up but his arm stops you, forcing you back onto him. "Ahh Lisa totally forgot, y/n is helping me get that A so i'm gonna stay, go with Chan or something, I'm busy." he responds, turning the chair you're both sitting on so you're both now facing the computer as he begins typing again.

Lisa scoffs as she has her eyes burning into the back of your head before she slams his airpod back down on the desk & walking out, her paying no mind to the stares from annoyed students she is receiving. "Bitch almost broke my airpod into damn pieces." he murmurs as he reaches out & takes it back & puts it in his ear, not mentioning anything else, which makes you curious.

"Why is she so upset? You can go with her Hyunjin I can really do this on my own." you question, reaching forward to pull your notepad towards you, swatting his hands off the keyboard as you start copying what you've wrote on paper, onto the document. "She's pissed because me n her have been fucking n she can't handle me talking to any other pretty girl. Me n her are nothing so don't stress pretty, I'm available." he jokes as he leans back to let you type & you scoff.

"How can you be fucking her yet you claim to be nothing with her? You're playing with her feelings, it's sad." you respond, annoyance in your tone & Hyunjin just sighs. "I've got a big dick n I like to use it. You'd fuck her too if you had a dick, she's good at sucking it, believe me. She said she wouldn't catch feelings but here we are. I'm tryna pawn her off to Seungmin or Chan but she doesn't take the hint." he says, nonchalantly as his fingers fiddle with the bottom of your shirt, simply twiddling it in between his fingers.

"Why you interested anyway, It's casual sex. Don't you relate? I know you don't party or anything since i woulda seen your pretty face from anywhere but don't you ever hook up with anyone?" He questions, leaning forward as he rests his chin on your shoulder, not failing to miss how you tense up as he does so. You don't respond to him, which give him his answer.

"Ohhh, you a virgin or something? How does someone who looks like you not get around?" he teases, wiggling from side to side in the chair, making you wiggle on him as you huff. "Shut up Hyunjin, oh my god. I just.. have better things to do? I have better things to focus on." you murmur back, cheeks going red again but this time out of embarrassment. He chuckles before letting the subject go, not wanting to pry too much.

You type for a minute or so more as he helps you reword it, suggesting some ideas which actually aren't stupid. This goes on for a few minutes until you hit a stump & both can't agree on what to do. "Just come to mines later, mkay? I know you've kept the paper, Sorry to be the one to break the bad news but I've got to go see someone, so you're gonna need to get off my lap." he says, patting your leg & you shoot up, remembering where you both are & being reminded again you are siting on thee Hyunjins lap.

He packs his stuff up before ruffling his hair up & then walks past you, taking his airpod out of your ear & also your headphones off your shoulders at the same time. You turn around to protest but he speaks before you can get any words out. "I'll take these with me so you have to come later, unless you wanna buy another pair of course, see ya later pretty." he skips away, your teeth clenched & eyebrows frowned as you watch him.

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You reach his apartment later that night after going home to get dressed, now wearing sweatpants & a plain grey tee & you stand at the front door for a minute, trying to talk yourself into knocking on the door but also to try calm your nerves. 'why am I so fucking nervous?' you keep asking yourself. Before you can act on anything however, you feel a tap on your back & it's obviously hyunjin, staring back at you, before moving forward to unlock his door, as he does this you realise the faint smell of a sweet smelling perfume, which makes you roll your eyes.

"You coming in then?" he questions as he kicks off his own shoes, arm still holding the door open for you & you sigh before stepping in, also taking off your shoes.

You follow Hyunjin into his bedroom out of all places as he takes your bag off your back & throws it onto his bed, you take a seat on his desk chair, spinning from side to side as you sit on top of your hands. "Why can't we study in your kitchen hmm? or livingroom?" you question & he flops onto his bed before digging through your bag to grab your books. "My wifi connection is shit everywhere except for my bedroom & bathroom for some reason so unless you wanna spend even longer with me than you want, not that I'd mind, by the way, we gotta do it here." he says, not bothering to look up at you as he grabs a few highlighters & pens from your pencil case, taking the extra few seconds to have a quick dig through the rest of your bag before putting it on the floor.

You scoff as you stand up off the chair & settle down on his bed beside him after realising it will be almost impossible for you to both sit at his desk due to the size of it & the random clutter all over it.

You both begin figuring out what the hell you both need to include for your exam, Hyunjin obviously still randomly trying to flirt with you but you just ignore it. You both actually start making progress, both of you lying on your stomachs across from one another as the mixture of scrap paper, books & laptop is in between the both of you as you both balance yourselves on your elbows.

Every time you both have a quick discussion, however, you can't help but notice how much his eyes wander to the opening of your shirt, showing the top part of your chest, you try to ignore it but you can't help but get a bit flustered by it, which he realises so he doesn't have the shame to stop. "Can you stop trying to stare at my tits? You aren't even being discreet." you scoff, trying to sound stern but your voice pitch raises at the end regardless.

"Can't help it. You're hot n if it's right in front of me, you can't blame me, silly." he quickly responds, nibbling on the end of your pen. "You're such a man slut, you have another girls perfume on you yet you can't contain yourself around someone else not even two hours later, you gross me out." you snap back, reaching out to snatch the now slightly chewed pen from between his pretty lips & wiping it on him before dropping it on the bed.

"Only have the perfume smell because Lisa knew I was gonna be with you later, you jealous or something y/nnnn?" he snarks, reaching out to boop your nose, watching as the tip of your ears go bright red. "Jealous? Don't make me laugh, Hyunjin. I don't care what you n her have going on, believe me." You break eye contact with him, getting flustered from the conversation happening. "Cmonnn, y/n, if you wanna fuck, just say that." he half jokes, picking up the pen again before fiddling it in his hand.

You laugh at his words, honestly not even surprised at what he is saying. "You're so cocky, god. I'd genuinely, rather die." you spit, eyebrows frowned, which makes him hum. "So, you're telling me, If i was to kiss you, you'd actually push me off you?" he queries, pushing the paper & books to the side, nothing separating the two of you anymore.

You open your mouth to mostly yell at him for even saying something so dumb but you don't get any words out as he puts his hand behind your head & leans forward before connecting his lips against yours. You freeze under the touch, not even really knowing what to do since you've never actually kissed anyone either, but you can't help but take notice of how soft his lips are & how they move in a perfect rhythm.

He breaks his lips off yours a few seconds later, but doesn't leave your space, your lips centimetres apart. He again realises how much he is blushing & you hate how composed he looks. "Y/n." he says, in a lower voice. "mhmm?" you instantly reply, your heart racing. "Was that your first kiss?" he questions, the hand behind your head now playing with your hair.

You embarrassingly nod your head & he just smiles. "Well, since we are here, we can redo it, if you want. No pressure." he responds, his voice now sounding more soft. You mentally contemplate for a split second before nodding. "just follow my lead alright, it's easy." he says before leaning back in & kissing you again.

You move your lips against his, remembering to relax your lips so it feels easier & better for Hyunjin. You subconsciously lift your hand to rest it against his cheek but as you do this, he leans further forward & pushes into you with his bodyweight, making it so you are now laying on your back & you can't help but feel your underwear dampen, which gives you even more butterflies.

He moves the hand that was resting on the back of your head & rests it on your cheek instead, caressing it with his thumb as his other hand now rests on your lower stomach before his fingers begin playing with the hem of your shirt & you move your own hand & rest it on top of his that is playing with your shirt.

He keeps the pace of the kiss slow, keeping it enjoyable for the both of you but he can almost hear your heartbeat going at a million miles per hour as he teases you by biting your bottom lip, which makes you let out a small whimper which instantly sends blood to his cock.

You somehow forget to breathe & as he breaks the kiss for the second time, you're breathing a lot heavier as your cheeks are on fire due to how much you're blushing.

"There's no way that was your first kiss, you're so good at it." he remarks, biting his own bottom lip, which you can't help but find extremely hot. His fingers now dig themselves under your shirt, his finger now lightly scratching & caressing the skin of your stomach, making your back arch slightly.

"It was my first time.. I swear." you say back, your voice sounding more blown out & airy than you wanted. "Well, if you want, we can go further. I've already been your first in one thing & I'd be able to actually show you how to feel good.. for your future partners, of course." he says, his voice sounding low again, his fingers not stopping their actions as he still caresses your skin.

"I- that's a huge thing Hyunjin, I want my first time to be with someone who I really care about." you basically whisper back, your nerves making you want to almost vomit, he pouts at your response. "heyyy, I can show you absolutely everything you'll ever need, I'd look after you so well, make you feel amazing, if you'll let me. I know you care for me even a little bit since you've been blushing every time we have spoken today. Not to mention, I've never had a bad review." he responds, elongating the last word to try get his point across.

As he says this, he leans further down & rubs his nose against yours while giving a faint smile, before leaning down & nuzzling his face into your neck , inhaling your sweet vanilla perfume before nibbling on your neck. "I promise. pleaseee.?" he whispers in your ear, his fingers now crawling further up your frame, resting just beneath your tits, which makes your breath hitch. You think for a second, your hand reaching up to caress his long soft hair as you nod your head before mumbling an 'okay' & you can feel him smile against your neck.

He sets himself back up on his elbows, giving you a warm look before leaning back, kissing you again as his fingers now reach up & cup your right tit, to his surprise you're not wearing a bra, which makes him hum. "No bra? Did you expect this, y/n?" he asks, smirk not leaving his face as he starts to brush his fingers over your nipple, making you squirm beneath him. "They're just uncomfortable." you reply, making him chuckle before kissing you again.

He wraps two fingers around your nipple before twiddling it between them, tugging it lightly every once in a while, liking the reactions you give him as he does so, letting small noises escape your lips & get swallowed by him.

This continues for a minute or so before he moves his lips from yours & moves to your jawline, slowly littering kisses down it before moving down to your neck as he removes his hand from your tit to lift your shirt up but you stop him as you sit up & take your shirt completely off, surprising yourself with the random outburst of confidence.

His eyes light up at the sight, your tits being some of, if not the best pair he has ever saw. He smirks at your face, you giving him a faint smile, your eyes filled with lust as you are convinced your panties are now soaked more than they already are. "so pretty, can I taste them?" he asks as he lays down & pulls you so you're now straddling him, your ass now being able to feel his thick hard on.

You nod & he wastes no time at all before pushing on your back, your tits now right above his face before he looks up at you, smiling before he latches his pretty plump lips on your nipple as his fingers begin playing with the other one again & you can't control the yelp you let out at the feeling. You throw your head back as your fingers weave their way through his hair as you lightly tug on it, making him release a few low groans as he continues suckling, spit leaving his lips & wetting your boobs.

You can't help but begin grinding against him, the sucking noises & your light whimpers filling the room. He switches to the opposite nipple & at the same time, his hand comes to rest on your ass, caressing it & squeezing the flesh, making you arch your back, wanting more.

"Hyune- more, please." you say, swallowing your pride & asking the man beneath you to give you what you now want. He unlatches himself & you look down at him, his lips & chin shiny with his own spit as he helps you grind against him. "Well what is it you want y/n hmm? You're gonna need to tell me if you want anything since I don't know what you can handle, silly." he replies, smirking at you as he wriggles his fingers into the waistband of your sweatpants as he now grinds into you too.

"I- fingers or something, please?" you whine, leaning forward to hide your face in the side of his neck, hiding the embarrassment on your face. Despite you not being able to see it, he is smirking as he helps move you so you are laying on your back again & your legs automatically part, your feet planted on the bed as he settles between them, sitting on his legs as he takes his hoodie off, revealing his gorgeous body which you can't take your eyes off of.

"Just giving you a bigger view with a view." he remarks which makes you snap out of it, chuckling to himself as he leans forward to kiss your forehead, making your heart flutter.

He sits back again before putting his hands on your knees, caressing them with his thumbs as he is between your legs. "Can I take these off? They're cute n all but I'm sure your bare legs look a whole lot better." he says as he is looking into your blown out pupils without his own, now fiddling with the drawstrings of your joggers.

"Please." you reply & he doesn't waste any time before helping take them off, you raise your hips for him to make it easier, now leaving you in just your basic, white cotton underwear which makes you hide your face in your arms, shy, but he is quick to swat them away.

"Don't hide your pretty face, there's nothing to be embarrassed of. You're so innocent, my y/nnie." you don't fail to miss the 'my' part & you clench around nothing, letting out a small huff as he lays himself down on your stomach. You set yourself up on your elbows as you look down at him, a bit confused as he admires your clothed core, a small wet patch seeping through the cotton.

He takes a finger & touches your wet patch before taking it to his lips & tasting it, letting out a hum noise as he smiles, not even looking at you as he then peels your panties off your skin too, now leaving you completely bare for him, making you squirm.

He plants some kisses on the inside of your thighs as his finger trails up & down your slit, spreading your wetness around your entire core, making you raise your hips off the bed due to the unfamiliar stimulation but he is quick to push you back down.

"I'm gonna give myself a better taste, alright? Keep your hips down or I'll stop. If you seriously want me to stop or slow down, just say the word yellow, okay?" he asks, fingers stopping their movement. "O-okay, can you just go slow? I don't really know what to expect." you reply, giving him a small, nervous smile, which he nods. "Of course, I was planning on it anyway beautiful, Just lay back f'me." You do as he says & lay back & gasp a second later as you feel the kisses have now moved from just your thighs, a kiss now being placed right on your clit.

He kisses from the top to the bottom of your pussy, listening for your reaction & once he realises it's a good reaction, he begins kitten licking your clit, his index finger still feeling around the outside of your hole, adding extra stimulation. He lets out a low groan & licks the entirety of your core in one motion, making you whine & you try to close your legs on accident but he's quicker & wraps your thighs around his arms, holding them open. "Taste so good, fuck." he murmurs to himself more than to you as he begins speeding up his motions slightly, flicking his tongue back & forth before taking your clit into his mouth, suckling on it, making sure to use plenty of spit, the noises of his lips & the wetness echoing throughout the room, almost as loud as the moans you're now making.

You try your best to not squirm too much but you can't help it & you are moving as much as Hyunjin is allowing you to which isnt much by the way, the sensation being completely new to you in the best way possible. You let out an even louder whine as he uses his teeth to lightly graze against your bud, throwing you towards a high, feeling much stronger than when you brought yourself to orgasms.

Hyunjin takes this opportunity to now slide a finger inside your tight hole which you clench around immediately, making him groan again. He begins to slowly finger you while feeling around for your G-spot which only takes him a few seconds due to his long fingers & he begins rubbing his finger up & down it, making your eyes roll to the back of your head as your legs begin to tremble.

"Hyunj- I'm gonna cum, d-dont't stop." you yelp, fisting his clean, grey bedsheets until your knuckles are turning white & who is Hyunjin to deny you? He continues at the exact same pace with his finger but decides to add a second one, stretching you out that bit extra as he continues to suck on your clit, using his tongue to massage it at the same time.

Your orgasm washes over you, it being the most intense thing you've ever felt. Your fingers latch onto his hair & pull on it, pulling a groan out of him as he lets you ride out the first orgasm of the night, his arms having to work harder to actually keep your legs open.

He unlatches himself & slowly pulls his fingers out of you when you've came down from your high, panting heavily as a thin sheen of sweat now coats your face. He sits back up on his legs, caressing the inside of your legs for a moment before crawling up your frame & tapping his now coated fingers on your lips & you understand instantly, opening your lips & he pushes his fingers into your mouth, resting on your tongue as you suck your own juices off them, his eyes not leaving yours for even a second.

He releases his fingers from behind your lips before leaning in & kissing you again, this time worming his tongue past your lips, allowing you to taste yourself even more, making you hum, not expecting to be so turned on by this.

You slither your hand down his pretty chest & even prettier abs before fiddling with the hem of his pants, looking up at him with glossy eyes. "Just gave you heaven n you're wanting more? Aren't you full of surprises." he teases, poking his tongue on the inside of his cheek. "I want to, return the favour, well, try to." you reply, fingers moving down to balm the huge tent in his pants, making him jerk his hips forward on instinct.

"Ahhh, you want to suck my cock, jagi? Aren't you too sweet. I'll guide you. Don't be intimidated though." He says before standing up to kick his pants off & taking his underwear off with it too & you now know what he meant by 'don't be intimidated' because he is huge. He is around 7 inches & it slightly curves upward & his balls pretty & full, making your eyes gape open in amazement but also nerves, he laughs at your reaction.

He sits back down on the bed & you take it upon yourself to move & settle down on the floor in front of him, sitting back on your knees as he opens his leg enough so you can settle between them.

"Just take it at the base with a grip that isn't too strong & jerk up & down at a slower pace & then work your way up, you can kinda twist your wrist in a way too. The tip is the most sensitive so make sure to focus on that mkay? Just do what feels right, I like a tiny bit of pain so don't stress if you graze it." he tells you, his hair sticking to his forehead as he looks down at you.

You nod at his words & begin jerking him off the way he instructed & you're clearly doing a good job as he jerks his hips into your hands, biting his bottom lip as you do so. "Make it wet, it feels better." he groans & you let a glob of spit fly past your lips onto his angry red tip, which makes him wince before you lean further forward & lick the bead of precum off his tip, making him groan.

You look up at his reaction as you begin to suckle on the tip of his cock before moving sown to the shaft & littering kisses & quick suckles on it, before repeating the action. Your hand is now wet with the spit you've dropped onto & jerked all over his cock & you you decide to wing it & you put his entire tip in your mouth, swirling your tongue over it & he throws his head back, trying his best to not jerk into your mouth as you work your way down slowly, taking about a quarter of his cock in your mouth as you keep jerking him off.

"You sure this is y-your first time? too good at th-this." he groans out as he gathers your hair out of your face & pulls it into a makeshift ponytail, groaning at the pleasure you're giving him. You try to take further in your mouth but he's quick to pull your head back up so you're not pushing yourself too much, him deeming it as too much to try deepthroat him on your first time.

Spit keeps escaping your lips & you jerk it into his cock, the sloppy noises turning you on impossibly more. You release his cock from your lips to get your breath back & you blow cold air onto his tip which makes his legs tense up as he lurches forward slightly. "You're made for this y/n, i'm convinced. Lay down on the bed for me pretty." he says in a aired out, raspier voice as he helps you stand up anyway & he lays you on your back.

He quickly walks over to the other side o the bed & opens his drawer before pulling out a condom, ripping it open with his teeth before walking back over to you, your legs already spread open enough for him to slot himself between. He puts the condom on & jerks himself off a few times & then drags his cock over your folds a few times, making you buck your hips.

"I've stretched you with my fingers but it's still gonna be a stretch y/n, please tell me to stop if it's too much, you're a smart girl so i'm sure you know it's gonna hurt. You ready?" he questions, his face more serious looking than before as he looks into your eyes, still dragging his cock, it running over your clit. "I know, Just do it, I'll be fine." you respond, your hands resting on your chest.

He gives you a warm smile before he slowly begins to push inside of you & your breath hitches in your chest, trying to not pay much mind to the pain but a few tears leak past your eyes. Hyunjin pauses his movement when he is half inside you, leaning forward to allow you to hold onto him. He plants a few kisses on your jawline before connecting his lips to yours, kissing you slowly as he pushes the rest of the way in, making you yelp into his mouth, his fingers coming up to wipe away your tears despite him not even being able to see them.

Your hands latch around his back as you keep clenching around him, making him groan into your mouth. Once he can sense you're more relaxed due to not clenching as tight as much anymore, he pushes the rest of the way in before pausing again.

"How are you feeling, beautiful? You alright?" he asks you as he moves the hair out of your face then kissing the tip of your nose. "H-i'm fine, just feels weird." you reply, one of your hands coming down to hold onto his muscly arm, relaxing yourself.

"Okay, I'm glad. I'm gonna move now, alright? The pain will pass, pinky swear." he gives you another peck before he sits back up & holds onto the inside of your legs, keeping you open for him as he slowly retracts himself then pumping himself back in, making you let out a small 'mhmmph' sound. He sets an extremely slow pace, not breaking eye contact with you to make sure you're not going through any extra discomfort.

You begin to let out small moans & whimpers after a few minutes, the pleasure now surpassing the pain. Hyunjin scrunches his eyes together as you clench around him, higher pitched moans leaving his lips. "You c-can go faster. Feels good." you tell him, trying to move your hips to get more. "Thought- you'd never ask. Yo're s-so tight y/n, fuck." he groans as he slowly begins to pick up his speed, the lube provided by the condom plus your wetness making it loud, your skin sticking together as he fully thrusts inside you.

