#and you just went blank because it feels like u no longer the person deserve to read this

[askkaimei]

[snzunii]

GHOST OF YOU.

+ anonymous requested. i literally don’t know how this app works, but here an idea/request. a drabble/one shot of readerxran, reader passed away/died/killed and it’s rans thoughts/life after their passing??

+ pairings. ran haitani x f!reader. + tags. angst, hurt/no comfort, implied character death

+ note. hello, i guess i'm back? shakjsda tagging @manjiroscum cuz bby pat helped me hehehe and @manjiroro thank u 4 beta reading kaiii ily anddd nonnie, thank u for requesting ily! reblogs are always appreciated, thank you <3

It was the same routine every day.

Unchanging atmosphere prancing around the air, lilac hues staring at that other side of the bed for what seems like eternity. It’s as if he’s watching the lingering memory on that blank space with his bare eyes—it was all the same every single day.

The feeling that squeezes his heart, the sensation that makes him feel like he’s out of air. It was constant, never-ending agony each time he opened his eyes. It never fades, it was always there—haunting and suffocating him.

He can’t even do something about it even if he tried to, it became a part of what he does every single day. He wanted to get out, do something else. Something new that doesn't remind him of you.

But that’s what he’s afraid of—that if he went out there, you’ll slip out of his mind. That he’ll forget every memory because it's getting replaced slowly with some new ones, he doesn't want to do that. If he could, he’ll watch and replay every moment he ever spent with you on some big screen. But that's what hurts, isn't it?

He couldn't.

“Ran… stand up.”

He closed his eyes, your voice echoing in his mind. It was like this every waking day, he hears your voice every time he refuses to acknowledge living a new day. It was so unfair, it was torture that he had to—not want, had to pick himself up and continued on living without you.

He wanted to scream, let all his frustrations out but all he could do was to close his eyes. Try to recall your calm and sweet voice, the way you speak, your angelic smile—this way he could live, this way he can put his feet down on the ground and blend into the crowd with a feigned smile on his pretty face—it’s as if his world isn’t crumbling down to ashes now that the love of his life no longer exists, that you aren't breathing in the same atmosphere as he is.

Still and all, he has you in his heart and in his mind—it’s where your memories rest. Your face, your scent, your touch, the dreams made together that were now broken and shattered into pieces—it was all there.

He wanted to stay there, in his bed—where your warmth is, he needs to stay there and bask in the ghost that you left in the four corners of this god-forsaken place that he used to love.

“Ran, come on.”

He can do it. Besides it’s all the same, it’s just another day where he had to pretend that he was doing fine. It’s just another day in his dreary world where the sun wouldn't shine on him, ever again.

He can live with it.

… right?

With that, he opened his eyes and stood up from his bed—his feet directed him towards the mirror where he could see his devastated figure. He stared long enough to search for the person he was before all this but then again, he couldn't.

No, he couldn't do it. All on his mind was you, was to run into your arms and cry all his troubles away—was to look in your eyes and tell you how much he adores you, how much he would flip this universe upside down just to give you what you deserved.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes once again, his forehead resting at the mirror in front of him, deeming it to be you. He sees and hears you once more, walking towards him with a pretty smile that lights up everything around you.

Your arms wrapped around his neck as you plant a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you, Ran. I’m always here, ‘kay?”

“You’re not. You’re not here. I can’t touch you—I… can’t feel you.”

“I am.” a wide smile adorning the features of your face as you place your hand above his chest although all that he felt was the bitter air. “I’m here.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

+ tokyo revengers taglist. @cosmiclvsh @tojisqueen @r-xochitl @bekky06 @toshiswifey @litle-crow @n-nara @hollowpurpl @iiclal @miyuuuuuposts @haitanilove @aclairysm @awkcasted @yukie35 @chronic-claire-universe @chosoisbaby @marixxi @spaceemeeat @amaejiki @parca-de-destinos @missysimpy @a-astxr @mui_xd @fr00g1es @gwynsapphire @kookie-my-little-sunshine @kqtsukisgf @angtsumu @cakenchill @madarasgf

hi, please tell me if you want to be removed from the taglist! thank you <3

[matchablossomwrites]

Hi, I really like your writing!! Can I request Mikey and Izana (u can add more if u want to) react to them hitting their s/o during an argument and how would they apologize ? Angst with comfort, also gn!reader pls (im craving for angst and fluff rn :DD) U don’t need to if u don’t want to write it ofc :)) I respect ure decision ^^ thanks for ure time ❤️

Hey hey hey! Thank you so much for this request! I had a ton of fun writing it ^^ I hope it's up to par with your expectations. I'm so sorry it took this long. I've had an incredibly busy week with my new job and college, but I did my best! I hope you have a wonderful day/night.

Sano 'Mikey' Manjiro

"y/n I don't want to see you right now. Just leave before you regret staying here any longer" he warned "Leave" The air grew more and more icy with each word that came out of his mouth.

You just wanted to check up on him. He'd been so distant lately and this is how he thanks you? You were so worried. Anger boiled up inside of you as you stared at the man in front of you.

His expression was blank. He was going to snap soon. patience was wearing thin for both parties. He didn't exactly have a good day. Things went terribly wrong today and Baji Keisuke had died a few months prior and he was cycling through the stages of grief. The last thing he needed was for you to show up out of the blue like this and confront him now

But it's not like you knew this. You knew Baji had died and you were still easing through grief yourself. God you missed him, but you were coming to terms with the fact that there was no way to turn back time and save him. Mikey was still coping with this. They were best friends. of course this was something that would affect him way more than it would affect you.

"Huh? Are you really telling me this? Mikey I've been so worried about you and this is the thanks I get? I came here to check up on you and even took the day off to spend it with you. I could've been spending my time in so many other ways but I came to check up on you because I care about you!" you yelled you were angry to the point of yelling. Things were getting more and more tense.

Anger boiled inside of him. it was becoming unbearable. "And guess what? I don't care. I don't care that you took all this time off for me. Absolutely no one asked you to be a tragic hero and try to fix me. I don't need fixing. So, I'll say this one more time because apparently you don't know how to take a hint. Go. away." he hissed as his smile turned into a frown.

"Baji wouldn't have wanted you to push us away, you know. He would have-" you began.

However you weren't able to finish your sentence as you felt a stinging sensation on your cheek.

"Shut up! You don't know what he would've wanted! I don't know! You don't fucking know either! Ok?" he hissed as he narrowed his eyes at you. "You don't understand now and you'll never understand! So don't tell me that he wouldn't want me to act like this or whatever! Got it! Because you will never FUCKING know." he growled as he went to point at you.

Suddenly, he was brought back to reality by the sound of you whimpering as you covered your head, attempting to protect yourself. You were too afraid to say anything else to further upset him. You tried so hard not to cry, but with the stinging paired with fear tears cascaded down your face as you attempted to protect yourself from him. "Please don't hurt me.. I'm sorry" you apologized

"Oh god..." he trembled. "oh god, oh god, oh god. what have I done? y/n I'm so sorry." Mikey's eyes widened as he looked at your shaking form in front of him. He attempted to reach out and hold you, however his sudden movement scared you, causing you to flinch.

It was then that he realized the damage he'd done. Guilt hit him like a semi truck. "baby please don't cry. I'm so sorry I let this happen. I never meant to hurt you." he choked out, voice wavering. At that moment all of his emotions that he had been bottling up came pouring out like a waterfall. all the anger, despair, loneliness, and guilt finally made themselves known.

Seeing him break down in front of you made you realize how much he was truly hurting. "P-Please don't go. I'm so sorry." he whimpered. "I never meant for you to see me like that. I'm a monster god I'm so sorry." he apologized. The more you saw him break down the more you realized how bad he truly felt about this.

So, you resigned even though alarm bells were still softly blaring in your head and allowed yourself to be embraced by him. "Don't leave me... please" he whimpered. At this point you both were crying, though neither of you cared that your jackets were getting wet. you weren't sure what to say.

So, you decided not to say anything and let him calm down as you attempted to calm down yourself. Once you both calmed down, Mikey pulled away to look you in the eyes. "Please don't go... I can't lose you too" he begged as he held your face in his hands. He was trembling, absolutely terrified of what he'd done to you. You were his lifeline. He needed you. "I've got you. I promise I'm not going anywhere. I care about you, Mikey, and it hurts to see you like this." you sighed as you gazed at him with a soft expression.

It was then Mikey broke down again. though not for the same reason. It was because he was so grateful he had someone like you by his side. Someone so forgiving and compassionate. "I love you" he whimpered. "Thank you"

"I love you too"

Izana Kurokawa

Things weren't always like this. You were sure of it. But lately your nights were filled with screaming and harsh words. Despite this it was never anything too bad. Either he'd apologize with a bouquet of red tulips, white orchids, and purple hyacinths or a teddy bear and chocolates

But this... this was too far.

You don't really remember how it happened if you were honest. One moment you were having a peaceful conversation. However the moment you brought up Mikey since you'd recently met him at your school.

That's when the mood got sour. He'd said a few things and you retorted with your own set of phrases. Soon the fight grew personal. things were going too far. Both of you were saying things you really didn't mean, but since you both were in the heat of the moment there was no longer a filter stopping you from saying those harsh words and phrases.

Things peaked when he harshly shoved you against the wall in a fit of rage. You were terrified of him, but you didn't dare let him know that. you tried to shove him away but he slapped you. That's when you have had enough. You packed your things, not saying a word to him. Then, when he was asleep you quietly made your escape.

When he woke up however he was shocked and scared. He looked around the shared apartment. there were no signs of you anywhere. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to figure out his next steps, but his thoughts were preventing him from doing so.

Has he finally done it? Had he finally driven you away to the point of never wanting to see him again? He understood if you did. He knows that what he did wasn't right, but he still wanted to make one final attempt at reconciliation and if it failed, all he could do was accept that.

But where have you gone? He had no absolute clue, however he knew you were good friends with Kakucho, so he dialed up his best friend, praying to whatever cruel god was out there that you were at least still alive and safe.

After a few rings Kakucho picked up. In a panicked state he began explaining what he had done, though Kakucho stopped him. "they don't want to see you right now. Leave them alone." he replied, clearly feeling bad for the other party. "Are they with you?" he asked. "No" he replied. "Are you lying to me?" Izana asked. "no." he sighed. "Where do you think they would go if they had no where else to go, Izana?" Kakucho asked.

Their parents. The answer was glaringly obvious but he was so panicked it didn't even cross his mind. "But, Izana now is not the time. Please. Give it a few days. Imagine how they feel." Kakucho replied. "fine..." he sighed.

The next few days Izana spent thinking of what to say and how to apologize. The more he thought over that night, the more he realized he fucked up. As he sat at a table at a cafe that had been your first date with him, he saw you crossing the road, talking with Kokonoi and Inui who also happened to be your friends.

However the more he looked the more he realized that even though you were smiling it wasn't reaching your eyes. It then dawned how much he had truly hurt you. He then raced towards you, not caring if others were watching.

He didn't give a fuck about how crazy he looked in that moment as he sprinted towards you because he knew that if he prolonged this any longer it would only hurt you even more. "y/N!" he yelled, causing you to jolt, effectively capturing your attention as well as Inui and Kokonoi's as well.

"The hell do you want?" Kokonoi hissed as he protectively put his arm in front of you. "Can't you see they don't want to see you! You slapped them and hurt them and you have the AUDACITY to come out here and follow us!?" "Koko... it's ok. Thank you for caring about my safety" you smiled softly at the taller man while Inui glared at Izana. "Fuck this up and I promise you, you won't be allowed to be even within a continent of them" Inui growled before they walked away, allowing the two fo you your privacy.

The two of you then decided to talk it over at the cafe he'd been sitting at. As the two of you sat down, it was then you finally got a good look at him. There were bags under his eyes, his hair was disheveled, and he was distraught.

"y/n I'm so sorry. You deserve so much better... It wasn't your fault to begin with. This whole mess was my fault and... and it wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. I was out of line. God you must hate me... you can't even look at me in the eyes." he mumbled as he let out a sad chuckle.

He felt his chances growing smaller and smaller with each passing minute. He was sure this was the end. The more he thought about it, the more he should've seen this coming. He was so harsh to you, spewing insult after insult at you, yet you always came back to him every time.

The silence was suffocating him. 'Just end it already' he thought to himself as he gazed up at you. 'I can't take it anymore. It hurts.' "Izana '' You spoke up finally, causing him to jolt as he slowly looked up at you. "I think I finally understand you… you’re scared.” you looked down at your lap. Just where were you going with this? He didn’t know. “You’re scared of being happy because the last time you were happy everything came crashing down like a castle of sand… That’s gotta be the reason you keep hurting me right? That’s what I keep telling myself anyway. But every single time this happens the harder it is for me to trust you. To trust that you even care about me anymore. You always tell me you love me, Izana, but I don’t know if I believe it anymore” you sighed as you began tearing up.

The more you spoke the more he realized how badly he fucked up. “I thought this was real, was this real? Or were you just using me just like everyone else? Were you using me to get happy? It’s getting difficult and I’m not sure how long I can keep doing this… especially after you won’t even allow me to meet new people” you muttered. “y/n… I’m so sorry” he sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I never realized you felt this way… god you should’ve told me” “You never cared enough to ask” you muttered.

Izana then got up from his seat across from you before he took you in his arms. He knew the damage he’d done was irreparable, but at least he could try to make it up to you in other ways. “I’m so sorry I made you think I never loved you. God I never meant for that to happen. You’re my home, y/n. I should’ve been more open… I shouldn’t have let my fears take over, I’m sorry. And I know ‘sorry’ isn’t what you want to hear from me right now, but I promise I still love you and I promise I’ll never let this happen again” he choked as he shook his head, truly feeling bad for what he’d done to you. “Izana… please can’t we just go back to how things were when we first fell in love?” you whispered. “I’m sorry… I don’t think that’s possible, but I promise I’ll give you the best possible future.. Just don’t leave. Please” he begged, his voice growing softer towards the end of his sentence.

“Ok… Just know that I’m going to make sure you keep your promise” you smiled, the same smile he’d fallen for when he was child. “I will. Thank you” he smiled.

“You idiot… you broke our promise” you sobbed as you knelt at his grave, holding a bouquet of red tulips and stargazer lilies close to your chest.

A/n: Thank you for your support

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

i saw your post about Charles and what his personality past and part in the story line so i was wondering if u could do the same for vlad? :)

Ah, well, I can at least let you know what I’ve seen so far? I haven’t delved too far into Vlad, and some of his general impressions can be confusing, so I’ll do my best to make it sensible and unbiased! Here you go lovely <33333

Fair warning, there will be mentions of a lot of JPN app content since Vlad and his boys aren’t around much in the ENG app yet.

My general sense of Vlad is basically discount vampire Sasuke Uchiha.

What I mean by this is to say–according to what I’ve read so far–his clan/family were murdered by vampire hunters in cold blood when he was just a young boy. Presumably as a result of that traumatic event, he harbors a sizable enmity towards humanity and kind of lashes out on them in weirdly specific moments of violence. Another aspect of his motivation is something that’s mentioned within Comte’s route; which is that Vlad went through the timespace door on his own one day and allegedly saw a devastated future, where nothing remains of life on earth more or less.

I guess the reason I find him to be so perplexing is that he speaks about his actions in terms of efficiency, while most of the things he does just feel like unhappy outbursts (v often a product of unresolved trauma symptoms, I’d wager.) I also say this because he appears to have no larger pattern to his fury beyond the original event of his loss. Most of the human beings he attacks aren’t much of a threat to him and hurting them really doesn’t bring him any dividends beyond revenge.

For instance, he insists his disdain for humanity and insistence on controlling them is for the sake of ensuring they do not destroy the future–the horrifying wasteland he witnessed when he traveled through the timespace door. However, I’m not really sure how his current movements really speak to that goal? I mean sure, maybe he’s relying on Faust to create an immortal human so that humans will be forced to care because it will be their future too, but he doesn’t allow Faust to draw his pureblood blood for experimenting. (One can most certainly argue this was more about a lack of trust, and perhaps for plenty reason: Faust is vindictive enough to try to turn the tables and exert control over Vlad, or act on his own whims with his findings.) But if that’s the solution he’s waiting on, turning the rivals of the men in the mansion doesn’t really bring him any closer to that vision either? I mean, what good does it do to bring back Gilles de Rais–a prominent French serial killer? How would unleashing him on the populace help humanity “realize the error of it’s short-sighted and wasteful ways” and move to a brighter future?

Can’t help it, I ask these questions as I read.

In Comte’s main story, Comte hammers home that Vlad is not somebody to be taken lightly. One day when MC goes out to buy flowers, Vlad poses as a human florist to sell them to her–which is how Comte finds out he’s in France, and that he’s made contact with MC. When prompted, Comte describes him in a very particular way; and I think people really overlook this when they talk about their relationship. He says that Vlad is frighteningly pure in terms of the way he thinks and acts. The way I understood his description (given what I’ve seen of Vlad) is that Comte really does mean it point blank: Vlad is very simple in terms of why and how he does things. The issue with this is that nuance and context are lost on Vlad as well–and that’s where the problems start to flood in. Vlad is angry at humanity for what they’ve done to him. Baseline? That’s fair, they killed his damn family. However, Vlad thinks that by extension he has the right to decimate the general public and attack people completely uninvolved in his hurt.

And that isn’t right either–it’s ignoring so many factors here. He’s ignoring how much vampires use and toy with humans as pawns, it’s ignoring the massive power imbalance between him and his victims (this really isn’t a case of self-defense most of the time, nobody but Comte/Leo is a sizable threat to him), and he’s ignoring whether or not a person even did anything to deserve his retributive violence. While murder is never okay, it is perhaps more understandable when we see Jeanne’s frenzied and violent belligerence in response to a man who murders a boy’s mother for the sake of his own amusement/convenience. Vlad literally sees almost every single one of the rivals he created begin to heal/improve and murders them in cold blood because they are no longer of any use to him. That’s uh……..that’s a little messed, not gonna lie to you chief.

While part of me understands the efficiency here–he doesn’t want to leave any traces of his involvement, he doesn’t want any loose ends–it’s also just kind of foolish and cruel ultimately. From my understanding of the narrative, all the people he turned had some visible sign that indicated their origin to Comte. So even if he claims it was for the sake of concealment, it was more likely about his personal convenience. Which…..also yikes.

[Comte clearly does not trust Vlad to be reasonable, and I think there’s plenty of good reason enumerated above, but I actually don’t sense quite so much hatred? I think he’s just given up on the idea of Vlad growing up, even if he doesn’t like giving up on people. And considering Vlad’s behavior, I think it’s overkill to say that Comte just abandons him because he doesn’t care lmao. Even when Comte expresses real anger at the end of his own route, it was more because Vlad was fine with endangering MC’s life just to get back at him. I think Comte’s unhappiness with Vlad has more to do with Vlad’s treatment of human life as meaningless and worthless. It’s fascinating but also kind of sad? Vlad’s traumatic experience results in behavior that is a direct exacerbation of Comte’s trauma, and as such--no matter their potentially fond history--they can’t stomach each other.]

