#been saving this one for a rainy day and its living up to expectations so far

[abstractlesbian]

Was reaching dangerous levels of depression hopelessness so I told myself "go walk the dogs and start the wizard of earthsea audiobook and maybe you'll feel better" and I was right

Immediately 30% less depressed

[fromchaostocosmos]

In the war between Israel and Hamas, there have been far too many casualties­—thousands of innocent civilians have died, primarily in Gaza. But this war has another less visible casualty: the hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants to Israel from the Middle East and North Africa known as Mizrahi, whose history is being erased from the popular narrative about Israel. My community is among them.

When angry protesters hurl charges of apartheid and colonialism at Israel, they are, knowingly or not, repudiating the truth about Israel's origin and the vast racial and ethnic diversity of its nation.

I was born and raised in Iran in a family of Jewish educators. I came of age during the tumultuous years of the Iranian revolution, just as Ayatollah Khomeini rose to power in 1979, and soon thereafter, annihilated his opposition­—feminists, leftists, even the Islamic Marxists who had long revered him as their spiritual leader. Until 1979, if anyone had told my observant Jewish family that we would someday leave Iran, we would have laughed. In fact, at our Passover seders, the words "next year in Jerusalem," were always followed by chuckles and quips, "oh, yeah, sure, Watch me pack!" all underlining our collective belief that we were exactly where we intended to remain. We loved Israel, but Israel was a Nirvana­—a place we revered but never expected to reach.

The 30 years preceding the Islamic revolution had led the Jewish community to believe that the dark days of bigotry were behind them. And for good reason! When my father was a schoolboy in the late 1930s, he was not allowed to attend school on rainy days. In the highly conservative town where he grew up, in Khonsar, his Shiite neighbors considered Jews "unclean," or Najes. They barred them, among other things, from leaving their homes on rainy days, lest the rainwater splashed off the bodies of the Jews and onto the Muslim passersby, thus making them "unclean," too. Yet, that same boy grew up, left the insular town, attended college in Tehran, earned a master's degree, and served in the royal army as a second lieutenant. (To his last day, my father's photo in military uniform was among his most prized possessions.) After service, he became the principal of a school, purchased a home in what was then a relatively upscale neighborhood of Tehran. The distance between my father's childhood and adulthood far surpassed two decades. It was the distance between two eras­—between incivility and civility, bigotry and tolerance.

Yet, as if on cue, the demon of antisemitism was unleashed again. The 1979 Islamic revolution summoned all the prejudices my father thought had been irretrievably buried. One day, on the wall across our home, graffiti appeared, "Jews gets lost!" Soon thereafter, the residence and fabric store my aunt and her extended family owned in my father's childhood town were set on fire after a mob of protesters looted it. Within days, she and her family, whose entire life's savings had burned in that fire, left for Israel. As young as I was, I could see that the regime was indiscriminately brutal to all those it deemed a threat to its reign, especially secular Muslims. But the new laws were specifically designed so that non-Muslims, and women, all but became second-class citizens. Members of religious minorities, especially the Baha'i, could no longer eye top jobs in academia, government, the military, etc. Restaurateurs had to display signs in their windows making clear that "the establishment was operated by a non-Muslim." In a court of law, members of religious minorities could offer testimony in criminal trials, but theirs would only count as half that of a Muslim witness. Jews were once again reduced to Dhimmis­—tax-paying citizens who were allowed to live, but not thrive. Then came a handful of executions of prominent Jewish leaders in the early months after the revolution, which sent shockwaves through the community. Jewish schools were allowed to operate, but under the headmastership of Muslims who were officially appointed.

Within a few years after the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini to power, the Jewish population of Iran, which once stood at 100,000, shrank to a fraction of its size. Today, of the ancient community whose presence in Iran predates that of Muslims, only 8,000 remain. For centuries, Iran has been home to the most sacred Jewish sites in the Middle East outside of Israel. But those monuments have either fallen into disrepair or are targets of regular attacks by antisemitic mobs. Only last week, the tomb of Esther and Mordecai­—the memorial to the heroine and hero from the Book of Esther who saved the Jews from being massacred in ancient Persia, was set on fire.

How is it that the 90,000-plus who left Iran, many for Israel, are now deemed as occupiers? How do Iranian refugees fleeing persecution become "colonizers" upon arrival in Israel? These families, my aunt among them, were not emissaries of any standing empire, nor were they returning to a place where they had no history. For them, Israel was not a home away from their real homeland. It was their only homeland. The vitriolic slogan that appeared across my home in 1979 demanded that we "get lost!" In 2024, once again, the same Jews are being called upon to leave, this time Israel. Where, then, are Jews allowed to live?

Iranian Jews were not alone. Jews from Iraq, especially in the aftermath of the 1941 pogrom called Farhood, similarly fled their homeland. So did the Jews of Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, etc. All, destitute and dejected, they took refuge in Israel. Today, they make up nearly 50 percent of Israel's population. To call such a nation colonial GRAVELY misrepresents the facts about Jews and Israel.

In his timeless essay, Looking Back on the Spanish Civil War, George Orwell said that in the Spain of 1937, he "saw history being written not in terms of what happened but of what ought to have happened according to various 'party lines.'" With the alarming rise of antisemitism around the world, and in light of the bloody attacks on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, the greatest massacre of Jews since World War II, 2024 bears an uncanny resemblance to Orwell's 1937. But perhaps in no way more ominously than the way truth has been upended to serve an ideological narrative­—one in which Jews, who have lived uninterruptedly in that land for more than two millennia, are cast as white non-indigenous interlopers, with no roots in what has always been their ancient homeland.

A public scholar at the Moynihan Center (CCNY), Roya Hakakian is the author of several books including, Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran (Crown, 2005).

[vanteguccir]

── ୨୧ !　𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗘

　　　　　　𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐 x fem!oc (Elena)

SUMMARY: Where Elena and Matt grew up together, fell in love as kids but realized too late. Will there be any hope for them?

WARNING: A little angst and mentions of cheating.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

Part 2

　　　༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

Elena was born and raised in Boston, in a two-story house, next door to one of the most beautiful houses in the city, but not because of its external beauty, but because of who lived inside.

Elena grew up being the next-door neighbor of the Sturniolo triplets, she also studied at the same school as the three of them, these two factors made her and the trio become almost a fantastic quartet.

The four of them grew up together, ran down the street every day together, got dirty with dirt and mud on rainy days together, played cooking together (they were forced by her) and, best of all, they made mini "vlogs" together throughout their childhood and pre-adolescence, becoming literally inseparable.

Nick was Elena's confidant, always there to listen to her and give faithful advice to the girl, giving her a shoulder to cry on and a company to laugh when needed. Nick trusted Elena with his eyes closed and loved her with all his heart, so much so that she was the first one he came out to.

Chris was her partner in crime, the two grew up playing pranks on their parents, brothers (on his side) and neighbors. Chris saw Elena as his anchor, losing count of how many times he entered the girl's room through the window in the early hours of the morning to vent or just to be able to sleep with her company, dispelling his biggest fears.

Matt was a different case. Matt was the boy who took her as his date to every school dance and accompanied her to every friend's party. Matt was the boy who bought Elena flowers every week and took her to the city's summer amusement parks, always making sure to get her a different teddy bear. Matt was the boy who made her heart flutter, but also stay in a sacred calm; that made her body freeze, but also warm with affection. He was the one who introduced the feeling of love to her...

But who said he did anything about it? Despite acting almost like her boyfriend, Matt was afraid of rejection, after all, his heart belonged 100% to Elena and he couldn't bear having it completely stolen from him if she denied it. And that's why, out of a silly but genuine fear, he lost her.

At the age of 17, Elena moved to New York with her parents after her mother received a job offer that she couldn't refuse and that would open doors for her career. Seeing her leave was one of the hardest things Matt has been through, but the most painful was seeing her post on Instagram, 6 months after she left. Elena was dating, and it wasn't him.

Over time, things changed, the triplets moved to Los Angeles and grew dramatically on social media, becoming extremely well-known and loved on the Internet.

And Elena... well, Elena finished school and started International Relations at NYU, working at a coffee shop near her house so she could save money, since she was engaged. That's right, her boyfriend, Jeremy, of almost 2 years had asked her to marry him. It was a big shock and Elena had to think a lot before accepting, but it was her dream, to have a successful career and raise a family. Right?

Elena and Jeremy were in the middle of a month of decisions for the wedding, decoration, food, cake, clothes, etc., so Elena was feeling overwhelmed, it was a lot on her mind, and she found herself wondering if that was really what she wanted. Therefore, the girl (now woman) decided to pay a visit to her grandparents, who still lived in Boston. Cooling down in a place more than familiar to her seemed ideal now.

Elena just didn't expect that her grandmother would tell Mary Lou, and that Mary would tell Nick, who would tell his brothers, generating a secret collective trip to Boston. The triplets were dying to see Elena, after all, it had been 2 years since they had seen her best friend, or, in Matt's case, crush.

It was a Saturday morning when Elena landed in Boston, quickly grabbing her small suitcase and hailing a taxi at the airport's main pedestrian entry and exit gate, giving as her destination address her grandparents' house, which coincidentally, was on the same street where she grew up.

Elena planned to stay in Boston only until the next day, Sunday, since Monday she had classes again and she was going back to work, besides she knew that if she stayed much longer away from home, from Jeremy, he would lose his mind.

It didn't take long for Elena to arrive at her destination. The girl got out of the car after paying the taxi driver and took her suitcase from the trunk, thanking him once again before she knocked on the front door, waiting.

It was a big surprise for her when her grandfather opened the door and behind him were her best friends, Nick was holding a sign that said "WELCOME BACK, ELENA! WE MISSED YOU ♡", while Chris was holding three packets of her favorite candy in his hands and Matt held a bouquet of flowers that almost hid his red face, Elena wondered if it was from embarrassment or the heat from the summer.