"y-you're so beautiful. So good f'me y/nnie. so pe-perfect."" he whines as he sets a quicker rhythm, throwing his head back, trying to not cum on the spot just from the noises leaving your lips.

He brings a hand down to your clit & begins rubbing circles, matching the pace his cock is doing & your back arches off the bed & you shriek from the overstimulation. "G-gonna cum again, t-too much jinnie." you gasp, eyes rolling to the back of your head as your hand reaches down to try swat his hand away from your clit but he is quick to hold your hand down on your lower stomach, now making you feel his cock moving inside you. "you can take it pretty, Just a little more, o-okay? cum with me." he groans out, not slowing down his pace at all. Your legs keep shaking & your back keeps arching off the bed, unable to even form thoughts, the only words able to leave your mouth being his name.

"c-cuh-cumming hyune." you force out & hyunjin can't help but smirk. He lets go of your hand & leans back down so your chests are connected before nestling himself in your neck before he begins sucking a hickey into your skin, only partially on accident, but you pay no mind.

You begin clenching uncontrollably as you can feel your orgasm bubbling up, your whole body beginning to tingle as his cock is ramming into your G-spot without missing a beat. "Y/nnie p-please don't clench so much, g-gonna cum." You can't stop even if you wanted to though however as your orgasm squirts out of you, spraying directly onto Hyunjins abs, pubic bone, the base of his cock, the bed & a few droplets hitting your lower stomach too, your eyes rolling back into your skull as your fully body shakes, shrieking & gasping uncontrollably.

"Holy shit, y-you're too perfect, squirting on my cock, y/n you'-you're too beautiful, you're n-not real, oh my god." he whines into your neck.Hyunjin basically squeals, his moans are that loud as he bites down on your neck as his own release fills the condom, you being able to feel his cock pulsating inside you.

You both sit in silence for a minute, catching your breaths back, feeling each others chests expanding against the other, his hot breath against your neck as you weave your fingers through his now wet hair.

Once you have both actually came down to earth, he peels himself off of you before peeling the now used condom off his now softening cock & you realise it has a red tint to it despite him trying to hide it from you by throwing it in the bin quickly.

"Did i bleed on your dick Hyunjin? That's so gross I'm so sorry, you could have stopped I wouldn't have cared." you rush out, feeling a deep level of embarrassment but he just tuts in response. "Don't be ridiculous babe, It's normal, doesn't bother me." he replies as he walks over to his drawers, pulling out a pair of boxer shorts & a random tee shirt before handing it to you.

"You can just stay here tonight, I don't really want you tryna get home since it's not stupid to think you're gonna struggle to walk too much, we can go shower soon." He says as he climbs back up his bed, You would protest but you know he is no doubt right. He sits up by his pillows before pulling you into his chest as he kisses the top of your head.

You both stay like this for a while before you both remember your orgasm is still marinating into his bedsheets, he changes them right after he helps you into the shower before joining you.

⭑･ﾟﾟ･*:༅｡.｡༅:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　　✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

It's been a week since Hyunjin took your virginity & you have tried your best to tell yourself it meant nothing to him, because it most likely didn't but you have since caught feelings for him, despite trying absolutely everything not to.

You both still met every day but it was mostly just on campus & you completed your project & obviously got an A but he actually helped so it wasn't just all you, which you deeply appreciate.

Ever since the project was finished, however, he has kept his distance. He doesn't sit anywhere near you & spends his time in lectures teasing the other random girls who fawn over him, which makes your heart burn.

You are just day dreaming when two girls in front of you talking catches your attention, & that's when you find out Hyunjin hooked up with one of them, the day after he was literally your first for everything.

You feel tears begin threatening to leave your eyes so you gather your stuff & leave the room, your lecturer not paying any mind & you begin walking towards the bathroom to try freshen yourself up when Hyunjin walks from the opposite direction & he notices the tears & he stops you by moving your chin so you're looking up at him.

"Why the tears, sweetcheeks? Pretty girls shouldn't cry." he remarks, chewing gum as he looks at you, wiping a tear off your cheek with his thumb. "Doesn't matter Hyunjin, stop bunking & go back to class." you say in a monotone voice. "woahhh, you're calling me Hyunjin again? I liked the name Jinnie a lot more, why've I been demoted hmm?" he teases back & you want nothing more than to punch the gum out his mouth.

"You tell me, do you tell all the other girl you fuck to call you Jinnie too? Like the one you fucked the day after you took my virginity?" you snap back, your voice shaking. He raises his eyebrows, honestly in shock from your words. "Babe, you know what I'm like, we aren't anything that I'm aware of so I'm a free man. If you want anything else, you gotta tell me." he replies, his voice sounding more soft as you actually begin to cry, which he hugs you as you do.

"I just thought you just wanted your cherry popped, y/nnie, I'm sorry for thinking so, mkay? We can get lunch together or something n cheer you up, we can speak about it." he offers & you just nod , leaving his arms as you wipe your tears away.

He gives you a smile before he wraps his arm around your shoulder, walking back the way he had just came from. "You can choose the place, but not too expensive since I'll pay as an apology present."

⭑･ﾟﾟ･*:༅｡.｡༅:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　　✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

[slushycoookie]

Pierced Perfection ~ Miguel O'Hara x AFAB! Reader

Content: Breast play and fondling, Miguel goes crazy over your nipple piercing, leg humping, MINORS DNI!

A/N: Thought about nip piercings which turned into thinking about how Miguel would react to them so here we are. Enjoy!

“Baby, can you come here for a sec?”

Miguel came into the bathroom at your call, “Yeah?” He noticed you covering up your chest with your robe and his brows lowered, “What's wrong? You okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” You reassured him with a smile, “I have a surprise for you.” He gazed at you in question, watching you open your robe.

Two red stones caught his eyes, dangling from a silver ring that enclosed around your nipples. The piercing fit perfectly on your body, as if it was made for you. Miguel couldn’t stop staring at it.

“Wow. They look great.” He got closer, “When did you get them?”

“Around noon.”

You had discussed the idea a few times about getting nipple piercings. A couple of designs on the internet caught your eye and you thought it would be a good idea to get one. Your husband liked the idea as well. The two of you did research on the healing process, understanding that it could take up to 6 - 12 months for you to heal. In some people's experiences, it was much longer. Almost 2 years. You were a little worried about that, unsure how your body was going to react. But you wanted them. So you got them.

“It's just been tingling a little but it's not so bad so far.”

Miguel’s brows furrowed again, “Tingling is okay, right?”

“Yes.” You provided a pat on his shoulder for more reassurance, “The artist told me that's normal and it shouldn't take too long to go away.”

He nodded at that, eyes still going back to your exposed chest. Miguel’s hand twitching at the idea of wanting to touch them. Your breasts were one of his favorite parts of your body and you couldn't help but have a twinge of guilt at the unexpected surprise.

“I'm sorry. I should've told you when I was going to get them.” Your lips formed a pout, “So you could prepare.”

“No, it's okay.” It was his turn to reassure you with his gentle hands on your arms, “It's not the end of the world that I can't touch them-”

“Well, you can touch. Just not right now.” You clarified, “You can’t suck on them now though.”

“Oh.” Miguel took a moment before clearing his throat, “I'll be fine. I can give more attention to other parts of your body.” You smirked when his hand squeezed your ass cheek.

Miguel stayed true to his word, not providing any additional stimulation by mouth or touch while you were healing. Your man had amazing self control, even when it came to sex. He tried to stay away from making contact with your breasts. Not wanting to hurt you. If he was really feigning for them, he'd place his head between the valley of your chest. Warm tongue licking up the crevice, causing you to shiver.

You knew he truly liked them by the way he stared with fascination. Crimson eyes reflecting back at the jewelry with a semblance of similarity. How a distinct feature of him was also on you. It was a little embarrassing when he asked for a picture of your breasts. His reasoning was so he could look at them while he was at work. You were no stranger to taking pictures like that and sending it to him. But somehow your mind created a scenario of an innocent spider coming in to see your unseemingly naughty picture on display.

It was a big day when Miguel found out he could finally touch them.

You were extra careful in cleaning your piercings, knowing you were going to clean them again once your husband finished fondling. He placed you on the counter in your bathroom, your shirt pulled up above your chest. No bra as you were still trying to get used to your nipples brushing against the padding. They've been extra sensitive since the procedure. But you also haven't been touched like this for 4 months.

“Be gentle.” You warned, “I'm still a little…”

“I got you.” Miguel kissed the top of your breast. As a test, he motioned his thumb against the jewel. That simple motion causing shockwaves throughout your body. You bit your lip, already missing the feeling. He did it again with your other breast and you sighed in bliss. “You okay?”

You hummed, “Feels good.”

Miguel grinned, placing his palm against your nipple, creating a gentle circle. You gripped his shoulder to keep steady. Low moans escaping your lips from his touch. He stood in between your legs, watched you whine and whimper for him. While his hands carefully rubbed you. The large palm hitting a right spot on your nipples that made you squeeze your thighs around his waist. He silenced you with a kiss, drinking up your sounds of pleasure underneath him.

You pushed your chest against him, begging for more under his hold. Only for him to pull away, tugging against your bottom lip.

“They feel nice.” His voice low, eyes filled with lust.

You leaned forward again for more but he dodged your advances, chuckling. You purse your lips, hunger in your eyes. “Just nice?”

Miguel flicked your nipple, causing you to tremble, “Just nice.”

You wondered if you made a mistake in getting your piercings. Because your husband was very touchy. Even though he couldn't taste you yet, he loved playing with your breasts. Running his fingers over your erected nipples casually. Gently pinching them. Teasingly flicking the jewelry. He'd always ask if he could touch them, still considering himself as being a gentleman. Who loved playing with your boobs.

He was going to be ecstatic when he found out he could taste them.

You were feeling great one day. Your nipples healed up nicely after almost a year. You thought it would be the perfect time for Miguel to place his mouth on you. And you were also going to clean it later to be sure.

If he had a tail, you would see it wagging. His eyes lit up when you told him on a call he could finally place his mouth on them. Whenever he was ready to do so.

That meant now as he portaled back home, hovering over your body in bed. “Let’s go.”

“Wait a minute.” You sat up, holding in your laughter. “Don't you still have work?”

Miguel sucked his teeth, “It's not important right now.” He got on his knees, hands gripping your sides. Desperation clouding his eyes. “Let me taste.”

How could you say no to that?

You pulled up your shirt to tease but your husband demanded to take it off completely. So he could have room. Your heartbeat picked up in your chest, practically heard in your ears. Miguel licking his lips in anticipation. You closed your eyes as you felt his breath against your breast, gripping the sheets to stable yourself.

A whimper escaped when Miguel's tongue flat against your nipple. Done in a way where the tip swirled around your ring, sending sensations throughout your body.

“Finally…” He groaned while sucking on your nipple with care, “I missed this.”

A firm hand rested on your back before pulling you closer. Miguel provided extra care to your nipple, practically almost putting your entire breast in his mouth. He moaned as if he starved. Wanting to keep you there as he finally got what he was denied for almost a year.

Your whimpers turned into full out sounds of pleasure as his fingers twirled your other nipple, his nail scratching along your areola. He kept you in place, making sure you never wandered off far. Your husband was still in his suit as you felt the material against your leg. While in his pursuit of tasting you, you felt his hard cock. Hips grinding slowly against your leg. Muted groans along your breast.

“Tan bueno (So good)…” He muttered, “Sabes tanto (You taste so)…”

Miguel rutted against you, his tongue and lips taking turns messing with your nipples. His hard thrusts shook the end of the bed. Causing you to hold on to his body. Your hand deep into his curls while the other was on his shoulder. Gripping him tight as he continued. Grunting and groaning before suddenly stilling. He was cumming against your leg.

His mouth parted against your nipple as he came. Those crimson eyes rolling back in his head. And all you could do was watch. Tug against the strands of his hair to prolong his orgasm.

“You really missed them, huh?” You asked when he calmed down, his face still buried between your breasts. Panting against them. All Miguel did was nod, hugging you tight.

[wolfjackle-creates]

For the ask game, I feel like #1 and #13 go really well together. Cuddle curse plus drugged/cuddle drunk confession. Maybe with just a dash of #3 Misunderstandings if the recipient thinks it's just the cuddle curse talking.

Perhaps in the flavor of platonic Dead Serious (Danny/Damian)?

Since you specifically said Platonic Dead Serious, I hope you're okay with a Twin AU. Because I've had one on the backburner for almost a year now that's never been written. This wouldn't technically fit that fic, but it's still a trope I adore that I haven't written.

This will be about a month or two after Danny ends up at the manor. No secrets have been revealed yet. The Waynes only know that Danny wasn't safe where he was and came to Bruce for shelter. Danny only knows that they know about the League of Assassins but nothing about their nightlife.

Okay, wow, this got long. It has no right to be as long as it is. Anyway, enjoy the 2.8k of shenanigans I wrote! (It's way less angsty than I expected, tbh.)

-----

Danny walked into the library only to see Damian and freeze.

Damian stared back at him, neither moving a muscle.

Danny was the one to break the silence. "Damian."

"Danyal," was the curt reply.

Danny glared at his twin who ignored it and turned back to what he was working on.

"That's it!" shouted Dick.

Danny jumped. He hadn't seen the man standing off to the side; he'd been too focused on Damian.

"You two have been dancing around each other ever since Danny got here. Now, I don't know what history you have since neither of you will talk about it, but you have to at least be civil to each other. So you're going to have a bonding day tomorrow."

"Richard!"

At the same time, Danny said, "No!"

Then the twins were back to glaring at each other.

"He won't even call me by my name," protested Danny. "I hate Daniel and Danyal. I'm Danny."

"You are a Wayne and grandson to the Demon Head. It is beneath you to go by such a ridiculous diminutive."

"Oh yeah, because I want to be reminded of Ra's every time someone talks to me."

Dick physically moved between them. "Enough. This is what I'm talking about. Come on, there has to be something you both enjoy and can do together."

Danny shrugged. "I enjoy lots of things. Just not weapons and fighting because I spent too much time doing that when I was little. Now I just want to be a regular American teen."

"And the interests of 'regular American teens' are banal and insipid. I will not waste my time partaking in them."

Dick looked between them with his eyes narrowed. "You know what, there's a carnival in town right now. You will both be going there tomorrow for the morning. You can compete at the games if you need to compare skills, Damian. And there's junk food and sweets for you, Danny. Then after, I'll take you to the animal shelter to do an extra volunteering shift. That way you spend some time alone together to figure out your differences, you'll be in public the entire time so I don't have to worry about anyone being stabbed, and it caters to both your interests."

"I do believe that is an excellent idea, Master Dick."

Danny jumped again at the unexpected voice of Alfred behind him.

"In fact, I will drive you to the carnival myself. I expect both of you to be downstairs and ready to leave by nine thirty tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Pennyworth," said Damian. But based on his frown, he was not happy with the discussion.

Danny looked between Alfred and Dick, but couldn't think of a way to back out. "Fine."

---

Not even half an hour after they'd arrived at the carnival, Danny was ready to tear his hair out. And had sent several messages to Dick stating as much.

Damian was sneering at the people, at the food, at the very mud on the ground.

"It's mud, Damian. It won't hurt you."

"It will require me to do more work to clean my shoes before we can enter our home. For no benefit, either. This place is horrendous."

Danny sighed. "Can't you just relax, Dami? You're safe. No one is going to beat you if you let go a little bit."

"No. I can't." Damian moved faster, forcing Danny to half-run to catch up.

"Look, the game booths are up ahead. Let's see if we can't win some prizes. I'm sure Dick would love it if you gave him something you won."

"Everything is cheap and ugly."

"Exactly the sort of things Dick likes!"

"Very well."

With Damian next to him, Danny didn't dare cheat. For his first prize, Damian selected a large, stuffed elephant. Though after he'd received it, he stared at it with no idea what to do next.

"You carry it around with you! We want to have so many prizes between us we can barely walk."

"That seems idiotic."

Danny nudged him. "Look, they're stuffed animals. I'm sure the shelter will take any you don't want to keep."

Damian hummed just like Bruce and made his way to the next booth. Danny won that round and the competition was on.

The next half hour passed much more pleasantly than the first. Until the ground started moving under them. Danny and Damian were two of the few who kept their feet as vines shot up from the soil and wrapped around the rides and huts and trailers.

Poison Ivy rose above them all and began screaming about how this meadow had been home to an endangered flower before the fair destroyed the habitat.

Danny and Damian both moved towards the woman rather than away like everyone else.

But Poison Ivy wasn't done with her monologue. Buds swelled on the vines. "Now, to distract you while I destroy this corporate evil."

"Come on, Damian!" called Danny. A bud burst open into a flower in front of him and Danny tried to duck, but it released a puff of pollen.

Both he and Damian got a face-full. Instantly, Danny could feel a tingling spreading out from his lungs and he reached back to grab Damian's hand.

"Any idea what that was?"

Damian gripped his hand just as tightly and the two continued to fight their way forward, now close enough to bump shoulders.

"Dr. Isley has many pollens with different effects. What symptoms are you experiencing?"

Danny shivered and pulled Damian closer. "Cold which is weird. Cold hasn't bothered me for years now. And I feel itchy. Are you feverish? Your hand feels warm."

Damian moved in closer until their arms were pressed together and Danny felt some of the cold recede. "No, but I know what we have been attacked with. It is a pollen to promote physical closeness."

"Cuddle pollen? Seriously? Sounds like something I would've had to deal with back... Just before. Isn't Gotham known for things like fear toxin or whatever? Cuddle pollen seems out of character."

"Dr. Isley is more concerned with her plants. If she can keep the humans preoccupied and stop them from interfering, she doesn't much care how it's done. And it is hard to fight her when you are desperate to hold onto each other."

Danny slipped on the moving ground and ended up pulling Damian down on top of him.

Oh. He understood now. With Damian pressed up against him more fully, the stuffed elephant squished between them, nothing could have enticed him to let go. He wrapped his arms more securely around Damian.

Danny sighed and dug his fingers into Damian's shirt. "We should call the others. Let them know to stay away for a bit." And then he remembered how much his brother hated him. "Or, I suppose, come sooner."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you don't like having me around. I can't imagine being forced to cuddle me is pleasant for you. If the others get here, you could go to Bruce or Dick."

"I do not like touch regardless of who it is. Dr. Isley's pollen is one of my least favorite toxins to be affected by, though it causes the least amount of damage. But you... are not the worst to be here with."

Danny watched as vines destroyed more and more of the carnival around them. After a while, he said, "High praise from the Demon Heir. Then why do you leave whenever I walk in a room?"

"I killed you. I did not think you would wish me around."

Danny's mouth fell open but it was only a moment before he was laughing so hard he had to stop breathing. He clutched Damian tighter and buried his face in his brother's neck as laughter shook his shoulders. His lungs would be screaming if he were still alive.

Damian tensed in his arms and pulled an arm away from Danny to fumble for something in his pocket. The cold rushed in which allowed Danny to finally draw in some air as he pushed closer to Damian.

"Richard! Yes, we're caught in the attack. Dr. Isley is using her ridiculous pollen. But, I think there might be something else in it, Danny is laughing as if he's been hit by Joker Venom. I feel no such affects as of now and we were dosed at the same time."

"No, no," Danny gasped out. "Not venom. You just— You think I'd be mad over a little murder?" Danny couldn't help but fall back into his laughter.

"You're... not?"

Danny shook his head into Damian's neck. "No, 'course not. What's a little murder between family? 'Sides, you didn't have a choice. I'm dating my second murderer, you know. She didn't have a choice either and the nightmares still keep her up some nights. And if you hadn't killed me that first time, resulting in Talia reviving me with the pits, I never would've survived my second and third deaths. Though... technically due to reasons, the second death never really happened which is why Sam had to kill me the third time. She knew I'd come back."

Dick's voice came through over the phone speaker, clear enough for Danny to hear it with how close he was. "What do you mean you've died three times!"

"I wish to know as well."

Danny shrugged. "Damian killed me when we were eight. I died in an accident at fourteen. That death was undone by a genie a few months later and my girlfriend had to recreate the accident to keep the town from being destroyed. It is what it is."

Dick's voice was horrified. "You can't just 'it is what it is' your own death!"

Danny chuckled. "I grew up in an assassin cult and now I have cool ghost powers. I think I'm more than justified in having a unique view on death. Mine just... doesn't bother me anymore. Though I don't really care for electricity. I can be around it, don't get me wrong, but I don't like it."

"Ghost powers?" asked Damian.

"Yeah. Wanna see? I can get us out of here. Where can you meet us, Dick?"

"Why have you not revealed these powers before now."