In Comte’s route, Vlad also has Shakespeare abduct MC and take her to the cathedral. Later on in the castle, we see an immediate display of Vlad’s shocking powers: he has the ability to manipulate people’s desires/thoughts. I’m not exactly sure how this works, but he is able to give MC visions of the mansion and Comte coming on to her–which shocks her into realizing it’s all just a dream. It’s not reality; it’s all manufactured by Vlad.

After that...weird introductory note...Vlad gives MC the rundown on his life together with Comte, which as always is subject to a question of bias. My assumption is that he did not lie, only because he was trying to convince MC that he was “right.” Furthermore, he does not omit the most damning evidence of his erroneous judgement, which suggests a continued inability for him to see where he went wrong.

We get a series of three flashbacks. The first is them as young kids. I don’t know if Vlad had already experienced the horrors of his family being destroyed, but this particular flashback focuses on Comte. His parents, in an effort to teach him that vampires and humans have no ability to co-exist, send away all of his teachers/mentors/nannies/the servants--pretty much everyone and anyone he was closely bonded to. Think about it this way: we can see that Comte is very sociable and affectionate by nature. He was living in a house full of people, all of whom cared about him and looked after him in their own way. Now the house is entirely empty. Naturally Comte is very very upset, and Vlad appears to try to cheer him up with little success. 

[When I look back on this scene I don’t think I initially registered the sheer dissonance of Vlad’s reaction, versus Comte’s catatonic misery. There was a very solemn feeling to that memory, and the correct choice in terms of extending comfort is to hold his hand believe it or not. There is a sense that he feels very alone. When young boy Vlad enters one can argue that it was the proper thing to do; he was trying to cheer up his playmate and friend. But at the same time, I think I need to double check. Because I’m beginning to wonder if I was wrong. What if Vlad was happy to see someone as alone as him, and that joy is accordingly dissonant for that reason? He can’t see what Comte needs or how he’s hurting because he’s so glad he isn’t alone anymore in a way.]

The second flashback is the war nurse scene that I have spoken at length about. The important thing to focus on here is Vlad’s surprise that Comte would opt out of turning her out of respect for her wishes. The way Vlad frames the situation is starkly different from Comte’s. Comte sees himself as an outsider, somebody who invaded her life as a result of the timespace door and therefore has no right to suddenly change the course of her fate. He had no idea if she even wanted to live (considering the horrors she’d have to cope with and remember) or leave that time period at all, for that matter (considering the only thing keeping her going was helping the wounded/victims). Comte really was listening to everything she had to say, and he was taking her concerns and motivations seriously. 

Vlad simply says: if you want her, take her. It’s as simple as that for him. And in one way that’s not entirely wrong--assuming Comte would have every intention of looking after her and actually cares a lot about her. But what’s being ignored here is her agency and the fact that they really don’t know each other that well? Something like that could begin and be rocky, if it doesn’t end in complete disaster. Worse, I get the feeling Vlad is perfectly fine with the notion of turning her and if things don’t work out, just kill her or get rid of her. Again, the simplistic thinking comes into play here: it ultimately comes down to Vlad being self-centered. He’s thinking only in terms of satisfying his needs, he doesn’t seem to have any concept of a larger pair or group feeling. There’s an inability to bend/be flexible for the sake of maintaining a greater harmonious feeling. 

[For the record, I don’t think this makes him irredeemable? Only that it makes it very hard to live with him or love him, probably. There’s an inability to live at a joint pace? It’s always answering to what he wants without room for anything else most of the time, which to me is not living and it’s not love ;;;;]

Following their escape back to their own time, Vlad explains how he wants to use the door to turn geniuses and control humanity. He eventually wants to create a surveillance state, which would mean everyone is forced to move with his explicit approval, more or less. (He almost reminds me of Louis XIV, can’t tell if that’s what they were going for.) I have my doubts that his abilities could extend that far, but human history shows us that we are plenty susceptible to fascist and totalitarian rhetoric. In a shocking display of anger, Comte draws the line at controlling humanity and forcing them into a regime in which, and this is Vlad’s description not mine, “we (purebloods) would be like kings.” There’s definitely a concept of evolutionary superiority at play here, which echoes what I mentioned earlier; vampires seem to have this awareness that they’re apex predators in a sense, and enjoy the power that comes with that. Unfortunately, that probably makes for a fairly toxic/uncomfortable larger species culture, which is exactly what Comte and Leo hate lmao.

Vlad does not seem to find any issue with this sort of outlook, and asks MC to decide which of them--Vlad or Comte--is right. Who is more realistic, who best understands the future? As expected the MC replies that it's Comte, and Vlad goes from beseeching to big mad at record speed. He's p much that gif of the teddy bear that smacks its head down on the tables and then has the angry eyebrows.

This is where Comte intervenes, firing a warning shot that grazes Vlad's cheek and demanding he let MC go. In response, Vlad shoves MC into the turbulent timespace door--p much guaranteeing MC's death. (Essentially timespace is a void of sorts, a human being could never survive in that environment for long. Vlad fully knew this, and yeeted her anyway.)

So uh, yeah. Disagreement? Death. Moving on? Death. Nuanced approach to reality? Death. Beginning to think he doesn't really have a lot of patience or open-mindedness or any other kind of problem-solving approach. 

He raises flowers and gardens like a fiend, and he openly plucks any single flower with a blemished leaf. Even if a single petal is slightly damaged, it will be removed and destroyed. So one could argue his extremism reflects a kind of perfectionism as well. No room for errors or troublesome dissent. No ugliness of any kind. I mean in all of his interactions with Faust and Charles this is the overt undertone. Don't ask more of me than I'm willing to give. Behave like good children, mommy's busy. Is that insubordination? boss music begins

One thing I actually don't understand very well is his decision making in Dazai's route. Dazai finds out about what Vlad's doing in a nanosecond when he senses MC is in danger, and yet Vlad makes absolutely no move to eliminate Dazai? He just watches from the shadows. Even when Dazai grills Charles about his loyalty to Vlad, no retribution.

My best guess for this specific situation is that Vlad does derive some level of satisfaction thwarting the future of human beings/former humans. Dazai--being somebody with no great desire to live, no rivals to speak of as far as we can tell, and no larger aspirations--is a life that is easily extinguished. There's no satisfaction in it. When Vlad's clan was murdered and he saw the future decimated, it could be that he felt humans had invaded and eradicated every potentiality that was important to him. Where he might have lived happily with his family, that future was ripped from his grasp. Where he might enjoy his flowers and the creation of an immortal for the rest of conceivable time, that too was ripped from his grasp with a desolate future. 

So much about who Vlad is is about control, so it's very possible his lashing out is an extension of that. Dazai does not awaken any of the disdain he feels, and he does not succeed in overthrowing Vlad's control over Charles, so Vlad simply lurks in silence.

And last but not least, I've seen the preview to Vlad's newest birthday event story. The contents are incredibly revealing, in that MC wishing him a happy birthday and offering him a gift has him saying that it was "the best birthday ever." Granted idk if that’s sweet or just...beyond sad, but here we are. It’s only compounding my curiosity about the wound on his chest--I really do wonder if he was attacked and locked away by vampire hunters or hostile human beings or something. I say that only because that line speaks to a lot of isolation, and given how little he seems to care about turning people/subjecting them to his whims it feels odd. Why the isolation or lack of people who care about him? Is it a perceived lack where his actions alienated all the people who wanted to be close to him, or is it a more involuntary lack?

When she says let’s celebrate again next year, he seems a pleasantly shocked by the notion, and remarks “Ah yes, it’s a promise c:”. The preview was also mega horny: “You make me feel so loved, I don’t think I can be gentle with you tonight. If you enjoy it so much, then I won’t stop. I want to see you completely lost for me. I’ll teach your body what it means to be loved by a pureblood.” Aaaaaand pretty sure the CG was alluding to him licking the good stuff from her basement, though not entirely sure given it was only the preview. 

The brief POV they give us is also very revealing:

“You always keep your promises, and I think I underestimate all the time how much you saved me. You are good, only you are good in this world.”

“Will we continue to make promises to each other in the future? Well in that case--you will always, always be mine, my vampire.”

Tbh he’s...v sweet? In his own way? Honestly he feels like a crabapple that is just so sick of the world and wants softe wife to take comfort in. While granted that’s not really my thing, I know a fanbase appeal exists for these types--so if that’s your thing, have at it!

So now that we have reached the end of my ridiculously long analysis (when am I ever brief, I’m so sorry. If you made it all the way here you deserve a cookie at the very least, if not the right to chase me with a bat) perhaps it’s more clear why I said discount vampire Sasuke Uchiha? “My clan is gone, every other second I’m going to be in retraumatization insanity, when I’m not I’ll be seeking power/hobbies, planning the demise of people who wanted the best for me, building a team to my advantage and unquestioned control, and eventually settling for a lifelong love who sees the best in me despite my more difficult moments and perceived hollowing loneliness. Not the most ideal comparison, but I will say if Vlad was not already named the historical figure, would have pointed and yelled Uchiha.

That’s all from me folks, hopefully this was a fun way to get introduced to him? And again, hope I didn’t alienate--I fully respect what people do and don’t enjoy o7

[volfoss]

how about ranking bucciarati's team?

regret to inform you that ur gonna get a very long answer bc i have passionate feelings about them all! also trish is in this bc she is part of the team and no one will tell me otherwise and will also include some rambling bc it is me and i have so many feelings towards these characters and none of them r cohesive

under the cut just in case (post writing yes it was long)

Giorno Giovanna:

way way more complex than ppl normally give him credit for (i will not go into feelings on how a majority of the fandom treats him unless ppl want me to then i will in fact make a very long ranty post and will not be stopped)

mildly op (esp at the beginning with how hes kind of able to just use his stand really well w no problems altho i think thats true of most of the jojos that we have seen animated?)

i am emotionally attached to him and want to give him a big hug

hes just a kinda goofy kid and is maybe a bit not good with figuring out hey this is a semi dangerous situation maybe i shouldnt be taunting him (leaky eye luca for example)

has the actual best theme

i love how he works off the rest of the team so well (even w members who do not like him)

is in my top 3 jojos i love this kid sm i would adopt him if he was real

7/10

Bruno Bucciarati:

the fucking way his character develops from licky man to best dad material is my favorite thing

his outfit is so so so good i would die to wear it

in general this man is one of my fave jojos characters and i get a lot of comfort from him

hes just really neat and has a good taste in music

he did his fucking best and i will always love him for that

imo the way that his death was drawn out was genuinely one of the most heartbreaking deaths in the entire series and fucks me up each time i think of it

i feel like he really is the one to hold the team together in a way that everyone feels cared for and saved

def has a savior complex tho for sure

dilf but im ace

also manga superiority bc he either makes the stupidest faces or looks very nice (anime has a lot of weird animation in regards to his face) and also because its lingerie there instead of a tattoo that changes thickness and placement every second

10/10

Leone Abbacchio:

guilty pleasure liking man

i am obsessed with his vibes and wish to become him

i cannot physically express just how much i love him but hes one of my faves of all time (not obvious by my theme at all wdym)

i miss his manga palette but also the colored manga isnt my beloved but also black lipstick abba

hot take maybe but anime abba looks better than manga minus the lipstick debacle

hes so so tall and i will steal his height in a nice way

his past man his past it fucks me up

his death fucks me up normally but when i was rewatching recently, i saw he gave this tiny lil smile after helping the kids get their ball and i could not take it anymore

him and brunos relationship (canonically and out of canon too) is one of my favorites in the series

also fandom hot take as i guess i am doing those for everyone- but ppl either have him as cosntantly trying to murder giorno or being like good son and v out of character, and it is really weird? not sayign that ill do better when i write them but also like im convinced some ppl havent seen the show or smth

i will steal both him and bruno and marry them both <3

this man is beloved i love him to death

10/10

Pannacotta Fugo:

i cannot spell his first name to save my life

also fandom take- ppl make him constantly only angry boy all the time and it really irks me. ik araki did not give him 2 much to work w in terms of canon personality but its frustrating

the light novel purple haze feedback is so so so good and adds sm to his character and i really like it for that!

fugo is one of those that imo deserves a lot and didnt get that

genuinely the vibes between how he treats narancia is v interesting to me, like its clear he cares about nara but nara not doing great w math really frustrates him

i love their interactions and how he is genuinely a kind person at times

the manga colors r superior here, my strawberry boy <3

i just really love and appreciate him a lot and wish that ppl gave him more love

i keep getting assigned him on kin quizzes

very smart good boy

ALSO ok fugo did not do any wrong by leaving

unsure if thats a hot take but i genuinely dont blame the character one bit for leaving and again purple haze feedback really delves into that and why he did it

if ur a fugo fan go read it

his past is really upsetting esp in the anime i will cry over it

his stand is adorable and i wanna hug it

his vibes r fun and i wanna gift him strawberry dangly earrings

8/10

Narancia Ghirga:

this boy i am also adopting (i am adopting most of them sorry)

i really hate how ppl act as if hes stupid bc bad math skills do not equal stupid like did ppl not see the fight w formaggio??

the way he just fucking dove into the water after the boat and how brunos face went all soft and happy it will never not make me cry

he is constnatnly making me wanna cry if i think too much about him for 2 seconds i love him sm

how can anyone not adore him when he set an entire street on fire yk

hes just happy despite his past and it makes me sad i love nara sm

torture dance is one of my favorite memes from the show

ALSO ok the way he died so suddenly absolutely broke me bc the remaining team members r really just seeing everyone die in front of them so quickly

his goofy and laid back moments r my fave

i love just how loyal and caring he is to his friends

his stand is really cool and again the fight w formaggio was so fun to watch

8/10

Guido Mista:

probably my least favorite member of the team for a semi good reason:

the jokes towards trish are really really uncomfy and how fugo doesnt wanna be involved but he is pushing him to do something that makes him uncomfortable did not make me like him a lot

hes goofy but not goofy enough for me to be ok with the repeated jokes about that esp in the body swap episode (ik it was supposed to be funny but it just felt off)

his vibes r good but i wish we got to see his hair

the fandom interpretation is normally pretty good of him overall?

despite not loving him a lot, i really enjoying writing for him (one day might open up headcanon requests or smth but unsure)

hes someone id wanna watch movies w but his taste in movies and mine r very different

love how he and his stand get along

honestly has very very good comedic potential

i really like how he and giorno interact as the series goes on (in a platonic way i need to clarify that i love their friendship)

again him in purple haze feedback was really interesting

probably a 5/10?

Trish Una:

beloved and deserved better

her first outfit in the manga > outfit in the anime

actually in general i believe in manga trish superiority like her hair in the manga looks so cool

her stand her stand her stand i love sm

if u dont include trish in the group i am murdering u <3

HER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!! IS SO GOOD!!!!!!

fandom gripe is how people either pretend she does not exist or has the trish first introduction thing where shes using her defense mechanisms and acting a bit spoiled

OK but her in purple haze feedback!!! mild spoilers but how bruno was taking care of her post the ending of vento aureo makes me so happy each time i think of it

very mad that she canonically didnt really get an ending and yet again PHF my beloved actually gave her that

how spice girl starts out as a stand thats helping her thru a very stressful situation is so cool and i love it

DAD BRUNO DAD BRUNO DAD BRUNO *frothes at the mouth*

but more seriously how she leans on bruno and begins 2 trust him and nearly point blank is referring to him as a father figure always fucks me up

esp because of the resulting fight afterwards

and the very ending of the arc that ends w bruno being like bye gonna go in the clouds and look ethereal now, oh man it makes me so sad

bc giorno is the only one that knew what happened and people that were closer to bruno due to knowing him longer didnt

i wanna see how trish coped w that personally

despite being introduced not at the beginning i think her arc and character in general were as well paced as it could be!

9/10

finally done! sorry that took so long but oh man i have so many feelings towards these guys its not even funny

[heiayen]

anon: Hi hi this is the anon from earlier! Can I request razor x reader where his S/O shows him how to love and show affection like hugs and cuddles? I think it would be cute since he’s new to it Idk I just need comfort :D💕

razor x gn!reader - headcanons

fluff, just reader teaching razor how to love, 2nd person view

im so sorry i took so much time again BUT turns out razor is harder to write than it thought. so it might be ooc. but i tried anyway and i really hope you'll like it!! i went with hcs because they are easier to write so. thank you for requesting!!

word count: 405 + hcs under the cut!

> hugs? cuddles? just simple affection? of course razor knew those words (from you, obviously) but... he never really understood it all. what was the reason for doing this? you told him that couples do that, and that it is an act of love, pure love, but... for razor, love was a bit different. love kinda sounded like the feelings he has for his wolf family, but he probably didn't even called it love but something else. which is understandable.

> so you wanted to show him your love, teach him how to, slowly step by step. first step was hand holding- something he didn't especially minded. it was not something he was used to however, so at first he was kinda confused, why people do that? but after explaining that it brings you comfort- and can also bring comfort to him, he slowly went with it. at first, he would take his hand away after quite short time, but it never bothered you. and slowly, slowly with time, he would hold your hand for longer and longer, and even initiate it himself few times.

> for hugs... i think he would be kinda stiff at first, i feel like he wouldn't be really sure about what to do, where to put his hands, how should he hug you back? it would be awkward at first, because i don't think he really had any occassion to have a hug before. sure, he probably hugged his wolf family once or twice, but this was different, at least according to you. 

> i also think his first proper hug will be a bit too tight, but it's okay. just tell him to loose up a little, show him how to do it and he will learn. he wants to learn after all. just don't push him, many things are still new for him! but he will learn, and soon those stiff, kinda too tight hugs will change into more soft and just right hugs, and you will have a reason to be proud of him. (you better be! he's a good boy, he deserves all the good) 

> honestly, being with razor means taking everything at your own pace. you have a lot of time to teach him how to show affection, and he has a lot of time to learn. so step by step, show him your love, and in return, he will give you his. 

razor i love u so much but why u hard to write. why. i seriously like him a lot but... mind blank. but i tried anyway and i really hope it's okay ajdhsis

[eisukevint]

A Million Tears

Pairing: Ota/Mc

Genre: Angst

a/u: Ota’s ‘our prenuptial nightmare’ but it’s a different ending.

This one’s for you @kbtbbposts !!

. . .

Sometimes he’d cry himself to sleep. Other days there’d be a flash of red and he’d bolt right up from the horrendous nightmare he was seeing. The same everyday with the blood of his beloved and his unborn baby splattered every where. Sometimes he’d wonder how his life would’ve been if she wasn’t put up for auction on that fateful night but then he’d think where would he be if things didn’t go the way they did.

It’s my fault

He’d contemplate over that one sentiment over and over again. Hell he’d even considered ending his life. But the other bidders would talk him out of it.

Ota sat up in his bed, his honey blonde hair drenched with sweat sticking to his forehead from that same dream rather nightmare that he had to remind him how he fucked up.

“It’s my own fucking fault.” He muttered feeling the empty space beside him reminiscing how he’d lay down with his beloved after their intense love making.

Only if he hadn’t asked her to stay outside so he could buy her the bracelet she set her eye on in the window of the vintage shop. Then maybe things would’ve been different. Maybe that bitch Rin wouldn’t have been able kidnapped her. She and their thumper would’ve lived.

‘Why couldn’t it be me who was under the lighting fixture?’ He had asked himself countless times.