The girl dropped the suitcase, bringing her right hand to her mouth, covering half of her surprised expression. She felt her eyes fill with tears, God, how she missed the three boys.

Next to her were her grandparents, with big smiles on their faces and bright eyes, watching her with a mix of affection and pride.

"Oh my God, you guys are crazy! What are you doing in Boston? I thought you were in LA!" Elena exclaimed, her voice cracking mid-sentence with high emotions.

"We were, but Grandma told our mom that you were coming here today and I couldn't handle missing my best friend anymore." Nick said as he placed the poster on the couch. He turned quickly and ran to the girl, hugging her tightly. The action seemed to wake Matt and Chris, who quickly moved and formed a mini line behind the oldest.

"Damn, you look old" Chris joked when his brother got out of the hug, laughing loudly when Elena hit his forehead. "Here, to sweeten your life." He scoffed, handing the candy packets to her.

"I have to check if these aren't sour candies, coming from you I expect everything." Elena joked, taking the candies and placing them on top of her suitcase. She opened her arms and hugged Chris momentarily.

Chris pulled away as they separated and positioned himself next to Nick, the two exchanging glances before turning their gaze to Matt.

"They're pink tulips, I hope they're still your favorites" Matt stepped forward, showing the full bouquet before handing it to her.

"Oh Matt, they're beautiful! Thank you" Elena received the bouquet, smelling them quickly and mentally punishing herself for blushing.

Matt smiled widely and watched her for a few seconds, only breaking out of his trance when he heard Elena's grandfather make a fake cough. The boy shook his head and walked away, lowering his gaze to the ground.

Elena quickly placed the bouquet on the coffee table and finally greeted her grandparents, placing kisses on their age-marked cheeks.

"Let's take these things to your room and make plans for the weekend!" Nick spoke loudly, throwing the candies to Chris and taking the small suitcase in his hands, before starting to climb the stairs without waiting for anyone.

Elena laughed loudly as she heard Chris swear at Nick as he bent down to pick up the packages that fell at his feet. Matt shook his head, smiling as he saw the girl take the bouquet with extreme delicacy.

The three following the oldest up the stairs.

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

Hours later, the quartet found themselves in the triplets parents car, parked at the Mc Donald's they grew up going to, while eating their favorite burguers and catching up on conversations. They spent the afternoon driving around the places they went when young, which made Elena's heart warm, she missed that, that feeling of calm, without any burden, without obligations or responsibilities, just the interest of being happy.

During that early morning, Elena woke up to the sound of rocks hitting her window, which she quickly recognized. What surprised her was that when she got up and approached the window it wasn't Chris there, but Matt.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked in a whisper after opening her window, squinting her eyes as she tried to better see Matt's silhouette in the pitch black night.

"Let me in." Matt whispered back, ignoring her question as he looked down to check if he wasn't about to fall off the edge of the roof.

Elena sighed and walked to the side, giving Matt space to enter through the window, closing it shortly after to stop the night wind of entering the room.

"What are you doing here at this time?" Elena asked again, sitting on the edge of her bed and watching him.

"As if I didn't pay you visits in the early hours of the morning before." He responded smiling, sitting on the bed and dragging himself until his back was against the headboard and his legs were stretched out on the mattress. He slapped his hand on the space beside him, looking at Elena.

The girl sighed but smiled, following his silent request.

"I missed you" Matt commented. "It's strange to live life without you with us"

"I miss you too" Elena replied, looking at him. "It's strange to only keep in touch on the phone and find out about some things through social media" She continued, receiving a nod from the brunette.

"You still have them" Matt realized as he noticed all the teddy bears he got for Elena piled up on top of the dresser next to the closet.

"Of course I have them, why would I throw them away? They're cute and remind me that you're actually good at something" She scoffed, receiving a light push from the boy.

"As if you weren't rooting like crazy for me while I was trying to hit the game targets" He mocked back, seeing Elena roll her eyes with a big smile on her face.

"Obviously, getting teddy bears is better than buying them, have you seen the prices of these little things?" Elena gave a low laugh when she saw Matt open his mouth exaggeratedly, soon after the two burst into laughter together.

"So, are you really going to get married?" Matt asked suddenly after they calmed down, looking directly at her.

"Yeah, I will" She replied, lowering her gaze to her hands, specifically to the silver ring on her left ring finger.

"You don't look very excited" He commented, making the girl sigh.

"I just... I don't know, I'm so young, you know? I'm only 20, getting married seems a bit drastic right now, but Jeremy thinks it will be good for our future, us having the same last name will help in the office" She replied, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What does he do for a living again?" The brunette asked.

"He currently works at his father's office and studies law," Elena said, noticing the grimace he made at her response. "What?"

"He doesn't seem like your type. In fact, he seems like quite a daddy's boy." Matt commented, regretting it seconds later after seeing Elena's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"And what do you know about my type, Matthew?"

"I'm sorry, ignore what I said" Matt intervened quickly, the last thing he wanted was to fight with Elena now, knowing that after that Sunday, he didn't know when he would see her again. Maybe at her wedding, the boy felt himself shudder at the thought.

Elena sighed.

"You know that my dream has always been to be successful with my career and have my own family. Us getting married would give me both... Having his last name, I will be able to start my International Relations profession within the office that soon will be his, which will make me grow faster on the career, and I'll have my own family." Elena spoke while gesturing.

"Sounds like there's a lot of self-interest involved" Matt commented.

"Matthew!" The girl exclaimed, making him raise his arms in a sign of redemption.

"Sorry, sorry." He sighed. "I remember, you know."

"What?" Elena looked at him confused.

"How you always wanted a family, when we were kids me, Nick and Chris were always messing around and you were playing mommy with your barbies. You wouldn't let go of that damn Baby Alive even if you were paid to, always taking her everywhere." Matt let out a laugh as he remembered, making Elena laugh along as she saw her own smaller figure running after the triplets with her doll in hands.

"You can't say anything, you always took care of my Baby Alive when I asked you to" The girl replied with a wide smile, watching Matt roll his eyes exaggeratedly while she laughed as quietly as she could.

The brunette turned to her to rebut, but stopped in his action, reinforcing in his mind every detail of the face of the girl who had his heart in her hands, details that he had memorized a long time ago and still found himself remembering and tracing in his mind on sleepless nights.

The two stared deeply at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Elena looked away and fake coughed.

"Just think about your decision Elena." Matt asked softly before getting up from the queen sized bed.

"Where are you going?" Elena looked at him again, her eyes pleading, as if she was afraid he would leave her there, alone and without him.

"I'm going back home, if my mother wakes up and doesn't see me in bed in the morning, I'm sure she'll freak out, and the situation won't turn out very well for us." He spoke with a sigh, going to the window and opening it, looking back one last time, before moving outside, closing it again before disappearing from the girl's vision.

Elena stood still for a few minutes, processing the conversation and that last moment, feeling her heart sink at the thought of not seeing the boy again for a long time after Sunday. It felt like a goodbye.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

On the next day, Elena woke up significantly early as she felt the sun's rays coming through her window. As she opened her eyes, ready to complain about why it was so bright in the room, she remembered Matt leaving and how she forgot to get up and close the curtains.

The girl sighed, before getting up and getting ready for the day. She felt excited to be able to see her friends again, but her heart ached at the thought that that very night she would leave again.

After getting ready, Elena took her cell phone and saw a message left by Jeremy.

"I hope you're having a good time there. I can't wait to have you here again today, I can't stop looking at the wedding catalogues. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla cake? xx, jeremy"

Elena sighed again, it's obvious she preferred vanilla, how did he not know that? The girl shook her head, deciding to answer him another time.

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"What are we doing today?" Nick asked as they found themselves in front of the triplets' door, as they had done years before.

"I thought we'd go to the amusement park, the one that only opens in the summer, you know? Like old days." Matt suggested. Elena looked at him when she heard about the park, quickly looking away when she saw him already looking back at her. She needed to stop this.

"Let's go then!" Chris spoke loudly, running over to his parents' car again, fiddling with the passenger door handle impatiently, begging Matt to unlock it.

Elena laughed at the action, running to the car too and soon getting into the back seat, sitting behind Chris's group, having a view of the driver's seat.

A few minutes later the four arrived at the amusement park and started going on the basic rides, which the four liked, bumper cars, roller coasters and carousel.

"Can we go on the ferris wheel?" Elena asked, puting her hands in a sign of prayer and looking at the three of them with a pleading look.

"I'm not going, it's too boring. I want to go to the arcade area" Chris replied, ignoring the girl who was begging.

"I want to go to the arcade too!" Nick shouted, raising his hand like a child and approaching Chris, making Elena roll her eyes and cross her arms with a huff.

"I'll go with you." Matt said looking at Elena, who smiled big, taking his hand and dragging him through the park to the ferris wheel line, ignoring the taller man's protests.

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"Wow, I don't remember the last time I entered a cabin like that" Matt commented, closing the small door behind him and sitting on the single bench next to Elena, who smiled as she nodded and looked at the outside view through the cabin's glass window.

Matt found himself watching her, taking note of her profile, feeling himself falling in love with her all over again.

It didn't take long for the wheel to start moving, the cabin swayed a little making Elena let out a surprised sound, holding onto Matt's arm to steady herself.

"Sorry, I don't remember it moving that much" She commented, smiling awkwardly as she took her hand off the boy's arm, watching him wave his hand like it was nothing.

The two focused their eyes outside the cabin, taking note of the people who looked like little ants as the cabin rose higher, the blue sky with few clouds, the light breeze that blew and the birds that passed by in the distance. Elena looked at the cabin ahead and saw a couple cuddling each other, smiling big as they also watched the view, and she found herself trying to remember if she had ever been through that with Jeremy, but her mind came out was blank.

Her chest tightened as she realized that she had never even been to an amusement park with Jeremy, or a park, or a romantic walk. With Jeremy it was always all about work and having the perfect status.