Danny shrugged again. "I had to keep them a secret from my adoptive parents because they were ghost hunters. Just got in the habit. Then you were acting so stand-offish I didn't know if you'd want me to open up. But if it was just misplaced guilt? Showing off might help you get over that."

"I have a secret I've been keeping from you as well. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to share it, but I shall once we get home, whatever Father thinks."

Dick broke in then, "Baby Bat, are you sure about this?"

"I am."

"Okay, well then, Alfred and I are about a half mile south of the south parking lot. Are you sure you can get here?"

Danny scoffed. "Easy." He reached over and hung up Damian's phone for him. "Ready for the ride of you life, Dami?"

"You do not know a fraction of what I have done over the last eight years. That is a high bar."

"And you don't know a fraction of what I've done, either. I bet I can cross that bar."

Damian hesitated. "What do you bet?"

That response brought Danny up short and then he was laughing again. "Okay, I like this version of you. I bet my share of dessert for the next three nights."

"I find those terms acceptable."

"Great." Danny moved his head from Damian's neck to look around. Poison Ivy was facing away from them and most of the people around them were similarly cuddled together and keeping their heads down. No one was around to see them.

Danny let invisibility wash over them both before raising into the air. He kept them tangible, however. He didn't think the pollen would've let him turn intangible if he'd tried.

"We are flying."

Danny grinned. "Yep. This is my favorite thing about being dead. Flight. Now, let's go find your other brother." From the air, he could see the batmobile pull up to the scene and Batman, Red Robin, and Signal rushed out. They were wearing modified costumes that covered all skin and came with respirators.

"Looks like the cavalry's here," Danny commented as he flew in the opposite direction.

"Indeed. Let us hurry to Richard and Pennyworth." After a moment, he added, "How does your flight work? It is like I cannot feel the pull of gravity at all."

"That's exactly it. I'm part ghost. That means that I'm part interdimensional being. Which means the physics to either dimension I belong to only affect me when I want them to. So for flight, I just decide that gravity doesn't affect me. I can go intangible and pass through objects as well because static and the repulsion of electrons doesn't have to affect me either, if I don't want it to." He couldn't help but show off with a few loops and barrel rolls.

"Hmm. Intriguing. May I request your assistance with some tasks I've been working on in the near future?"

"Course, brother-mine. Anything."

"How fast can you fly?"

"Fastest we've measured was over two hundred miles per hour, but it's been a while since we've checked. I only fly that fast when I'm intangible, though. Otherwise the air itself hurts. And don't get me started on what it's like to fly into a bug. Gross."

Below them, the jungle that had been the fairgrounds passed away, then the parking lot. Damian asked question after question about Danny's powers.

But Danny had barely started answering before he spotted Alfred and Dick and the car. He covered Damian's mouth with his hand, effectively silencing him.

"Wanna see if we can get one over on both of them?"

"Nothing phases Pennyworth."

"Which is why we have to try!"

"Very well, what do you have in mind?"

And so, Danny flew them down silently and invisibly until they were right in front of both Dick and Alfred.

Serendipitously, Dick was even asking, "How long do you think it'll take them to get here?"

So Danny dropped their invisibility. "About this long!"

Dick screamed and even Alfred's eyes widened slightly.

"I see, Master Danny," he said, "that does appear to be a useful skill."

"Holy sh—" Dick glanced over to Alfred and cut himself off. "How long have you been able to do that?"

"I told you," said Danny. "Since I died when I was fourteen. Been about two years now." He and Damian were still wrapped around each other with the stuffed elephant squished between them. "Damian has something for you, by the way. He won it and not even a rogue attack could make him drop it."

Damian reached between them and pulled out the elephant, shoving it in Dick's direction. "Here."

Dick was staring at them open mouthed but shook himself and took the toy. "Thanks, Baby Bat. I love it."

As soon as his hand was empty, Damian wrapped his arm back around Danny. "Now, let us get home. I despise dealing with this particular pollen of Dr. Isley's and wish to suffer the rest of the duration in private private."

"How long do the effects usually last anyway?" asked Danny.

"A few hours, I'm afraid," said Dick. "Why don't the two of you take the back seat. We'll get you both home as soon as possible."

"Great! Dami and I have a ton to catch up on now that he knows my secret."

"And I must inform you of my own secrets."

Dick opened the door to the back seat and Danny floated them both inside the car so they were lying down on the back seat.

Alfred eyed them, "Will the effects of the pollen allow you both to sit up and buckle in?"

"Nope!" Danny grinned at him. "But I should be able to keep us in place if needed."

"I see. Very well then, I shall trust you Master Danny. But if it turns out you've lied to me, I shall be most displeased."

Dick shook his head and sighed. "Lets just get you both home and wrapped up with something hot to drink and good snacks."

"Richard," said Damian before Dick could shut the door.

"Yeah, Damian?"

"I do believe... Danny and I shall have no trouble getting along going forward."

Dick gave them a blinding smile. "Glad to hear it, Baby Bat."

"If that is all, let us be on our way," said Alfred.

Danny smiled into his brother's neck. "Love you, Dami. I've missed you."

"I am also relieved at the lack of distance between us."

Something inside Danny relaxed at the open acceptance of his brother. Maybe he could build a new home here more long term. Gotham wasn't so bad at the end of the day.

-----

Okay... So not quite drugged confessions, but kinda? They wouldn't have had these conversations if it weren't for the pollen! But I feel like it's more misunderstandings and secrets reveal than anything else. And got way longer than I planned on. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello my wonderful fandom :) Thank you for all your lovely comments on me being delayed. Not my usual M.O. but I definitely needed the extra time to process. I was GUTTED and absolutely wrecked. Poor D had to deal with my panic spiral for most of Wednesday. (love you lol) I'll be honest I'm still little shook up and sad. Kinda grateful for the 3 week break tbh between episodes. This was a gut punch I wasn't in the least expecting. Hoping we'll get a S7 announcement during this hiatus. *fingers crossed* Get it together ABC. This took me awhile to unpack emotionally so thank you all again for being so patient.

So I want to preface this post. There will be ZERO And I mean ZERO bashing of Tim in this review from me. Would appreciate that in comments as well. I love conversation you know I love comments. What I don't like is hate being spread. Also nothing on Eric either. I've also seen this which is utter madness. Don't touch our captain. Man loves this fandom so much. Deserves respect. If you came to this review for either of those things please promptly exit stage left. I mean that in the kindest way possible but I love Tim/Eric so it's a non starter with me.

I’ve never so deeply related with a character in all my life as I have with Tim Bradford. I’ll be dissecting this ep to best of my ability. I love both these characters so very much. Why I was knocked out for a couple days before could tackle this. I imagine my thoughts will change when I do my summer in depth one. When we have the rest of the season in pocket. I have to say this won't be mini at all. LOL So lets get rid of that concept right now ha I can't be mini with this ep. I am not brief so thanks for reading. Also hats off to Eric my god he was incredible in this episode. Melissa too killing me left, right and center you two. Let us get started.

6x06 Secret and Lies.

Poor Lucy looks like me when I’m stressed and drained af. Tamara asking how stressed she currently is? Lucy answering 19.....She looks like a 19 if not worse tbh. This is probably the most time they've spent apart since they got together. Basically living together at this point let's be honest. Other than 6x01 they haven't really spent time apart aside from that UC op in 5x21. *sigh*

Tamara asking if Tim is still ghosting her? Lucy trying so hard to keep it together with her answer. My heart. What a wreck she is without Tim. Do love that we get to see her pin-up board btw. Good shot of her room we don’t usually get. That cupcake poster I love it so much. Although now it makes me sad...

Lucy asking what's wrong? Tamara telling her she wants to move out with some friends from school. Crap. Her moving is the last thing she needs…. But it's good for her even though the idea makes me sad. End of an era. Lucy is right she needs to live with people her own age. Doesn’t make it hurt less though. This is a ROUGH season for Lucy my god. The hits keep coming for our girl and I wanna hug her. Shield her somehow....

Lucy touching near her tattoo when she reaches Angela. (Mini gut punch.) I do love her coming to Angela about this. If there is anyone who knows Tim like she does it's Angela. Does help she finds his behavior alarming too. I mean of course she does. You can see the immediate worry. The empathy she has for Lucy is there but she holds her cards close in her advice. Telling her to trust him even though it's literally killing her. Not the council Lucy needed to hear or was looking for.

Lucy wanted more action than 'Just wait and trust him.' She has been trusting him but she’s so insanely worried. Going out of her mind with anxiety for her person. It's exuding out of of her and she looks like she wants to cry…Ugh me too Lucy. I’m an empath and an anxious one at that. I would be going out of my mind too…. Angela looks worried as hell though. Even though she isn't conveying that to Lucy at this point. Breaking my heart as she takes off from their convo. Because if she doesn't she'll lose it right then and there.

God I love Angela Lopez. First off well done on tracking him down. She's just a bad ass. I mean it's one of the reason's Lucy reached out to her tbh. Just gets into his car, drinking his soda, calling him out right away. I love her reasoning saying she can live off Wesley’s trust fund. Lmao. Doesn’t matter as much if she get's fired. 'Wine o'clock.' for her. Gotta love the confidence. I truly hope we get more Tim/Angela scenes the rest of this season. I always adore their dynamic.

Tim is sold on her reasoning and starts to explain the current situation he's trapped in. Angela taking it all in and assessing everything as he explains. Once Tim has succinctly summed up his current predicament Angela's reply is the best. 'I’m in.' lmao I love this woman. ‘I got your back boo.’ That she does. In more ways than he even realizes at this point.

Gotta commend Angela calling him out for walking away from Lucy. Not only that but his job to arrest a guy hasn’t thought of in a decade…. Ain’t no one better than her to be there to call him out his crap right now. Not only that but to really dig deep. To know this is far more than what he's sharing. This is why Angela is an incredible detective rooting things out like this. Saying this is more than just protecting Lucy. Her intuition is out of this world.

I mean she's not wrong. Lucy would understand if it was just about the benefits. She would be proud really. Thing is it's about protecting himself too. Which really just scratches the surface of why he is doing this. Tim knows he's caught even if he shrugs it off. She has him dead to rights and he knows it. 'I’m your BFF. I know you.' Ha it’s true whether you like it or not Timothy…Just like Lucy she has your number.

Angela giving him crap with how they're following Ray. Worried he isn't being smart about this. This is so unlike him to be this sloppy and unfocused. She was right he was tailing too close… Ray catches on to their tail quickly. When he scanned the vehicle made me so nervous. Doing it while he's taunting Tim. He's so detail oriented blows my mind Tim let that get by him. This SL gave me such MASSIVE anxiety as I watched it. Oh my lord.

The minute they get back to Angela's place she calls him out once again. Asking why he thinks this is ALL his fault? Tim shrugs it off and she refuses to take that as his final answer. Of course Angela was right there is far more to this story. Tim finally opens up to her about what happened. He had been leading his squadron for some time. Looking to move up to Sergeant.

The catch was he couldn’t be promoted if there was rampant criminality in his unit. Ray clearly was in the way of him moving up. Tim figured he could keep it within his unit if they went after him.. Oh Tim…. It was an unsanctioned mission too. Thinking if he could accomplish this would be easy fast track to his promotion.

Kills me to know he was there during the air strike ugh… Details missing from the last episode. The Humvee saved him and Mark but not his other men… I can't imagine what Tim felt in that moment. The immense amount of guilt laid on his soul from here on out. I mean it makes sense why he never left patrol before Lucy. The last time he tried to advance his career this happened. My broken boy.

Eric CRUSHES this scene. I wanna cry. My poor Timothy. He was more focused more on his career than his oath...Got two of his men killed. My damn heart. He’s so ashamed of himself. The way he points at himself when he says 'leadership.' I knew his military past would be dark but holy crap. I wanted more of his backstory and they delivered that in spades. What a gut punch this had to be for him. No doubt his men were loyal af to him. Would've followed him anywhere and did.

He carries leading those men to their deaths because they followed his leadership. Oof. That is quite the weight to keep on your soul. Also gives us insight to why he shoulders everything. Even when he doesn't have to. Punishing himself for past transgressions such as this. I'm sure when we get to the other side of this season, I will have an even deeper respect for the writers going into his backstory like this. Giving us even more insight to this man.

This hurts so good to get this kind of info. I have no doubt that’s why he shut Lucy out. The shame he feels is overwhelming. I totally get it. Nothing scarier than someone knowing your darkest secrets. Not only that but worrying they’ll think less of you due to it. Tim already struggles with self loathing. Been a theme for him his entire arc on this series. Something I've touched on a lot. This is truly bringing that to light in the most painful way.

We see Ray scanned Tim's car in order to gain access to it. To check his GPS to see where he's been. How he's been tracking him. When he scrolls down to Lucy's address. Made my stomach sink. Legit felt sick to my stomach....

I do love Lucy coming home and having Tamara there. Saying she ordered pizza for them. This is exactly what she needs. Do you really have to go Tamara? I wonder if she'll delay leaving now after this ep. There is a knock at the door and of course it's not the pizza. It's Ray. Hair's on the back of my neck stood up from the moment he entered that apt.

I know Melissa stated in her interview she was nervous about this scene. That she came off awkward in her anger. You are incorrect madam. Holy hell Lucy is a BAMF. Telling him the only call she's gonna make is for the ambulance. Because when she's done with him he's going to need it to wheel him out. Holds her ground like the confident bad ass we've all loved seeing her become.

Lucy calling him shaking and demanding where he was. Ooh lord hell fire coming with her through that front door. I love Angela grabbing Tamara to another room. Like let's go mom and dad are about to have a big blow out. Let's give them some space...

Tim asking if she's ok? Truly concerned but Lucy isn't having ANY of it. 'Do I look ok?' Damn no she doesn't....Ripping into him saying how that creep could've showed up when she wasn't there. Lucy is not wrong....Oh my lord I’ve never seen her so damn mad. She is RAGING at him and rightfully so. Her home was violated, Tamara was put in danger and threatened. All because Tim was trying to protect her. phew.

Tim FINALLY concedes to telling her something. It only seems to enrage her more. She is literally vibrating with anger in this scene with him. The more he tells her the more it doesn't explain why he left her in the dark. Lucy begging him to read her in. I mean she has earned that my love. ..Telling him to stop protecting her. Gah Tim is a deep loyalist who would protect anyone he loves even if it's not the right thing. His reply is a reflection of that.

'I can't. I won't.' He's so driven to keep her safe. His instinct is to protect her but doesn't see he's hurting her in the process. I knew she was going to be pissed he let Angela in and not her. But Tim was right she has a lot less to lose. Which doesn't seem pertinent in this moment...I do love her placing her hands on his when she also replies. 'I can't. I won't.'

Mirroring his words from moments ago. Just like he will never stop protecting her. Lucy will never stop fighting for him or longing to help him. That man is her entire world. The most important person in her life. It makes perfect sense she would help with this. Career be damned. I mean she risked her career to get him a shot at Metro. Of course she would do the same thing in order to shoulder his burden with him.

Love her standing her ground in this moment. Like damnit I love you and you are going to let me in. Whether you like it or not I am here and I'm going to help. If this wasn't a reflection of the communication problems that still painfully exist between them I don't know what is. I mean she tried to be patient and trust him. But honestly he needed this kick in the ass to let her in. Which is a problem. Lucy needs to be the first person he goes to. It shouldn't have to come to this. *sigh*

Their OP goes off without a hitch. Except Ray saying he was going to be an air strike on Tim's life.... God I had no idea as I was watching that scene how true it would be. Tim gets his interview and lies to protect Angela and Lucy. While keeping his own job intact as well. Also welcome back to Jackson’s dad. Hello there Percy. This is not how I wanted to see him again.

But he is IA him returning was never gonna be a good thing tbh in a post Jackson world. Regardless it was nice to see him again. The scene is Grey's office is ROUGH. Never seen Wade so disappointed in Tim. It hurts to watch. Just like this entire gut punch of an episode. Tim is just standing there in utter shame of everything. Ashamed Wade is looking at him like this.

Kills me Grey has to inform Pine of what he did. It makes sense he has to but damn that sucks. The amount of respect Tim has for Wade is immense. To watch him tear Tim apart and just stand there like a puppy being scolded hurts my soul. Especially when he tries to fight Pine knowing. Just dismissing him without further comment or argument...

So I will say this and it's not at all fair to Lucy that I thought this I'm sure. But I felt like if there was gonna be a breakup it would be coming from her. Not Tim in this moment. That's the part of this moment that really knocked the wind out of me. She had every damn right to be the one too btw. Instead she is there waiting for him with open arms. Honestly I took a breath for the first time this entire episode when she welcomed him in.

Wrapping him up in her arms. Encasing him, rubbing his back, her fingers in his hair. Gently cradling him against her. I thought ok maybe we'll be alright. Since Lucy isn't nearly as angry as she was earlier. Maybe they can get through this together. Cause she loved on him regardless of what happened. The unconditional love she has for this man blows me away. I honestly thought with her loving on him maybe they'd make it out. That they’d work through it together.

Tim looks so very defeated. On the verge of an actual breakdown as he explains that he lied about everything. Saying it saved his job...protected Angela and her. It doesn't seem like enough of a win to him. He looks so very destroyed and this is just the beginning of his downward spiral.

Lucy is doing everything to be his rock in this moment. To assuage him of his guilt… Most vulnerable ever seen Tim *pre tears*…. Lucy telling him it was an impossible situation. She would've done the same thing. It’s so very clear she was willing to work through this. To build them back to where they were before he got that phone call. Everything Lucy was in this scene represented her unconditional love for him. Tim is just too destroyed at the moment to see it….Also for him to accept it. It's so hard to truly accept unconditional love if you've never had it before. To truly trust in it.

Lucy is watching him spiral out of control. The way he's talking about himself with such loathing. How she never would've been in a place where she put her self interest over her team like him. She is trying her damndest to right his wrong. But Tim is having none of it. It pains me to see it... Pains Lucy too. It's the way she grabs onto him while he continues his verbal self flogging that get's me.

Trying to ground him in this moment with her touch. Bring him back to her. Something that has worked so well in the past. Sadly not having the intended affect this time around. Tim is too damn gone at this point. He feels he’s betrayed everything he thought he was. THOUGHT he was. *heart clutch* Tim has such a deep moral compass. That's why this is rocking him so very much. Ugh my heart. I too have a crazy deep moral compass. I can't say I wouldn't be spiraling out like him as well.

This was his greatest sin brought to light. To Tim exposing him for the fraud he feels he is. Him saying he's been lying to himself for a long time is a reflection of this. That imposter syndrome coming out real strong here. Something he buried deep down came rushing to the forefront and he is imploding. Says as much above. He no longer feels worthy to be in her life now. I get this anytime I screw up with a friend or my sister. I have this deep sense of shame attached to it. Like I no longer deserve that friend or my sister cause I messed up or if a past sin comes up. That they'll no longer love me or will forever look at me differently cause of it.

It's not logical but it's deeply ingrained from my mom shaming me for doing anything wrong growing up. As it is for Tim. His father literally beat the hell out of him for ever being out of line. He has suffered emotional and physical abuse. Unless confronted and treated comes out like this. Demons making their way to the surface. I was bawling by the time he said 'I'm sorry.' He’s never seen himself worthy of Lucy’s love that much has always been evident. But to see it this raw and visceral ripped my heart out. It’s on the ground where they're both standing.

I think this is something that has been brewing in the background for Tim for a long time. Now that I've had time away to decompress and think. I'm actually very excited they're tackling this. It's clear Tim is not in a place where he thinks he deserves her anymore. Low key never has been. He acts before he thinks. Eric had a great quote from his interview about Tim "He is impulsive and he reacts instead of thinking things through, and it can come out a bit too strong.” That is this decision in a nutshell. He feels he is a burden therefore he is removing himself without thinking it through. The regret that is going to come with this is going to be immense for him.

'You deserve so much better.' Better than me basically. He feels immense shame and that shame is launching him away from her. You know I learned something in therapy about this. About not being perfect and feeling like I'm too much. i.e. a burden. My therapist told me and it made me cry. 'You are worthy of the space you take up in people's lives. They want you there.' Tim does not think he is worthy of the space he is taking up in Lucy's life now. All his sins on the table laid out for her to see. He can't handle it. That much is very clear here. I will say I haven’t let a ship hurt me like this in a long time.