—

He was too late pushing them out of the way. Rin had already cut the wire. The fixture fell on his fiancée who was carrying their unborn child. His feet jammed to the spot. Mind blank and heart thumping out of his chest. Anyone but her. He kept on chanting in his mind like a motto. She was the only living light in his life. But he daren’t move to check. Because he was scared. Scared that he’ll find her warm pale skin cold to the touch. But the blood seeping out from underneath the fallen ceiling was deceiving his heart which he thought would stop. He didn’t even realise the stream of tears flowing from his eyes. He was glad that he’d informed the other bidders of his beloved’s kidnapping. Mamoru and Soryu dealt with Rin while Baba and Eisuke pulled Mc from underneath the wreckage. Baba checked her pulse but the heartbeat Ota used to drift off to sleep was no longer there. When Baba gave him a look of utter heartbreak he crumbled. He felt like his soul was being torn out of his body. He broke down. Cried his heart out into Baba’s shoulder who’s eyes skimmed with unshed tears. Even Eisuke and Soryu who were usually expressionless wore a face of absolute grief after all she was the only one who looked right through their facades. Who truly knew them for who they were. Rin took not only one but two lives and Ota swore to destroy her.

He didn’t want to attend her funeral. He couldn’t bear to see them lowering her down into the soil. But he had to. For their sake. Caught up in emotion he clung to her grave so much that they had to forcibly pull him away.

That day onwards when it finally sunk in that she was no more, he was filled with despair and anguish. The only emotions he’d feel was regret and agony. He hated it. He wanted to touch her so bad. Take her in his arms. Kiss her silky lips. Hear her say ‘welcome home’ in the cheeky way she did eveyday.

—

4:47 A.M

He got out of the bed which all of a sudden felt really big for a single person. Eyes wet, he made his way to the kitchen to sober up. He was chugging down crisp chilled water when his eyes caught the sight of the silver knives standing upside down on the shelf making him think dangerously.

‘Why don- why don’t I just end it all? I don’t even deserve to live. Maybe it’s the best way’ His thoughts were as clear as pellucid water as he grabbed the knife from the stand.

Baba was returning from a mission when he decided to check up on Ota. Thankfully he had the key to his suite. He did think that maybe he was sleeping but remembering the recurring nightmares he talked about once worried him so he went right in.

He decided to go straight to his bedroom but hearing clatter in the kitchen, he moved in that direction. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Ota with the silver placed on his wrist ready to slash down.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?!” Baba immediately rushed towards him and slapped the knife out of his hand.

“Do you have the slightest idea of what you were doing?” He screamed while Ota moved back startled.

“I swear to god, we lost two of them, we can’t bear to lose you too!” Ota was surprised beyond belief. He honestly didn’t think he’d care this much.

“But Baba, I don’t- I didn’t know what to do. They didn’t fucking deserve to die. She had a problem with me! Why did she take it out on them instead of me?! I want to blame Rin but I know it’s my fault too. I couldn’t even give her a proper wedding. I lost my chance to legally call her my wife. And thumper. I’ll never forgive myself. She was bringing a joy into this world. And I lost that joy. I couldn’t protect them. I feel like I don’t have the right to live!” His body raked with sobs as he sank to the floor. Baba following suit.

“It’s not your fault Ota. Stop blaming yourself. It was all Rin. And she payed back for what she did. Every single thing. Look at yourself. Do you think she would be happy seeing you like this? With you taking your life? And she wouldn’t blame you too because she loves you. She knows how kind you are deep down. And just so you know we’re all sad too. We loved her very much.” Baba rubbed Ota’s back while he let it all out.

“Thank you Baba. Really. For everything.”

“Oh well. Big brother baba helps everyone. Now come on. Get up. Get some sleep. I’ll be out in the lounge if you need me. Sounds good?” Baba asked to which Ota nodded. It was moments like these when Baba was more like a big brother to him. But with his help and the other auction managers, he managed to live through it.

He’d visit their graves every week twice. Took one of the guys with him sometimes. It would take a lot of time to get used to her not being around. But no one could ever take her place. She was the only he ever truly loved and he’ll forever cherish her till he met her again in another lifetime.

. . .

(I wasn’t really that familiar with Ota’s route bec i’ve only read his season one, five and six. But I know all about his personality. But there ya go I completed your request :)) Hope you like it!)

[irwinkitten]

got lucky | c.h

requested by anon: ok so for the bi!reader concept: last year i ended my relationship w this girl the main reason was because she was really insecure and jealous especially about me being bisexual like anytime i would talk to a guy she would just get so upset about it and she would make such gross biphobic comments and at the time i had so much internalised biphobia that i tried to convince myself i was gay n stayed in the relationship longer than i should have because i rly liked her i guess lol anyways (1/4) we ended and a while afterwards i started seeing this guy who i’d known of for ages (friends of friends type situation) but we just never really talked before or hung out but from the first date we clicked and the sex was crazy good like the type of sex were ur ditching ur vibrators cuz he’s that good lmao so one weekend we went to this party together and of course she is also there, i was so surprised and i could see her eyeing us the whole night, so when she came over i was anxious af (2/4) and this guy knew i was bi! it was no secret, i worked really hard to accept myself! so she comes over and she deadass goes “are you straight now? i knew you would end up with a man!” and she’s all smug but also hurt and im standing there like what the fuck and THEN this dumb man goes “ha guess the sex is so good i made her straight again” and i’m literally about to cry over how gross the whole interaction is and im so shocked i can’t even defend myself, i dumped him that night obviously (3/) last messgae: so basically can you pls do a redo of the gross situation where instead of being with that dumb guy its with calum and he is so protective n sweet n NORMAL n encourages u to stand up for urself about bisexuality / your sexuality, because what happened to me happens too often and its disgusting and gross and no one deserves that!! only if u feel comfortable/inspired tho, no pressure!! love u laura, thank u for creating such a safe space for all the queer babies it means a lot 💘 notes: i kinda enjoyed writing this one esp for my sweet anon baby. i love u and i hope this is everything you wanted ♥  warnings: biphobia, implications of emotional abuse

word count: 3.2k

donate to my ko-fi here

-

“Hey what’cha doing sweets?” Calum’s voice pulled you from your musings, your hand idly tracing patterns against the paper but the pen remaining on the desk. You wrenched your thoughts from the spiral you seemed to have fallen down, a smile crossing your lips as you felt your heart flutter at the sight of him.

“Nothin’. Just thinking.” You finally replied as he pulled up one of the spare chairs next to you, the bustling activity of the coffee shop falling into your background noise as his thigh pressed against yours.

“Really? Normally you doodle when you’re just thinking.” He countered with ease and your eyes dropped to the paper, noticing that the pen remained where you’d placed it when you first sat down. Subconsciously you must’ve realised that the route your thoughts had gone were not suitable to put down on paper, your fingers picking up the pen and mind falling blank immediately.

“Oh.” You breathed before placing the pen back down and packing away the pad and pen.

“What’s running through your head, doll?” Calum’s voice was quiet and concerned, you shrugged.

“Just, a lot on my mind is all. You’re not my keeper just because we’ve slept together.” You admitted quietly and he frowned before picking up his bag and for a sinking second you thought he was going to walk off, but instead, he took your bag from your hands and slung it over his shoulder. 

He looked back at you expectantly and you sighed before standing up, leaving the coffee shop with him, your eyes on the floor as you fell into step next to him.

“Your place or mine?”

“E’s gonna be home and I don’t want to hear them rant about me bringing people back.” You muttered and Calum nodded. 

“I think Ash is out. He’ll probably head out to Luke’s if I show up with you.” At his smirk, you rolled your eyes fondly before shoving him towards the bus stop. His indignant “hey!” was only ignored as you two waited for the bus, his arm slung over your shoulders.

Selfishly, you leaned into his touch, trying to ignore the fact that your stomach was doing flips at his touch alone. 

The bus journey was a quiet ten minutes, but Calum seemed to understand that you weren’t willing to talk with so many people around, so he was content to just keep you close, and you were unwilling to pull away until his stop came up.

When you reached his shared house with Ashton, you noted that the car was gone from the driveway and Calum smirked.

“Looks like he’s out. C’mon.” His hand tucked around yours and pulled you inside. And for a second you wondered if you could distract him with sex, but then the guilt appeared and you could feel the tears of frustration appear as your thoughts swirled and you felt dizzy.

Calum had stepped ahead, turning to see you stood leaning against the closed door, head in your hands and he knew something was wrong. Stepping back to you, he dropped your bags and took your hand in his, pulling you upstairs to his room and your stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“Cal I-”

“I’m not suggesting that.” He muttered. You fell silent at that and as he pulled you into his room, you felt unsure, but he gave you no chance to really deny him as he crawled into bed before opening his arms out to you.

“Cal.”

“I know you. You don’t do emotional stuff well but I’m here for a cuddle and an ear if you need it.” You fell into the embrace easily, your head resting on his chest as his arms wrapped around your shoulders, his lips finding your temple as you finally felt something in you snap, the surge of emotions overwhelming and frighteningly vivid. 

“I keep telling myself that I never was a lesbian, that I still found men attractive but Poppy made me feel like having that attraction was stupid since I was dating her and that I was a lesbian and it’s so fucking confusing because I like you, but I can hear her voice screeching that I’m not right, that I’m a lesbian or faking it or a freak.” And for the first time since you left Poppy, you cried.

Calum had been waiting for this. When the split had happened, you’d been ready for it, you’d already left her mentally, but this was what he knew you needed. He knew that the relationship with her had been toxic, but you’d never revealed the extent of her behaviour. 

His heart broke.

“Just because you like both men and women does not mean you should feel so guilty over your sexuality. There’s a B in LGBT for a reason, doll. That’s you. You’re bisexual and you should be proud of that, not ashamed because some bitch with a control issue couldn’t handle the fact that you liked more than women.” 

You found yourself gripping his shirt with your fists as you pressed your face into his chest, trying to stem the tears that seemed relentless. But Calum held his silence whilst you got it out of your system, knowing that you needed to get this off your chest. 

“I’m sorry.” You finally got out, but he simply shushed you. 

“She was a shitty person with an attitude to show. You shouldn’t apologise for the bitch.” His words were simple but it gave you a breath of ease, pulling away as hands rubbed your shoulders gently. 

He was definitely too good to you, but he was there for you regardless and you were certain that you loved him for that.

“There’s gonna be a party on the other side of town in a couple of weeks. Ash took over the old Firefly down on Hartley. He’s revamping before opening the bar to the public. You fancy going?” And you smiled at the gentle distraction he was offering. 

“We get at least a free drink if we show up, right?” And Calum laughed as he kissed your temple. 

“He wouldn’t say no to me. Or you. In fact, I’m almost certain he’s expecting me to do full introductions on that night since Luke and Mike will be there with the others and their girls.” You rolled your eyes. 

“It’s not like I went to school with Luke or anything.” Came your sarcastic retort and Calum laughed as the two of you settled for the evening. 

“Pretty sure Luke last saw you when you started dating Poppy. He’s put two and two together but he won’t say anything unless you mention it. Even then he knows it’s not his place.” Your heart seemed to swell another size in affection for Luke. 

“You’re making it difficult for me to not fall in love with you Cal. Good dick, you know how to use those lips and fingers of yours, you make me feel like I belong and you respect boundaries without me having to ask.” You finally muttered and Calum gave you an almost wistful smile. 

“You may have been with Poppy but that didn’t stop me from being friends with you. You’re someone I’ve genuinely cared about from day one. Not gonna chuck that away because of who you are. Plus growing up with my mom and sister almost made certain I’d be in touch with my feminine side.” He teased but the sincerity and understanding in his tone eased your shoulders. 

Your features softened at the admittance and you pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Then I definitely got lucky to have you in my life at least, falling in love or not.”

—

When the day of the party rolled around, you felt sick with nerves and you couldn’t understand why. 

When Calum rolled up to pick you up—he was driving to Luke’s who lived closest to the bar and you’d both get a ride back to yours before he picked up his car the following morning—he could see the nerves and the grimace on his face spoke volumes. 

“What?” You all but demanded when you were debating outfits. He’d been sitting on the bed watching, but got up and held his hands out to you. 

You took them hesitantly. His thumbs almost immediately started to soothe across the back of your hands to help relax you. 

“Word has gotten around that Poppy is planning to show up. We haven’t exactly been quiet about our relationship, but I didn’t think she’d pull something like this.” And your stomach churned uncomfortably. 

“We’re still going. Ashton promised free drinks and we’ll be in the VIP area right?” You checked and Calum nodded.

“Ashton has already told the bouncers that she’s not allowed near the VIP section. They’re checking and rechecking the lists to make sure she isn’t on one of them.” He explained and you let out a breath of air. 

“Okay. It’ll be fine. It’s being handled and I’ve got you. Now which outfit do you think I should wear?” He studied your face for a second before a smile broke across his lips. 

“The dark purple with the deep plunge. Is it wrong of me to flaunt in her face what she lost?” And you laughed as you kissed him. 

“I mean, yes. But I also know that you want to show me off properly now that we’ve got things really settled.” You murmured and he grinned back unabashedly. 

It was still an uphill battle, but he’d given you a lot to think about. And after gentle convincing, you’d found an LGBT friendly therapist who helped you process your thoughts. It helped you come to terms with accepting the toxic relationship that you’d been in but also it highlighted how beneficial Calum had been as a friend and confidant. 

It also gave you the courage to ask Calum out officially, wanting to be with him entirely and not just in the evenings. 

He took that in his stride and things shifted once more between the two of you. When you opened up to him about some of your sessions, you knew that your trust had been well placed because he never indicated anything to his friends and so you were never subjected to pitying stares or glares. 

You were almost sure that you’d fall in love with him faster than you fell for Poppy. 

The drive to Luke’s was filled with your nerves. You hadn’t seen Luke in years and you were also meeting his two other friends, Ashton and Michael as well as their partners. 

“Ashton’s excited to finally meet you and stop telling me to be careful when I go to yours.” 

Despite Calum living with Ashton, your schedules never seemed to match and more often than not, Calum could be found at your place, a small sanctuary from your hectic lives. 

Ashton never begrudged that time you shared together, but Calum had mentioned a few times about how snappy he was being on the subject. 

“He’ll chill when he realises I’m not out to break your heart or steal something.” You muttered with a chuckle. Calum snorted in return as he pulled into Luke’s driveway. 

Your nerves return full force as he pulls you to the front door and steps in like he lives there. 

“Hey fuckers, anyone about?” He called through and was met with calls of confirmation, another yell following that they were in the dining room. Your fingers squeezed Calum’s tightly and he didn’t hesitate to return it, his thumb soothing across the skin on the back of your hand.

“Look who it is!” A voice crowed loudly as he stepped into the dining room, followed by loud calls of greetings. 

There was a flurry of introductions and you felt like the spotlight was being shone on you, under scrutiny from his best friends gazes once they had greeted their friend and Calum had introduced you. Or re-introduced you in Luke’s case.

“Well c’mon, the last time I saw you we were leaving school. What’s been happening to you?” Luke finally asked, indicating to the seat next to him. A small smile graced your lips as you sat down, Calum falling into the seat next to you as you shrugged. 

“Life I guess? It’s been definitely more interesting with the different jobs and moving about. Building up a social life again.” Luke’s face filled with a frown at that. 

Michael came in next. 

“Building up a social life? Did you not have one?” His words held an innocent curiosity, yet you felt yourself hesitate. 

“My ex was controlling to the point that I couldn’t do anything without their permission. They managed to make me believe that no one really wanted me around and I lost touch with old friends, like Luke.” You glanced to the side and he was frowning. 

The others held varying degrees of stunned shock or disapproval. 

“Well then he was a cunt.” Michael muttered and your eyes refused to meet theirs at the assumptions. Luke stayed quiet but his hand rested on your knee, squeezing it. You shot him a gentle smile in return.

“Well it’ll be good to have you back in our lives. Especially with these two knuckleheads.” He nodded at Ashton and Michael who immediately protested and you laughed. 

It felt like you’d known them for years as you all had a few shots. Ashton, despite being the owner of the bar, wasn’t worried about turning up with his friends. He’d already explained to his staff that he’d be around for the rest of the night once he arrived and he’d told the small groups he’d be here and there. 

After a handful of shots, the group of you made your way to the bar, your arm linked with Calum’s. There were separate conversations happening between you all, their girlfriends including you on their pamper night whilst the boys discussed a possible games night for all of you. 

When you arrived at the club, you saw the queue of people waiting to get in and the subsequent groans from the line as the bouncer let you in, no questions asked. 

Ashton guided the group of you to the VIP section and the music was still loud but you could still hear each other talking. You were chatting away with Luke’s girlfriend, arm still linked with Calum’s as Ashton disappeared to get drinks. 

Calum pulled your attention away briefly, his lips by your ear. 

“I’ve spotted her. She’s not seen us yet so don’t worry.” You barely nodded, acknowledging his words as you listened in, fighting to keep your nerves down. 

The night continued and you were all a few drinks deep. Calum’s arm had barely left your waist all night as you talked and danced and drank. You’d been welcomed into his group of friends with an ease you never realised existed. 

You’d deliberately not tried to seek out Poppy, silently praying that the universe would comply. But as the group of you stood out in the smokers area, huddled together under a heating lamp, your stomach sank as she stepped out, her eyes narrowing on you. 

“Fuckin’ knew it!” You could feel the alarm in your face as you stepped back into Calum, his arm going around you protectively. 

“Poppy, you’re drunk.” You felt curious gazes from your new friends, but you didn’t spare them a glance.

“You break up with me and go running to his arms, I knew you weren’t a fuckin lesbian. Pretending to try it out? Just another straight girl seeking attention. Fucking freak.” She snapped and your stomach sank. 

“Get it through your thick head that she’s bisexual.” Calum snapped in your defence, earning a glare from Poppy. But Calum didn’t shrink from the glare, your glance to his face confirmed he was giving her his own. You were mildly impressed that she didn’t back down instantly. 

“She’s a fuckin liar! Years of my life wasted on this bitch.” She spat at your feet and you took in a deep breath. 

“You don’t get to control me anymore, Poppy. I’ve liked both men and women, but you never liked that because it meant that I had more chances of leaving you. And I wished I’d have left you sooner. Calum certainly thought so.” 

“Of course you fucked the first man to pay you any attention.” Your heart sank once more at her declaration and you felt your mind fall into the old trap that you’d fought with for so long. 

“No she never. In fact she slept with a few girls long before she slept with me. But I was her best friend as she tried to deal with the mess you created in her mind.” Calum snapped back. You felt your heart swell for him. 

Poppy stepped forward, her hand raised but then Ashton stepped in front of you. 

“Get out. You’re no longer welcome in this bar.” He made a gesture and security slowly made their way over. 

“She shouldn’t be fucking welcome!” Poppy yelled back, but Ashton held firm. 

“She is my friend. You are not. Get. Out.” When the bouncer rested a hand on her arm, she shrugged it off and stormed away. Your entire body was trembling.

“So that was the ex, huh?” Michael commented and you could feel your hands trembling as you nodded. “Why didn’t you correct me?” Calum spoke up for you as his hands took yours. 

“It’s been a battle for her. Poppy had convinced her she was a lesbian, that she was wrong for having any attraction to men. In Poppy’s world, either your gay, lesbian or straight. Being bisexual isn’t acceptable in her eyes.” Calum’s arms wrapped around you and you stood there, holding onto him for dear life. 

“Well that makes two of us then.” Michael’s casual comment had your knees go weak and you let out a weak laugh. 