Her gaze changed from the couple to Matt, noticing that he was also looking at the couple, but quickly his blue eyes focused on her as well.

"I love being able to look at you up close like this," Matt whispered, as if he was afraid of speaking too loudly and end what they were having.

Elena smiled, blushing, but forcing herself not to look away from him, she didn't want to miss that moment for anything. Her eyes took in all the little details of Matt's face, his sparkling blue eyes with dilated pupils, his nose perfectly shaped and the right size for his face, his cheekbones slightly reddened by the heat, his big, messy hair, his beard starting to appear again due to the time without shaving it... She felt like she could stay there forever.

Matt moved slightly closer, stopping with his mouth centimeters from hers, seeming to wait to see if she would pull away, which she didn't. Elena held herself in place, yearning to feel him.

Matt, realizing that there was no movement on her part, moved closer until their lips touched, and Elena felt that everything she read in romance books about the sensations of electricity through her body and the fireworks around her when kissing her right person was true.

Matt let out a sigh through his nose at the sensation, feeling instant relief and as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He never wanted to leave there again.

It was just a touch of lips, but it was enough for them at that moment. It was exactly what they needed.

Elena pulled away first, still with her eyes closed, trying to prolong the feeling and sensations in her body and mind. When she opened her eyes, she noticed Matt already looking at her, smiling broadly, and she returned the smile.

"I love you." Matt blurted out, making Elena's eyes widen. "Elena, I'm sorry for not having said or done anything before, but I've loved you for as long as I can remember, since the first flower I plucked from my mother's garden and gave to you, since the first time you gave me your Baby Alive for me to take care of as if it were the most precious thing in the world, since the first day you asked me to kiss your scraped knee to heal it. I've loved you for so long and I was an idiot for not saying it. And it's okay if you don't want me, you're engaged, you have a life in New York and... Asking you to leave all of this is impossible, but I needed to tell you."

Before Elena could process it, the bubble around the two seemed to burst as the ferris wheel stopped and their turn was over, the little cabin door opening again.

Matt cleared his throat, getting up and helping Elena out. When they both touched their feet on the floor, Elena felt her cell phone vibrate, picking it up only to see that Jeremy was sending her a new message about the wedding, and at that moment she fell to reality, she had cheated on her fiancé with her best friend. A bitter taste entered her mouth, her body froze and a horrible feeling took over her heart. God, what did she do?

Elena quickly pulled away from Matt, feeling her hands shake. She put her cell phone in her bag and turned to the taller man, seeing him looking at her with a worried look.

"Matt I cheated on him... I-I cheated on my fiancé with you." She stuttered. Matt looked at her with a weight on his eyes, feeling horrible for having contributed to that, blaming himself for kissing her, wanting to go back in time and not even agreeing to go on the ferris wheel with the girl.

He loved her, but she didn't love him back, not like he wanted her to.

"Elena look, it's going to be okay, you can talk to him, I swear I won't approach you again, I'm sorry-"

"I-I need to go."

"What?" Matt stopped walking completely.

"I need to go Matt." She looked into his eyes, feeling guilty as she saw immense pain in the blue pools. "Don't go after me, please. I'm sorry."

Elena turned and ran away, wiping the tears that fell from her eyes without stopping and feeling an emptiness and weight in her chest, as if part of her had stayed with Matt.

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

The girl got out of the taxi in front of her grandparents house and walked to the door, taking the spare key that her grandfather had given her, trying to unlock the lock with her blurry vision.

"Elena?" The girl heard her grandmother call from the kitchen after closing the door behind her.

"Hi grandma." Elena responded, her voice cracking from the held back cry.

Her grandmother quickly appeared at the kitchen door after noticing the difference in her granddaughter's voice, approaching with quick steps when she saw the youngest's red eyes and wet cheeks.

"Oh Elena, what happened?" The older woman asked worriedly, taking Elena's shoulders and leading her to the sofa, sitting her on the soft surface and sitting next to her.

"Why does love hurt so much, grandma?" Elena asked, letting out a sob. Her grandmother sighed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh Elena, love doesn't hurt dear. It took me many years to learn that, if love is right for you and your heart, and it's reciprocal, it doesn't hurt, it wasn't made to hurt. It was with your grandfather that I learned that love is free, it is generous, it is safe and it empowers you in a way that makes you feel stronger and like you can conquer the world." The oldest explained with a smile. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I kissed Matt." Elena said, looking down at her hands, quickly looking away from the ring. "We went to the amusement park we went to as kids, I wanted to go on the ferris wheel and he accompanied me, we had a moment and we kissed."

"He always looked at you differently... And you at him, so much so that I swore you two would end up together. I remember all the times you came running here with a new flower in your hands and said it was from Matt, as If I didn't already know that." Elena smiled upon hearing her grandmother's words.

"But grandma, I'm engaged." She whispered regretfully.

"Do you love Jeremy?" The eldest asked, cupping her granddaughter's cheek and lifting her face so she could look her in the eyes.

"I-I... I don't know." Elena desperately tried to feel for Jeremy what she felt for Matt. "I don't feel about him what I feel when I think about Matt, or when I'm with him. Jeremy is an incredible man, with a planned and perfect life... I feel so pressured sometimes, like I have to be perfect all the time to fit in with him and his plans. It's not light, grandma."

Elena cried harder when she realized how heavy her days were with Jeremy, how she always had to have the most impeccable and perfect clothes, with the best posture, the most flawless makeup, the best-groomed hair and the best modes. How she felt about being looked at and evaluated by everyone all the time, especially at Jeremy's parenting conferences or in her father's office.

"Elena, pay close attention to me, what does your heart say if you spend more time worrying about perfection than kissing him? If you spend more time in the day thinking about a thousand things than living love lightly? Do you feel like to run away when with him? Honey, I'm sorry, but that's not love. Not the right one for you, at least."

Elena looked at her grandmother, surprised by her wisdom and how it all made sense.

Jeremy was a perfect man, but not for her. Matt was her perfect match.

God, what would she do now? She ran out of the park and left Matt all by himself after he declared his love for her. And she still had Jeremy...

"I already know what I gave to do."

[hanakou-often]

12. Swap au?

AU where Kou becomes the seventh mystery and Amane becomes his assistant (In retrospect his assistant probably should’ve been Mitsuba but I was on a Hanakou ROLL)!! I enjoy this concept a lot but I'll admit its not the most thought out idea so don't expect much lmao

Kou is now Number 7 of the roof top: Nariko-San! Hanako said not many people know how to summon him but I think it’s pretty lame excuse? I mean if getting a wish granted was as easy as knocking on a bathroom door I feel like way more people would do it yk!! The more powerful the apparition, the harder it should be to summon. So to up the ante, Nariko’s rumor is ‘if you go out on the roof top on a rainy day and lean over the railing while chanting ‘Nariko-San, Nariko-San, save me' She just might make your wish come true' and of course the "price to pay" here is the risk of losing your life yk

Amane is crazy enough to be the first to summon him. His wish is something along the lines of him wanting to ‘live among the stars' or something equally as emo and blah blah when he finally summons him, Nariko appears in a streak of lightning and instantly pulls Amane back in. Amane expected a more grim figure with a matching God-like disposition but Nariko shows immediate concern, dispelling any previous expectations.

I'm not exactly sure how or why but eventually instead of a mermaid scale Amane swallows a bird feather? He turns into an owl and Nariko has to fight off a harpy, stating those are "angels" who use avian creatures as their 'eyes'. When the harpy is finally gone, Nariko eats the other feather and makes Amane promise not to randomly fly off and leave (because people care about him yadda yadda). Now anytime Amane gets flustered/agitated or sneezes, he turns into his owl form.

Teru is Nariko’s Tsukasa so to speak. His personality is sort similar mother Gothel from Tangled where he's more emotionally manipulative than violent/extreme like Tsukasa. Anyways Tiara grows up without her siblings. One of the only things I’ve written for this AU is Nariko grappling with that guilt so stay tuned for that <3

I’ll be so honest I was only here to max out on the shipping potential so I didn’t think about other characters' roles though too much lol. I've been aching to write the beginnings of this au so I can cash in on the weird Teru and Nariko dynamic later but as you can tell my ideas are a little scatterbrained with some bits of info missing here and there.

[the-forests-blessing]

Chapter 2

Lukas’ morning begins with rain. 

     Our pensive little writer stands at the window of his room, peering through the glass up towards the dark gray clouds in the sky. He hadn’t expected rain to roll in so soon after a day as bright and sunny as yesterday was. He can’t help but frown with disappointment. I guess I won’t be heading to the forest, he decides begrudgingly. He stares outside for a little while longer, listening to the rain patter against the glass and watching the droplets drizzle over the long, expansive grassy field that lay between himself and the dense woodland. So close, yet so far, he sighs. Turning away, he ponders how to spend his day. Well, the library isn’t that far down the street. 

     Lukas walks over to the coat hanger on the wall near the doorway and grabs his heavy brown jacket, pushing his lanky pale arms through the sleeves, then adjusts the rest of it over his body. He gives himself a quick look-over in the tall mirror on the wall, examining his dark pants and his dress shoes, assuring everything is nice and neat. Then, he reaches up and grasps the collar of his orange turtleneck sweater, giving it an orderly tug. He turns his head, looking over his hair one last time to make sure it's styled properly. He must ensure his hair maintains that clean, glossy look. Even if BeaconTown is in its own disheveled state of untidiness, Lukas won’t be caught dead with his hair looking like a mess around these people. 

     When he decides all is well and good, he turns to Dewey. The ocelot currently munches on his breakfast in a bowl on the floor beside the bed. “I’m gonna go out, Dew.” Lukas approaches and kneels in front of his feline companion, peering down at the almost empty bowl. “It’s rainy out, so I doubt you’ll be wanting to join me.” Dewey lifts his head up, gives his lips a few licks before responding with one single nod, then returns to his meal. Lukas smiles, lingering just a moment longer to appreciate his little spotted companion before he’s standing and heading out the door. “Hold down the fort for me while I’m gone!” 