This absolutely crushed me. I couldn't even fathom assembling my thoughts. Cut me very deep. Been with this ship since day one. Also what a crushing blow this is for Lucy. Our poor girl. I mean she gave everything to this relationship. I mean EVERYTHING. She was all in from the moment Tim said ‘Unless it is.’ This was her first real relationship. First real leap into being serious. Thinking about marriage and kids. She gave her all to Tim my god. Her career took a hit for him and she never complained. Knew he was worth it (he still is btw) Fought every step of the way for him. For them.

When he was pulling back above it was an absolute panic for her. She could see him slipping through her fingers. Idk what broke my heart more Tim thinking he’s not worthy of her any longer or her begging him not to do this. She literally can't fathom how he can let go of her like this. Thought she was his person. Tim feels he’s gone back to who he was pre-Lucy and that scares him. He feels undeserving of the love she has to give him. Lucy knows everything and in his mind he can’t imagine her still loving him.

Lucy was as we all were in this scene. In disbelief... Even though Tim put her though absolute hell she was still there to comfort and support him. Because to her he is worth it even in the hard times. We all know Tim isn’t the best with his emotions. In his trauma damaged brain he thinks he’s doing the right thing here. That he’s radioactive, she deserves better than being around him and his reckless behavior.

The kiss on her head. Lucy trying to physically push away his rejection. Stomping all over my damn heart...However this ends up playing out Tim is going to have to address his emotional instability. How he charges forward and doesn’t think things through. Ruled by his emotions in the worst way. He’s impulsive and he’s gonna have to fight to get her back when he’s in a better mindset. Her trust has been obliterated by this. She fought and clawed for them and this was her reward. He’s gonna have to do some serious healing to get back to her. Lucy has loved him the best she can but he needs to put in some work now. We see next ep he's meeting with Aaron's therapist. Don't love that but I’ve wanted Tim to go to therapy for years. He needs this. Therapy doesn’t work unless you put the effort in though.

That will be a challenge for him. When I get out of the purview of this hurt I’m feeling...I’m actually going to be really impressed and happy they had Tim go through this. Do I think this is the end of them? No I think this is some serious growing pains. It was issues that have been percolating since Lucy did that 5 player trade. Hell probably back in 5x12 when Tim sacrificed himself without telling her so they could stay together. I still think that was romantic because of it's intended nature. BUT was the beginning of the communication problems. They’ve grown so very much in that regard. We’ve seen it but there is still work to be done on that front. It just came to a very gutting painful head.