“Thank you Ash.” You finally murmured when you pulled away from Calum. Ashton didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you in a warm hug that was both comforting and reassuring. 

“Hey, you’ve been the best thing for my best mate. And you were friends with Luke once before. I’ve definitely got your back. And I get why you didn’t say anything and don’t hold that against you.” He muttered and you breathed a sigh of relief before returning to Calum’s embrace. 

“More drinks or are we gonna go back to Luke’s?” And you shook your head. 

“Let’s stay. I’m not gonna let her ruin it,” you leaned forwards so your lips were by his ear as the others went inside, “also I want to see if we can christen the bar in one of the toilets.” You breathed. Calum groaned as his grip around you got tighter and he pulled you in for a kiss that promised more. 

“Oh you’re so fucked sweetheart. Especially since I know where the individual lips are and they aren’t attended by anyone.” You held back a moan at that thought before pulling away, your hand in his. 

“Dance first?” And the innocence in your tone made him laugh as he followed behind you willingly. 

“Menace.” The term was laced with affection as he caught up to you, kissing the spot just below your ear. 

You simply grinned in return as you pulled him onto the dance floor, Poppy long forgotten as he danced with you. 

-

@sexgodashton, @goth5sos, @calumsmermaid, @empathycth, @wildflowergrae, @calpops, @rosecolouredash, @cal-puddies, @clockwork124, @loveroflrh, @stellar5sosrecs, @ashtoniwir, @cthla, @liketheydidwithyou, @sc0ttish-wildfl0wer​, @bluehairedtracii, @drummerboy794, @feliznavidaddycal, @i-calumhood, @wokeupinjapanisabop, @converse-luke, @madbomb, @ccnicole02, @youngblood199456, @aulxna, @megz1985, @lukesidentitycrisis, @snapback-irwie, @neonweeknds, @666yourwitchyfriend666, @gamerboymike, @cashtonasfuck, @ashtaway, @conquerwhatliesahead92, @itjustkindahappenedreally, @twoamhood, @kchillout, @damselindistressanu, @colormekaykay, @findingliam-o, @sublimehood, @sugarcoated-pain, @singt0mecalum, @singledadharrington​, @calumspeachy​, @colourfulcalum​, @lostincalum​, @burncrashbromance​, @asht0ns-world​, @a-mnd, @flusteredcliffo​, @loti18​, @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​, @clumclum-hood​, @fangirl-everythang​, @lashtondaddies​, @calumssunshine​, @ambskiwi​, @abundant-stars​, @caltattoohood, @seedless-vascular, @myescapefromthislife​, @lmao5sosimagines​, @beyoncesdragon​, @jae-writes-fanfiction​, @cxddlyash​, @tresfandom​, @utterly-u-n-p-e-r-f-e-c-t​, @niallisworld​, @lietomevalntyn​, @babylon-corgis​, @monochrome44​, @behind-my-hazeleyes27​, @ghost0fy0u​, @lyllibug​, @bloodmoonashton​, @balsamic-cal, @calumsbaldhead​, @washedout-ky, @calumssunshinee​, @ghostofmashton​, @summerellaz​, @a-little-less-sixteen​, @cashworthy​, @smokeinherlungs​, @longlastingdaydream​, @h0tsos​, @sweetcherrymike​, @5sosnsfw​, @sugar-nico​, @sunnysideblog, @angel-cal​, @samros95​, @maluminspace​, @lukeinblue​, @cakesunflower​, @allamerican-betch​,  @britnicole11​, @gigglyirwin​, @everyscarisahealingplace, @loverofcashton​, @iovehemmings​, @g-l-pierce​, @jannimoeller3​, @wildmichaelflower​, @lukeskisses​, @5sossstan​, @youngbloodchild​, @alloutofcashton​, @tobefalling​, @abb-lan-5sos​, @calumsbub​, @flameraine​, @here-for-the-uproars​, @mateisit-balsamic​, @ilovelukey​, @sarahshepherdblog​

[omg-imagine]

⊱ Forget Me Not (1/15) ⊰

Pairing: Keanu Reeves x Reader

Summary: After you wake up from a coma and realize that your memories from the last five years have been erased, Keanu works to bring back what you have lost.

Words: 2k

Warnings: Mention of car accident, injuries

A/N: This is my first attempt in doing a series and I’m super excited/nervous. Everything’s mostly outlined already and I’m hoping to post a new chapter every Sunday.  If you’d like to be tagged in this, let me know! 

As always, I hope you enjoy!

The heavy rain poured down from the dark skies, battering against the roof of Keanu’s Porsche like a hail of bullets. Loud roars of thunder filled the gaps of silence every few minutes, followed by bright flashes of lightning that illuminated the world outside. The wipers moved impressively fast as they tried to sweep the droplets of water away from the windshield. Still, they could barely keep up with the torrent of rain hammering the city of Los Angeles.

Turning down a corner, Keanu cursed under his breath when he realized that the road was flooded. He quickly made a U-Turn back onto the main street, his tires skidding across the wet pavement. He searched for an alternative way that he could take, but the chaotic storm only made it more difficult for him to do so. He could hardly see what was ahead of him, and he was beginning to lose his patience.

Fortunately, Keanu was able to find an access road leading to the freeway. He knew it wasn’t safe going twenty miles above the posted speed limit, but he had already lost too much time trying to navigate through the storm. All he cared about at that moment was that the faster he drove, the quicker he got to you.

He could still remember every word of that phone call from nearly an hour ago. It was from an unknown number, and initially, he didn’t want to answer it just in case you decided to call him back. But something in his gut told Keanu to answer, and he did. It had been a nurse on the other line saying that you were in an accident, and you were rushed to the emergency room in critical condition. As soon as he heard that you were hurt, he was already running out of the door.

His eyes glistened as he thought back to the moment before you had left your shared home in such a haste. Keanu blamed himself for giving you a reason to leave the house while a storm raged outside. He should have held back his tongue, took your car keys, and convinced you harder enough to stay. If only he had done just that, you wouldn’t be in this situation right now.

The rest of the drive to the hospital was a blur. After driving for fifteen minutes when it should have taken Keanu at least thirty, he finally arrived in front of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He parked his vehicle in a nearby lot before rushing towards the entrance, the pitiless rain soaking his hair and clothes in an instant. Reaching the glass doors, they parted for Keanu to step inside, and he immediately headed to the main desk ahead.

“Hi, I-I’m here for my partner, Y/N Y/LN,” he managed to say as he caught his breath.

The nurse nodded, checking her system for your information. “Yes, I was the one who called. Your name was listed as Y/N’s emergency contact. According to the last update on here, it says that she was wheeled into surgery about thirty minutes ago, Mr. Reeves.”

“Is she going to be alright?” Keanu asked wearily, hoping that her answer was what he wanted to hear.

It wasn’t.

“We don’t know yet, sir,” she replied sadly before placing a clipboard on top of the counter. “You can sit in the waiting room until the procedure is over. In the meantime, we need you to fill out these papers on her behalf.”

With a nod of his head, Keanu walked down the hall with the paperwork and a pen in hand. The waiting area was stark and quiet. The television mounted on the wall was playing a movie, not that there was anyone paying attention to it. There were a couple of other people scattered in the room, though most were asleep due to the late hour of the night.

Keanu took a lone seat in one corner of the room, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of his drenched clothing sticking to his skin. He then pushed his long hair back, letting out a deep sigh. The adrenaline had finally subsided, and he had the opportunity to just breathe. He already knew that this was going to be a long wait, and he didn’t want to spend the whole time mulling about the things that he could have done to prevent this. As a start, he decided to concentrate on filling up the paper with your information first.

Most of the questions it asked were basic, nothing that Keanu couldn’t answer. After being together for nearly five years, he knew everything there was to know about you. He knew all of your favorite songs, the foods you liked and disliked, the names of your closest friends, and more.

You had been nothing but kind and understanding to Keanu from the moment you two met. It wasn’t an easy life living under the public eye because of his job as an actor, but you’ve always handled it so well. No other person he has ever dated had made him feel so happy and complete. To him, you were the most precious thing in the entire world, and he has never loved someone so deeply until you came along.

God, why did he have to screw up so badly?

Keanu set aside the clipboard and buried his face in his hands. He needed to call your parents and tell them what had happened. With a sharp exhale, he fished out his phone from his pocket and called your father. As the phone rang in his ear, he planned inside his head how he was going to break the news.

“Hi, Keanu,” your father greeted. He sounded as if he had just woken up, which he probably did. It was only five in the morning where they lived on the east coast. “Is everything okay, son?”

Son. Keanu was very close to your parents since the day you introduced him to them. They had quickly taken a liking on him, seeing that he was the first man you’ve dated that treated you right. Your parents loved Keanu as if he were one of their own, and it broke his heart knowing that this was all his fault.

“I’m sorry for waking you up, but...” Keanu began, his voice starting to break as he tried to find the right words. “It’s Y/N.”

“What? What happened?”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Keanu told your father about your current condition. As expected, your parents would be taking the first flight out of New York to be with you. After an exchange of reassuring words, the call ended, and Keanu couldn’t hold back any longer, letting his tears finally fall.

An hour went by, then another and another. The clock on display made time felt as though it was moving much slower, making the wait much more unbearable. Keanu would glance up, and in every instance, he swore that the second hand would linger an extra minute at every passing second.

The padded chairs didn’t bring much comfort throughout the night. Every so often, he would walk around the room, stretching his legs for a bit before returning to his seat. Despite exhaustion threatening to take over, Keanu pushed it aside for as long as he could. He was afraid that if he dared to shut his eyes, he would see the nightmare that was already haunting him even while awake.

Keanu did whatever he could to pass the time. He texted his mother and sisters about where you were, not expecting an answer right away because he was sure they were still asleep. He then attempted to read some of the outdated magazines available and watched whatever was on the television. He even resorted to simply staring at the window and watching the rain as it pelted against the glass.

But none of them were enough to distract Keanu. All he could think about was your well-being, and how you didn’t deserve to go through this. He didn’t want to lose you, and the mere thought of it was scaring him. You had so much life left to live, and it wouldn’t be fair for the universe to suddenly take it away.

Eventually, the storm relented, and the skies that were black shifted to blue, signaling a new day of life. The sun rose slowly yet surely, its natural light bringing a sense of calm to Keanu. For a brief moment, he basked in the peacefulness, only wishing that you were there with him to enjoy it.

“Mr. Reeves?”

Keanu turned around, his eyes catching sight of a doctor standing before him. He instantly pushed himself up from his seat, extending his hand for a shake.

“Keanu, and you must be Y/N’s doctor.”

“Yes, my name is Dr. Henderson,” the older gentleman introduced. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing alright, I guess,” he replied with a slight shrug. “How’s Y/N?”

“Well, when Y/N first arrived, she was in bad shape, but we managed to stabilize her. The car accident caused a lot of internal bleeding that we were able to stop during the surgery,” Henderson explained as Keanu took in every word that was said. “Unfortunately, she’s not out of the woods yet. She did sustain severe head trauma, and as a result, she’s currently in a coma. We won’t know the extent of her injuries until after she wakes up.”

Keanu lowered his head, releasing the breath he was holding. “And when will she wake up?”

The doctor sighed, and that’s when Keanu looked up, seeing the uncertainty painted on the other man’s face. “I’m sorry, Mr. Reeves. We don’t know how long it’ll take. It could be days, weeks, maybe even months.”

“Okay,” was all that Keanu could say after a while. “Can I see her?”

Dr. Henderson gave him a sympathetic smile and a nod. “Of course.”

Henderson led the way as Keanu trailed closely behind. The walk to your room seemed endless. Every hallway they turned down to looked the same as the last. The blank white walls of the hospital felt cold, constricting and unwelcoming, it was becoming a place where a person like you shouldn’t belong.

Soon, they reached the foot of your door, your last name printed on a placard just below the room number. All Keanu had to do now was push down on the handle and open the door. His mind prepared him for what he was about to see. But as soon as he entered inside, it was worse than what he could imagine.

He crossed the room with cautious steps, afraid that if he were loud enough, it might disturb you. Your body was hooked on many machines, none of which he could possibly know what for other than they helped keep you alive. Once he reached your bedside, Keanu saw your delicate skin littered with the reds of your scratches and the blues of your bruises. Seeing you this way made his chest tightened, and if he could, he would trade places with you so that you no longer had to suffer.

Your body laid very still, and it was unnerving for Keanu to witness. Bringing a chair closer, he then sat down beside your bed, reaching out to hold your uninjured hand. He asked himself how you could look so peaceful after experiencing so much pain. If you had been awake, you would have surely given him a smart answer, and the two of you would then laugh about it.

Keanu felt the tears pricking his eyes as he continued to grasp your hand in his. He would do anything in the world just to hear the sweet sound of your laughter again. Though he was unsure of what tomorrow and the following days would bring, he knew that he would be right there by your side, waiting for you to wake up from your deep sleep.

Because despite everything that has happened, Keanu loved you, and he made a vow that he would never give up on you no matter what.

Part 2

Tagged: @penwieldingdreamer​

[soulwillower]

separate seas • bill denbrough

(bill denbrough x plus size!reader)   

requested: Hi! Can I request another fic? I was thinking a Bill Denbrough x plus size reader were the reader was Bill’s next door neighbour who survived a Pennywise attack. When the Losers reunite Mike suggests to meet up with the reader because she wants to kill Pennywise the most. She now stutters (much like Bill did) and is very reclusive. It's not a full idea but I think you could write something great! Thanks!

warnings: swearing, fluff, poorly written, unedited

i was going to make it angsty but i just couldn't write it for some reason, im sorry  <3 i dont know how i feel about this, i’ve been trying to write for a while and have been discouraged /feeling bleh abt my writing but i truly hope u guys enjoy this!

[takes place during the events of chapter 2]

2.2k words

♡

bill was floored at the emotions that coursed through him at mike’s words. of course, he was already floored by the sheer amount of information and memories that had taken to his mind like a brick wall to the face - poorly - so why did this brick wall hit so much harder than the other? mike’s words ring in bill’s ears like a church bell.

y/n, we have to go see y/n.

the air of the jade orient becomes increasingly stale and bill has to wipe his face with his forearm. he remembers suddenly a book he’d written nearing ten years prior to this moment, titled the plague of dawn.  it makes him frown in confusion. why did he think of that?

the book wasn’t anything special, in fact it was one of his lowest-grossing novels, despite it being one of his own personal favorites. there was a protagonist who was investigating the death of a young boy, and a mysterious love interest - a woman who was bright but with a troubled past and, from what bill remembers writing, a curvy figure and stunning eyes.

odd to remember that in such a time, but he supposes everything has been odd tonight. but bottom line, it was nothing special. in fact, the novel had been very cheesy, but it had stuck with him in this moment for some unknown reason.

y/n.... bill remembers cloudy memories of a girl with bright eyes and laughter. he sees his house, next to it, a blue one; georgie, with a bright smile, running up to a girl who came out of the garage of the blue house to the left. she hugs him and his arms squeeze around her middle, his face half buried in her soft stomach. he remembers thinking she is beautiful. 

looking around, he sees that the others are slowly remembering her too, but he thinks briefly that they certainly have different memories.

“not that i don’t miss her, but… why y/n?” bev asks. the pieces were falling into place, it seemed, all at the same time in their own heads. “wait. didn’t she go to the hospital for-“ eddie starts rushed, but richie snaps a few times as he speaks up.

“oh, fuck. wait- It. It got her, right? and she survived?” richie says, fingers pressing on his head as he squints. he looks just as pained as bill feels when  memories of her - and of It - fill his senses.

your eyes. your laugh. your hair. your skin. your silhouette. the bedsheets bill would sometimes catch a glimpse of when he looked out his own window. much like the ones he wrote for the plague of dawn’s  - oh.

bill can’t help but drop his head into his palms in realization - had he written a character based off of a repressed memory of a childhood crush? christ.

“…she was bill’s neighbor.” ben adds, looking puzzled. everyone turns to look at bill, and he swallows. “y-uh, y-yeah. i r-remember.” and he does. "sh-she was attacked right at the beginning of the s-summer." it's silent. "she wants It dead more than anyone. we need her help." mike says, standing up.

and then twenty minutes later, bill finds himself on an unfamiliar porch step with five of his childhood friends, staring at an unopened door. why is he so fucking anxious to see her? will she remember him? will she care?

mike has to knock three times before the door opens, revealing a woman that makes bill's breath falter.

“h-holy shit.” the woman mutters, eyes flickering between everyone on her porch step. those eyes. bill would recognize them anywhere. she looks different than he remembers, but more than likely she’s matured just as much as him in the last twenty some years. she looks really good.

"y/n." mike says, giving her a tight-lipped smile. bill watches her, her face even and unrevealing. she doesn't try to hug anybody. there’s a long, staggering scar that pokes through the collar of her shirt, and yes, now bill knows for sure that this is his old neighbor, y/n. 

she seems to have the same eyes, the same face. he wonders briefly if she remembers him the way he remembers her.

“what’s g-going on?” she says, looking suspicious of the group in front of her, eyes flitting over everybody with little to no emotion. it feels like a cool breeze blows down the spine of everyone present. 

bill takes in her figure and swallows, shocked to be seeing her so suddenly. she catches his eyes and recognition flickers in the depths of her face, a small quirk of her lips betraying her menacing stare.

“caroling group.” richie deadpans, bringing everyone back down to the present as his hands are in his pockets and he’s rocking on his heels. bill barely spares a glance behind him to richie as he stares at y/n. does she have a stutter too? she didn’t always have it. the look on her face is mysterious and pained.

"we need your help." mike says, giving her a look. as bill watches her reaction, he can’t help but feel like the seven of them were all swimming in separate seas at the same time, being masked by a false sense of belonging. was this going to work? could they really do it? 

y/n seems to understand grimly, like she feels whatever this is too, as she takes in the faces of people she hadn't seen in years. but then she turns away, walking back into her house. bill blinks.

at first he thinks she's abandoning them, but then she waves her hand expectantly. she does actually invite them in, leaving bill to watch in curiosity as she leads them to a back room in her house, seemingly unwillingly. she seems determined, but not very excited. he doesn't blame her.

they all sit awkwardly as mike and y/n talk about the summer of '89.

"our wh-whole town was full of nightm-mares. not just It." y/n shrugs, the cloud of mystery and self-isolation wrapping her up and pulling her farther and farther out of bill's reach.

"b-bowers." bill says, noticing how y/n's eyes dart to ben's quickly. she and ben went through very similar situations with bowers and the memory of their fucked up childhood makes bill's head spin.

"th-that doesn't matter r-right now." y/n says dismissively, waving her hand. bill stares at the table as he remembers the the character he wrote in the plague of dawn - the love interest had been tormented relentlessly, particularly for her weight.

god, how awful is that? bill didn't even mean to, but he had essentially broadcasted y/n's life into a novel.

“y-you punched him, once.” bill blurts, a laugh escaping his lips. y/n looks at him and for the first time, she looks like her old self, smiling and happy. 

“y-yeah, i suppose i d-did, bill. he d-d-deserved it.” she says, smug look quickly retreating back to the wall of blank emotion. something stirs him on, “you got that r-right. it was inc-credible, that was th-the best thing i’d e-ever seen. i was o-obsessed with y-you.” 

its silent and bill realizes what he just said.  “well this is awkward.” richie says with a grin, nudging both ben and eddie’s sides. they just give him a look. y/n’s smirking at the table and bev is grinning at bill with a knowing look. 