     Lukas mulls over yesterday's first impressions as he makes his way down the steps from his room to the inn’s foyer. It was already pretty late, with evening just beyond the horizon when Lukas finally made it to town. His wishful thinking wanted to believe that time of day had to do with all the sourness in people's attitudes, but he’s got a hunch that that won’t be the case. 

     Exiting the BeacInn, Lukas is greeted with mostly empty streets, save for two people huddled close beneath an umbrella walking by. The smell of rain hits him instantly, enticing him to draw in a deep breath. Lukas’ gaze flicks left and right, really taking in how desolate it is here. It’s… sad . He can’t help but feel a ping of sorrow slip through him, yearning for the lively town he’d been eagerly anticipating so long for. 

     He digs into his inventory, grabbing his own umbrella and opening it up. Immediately the rain dribbles against the protective barrier. Lukas holds it firmly over his head as he walks down the steps and begins his stroll towards the library. In weather like this, one of his favorite things to do is find a nice cozy spot by a fire and read while listening to the rain patter against whatever roof he’s settled beneath. 

     Thankfully that old man from yesterday was right. The library is in close distance to the BeacInn. It would have been miserable walking back and forth from one side of town to the other just to get here. Lukas ascends the steps of the library and approaches the tall dark oak doors. He closes his umbrella and shakes it off before tucking it back into his inventory. Grasping the handle, Lukas pulls the door open and is immediately greeted with a heavenly sight to behold. 

     The library itself is rather dim. The only natural lighting comes from the massive skylight window that’s built into the ceiling of the library, filtering through and bathing the study area that sits in the middle of the room in delicate light. To his right is the check out area with no staff in sight. Row after row of shelves labeled from nonfiction to fantasy and many other genres surround the study area on all sides. Lukas steps in further, feeling a little more comfortable when he glances around and notices a few lonesome people residing within these quiet walls. He clutches the strap of his satchel and ventures forth, feeling at ease within this literary setting.

     He walks towards one of the isles, reading the sign on the end cap that says “environmental literature”. Lukas draws in a deep breath, bathing his tongue in the refreshing scents of the bibliosmia in his surroundings. Nothing brings his spirits up more than the smell of old books! Lukas adjusts his bag and dips into the aisle, taking in the numerous options. 

     “Hmm…Philosophy, cultural geography, archeology,” Lukas mumbles to himself as he draws his fingers down the differently labeled shelves. “Ah, here we go! Ecology. Perfect.” The blond reaches into the shelf and spends ample time dissecting each one for the most beneficial reads that pique his curiosity. Sitting criss-cross on the old carpeted floor, Lukas scours the titles and summaries of each book before deciding on six hefty novels. Each one weighs heavy with knowledge, inciting a peppy mood for the experienced novelist. 

     He carries his findings to the nearest table in the middle of the room and sets his stack down with a light ‘thump’, drawing the attention of a lone scholar sitting by himself at a different table a few blocks away. Out of the corner of his teal eye, something catches Lukas’ attention. He turns his head slightly, reading the “History” sign on one of the end caps in the back. How he noticed it? He’s not sure, because the section is wedged deep in the back where the books lay most dusty and untouched. 

     He stares for a few moments, looking back down at his choices, then glances back up at the nestled isle. Naturally, his curiosity flares like a cats. He hesitates, debates for a few moments, then sighs audibly. I told myself I wouldn’t do this. 

     Lukas approaches the back wall now, eyeing the sign with rising skepticism. Strange. In almost every library he’s ever been in, the history genre is usually somewhere close to the front with easy access. Lukas looks behind his shoulder once before he enters the aisle anyway and finds… quite the disappointing discovery. There’s only a meager three books back here. Lukas gawks at the empty selection, absolutely floored at the amount of dust collecting on the spacious divides. The books here are old, so much so that when Lukas reaches for a novel with dark leather binding, its pages sulk when being held up straight. 

     “Oh no...” Lukas frowns, his heart torn in two at the state of this book. He can smell the chemical breakdown emitting from the old, worn out sheets. He rests the book down onto the shelf delicately, lifting its cover and finds— Lukas blinks. Confusion makes him surge through the pages until he finally stops and processes. “This is a book of Redstonia’s history.” Lukas flicks his eyes to the other two books currently rotting away against one another. He grabs one, gives it the same attention and– “BoomTown?” 

     The last one is the most worn out, the hard cover has withered away after so long that it's no longer attached to the pages inside. Lukas always hates this part. With deep remorse, he peels the novels binding away and flips carefully through the tattered pages. This novel is much shorter than the others and mentions the name of a town he doesn’t recognize.

     A small town in the center of numerous biomes with a population of just a measly two hundred thirty-seven civilians. He gives the book a thorough look over, reading a few of the intelligible passages that haven’t been water damaged or had parts of it torn out over the years. What he gathers is the town was peaceful and known for holding fun festivals that attracted people from all over. But it’s strange… This town doesn’t appear on any of his maps, and Lukas has a lot of maps. 

     The real head scratcher here though is where on earth are the history books on BeaconTown itself? With a town as famous as this one, you’d think this section would be loaded up with informative works on the history of the town, its people, and the heroes that brought it all together. 

     “Whatcha lookin’ for?” 

     Lukas nearly leaps with surprise. If he had an ocelot tail, it would most definitely be bristled with shock. Lukas whips his head towards the source of the voice. Oh, it’s that young lad from earlier. The scholar who was sitting quietly with himself at his own table. The man before him dresses in a shabby green hoodie, paired with a yellow sweater beneath it. His dark hair is sleek and glossy in the front, giving his bangs a dangly kind of style that bounces whenever he turns his head. The blond peers down at the rest of him, eyeing his blue jeans and clean work shoes. He looks tired, but giving his dark rimmed glasses a quick adjustment, the man straightens with a soft smile. 

     “Uh. I was just checking out what the history section had to offer but–” Lukas gestures with a useless wave towards the empty shelves. 

     “Ohh…” The other male leans in, eyeing the shelves before falling back on his feet and looking at Lukas. “Yeah, we’re pretty lacking in that department.”

     “ Lacking is an understatement. I mean,” Lukas expresses annoyance in another gesture towards the blank shelves. “This is BeaconTown. You’re telling me there’s no history books here?” He scoffs, cocking his head to the other male expectantly. 

     The stranger merely shifts on his feet, gazing down at the carpeted floor awkwardly. “Well… no. I suppose there isn’t.” 

     Lukas narrows his eyes on the boy beside him, suspicion rising within. A moment of silence befalls them both, one that draws Lukas to look back at the shelves with a sigh. 

     “I always thought this town was a utopia of peace. A place where people would come to make friends easily and to build and craft freely. But everything I’ve seen so far?” Lukas shakes his head, raising his hand to gently grasp the shelf. “I don’t know. Makes me think that all that stuff was led on by false rumors and it all turned out to be just some big myth to draw in tourists .” 

     “Nonono!” The man beside him pleads, stepping closer to the blond. “No you mustn't ever believe that! BeaconTown was… It’s-” The boy pauses.

     Lukas stares at the man in shock. “It’s what?” He flinches when the stranger slaps a hand over his mouth, then begins to randomly start backing away. 

     “I-I— I said too much!” And just like that, the man bolts out of the aisle, scurries his way down the open room, yanks his books from the desk and hightails it out of here. Lukas watches, completely taken aback by the absurd display. 

     “You barely said anything at all…” Lukas mutters, watching the heavy front door close from his spot all the way on the other side of the library. He lingers here for a few moments, then glances back at the shelf one last time before he inevitably leaves the cubby and returns to the table with his books once again. 

      That was really weird. Said too much? All he said was…

      “Don’t believe that BeaconTown has always been like this…?” Lukas whispers, drawing his hand over one of the ecology book covers. 

      Okay. So… Then there really is something wrong here. Lukas needs no more evidence to draw to that conclusion. There’s already so many mysteries to investigate here, and while Lukas is quite drawn with curiosity as to what they may be, he knows better than to go sticking his nose in business that is not his own. It’s like that lady at the front desk said. It won’t be a mystery at all if he asks the right people. But it’s kind of hard to want to approach anyone with questions when everyone around here looks like they want to sucker punch him in the gut. 

     Lukas sighs, debating on what to do next before he lands on a decision. 

     As much as he would like to sit down and enjoy his time in a quiet, public space, there’s just no predicting what else might happen. Instead, he’s going to get these books checked out and head his way back to the hotel for some quality time with his latest literary adventures. Lukas picks his books up and carries the stack over to the front, chimes the bell on the counter, then waits… and waits. He spends a good three minutes standing there before he’s being approached by a short-stack woman with glasses. 

     “Erm… what are you doing?” 

     Lukas turns to her. “Oh finally. Here, I wanted to check these out.” He says with a smile, giving the books a good couple pats.

     “That won’t be necessary here. There’s no staff to do that.”

     “...What.” 

     “Nobody checks out books anymore. People just come in, take what they want, then leave.”

     “ What?” Lukas looks like he’s just been slapped across the face. “But without the proper organization system established, books will go missing or–or get stolen without anyone knowing,” he says in a rather fearful tone.

     “No one but regulars swing by here nowadays.” She shrugs. “You’re the first new face I think I’ve seen in months. Just bring them back when you’re finished like everybody else.” The woman turns and walks away, leaving an offended looking Lukas to stand by his lonesome once again. 

     Lukas leaves in a rush. The words that woman spewed out of her mouth nearly made him sick. “That is appalling,” he growls under his breath, becoming increasingly disgruntled with the town he’s about to spend the next three months in. “What is wrong with this town? Griefers, armed weirdos, and this unethical system I just cannot understand. Seriously. Not even Norfairian’s were this weird, and they live in the Nether.”  