I still have faith in the writers. I still have faith they’ll be ok. It might not be right away and I'm already feeling impatient tbh. But this is some serious realism being applied to them. It wasn't some random BS angst. Honestly we’re lucky our ship gets the most attention, the best SL’s and two people who LOVE these characters. They absolutely adore them and this ship. If you haven’t read Melissa and Eric’s interviews for this episode I highly recommend. This sucks right now. No two ways about it. But we will survive this storm. They’ll come out stronger than ever. Truly believe that. But for now let's rally around each other and get through this together. There will be brighter days ahead just doesn't feel like it right now. We got this.

~~~

Side notes non Chenford.

Do love Aaron working with Harper all if of all I cared about other than their SL in this one. Nolan's I fast forwarded which I normally don't do but I had no patience for his BS in this ep lol My anxiety was rampant in this ep and had no space for him.

Also RIP Metro Tim for the 6x07 promo. This hurts to see not just cause I enjoyed him in that outfit lol But to see his career take a nosedive like this. I wanted more Tim back story. Didn’t think would hurt like this though....Feel free to comment I love you all for any interaction I get with these. <3

[strawberrymilk-sunshine]

Sunset

I just thought of something very funny so I wrote it

Guess who's exhausted while writing again? That's right, me!!

Warning(s): mentions of stalking, not sure how good this is but hope you enjoy regardless

You fell off a ship when you were young.

You don't remember much from after the sails set on fire. When you fell into the water, you must have passed out... and when you woke up, you saw... someone.

"Um, human... are you ok...?"

You remember what he looked like. You've held on to that memory, hoping to find him again some day.

And little did you know, he did the same. He wanted to meet with you again, but he just didn't know how he would do it!

And then one day he found something. A very old spell, as old as the legends of the Sea Witch...

A spell that could turn him human.

"Are you sure about this, Azul?" Jade asked as Azul prepared the spell that would turn him human. "This could be very dangerous."

"As cool as the Sea Witch was, her magic was no joke, Octy! Are ya sure you can handle this?"

"I'll be fine. It's all to see them again..." Azul sighed.

"Ah yes, (Y/N)." Jade laughed under his breath.

"You saw them once when you were a kid. Are you sure they're even still alive?" Floyd asked, looking at the spell ingredients.

"Oh, I've been sure to keep a close eye on them all these years." Azul happily said. "They look so beautiful nowadays!"

"Right, forgot you've been stalking them for the better half of twelve years." Floyd rolled his eyes. "Again. They were a human you met because they fell off a boat when you were five, Azul. Are they really worth turning human for? What if they don't like you back?"

"Ahahaha! You really are funny sometimes, Floyd! Don't like me back, I can't even imagine that!! We're meant for each other... I'm sure of it."

"Azul, before you go too far... you do remember the steep price of the Sea Witch's spells, right?" Jade asked.

"Ooh! Yeah, she didn't give any extra chances! One little slip-up and then you were polyp-ified!"

"I know the price. But, since I'm performing the spell on myself, I don't believe I'll have to worry about any consequences!"

"I guess there's no convincing you not to..."

"But if anything happens to you, it's your fault!"

"I know... and I'm ok with that."

But something unexpected happened.

Something clearly went wrong.

The twins rushed their friend up to the surface, and helped him to the shore.

Azul coughed up water, and had planned to say something about how he had no idea the sea could be so unaccommodating to the creatures of the land, but then...

"Hm? What's with that face, Azul?" Jade asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Your throat hurt or somethin'? And why aren't you talking?"

Jade and Floyd stared at Azul for a while. Then they looked at each other, then back at Azul. And in a rare moment of perfect synchronization, yelled out

"WAIT, YOU CAN'T SPEAK ANYMORE?!"

Azul nodded, embarrassed.

"Azul! This is why we were trying to warn you against using this spell!" Jade sternly said, his hand on his forehead.

"First things first: we told you so. Secondly, according to the spell, you've only got three days to get that human you like to give you a kiss of true love! Otherwise, it's back to your mer form and polyp-ification for you!" Floyd yelled. "Well... I guess there's no Sea Witch around to enforce the polyp thing... but still! Unless you want to be stuck on land, suffocate, dry out, and die, then you'd better get that human to fall in love with you, Azul!"

"I'd suggest you pretend that you haven't been stalking them for twelve years." Jade suggested. "It's hard to imagine they'd willingly kiss you if you admitted to that."

"Maybe just pretend you're some normal, mute human!" Floyd suggested. "I mean... it's not really like you can tell 'em otherwise."

"You two stay here, I'll go find some kind of cloth we can fashion into human clothing." Jade said. "Floyd, please make sure Azul doesn't drown himself."

"Hey, no promises, Jade~!"

You were walking along the beach one day, when you saw someone out in the distance.

You ran towards the person, since they were stumbling around like they were injured. You should help them!

"Hey, uh... are you ok?" You asked when he was close enough to hear.

He had beautiful grey hair and blue eyes. He also was wearing the torn up remnants of a ship's sails as an outfit.

"...d-did you hear me?" You asked. "Are you ok?"

He slowly walked towards you, and fell forwards, his head resting on your chest.

"Wha-?! Are you ok?! Sir, are you ok?!" You yelled in a panic.

For a second, you swore you heard a voice from the water say "Take good care of him, please."

But when you looked to the sea, no one was there.

...

Is this guy asleep on your chest?!

"I guess I just... take him home...?"

You didn't know, but your life would become much more interesting with this guy around.

He woke up when you got back to your home.

The servants cleaned him up and prepared clothes that were better than the nearly destroyed cloth he was wearing.

You learned a lot about him. He can't speak, for one, but he was able to write his name down for you. His name was Azul. You don't know who he is, or why he washed up on the shore, the best you could understand was that he was probably in some kind of shipwreck.

He was nice, but... something just felt off about him.

You also heard weird whispers whenever you were out by the sea.

You decided to take him for a tour of the city the next day, you thought he'd enjoy it. And he did! He looked so happy the whole time!

Little did you know, however, the only reason he was so happy was because you, the love of his life, were right there beside him.

Late into the night, you took him for a ride in a rowboat, to a secret place only you know about. And the whole time, you swore you heard two people singing from the water.

And the day after that, Azul tried to kiss you.

You like him and all, but... not like that.

You avoided him the rest of the day after that.

And the day after that...

"Azul, I'm sorry about what happened last night..." You said, knocking on the door to the guest bedroom.

"(Y/N)... don't come in, please..." You heard a voice say from the other side of the door.

"Azul, i-is that you? Are you speaking?!" You asked. "What's going on?!"

"Nothing! Just please get me some water... and don't come in here! Just leave it at the door, ok?"

"Is everything alright in there?" You asked.

"Yes! I'm fine! Just don't come in!"

"I'm coming in, something's definitely wrong." You said, before opening the door.

And then you saw him standing there.

Azul... wasn't human.

"AH! (Y-Y/N)! Please don't look at me..." He said, shielding his face with his arms.

His legs weren't legs, they were tentacles, like an octopus would have... he was a merman.

He looked so familiar.

"...it's you." You said.

"Huh?"

"I remember you!" You yelled. "You saved me! H-how are you here right now?!"

"...you remember me...?" Azul asked, a blue blush on his face. "From... from when you fell off that ship...?"

"Yes! You're the one who saved me, right? You look so familiar..."

"Yes, that was me..." He admitted. "It's... getting hard to breathe... say, could you please hurry and get me water?"

"Oh! Yes of course!"

Azul breathed a sigh of relief when you left the room. So many things are going well this morning! You remember who he is, you know why he looks familiar, you weren't completely repulsed by his true form, and most importantly...

You didn't find out that he basically stalked you for twelve years!

[doe-eyed-fool]

Prey | Chapter Nine

Alastor x Fem!Reader

Warning(s): Homophobia, Unwanted Flirting

You knock gently as you entered the room. "Hello?" You say with a smile. Alastor, sitting in his chair, turned to face you. "Y/n! What brings you by, darling?" He asks with a wide grin.

You walk further into the room before shutting the door behind you. "Thought I'd stop by for a visit." You tell him. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"You? Never." Alastor says with a wave of his hand. "It's always a delight to have you around." You take the basket you had resting in the bend of your arm, and set it down on a near by coffee table. "I brought you a little something. I hope you haven't eaten yet." 

"Oh, how thoughtful of you my dear. Thank you." Alastor stands from the chair. "No I haven't had the time to eat much yet. I've been quite busy." You nod. "I've noticed. How are you feeling?" You ask carefully. "I'm just fine, dearest!" Alastor says, maybe a bit too quickly. 

"Are you sure? You haven't quite been yourself as of late." You didn't want to upset him by saying this, especially knowing how highly he held his self image.

But you were so worried. If there was something wrong, you'd want to help make things better for him. Even if just a little. Alastor chuckles as he approaches you. He takes hold of your hands as he speaks. 

"My darling, if there was something wrong, I'd tell you. Rest assure, everything is alright." He says comfortingly. You wanted to believe him, but you just couldn't. You decided to drop it for now, but you will be keeping a closer eye on him. "If you say so." 

Alastor brings your right hand to his lips and kisses it softly. "I am quite fortunate to have someone as caring as you in my life, Y/n." Your smile returned to you, cheeks warming. "And I'm fortunate to have someone as loving as you in my life, Alastor." 

You then turn your attention to the small basket. "Now, I suggest you eat. I don't want you becoming all skin and bones. It's not as good as your cooking, but, hopefully it will tied you over for now." 

"You should give yourself more credit. It will do just fine, thank you again dear." Said Alastor. "Anytime." You grin. "Ok, I guess I'll leave you to it. I know you're about to start broadcasting, I don't want to distract you." 

"Oh please, do distract me." Alastor smirks. You lightly hit his chest. "Behave. You're at work." You giggle. "Will I see you at tonight's performance?" You ask. 

"Ah, afraid not." Alastor sighs. "I'm going to be doing a little extra work tonight. Hopefully I'll find some new inspiration for my broadcasts while I'm at it. I do apologize, my love. Next time, for certain." 

"Don't worry about it." You wave your hand dismissively. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, but please, try not to work yourself too hard ok?" 

"I will certainly try." Alastor promises. You stand on your tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "I'll see you later, love." You say as you walk out of the door. Alastor watched as you left, and let his shoulder slump as the door shut. Another sigh left him, this one sounding more exhausted as he sat back down. 

"Y/n, you're getting a little too good at reading me..." He mutters. "Let's hope that does not become a reoccurring issue."

Tonight's show was as good as ever, you had captured the attention and adoration of the crowd once again. Now, you were in your dressing room, removing your makeup and changing back into your casual attire. Whenever you preformed, you gained a new sense of accomplishment and of course, confidence. 

It made you feel on top of the world, nothing could ruin your good mood. 

You stepped out of the lounge and breathed in the cool night air. It was soothing feeling, the light breeze on your skin. Those stage lights were no joke, you could use a nice shower once you got home. As you start off, someone calling your name caused you to pause.

You turn to see Joe and a few of his buddies walking your way. "Great show, Y/n! I had no idea you could sing! And sing so lovely at that." You smile slightly. "Oh, thank you." 

"See?" One of the men at his side slurred slightly. "I told ya, she sings just as good as she looks!" You tried not to pay him mind as his eyes wondered your body. 

"How about you join us for a few drinks, little lady? The night's still young. What do ya say?" Asked another. You shake your head and politely decline. "No thank you, I'm quite tired after tonight. I was just on my way back home. Maybe next time?" You say, though you had no intentions of doing so. 

Just as they were about to protest again and insist you go, Joe spoke up. "Ah, leave her be." He brushes off the two, and focused his attention on you. "Are you walking home all alone?" He asked.

You nod your head. "Then, allow me to take you home. I'd just hate to let a fine lady be all alone at night. It's not very safe, especially after that incident in the papers." 

Right, your boss went missing, and is suspected to be dead. As much as you wanted to decline, you really didn't feel safe walking alone right now.

So, you accept his offer. "Alright." You say and Joe offers his arm. You link your arm with his, but before you two left, Joe spoke to his buddies one last time. 

"Ya'll go on ahead without me. I'll join you fellas later." He says before walking away with you. You didn't miss the snickers and low whistling from his drunken friends. But again, you paid it no mind. 

"Thank you, Joe. Normally I wouldn't be too opposed to walking home late, but after recent events, I can't help be be a little paranoid." You sigh.

Joe chuckles. "It's no problem at all, little lady. I enjoy your company. Say, isn't Alastor always with you these days? Why ain't he walking you home?" He asked. 

"He's working late tonight." You tell him. "Otherwise he would have." 

"Working late?" Joe repeats. "Why, he left work same time I did." You look up at him, confused. "He did?" Joe nods. "Just a couple hours ago. Even left a little bit before me. I didn't see him come back, if he did." 

You furrow your brows as you look ahead once more. "He lied to me? Why would he do that?" You wonder aloud. Joe only shrugs. "Beats me. But that's quite rude if you ask me. You think he's got himself a lady friend he had to see?" 

'I most certainly hope not!' Is what you wanted to say, but instead, you shake your head. "I don't know. If he does, I don't know her." That couldn't be it. Alastor was a bit of a flirt, but that's long since stopped after the two of you got together. He's been nothing but loyal to you ever since. There was no way he had another woman in his life. 

So, what was it then? 

"Heh, nah. Nah I don't think that's it." Joe laughs. "Alastor's always been a bit of a prude. Never once have I ever seen him with a woman romantically. Women practically throw themselves at him, and he does nothing about it. I say he's one of those types."

You raise an eyebrow. "Those types?" 

"Yeah, you know. He fancies the opposite gender. A real daisy if you ask me. Ugh." Joe's face scrunches up in disgust. You tried not to let it show, but you felt a twisting feeling in your chest at his words. "What kind of man doesn't want a fine young dame on his arm?" 

You remained quiet, unsure that if you were to speak right now, you'd have nothing too kind to say to him. 

"What's more? What kind of man wouldn't want someone as breath taking as you." You glance at Joe, his eyes set on you. "Y/n, how about I take you out sometime? I'd treat you so much better than that palooka."

"You're very kind, I'm flattered, really." In all honesty, you weren't. In fact, you wanted nothing more than to just storm off from him and risk being murdered on your way home.

"But I'm afraid I must decline. I'm...I'm just not looking to be in a relationship right now." 

"So you're saying there's a chance in the future?" Joe smirks. You held back the urge to grimace. "I don't know." You say with a light chuckle. Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Joe dropped the subject. And thankfully, you were almost home. 

"So, when did you start singing down at ol' Mimzy's lounge?" Asked Joe. "Not too long ago. Alastor helped me out a lot, being good friends with Mimzy." You could catch a glimpse of Joe rolling his eyes from the mentioning of Alastor's name. "I'm not sure if I would have this job without him."

"I'm sure you would." Said Joe with a grin. "You're pretty enough, you could get a job anywhere you wanted. Just flash a smile, and you'd be hired on the spot, little lady." 

Being pretty was nice, but you'd hope you have more to offer than just looks. But clearly Joe was not the type of man to have that discussion with. So, you refrained from mentioning it. Instead, you just thank him. 

Finally, you arrived at your apartment building. "Well. This is my stop. Thank you again for walking me home, Joe." You say with a smile. Joe waved his hand. "Don't mention it, darlin'. I'll see you around?" 

You nod your head before briskly walking inside, exhaling loudly as soon as you closed the door.

And to think, you were in such a good mood earlier...

As you made your way through your living room and into the hall, you couldn't help but think back to what Joe said. 

'he left work same time I did. Just a couple hours ago. Even left a little bit before me. I didn't see him come back, if he did. '

If Alastor wasn't working late, then what was he doing? Why did he feel the need to lie to you? You hope it wasn't anything serious, you hoped even more he had a good reason to be secretive. But that didn't make the worry and suspicion disappear. 

You've already dismissed the idea of him having another women on the side. He's done nothing to make you suspect as much, even before the two of you were together. 

Was he visiting his mother? He'd go to her grave every so often to chat with her about what was going on in his life. And to just...be with her. But it was so late. Why would he go at this time? That couldn't be it. 

Maybe he wanted to do some hunting? Hunting was a hobby of his, but also somewhat of a stress reliever. You never did like the idea of him hunting, you had such a soft spot for animals. But you weren't going to make him stop just because you disliked it. 

However you did make him promise not to tell you what he was hunting. Especially if it were deer. You always loved deer. They were such gentle creatures. 

But again, it was late. How would see anything at this hour? The night would make hunting difficult, so that couldn't have been it either. Right? 

What on Earth was he doing? 

You stopped just as you entered your bedroom, turning around, you walked back into the living room. You made your way over to your telephone and picked it up, as you circled through the numbers. 

You waited for Alastor to answer, however, the longer you waited, the less confident you became that he would answer. And he did not answer. 

Now you were worried. 

You sighed before setting the phone handle back into place and went back to your room. You showered and changed into your sleepwear. You sat down onto the edge of the bed and looked down at your slightly trembling hands. 

Where was he? What was he doing? Why did he lie to you? 

"He had better have good explanation for all this." You say before finally lying down, and tried giving into slumber. 

Tags-

@martinys-world

@sirens-and-moonflowers

@catticora

[thatruerealmwalker]

The Madness We Realized Working for Playtime Is

The Pipeworks 1: Karl’s First Assignment- Oh god why this?

Read on AO3:

HERE.

Karl Kingsworth is a simple man. Someone who doesn't have much ranking in Playtime's "Pipeworks" sector of the company, but still somewhat good at his job. He gets in, fixes the "leak", gets out.

But when he's assigned to a Leak that the BOSS would cover... well he's not doing okay.

Especially for what the damn "leak" actually is.

HOW DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN?!!?!?!?!

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

Soundtrack: Ryūnosuke Naruhodō ~ Overture of the Adventure - The Great Ace Attorney

Karl, a junior staff member at Playtime Co's Public Relations office, often referred to by the staff as "Pipeworks" due to it's unenviable reputation as "We fix the leaks when Playtime fucks up... every damn week", is standing in front of the door leading into a room where a very important “talk” will take place.

His first big assignment- and it has to be about this of all things. There is a almost zero chance that if he messes up here he won't end up as a test himself. 

Yeah that's right, he knows what Playtime really does. Everyone in the Pipeworks does. Playtime thought they couldn't let that happen for a while- Then escape attempts started happening and how else were they going to know what to say? That didn't stop Playtime from trying to wipe out the Pipeworks staff and bring in fresh faces- but the Boss put a stop to that quickly. Who knew that telling someone about the shit under your carpet would backfire, especially when it's their job to have contacts and manage the people managing Playtime's image.

That doesn't mean anyone in Pipeworks is off the hook if they mess up. They have a lot of leeway other workers simply don't, but completely failing is still lethal. And this right here? This is something Karl has been dreading once he was assigned to it. Him, low rank new face bitchboy got assigned something the Boss would have taken if he could- How is that fair? 

Of course the Boss and the top 3 were hard at work patching an even bigger leak involving a certain news company getting their hands of files that should have never left Playtime's doors. The dedicated teams weren't around either- Wrench was hunting down and trying to silence a potential whistle blower- the second this month- Hammer was dealing with the fact that the sane toy companies were suing playtime co for their next toy line push- because of course Playtime would try to make off brand Hotwheels and not ask Pipeworks if it was a good idea- and Driver... fuck Driver team was just GONE. No one knew where the hell they were sent. At least the Boss reassured the staff that they didn't get "terminated", just doing something hush hush.

And that left only the newbies and clerks to choose from for this assignment. 

Of course it had to be Karl. Wrong place wrong time- he swears to god Pierre was drunk when he selected him for the task- and by himself no less!

This is it... all Karl can think is that he's gonna get killed-

The door to the room opens up and he comes face to face with a young girl, probably an intern with how young she looks, looking at him with surprise.

"Oh you're finally here! Mister James was worried we would have to reschedule."

"Y-yeah... Just traffic got in the way. Are we getting started soon?"

"Mister James actually sent me to go get stuff for lunch since it's about that time- you haven't eaten already have you?"

Oh thank the lord above!

"Oh no! And I'd love to join you all! What are we having?"

She waves her hand back and forth in the air, "Nothing too fancy, just some deli sandwiches that got catered to the office today. Any kind you like?"

"I can go for Ham and Cheese if you have some?"

"Ham and Cheese... think so! Just head on in, I'll be back in a bit!" With that the young intern makes her way towards where Karl can only assume to be the cafeteria for the building.

At least he has some extra time... maybe he does still have a chance! Just gotta see if he can figure out how to make that chance in the first place.

Entering inside, the room is rather furnaced- well it's probably normal to expect a place to want someone to feel welcomed when talking... Playtimes own interview/guest/meeting rooms, despite the Boss and the Big 3 pushing it, still lack any real comfort. "You all don't need that, just make em shut up and go away!" is apparently what Pierre said to Boss's face last time he tried.

Karl can only wish that bastard hell for that. There is a reason why Pipeworks always sends staff out instead of inviting people in. Technically two- but everyone knows letting outsiders into the main building or even on the campus itself risks someone seeing something they shouldn't. The impressions a low quality room with a folding fucking table does not make good first impressions!

And by god does Karl need that here. 

“Ah, hello there. You must be Mr. Kingsworth. Such a fancy last name you have there my good sir.”

Sitting on a nice leather couch on one side of the room is a rather well dressed man. Brown hair curled up into a stylish cut, the suit he’s wearing being rather expensive looking as he gestures for Karl to take a seat. 

“Please, make yourself at home. It isn’t everyday I have a toy company, especially one as prodigious as Playtime wanting to work with my humble craft.”

Humble is a fucking UNDERSTAMENT. This person Karl is talking to is Alexander James- who happens to own a somewhat high class clothes line. You know, with a clientele that could most likely pay for an average American home in a single payment. 

Alexander James, who’s clothes make regular appearances on runways and fashion magazines. Alexander James, who should have NO investment in Playtime at all. Alexander James, who Playtime cannot make disappear or actually pay off.

As Karl takes a seat on the couches on the other side of the room, with a beautiful table he maybe would have actually paid attention too if he wasn’t dying from anxiety born from this entire situation, he only hopes he can actually cover this neatly.

“No need to address me as such Mr. James, I’m merely a representative for Playtime. Thank you for allowing this conversation under such short notice.”

“If we are to drop the honorifics, please, just address me as Alexander, Karl. Now, while I’m sure you’re as eager to start this conversation as I am- I believe we should first have some lunch no? May I suggest some tea while we wait? I recently had it imported from Japan. Supposed to help cleanse anxiety from the body, but it’s quite delicious as well.” 

Alexander gestures toward the tea set in the center of the finely crafted table that separates the two men. As much as Karl thinks he really shouldn’t impose so soon- especially when he hopes he can cancel this entire “deal” before it gets off the ground, the smell of the tea, which is that of a very sweet scent of cherry blossoms, one that Karl almost mistakes for vanilla, entices him to partake.

Time flies by after just a cup of some rather well made tea. Soon enough the intern returns with the promised lunch, the smell of the sandwiches adding to the comforting feeling Karl’s hosts provide. He only wishes he could feel that comfort when it would stick.

Lunch is eaten rather quickly, Alexander keeping tidy as he swiftly eats the well made sandwiches. The ham in Karl’s sandwich gives a wondrous crunch as the melted cheese mixes with the taste. It’s only the bread, softly sweet but not extremely so, that makes it a fine meal.

Once again, Karl wishes he didn’t have such a heavy burden on him to properly enjoy this.

The food is soon gone and messes cleaned up. Tea refilled as Alexander is handed over a folder from his intern assistant.

“I’m glad you have been enjoying yourself Karl, but I believe we should begin our talks sooner than later, don’t you agree?”

And now the bliss is gone, and Karl realizes he still lacks any plan… he really shouldn’t have indulged. With the poker face trained into him by his higher ups, he keeps a front of joy over his growing dread, a smile shining with false bravado, “Of course Alexander. Thank you for the meal and tea, it was quite a treat… so about the partnership.”

“Yes yes, so, I will be honest with you Karl, when your company reached out with this idea, it was quite a shock. But… It has sparked my mind to begin working on some designs already.”