"-we're going to kill It." mike says, voice wavering only slightly, breaking the tension. and just like that, the moment is over. bill shivers but he nods, looking over richie, to eddie, to bev, then ben, mike, and finally y/n.

"yeah, well. f-fighting I-It wasn't too easy, i'm sure you kn-know." y/n says shortly, her fingers ghosting over the scar on her chest. bill's stomach flutters with something between fear and admiration. he remembers - she doesn't have to say it. they're all remembering.

she had been outside in the ravine down the street by herself when pennywise had found her. bill remembers sirens, he remembers the blood as she stumbled across the street towards their houses. he remembers watching her get carried to the hospital and then riding silver down to the clubhouse to tell the others. he doesn't remember much else from that summer, just a whole lot of pain and fear. but he remembers not hearing her voice much, or seeing her nearly at all those days. he had missed her, but he'd never said anything.

the bubbly girl was not quite there anymore.

she speaks up and immediately pull bill's attention from his thoughts. "but this time, we're a-all going to b-be together. It is g-going to die."

after the conversation and getting y/n to agree (which wasn't very hard, she was very determined), bill was left with a bitter taste in his mouth and a pit in his stomach. it was weird being back in derry, and catching y/n's eye, he could tell she thought it was weird for them to be back too.

bill was exhausted and thought he might be sick, head swirling around with images of the jade of the orient, of stan, of pennywise, and georgie. he feels empty, and so he can’t help himself from asking y/n to come back and grab a drink at the townhouse.

he needs a distraction, or something. something. 

she had shaken her head, but instead taken him by the elbow and told him she had a full bottle of scotch in her cabinet. he was shocked to receive an invitation to stay longer at the reclusive y/n’s house, considering how withdrawn she’d been (understandably) this whole time, but he eagerly told the others he would see them back at the townhouse. he ignores richie when he makes lewd gestures through the window as they all leave.  

when they’re in her house alone, she places what is indeed a full bottle of unopened, aged scotch on her table unceremoniously as her hair shines in the lamplight and her clothes cling to her shape.

he tries not to linger his eyes on her body but can’t help to admire her curves and how soft her skin looks as she places a glass in front of him, pouring out three fingers, no rocks.

he doesn’t flinch, completely intending on finishing this glass and then some if he’s going to do this whole fucking thing.

"it’s from the t-trauma." she says and he blinks at her, confused. she smirks lightly, as if mocking herself. "the stutter." she elaborates, and he nods slowly. he understands that.

"m-mine came back wh-when i did." he explains. it’s quiet again and he watches as she pours her own glass. he’s slightly thrown off as he watches her move the bottle over to set it on top of a stack of paperback novels. he skims the stack, his eyes catching bold lettering: THE PLAGUE OF DAWN.

he almost laughs, but his stomach  coils tightly with something akin to embarrassment.

his body carries him to pick the book up, plopping back down after it's clutched in his hands. “d-did you read this?” he asks, looking at her with a raised brow.

she grins, not looking a single bit ashamed. “y-yeah, i did.”

well, fuck. 

“the m-main character, it’s…” he starts, unsure how to say it. but she never left, she never forgot anything - did she notice? 

she nods slowly, face flushing. “i’ve talked with mike long en-enough to know you didn’t remember me wh-when you w-wrote it. i just… i can’t help but n-notice…”

“it’s you, y/n. i d-didn’t- i don’t think i really kn-knew it then. wh-when i wrote it, i kn-knew i was writing about my ch-childhood, i just- i didn’t realize…i’m s-sorry.”

“i know.” she says simply and there it is again, the mysterious shroud that prevents bill from knowing y/n y/l/n fully. its awkward for a moment, and then : “did you at least l-like it?”

she cracks a grin as she sips on her scotch. she’s beautiful and it makes bill blush almost like he’s 13 again and completely unsure how to flirt with this woman.

“well, i don’t know. y-you killed me off, b-bill. wh-who kills off the l-love interest before they get any c-closure?” she says, lifting a brow. bill can’t help the sheepish grin nor the blush from creeping onto his face. 

"its f-fucked!" she adds. he can't help but huff a laugh, feeling eerily similar to how he used to feel when he was young. and he was okay with that.

“n-no it isn’t- i just, i- people l-loved it, okay.” he defends half-heartedly, knowing it to be untrue. she laughs openly at this, watching him as he thumbs through the pages of his own words, looking embarrassed.

“it’s so c-cute that you think that, b-bill.” she says coyly. he looks up from the book then, a grin of his own on his face as his cheeks dust pink. she’s pulling his leg. 

"you- er, i just c-can't believe th-this all happened." he mutters, scratching his head. she lifts a brow and it flusters him again so he tries to add on. "and i wish th-that i hadn't forgotten it. y-you, particularly." his words come out awkwardly and he feels like a dumbass.

“p-poetic, denbrough.” she grins, hands grabbing his shoulders gently. he grins at her, raising his hands to her shoulder and another to her waist, squeezing the soft skin. he shrugs, "what can i s-say, i-"

and then before he can add anything more, she closes the gap, leaning to press her lips against his. it's soft at first, as if being gentle after the black hole of trauma they are soon to reopen. 

it’s bold and shocking and surprising. 

but bill moves his lips against hers and they both come to life, kissing fiercely as the world stops around them. there's pain in the kiss, there's devastation, there's fear. but there’s also light, there's love. he feels it all as she kisses him.

when they pull apart, bill looks at her with wide eyes. "that was- unexpected." he says as she stares up at him. he can't tear his eyes away from her and she shrugs, staring back in shock,"i-i’m sorry." she says quickly, hands still holding her face. she stares up at him, "d-did i fuck it up, th-though?"

she looks like she already knows the answer but wants to hear him say it for himself.

he shakes his head, "d-don’t think so, y-y/n." he pulls her in for another kiss and she sighs into his mouth, holding him tightly.

 there’s still a looming sense of dread over their heads, staring down at them with its ugly impending danger. but he has her in his arms and he can’t believe it. 

and maybe, it'll be okay. maybe these separate seas aren’t too different. 

[ticklybtswriter]

what you deserve

summary: you had been teasing your lers too much for their liking. one particular tactic to get the tickles you craved, though, proved to be a bit too effective.

request: Finally thought of a request: could you write a scenario where you've been teasing the boys a lot, like exposing your spots in front of them or mentioning how sensitive you are, until they get frustrated and gang up on you? Love your writing btw :)

warnings: nsfw-ish themes (not soft tickles at all skdfmlksdfm), bondage, being nearly naked but not entirely, kind of submissive/dominant if you look close, excessive use of princess because this is me we’re talking about there

author’s note: brought the brat out for this one, guys... i hate saying that because it means i’ve admitted defeat... but anyway, i’m really excited for this fic!! i’m always a fan of punishment tickles akmflskmdf ahhh

Let’s get one thing straight: you knew what you had done. You were well aware of the fact that you had been teasing them, probably past the point of no return. 

You had taken deliberate moves just so you could get them all in ler moods. You would show off your sides and stomach when on the couch, masking your teasing through a faked yawn and stretch. You’d also told them how sensitive your muscles were whenever you woke up, knowing that they were already aware of your nerves’ heightened state.

It seemed, though, that they had taken a page out of Taehyhung’s book. Whenever you were being bratty, he would stubbornly hold out on giving you tickles until you became a good little girl again. But for some reason, you wanted to push limits you never even neared before.

You were home alone, still deprived of your tickles. You were plotting new ways to get what you wanted, but you were drawing blanks. Well, you were until you were scrolling through a tickle blog on Tumblr and saw a picture of a girl showing off her bare tummy with a teasy caption beneath. 

The smirk on your face could’ve rivaled Namjoon’s had anyone seen it.

You took a few hundred photos of every sensitive spot. From your neck to your stomach to your socked feet. You were a bit hesitant to send them at first, but then you remembered that they were being the stubborn ones. After that, you had all the confidence needed to press that “send” button before a series of pictures were forwarded to your group chat with them.

They were in dance rehearsal so you didn’t expect to get a reply as quickly as you did. It was only from one person, Jin, someone who was pretty well-tempered when it came to your antics. However, the message conveyed anything but the typically serene Jin you knew.

It merely said: Oh you’re in for it tonight kitten.

You were buzzing with anticipation; giddy or fearful, you couldn’t quite tell yet. The text from Jin kept you on edge, especially since that was the only one you had gotten and it had seemed so definite. You questioned whether you’d taken it too far, but then you realized it meant you were getting what you wanted.

Thinking too far into the outcome of this wasn’t going to last long. You heard the jingling of keys from the front door. What put you off was how silent the men behind said door were. Usually, they’d be laughing or groaning about how exhausted they were, yet you didn’t hear anything.

The door swung open. The first person you saw was Hoseok, his eyes instantly connecting with yours. It was almost eerie how quickly he captured you with his hypnotic, dominant stance.

“Hello, princess!” He announced gleefully. “Did you enjoy your day?”

It was a trick question, you were sure of it. You weren’t sure what the trick was, but Hoseok was too cheerful to actually be that, even for Hoseok.

You didn’t get to answer before Jimin was standing beside him. He held up a photo of your thighs next to his head. “Oh, I’m sure she did, hyung. Didn’t you, princess? Putting your lers in the mood while they were working must’ve been so much fun for you, huh?”

Now you saw the trick to the question. “U-Um, well, you see-”

“What I see is a little brat who needs to be dealt with,” Jungkook made his way towards you. He picked you up by your legs, making sure to steady you over his shoulder. “And we’re not going to waste any time in doing that.”

Next to feeling totally helpless in Jungkook’s grasp, the worst part about your ascent up the stairs to your room was seeing the other six men smirking at you as they leisurely strolled after you and Jungkook. It was more flustering seeing them so calm then seeing them angry like you envisioned.

“U-Um, I’m sorry?” You whimpered to Namjoon who had been closest to you.

“Aww, it’s too late for apologies, baby girl,” You simply told you. “You made your lers unfocused during rehearsal today. For that, you need to be punished.”

Your face went bright red. The promise of your demise hung in the air, and everyone around you chuckled darkly at the wide-eyed stare you gave them when you finally realized how totally screwed you were.

You’d only ever been punished by them once, and truthfully, you couldn’t feel your diaphragm for a week. You had stayed curled in a ball for hours until Jimin and Taehyung had to coax you out of bed. It was so wonderful, yet so horrid at the same time with terribleness outweighing what was so pleasing about it.

Jungkook deposited you onto the bed. He was careful as to not hurt you but also put you down in a way that let you know he was in control.

“Arms up, baby,” He commanded. When you kept your hands firmly to your chest, he sighed. “Do you really want to play that game, darling? You know how impatient my hyungs can get, and we wouldn’t want to keep them waiting. After all, the longer they have to wait to get their hands on you, the meaner they’re going to be.”

A part of you wanted to resist, just to keep up that tough facade, but even you weren’t bratty enough to go against seven angry lets. You put your wrists together and above your head like he had instructed.

“There’s our good girl~” Taehyung cooed.

With all seven of them working together, they were able to get you out of most of your clothes save your undergarments and have your arms tied nice and tight above your head.

“Look at you all pretty and tied up~” Jin purred next to your ear.

“Where should we start?” Yoongi asked the room as he cracked his knuckles, something he knew drove you up a walk.

“I say...” Jimin started ever so softly trailing his fingers across your bare stomach. “We take this nice and slow.”

Another thing that drove you insane: when they all decided to warm you up with tickles by doing this. They were the tickles that were just barely there, the ones that weren’t enough to even get a giggle out of you. The point of this was to make you squirm, and you squirming was euphoric to them.

“P-Please, don’t t-t-tease me!”

“What’s that?” Hoseok asked mockingly. “Are you actually telling us not to tease you? After everything you’ve put us through these past few days?”

“The audacity!” Jin scoffed. He emphasized his point with a quick scribble to your side.

It came as a shock from the light tracing, forcing a squeak from your lips. “AH!”

“Making cute noises already, baby girl?” Namjoon question teasingly.

You shook your head, even though you knew it was futile. Whenever they heard a squeak or a rogue giggle that was cuter than the others, it was an incentive for them to thoroughly wreck you. You were aware of their new desire when Namjoon brought this up and they knew that you knew as well.

“Ready?” Yoongi asked you.

“No!”

“Good~”

That was when the merciless torture officially began.

It was evil, beyond that. Your nerve endings were alight with ticklish sensations as all seven of them began scratching away at your sensitive skin. Not a single pair of hands relented or slowed or even showed any sign of hesitation. Even the softest of lers had taken to make sure you were wrecked with rough tickles.

“Nohoho! I’m sohohorry!” You whined.

“Are you though?” Jungkook debated with you. He hit a very sensitive part on your hips, loving the reaction you were providing him. “Because by the smile on your face, I’d say you’re pretty proud of yourself!”

“No! Nohoho, I’m nohohot!”

Someone started leaving butterfly kisses across your neck. You squealed at the soft sensations.

“Ahhh, Jin-hyung, I think she likes that~” Yoongi drew the phrase out.

“How could she not? After all, she’s always talking about how soft my beautiful lips are!” He exclaimed before returning back to his torture against your neck.

You wanted to focus on shooing him from your neck with your chin, but you had to throw your head back in laughter when you felt Jimin and Taehyung really start to scratch away at the roles of your feet. God, Jimin even went straight for the kill with your toes on one foot while he directed Taehyung to the worst spots on your other.

“Nohoho fahahair! Plehehehease!”

“Princess, I think it’s time you stop with all this complaining and just laugh for us,” Hoseok commanded of you. “Anything that isn’t a cute little laugh? Well, you remember, don’t you?”

How could you forget? Last punishment you accidentally cried out “no!” and somehow there was a toothbrush vibrating in your belly button. The seven of them didn’t bring out tools often, but you were fearful of their unpredictability... or maybe you were also extremely in love with it. Either way, it gave you shivers just thinking about it.

You nodded and just continued laughing. That was all you could do.

Your back arched when Namjoon and Yoongi tasered your sides in perfect synchronization. They gave one another a proud grin while you bucked between them. Those assholes... those freaking amazing and ruthless assholes...

You couldn’t even process the onslaught of tickles from those two for too long before Jungkook was back with his terrible hip tickles. All the while Taehyung and Jimin were still tickling your feet with such vigor. Hoseok was tracing patterns into one underarm while Jin got with other, making sure to add his tickly neck kisses into the mix.

You were in pure bliss but experiencing pure torture all at the same time. Your laughter began to go silent. Tears were running down your face before you knew what was hitting you.

“Such pretty tears, princess~” Yoongi cooed. He leaned over and kissed your cheek, showing some affection in this time of ruthlessness.

“Noho- I- ple-hehe- You were struggling to get the words out. Thankfully there was some shred of compassion left in Namjoon.

“Here, let’s give her a break real quick,” Namjoon told the others.

They retracted their fingers from your shaking body after some time. You greedily gulped in as much air as your lungs would allow while some of the guys rubbed your skin comfortingly. Tae and Jimin cuddled up to your sides, rubbing your sides soothingly.

“Having fun?” Tae asked.

“Mehehean!” You simply told them.

“Sorry, princess,” Jimin gave you a joke-pout as he pushed your hair back. “But you deserve it after everything you did today.”

“Yeheheah, I’m sohorry about that...” You apologized genuinely when you came down from your tickle high.

Jin ruffled your hair. “It’s alright, baby. But you can’t do that kind of stuff while we’re working. Your adorable tickle spots are pretty distracting, you know. Makes us want to be mean to you, which you don’t want. Well, that’s what you say.”

“We’re about to get a lot meaner anyway,” Yoongi informed you as he got closer to your body. You could see the assortment of feathers he was twirling between his fingers as he approached. “Regardless of what you say.”

“W-Wait!” You stammered. “I-I-I thought i-it was done!”

“Oh, you thought that we were finished with you?” Namjoon asked with a quirked brow. “Baby girl, this is a punishment! Did you think you could get away with only a few minutes of tickling? And besides, I do beleive Hobi told you that you weren’t allowed to do anything other than laugh.”

“Sit tight,” Hoseok patted your stomach. “The night is still young, kitten~”

author’s note: i’m kind of tipsy but i finished this so i’m content!!

[pipsqueakparker]

idk if youre taking prompts from that list u just reblogged but “A is sad and B cuddles them and whispers how much they love A in their ear” for snowbaz if you are?

I am definitely taking prompts from that list I reblogged!

Uh, I think I made this sadder than I meant to but it felt really good to write. It’s also longer than I meant.

—

Snow hasn’t been himself since that day in the White Chapel. That Christmas changed a lot for all of us. Some good. Mostly bad, if I’m being honest.

My family had to move, my father wasn’t exactly pleased with that. I don’t think my step-mother was much bothered, but then, I can’t recall the last time I’d seen her bothered. She wasn’t bothered when I told them I was dating Simon Snow, either, which was encouraging. Father went silent, then told me to wash up for dinner, and that was that. (I’m still not sure he’s able to separate Snow from the Mage, even after the sacrifice he’d made to save all of magic.) Even Bunce hasn’t been able to be properly pleased by her mother’s new position.

Snow’s in the worst shape.

And I don’t know how to help him.

Some days he’s fine. Some days, it’s like nothing happened, like we all left Watford as expected and now he and Bunce have their own place and all is well. The only reminder being the two leathery wings sprouting from his back and the tail he’s always complaining of sitting on.

A lot of days are like today.

Snow’s on the couch, eyes glazed over as he stares at the telly. He didn’t even greet me when I came in, hasn’t responded to a single word I’ve said in the hour I’ve been here.

Simon’s in the worst shape, and I don’t know how to help him.

I look over at him now. His expression is blank. His cheeks are wet.

I don’t know how to help him.

I want to. To help him. I don’t like seeing him like this, the fight drained from his body, nothing left but a shell of what he used to be. This used to be what I wanted - wasn’t it? When we were younger, when I knew it was either him or me, when I knew one of us wouldn’t make it out alive.

Then we both did. Or maybe only one of us made it out in one piece. He’s lost so many pieces of himself.

Or maybe neither of us did. Because I don’t feel whole, because he’s not whole.

I don’t think this is ever what I wanted, even when we were enemies. Even when I knew it could only be one, I wanted it to be him, because he deserves that much. He still does, and I wish I could fill him back up. But there’s no replacing what he’s lost, is there?

I can’t replace magic, especially not the amount he held. I can’t replace how that must’ve felt, how that must’ve filled him with something. Power, security at the least. Fear, sometimes, I know. I can’t replace The Mage, and I wouldn’t want to. I don’t know if he would want to, but that couldn’t have been an easy loss either way. I only knew The Mage as a villain, as a threat against magic, against my family. Simon knew him as a mentor, as potentially the first adult to show him any kind of affection, no matter how selfishly it may have been. As the first person to believe in him, in his power. And I can’t replace Ebb, or the love she must’ve shown. I didn’t know her the way he did either, but she must have loved him.

I don’t know how someone couldn’t love him. I love him so much it makes me want to crawl out of my skin sometimes, so much I don’t know what to do with it. That’s all I have, that’s all I could give him, and it can’t replace any of that.