     “Weird?” A voice behind him speaks. 

     Lukas turns, staring at a short blond girl and… that same guy from earlier! The two stand together side-by-side beneath an umbrella. 

     “You say we’re weirdo’s yet you’re the one talking to yourself in public, brah.” The girl says in a slow, lazy tone. The scholar from earlier stands tall beside her, but keeps silent. 

     “Hey, it's a force of habit. No one usually listens to me.” Lukas defends himself whilst an embarrassed blush spreads over his pale complexion. 

     The girl chuckles, waving off Lukas’ worries. “Chill dude, I ain’t grillin’ you. Just find it ironic is all.” 

     Lukas raises a brow at her. He’s vaguely familiar with the slang she uses in her wording, but can’t quite put a pin in the map from where it's from. From her laid back demeanor, she seems somewhat harmless. The shorter blonde’s cheeks are lightly freckled, her bleached hair braided and decorated with beads here and there. She wears a tank top and shorts despite the cold, rainy weather. She’s even sporting some flip flops too. 

     Compared to the other civilians walking the streets here in BeaconTown, these two seem the most… friendly. Lukas allows himself to relax, straightening up to address the two strangers with a firm nod. “Okay…” Lukas then turns, unsure of what else to say to them. He can’t tell if she was just making a comment, or wanted an actual–

     “Hey! Where are you going?” The male beside her asks.

     Lukas turns back to them, giving the two a puzzled look. “Back to where I’m staying. Why?”

     “You should, like, totally come with us for a sec.” The girl suggests, though it’s going to take way more convincing for Lukas to agree to an invitation so vague.

     “And why would I do that?” Lukas asks further.

     The two strangers glance at one another with a knowing look. Lukas quirks a brow, his suspicions only increasing. The taller male steps forward, easing himself out from under the safety of his shared umbrella to lean closer to Lukas. He puts his hand up, covering his mouth to whisper, “ we can’t talk out in the open.”

      Lukas’ eyes widened. Okay. Now we’re on to something.

     “You two aren’t going to take me into some dark alleyway and mug me right?” Lukas puts it plainly, earning a soft chuckle from the blonde girl and a nervous frown from the man. 

     “No, no, I wouldn’t dream of it. Just follow us, but try not to look suspicious. Hunter’s are always watching from all angles.” The male tilts his head in a gesture to follow, then begins walking away with his friend. 

      Hunters? Lukas wonders to himself. What does that mean? 

     Lukas peaks around, finding nobody else in sight. Just the constant downpour of rain pelting the stone brick street, filling in the broken cracks and puddling in the deeper divots. Lukas draws in one long breath before sighing heavily. He picks up his feet and follows, now finding it harder not to be glancing into every alleyway or the nooks and crannies of empty shops. Always watching, Lukas thinks to himself. 

     He ends up following the two with a couple blocks of distance between them. The taller of the two glances back occasionally for what Lukas can only guess is to make sure he’s still following. Lukas still can’t help the anxiety forming in his gut over the decision he’s just made. Should he stop and turn back now or…? This might be his one chance to get some actual information on the town. What the young man said earlier suggested he knew more than he was letting on. That he’d said too much. 

     Lukas is eventually brought back down the same path towards the BeacInn. For his second day in town, he certainly isn’t doing much sightseeing. They bring him over to a house, one that’s in pretty good condition. It’s nestled in behind a vendor’s stall though. A little brick path snug between some grass has Lukas feeling a little more comfy, enjoying what little nature there is in the heart of the town. Approaching the house now, the girl drops her umbrella and shakes it out before stepping up the staircase to the front door, the man following close behind. 

     Lukas takes one last look over his shoulder. His last moment to decide his fate. Leave? Or trust these two strange individuals? He looks around the lawn a bit, finding the flowers growing here a bit more comforting and helping him to ease the tension in his limbs. Okay… Lukas closes his own umbrella and follows the two up the steps. The girl holds the door open for them both and seems to notice Lukas’ weariness. 

     “I swear we aren’t gonna hurt you, dude.” She reassures with a lazy smile.

     Lukas gives her an odd look, then glances away. “Sorry it’s just… weird to have people who actually want to speak with me. Everyone else around here usually interrupts me mid sentence or just flat out ignores me.” He explains with a somber tone. 

     “Yeahh..” The young man speaks quietly. “That’s how it is now. Best to keep to yourself. Oh! My name is Radar by the way.” Radar reaches out, inviting Lukas to shake his hand. Lukas nods, taking his hand and shaking it firmly, executing peak professionalism. 

     “Nice to meet you, Radar. My name is Lukas.” 

     “And I’m Nell,” Nell says, earning a curt nod from Lukas.

     “Pleasure.” He shakes her hand accordingly, then draws away, shoving both hands in his pockets and looks around. The house here is ocean themed, something that immediately clicks in Lukas’ mind with greater understanding towards Nell’s tone and style of speech. He’s been to numerous oceanic towns and met the people living there, some of which speak similar patterns to what Nell has. Very kind and laid back people, perhaps she is one of the unfortunate souls who came to BeaconTown in hopes of a better life too? Regardless, he is very fond of the decor, especially the basket of seashells and sand dollars on the coffee table in the living room. The interior of this home is small with the kitchen, bedroom, and living room all crammed into one space from the looks of it. 

     “So… uh… Sorry about earlier. I didn’t want to get into any trouble for speaking about this where someone could hear us.” Radar speaks up. Lukas turns his attention back to the man, noting how nervous he seems. “You were searching for BeaconTown’s history? …Why?” he asks carefully. 

     Lukas quirks a brow, puzzled by the question. “Well, I can’t help but find it kind of strange that the world famous city known for its kindness and generosity has turned completely upside down. I mean-” He reaches into his coat pocket and holds out his postcard. “I mean this is the BeaconTown I was looking forward to. Not–” He allows Radar to gently take the postcard from his hand, then gestures to his surroundings, “all this craziness.”

     Lukas pauses when he sees the other man's lips tremble when staring down at the postcard. A feeling of oncoming dread seeps into his body seeing those eyes glisten with untold emotion behind those dark rimmed glasses. Lukas frowns, but says nothing as the two take their time to examine the image on the card. Something seems to have stricken a cord within them both, especially Radar. 

     “Wow. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it like this.” Radar frowns deeply, and with great sorrow. 

     “Yeah man… Brings back memories.” Nell laments softly. 

     Lukas scratches awkwardly at the back of his head, feeling uncomfortable in his position. “I– I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-” 

     “No-no, don’t be sorry.” Radar assures, offering the postcard back to Lukas. The blond takes it and offers a gentle “thanks” in return. “You’re right. BeaconTown is way different than it once was. That’s why I was so surprised to see a new face open the library doors. No one who enters BeaconTown these days usually comes to the library of all places.” Radar sighs, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. “I mean, it used to be one of the hottest spots in town. Now it's-” Radar stops there with an indifferent shrug and glances away.

     “I was so totally stoked when Radar came and told me a new guy showed up in town that didn't look like a total whackjob. We couldn’t help but wonder what the heck brought you here of all places?” Nell says, looking at Lukas curiously. 

     “Well I'm relieved to hear I don't look like a whackjob,” Lukas chuckles softly, “but anyways, my reason for visiting BeaconTown is that I’m actually an author. Well, I’m trying to be. I’m currently in the middle of writing an extensive biome encyclopedia that goes in depth about each and every biome. I’ve been working on it for the last five years! Hoping to finish it by the end of this year.” Lukas smiles.

     “Oh wow! That sounds super-duper exciting.” Radar expresses with an honestly intrigued grin. Nell on the other hand doesn’t seem as enthralled with the idea. 

     “Sounds like a loooot of moving around from place to place, huh?” She asks, a bit turned off at the idea of doing that much traveling. 

     “It is,” Lukas nods proudly. “I’ve been all over the world, and here I am, BeaconTown being one of my last stops before I settle down… uh… somewhere , and finally finish my draft and move forward to finalizing, then publishing!” Lukas’ eyes glimmer with excitement under the dim torch light. He always gets so worked up talking about this stuff, it makes him all sorts of giddy. 

     “Wow, that’s honestly amazing. And you’ve been doing it for five whole years? Jeez, talk about serious dedication. I’m totally inspired! Although I’m not sure what to do with that inspiration.” Radar smiles sheepishly. 

     “Heh, thank you. And hmm… read more books? Can never go wrong using your inspiration to make room for new knowledge,” Lukas suggests with a shrug.

     “YES!” Radar exclaims. “I like that idea a lot. Maybe I’ll do more environmental studies! Gosh, it’s so nice having someone friendly to talk to.”

     “Totally. I look forward to, like, totally vibing with you and stuff,” Nell projects an invitation for a future gathering session, the idea making Lukas’ heart relent, quickly withdrawing from the idea.

     “Oh well I-... That's awfully nice to hear, really, but I've got business to attend to on the outskirts of town for most of my stay.” Lukas awkwardly confesses. He's not sure he's ready to hang out with Radar and Nell. He barely knows either of them and the idea of subjecting himself to social gatherings when he could instead be using his precious time to broaden his research; well, let's just say ‘vibing’ won't be a part of his extremely tight schedule any time soon. 

     Radar is taken aback by this, blinking, then narrowing his gaze. “Outskirts where, exactly?” 

     Lukas lights up, instantly. “Oh, the-”

      Knock knock knock. 

     “Radar! Nell! Are you two in there?” A loud shout booms on the opposite side of the front door, causing everyone in the room to flinch with surprise. The strength of the knocking is strong, but pretty obnoxious in Lukas’ personal opinion. Is it the guards?

      “Oh crap!” Radar hisses, turning to face Nell who looks back at him with a mutually worried expression. They don’t linger on one another for long; Nell quickly rushes to Lukas’ side and gives the confused author an urgent push. 