Alexander opens the folder and begins to lay out several papers, all Karl briefly ignores in favor for the final items to part for the insides of the folder- the damn thing that started all of this.

A set of enlarged photographs… of the BBI Roxie and Catnap… posing in several company branded cosmetics… Not in the factory. Outside of the fucking factory. Seen by someone not connected to the company.

The humor at the situation is not lost on Karl. Honestly, if it was someone else from the Pipeworks, he would be laughing his ass off at it. But it’s happening to him. He cannot find humor in this. His very life could end if he messes up here.

Somehow, an employee was able to sneak in fashion magazines for the Critter sector of the BBI. Said employee was approached by Roxie who requested them to send these damn photographs to Alexander James’ designer office so they could “Become a model with my brother!” after seeing the ad for runway models for Alexander’s work.

Someone, they got the photos out, got it set up to where it was not some random person but the COMPANY sending the damn things- and kept it undercover for another 2 MONTHS.

How?

HOW?!!

HOW DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN?!?!?!

Karl simply swears if he even encounters the racoon he’ll deck them in the face for this fucking shit show! If he can’t cover this up- It’ll be the last damn thing he does!

He would lash out at the apparent mastermind behind this instead, but they are currently locked in a cell as the company finalizes the “Farewell” procedures. God Karl can only hope no one else needs to be said “farewell” too. That’ll be even more work for Pipeworks if so- 

But all he has to do is make sure Alexander doesn’t… what?

Wait what hold on no that’s not how this was supposed to go-

Karl’s mind rebooted as he finally processed the last line from Alexander James… NO.

Eyes upon the paper placed down first- OH FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Karl was very close to breaking his false smile at this point… because Alexander made designs. MADE CLOTHES DESIGNS FOR THE FUCKING CRITTERS.

WHAT THE-

“Oh that’s wonderful Alexander. I’m glad you found the proposal that engaging… your thoughts on our models?”

“Well Karl, you and Playtime have outdone yourself. Those mannequins look almost life-like! How could I say no to such an opportunity to have some fun.”

OH THANK GOD- he thinks they're fake! Good good Karl can work with this and-

“I do hope when I get my hands on them I’ll be able to find which designs work best. Photos never do capture what I need to make my work shine.”

OH GO NO- Fuck Fuck Fuck- SAY SOMETHING- YOU CANNOT-

“O-of course sir!- we would just have to figure out how to get them ready on our part!”

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- IDIOT. You can’t just-!

“Splendid! I look forward to cooperating with you all… I am worried about the bad press that using your… Catnap would bring. Can Playtime ensure that it wouldn't risk any bad press for the Magazine?”

Okay… There is still a chance! End the deal right here!

“I’m sorry sir but… they unfortunately come in a pair. We’re attempting to fix the bad PR done by the incident with the Catnap plushies but… I cannot ensure it. Maybe we can postpone this until it’s far safer to do the photoshoot?”

Alexander gives some time to ponder while Karl internally sighs. He almost messed things up real bad but he’s almost there. Just gotta make sure Alexander says no and he’s free-

“Well… Let’s give it a try. It won’t be my first controversial piece after all. It would be a waste for your kind folks to throw away the work you did with the large toys anyways.”

Oh no, “Are you sure Mr. Ja- Alexander? We at Playtime care deeply about our partner’s wellbeing. We can push this back if it would-”

With a wave of his hand, Alexander gives a chuckled laugh, “Thank you for your worry Karl, but I promise, there will be no hard in at least giving it a try. I’m excited to start soon all the same! It’s not everyday you get to make clothes for mascots after all!”

With a silent breath, Karl weighed his options. He knows for a fact that if those photos got to someone who knew just a bit more, this could end up being a leak the Pipeworks couldn’t patch up. The problem comes with Alexander himself. If Karl pushed for the deal to stop here and now… he might realize something is wrong here. The man already pointed out how life like they are, so he’s noted that. Karl can only hope he truly is that ignorant or disbelieving of the idea that those “mannequins” are really alive.

A half lie. Just say to the man that the toys are damaged and can’t be used.

“I’m sorry Alexander but… Playtime was hoping to drop the deal entirely.”

Karl suppressed a flinch when Alexander’s eyes snapped to his face like a spotlight, “Oh? For what reason Karl? Both we here and Playtime have put quite the bit of work into this already, no?”

“And you would be correct, however a… accident occurred recently and our, hehe, ‘models’ ended up getting damaged. The employe who caused such a thing has been reprimanded and demoted but-”

“Mr. Kingsworth.”

At the tone forming from Alexander’s lips, Karl’s protests died in his throat. Alexander was leaning forward now, hands interlocked with his chin over them- oh no.

“I would not survive in my line of work without being noticed when a clear lie is being told bluntly to my face. I’m no idiot Kingsworth. I had only hoped you’d be willing to keep things on track… but it seems I’ll have to force your hand.”

Sweat began to drip from Karl’s forehead as the worst case scenario seemed to come about, “Now Alexan-”

“Mr. James, Kingsworth.”

“Mr. James, please, why would I have any reason to lie about this?”

A laugh bellowed from Alexander James, once that put fear into Karl’s very core.

Alexander gestured towards the photos that laid in the center of the table “To the common person, Mr. Kingsworth, these individuals in these pictures could be assumed to be only manufactured… The eyes have a watery shine to them and I wouldn’t miss the tongue shown on this one here.” He pointed towards a photo of Roxie with one hand wrapped around their “brother” and another doing a peace sign over their head. Both are wearing Playtime branded water coats- and that fucker is with their tongue out as they practically winks at Karl through the photograph.

He can at least agree with Catnap’s face- Karl’s was fucking tired of this yesterday.

“Now… All of this could be described as you attempting your utmost best to prove to me quality hand made models… and I would have bought that if that was your sell. I really would…”

Alexander leans back, fishing out a piece of paper from his suit that he treats with utmost care. Slowly unfolding it as if to make a point of Karl’s helplessness.

“If I didn’t get a letter from this… Roxie as well.”

NO.

NO.

THAT RACOON BITCH.

HE’LL FUCKING KILL THEM YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO HIM- WHY THIS?!!

Alexander, uncaring for Karl’s internal damnation of a certain purple racoon, begins to read out the somewhat messy handwriting of one Roxie Reedcycle: 

“Hello there Mr. James! My name's Roxie! Marie said she would send this to you so I wanted to add a letter! Me and my brother would be perfect models! All of your clothes are so cool and I really want to give it a try! Catnap says he doesn’t want to but he got vetoed- I’m not sure how Clothes would work with our tails- I mean it was really uncomfy trying on all the clothes Marie found for us. It just wasn’t good, I hate my tail being cooped up like that ya know! Maybe you could also figure out how to make it not itch so much? The clothes kinda made my stitches feel tingly and it wasn’t really good. I was scratching at it and everything and Naps had to stop me- I don’t think my fur likes cotton. : ( So maybe something soft? OOOOOO maybe silk! I’ve never worn silk before! I think DD would look wonderful in silk! Would you be okay with the others joined in too?! I can ask Marie if she can send more photos of them like the ones we did before! Hmm- Maybe I should see about stitching up some old clothes into some stuff for everyone- I think Bobby would love a dress! Maybe-”

At the sight of Karl’s now visible horror, his body deflating into the couch he sits on as he stares at the guillotine axe being read aloud in Alexander’s hands, Alexander stops reading out the letter and smiles so damn smugly at Karl, even if Karl would never dare point that out, “Should I keep going Mr. Kingsworth? I must say, I did enjoy reading this letter from such a dear fan of mine. So much details as well- stuff a company such as Playtime would never put into a formal letter. Little Roxie even talked about how much they wanted to try cake again after they was… oh yes “I got super yelled at when I stole that piece of cake. It wasn’t even stealing! Someone just left it out! Even if I got no food for dinner it was worth it though!”

This is a set up , it has to be. THIS WAS FUCKING PLANED- It had to be! No way that bastard Marie didn’t think this through. The fact they even set it up to be sent under Playtimes own names only adds to that! There has to be still a chance, Karl can't just accept this lying down. His life is on the line!

“Haha- Mr. James that must be just a mistake, we at Playtime Co would never condone-”

A slam of Alexander’s free hand on the table, rocking the tea set, quickly told Karl he lost the moment he came through these doors, “Mr. Kingsworth, here is what's going to happen. You’re going to set up a photo shoot for this child and their brother and friends, I’m going to make the best damn clothes I can for them, and Maybe I’ll remain quiet about the rampant child abuse your company takes part in. This is for the good of all of us, isn’t it?”

Karl could only nod at that- what could he do but follow along with the demands of someone who could absolutely spread around these images and letter to god knows who.

“Splendid. I hope you have a good day now! I’ll be looking forward to when we begin.”

That smile of a predator sinking teeth into prey… it’ll haunt Karl for a long time after this.

Karl’s mind doesn’t process leaving, or getting into his car, or driving home, or when he found himself on his bed at his dingy apartment, small tears running down his face as he stares at the fan slowly cycling above him.

Karl no longer can think about any of this. 

He can longer process anything anymore.

Because his very mind is consumed with absolute dread at what Playtime is going to do with him when they learn he FAILED.

He can only hope he’s just made into a toy. God he hopes that’s all they do with him. 

He can still remember the screams for the most recent tests on the properties of the poppy gas.

He can only beg that he won't end up like that.

Well… Maybe there’s a way he can avoid that fate.

Sitting up from his bed, a plan comes together. A desperate, half formed plan that could just make everything worse… but the best he has.

If he can follow along with Alexander’s idea while keeping the risk of an unfixable leak in check… and use this connection to Alexander to create a social barrier from being said “farewell” too…

All he needs to do is force the company's hand to allow this to happen. And by god does Pipework have what he needs to do that.

Well- Guess it’s time for an honest to god fashion show.

Karl is so fucked.

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

And that's it for Chapter 1! I hope you all enjoyed! This was a crack thing I cooked up when talking to @visinox about the @realizinau. (look, someone has to be in charge of keeping Playtime's brand okay when Playtime is... PLAYTIME.)

Of course, since this is part of the Realizing Extra's AU, I couldn't not include the other parts from it. So thank you @iidgm for letting me use Roxie!

I may continue this if it's wanted enough, or hey, better yet even collaborate with even more creators on this project! Feel free to reach out if you ever want to chat about it! I love talking to new people about being creative gremlins!

[asterifish]

Have we met before..? / Seo Changbin

Synopsis: M/n's friend Felix had dragged him into a blind date, and the guy that he met seemed..... familiar in some unknown way. They went on a few dates and m/n still had the feeling they'd known each other before.

Extra Notes: M/n will be referred to as Haneul, he is an astrology major, and Changbin is a Psychology major.

Type: One-Shot (Words: 834)

Genre: Fluff, angst

Stoey under cut!!

"Are you sure this is a good idea Felix?" M/n was resting on the couch, his laptop in front of him as he stared at his friend. The two were currently in m/n's dorm, and Felix was begging him to go on a date with one of his close friends.

"Yes! You'll actually love him so much. He's really sweet, even if he looks a bit intimidating. I promise, Haneul, you'll be fine!" Felix smiled and patted m/n's shoulder reassuringly.

After thinking about it for a bit, M/n sighed and nodded. "Okay fine, but-" his words were cut off by Felix's happy squeal as he jumped up off the couch.

"Yes!! Okay! I'll let him know you said yes! I told him to meet you at the jellyfish tank at the Aquarium at 11 on Friday, okay?"

M/n laughed at his friends excitement, and nodded. Felix gave m/n a quick hug and ran out of the dorm, already texting the mysterious person m/n was supposed to meet.

It was now Friday, and m/n had gotten to the aquarium a little early. He was leaning against a wall as to not be seen, but he caught people looking at him. Why were they looking at him? Was there something on his face?

M/n got out his phone and was confused. Surely they couldn't see the scars could they? He thought he'd covered them with make-up really well. While he was checking, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Looking over, m/n jumped slightly when he noticed a male a bit shorter than him standing there. "M/n, right? I'm sorry I'm a bit late, I got us drinks." The male smiled and handed m/n a Strawberry/Watermelon drink.

M/n took the drink and bowed slightly, "it's okay, I got here a bit early. Changbin, right?" He sighed with relief when the other male nodded with a smile.

"Felix told me you liked this drink, I hope he wasn't lying or anything. We can go get another one if you want..?" Changbin looked at m/n with a worried look on his face, sighing when m/n reassured him that Felix had told the truth.

After chatting for a bit near the Jellyfish tank, m/n led Changbin throughout the aquarium, occasionally stopping and rambling about some of the sea creatures.

Every time m/n snuck glances at Changbin, he was always looking at m/n with a really bright smile on his face, as if he loved listening to him talk. But for some reason, m/n thought that he'd met Changbin before, he just didn't know where.

"I'm sorry, am I rambling too much?" The two had stopped at a tank with clownfish, and m/n had bowed in apology.

Changbin couldn't help but smile as he patted m/n's head. "No, I like listening to you talk. You really like Aquatic life, hm?"

M/n straightened up and nodded with a small smile. "Yes. I used to come to the aquarium as a child but I haven't been until now." Changbin smiled and took m/n's hand, leading him to the claw machine towards the back of the Aquarium.

The two stood there for a bit until m/n saw a plush that he really wanted. Bending down, he put some money in the machine before attempting to get the toy. Cursing silently as he failed to get it, m/n stepped away from the machine.

Changbin, who had been watching m/n's actions, laughed before putting more money into the machine. M/n watched as changbin carefully maneuvered the machine, getting the toy successfully.

As the day went on, the two went to a movie theater, and then out to eat at Jungsik. When Changbin finally took m/n back to his dorm, m/n felt as if he's known Changbin forever. Not only because they spent the day together, but there was a feeling he just couldn't shake.

As Changbin turned to leave, m/n grabbed his sleeve to stop him. When Changbin turned around to face m/n, he smiled. "Did you want me to stay?" He asked.

M/n nodded silently and Changbin followed the male inside, shutting the door behind him. Before m/n could walk away, Changbin pulled him into a back hug. M/n yelped in suprise, but didn't struggle.

M/n was the type that hated physical affection, but he felt safe in the others arms. Moving over to the couch, they cuddled close and found another movie to watch.

After a while, Changbin looked down at m/n. "Falling asleep?" He smiled and ruffled m/n's hair. M/n nodded and sighed. Looking up at Changbin, he gently touched his cheek.

"Have... we met before?" M/n whispered. Looking down at the other, Changbin smiled lightly and took m/n's hand in his own.

"I can't answer that yet, Haneul. One day, I'll tell you everything, just like I promised..."

Original work by AstériFish, please do not repost my works elsewhere! Rebloggong helps me a lot, thank you!

©2023| @asterifish

[lyrical-fanfics]

Comforting a depressed partner

So I've been having a bit of a depressive episode, and I've been having a hard time, so I decided to make a quick HC of what the TWST boys would do if you were in the same situation.

✨Heartslaybul✨ | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia

❤️Heartslabyul Boys❤️

Riddle

Would immediately begin piecing things together. He would see self-isolation, oversleeping, and low appetite as red flags, and would start by making a checklist for you.

He would check on you daily to make sure you're doing things to make you feel better.

he would also encourage that you go and do things with him instead of him getting up and doing it by himself.

He serves you tea as a way to get you to sit up instead of just laying down, all while still following the queen's rules.

He also knows your medicine schedule to a T, and will remind you to journal how you're feeling.

He'll do his homework with you in arms reach, just in case you need him, and if you're feeling up to it, you can lean on him. his hand will either rest on yours or on your thigh, occasionally squeezing it to remind you silently that he's there.

"Do you need anything? ... I'll find a stopping point and we can go grab it together. A little walk would do well for you. "

Ace

He's very gentle in private right now. He'll still give you some sass to make you laugh, but he's very careful around you right now

He's highly protective of you right now too. He's either got a hand on you at all times, or he's texting you. Anyone that might give you shit right now is getting a stare-down from him.

He'd deliberately text you and check in on you around mealtime, and chastise you for not eating

He's also spending nights at your place to keep an extra close eye on you, usually after begging Trey for the sleepover permit (not that you'll ever know)

during sleepovers, he's wrapped around you like a weighted blanket, squeezing you to let you know how much he cares.

"You haven't eaten? the last time you ate was 14 hours ago, come on, let's go! can't have you starving on me! what are we having tonight for dinner by the way? I'm sleeping here"

Deuce

He has absolutely no idea what to do

He'd be worrying up a storm, asking constantly what he can do for you.

He'd be like a lost puppy at your side, whimpering and trying to come up with things to do. He's giving plenty of forehead kisses hoping that helps, but they aren't instant cures, so he continues to worry

When there is even an inkling of something you need, he's already on his feet. He wants nothing more than to be there for you,

He hates feeling this useless and wants to do something for you

He finds that when he doesn't know what to do, he just holds you, partially for his own sanity as well

"Huh? Do you have a craving for something? NO! Let me get it! I'll run and get it! I'm fast, I'll promise I'll be right back!"

Cater

Cater's very observant, and would notice signs even before you might piece it together for yourself

Cater's the type to get you walking around with him, whether it's to class or to nowhere

If you can't walk as much as you would like, he's sending you memes and face-timing you while he's away,

He's showing you everything he sees, talking about anything and everything

He wants to make sure you aren't ever lonely right now, and will even be on call with you until you fall asleep

when he's with you, he'll spoon you and scroll through social media with you, occasionally giving you kisses on the crown of your head.

He also has your medicine schedule memorized, and his phone will ping with an alarm to help both of you remember

"You can't go any further? that's okay, you did really well with today's walk! don't worry about anything else, Cay Cay's got you."

Trey

He's immediately making sweets and baked goods for you when you're starting to not feel well,

but when it's clear that it's an episode, he spends less time baking and more time sitting on the edge of your bed keeping you company.

If you're someone who apologizes a lot, he'll make you turn it into things you're thankful about instead of things you're sorry about (Ex. instead of "I'm sorry you have to take care of me" it's "I'm grateful for taking care of me")

He'll rub his thumb over your hands, give you gentle kisses, comforting you through this time.

He's here for you, making sure you aren't alone

"Hey, how are you doing today? any better?... No no, don't apologize, I'm gonna be here for you regardless. Here, I brought you something."

[ender-goo]

May I request some Stryker x Kabal fluff? Please?

Anon i haven't written a single thing for months now so this is probably hot garbage but- here you go, hope you like it (and im really hoping here).

***

"Oh crap, you're burning!" Kabal shouted after taking Stryker's temperature, he was feeling a little sick before going to bed last night, and when he woke up he found himself with a fever, probably gotten from work.

"Relax, love, is not that bad-" Stryker wasn't at all worried about it, it was nothing he couldn't handle, he's had a billion fevers before, especially as a child.

But Kabal was worried, he was even considering taking Stryker to the hospital, just in case it was something worse, but at the same time he wasn't risking a billion dollar bill.

Stryker did like this kind of attention though, he thought it was adorable for Kabal to worry about him, he just didn't want him to worry too much.

"Well, i'm getting myself some food-" Stryker tried to stand up from the bed, but Kabal immediatly stopped him, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to sit in bed again.

"Don't even think about it, Kurt! Damnit, let me take care of you!" Kabal argued, kind of annoyed, "I'll get you the food myself."

"You'll have to-" Stryker made a pause to cough, " You'll have to stop me, cinnamon, cuz this damn fever won't."

An idea hit Kabal, liked it or not, he will take care of Stryker, even if he puts resistance.

"Lie down." Kabal ordered.

"Nah." Stryker replied with a snarky smile on his lips. Kabal then pushed Stryker down to the matress and pinned him there, as his free hand reached to the end of the blanket.

"What are you dooiiiiing?" Stryker asked, half jokingly half confused, Kabal then started rolling him into the blanket and that's when Stryker understood what was going on.

"There's no way-"

"Gotta keep you to stay still one way or another."

Stryker put up no resistance, however, he found it amusing the lenghts Kabal would go to keep him from harm... As small as it may be.

After like a minute or so, Kabal was done.

"There we go." Kabal panted, he didn't remember Stryker being so heavy, "I turned you into a burrito."

"Burrito Stryker, heh." Stryker giggled at the sheer stupidity of the situation, Kabal's dedication was admirable, though.

"Now you'll stay there and let me take care of you." Kabal walked towards the door, leaving to the kitchen

"I just don't want you to worry too much, you know?" Stryker lifted his head to see where Kabal was, "I know how you can get sometimes."

Kabal sighed "I know... I know, i'm just-

"Afraid to lose me?" Stryker finished Kabal's sentence for him, they've had this conversation before in the past, Stryker's already memorized it.

Kabal went back to bed and sat next to Stryker, caressing his hair. "Tired of hearing that already, eh?"

"You'll never lose me, cinnamon, besides, is just a fever, give it a few days and i'll be good as new."

"You're right, you're right." Kabal agreed "Sorry-"

"You big dummy... I'd hug you if i could, but-"

"I can fix that." Kabal then lied in bed and cuddled Stryker, still wrapped in the burrito, "There we go."

"...But you may get sick too."

"Don't care"

That got a laugh out of Stryker, his husband sure worried a little too much, but that just made him love him more, it was nice to have someone that cares.

"You still want something to eat?" Kabal asked

"Nah, stay here, i like the extra warmth"

So Kabal stayed and cuddled him, Stryker kinda wished he could cuddle back but whoops, giant burrito wrap, but he didn't mind, as long as Kabal was there, it was enough.

[solarwynd]

https://www.tumblr.com/solarwynd/753644440437080064/releasing-the-same-day-as-a-bp-members-new-single?source=share

Can't lie, armys are kinda useless right now. They love the idea of members continuously releasing but they don't have any fucks to give in actuality after week 1 even if they're competing with other fandoms especially now that they're all enlisted and we have such limited promo. The only hope one has is that Jimin has a great track record of making songs armys vibe to - they will not usually stream beyond a day unless they actually like it. If they end up loving the album though, that could fuel their competitive spirit.

Also to the anon that's worried about opps linking up, tbh it's not easy work to spend money or stream music even for fans. I doubt these people are doing anything extra for someone they don't even care about just because it harms Jimin. All they love doing is running their mouth on twitter and that's probably the extent of it. For skz, their endless variants are the only threat and for Lisa, the autoplay and playlisting she'll get. Unless they get some truly viral moment, based on history it seems unlikely we'll have to worry about them long term.

If skz decide to go the let's pollute the earth path and release a lot of versions, then a bb200 #1 will unfortunately be difficult. I can only hope BB might suddenly apply their anti-kpop bias with some handy filtering. They haven't so far but hope springs eternal (for me).

Also regarding 2 versions versus 3 - extra tools are handy and I desperately need Hybe to do their job but I'll always appreciate if an artist, when he has to choose between artistic sensibility and charts goes for the former. At least I know Jimin will never embarrass me as a fan with some transparent cash grab album or some empty music. Long term I think it's more valuable to build that kind of relationship with your audience and have that kind of reputation.

Lastly while I'm really hoping for some great debut numbers, the real lynchpin of Faces success was twofold - it's artistic merit that's acknowledged by almost all and it's lasting power. While Jimin is responsible for the former, I hope that longevity is our goal for Muse as well. The way Face and LC pulls streams more than a year after release with it's (comparatively) limited covers and remixes is actually amazing.

More than anything I'm excited to see what Jimins planned for his sophomore attempt. Will his pre-release be something experimental (for him) like last time? What kind of sound will he be going for? Can he live upto my frankly massive expectations built up after face? Are we all dead on about the 70s theming and how might that influence the tracks? Ahhh it's hard to wait for answers. New music in 10 days. That's crazy 😭

Very much agreed on pretty much all of this.

I’ve been thinking it to myself that armys have silently been waiting on some quality music from somebody, somewhere, to drop. They’re still churning out hit tweets about Like Crazy till this day. You’d be hard pressed to see an army wax on about prior releases the way they have about LC. You wouldn’t have even though Hobi dropped anything this year the way they don’t mention it. I have faith in my man that he’ll deliver, I do. Even if it doesn’t exceed Like Crazy I still believe it’ll be a good song.

Like I remember the estimates for FACE when they came out were like 105k-110k and we managed to bring it up to 164k by the end of tracking week when our competition at the time was Morgan Wallen and we had an almost 100k gap to bridge. I know we still didn’t beat him (atp it was an after thought cause Jimin got #1 on hot100 with LC 😭) but the work everybody put in back then? On level with a BTS comeback and although it was stressful it was still fun.