But that’s all I have. I don’t know how to help him, I only know how to love him, and does that help?

Has it? He’s still here, on the couch, crying so quietly I’m not even sure he realizes he’s crying. He’s not moved to wipe his eyes or his cheeks, the tears just pool at his chin before dropping onto his jumper in big, fat drops.

Even crying, he’s lovely, and I love him. I only know how to love him.

Does he know?

Does he know? He must. I can’t recall saying it necessarily, but I can’t recall acting as if I don’t. Not since that day. Everything changed that day, we won that day and we both survived.

Or maybe we didn’t. Simon lost most of himself, all he has now is Penelope and me. And these wings and a tail. And none of that can replace what he’s lost, but he’s not lost everything. Does he realize? We’ve never actually talked about that day, I imagine that psychiatrist of his is the only one he’s talked to about it. We’ve also never really talked about... us.

Do we need to?

I scoot closer to him, he doesn’t react. I’m not sure he even notices, I’m not sure how much of him is here right now, but something is. Some part of him is. It suddenly feels of vital importance to say something right now, to make sure he knows he’s not lost everything.

“Snow.” My voice is gentle. He doesn’t respond. I move closer, cautiously reach an arm around his shoulders. He doesn’t move.

“Simon.” I move closer, pull him in. I move slowly, carefully, gentle enough that he knows he can move away if he wants or needs. He doesn’t. He lets me, lets his head rest on my shoulder, and I feel his tears soak into my shirt. It’s my favorite shirt. I don’t care.

I’m no stranger to Simon crying. You can’t live a breath away from someone for eight years and not once find them crying. I’ve never seen him cry silently, he’s usually loud. Even when he’s trying not to be, his shaky breaths would give him away. These tears are deep, they’re coming from a place further than his heart. They’re flowing from his eyes, I’m not sure he can control it.

He moves, finally. He turns his face into my neck, let’s me pull him in even closer, until he’s flush against me. His wings flap a little against the back of the couch, and I turn him ever so slightly to give them more space. I press a kiss to his temple, bring my other arm around and run my fingers through his hair.

“I love you.” It’s a whisper, I’m not sure he can even hear it. But it’s out, it’s said, and my throat feels tight. “I’m so sorry, for everything that’s happened, but I love you, Simon Snow. I always have. For so long. And that’s not changed, it’s not going to change. That’s something you’ll always have.”

A sob bursts out of his throat then. I feel his hands claw at my waist, feel him press closer to me.

I can’t replace anything he’s lost, I know that. I can’t fix everything by just saying ‘I love you’. I know that.

I don’t know how to help him. And maybe I can’t.

But I know how to love him, that’s maybe what I know best.

I’ll always know how to love him.

[adelheidvonschicksal]

Alpha!Midoriya x F!Omega!Reader | Late Bloomer

May I please have a so-called beta Izuku (dormant alpha) having his first ever rut sending his omega fem s/o into heat then things seriously escalate to NSFW territory from there? Maybe Izuku's hormone (testosterone) levels increased after winning a fight causing him to present (just a theory on why). Beta x omega would be taboo in omegaverse right? I also could totally see Izuku as a late blooming alpha. Thank U~

Warnings: fluff mostly! NSFW! It’s not noncon this time I swear! Dom!Deku

Hand holding with your boyfriend was your favorite part of walking to school together. You always were comforted with his fingers intertwined with your own. It made you more than content. You knew it was odd to others that you felt that way about a beta, but there was just something about having a sweet boyfriend who doted on you regardless of whether he had a strong scent or a knot.

Today, you were also feeling extra cuddly. You crooned and cuddled into his side, rubbing your scent into him as you buried your head to get any amount of his freshly cut grass scent in your nose. You cradled his arm against your chest, pulling fitfully while he blushed and stammered at the treatment and odd looks the two of you received.

Midoriya knew you couldn’t help your behavior though. For some reason, you tended to rub up against things around the same time every few months ever since you were pre-teens. It was a nightmare for your parents since you’d go around doing it to other kids, hugging them for far too long in a vice-like grip. He finally figured out why early on in your relationship though when you suddenly stopped attaching to friends and family and solely stuck to using him as your plush toy.

The overdose of affection was just a sign that your heat would come in a few days. It wasn’t unheard of for omegas and alphas to have pre-heat and rut signs: cramps, heat flashes, increased aggression, possessiveness, or nothing at all. He was just lucky that you had clingy. Even without being an alpha, he could really get behind this side of your omeganess. It was just so cute!

However, it was still a prelude to a bittersweet time that he didn’t know exactly how to feel about. Midoriya loved how sweet and needy you got for him when usually you were fairly independent. How you would cuddle him and run your hands through green hair. He couldn’t get enough when the two of you finally got alone.

Then, there was the leeward side of your heat.

The one where you doubled over in pain if you went without suppressants. It never seemed like he could properly satisfy you enough to kick you out of your heat early. It wasn’t that his size was the problem, he was surprisingly well-endowed in that department for a beta, or your pleasure since you always cried and spasmed around him each time, but rather his lack of a knot. Then, he was afraid that having sex might only serve to make your heat stall and last longer. So, you had to power through until it naturally declined and disappeared.

Midoriya couldn’t stand those days. It made him feel useless, and he couldn't really figure out what made you sign on for that when you started dating him at first. Two years later though, you were still here and cuddling into his side blissfully.

You had arrived at school early and decided to head to the canteen for breakfast. Your table was empty as you awaited the rest of your friend group to show up, but that didn’t matter to you since you were too busy feeling up a flustered bean and snuggling into his hair like he was your personal catnip.

“Deku~ you’re so flufffyyy,” you giggled as his hand shook around his spoon, milk and cereal spilling back into the bowl. You weren’t the only one who noticed the behavior as two burly older boys spotted you from the table over, amusedly watching the display of an omega in obvious pre-heat mode.

“(N-Name)-chan, you need to calm down, we’re at school,” he stammered, blush intensifying.

“No,” you cooed and licked his cheek, and he had to stop himself from falling over the edge of his seat in his embarrassment.

A laugh could be heard from the next table over. “Having trouble over there, buddy?” the taller of the two boys asked.

”Don’t let her jump you now! No still means no for omegas, too,” the other jokingly added.

“N-No, it’s fine!” Midoriya answered, pushing you down a little to stop you from climbing on top of him right there. “I got it covered.”

The two laughed, and the shorter one decided to invite himself over to your table to strike up a conversation or perhaps enjoy breakfast and a show. He stops though upon closer inspection. Your scent dominated over Midoriya, his completely erased with your own.

A scowl etched at his lips. “Are you two dating?”

“Mhm,” you hummed and inhaled deeply over Midoriya’s scent gland, too preoccupied to worry about the slight sneer the question was asked with.

“That’s just precious,” he said with a soft smile in your direction. Izuku smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit shy about the compliment until he opened his mouth again to mockingly state, “You must be the sweetest little omega to want to cozy up to a beta like that.”

Izuku tensed, smile dropping to a scowl. You followed suit, holding onto him, but your expression was less than friendly. Your good mood ruined.

The taller alpha tilted his head, furrowing his brows, his eyes squinting in thought. “No wonder she’s going crazy, she’s probably starving on beta cock,” he thought out loud, a genuinely confused personification of the “but why tho” meme, then addressed Midoriya, “Do you even know what to do with her?” he asked curiously.

”It’s none of your fucking business, piss off,” you grunted, hoping they’d drop the subject.

“We don’t mean anything by it, we just wanted to make sure you’re getting treated right,” the other says matter-of-factly, saving a softer tone for you than the scornful one he held for Midoriya.

It didn’t matter whether they meant offense or not. They caused it immediately when Midoriya pursed his lips and went quiet as he retreated into his own head.

You pouted, heart aching and anger growing at the way your boyfriend bowed his head. His hands clenched at his pants legs, and his teeth sunk hard into his bottom lip. You hugged your arms around his waist and settled your chin on his shoulder. “Just ignore him, Izu, he’s just jealous that the only action he’s getting is with his hand,” you say, throwing a sharp glare at him.

“What did you say to me, omega?”

Midoriya scowled. He clenched his fist as their attention directed towards you. He could deal with himself getting harassed, he’s had years of training in that department dealing with Katsuki and the other kids in middle school, but—

“You heard me, knothead. No one invited you over here in the first damn place,” you mouthed off again and gave a low growl.

—he was never one to let someone else get bullied or unfairly talked down to, especially not his girlfriend.

“Who the hell do you think you’re bucking at?”

“You, fuckface. Now back off before I lose my fucking temper.”

“Seriously, you want to fight? You have to be kidding me, your parents must be fucking dying at having a butch omega for a kid, no wonder you can't get an alpha,” he spats, and it’s the threatening growl that sets Deku off. He stood in front of you, arm held out low where you sat.

“Who do you think you are—talking to her like that! You don’t know anything about (Name) and don’t deserve to. You’re angry, acting out because you’re afraid to see people not feeding your ego by following your rules, and you can’t face the fact that no matter what you are; at the end of the day she still wouldn’t choose someone like you!”

You scowled behind Midoriya, glaring down at the intrusive alpha the same way Izuku did. There was a silence in the air for the few tables around you as they looked on, ready to see any sort of fight.

A fight is what they got when the resounding hit of a punch rang out, and you jumped up with a gasp as Midoriya stumbled back, clutching his hand to his nose. “Deku!”

“I’m fine!” he growled, swiping the back of his hand to wipe the blood away from the wound given to him. “It didn’t hurt!”

“You felt nothing yet, runt!” he spat and geared up to punch Midoriya again to show him how much his punches “didn’t hurt”.

You knew Deku was much smaller in frame than some of the other guys. You were a bit worried when green eyes met yours, but you had to remind yourself that even though he was small, he had muscles under that uniform blazer and could fuck someone up if need be, and everything burning inside him at once told him it was needed, much more so than usual as he blocked the punch and tackled down his rival.

Midoriya won’t deny the satisfying feeling and rush of power when his fist contacted bone and cartilage. It all went blank then. He ran on pure instinct, blocking out the yells and jeers around him. He kept enough sense to not use his quirk, but that didn’t slow him down from fighting with his own strength even after a hit broke through his barrage and nailed him in the face. Caught off guard, he was flipped over onto his back, becoming the submissive fighter now.

“Izuku!” you called to him, and his heart raced as you got closer to tear the bigger boy off him. You grabbed under one of his arms and moved to pin down the other, but his elbow came back mid-punch and nailed you in the cheek, and you backed off with a hissed, “Shit.”

You didn’t seem obviously hurt or much fazed by the hit other than your shock, but it didn’t matter when you got touched, when this asshole thought he could get away with that, to Midoriya’s omega.

Midoriya growled and thrusted the alpha off before pouncing to straddle him. “You’re going to pay for that!”

You winced with each hit, you’ve never seen him with that type of aggression. “Hey, Izuku…” He wasn’t paying attention. He was almost acting like a feral if you didn’t know better. It wasn’t normal, and you finally had enough when you heard the weak whimper from under him. “Izuku! Stop, I think he gets it!”

You grasped onto Izuku’s back, hugging him a little. He paused when your arms wrapped around him and your scent hit him so strongly for the first time in his life. He breathed heavily, gulping down at the bloody face under him before he gasped and quickly scrambled up onto his feet.

You pulled Izuku closer to the crowd, as he panted and calmed with the feel of your fingers slipping between his own. The taller Alpha ran up to his friend, kneeling and patting his cheek to coax him back to the conscious world. He groaned, and you were a bit relieved that he opened his eyes, even if he deserved it.

His friend smiled weakly before chuckling out at the bruised face of the student on the floor. “Dude…that little guy fucked you up.”

“Shut up, you dumbass!” the alpha cursed, popping up as the other students laughed. “You just fucking sat there and let it happen!”

“I thought you had it, really.”

You grimaced, holding onto Izuku tighter as you wondered what just happened. You didn’t have much time to consider it when you saw long black hair and a tired, irritated face breaking through the crowd.

Fuck.

The two of you sat alone in your desks in an empty classroom. You sighed, hating in school detention. You were supposed to be learning some really cool things in class today. Instead, you and Midoriya were both being punished. You didn’t use your quirks, so it lightened your sentence to three days of detention.

You glanced to Midoriya, still rigid at his desk. His nails dug against the edge impatiently. His expression tense and he himself silent, only groaning a bit when he would drop his head to his desk and rub against his forearm. You sighed. This is all that assholes fault.

Midoriya’s tension wasn’t from that though. He was more concerned about the boiling in his blood that had him physically sweating under his collar. He long tore off his blazer and undid a few buttons. Fighting for control, he focused on trying to keep his breathing steady, but oxygen suddenly felt too thick to swallow down while his stomach kept aching each time he inhaled your suddenly heavy scent. Always, you said your scent was like coconut, specifically the milk, and he never realized it smelled so good in his life until now, especially as you scooted your desk closer to his.

“Hey, I’m sorry I got us in trouble, Midoriya,” you mumbled and placed your hand on his shoulder. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, I’m fine,” he huskily drawn out. You blinked at the deep, heavy voice given to you and leaned over to get a look at his face.

Midoriya didn’t know why he was suddenly thinking it now, but you looked good with your hair a little messy from the events of the day, and your thighs widening out against your seat, giving an exaggerated sense of fertile feminine curves. Your lips looked good enough to kiss and bruise red with bites right about now. He just really wanted to bend you over the desk and pound you raw until—shit, what is he thinking. You’re in school.

But when you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and start your cuddling procedure again, your frame firm but soft against him, those thoughts all go out the window.

Midoriya reached out and clasped your face suddenly. You were pulled into a rough, uncontrolled kiss. Instead of growing more passionate, it started that way, hot and heavy as his tongue glanced over you.

“D-Deku?” you questioned, eyes widened as he pulled away and protectively slid the flat of his tongue across your cheek where you were hit like you were a preciously wounded animal that he had to take care of. You didn’t reject the attention, in fact, it was exciting, but you pushed away because of the odd behavior. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I-I don’t know,” he growled lowly against your lips, and you were shaking at the dropping octaves. He kissed you again, a bit more conscious and steadier as he stood and gripped your shoulders. The desperate grip almost hurt, but your whimper was swallowed down with hungry lips. His hold fell down your shoulders, rubbing up and down your biceps, slightly more comfortable. His chest rose heavy. Rapidly, it rose and fell against your own as he pulled away before rushing back to bite your bottom lip.

“I love you so much, (Name),” he whispered and smothered your neck in kisses.

“I lo—” you couldn’t get a word in edgewise as he kept kissing you, “ve, y-you, too,” you moaned and tilted your head. He took the opportunity to mark your neck, one spot at a time, though it didn’t take long to have a ring around you with the desperate speed he went at you.

“Deku,” you gasped when he fully squeezed your breasts through your school uniform, folding the fabric of your blazer in his hands before hastily undoing the buttons of both it and your shirt underneath. The ones that break off in his rush, lightly clacker against the floor and roll away to hidden corners.

Izuku pulled you up out of your seat, cupping your ass and hopping you up higher on his waist before settling you against the desk. “(Name), grind against me,” he demanded, nipping at your ear. You gave in easily to his demand, rocking your hips against his rock-solid cock. And fuck, you don’t know what’s gotten into him when he kisses and bites at the exposed tops of your tits but you’re not complaining when the smell of grass fills your nose again.

It was so…strong and heady and...Alpha.

So tantalizingly alpha as it mixed with something else your vaguely recognized. It had your body flooding with familiar hormones that had slick soaking through your panties. You didn’t think your heat would start so soon, you always had a few days in advance, but he was driving you mad. Your alluring smell only made him buck harder, and you yelped in his ear.

“(Name)-chan, you smell really good,” he said and tightened his hold around your back to get you physically close as possible. You think if he could melt into you, he would, and you’d gladly do the same.

He knew he was bad for your heat, but he couldn’t stop himself from pulling at his zipper and thrusting his pants midway down his thighs. You quickly sat back and did the same with your panties, letting them slide down your ankles. You didn’t bother to waste time kicking them off. You both needed each other now.

Your body trembled, and you gasped in the pleasure of having his much-needed cock inside you, immediately pulsing and ramming all the way back in one fluid jerk of his hips. “DEKU,” you screamed into his shoulder as he gripped on your hips and repeatedly buried himself inside your desperately clenching cunt.

You held onto him, bouncing back against the desk as he thrusted up into you. You always felt good during sex with him, but this time felt different in an exciting new way. From his sudden dominance to his thick scent, or guttural grunts, you didn’t know which and didn’t care as you finally kicked your undies to the floor and wrapped your legs around him. The room filled with the slapping of skin and smell of raw sex as your juices flowed in between your legs, squelching with every thrust. It was drowned out by both your moans as Izuku snapped his hips into yours, refusing to pull out of you for long before stretching you back out and making you cry with the quickly building force of your orgasm.

Something foreign drew against your body. It pressed against your entrance and ground against you with the rock of his hips. It wasn’t quite big yet and you moaned as it slid into you, locking for a moment before he pulled back out. You vaguely wondered if he was about to knot you.

It had to be impossible.

You whined as he pulled out of you, breathing heavy as he tried to catch his breath. You only had a small amount of time to gaze down at the base of his slick drenched cock. You clearly saw the bulb of his expanding base there. “Deku,” you breathed out, the dark look in his eyes said he’d figured it out, too.

“I’m sorry, (Name),” he huffed out, and you were unsure why he would apologize before he suddenly flipped you over the desk and onto your stomach. You cried out as he plunged back into you at a jackrabbit speed. “I-I can’t stop,” he apologized, squeezing you tighter as he closed his eyes and got lost in the feel of your walls hugging tight and wet around him.

Being bent over made everything squeeze and he felt twice as big going back inside you with one hand gripping your hip to tug you back against him and the other gripping the edge of the desk to steady himself as he pounded into you.

You felt pleasantly numb, as you buried your head in your arms to muffle your cries as you came around him. His first knot took a bit of time to swell up right, but once it did, you skipped past cloud nine, ten, and all the way to cloud 99 as it beat at your aching pussy before giving you what you needed—a full cock and knot burying balls deep inside you. Midoriya groaned, stilling and resting his forehead against your back as he spilled against your cervix.

“I’m sorry, (Name),” he panted, rubbing a sweaty forehead against your shoulder as he gently rubbed his fingers through your hair. “I didn’t know it would happen this way.”

“It’s okay, i-it felt amazing,” you sung out. “I didn’t think people presented so late.”

Midoriya nodded, not that you could see that or the bitter smile that followed. “I can finally make your heat go down now,” he commented jokingly, but you recognized the self-deprecation and the distance that rode on those words. Midoriya hated knowing at the end of the day, he was never able to make you this relaxed during without a near hour of build-up. He was relieved he finally could, but it also nagged at his mind that he really wasn’t good enough when he thought he was a beta.

“Deku, y-you know that didn’t matter, I’ve been in love with you since we were kids. It never mattered to me if you were an alpha or not, I just liked you because you were you and you made me happy,” you reassured him, wishing desperately that you could see his face more clearly as you turn your head to the side and look up at him from the corner of your eye. “And like you said, I’d would’ve chosen you over an alpha any day,” you smiled sweetly, and his cheeks darkened. “So, will you please kiss me now? I can’t really do it bent over like this.”