     “You’ve got to get out of here, like, now Lukas-dude.” Nell presses.

     Lukas sputters his confusion- “Wha-? Why? What’s going on? Am I in danger?” 

     “J-Just a second!” Radar shouts towards the door, then rushes towards the back wall of the single room home. On the wall is a tie-dye tapestry, its colorful pattern draping long and low to the floor. To Lukas’ surprise, a door is revealed behind the decor as Radar grabs it and pulls it back. “Here! Leave through here and don’t let yourself be seen,” he says in a hushed tone. 

     “O-okay,” Lukas replies with uncertainty, then takes his steps towards the door. Confusion and concern tread the shallows of his mind as he’s ushered out the back door, the blond considering the worn out wooden steps before stepping down them and entering the grassy lawn behind the home. The moment he looks back, the door is shut. Lukas is left alone and most certainly bewildered by the moment. Who was on the other side of that door? The two of his newfound … acquaintances, seemed genuinely frightened by the voice on the other side of the door. Radar said not to linger though, so Lukas quickly takes a look around and departs from the home, heading into a nearby alleyway that eventually leads him out to BeaconTown’s mainstreet. 

     The rain continues to pour, forcing Lukas to break out his umbrella once again. The umbrella keeps his now partially drenched form from getting any worse than that. He looks around, noting that he’s found himself on the other side of the street from that coffee shop from yesterday. He recalls that threatening looking group that had settled down there before, although the shop is free of their hostile presence today. Well… He’s not sure what else to do as of now, so maybe a cup of cocoa will assist in helping him mull over the minor discoveries he’s made this morning.

     Settled down at one of the booths inside the coffee shop, Lukas keeps his hot chocolate close, warming his cold hands while he watches the rain outside. As much as he’d like to indulge in thoughts revolving work, he can’t help but find himself lost within the mystery this town holds. He adds a bit of vanilla creamer for extra flavor, stirring, then takes a sip of his warm brew as he fishes his notebook out of his inventory. The old thing is gently set on the table, its bindings worn with use. Anyone who takes a look at the journal could tell it’s well-loved. Lukas’ eyes narrow down at the empty page he’s flipped to, contemplating the blank lines before flipping through a few more pages, skipping ahead of his previous notes. At the top, he jots down “BeaconTown” in professional cursive, then continues to describe his findings. 

     The disorienting revelation that BeaconTown, the world renowned city of heroes, has no documented history to its name, is one of the many things he logs into his research. Tapping his quill against his chin, the author hums, scanning the pages before writing into it, “as of now, I’m uncertain I want to get involved in any of BeaconTown’s secrets. I suspect many dangers hidden between the lines; I’ll only discover trouble if I continue to step into places I’m not welcome.”  

     Lukas takes another sip of his cocoa, sighing with satisfaction at the flavors melting on his taste buds. He’ll need to take his compliments to the brewer, as this is one of the best cups of cocoa he’s had in months. After another ten minutes of sipping and note-taking, Lukas’ mug is empty and he is thoroughly pleased with himself. He takes his empty mug back to the counter, gaining the attention of the single person behind the register. He smiles kindly, then takes out an emerald and sticks it in the ‘tips’ jar. “Thanks for the cocoa, it was delicious,” he says as he then turns and begins his exit from the establishment. The middle aged gentleman behind the counter sputters his surprise, then offers a rushed “t-thank you, sir!” as the door creaks open. “You’re welcome!” Lukas says and departs from the shop.

     Despite the exterior of the building’s messy state, Lukas finds himself making a mental note to return here in the future. So far that was the best thing BeaconTown has had to offer him. 

     After Radar’s handful of indistinct warnings throughout the short time Lukas spoke to him, our author finds himself walking at a fast pace to get back to the Inn for the rest of his afternoon. The warnings that linger in his mind keep him anxious and fidgety, peering between every other building or checking behind his back to make sure some shady eyes aren’t following him. Hunters were one of the other perplexing things that kept Lukas on high alert and cautionary. Does he mean trophy hunters? Bounty hunters? Or just your classic hunter who ensures the town is fed throughout the changing seasons? 

     Lukas grips his umbrella’s handle tighter, determined to learn more on the subject matter. He recalls that group of unfriendly-looking people wielding swords and arrow baskets. Armed and dangerous all while sitting outside of a public cafe. They didn’t wear armor at all similar to what the town’s guards wore, but Lukas couldn’t get a good enough look at them to tell exactly what they did wear in terms of protection. He wonders if these people are the hunters Radar warned him of. Lukas glances behind his back as he approaches the inn’s front doors, giving the wet street one last look over before entering the safety, more or less, of his temporary housing establishment. 

     Lukas collapses backwards against the bed in his hotel suite. He’d hung up his coat, laid his satchel and books out on top of the clean, sleek writing desk in the corner, and of course greeted Dewey before he finally became one with his bed once again. Dewey trills happily whilst he bounces up onto the bed and joins Lukas. Pleased his caretaker has returned, the ocelot clocks on and begins making biscuits in the blankets of the bed. Lukas smirks, listening to the deep rumble of his spotted companion. Dewey’s purrs always help soothe his anxious thoughts. 

     Lukas turns his head, looking at Dewey as he reaches out and scratches the ocelot just beneath his jaw, but right above his orange bandana. The ocelot purrs louder and leans into the gentle affection. Lukas huffs out a soft, tired laugh. “It’s nice to see you again, buddy.” Even if it were only a few hours, it's not often the two separate. Dewey sits down and gives one agreeing nod. “I learned some new things about BeaconTown while I was out, but I have to admit, it’s all still very confusing.” Lukas turns, rolling over onto his belly. “I met two strangers earlier, a skittish guy named Radar, and a relaxed girl named Nell. They seemed friendly enough to trust, so I ended up following them back to this small house where they confirmed with me that BeaconTown truly wasn’t always like this…”

     Lukas’ eyes flick up to the large windows looming in front of him. The rain has since calmed, it is now nothing more than a gentle drizzle outside. The dark, brooding clouds in the sky now pale as the sun begins to break through their thick barrier. Lukas gazes for a few moments, his mind drifting…

     Dewey perks up and watches his blond owner move off the bed and return to one of the windows. Here Lukas rests his eyes upon the forest once again. The expanse of grassland between him and the higher altitude forest will probably take a few minutes to walk through, which is just more time spent admiring the tree line while he gets closer. “I’m really hoping this rain stops by tomorrow morning. It would be fun to start the day with an adventure, right Dewey?” Lukas turns, looking at his biscuit kneading ocelot. Dewey flicks his tail in acknowledgment to what Lukas says, but offers nothing more.

     Lukas turns back towards the dense woodland with a hopeful glimmer in his oceanic eyes. 

     Morning couldn’t come any sooner.

[animehouse-moe]

Undead Girl Murder Farce Episode 12: Where The River's Flow Changes

Certainly not the Murder Farce episode I was expecting, but I'll be damned if it hasn't set the stage for one of my most anticipated episodes so far this year. All sorts of little bits and pieces that leave the mystery on the very cusp of being solved, while teasing a veritable feast of action and matchups to close out the season. There's hardly any time to waste so I'll get on to the point.

Well, to start. Victor saves Tsugaru and Aya. Not anything special, but it's just allowing viewers to get acquainted with his character. Not-so-shockingly, Victor is - in a sense- a pacifist. He has no problem throwing down, but he won't kill. Saving Tsugaru and Aya is obvious, but I also like how when he lies down to pass the time, he briefly looks up at some butterflies or moths before dozing off.

Moving on to the episode itself, a very interesting thing. Very, very interesting indeed. We open with seeing a casket being carried through the werewolf's village. A casket that most likely holds Nora within.

On its own, it's nothing special, but later in the episode we find another casket... that contains nothing. Rather, it's on the side of the road that Louise's body is discovered.

Together, the pair pose the question of 'why'. Was was it just now that Louise's body was discovered. What reason would there be with its positioning. Well, that's the interesting answer that the episode poses, so I'll come back to it when we get there.

Anyways, we move onwards. Tsugaru and Aya are taken to where Shizuku's being held that they can discuss things. Just the usual, some exposition and character acting and whatnot. What I like more than that is the visuals. Shizuku is in cage because she's forced to be. The door is closed and she can't leave. Meanwhile, Tsugaru meanders into a cage with its door open and lazes about. Just a clever bit of character acting and visuals to show the disparity in how the pair live their respective lives.

Continuing to press onwards, we find more cool stuff. Both in terms of story and visuals. Really liked this cut that showed a 2D rotating object, and the overhead view. Great work all around to make the most of literally walking in a circle.

And this is where they mystery really kicks off. We confirm that it's Gustav's gun that's been the murder weapon of choice for these attacks.

Keeping it going, we get an even weirder reveal. Moths. These little guys are interesting, and arguably, important. So, a little info now, a bit more later.

Why was Nora damp/wet despite being murdered on a dry day? Why were the girls murdered on rainy days? How does Louise differ from all of this?

The moths. Any travel between the underground passage and aboveground causes people to be covered in moth scales. So, if you don't want to leave any hints or trails, they've got to be washed away.

Just a bit later, Aya is talking to Tsugaru about the blood splatter in a certain area in the cave.

Put two and two together, and what do you get? The way that Louise is discovered, and the way that this blood pattern came to be, they tell the story we're all thinking. Louise wasn't killed by a werewolf, but a gun. But the point still stands, why. I'm a fraction of a sliver of information away from putting it together, but I can't find what I need.

Regardless of my inability to solve the case, we get more info. Someone, something has been living in this cave, spending time there. On the wall "probation" is written above what Aya estimates at 550 tallies. There's certainly something being told with the affectations that litter the space, but I can't put them together.

Regardless of that though, I like this shot for two reasons.

1: Foreground obstruction that gives a feel of three dimensional space

2: Tsuguaru's head isn't in frame, but Aya's is. The point driven home is that Tsugaru is Aya's body, while Aya is Tsguaru's brain. Fun little detail for sure.