The #JIMINJIMIN and #MUSE hashtags on twitter have been trending for nearly 2 days now with 2M and 1.5M respectively, the interest is absolutely there. I also want longevity with MUSE cause to think LC will still be charting by the time the pre release come around is amazing. I don’t want MUSE to fall off quickly and I want it to be impactful just like FACE was.

If we could get more digital album versions (cause that’s really what it’s gonna take), I think we have a shot We’ll just have to see what MUSE’s estimates puts it at to gauge the effort we have to expend. I’m still first and for most here to enjoy the music cause I’ve been begging for it forever I don’t want charts to take up too much space. I think Jimin’s gonna be pulling from the people who inspires him in sound potentially. So not necessarily 70s but MJ, (and he’d actually do that man justice unlike the sorry attempts Hybe pulled last year 🥴) Neyo etc . and just genre hopping in general. But considering those two do a lot of RNB and pop, I’m really excited for it.

[tumblingdowntheway2019]

Master List Here!!

Had the most funniest dream the other night about Tears of the Kingdom. Well, it was funny to me to say the least. So I decided to turn it into a short story with some wholesomeness added in.

To be safe and save room on the timeline, I'm putting a cut here, so do proceed if you've already completed the story and have all, and I mean ALL!, The Sages.

Do excuse some bad writing, I haven't done this in a very long time so I'm rusty. Actually, I do have an idea for a more serious short fic. I'll add these to my Ao3 at some point as well. Go an account, may as well use it, right?

Anyways, if you wanna draw it out, feel free to so long as I get to see it!! Enjoy. 😂🤣

FAST FOOD RUN. (Best name I got for this. 😂🤣)

All the Sages, in physical form and Spirit form for Mineru, not Avatars were with Link at his house near Tarrey Town, just hanging out. It was after the event with Gloom Daddy Ganondorf. Mineru was there because in the Hyrule's equivalent of the afterlife, King Rauru and Queen Sonia were still worried about their adopted child, Zelda, so she didn't cross over just yet.

Zelda and Purah were away seeing if there were any effects left from her time as a dragon, or maybe even seeing if Zelda can somehow transform at will, whatever Purah is wanting to research. As well as seeing if there was anything of use salvageable left in the remains of Hyrule Castle.

Mineru stayed behind, telling tales of the New Sage's Ancestors, their ups and downs and funny moments in between. It helps them connect more to their ancestors and each other as Mineru got to hear the same from them.

That was however, until a growl was heard. Of course it came from The Hero himself. That suddenly brings up a question.

"Hey Mineru?" Link turned to the Spirit sage. "Your construct. We attach all available weapons to it, and fans and rockets for extra speed. Can wheels be attached the the feet?"

Mineru turned to her construct, more so surprised at the question than what it implies. "In all honesty, I have not considered the possibility of being able to do this." An eyebrow now raised. "Why?"

Tulin, the young Rito who spent the most time with Link over the years as he doesn't really have responsibilities yet, other than training as a Rito Warrior, stood up in excitement. "I know what your about to say!!"

This left the other sages more confused as Link and Tulin debate of the possibilities of "They could surely accept a construct on wheels as a vehicle."

"Pardon my confusion, but what on Earth are you Voe talking about?" Riju asked, leaning against a dozing Patricia. She was napping earlier as well. "Why would you possibly need a construct to have wheels? You can just build a vehicle anyway or use a horse right?"

"Well about that." Link starts as he holds out his own, now Gloom free arm. Queen Sonia and King Rauru reversed everything when we freed Zelda from her Dragon Form."

"Ah, my apologies. I forgot that the abilities that came with the arm has left you also." The Gerudo Chief sheepishly apologises, ears slightly down.

"Easy to forget." Link grins, no harm done. "The reason I asked is because the local vendors near the lookout came together to do something called 'Fast Food.'"

Now the others were confused. Tulin excitedly flew around them as he explains further.

"Yeah!! Some cooks from all around Hyrule come together and make their speciality meals that can be taken on the go. They're appearing more around, it started near Look Out Landing. Just recently, Tarrey Town opened one (1) near here!!"

"What food do they cook? Do they come with a variety of options?" King Sidon question, a thoughtful look on his face as he considers this idea.

"Anything, Baked Bass, Hearty Soup, a lot of different skewers!!" Tulin starts.

Link following suit with, "And so many gourmet meat options. " His mouth practically drooling as his stomach growls again.

"That sounds nice and all, but we can easily make that at home, goro." Yunobo counters, "And free if you catch them yourself."

Link, ever accustomed to Goron culture and knowing why his Fire Sage friend seemed unimpressed. "They also have Rock Sirrlloooiiiinnn."

"NO WAY, GORO!!" Yunobo was now standing and ready to roll out at the mere mention of the popular rock dish. "Even with rubies on top?"

"Whatever you want. Like I said, "some cooks all around Hyrule", including Death Mountain.

"Well it seems this "Take out " is what we are having tonight." Sidon, doing his signature pose and smile. "Uh, that poses the question, why must Mineru's Construct form be required?"

"Also, I can't enjoy these meals anyway, so what would be in it for me if I were to try this customisation to my Construct?" Mineru chimed in. "If you haven't noticed, I've been a spirit for the past thousands of years." She almost looked down cause of it.

Riju then asked if Mineru ever liked Fried Wild Greens, any kind of curry or even a Hylian Pizza. Yes, spice tolerance is surprisingly high so yes, and no. Pizza was not a thing in Mineru's era. Riju is now determined for her to try that and a curry of her choice since Mineru can just possess her and one (1) of the guys for this to happen. While hesitant, Mineru accepted. She always wanted to see how well Gorons can handle their spices.

*LATER.*

"I can't believe this is happening." A female voice can be heard approaching. "Why did I agree to this?"

"It certainly smoother than taking a carriage." A male voice chimed in next. "Like swimming in a river!"

"I could have just walked, all the same!"

"Aww, but then you wouldn't have known that you can add wheels to your feet." A child's voice replied. "And with this fan, we could go much faster too!!"

"That's only because you can't land when you take control. We were practically swimming in gloom. You more so if I hadn't caught you on time." The female voice scolds, though there is no hint of annoyance in it.

"Hey, we're next!!"

"Welcome to Tarrey Towns Hyrule Fast Food stand, what would you like today?" A young Zora greeted. She was immediately taken aback at what was in front of her.

There, grinning wide was the Hero of the Wild, sitting on the shoulders of a huge, humanoid shaped construct with an owl shaped head. Mask? The Small Zora doesn't quite know, but somehow she can make out the somewhat unamused look to it's expressionless form. In it's arms, the newly appointed King of the Zora, signature shining smile as he holds a piece of paper. Looking up onto the constructs shoulder, a young Rito, who's feathers practically were fluffed up in excitement, was perched.

"Well this is something you don't see everyday. Great to see you Link, Your Majesty." The Zora cook bows.

"Now there's no need for that, it's good to see you again, Marot!" The King greeted his dear friend. "I'm so happy to see that you have pursued your culinary skills at last." A shining smile accompanied his words.

"If it wasn't for Link and yourself, as wells as your fellow sages, I would not have been able to do so. For that, I thank you all!" Marot did her own version of the shining smile.

"I'm staaarrrvvvviiinnnggg!!" Tulin groans as he leans back onto Link, no risk on falling as his claws were comfortably gripped onto the construct. It didn't stop Marot from fearing it, however.

"Well luckily for you, by orders of Mr Hudson who kindly allowed us to set up here, we are happy to give you all your food for free. It's the least we can do for your brave act of heroism against the Demon King." Marot happily announced. A Hylian Chef, Goron Chef and Rito Chef all cheering in agreement just being here.

"Oh, we brought money, that would not be necessary surely." Sidon quickly tried to object, Link nodding in agreement.

Sure they may have earned it in the eyes of the people of Hyrule. However, it is their living and they are happy to pay for it, especially since it's a big order. Tulin tried to object to the older men, but it was Mineru who spoke.

"While it is kind of them to offer free food. In the long run, no matter how often it may be, it is still the people of Hyrule who is making a livelihood out of their skills." Marot is surprised that the construct itself was the source of the female voice she heard earlier. Even more surprised when the owl shaped head turned to face her and asked, "Is there any compromise that can be accepted with this Mr Hudson."

"My friends. I insist on it. Link, you helped me meet my dear Rhondson and established my beloved town. What more than the occasional free food?" The man of the hour appeared, as of speaking his very name had summoned him.

"Hudson, you already gave me land and allowed me to have my house built there." Link countered.

"And you insisted on paying for that. Had to make it discounted before you finally took it." Hudson sternly replied. No hard feeling over it was detected. "And you helped give our dear daughter, Mattison, a grand send off and kept us up to date. What more could we ask for, despite you not having to take the time out of your days to do so?"

"Lady Riju said she is making great progress in Gerudo Town. She seems to be taking after you, Hudson, as she has been helping by re-building the stalls and giving some tips and tricks to her fellow sisters." Link informed Hudson, having wanting to say before he forgot. It was intended for later but this saved him the worry of forgetting later.

"Oh, my dear daughter. I'm so glad to hear she is fitting in so well there." Hudson teared up. "Rhondson will be so pleased to hear this. This is why I insist on the free food!"

With that, the Sages and Link went to the side, as Link and Sidon negotiated some sort of deal. They won't accept the free food, Hudson wants to give them it. Sidon shows the long list, saying that this is simply too much for it to be free.

Marot was on break, she approached the construct and young Rito, some Fried Wild Greens offered to Tulin, who happily took it and began to devour it.

"Please at least eat it over there, it was hard enough to clean this." Mineru gently scolded him.

"Sorry!" Tulin was totally not that sorry, as he took the food and just leaned against her on the ground instead.

Marot looked at Mineru, who in turn looked at her with a tilt of her mechanical head.

"It's on the house. Young Tulin here helped me a while ago with retrieving some ingredients for here. That gust ability sure came in handy with the greens and fish." Marot answered the unspoken question.

Mineru seemed to be satisfied. But then, as if Marot wasn't surprised already, Mineru asked:

"May I ask, how is this Hylian Pizza made?"

*BACK AT LINK'S HOUSE.*

Zelda and Purah returned some time later. Their experiments with Zelda and seeing if she had any Dragon like powers remaining had come to little answers. However, it did come as a happy suprise that Zelda's recall ability and light powers had significantly increased due to her thousands of years slumber of sorts. It would explain how she was able to take many hits from the vastly bigger Gloom Dragon in their final battle.

The ruckus they heard was funny to them. There was Link and Sidon, recounting the tales of their great negotiating skills with Hudson as they were both eating their Salmon Risottos. Tulin and Yunobo were all ears, barely touching there fish and mushroom skewer and Rock Sirloin, listening to how the Zora King battled for the Fifty percent (50%) off option.

Riju was off to the side, comforting the poor spirit of Mineru as she had undermined the Gorons ability to eat such a spicy feast. Let alone it being made of rock. Patricia was actually the first to greet The Princess and Researcher.

"Ah, Princess Zelda, welcome back. Were you able to progress in your research today?" Riju welcomes without looking. Having grown up with Patricia at her side, she had learned to understand what the sand seal's action interpret and to who. And hearing that Purah had, indeed, brought some splash fruit and hydromelons to her. Cause cute Sand Seal equals lots of pets.

"Oh uh, unfortunately the only thing we learned is my control of Recall had taken on a wider ranged. So some of the castles library was successfully repaired." Zelda quickly replied, embarrassed to admit that she was ecstatic that the seal had gave her her full attention and successfully beating Purah to it first with the Hydromelons.

"Princess, that is not unfortunate. That is a great deal of progress. Considering that the castle has been in this sad state of disrepair for over one hundred (100) years. Why, even Sonia was unable to go that far back. She would be very proud of you." Mineru gently assured, having turned from serious researcher herself to a gentle older sister/aunt figure. It worked to cheer Zelda up a good bit.

"What's going on in here anyway? What's this about having a deal in this food?" Purah asks, as she tried to bribe Patricia to come over to her, earning her a snort in return.

"Just Link and Sidon retelling the story of how they were able to negotiate on having this food for free so long as it's half off on their future meals." Riju answered, speech somewhat off as she takes another sip of Milk. "Hudson wanted us to have it for free, they wanted to pay. They settled on that. Typical Voe."

"Are you and Mineru ok? I've never seen you two (2) act like that before." Zelda asks in concern.

Riju stares her dead in the eyes as she answered with, "That Rock Sirloin, I really underestimated how spicy it can be!!"

"Oh come on guys, it's not that spicy!!" The Goron called over. "You just don't have as high a tolerance as you think, goro!"

"It nearly sent me to meet my ancestor, Mineru close behind. AND SHE WAS POSSESSING YOU!!" Riju argued.

"I did have the pleasure of seeing how this Hylian Pizza was made. I must say, I am excited to try it....if my tastes buds are able to recover in my spirit form." Mineru muses.

"COWARDS!!" Yunobo and Link yelled at in sync. Tulin in a laughing heap and Sidon taking another bite of his Risotto, trying to politely not laugh, unsuccessfully.

"Well now you have to try it. It's simply delicious!" Zelda exclaimed.

Worries and tiredness were washed away as Zelda and Purah excitedly told Mineru (who in turn was thanking Riju for allowing her this opportunity) of all the different topping that can be had on the pizza she is now enjoying. But for the love of Hylia, no Pineapples!!

[shieldofiron]

Hey dude, so everything is good with my family member, and I was wondering if we (as in me) could get some omegaverse munver w pregnant Jason cause I need that fluffy pregnancy shit.

I'm so glad! I've actually been playing them in the sims and Jason is on baby number FIVE so I think I have an idea for this. It may be edging into hurt/comfort, but it's just a little domestic moment from these cute boys and we get very fluffy at the end don't worry.

All Jason' wanted was to be able to flop down, face first into the pillow and scream until his lungs gave out.

Celia had needed help getting ready, and then the twins went back and forth, fussing when he tried to breastfeed them together. So he had to do it one at a time. Somewhere in the haze there has also been a diaper blowout, and Celia had of course spilled chocolate milk which meant Jason had to stop everything to clean before it got into the tv.

He'd let Celia watch way too much tv because the twins were running him ragged, and he felt like the worst Omega in the whole wide world.

But he couldn't lie down and scream. Because he couldn't lie on his stomach at all. Because he was a few weeks from popping out another one. Another baby to scream at him and pull his hair and...

Calloused hands brushed Jason's upper arm.

"Hey there, hot stuff," Eddie whispered, "Sorry I'm past bed time, they made a change to the stems-."

Jason swore he didn't normally cry this fast. Okay, he did, but he was supposed to be a dad now, and dads didn't cry.

"Oh," Eddie gathered him close, "What's wrong?"

"It was just... I just..." Jason shuddered, "I don't think I can do this."

"The album will be done soon, babe, I'll be home more," Eddie wiped Jason's tears away, "I know it's been a hard one. I know I haven't been-"

Jason shook his head, "That's not it. I almost lost it in front of them today."

"Lost it?" Eddie stroked his cheek, "Your temper? Babe-"

"No, I almost cried," Jason sniffed heavily, rubbing it on the arm of his pajama top. He hadn't even had the energy to get dressed today.

"What? Babe, who cares?" Eddie frowns, "I cry all the time."

Jason swallowed hard, "W-what?"

"This parenting stuff is hard and I won't lie to you, we may have gone a little overboard with pups right away," Eddie smiled, "Not that I regret a single fucking second. But sometimes... shit, I was this close to falling asleep with Jamie in my arms last night, and when Luce started crying I was right there with her. I would literally kill for a little extra sleep."

Jason wiped his nose miserably, "I'm their dad. I can't just go bursting into tears over spilled chocolate milk."

"Why not? You don't have to act like everything's okay all the time. Actually, please don't act like everything's okay. Come to me," Eddie kissed his cheek, "We'll cry together over the chocolate milk, right?"

Jason's heart swelled, and his eyes overflowed all over again.

And then, of course, Luce started to cry, wails echoing across the walls of their tiny fixer upper.

"I got that," Eddie nudged Jason to the bed, "You have a good cry, okay?"

Jason swallowed, trying for a moment to keep the feelings in. But by the time Eddie came back to bed and wrapped his arms around Jason, smelling like reheated breastmilk and baby wipes, Jason was fully weeping.

"I love you," Eddie whispered, "And I love our life. Tears and all."

Jason trembled a little, smiling despite himself, "I love our life too. I'm sorry. I just got so overwhelmed. And I don't even know how we're going to handle it with the new baby too."

"I don't know. I think we have a leg up, because it's gonna have the best Omega dad in the world," Eddie kissed Jason's cheek. "Who cries over spilled chocolate milk and kisses all their boo-boos and tries so very hard, all the time."

Jason smiled, "Baby-"

"Are you craving chocolate milk too?"

"Yes, we can't talk about it this much," Jason laughed.

Eddie hopped up onto his knees, "I'll make you one. No, we'll do one big one with two straws."

Jason made the bed before Eddie got back, spreading the quilt out and kneeling on it.

"You remember when we had no money, and you used to take me on picnic dates?" Jason smiled when Eddie sat on the bed and offered Jason one of Celia's favorite crazy straws.

"I remember how beautiful you look spread out on a picnic blanket, yes," Eddie smirked, sipping from his own crazy straw.

Jason rolled his eyes, "I'm trying to be romantic."

"What's not romantic about what I used to do to you on the picnic blanket?" Eddie smirked, "The poets would write epic poems as odes to your beauty, omega."

Jason huffed a little, blushing and taking a sip.

Eddie sipped from his straw, "I remember how we used to lie there afterwards in the grass, and you'd pull me close and tell me all your plans for us. The kids. The house. That I would get to play music every day... pretty romantic to me."

Jason's eyes felt a little hot, like he was going to cry again, and he looked up at the ceiling to try to calm it.

"How'd you do that, babe? Or did you just want it so bad you made it real?" Eddie asked softly, taking Jason's hand.

Jason swiped at his eyes, and Eddie set their chocolate milk on the side table.

"Don't cry, babe," Eddie crooned, pulling Jason closer, "I haven't even spilled it yet."

"I love you."

"I love you, Jason Munson," Eddie rubbed a hand gently over Jason's belly before sliding around to rub the small of his back, and his eyes looked suspiciously wet too, "I love you so much."

[cainluvr69]

Surely, We Can Make Miracles Chapter 4

Previous Chapter

Mitile & Riquet: Yaaaay! It's the beeeaaach!

Riquet: I love the ocean! It's so beautiful no matter how many times I see it!

Mitile: Same here! Mountains and rivers and lakes are all good too, but something about the ocean just feels extra special!

Riquet: It really does! Let's go down closer to the waves!

Chloe: Wait, wait! Ta-daaaa! I made extra-special outfits for everyone to suit the oceanside!

Rutile & Rustica: Yay! We've been waiting for them!

Chloe: Ehehe, I'm really proud of them! I put my all into making them, so I hope everyone will wear them together! W-will the Northern wizards be okay with that…?

Rustica: Of course, they'll all be happy to.

Bradley: The food on this island's damn good, so why not.

Mithra: The food from that castle is particularly good. I'll eat everything, even if you cry and beg me not to.

Owen: The last time I was here, I heard that something new has started getting popular.

Snow: Oho, something new?

White: A new sweet, perhaps?

Owen: It's called torta di cocco. Master Sage. Come here.

Akira: What is it?

Owen: Say you'll endorse it.

Akira: I can't do that?! I'm not the Evil Magistrate!

Owen: What's a "magistrate"?

Akira: S-someone bad, I think…?

Owen: Huh. Well, I'm way worse than them.

Akira: (…It's really cute that he wants to beat a TV show villain…)

Snow: It sounds good! I want to try some, too!

White: As do I! Let's go find some in a bit! But first, of course, it's time to dress up! Take it away, Chloe!

Chloe: ! Right…! Okay, here we go! <Suispicibo Voitengok>!

Arthur: Wah…!

Cain: These colors are beautiful, just like the sea!

Snow: We match!

White: We love to match!

Rutile: These clothes are simply lovely! Perfect for a party at a castle on the edge of the sea!

Heathcliff: Your outfits always make me want to stand up a little bit straighter, Chloe. Thank you.

Murr: Great work, Chloe! Looking forward to the outfits was a huge success!

Chloe: Ehehe, thanks! Do you like yours too, Murr?

Murr: Of course! I love it so much, fireworks are gonna start coming out! <Eanul Lambru>

Arthur: My! How pretty… I'm quite looking forward to our lunch party, aren't you, Master Sage?

Akira: I am.

Owen: Anyway. It's time to go plunder some torta di cocco.

Cain: Hold it, hold it, hold it. No plundering allowed. Don't you have any change on you?

Owen: Why would I?

Cain: Why wouldn't you?! And you're trying to eat cake right before lunch, too… Ah, hey! Akira. I can't leave him alone, so I'm going to go with him.

Akira: Sounds good. Thank you.

Riquet: Wait, Cain! I have something important to ask you.

Cain: What's up?

Riquet: I'd like to try torta di cocco too, but I'd also like to eat at the lunch party. What should I do?

Cain: Easy. Just take a walk along the beach until you're hungry and then eat all you want at the party. Then take another walk and eat some cake afterwards. Simple as that. Even if you can't wait, it's a good idea to not start with the sweets first…

Owen: Oh, sorry.

Cain: Owen, where'd you…?! Hey, that's my wallet…! Uh, I gotta go!

Riquet: Take care. Thank you for the advice, Cain. Mitile, let's see what's along the shore together!

Mitile: Okay! Chloe, we'll be sure to be careful we don't get our outfits dirty!

Chloe: Don't worry! Even if you do, I can clean them up for you!

Nero: Runnin' along the water's edge together… Ahh, youth… Hey, Shino, Heath. You two should go join them…

Shino & Heathcliff: …

Nero: …Looks like our kids haven't made up yet…

Faust: They're always both so stubborn when they get like this…

Shino: Nero.

Nero: Hm?

Shino: Let's walk on the beach.

Nero: Ah… Okay. Yo Teach, I'll be takin' off for a bit.

Faust: Got it.

Heathcliff: Mr. Faust. Um, if you don't mind, could we…

Faust: Of course. Am I supposed to run with you?

Heathcliff: Oh, no, just a walk is fine…

Faust: Sounds good.

Akira: Are the Eastern wizards going to be okay…?

Shylock: With Faust as their side, most certainly.

Rutile: Master Sage, I'm going to follow Riquet and Mitile. Feel free to go to the castle ahead of us!

Akira: Alright. Take care of them for me.

Arthur: Then let us depart for Borda Castle together.

✦✧☾✧✦

Arthur: That reminds me, before we left for Borda Island today, my uncle told me something.

Akira: Mister Vincent did? What did he tell you?

Arthur: Borda Island's new lord, Lady Dianne… Her aunt, Lady Claudia Chenon, is acquainted with my uncle. Apparently, he met her in his youth during his travels in the West, and was in her care for a while.

Akira: Someone who took care of Mister Vincent when he was young…

Arthur: Yes. He's even given me a message to give to her. He must have some nice memories with here.

Akira: (A young Vincent's memories with a Western noblewoman…)

While I was trying to come up with what those memories could be… An elegant voice called out to us.

???: Prince Arthur!

Arthur turned, his hair fluttering in the morning breeze. And on the other side of the breeze was a woman with curly hair the same vivid red as smoldering flames. She wore the dignified uniform of a knight, a slender blade hanging at her left hip.

On her left hand was a ring shaped like flower petals. I thought it was very cute. She met our eyes and smiled with vigor. Without missing a beat, she strode up to us, her steps long and handsome. Given her bold and brazen behavior and the people accompanying her, I had a hunch as to her identity.

Akira: (This must be the new lord, Lady Dianne.)

Dianne: A pleasure to meet you. I am the lord of this island, Dianne Chenon.

Arthur: So you're the lady of the hour. I am the crown prince of Central Country, Arthur.

Dianne: Welcome to my island, Prince Arthur. Please let me apologize once again for the other day. You must be tired from the journey here. Please allow me to escort you to Borda Castle. This way, if you would.

Arthur: Thank you. While I'll have to introduce the rest of our party another time… This is the Master Sage, Lady Dianne.

Dianne turned her head, pinning me in place with her gaze. Her eyes were a verdant green.

Dianne: Master Sage. I am the inheritor of the title of Borda Island's lord, Dianne. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Akira: Same here… I'm Masaki Akira. It's nice to finally meet you.

She grinned and turned on her heel, standing as our vanguard on the path to the castle. But in the same moment, I heard a voice from somewhere. It was shouting abuse.

???: To hell with the new lord! We don't need any wizard sympathizers on our island! At this rate, someone else is going to get taken!

Guard: My apologies, Lady Dianne. I will sieze them at once.

Dianne: No, pay it no heed. The people will accept my rule eventually. I apologize for making you see something so unpleasant, Master Sage. Please, follow me.

Akira: Okay… (Dianne… I guess things aren't going so well with the island residents…) (Someone was taken…?)

I wonder what they'd meant by that. I looked over at Arthur, intending to ask. But Arthur didn't notice. Instead, he had a very hard look in his eyes. Seabirds cried in the distance.

✦✧☾✧✦

Dianne: Sage Akira, and all of the Sage's wizards. Welcome to the beautiful Borda Island castle. It is truly a privilege to be able to greet you as its lord. Just as her Majesty Queen Liliana did, I wish to open my arms to you as though we were dear friends, not merely meeting for the first time today… And so I shall, with respect and cordiality foremost in my heart. A toast to you all. Now then, as you await Borda Island's cuisine made with the freshest of ingredients, allow me to introduce myself.

While Dianne spoke, the Northern wizards were already grabbing for the food. After all, the number one thing they'd been looking forward to was the food here on Borda Island. They were very enthusiastically stuffing their faces.