He nodded and pressed a kiss to the corner of your lips, gently combing through your hair in the meantime as he waited for his swelling to go down. Midoriya smiled weakly and rubbed his wrist at wet green eyes. He had no idea how he managed to get so lucky in life to have you. “I love you, (Name).”

“I love you, too, but I think we have some time to make up for,” you teased and rocked back against him again, making him moan as you spasmed around his knot.

“(Na-Name), you can’t do that so suddenly. I’m still not used to this,” he hissed and rutted back into you. “S-Shit,” Midoriya growled as his knot loosened and slipped out of you.

Watching you leak with a mix of your cum, he immediately burned with a foreign desire to knot you again and again. Fuck. He supposed he would have to spend the next few days in detention learning something. Practicing on fucking you through your heat seemed like the perfect lesson.

You licked your lips, wantonly, and refused to slow down as you wiggled against his lap. “I need your knot, Deku,” you whimpered, and his blood began to boil again.

“I-I won’t hold back then,” he replied before gripping onto your waist and giving you both what you needed.

[cartooness]

‘I am NOT blushing, it’s just warm in here.’ For the masonder drabbles pls?

"Alright, Lav. You can do this, he's right there. Just go up to him and ask him out! Can't be that hard... right?"

Lavender was nervous beyond belief, she's never done anything like this before. But she's read enough books to know that to move the plot along, you've gotta go for it or you'll be screaming in frustration later.

Mason Adalbert. The one boy who could send her heart a flutter and turn her whole being to mush with a smile. He didn't seem like the kind of boy "girls like her" would go for; but she didn't give any fucks about that. He was cute as a button, smart, was super kind, and drank his respect women juice. Did she mention he was absolutely adorable?

She fixed her collar, adjusted her romper, and tousled her hair a bit. Here goes nothing.

"Mason."

He looked up from cleaning his glasses. "Yeah?"

fUCk he's cute, "Um. I was, um, hoping that. Um.", 'God I'm going nowhere, just cut to the chase.' she thought to herself. "Would you go out with me? Uh, please?"

He looked at her with a blank stare as he adjusted his glasses, "Me? Are. Are you sure?" 'Of course it's you!', she hastily thought.

"Yes, you. I'm sure of it. I um.. would really like to go out with you."

His cheeks flushed red and he gave a shy smile. "Yes. I'd love to. Where.... were ya thinking of going?"

Time for her plan! "Well, I was thinking of going to the roller rink tomorrow because it's Half Price Thursday. Plus, I've never been and I just thought it'd be fun... and yeah." God, she hoped she didn't look or sound too awkward.

"Ooh that does sound like fun, Lavender! What time were you thinking of-"

Ah, shit, Sheila's coming...

"Well, well, well, look at what we've got here! A goth wannabe prude asking out a boring little prude nerd. What a perfect pair, I'll bet-"

Lavender bared her claws, "Sheila Anderson get the fuck out of my face before I slice your damn neck off."she growled.

"Jeez bitch, calm down, I was just leaving", replied Sheila, annoyance and fear in her voice.

"Good." And with that, Lav went back to her business. "I'm so sorry Mason, I HATE when she talks to people like that, especially people I... like. Um, i was thinking around 5:30. Will that work for you?"

"Uhh yeah, that sounds good! Let me just, um, write it down really quick in my Little Tiny Journal for Various Things. ((Authors note, I actually have a notebook that says that on me at all times. XD))"

"Alrighty! It's a date! See ya then, bye! One of my dads should be here by now to, uh, pick me up haha."

He pulled her into a quick hug, "Bye Lav!"

...

She shouldn't have said a single thing. Lav had just come home to a small swarm of deadbeats, and not quite thinking, she spilled the beans about her upcoming date with Mason to them. But the thing about them is, they're like little kids; they'll repeat what they hear to anyone who'll listen. Excited about the news, they roamed around telling everyone in HQ that 'Lavender has a date with a boy tomorrow!' over and over again.

"Dang it, now I'll probably have to deal with- oh no he's pounding on my door."

"LAVENDER DEARIE, PLEASE LET ME IN, I HAVE TO KNOW ALL THE BITS AND DETAILS ABOUT YOUR DATE!! OH MY GODS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO WEAR-"

"Calm down Decan, you're going to break down my door!! Come in, we'll talk, I promise."

She let him in and he immediately started asking his burning questions, "Who is it!? Who's the lucky lad!? I'm all ears!!" With a sigh, she prepared herself to answer his 300 questions. "Well, it's Mason,-"

"HAH!! I KNEW IT!! LEWIS, YOU OWE ME 20 DOLLARS!!" he exclaimed.

"Um. Alright then. Mason and I are going to the roller rink tomorrow at 5:30 for Half Price Thursday."

"Ooh! I have a couple of outfit ideas that will make him fall head over heels for you~" he replied, ready to plan.

"Fine. But I get to choose the shoes."

"Deal! Let's see what they are so I can plan accordingly!"

She phased through her walk in closet and pulled out her choice of shoes, recieving a slight grimace from Decan. "These ones. I insist."

Decan took a large inhale, "Darling, I  L O V E  you, but I'm starting to regret that deal... I just... can't quite DEAL with those shoes... but! I like a challenge, so let's see what I can do!"

The shoes in question were knee high tye dye Converse in the demi romantic and asexual flag colors, but the green and purple colors were neon; not the easiest thing to match, that's for sure.

What felt like AGES later, Decan found an outfit consisting of a shin length black dress with lavender lace trim on the bottom, completed with sheer tights. He looked as if he was in the nth dimension, proud to have accomplished an impossible seeming task. "I DID IT!!! FINALLY!!!"

"Yes you did! I feel cute uwu."

"Well, you ARE cute!" he replied, stating his facts.

"....fine. I'll let you have it this ONE time." she replied, a small blush on her face.

"Alrighty then! Let's go downstairs, everyone is a buzz with excitement about your first date~"

So downstairs they went, and about four seconds later E V E R Y O N E was shooting the same rapid fire question,

"LAV WHO ARE YOU GOING ON A DATE WITH?!?!"

With a sharp inhale, she spilled the tea, "I'm going on a date with Mason, he's the cutie I'm always talking about." 

"And YOU, LEWIS PEPPER, OWE ME TWENTY BUCKAROOS!! FORK IT OVER!!" bellowed Decan, thrilled to have predicted correctly for once.

A slight grumble was heard from the back of the living room, and an annoyed deadbeat swarmed over with a twenty dollar bill and put it in Decan's waiting hands, "thank you!!~"

Everyone shared their excitement for the girl, along with a bit of worry about what could happen, but Lavender assured them that Mason is a very kind person. Plus, if anything happens, she always has a way to get out of a situation; magic and her amazing combat skills.

...

The day had come, and Lav had just been dropped off at the roller rink. She began looking for Mason until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey! Looking for me?~" he announced, playful smirk on his face.

"Actually, yes. Sorry to keep you waiting, one of my dads took a bit longer than I thought doing my makeup... but hey! I'm not technically late, it's only 5:19." she replied.

"Oh please, you're worth the wait."

"What?"

"What?"

Both teens had a dusting of red on their faces, standing in an awkward silence.

"Umm, you look very nice! Love the shoes, must've taken ages to match haha." Mason chimed, nervously laughing.

"Aww, thank you. My Papa Decan almost gave in trying to find something, twas funny." she replied.

"Lav?"

"Yeah?"

"How. How many dads do you have, um, exactly? Are they polyamorous or, uh, something to that extent?" he asked, curious.

"Oh, that! No, they're not all poly, I'm adopted and a bunch of people have shared custody over me, so I basically have like, a dozen parents at this point pretty much. And all but two are men, so that's why I have a bunch of dads. Funny thing is, they're all in their mid-to-late twenties, so they're not quite on that 'dad age level' but I don't care. They all make bad jokes and are very caring so... yeah, haha. Don't tell anyone, but I'd totally do anything for them, all my caretakers. I love them a lot, and they all love me a lot, and I don't deserve them most of the time." she warmly replied, softly smiling to herself. Mason felt his cheeks warm up and his eyes were likely shining.

"Awww, that's so sweet! Also, you SO deserve each other! I like to think that things usually happen for some reason one way or another, and I think it's wonderful that they found you and that you all care for each other so much! Wh-why are you crying? Are you alright?"

She touched her face and realized 'yep those are mascara tears alright.'

"Oh, um, I'm okay. Sorry, I didn't even see I was crying. Um, let's, um, go inside, it's getting dark... or something. Haha." Lav replied, trying to move the date along.

"Oh, um, ok. Do you... want a hug?" he asked, trying to make her feel better.

"Yes please, I'd love that."

And with that, he pulled her into a warm hug, taking in each others warmth with a smile. 'She smells like warm apple pie... no wonder she's so wonderful...'

After what felt like An eternity, they departed and both were blushing messes.

"Um-"

"I am NOT blushing, it's just warm in here." snapped Lav, not sure what to do with these... warm,,, happy static feelings.

"Wait, you're  B L U S H I N G?? You look so cute though!" he replied back, smile in his eyes.

"Wha, uh, I-I do NOT!!",she sputtered, blushing deeper, "YOU'RE the cutie here! With your beautiful silver eyes, your soft caramel hair, and your breathtaking smile that I like so much! Not to mention, you're SUPER smart and nice and, and, GENUINE!! Do you know how many times literal DIRTBAGS have tried to flirt with me? They're always weird and gross and I do NOT like it, and I don't like how it's easily accepted for them to be all... X rated all the time!! Like, it may be cause I'm ace and repulsed by s*xual stuff, but still! Don't be gross, people!" she outburst, recieving some strange glances.

"*sigh*, I'm sorry Mason, let's go inside now, people are staring and I don't want them to do anything to you." she softly spoke, gently holding his back for him to follow her.

"...thank you. For, um, everything. It means a lot to me, stuff like that. Again, thank you so much.", he whispered, not sure what to say or do. "...am I making this, uh, awkward for you, Lavender? I'm really sorry if I am-"

"No, you're fine it's, uh, all good. Let's go get skates and such already, haha." she nervously replied, finally walking inside.

...

They were having a surprisingly good time, despite the shaky beginning. Both were doing laps around the rink, holding onto the perimeter every ten seconds due to fear of falling. But they got the hang of it, carefully skating around. They kept tapping hands, unsure of whether or not it was appropriate to join them together. Finally, Mason went in for the kill and took ahold of her hand. She felt a smile creep up her face, and held his hand back.

"Your hand fits nicely into mine, ya know." he smiled.

"Yeah. It does." she replied back, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles, and him in return blushing like crazy. "Aww, you're so cute when you're blushing, Mason."

WELL THAT TOOK FOREVER LMAO. Sorry for the excessive length, it turned into a full on fic lol. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!!

Also Decan belongs to @thefearanddespair

EDIT: This is for the Villain!Lav AU, I forgot to mention it lol

[ask-yusukekitagawa-blog]

shukita fic: “i wish i could just leave it all behind”

words: 3395

summary: "Yusuke was angry. No, so extremely maddened, possibly even insane with it. His mother had died at the hands of the person he still yearned to call father, even despite all that transpired. His tongue tasted bitterness, a strong bitterness brewed from black fury, but above all else, was disgust. Not with Madarame, but with himself."

It was still hard. Very, very hard. Madarame was gone, Yusuke knew that. But he didn't know how to really be free again, and he doubted he ever really even knew what it felt like. Akira, though, would never let him be so lost forever. (yusuke has many emotions and probably needs therapy, akira gets him to open up and its sad)

ao3 link

(i finally got around to postin this! it’s been in my files for months!! pls give me a read and tell me what u think!)

Yusuke wasn’t a big talker. To other people, that is.

He was his best conversation partner. He could hold countless arguments within his own head for as long as he wanted, and accompany himself in the solitude found in a large group. It was not like he particularly liked himself, but he didn’t mind being alone. Loneliness was not his issue, because he had himself, but also...only himself.

He saw Madarame on the TV screen, weeping like an abandoned child, curled up against the cold wood of the table. The crowd was in an uproar, and the shuttering cameras clicked obnoxiously, but his cries rose above it all. Flashes of light surrounded him like the strikes of angels, and was sent away into the sky, where Yusuke would never see him again. The twisted feeling he had in his chest was nearly indescribable in its pain. On the screen was his abuser, his prison guard, but somehow, still his father, and he hated it so, so much.

As the press conference quickly ended, Yusuke was left with so many emotions he could not capture and control. His mind focused only on how Madarame gave him his favorite meal for him on his birthdays, and how he purchased too many medicines for him when he fell ill, and Yusuke felt sick to his stomach. All he wanted was to curl up into a ball so small that no one would ever see him again.

He could bask in the delight that Ann, Ryuji, Morgana, and Akira gleamed with at Madarame’s downfall, and indeed a large part of him was full to the brim with joy and freedom. His heart ached with a new, raw sweetness. More than anything, he was drunk on delight at his life reborn. Yet, when he went to bed, he missed the same bed since he slept in as a child, and the house he grew up in. A large part of him still wanted to go back home (not that it ever really should’ve been a home). He could not act in this, this emotional way...

He slapped his white sketch pad open in front of him, and he held his pencil to the blank surface, waiting for the graphite to bloom at the tip, but there was nothing. A landscape—no, a blind contour—no, no, an observational drawing—no. No, his hand couldn’t even move. His brain was empty, and he drifted thoughtlessly into it, empty in consciousness. His vision blurred until he couldn’t see anything anymore.

Yusuke was angry. No, so extremely maddened, possibly even insane with it. His mother had died at the hands of the person he still yearned to call father, even despite all that transpired. His tongue tasted bitterness, a strong bitterness brewed from black fury, but above all else, was disgust. Not with Madarame, but with himself.

He remembered warm nights, but also frigid ones. Ones in which a bed was an off-limits privilege. Ones in which, at the peak of night, he wished that he was talentless, but have freedom. Ones in which he wanted to be anywhere but there, and somehow, he, he...

Sleep swallowed him up as he fell deeper into himself, and he drifted away, unfulfilled.

. . .

Yusuke didn’t bother texting back to most messages on the chat. They were mostly between Ryuji and Ann, including the occasional blip from Akira. His input was unnecessary, but he thankfully he didn’t forget to read the one regarding mementos.

“We shouldn’t let our guard down,” was what Akira said at the rooftop. He leaned against a desk, and he looked slim and tall. Yusuke fell in love with how fluid he appeared, even upon standing still. He wished he had brought his sketchbook with him. “Let’s go.”

Mementos was dark and pulsed with the breaths of shadows, wandering up the empty railways. It wasn’t Yusuke’s first time in it, and yet, he felt so swallowed up by the thick atmosphere. He felt like he was suffocating. It was probably the depth.

Yusuke’s body ached with lethargy on his strikes, and anxiety screamed at him to get it together. He felt eyes all over his back, and he didn’t know if it was from his friends or just the enemies. He wanted to shout when his last attack was almost enough to end the battle. He felt sapped of his usefulness.

Everything felt like it was eaten by white noise. No one was real, frankly. They all felt very, very far away, and they were gradually drifting farther into the tunnel. Maybe, they would leave, too, and Yusuke would no longer care.

“Fox!” Akira screamed. Another unexpected battle had jumped onto them. They were unfairly and foolishly surrounded, and they were getting beat into the ground. Akira reared back to withhold a fiercely placed attack, and dirt crawled up his heel. His entire body was trembling from the strenuous effort. Yusuke knew he had to do something, but his brain couldn’t think of anything, he couldn’t, his heart was crawling up into his throat until he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t do it, he had—couldn’t—he, nothing— “Mabufula, Fox, now!”

Yusuke jolted, attention snapping back, and ice crystals shattered like fireworks against the shadows, and they exploded into cold dust. A knot in his chest tightened as he heard the thump of Akira hitting the floor. He whirled around, sprinting towards him, who laid limply.

“Joker!” Ann appeared by Akira’s side, and fretted as she gently cast diarama over his bruises. The magic shone a mild green over his wounds, and she cradled him gently as he caught his breath. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Joker said, voice tight, and sat up quickly. He didn’t seem severely damaged, just woozy. He met Yusuke’s eyes, and Yusuke froze. Ice pooled at the bottom of his feet and crawled into his veins. He had failed, and he was going to pay for it. He wanted to apologize, wanted to say something, but his nerves had closed up around his lungs. He could barely breathe.

“Fox.” Akira’s voice was much softer than he had imagined. It broke the tight string knotted in his chest, and Yusuke exhaled. He didn’t look upset, just slightly scuffed up. His eyes were kind. Even so, his stomach ached nervously, and he wanted to shut off all of his senses. He didn’t deserve such an apologetic smile. “Could you do support today? That will be easier.”

“Of course,” Yusuke said quickly, and then he sped to the back of the group, shame blooming like thorns of a rose in his chest. He drilled his eyes into the floor, and made sure not to say anything. He was being a burden on them. He had one job for them, and he couldn’t even get that right.

Akira was right, as usual. Battles processed much more smoothly, and there were no hiccups in their offense. He hated to say it, but there was a noticeable difference with him off the front lines. If it was just him and Akira, Akira may have died right there. It was a horrible thought.

Yusuke stayed quiet, and drifted away. He wasn’t of any use to them, and it wasn’t his place to declare it anyways.

. . .

“Excellent work today, everyone.” Everyone cheered tiredly as they materialized back into their own world, and Yusuke, too, had never been happier to see their starless night sky. Akira gave them all an affirmative nod, praising them for their hard work. “Get some rest. We won’t have to head in again for a while. You guys were tough today.”

The entire party had leaked out the door of Leblanc. They regrouped back at base to eat a quick dinner before departing, as a sort of reward for their efforts. It was also a Saturday night, leaving the night limitless without school the next day. Yusuke was slow in his walk out, head heavy with thoughts. He didn’t feel better than he did before. On the contrary, he still felt like garbage, or as he would prefer to put it, like an unfinished bowl of miso soup left cold. As he opened the door, a hand grasped his shoulder. He gasped and reversed, meeting Akira’s face head on. He jolted back, but not far.

“Yusuke.” Akira’s voice was still soft, but yet, Yusuke was still scared. Madarame had been so soft-spoken, but at the end of the day, he hit harder. “Can I talk with you for a quick second before you go? You’re fine, you haven’t done anything wrong,” he clarified, and Yusuke felt a twinge of embarrassment. Akira must have seen the tight coil of anxiety right on his face. “I just...want to ask you about something.”

“Y-Yes,” Yusuke complied.

They sat at an empty booth, and Yusuke would’ve been picking at the sides of his fingernails if he weren’t so numb. Akira was silent for a minute, as if he was trying to pick the right words. Yusuke knew he said he was fine, that he hadn’t messed up, but yet, he was still steeling himself for an onslaught of pain. It was just like how it was with Madarame, he would just have to breathe evenly, and he would be fine. Fine.

“Are you okay?” Akira finally said.

It felt like a winded up punch right against his chest.

He wasn’t expecting such that sort of sincerity, and that’s all it took for Akira to break his façade. Yusuke really was weak, after all. Hot shame melted inside of him. Under the table, he clasped his hands as tightly as he could. Akira’s expression remained unchanged, save for the bite on his lip.

“I’m sorry. Let me rephrase.” His eyes kept Yusuke’s attention in place, who felt rather fidgety all of a sudden. “You’re not okay, and, if you would...please talk to me about it.”