And then, of course, there's Alma, whos' now confirmed to be dead, but in a way that differs from the other two. One human girl dead, one werewolf girl dead, and one werewolf masquerading as a human dead. All of them with blonde hair. I don't quite have an answer for this either, but it certainly must play into the mystery at large.

Alright, lets speed things along then, shall we? Humans vs werewolves. Is it the end goal of Jutte? Driven out of the werewolf village with her mother, hunted down like animals by humans. Neither side showing affection to the girl forsaken by both. Could she really be doing this to get the two villages to annihilate the village? It's possible, and I guess we'll find out in the next episode, but I wanted to share this image.

A moon died orange, almost glowing as if it were on fire. An intentional mixture of the two aspects that have defined each village so far.

So, like I said, village vs village. An all out brawl spurred on by the "insurance" brokers that brought the humans down to the werewolf village. I think it's a little bit wonky, but surprisingly well animated. The ideas are creative, the actual animation itself is solid, but the boards and movement itself can certainly be odd. Shows a lot of ambition, and even the ability to back it up, but not the experience necessary to execute on it. Certainly has my hopes up for the finale episode though.

Alright, my last piece, more of that moth stuff. It seems like those moths might have been able to have an affect on the humans. Not a guarantee by any means, but just feels like something that might be possible considering how much effort's gone into showing those scales on them.

Okay I lied, this is the last piece. I'm really unsure now of the point of this blur. Before it was all on the noses of characters, but in this cut it's shown to effect the right side of Vera's body?

All in all, the stage has been set in wonderful fashion. Certainly a better episode than the prior, but still withholding all of its cards so that it can play them all in one go next week. A mountain of details and information that's just waiting on that final piece to complete itself, and a mountain of kickass and exciting fights waiting. I absolutely can't wait to see what comes of it.

[gutsfics]

im actually putting effort into a building in Sims for once instead of just hoping to find something close-enough-but-not-really on the gallery 🤯

so here's the first floor of the building Noah and Devi live in, which is Baby Jane's!

there's no option for running a restaurant on the same lot as the one you live in so its mostly just for rp purposes

its somewhat based on a diner here in [town i live in]. its got amazing hush puppies but horrendous service. one of the last times i went my dad was fully done w his food before i got mine 🫠 also its like constantly full of flies

anyway here's a little headcanon for you: at some point after everything settles down post ILW, Devi gets contacted by whoever is in charge of Adrian Kim's estate & offered a bunch of money as a show of good faith (read: they don't want him to sue, which literally never crossed his mind but they dont know that), and bc Devi was having some trouble getting/keeping a job due to Having Been Dead For Four Years he was like "😶..... suuuuuure" fully expecting just a little nest egg he and Noah could save for a rainy day.

they ended up giving him enough money not only to open Baby Jane's, but to fully own the building its in, which is big enough its got a little suite above it

[razieltwelve]

The Rain (Final Rose)

“I was there when the Burning Spear passed,” Fang murmured.

Victoria was sitting on her lap. “How did he pass, grandma?”

“In fire and water,” Fang said quietly. “He was old then, very old, and he did not want to die in his bed. He wanted to die with his spear in hand and his enemies dead around him. As a member of the clan, it was his right to choose. So he picked a day for his Last Hunt, and I was one of the warriors he chose to go with him. I was young, a little bit older than you are now, but he wanted me to see. He wanted me to understand.”

“Understand what?” Victoria’s hair was more like Fang’s than Diana’s, unruly but not spiky.

“That freedom does not only mean the right to live on your terms but also the right to die on them too.” Fang gazed out over the waters of the lake, seeing something far away in space and time. “We went deep into the woods to where a mighty Grimm had been spotted. When we found it, Burning Spear asked all of us to stand back. We would watch, and he would fight alone.”

“He wanted to die,” Victoria said.

“Yes. He wanted to either die trying to kill a terrible foe or die of exhaustion after having defeated one.” Fang paused. “That Grimm... it was strong. But in his prime, Burning Spear could easily have beaten it. As an old man, sickly and drained, it was not a challenge any of us expected him to overcome. But because we loved him, we would let him face it. We would not shame him by interfering.”

Victoria nodded solemnly. She understood. “To save him would shame him.”

“Yes. And so, Burning Spear fought. And the battle did not go well for him. He was not as strong or as fast as he needed to be, so the Grimm wounded him many times. Yet he got up each time. He wished to die, but he would not give his life easily. At last, the Grimm seized him in its claws, but Burning Spear smiled... and then he began to laugh.”

Fang took a deep breath. “It was raining then, a hard, cruel rain. But I could hear his laughter clearly over the rain, and I could see the smile upon his bloodied lips. And then the water and blood running down his face began to boil into steam.”

“That was his Semblance, right?” Victoria asked.

Fang nodded. “The Grimm tried to throw him away, but Burning Spear held onto it, and he laughed louder and louder as more and more of the rain began to turn to steam. The last time I saw him, he was grinning from ear to ear. Then there was a flash of light and a burst of heat. The Grimm was gone, and Burning Spear was ash. Thus did Burning Spear pass... with laughter on his lips, basking in the terror of his foe.”

“A good death,” Victoria whispered. “Was it the death he wanted?”

“Yes,” Fang said. “It was exactly the death he wanted. They say that if you walk past that part of the woods on a rainy day, you can still hear him laughing. To this day, the Grimm avoid that area. I think they know, somehow, what happened there, and I think it would make him happy to know they are still afraid.”

[ssozo]

27. Perhaps withh Hancock? From the nsfw prompts? Seems fitting for him (he can fuck right? Hes packing?)

hancock + aphrodisiacs

He’d already had three hits of jet and a singular mentat. Neo sat politely as the ghoul finished what sat before him.

“What’s got you so stiff, brother? Need something to relax?” Hancock sat next to the vault dweller, one hand laying across the back of the couch, and the other casually resting on Neo’s leg. If he didn’t know better, he’d assume Hancock had done so accidentally.

Neo was never much for chems before the war. He’d seen addiction run through his family and in a previous life he swore to avoid all substances like the plague, alcohol included. It made conversations with others difficult before, always turning down a beer or declining going out with his coworkers to the bar, but he could live with that. It was fine.

He changed his mind after stepping into the wasteland for the first time. There was no way he could handle the change sober.

It’s why Neo found himself hanging around Goodneighbor more often than not- Sanctuary was too painful to stay for long, even with Preston there to comfort him. Chems became a way to blur his past into a dull ache, and fuck if he wasn’t going to take advantage of one of the best sources of free drugs in the Commonwealth.

Hancock squeezed his knee, bringing him back to the present. “You okay? You’re not as talkative as usual.”

Neo rolled his eyes. “I’m waiting for you to bring out something better. It’s a national holiday, didn’t you know?”

“Oh? And what holiday would that be?”

“National Neo-Wants-The-Good-Shit Day. School gets cancelled, everyone gets the day off, it's a bigger deal than Christmas. Ask Daisy if you don’t believe me.”

The ghoul chuckled, a warm sound that left butterflies in his stomach. "If you say so, my man." 

Hancock stood up and walked to his cupboard, fishing through its contents. Neo allowed himself to lay back on the couch, sinking into the soft material with a sigh. 

Now, Neo was already quite high. His… tolerance was certainly lower than Hancock's, but that was to be expected. He heard the tell-tale rattle of a halfway-empty prescription bottle, and sure enough when he opened his eyes he saw the ghoul advance with a familiar orange bottle, though the color had definitely faded with time. 

"It's called Daytripper. Been saving it for a rainy day, extra rare. Though, I suppose this constitutes a good enough reason, holiday that today is," Hancock winked, passing the bottle to Neo. 

"Child safety lid and everything. No wonder you haven't had any yet." Neo playfully teased the mayor as he pressed down on the lid to open it. 

The contents were a cheery yellow color, circular and chalky with cheesy smiley faces carved on each side. Definitely pre-war, definitely valuable. 

"God, I'm gonna need something to wash this down with. You got a nuka-cola or something? How many do I take?"

Hancock shrugged as he grabbed a nearby bottle of cola, prying the cap off with the knife he kept strapped to his waist at all times. "I'd say just one until we know what exactly it does to ya, lightweight that you are." 

"Oh, go fuck yourself," Neo said, shaking one of the tablets into his hand. He threw it back, immediately chasing it with 200 year old flat soda. 

They had no flavor, and he felt nothing. Neo shrugged. "Must have been a bust. Probably lost potency over the years."

–

"So a ghoul walks into a bar. The bartender says 'we don't serve ghouls here. Ghoul says-

"'Is the human fresh?' Yeah I know, you've told this joke before."

"Aw, c'mon brother. Just trying to lighten the mood a lil. Here, take another hit." 

Neo does so gladly, watching the world dissolve into slow motion. This hit feels different from any others, and he lets himself break into a hazy smile.

"Fuck… that shiz… good…" 

"You all good?"

Neo leans into his partner, rubbing his cheek on the faded red coat Hancock wore everywhere. The fabric is threadbare, but soft, and smells of gunpowder and sweat. Most of all, it feels safe, and he melts further onto the ghoul. 

"Yurso… fuckin'… good to me…" 

Hancock chuckles, and the sound reverberates in his chest. "Guess that daytripper wasn't a bust after all, huh, sunshine? How ya feelin'?"

"Mgh… warm n'... safe…" 

"Safe, huh? Need anything?"

Neo shifts, rolling himself over so that he's sitting on Hancock's lap. His body is rapidly increasing in sensitivity, heat pooling and settling in his gut, face flushing with arousal. He nips at the other man's jaw, making small whining noises with his mouth. 

He can feel the mayor's hardness through his pants, and Neo grinds on it, making them both moan. 