Snow: Goodness, at least use a knife and fork.

White: Even Oz was able to use silverware back when he was little more than a wild beast.

Oz: There is no need to bring that up.

Dianne seemed taken aback for a moment, but then she laughed, smiling broadly.

Dianne: Ahaha. It's a wonderful thing to have such a healthy appetite. Please, eat as much as you like. Master Sage, please feel free to help yourself as well. You can listen to me just as well while eating.

Akira: Alright.

Dianne: My grandfather, Dionis Chenon, was a famous Western commander in the military, with exquisite skill with a blade. When I was small, he taught me how to wield a sword. I'm as confident in my skills as any knight.

At that statement, I glanced over at Cain. He wasn't just an ex-knight, but an ex-general, after all. I don't know what reaction I expected, but he was focused on his glass, quietly listening to her speech.

Dianne: Though I may be inexperienced, I wish to protect the people of Borda Island myself, so that I do not bring shame to my late grandfather's name. And I shall, of course, cooperate with the Master Sage and their wizards in their goals.

Akira: Thank you very much.

I smiled at her, and Dianne nodded to me in return. She was a bright, easy to talk to, and friendly person.

Riquet: Just as she said, she seems to be a very prudent person, Master Sage.

Akira: I agree. (She even readily received all of my wizards… I hope we can get to know each other better.)

As I thought that, I took a forkful of the beautiful meal before me, sprinkled with flower petals, and brought it to my mouth.

Akira: …?!

All of a sudden, I froze.

Akira: (This…isn't delicious…?) (It smells kind of weird, and the flavor is too strong and too weak at the same time…) (B-but why… The food we had at the party we were invited to last time was so good…)

I glanced around at everyone else, feeling a bit upset, and saw the same look of bafflement on their faces. Snow, White, and Bradley had frozen in shock. The Western wizards, with their refined palates, smiled as though it were truly first-class, but they'd already abandoned their utensils. Only Mithra, with his habit of eating strange things, had cleared his plate. Owen, who'd only gone for the desserts in the first place, was leaned forward, staring at us in fascination.

Owen: What? You're all making weird faces. Don't tell me, it's not actually g--

Akira: Ah, um! How was the torta di cocco? You went to try some, didn't you?

The words burst out of my mouth before I could think about anything other than how rude it'd be to say it tasted bad in front of Dianne. Although, well, maybe it wasn't polite to bring up the topic of other food when we were supposed to be enjoying what was in front of us. Dianne simply smiled.

Dianne: Have you taken an interest in our local cuisine?

Akira: We'd heard how delicious the cake called torta di cocco is, and these two went to try some. How was it, Cain? Owen?

Owen: That's secret.

Cain: It was great. There was a huge line, and it was really hard to make Owen not cut.

Owen: I was the strongest person there, so I shouldn't have had to wait in line.

Cain: Listen, I told you you shouldn't try to turn into the people at the front of the line to get through it faster.

Riquet: So it really is that good! I want to try some too as soon as I can.

Dianne: I'm glad to hear you all enjoyed it. Perhaps I, too, shall enjoy some soon.

Hearing Dianne say such a candid remark made me smile. But at the same time, I could see that the servers bringing out plates of food were frowning. I thought maybe it was because they were nervous, given the occasion, or busy. But, no, even I could see their restless discomfort and the oddly strained expressions on their faces were out of place. My sharp-eyed wizards, too, had already noticed that something was clearly wrong. And then Bradley, coping bravely with his dissatisfaction, whispered something in a low voice.

Bradley: Hey, Nero.

Nero: What.

Bradley: Go to the kitchen 'n make something.

I could see thoughts of violent, bloody murder in Nero's eyes.

Nero: There's no way I can do that.

Bradley: Last time we were here, you used their kitchen and made somethin', didn't you? So just go on and do that again…

Nero: Not only is that not somethin' I can just whip up, you didn't even eat any of it.

Bradley: I totally did. I just ate it while I had a hole ripped in my gut.

Nero: You ate it cold…

Bradley: Your cooking's great even when it's cold.

Every soft word out of Bradley's mouth trying to coax food out of Nero just made Nero's bloodlust grow.

Next Chapter

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Main Story S5Ch5 ‘Dark Flare’ Part 1

Getting these posted before the second half drops !

Chapter 1

-street, daytime-

???: (on phone) ...Yep yep. I just got to the shopping district I think. But somewhere along the way I messed up. Like come on, every shop here has similar signs and the streets are all so narrow~! I don't even know which street I just walked out of... I have no idea where I'm going.

-he spots saki-

???: Ah, hey hey Miss, you over there! I'd like to ask you a quick question...!

saki: Hm? Are you talking to me?

???: Ah thank god, thanks for helping me, luck must be on my side today!

saki: (I haven't even agreed to help him yet...)

???: I seem to have gotten lost you see... Could you tell me where this spot on the map is? Oh woops, I'll hang up first.

-phone beeps-

???: See here, this store. I'd like to go there.

saki: Hm? That place is...

???: Are you familiar with it Miss? I'm saved then~! I'm glad I don't have to worry about getting lost.

iwami: Weren't you already lost?

???: Ah, Iwa-san! Jeez, you could've showed up sooner~

iwami: Big talk for the kid who disappeared from our arranged meeting place.

???: But that's just cause I can't wait to meet Team B! I couldn't sit still any longer.

iwami: There's no point if you show up on your own, you'll just be turned away at the door.

saki: (Is this person a friend of Iwami-san...?)

iwami: Anyways, who would've thought you'd catch Saki-san here. Is it your hobby to get dragged into other people's business like this, young lady?

saki: Ahaha…

???: Huh, what? You guys know each other? Oh wait I got it! You must be the rumoured princess, right Miss? Nice to meet you, my name is... um...?

iwami: Hinata, got it?

hinata: Right right, that's what it was, Hinata! I'll be known as Hinata at Starless, alright? That's how things work there after all.

saki: U-um, yeah... Nice to meet you too, Hinata-san.

hinata: Ever since I heard that I'd get to see Team B's show today I've been super hyped about it! You should come with us!

iwami: This was some good timing, could you teach him a bit about Starless as we walk, young lady? Like the right route to take, you were headed there anyways weren’t you?

saki: Yes, I was planning to...

hinata: Yay! This really was a happy coincidence then. I'll be in your care, Miss ♪

—end

~

Chapter 1 extra 

-hospital room-

nurse: Good morning Haseyama-san. The sun's shining again today. Let's see, blood pressure and body temperature are both normal... Hm?

haseyama: .........

nurse: Am I imagining things or?

haseyama: ko...nn...

nurse: He's regained consciousness!? Haseyama-san, can you hear me?

haseyama: ..........

nurse: Haseyama-san! I'll call the doctor right away ok?

-time pass-

kei: So, what you mean to say is that he woke for merely a moment and then fell back into unconsciousness?

nurse: Yes, I'm most sorry for calling you out here so urgently.

unei: There's nothing you need to apologise for! We are grateful that you contacted us. The fact he woke up at all means he should be properly out of his coma soon right?

nurse: I'm sorry, but we don't know that for sure yet.

unei: Is that so...

yakou: Did he communicate anything to you in the brief time he was awake?

nurse: I wouldn't call it communication but if I remember correctly... He mumbled "ko, nn" before falling unconscious again.

yakou: "Kon"? I wonder what he was trying to say.

unei: Maybe he was trying to say navy blue? (*kon-iro)

yakou: What would he have meant by that...?

unei: Kon...kon... Ah! Could he have been imitating a fox...!?

(*in Japanese 'kon' is the noise foxes make)

yakou: That doesn't make any sense either.

unei: Um, did he happen to say anything else?

nurse: No, it was just incoherent mumblings. Excuse me, but I must go and check on some other patients.

unei: Thank you for talking with us whilst you're so busy.

-nurse leaves-

yakou: If it was just incoherent mumbling as she said then it's likely it had no deeper meaning.

kei: We won't know until Haseyama himself has woken.

—end

~

Chapter 1 SideA

-locker rooms-

ran: Alright! I've done myself up to be one stunnin' young man once again today-!

kongou: Ran, the hair on the back of your head is still sticking up.

ran: What? But I just got done hair sprayin' it!

lico: Would you be quiet. I have to get set up here too so stop freaking out in front of the mirror.

mizuki: Geh, what's it matter spending so much time on that.

ran: Aw c'mon, why aren't ya more excited, we finally get to have another solo performance. Heath is lookin' healthy lately too!

mizuki: ...Are you sure about that?

heath: I'm fine. Rather, I'm actually feeling quite good today.

akira: Oh, the whole B gang is here, give it your all out there~

mizuki: The heck, what are you here for?

akira: I just came to collect something from my locker~ What about you? You look like you're all fine at least.

mizuki: Duh of course. So we don't need you getting involved.

lico: No need to blow up at every little thing, Mizuki. Akira's just here to check on us.

akira: Welp, if anything happens just give me a call.

heath: Mm sure. Don't worry though, we won't need to.

akira: I am your understudy just in case. Anyways, see ya~

-akira leaves-

lico: Well, it is true that Heath's role this time isn't on the stage the whole time. So we should actually be good. Rather than Heath, isn't it you we should be worried about right now, Mizuki?

mizuki: Huh? What's that meant to mean?

lico: What are you even going for with your interpretation of Oba Yozo? Shouldn't he be more timid?

mizuki: Who gives a shit about interpretations. All we need to do is match the energy of Heath's song.

kongou: While it's true our show gives a different impression than the source material 'No Longer Human', I think it's fine the way it is.

ran: Yeah it gives off a feelin' like 'if you're feelin’ rejected come on over here~' y'know what I mean?

heath: We don't want to be shoved into the box of what's considered 'normal' by society. Because that's how Team B is.

mizuki: Hahah, as expected your ideas are the best, Heath! Alright then, let's get goin' already you guys.

-mizuki leaves-

lico: Hey... I'm being serious here, please quit overdoing it. If I catch you looking even a little unwell I'm subbing you out.

heath: ...I know. I don't want the audience to ever have to see me like that again either.

—end

~

Chapter 1 SideA extra 

-starless break room-

ginsei: .......

sotetsu: What're you reading?

ginsei: Ah!? Oh, it's just you two.

yoshino: Sorry for frightening you. Which script is that you're reading?

sotetsu: You were reading it with one intense expression, is it that immersive?

ginsei: Oh this? It's the script for B's current show. Kongou let me borrow a copy.

yoshino: Why are you reading their scripts again...

sotetsu: What are you scheming this time?

ginsei: It's not like I'm trying to involve myself in B's performances or anything. It's more like an analysis, I guess you could call it research. 

yoshino: On the script?

ginsei: Yeah. Reading the other team's scripts has been great learning material. 

sotetsu: Really? 

ginsei: It's because I can analyse them more objectively than our own scripts. This one's especially interesting, seeing how it differs from the original source and how it's been adapted.

yoshino: 'No Longer Human' is what it's based on right? 

ginsei: Yeah, that's it. Since Mizuki is the lead role it makes you see that Oba could even be depicted in this way. It's fun making new discoveries like this.

yoshino: Could it be that you're planning to continue properly studying scripts from now on?

ginsei: In my own way, yeah. So I'm planning to check out every show's script like this. 

yoshino: I see.

sotetsu: There's no way you'll have enough time for all that.

ginsei: True, that's the biggest problem at the moment. If the staff shortage issue could be solved I'd be able to devote myself to it more...

yoshino: We have no choice but to ask the temp management team if they can hire more people. It's not like we can do anything about it... I think your efforts are a good idea though Ginsei. I have to do whatever it is I can as well.

sotetsu: Looks like a flame has been lit in you. Jeez, you're all so diligent.

—end

~

Chapter 1 SideB

-starless hallway-

unei: Ah, Qu-san. Could I borrow you for a moment? I have something I'd like to discuss with you...

qu: It's rare of you to seek me out, Unei-kun. 

unei: In regards to this you're... No, you're the only one I could ask, Qu-san!

qu: Sounds like it's serious, what is it?

unei: Please, could you give me your opinion on my costume design once again!

qu: Hm...?

unei: I'm sure you'd give me a straightforward assessment of my design proposal! Here, I took a picture of what I drew...!

qu: I'm not sure I'd be much help with that.

unei: That's not true! You assessed my design last time, remember? If I can get your ok on the design then it's almost guaranteed everyone else will agree to it too!

mokuren: Don't block the hallway, you're in the way.

zakuro: It looks as if you're putting on a single act comedy. Though it is also true that I am quite interested in your design Unei-kun, to a surprising degree.

mokuren: Don't say anything unnecessary, Zakuro. And you too, Qu. Just refuse him straight up. If you're late for our reservation in lesson room 2 I won't be happy about it.

qu: Well, you heard them, sorry Unei-kun.

unei: Aw~....

zakuro: My my such heartbreak. If you'd like more ideas than that... Why not make a trial costume for yourself? If you do that then no one would interfere.

unei: Uu... B-but that wouldn't solve the problem...

qu: If you want to solve the main problem then wouldn't finding a costume designer be the best move? How's that been going?

unei: Um well, the temporary management team has been asking around within their acquaintances...! Taiga-san made a post about it on our blog too but so far we haven't gotten any responses. 

qu: Probably because it's not that flashy of a job offer. I guess there's nothing we can do for now but wait and see.

mokuren: Unei, I couldn't care less what you do, but I won't let you off easy if you get in the way of our rehearsals.

—end

~

Chapter 1 SideB extra 

-rehearsal room-

taiga: Their show’s starting soon, yeah?

takami: Are you concerned for Team B?

taiga: Nah, I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm concerned. But I wouldn't say it's unrelated, I'm just wondering how things are going to go, I guess.

akira: Why do you keep glancing at me?

takami: Well it's true that Akira has a relationship with them at the moment.

akira: Ew why'd you have to word it like that.

kokuyou: How stupid. All it means is that you weren’t needed this time, nothing more nothing less.

akira: I suppose~ Basically if Heath’s feeling fine and dandy then I don’t need to appear.

takami: That’s because Mizuki’s opinion that Heath is their one and only MC won’t change.

sin: As long as Heath doesn’t collapse then, hm? The water in the fountain has already overflowed. The time for enlightenment is still in the distant future.

taiga: Being their pinch hitter is even more of a pain than just being a regular understudy though. I mean, do B really plan to just continue handling things like this?

kokuyou: Who knows. As long as they aren’t hindering us I couldn’t care less.

taiga: Wouldn’t it cause quite the drama if we were to have a versus with B and Heath isn’t able to perform though?

kokuyou: If that ever happens then it would be on Mizuki to take full responsibility.

taiga: The responsibility of being a leader huh?

takami: I don’t think a malicious versus such as that would even happen in the first place.

kokuyou: You never know.

—end

Chapter 2

-starless lobby-

iwami: So, what did you think of Starless' Team B?

hinata: They were amazing...! I knew seeing them live would be completely different to just watching recordings! It's not even comparable! Do you always get to watch their shows like this, Miss? I'm so jelly-!

saki: You really love Team B huh, Hinata-san.

hinata: Well duh! I'm still freaking out just standing in the lobby here. I'm not dreaming am I? What am I gonna do if I get to meet Team B~!

iwami: Oi oi, isn't that the whole reason I brought you here?

saki: Huh? Then do you mean...

iwami: Oh, look who chose the perfect time to appear. Hey, Mizuki.

-mizuki walks over-

mizuki: If it isn't Kouichi. Saki too, what're ya doing standing around out here?

iwami: We had just been watching your show.

saki: The performance was great, I had a lot of fun.

mizuki: Course it was, it was a B show after all.

mizuki: ...By the way, who's the blondie?

iwami: I invited him along, his name's Hinata. He's a massive fan of Team B.

mizuki: Oh? He's got good taste then.

hinata: (gasp) ...Oh my god! H-He spoke to me...!

mizuki: Huh...?

hinata: Holy crap... Mizuki in the flesh makes such a huge impression! His gaze is so intense! Aha, my heart feels like it's gonna explode~! I'm so glad I came here today~!

mizuki: The hell's up with this guy?

iwami: I already told you, didn't I? He's a massive fan of Team B.

hinata: I've loved Team B for ages now. This is the first time I've gotten to see you perform in person, it was crazy intense. 

mizuki: Ah, y-yeah...

hinata: Your show today was amazing as always obviously, but still, it was on a whole other level! Heath's rap was especially great! The song, his voice, he's just the best, I admire him so much! No scratch that, I respect him so much!

mizuki (awkward): Hahah, is that so?

hinata: Yeah, Team B really are the best aren't they? I want to join! 

mizuki: You what...?

iwami: I heard that you lot were understaffed, so isn't this a good opportunity to increase your numbers?

mizuki: Quit saying stupid shit.

hinata: I'll rehearse till I drop! The name 'Hinata' too, I was given it by Iwa-san for this so...!

mizuki: No way. B is the five of us, no one more, no one less. As if I'd let some guy I know nothing about join us just like that.

hinata: Huh? So you're saying I can't then...?

iwami: I see, so the main requirement is that you have to understand who Hinata is then?

mizuki: What?

iwami: Well, that's how it is Hinata. Do something about this yourself from here.

-iwami leaves-

hinata: Ok, I will! 

mizuki: What!? Hey, wait, Kouichi! What the hell... I don't get this.

—end

~

Chapter 2 extra

-starless office-

iwami: Appears you haven't fixed your worker shortage yet.

kei: Iwami... I didn't expect to be hearing that from you.

iwami: Well, I'm mostly just here to say hi. I felt like I should talk to you lot.

yakou: Is this about that person you brought along to be a potential cast candidate...?

sinju: The guy who wants to join B right?

iwami: Oh so you're all already aware then? That saves me the trouble of explaining things. Well, that's how it is, I'll leave him in your hands.

-iwami goes to leave-

kei: Halt. There is still something I want to inquire. 

iwami: It's rare for you to ask so nicely when you're usually so rude to me. What is it?

kei: I want to know your true motive.

yakou: Yeah, why did you suddenly bring in a cast candidate...

iwami: You said you were understaffed so I brought someone in, what other reason would I have besides that?

sin: A notion that even the devil could verify.

sinju: It's surprising to hear that a new person just randomly showed up.

iwami: My apologies. But it's not a bad deal is it? He's rearing to go, no matter how you look at it he'll prove useful. He's of working age too of course. He won't cause the store any disadvantages.

sin: And what is it that you desire beyond this?

iwami: For this store to prosper, don't I keep telling you all this? Plus, as always there's been shady fellows hanging around the store’s vicinity... So wouldn't having more people here be beneficial?

kei: As an outsider you have no say in such a decision.

iwami: I'm well aware. I'll be leaving Hinata here, It’s up to you lot to decide what to do with him.

-iwami leaves-

sinju: I wonder if he really is doing this for the sake of the store.

yakou: ...I'm not so sure.

—end

~

Chapter 2 sideA

-rehearsal room-

mizuki: Alright, let's stop here for today.

ran: Ah~ I'm so tired. Isn't the last part of the performance way too complex?

lico: Aren't you the one who was whining about wanting it to be more flashy? Don't start complaining about it now.

ran: Ya but I didn't realise the difficulty would increase this much.

kongou: But because of that I think our show tomorrow will be even better.

mizuki: Make sure you get some rest. If any of you are shit tomorrow I'll beat your ass. Heath you too, you're banned from any solo practice today.

heath: I know. I'll be going straight home.

-hinata runs in-

hinata: Mizuki, are you done with practice!?

mizuki: You- Why the hell are you here!

hinata: I wanted to talk to you, so here I am! I really want to join B no matter what.

lico: What? Who's this kid?

ran: Someone Mizuki knows?

iwami: Kouichi brought him here...

hinata: I'm Hinata, nice to meet you all! But nevermind that, ohmigosh, Heath is here~! Your show the other day was seriously the best!

heath: ...Thanks.

kongou: I'm not exactly following but, why are you looking to join B...?

hinata: I love hip hop so I became a fan of B. I want to be able to rap like Heath does.

mizuki: That's obviously not gonna happen.

hinata: Aw but why~? Even though I love B so much...

mizuki: We don't need any other MC but Heath.

hinata: So you mean I can be a performer then?

mizuki: I didn't say that.

lico: Nevermind all that, the hell is even going on here? Explain, Mizuki.

mizuki: I don't know either!

hinata: Hey hey, I can perform too y'know. Here, watch!

-hinata dances whilst stumbling-

lico: Dude... He can't perform at all. Why the hell was he acting so confident about it?

ran: (laughs) He really can't huh. Well, his sense of rhythm is sorta there.

kongou: Even so... Mizuki, what are you planning to do about this?

mizuki: I got no fuckin' idea, go and ask Kouichi.

lico: That bastard... He really is the worst.

heath: .......

-heath leaves-

hinata: So, how was that? I threw some moves fitting of B in there right? Uh wait, huh...? What happened to Heath, did he leave already?

ran: Hm? Oh ya he's gone.

kongou: I wonder if something happened.

lico: Who knows, maybe he just had no interest in you.

hinata: Whaat-! But I really wanted to hear what he thought...!

—end

~

Chapter 2 sideA extra 

-locker room-

sinju: Maica, Nekome! Listen to this, something crazy happened yesterday.

nekome: You seem pretty excited, is it something interesting~?

sinju: Iwami-san brought in a new cast candidate that's hoping to join Team B. He's called Hinata.

maica: Huh? What are you talking about? Why would Iwami-san... Is this what he meant?

sinju: Do you know something about it Maica?

maica: No... Well, what kind of person is this Hinata guy then?

sinju: I don't know, I haven't met him yet.

maica: He didn't introduce himself?

sinju: All Iwami-san told us it that he's leaving him here and we can do whatever with him. I think he's already met Team B by now at least.

nekome: Intriguing~

maica: How about you Nekome? Do you know anything about this new guy?

nekome: Hm? I've been too busy with my own matters to know anything else.

maica: That so.

sinju: I suppose it's a good thing, getting a new cast member.

nekome: Even without considering Heath's situation it's still better than nothing. Plus if there's more staff the the burden on those working in the hall will lessen.

sinju: That would definitely be helpful! Lately I've barely been able to make it to my shifts.

maica: True, but on the other hand, what will happen to Akira then?

nekome: Guess we'll have to wait and see~

maica: ...Also, whether he's hired or not may depend on what kind of guy he is.

sinju: Rindou said the same thing when I spoke to him before.

maica: You can't tell how capable someone his just by looking at them.

nekome: Well, that goes without saying.

menou: Yawns... Hey, is what you all just said true?

sinju: Uwah!? You were here too Menou?

menou: We're getting more hall staff then? So does that mean I can keep napping?

sinju: Of course not! Nothing's even been decided yet.

menou: Huuh~? That's too bad then.

—end

~

Chapter 2 SideB 

-second rehearsal room-

kasumi: Hah~ Thank god, I made it just in time.

mokuren: Hmph... One more minute later and I would've sent you flying with a kick.

kasumi: I remember you said that and ran here as fast as I could.

qu: Were you busy with temp management work? As always you guys seem swamped with tasks.

hari: It would be advantageous for us to solve the understaffing issue quickly.

kasumi: Yeah I guess~ We were just discussing that before actually.

mokuren: Did you find someone new to hire? In that case what's the problem.

kasumi: Mm~ The issue is more with who brought in the new person.

zakuro: My my, seems yet another complex problem has arisen.

kasumi: Well y'see, yesterday Iwami-san brought in a cast candidate. It appears he's looking to join Team B, so it became a question of what we should do about this.

hari: If he's accepted would that mean Tam B has two understudies then?

zakuro: Hm... And what would the issue with that be?

hari: There shouldn't be any. I've heard that in the store's early days it was normal to have multiple understudies.

qu: I think the issue would lie with how those involved feel about it. Including Akira of course... What does Mizuki and his team plan to do?

kasumi: Seems they're undecided, which is to be expected. That's why he hasn't been accepted as an official member yet.

mokuren: In that case, we'll take him.

kasumi: What?

mokuren: If a new person is joining then I want him on our team. Even more so if Mizuki's wavering.

kasumi: Um but, we don't even know what he's like or if he's capable.

mokuren: Then we just have to drill him with dance lessons. It’s a perfect opportunity for you to teach them, Hari. You agree with me that having an understudy is necessary, so there shouldn't be a problem.

qu: ...You don't seem to be joking.

mokuren: Of course I'm not. If a member’s poor condition has even the slightest chance of ruining our dance then it's no laughing matter.

qu: That's... I can't refute that.

mokuren: It's decided then. I'll go and invite him.

—end

~

Chapter 2 SideB extra

-second rehearsal room-

qu: Mokuren, about that conversation earlier. You really are serious about recruiting him then?

mokuren: I already said that, didn't I?

zakuro: My my, the smell of commotion once again. The scent is quite enticing to me however.

hari: It is true that Team C are also in need of an understudy…

mokuren: Not just that either. Being in mixed teams for Christmas and the June Bride show wasn't half bad. Since I was able to experiment with new things. 

qu: So because of that you want a new member to join us?

mokuren: If the mood stagnates then our dancing will rot. We can't be confined by staying the same forever. Kasumi, what is the name of this cast candidate?

kasumi: I heard that it was Hinata~

mokuren: Got it. 

kasumi: Wait, you don't intend to look for him right now do you?

mokuren: I'm going to go and capture him before it's too late.

-mokuren leaves-

hari: By before it's too late they must mean before Mizuki's able to come to a concrete decision.

qu: How overbearing hm? 

kasumi: I agree with the opinion that we need an understudy though~ 

zakuro: It is said that while some things remain unchanging one must still be open to the new. Even water that is unable to turn into clouds will stagnate overtime and become dead water.

hari: Seems like we're all of the same opinion here then.

qu: Hinata said that he wants to join B though didn't he? Wouldn't it be wrong to forcibly bring him over here.

hari: It would depend on how Team B sees it, but it's true that as things are now it could be considered a robbery.

kasumi: Well, whatever happens happens~

zakuro: Lately, Mokuren seems to be trying to find a new spark in the melodies themselves.

qu: I guess this means C has to evolve as well huh…

—end

To Part 2