“...” Yusuke almost let his mouth hang open.

That really was not what he was expecting at all. How could Akira sound so okay with it? If anything, he felt angry at himself for being so transparent the whole day. It wasn’t good for morale, and clearly effective in battle. He was better than this. He could do better than this.

“I’m fine,” Yusuke said. He tried to sound convincing.

“Stop, please,” Akira argued. It didn’t work. “Yusuke, I’ll be plain. You were completely different today, and in battle, it was even more obvious.”

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” Yusuke said quickly, shameful heat crawling up his neck. He couldn’t even look at Akira anymore.

“No, Yusuke.” Akira was gentle, and again, again, Yusuke was surprised. “I’m not here to berate you. And even if it happened again, we work through it, together.”

Yusuke couldn’t say anything to that. He felt stuck. Akira was a warm candle to his cold skin, and he didn’t know where it came from. No, that was a lie. He knew its origins. Akira was naturally and beautifully kind. It was just...why?

“I’m not trying to make you tell me anything, but next time, tell me if you don’t feel well, physically or mentally.” Akira leaned in across the table, elbows squeaking against the surface. It made Yusuke look up, and at that point, there was nowhere else for Yusuke to stare. “Especially since you don’t eat a lot, too. I don’t want you to get hurt when we fight. Just promise me you’ll tell me. Please.”

Unwillingly, Yusuke was silent for a while.

“You’re—You’re genuinely not mad at me?” he said after an aching pause. His voice was very small.

“Mad?” Akira’s whole demeanor loosened. “Of course not. I’m just concerned for you. You’re my friend.”

“I almost got you killed.”

“That’s not true. Injured a bit, maybe. But that would never happen, at the very least not in mementos.”

“You should be more mad at me,” Yusuke whispered, throat tight, but Akira did not yield. He settled back into his seat, surveying him with a puzzling stare.

“I’m your leader, sure, but I’m your friend, too.” Akira smiled softly. “It’s not my place to yell at you, and you didn’t even doing anything. You’re apart of us now. Not just The Phantom Thieves, but of our group. Our friendship,” he clarified. “None of this is easy. The metaverse is difficult, but we tackle a lot of painful things, too. Emotional things. Our first palace showed that really well, and..We don’t want to leave you behind in this. I don’t want to. I want to be there for you, Yusuke. Always.”

Yusuke blinked, and then stared into Akira’s face. He felt completely still, but not like before. His body had gone rigid in shock. A breath of fresh air scorched his swollen lungs, and he felt his chest swelling heavily. Hot tears filled up the edges of his eyes, and his eyes blurred out of focus, welling up. They trembled on the edge of his reddened eyelids, and clung desperately to the tips of his eyelashes. He finally blinked, and they dripped down his cheeks. Yusuke could not speak.

“Yusuke,” Akira murmured.

“I, I don’t,” Yusuke sucked in a breath, grinding his teeth together to shut himself up. “I’m—” He began coughing in his own attempt to stay quiet, and he felt like he was drowning. There was no saving this. “I’m sorry,” was all he was able to get out.

“Don’t apologize,” Akira soothed, and his voice came from right next to him. Yusuke looked up to his side and Akira was sitting right there, eyes empathetic and open. His eyes appeared a bit glossy, much like a wet streak of white paint. Yusuke blinked to make sure he wasn’t an illusion. Wet tears dripped out again, and he continued to stare in awe, until the emotions in his chest could no longer wait.

Yusuke wept.

He felt so ugly inside, so horrible. He hated the feelings that plagued him from sunrise to sundown, and all the dark hours between. Even sleep would not let him forget. His eyes stayed glued to his knees, and his chest heaved with enormous effort to stifle his cries. Then, he felt Akira’s arm over his shoulder, and he was tugged into his warm side. Almost immediately, the tears simply gushed out, like a shaken soda can. He cried, cried, and cried into Akira’s side until he felt it would be an impossible feat to produce to do more.

. . .

Wordlessly, Akira put a tissue box into Yusuke’s hands. The only sounds were Yusuke sniffling violently. Promptly, he blew his nose, and made a rude noise. He supposed, though, it was better than letting snot fall out of his nose.

“Better?” Akira asked. His arm was still tight around Yusuke’s back.

“Much so,” Yusuke said, and it was the truth. He gave a particularly ginormous blow from his nose, and the low rumble of Akira’s laugh reverberated into his side warmly. He left Yusuke collect himself and his hefty pile of used tissues. “...Tell me?” Akira prodded carefully.

“I don’t wish to burden you,” Yusuke said weakly. He was tired. It felt futile to argue, but he couldn’t help himself.

“You could never be a burden.”

Yusuke swallowed, and tried not to cry again.

“Alright.” He took in a slow breath, and he could feel Akira’s eyes firmly on him. “Ever since sensei—no, Madarame was put in jail, I’ve been constantly disturbed by thought after thought,” Yusuke started, words shaking. “I keep thinking about my past. About him. About my childhood.” He stared straight in front of him, eyes unfocused. “Everything was a lie. Truly, I detest him. A future with my mother was not his to take, and neither was my life or hers.” Yusuke’s fists clenched unbearably on wet tissue, and he felt it crumble in his hands. “I have the deepest of contempt for him, and yet, part of me has the audacity to call him my father.” He burst at the last note, and he swallowed thickly, grinding his teeth.

“...Do you miss him?” Akira was so quiet Yusuke wouldn’t have heard not for the silence.

“I suppose I do,” Yusuke said. He paused, and took in a deep breath. He could feel his chest shaking. “I hate that particular feeling the most. I don’t want to miss him. There’s scarcely anything to miss about him.”

“But that’s something, isn’t it?” Yusuke could only nod numbly in agreement. It hurt. “It has only been several weeks. Of course it’s difficult. He was your dad, to an extent, even if he was horrible to you.” Akira drew soft circles into his back, and Yusuke thought he very much didn’t mind it. “I think I can understand a little.”

“Truly?”

“Yeah,” Akira said. “I miss my parents a lot. The ones back home.”

“Are they...kind?” Judging by Akira’s forlorn face, Yusuke didn’t expect anything nice.

“I wouldn’t say that. They haven’t called me since I first came here. They don’t care much, and they didn’t really care much before, either. I still love them, though. It’s not right, and they haven’t given me a lot to work with, but they’re still my parents. It’s not all black and white.” Akira smiled, but it was very sad. “I’ve never said this to anyone, you know.”

“Neither have I,” Yusuke said. “Your words reflect my thoughts rather well.”

“Yeah?” Akira sighed, and Yusuke felt that he agreed wordlessly. Without thinking, he let his head fall on Akira’s shoulder, and he snapped back.

“S-Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” Akira rushed. “...If you want, you can.” Yusuke sat still for a moment, and then, slowly, let his head rest back onto Akira’s shoulder. “Just remember how it was back then. Your past life, and how you’re free now. It’ll just take time to get used to.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly. “I should’ve said something about this earlier. We made this big deal about how you didn’t have to go through life alone anymore, and yet, now...I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Yusuke said, voice scratchy. “I didn’t say anything, how would you have known?”

“Like today. I hadn’t noticed and then there you were, in mementos, worked up and stressed. Only then, did I realize that something was seriously wrong. To be honest, I thought it was strange when you seemed okay the week after, but I was just stupid.”

“You’re not,” Yusuke countered, albeit without much heat. Akira didn’t really respond.

“You’re not alone in this. I can’t do much for you, but I’m here to lend a shoulder.” Yusuke felt the weight of Akira’s head on top his, and inside, he felt very warm. “Please talk to me if you don’t feel well. What happened to you is a big deal, no matter how you look at it.”

“You’ve already helped me a lot,” Yusuke assured him.

“I’m glad,” Akira said. His hand had slipped behind his back and placed itself on Yusuke’s waist, and brought him closer. His side leaned comfortably into Akira’s shape. “I care about you. Not just as a friend, but...” Akira paused. “I’m sorry. I worded that weird. What I’m trying to say is, is that even we weren’t part of the phantom thieves, I’d still care about you.” Akira had gotten really quiet, and Yusuke felt almost too emotional, all over again.

“And I you,” Yusuke replied, voice barely there. “My feelings towards you wouldn’t change, even if you didn’t help me physically pummel Madarame’s gaudy version of himself.” That got a laugh out of Akira, and there was a slight pink hue to his skin. Yusuke imagined he was the same, but he didn’t bother worrying. It felt nice being so see through.

“Thank goodness,” Akira chuckled. “Our friendship is stronger than the bonds formed from beating up adults.” Yusuke felt Akira’s hand grasp his, and he tried not to seem too delighted. Akira looked at him, and Yusuke felt warm and blurred. “...Stay here? Just for tonight?”

“I’d like that,” Yusuke said without a trace of hesitation.

Without another word, Akira held his hand as they walked up the stairs, and they slowly merged onto the same bed, breathing soundlessly into the night.

Yusuke thought that everything was quite alright with the world.

[trimaplenut]

Title: The Language of Flowers

Pairing: Naegiri

Words: 2222

Rating: T

Based on this prompt

i dont know shit about police stuff or law dont quote me on any of it

“How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?”

Makoto’s mouth hangs open, unable to reply immediately. He’s had troublesome customers and some odd requests before, but he’s never had someone storm into his family’s flower shop, slam twenty bucks on the counter, and ask something with as much barely-contained frustration as this woman has.

He’s also never had someone come into his shop that immediately makes him think please go out with me.

The woman, who looks to be the same age as him—great!—lifts a hand to her head and threads her fingers through her locks. Her hair, long and straight and colored a soft, light lavender, slips through the gaps of her gloved hand, cascading down her shoulders and back. It mesmerizes him as she repeats the action over and over again, and his fingers twitch as he wonders what it would feel like. In contrast to the tinge of annoyance in her voice, her facial expression is a cold, hard wall that betrays none of her thoughts or feelings. But rather than pushing him away, it just makes Makoto more curious—what emotions are hiding behind that iron mask of hers, why keep them secret from the world?

And her eyes—dear lord, the things he could say about them. If her hair was soft and light then her eyes are harsh and bright, a vivid sea of amethysts shining and twinkling in the sunlight from the windows, staring straight at him as if they could see every inch of his soul, slowly filling with… confusion…?

Makoto blinks.

Right, he’s in the shop. She asked him a question. He’s supposed to be doing his job.

How long has he been staring? He’s pretty glad the place is empty right now.

“U-Um,” Makoto stammers as his brain is harshly pulled back to reality. What was the question again? Something about swearing with flowers. His eyes dart around the shop’s shelves and survey the different species of plants they have on display. “There’s not really any one flower that means… that, specifically…” He’s sure he can think of something for her, though. He skirts around the edge of the counter—

Ouch, his hip! Gah, that table edge is a lot sharper than he thought!

Suck it up, don’t embarrass yourself in front of her!

He bites the inside of his lip to keep the pain out of his expression and scampers about for the different flowers he needs.

After several minutes, he now has numerous pots spread out across the counter, each containing flowers of differing species and a slightly varying color from the others. “But if you had a bouquet of these flowers,” Makoto continues, “I think that would work.”

She doesn’t reply immediately. Instead she inspects each pot of flowers, one by one, before finally turning to the florist standing beside her. “In all honesty, I hadn’t expected you’d be able to fulfill such a request,” she finally admits.

Makoto scratches his cheek. “Aha… I’m a bit of a dork when it comes to flowers.”

He freezes the instant the words leave his mouth. Idiot, why would you admit that to a stranger? A really, really pretty stranger?

“O-Or, well, that’s what my sister says,” he adds on quickly. “Or said. When we were… When we were younger…” His face flushes a little in embarrassment. Great recovery. Absolutely flawless. From now on, his mouth requires permission from his brain before he speaks a single word.

Her lips curve upwards and Makoto’s heart nearly skips a beat. “I’m thankful for it, regardless,” she replies. She tucks some of her hair behind her ear and lets out a sigh. “The previous three flower shops I visited weren’t able to help me.”

The smile drops from her face and it fills Makoto with unexplainable dismay. “W-Well, I’m sure they did the best they could,” he stammers. “I only know a useless thing like flower language because I was bored one night.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say such a skill is useless,” the woman argues, folding her arms across her chest. “You never know when that knowledge could benefit you in life. For a florist like you, if you know the meaning behind flowers and can explain it to your customers, it can add more impact to a bouquet or arrangement.” The small smile returns to her face. “And it certainly isn’t useless to someone who desires a certain meaning over color or appearance, such as myself.”

Makoto stares for a moment and then laughs. “I guess you’re right! Honestly, yours is the first time I’ve taken a request where the meaning isn’t a generic one of love or friendship.” He looks down at the ground to try and hide his flushing face. “I’m pretty lucky to know what I do, otherwise I wouldn’t really know where to start.”

She reaches out with a gloved hand and gently strokes one of the flowers’ petals. “So what do each of these mean?”

“Those are geraniums,” he answers promptly, “which mean stupidity. Foxgloves mean insincerity, meadowsweet is uselessness, yellow carnations mean ‘you have disappointed me’, and orange lilies are for hatred.” Makoto shrugs self-consciously at his knowledge. “It’s a pretty striking bouquet—full of color and loathing.”

He doesn’t think his face has cooled down yet, but he can’t avoid looking at her forever. Not to mention it would be pretty rude of him. He raises his head to see the woman smile with satisfaction. “Perfect. I’ll take it.”

“Can I ask who’s it for?” Makoto says, a minute or so later, as he hands over her purchase in exchange for the money. “It’s… quite a strong message.”

For a few seconds, her expression remains blank and he thinks he isn’t going to get an answer. But then her lips curl into a smirk and she gazes down at the flowers as if picturing something amusing in her head. “Someone who deserves it.”

Makoto lets out a small chuckle. “I’ll remember not to get on your bad side.”

The woman eyes him for a brief second before letting out a noncommittal hum. “Mmm.”

Was that the wrong thing to say? She clammed up all of a sudden but her response doesn’t give him a good idea of where he went wrong. He averts his eyes for a moment before meeting her gaze again. “Have a nice day.” As she reaches the door, Makoto suddenly gains confidence and waves at her. “Please come again!”

She doesn’t reply as she walks out the door. Makoto watches her through the store’s windows until she disappears from sight. He relaxes his weight onto his elbows and lets out a happy sigh. A dorky smile stretches across his face.

He really hopes she comes again.

“I would think that a detective like you would exhibit more attentiveness, especially after I made the effort to come all this way to this peasant hole.”

Kyoko bites the inside of her cheek, takes a deep but quiet breath in through her nose, and then breathes out. “I would think it’d be clear to you that—”

I have better things to do than satisfy your infuriatingly massive, attention-demanding ego.

“—I currently have a lot of paperwork that needs to be completed, and I would like to get home sometime before next Sunday,” she instead finishes. She just needs to keep up an act of civility. It’ll be worth it in the end.

“Do you think that excuses the delay? You are wasting my time. Unless those papers are related to the retrieval of my property, your prioritizing leaves much to be desired.”

But boy, does he make it difficult.

He being Byakuya Togami, one of the witnesses in her recently closed murder case. Originally, he was only involved as the employer of one of their suspects. Then it turned out that their original crime scene was a setup and the true scene of the murder was in an office building owned by Byakuya, committed by said employee. She managed to speak with him a maximum of three times during the case, and each time wondered what she was doing back in the same room as the insufferable smug bastard.

If she had her way around here, somebody else would’ve already given him back access to the office and she’d never have to see him again, but since he’s the heir to the Togami Conglomerate, one of the biggest and most influential businesses in the area, her boss had made it clear to Kyoko and her coworkers that he would be treated with the utmost respect—lest the police department suddenly find themselves short several thousand dollars of funding.

And that means leaving him in the company of the most competent detective in the precinct. Who is still immensely busy and no longer has the patience to deal with him.

And despite it, she still turns to him with a calm expression. “I’ve already organized to have the appropriate documents processed. I’m afraid all there is to do now is wait.”

Byakuya’s demeanor hardly improves, but he does recognize that continuing to belittle her won’t speed anything up, so he clicks his tongue and glares at a spot on the wall. An unfortunate officer walks in his line of sight and receives the full force of his fury. The officer stumbles for a moment, looks around to try and determine why she’s getting glared at, and then nervously walks away in a hurry.

Kyoko glances up, catching sight of the interaction as she reaches for her mug of coffee, before turning her attention to her drink. She takes several gulps of the hot beverage before returning to the paperwork.

“What sort of punishment will that plebeian scum receive?”

Or trying to return to the paperwork. Kyoko doesn’t look up as she replies, “It’s out of my hands as to what sentence they’ll give him. But he’s been charged with second-degree murder—I imagine he’s getting life with no parole for at least ten years.”

Byakuya’s lips twist into a sneer. “Let it be a lesson to him, and to anyone else who dares think of sullying the Togami name in such a manner.”

She can tell that most of the detectives within earshot are irked by his comment, questioning how he can put his family’s reputation over the fact someone was murdered. Kyoko’s personal opinion is slightly different—that the fact the truth was reached was more important than some flimsy sense of justice or status—but that’s neither here nor there. Not when the conversation topic offers her an opening.

“But, speaking of the case…” Kyoko reaches under her desk and pulls out a bouquet of flowers she’d purchased earlier. “Here.”

Byakuya raises an eyebrow. “What are those?”

Oh, the urge to respond with the obvious smartass answer is strong, but she can restrain herself on this one occasion, all things considered. “They’re as thanks. Your assistance was quite helpful, perhaps even vital to solving the case.”

He was helpful in that it saved her waiting for a court order to investigate his office building, but she would’ve gotten her way regardless of his level of cooperation.

They’re both distracted momentarily when another detective approaches Kyoko’s desk—he’s somewhat new but she can’t say she remembers his name immediately. He angles the folder in his hands towards her and says, “I’ve got the papers for Mr Togami, Detective Kirigi—”

Before he can even finish, Byakuya stands up from his chair and snatches the folder out of his hands. And then, just when she thinks she spent twenty dollars on a failed opportunity, the bouquet disappears from her grasp.

Case officially closed.

Kyoko turns to the detective and inclines her head. “Thank you for the papers, Detective.” The man flushes a little from the praise and tilts his hat down to hide his face. She turns her head as he leaves and focuses on Byakuya as he heads for the elevator. Only when the elevator doors obscure him from view does Kyoko’s expression transform into something smugger.

One of her coworkers, Yui Samidare, levels her with a look of confusion. “Kyoko, did you just give the asshole flowers?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” she asks incredulously.

Kyoko smirks. “To let him know exactly how I feel about his attitude.”

She returns to her work as Yui starts yammering and blurting out whatever comes to mind—first of which is an accusation of attraction towards Byakuya, which thankfully doesn’t take long at all for Yui to change her mind about. Then she just demands to know exactly what Kyoko was up to with the flower gift—because if anyone has an ulterior motive to everything they do, it’s Kyoko Kirigiri.

Said schemer completely ignores what her fellow detective is saying. Her pen flies across the paper in front of her, but in all honesty, she’s not focusing on that either. Kyoko’s thoughts are solely occupied by the florist she met.

She wouldn’t have been able to carry through with her plan of subtle revenge had it not been for him. She’ll have to thank him for his assistance. Kyoko’s eyes wander across her desk until they rest on her mug. Perhaps she could ask him out for coffee one day. He was pretty cute, too.