"Jus… jus you…"

[simpmaybe]

In my mind, you linger (But your body is rotting underneath)

Completion Status: Completed (One-shot) Word Count: 1814 Warnings: Mentions of Suicide Mentions of Bullying, Not being good enough

Summary: Midoriya Izuku's death and its consequences.

This is NOT BETA READ, so please excuse any errors. I didn't bother creating a name for the OC. So you just think of it as any character from the series, or an OC, or just the reader's POV. This is also posted on AO3, I'll add the link below.

He died on a rainy day. Midoriya Izuku I mean. Jumped off the roof of his school building. Not many cared. But some did. His mom, his so-called “childhood best friend” and… no I think that’s all. He was quirkless, so no one really cared, no one even noticed. Everyone just went about their days like how they did, it was just that they didn’t have to slam a kid against his locker after every class. Not that anyone’s complaining, one less pest to get rid of, one less kid to educate, one less child to look after, one less person to save. A week after his death, they held a funeral. His mom, Midoriya Inko, dressed in all black sat in the front. She stared into space, eyes unfocused. You could see how tired she looks, her red and swollen eyes and her lips pursed together as if she was trying to either not break down or kill everyone who caused her son’s death. Bakugou Katsuki, along with his family, sat beside her. He didn’t say anything, just looked down at his hands. He probably sees “Deku”’s blood smeared all over them. Bakugou Mitsuki was trying to console her friend, repeating the lines everyone says at funerals- 

“I’m sorry for your loss, he was a nice kid”

“He’s in a better place now”

“He wouldn’t want you to be sad”

“He would want you to move on”

It was a whole load of bullshit if you asked me. If he was a nice kid, you would have stopped your kid from driving him to this point. From what I know of Midoriya Izuku, he wasn’t a person who would want to be in a better place, he was a person who wanted to make the world a better place for everyone else, even if it meant putting himself through the worst. And asking her to move on? Again, bullshit. The woman had just lost her son, to suicide nonetheless. Her entire life, she had lived for her son, trying to make sure he never felt the loss of his quirk, she worked day and night just to make sure he was comfortable, she worried like a mother, but she protected like a father (or you can say she tried), just to make sure he never felt the loss of not having one. He was her entire life, the reason for her happiness. And that had been snatched away from her. Midoriya Inko died with her son. Buried six feet underneath, right beside him. The woman who sat there in the front row is just the shell of the person she used to be. 

Midoriya Inko used to be. Just like how once Midoriya Izuku used to be. 

Once the ceremony was finished, they called Midoriya Inko to the stage to say a few words. I expected her to refuse, but she went up there and stared at the eight people who bothered to show up. She opened the piece of paper that I didn’t know she was holding.

“I-” She spoke into the microphone. Her voice sounded hoarse, probably unused since the day she found out. She took a sip of water before continuing, 

“I would like to thank everyone who has come to attend the funeral. I don’t have anything to say, I feel it’s my fault, for neglecting and not being able to notice what Izuku was going through. It’s my fault that I wasn’t a big enough reason for him to keep living. While I was going through Izuku’s room, I found this”, She holds up the letter, “I opened it to see if it was anything important…”, Her voice trails off, and her eyes start to water. 

“It was a suicide note-” Her voice cracks. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths through her mouth, before continuing, “I would like to read it to everyone present here today”.

“I am sorry”, She reads. 

“I am sorry to the people I never got to meet, to the friends I couldn’t make, to the colleagues I couldn’t work with, to the enemies I never fought, to the kids I never had, to the lover I couldn’t love. I am sorry my quirklessness became a barrier between you and me, between me and the life I could have had… I am sorry”

“I am sorry to all the people who looked down on me, I am sorry I was weak. I am sorry I never reached your expectations, I am sorry I wasn’t good enough. I am sorry that we couldn’t be friends…”

“I am sorry to my dad, I am sorry I made you leave, I am sorry I was not the son you wanted, that I was the reason you couldn’t live a life with the woman you loved. I am sorry that you didn’t love me… and that I couldn’t make you stay”

“I am sorry to All Might, that you had a worthless fan like me. I am sorry I was born the way I was, that I couldn’t be a hero like you… the next symbol of peace”

“And I am sorry to… Katsuki”, Bakugou Katsuki flinches. An expected reaction if you ask me, probably never thought that the freckled boy would call him that. 

“I am sorry we couldn’t be friends, I am sorry I kept pestering you and following you because I liked you and looked up to you. I am sorry we couldn’t be pro heroes together and become partners, like how we thought of becoming when we were younger” When we were friends.

Midoriya Inko suppresses a sob. And so does Bakugou Katsuki. “I am sorry I made you waste your time on me, that I made analysis notes on you, that I was born without a quirk”.

“I-” Midoriya Inko lets out a sob. “Izuku…” she whispers. No one goes up there to comfort her. They know she needs to finish this and let it out. She regains her composure quickly and wipes away the tears that don’t stop flowing down her face. 

“I am sorry I existed”

In the front I see Bakugou Katsuki holding his chest as tears stream down his face. 

I am sorry

I am sorry

I am sorry

He repeats. 

“I am sorry, Kacchan, because I won’t know you in my next life, so you won’t be able to see if I really do get a quirk, now that I have taken a swan dive off the roof of the building…” And Bakugou Katsuki cries, almost as if he was the one who was in pain. As if he was the one who had hit the ground that day. 

As if he was the one who had died.

“I am sorry I was a Deku”. Midoriya Inko finishes. But she wasn’t done. She turns the page because she needs these people to know what they have done to her little boy. Her little boy who would jump happily and beg her to watch one more video of All Might. Her little boy who held her and cried, “Can I be a hero too?”. 

They need to know. 

“I am sorry to my-” Her voice cracks, “to my mom. I am sorry I let you down. All your hopes and efforts are dead now. I am sorry that I have killed them with my own two hands. I am sorry-” She starts sobbing, unable to control herself anymore.

She gets off the stage unable to continue reading anymore, and I assumed that it only got worse. The letter was placed there, to let others finish reading it. No one went up to read it. But I felt like it had to be read. They need to know. He needs them to know. 

I get up on stage to finish what she had started, “Excuse me, but I will finish reading the letter for everyone”, I see everyone giving me questionable glances. I know what they’re thinking, ‘Who is she?’ 

“I am sorry that it had to end this way, that we ended up this way.”

“There are many people I could thank today, but I felt I had to apologize to them more. But the thing is, I am not sorry. I would have lived if it wasn’t for the people who had driven me to this point. I wanted to live, I wanted to be a hero. I wrote this letter because I need everyone in this world to know that quirkless people are not worthless. No one is worthless. Just because someone is quirkless doesn’t mean they can’t achieve great things. I need everyone to see the cruelty that is going on around them. I need this world to open their eyes and see.”

That probably wasn’t even in the letter, but can you blame me, I got a bit emotional. I caught Midoriya Inko’s eyes, and she blinks. She knows that’s not what is in the letter, but she’s happy that I said it. She gives me a weak smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Satisfied, I leave the stage. 

A year after Midoriya Izuku’s death, there is an uproar in the entire country. Many people start building memorials for him, a kid barely 15, who killed himself because he couldn’t handle the cruelty of this society. Protests take place all over the country, demanding the protection of the quirkless. 

Two years after his death, the government finally gives in and creates the Quirkless Person Protection Act XXXX or the QPPA. Under this Act, any violence caused to an innocent quirkless person will be punished accordingly. Punishments that range from Community Service to even Execution based on the severity of the violence caused. Schools were now supposed to protect and take care of their quirkless students, making sure no one else ended up like the boy named Midoriya Izuku. 

Seven years after the death of Midoriya Izuku, Pro Hero Dynamight, the now Number One, gives his speech during the Billboard Hero Rankings. He doesn’t thank his teachers, friends, or his family. Who he does thank is Midoriya Izuku. 

Ten years after the death of Midoriya Izuku, I visit his grave. “Are you Happy?”, I asked his ghost who still lingered. 

“I am”, he replies, “My mom moved on, and remarried. Kacchan too… the number one hero huh… I knew he could do it. Crime rates have dropped, and All for One is dead. You can tell that the world has moved on, even though I wasn’t in it, I am glad I played my part, and now it’s time for me to leave…”

“I guess it's time then…” I get up, “Goodbye, Midoriya Izuku, it was nice knowing you”.

“Goodbye…”, he fades away, now he’s nothing but memories that linger in our minds, and a rotting body six feet underneath. 

-End-

Alright that's it, folks, tell me what you think in the comments, I do accept constructive criticism (just don't be mean), and yeah I'll improve on my next one if I do write one, that is.

AO3 LINK: In my mind, you linger (But your body is rotting underneath)

[janetkwallace]

Top 6 Favorite FF9 Fanart I Made

You know what? I never did a Top X stuff before. So, today, here's a list of my personally favorite artworks, and the reasons I like them. Not that I enjoy all my stuff with all my heart, they all have a special place in my heart♥

Alright, let's begin.

Number 6: Darkness Has Reached Its End

Beautiful. The negative space in this one reminds me of those Baroque paintings with their light/darkness contrast. There's something mysterious in Freya's looks while the red armor takes over her whole body, like the scales of a dragon. It does look like an oil painting, but keep in mind that it was drew and painted on bond sheet paper and digitized on a printer. Just so you know anyone can be an artist.

Number 5: 'Let Fear Propel You Forward'

Sir Fratley is my favorite Final Fantasy IX character. Yeah, he does not have much of a character, but I do like him, mainly due what he could have been. I mean, dude who wants to save the world on its own, loses all his memories, decent design... Heck, somehow Freya fell in love with him, and if she saw something in that guy, maybe we too can try. But let's talk about the art. I used a John Romita Jr. as a reference for this one. That's a striking pose for sure. I think it was a Spider-man pose. Anyway, what do I enjoy the most about this one, not just being Fratley, is the style, with all those lines that resemble a living being ready for action. Oh, and 20 years have passed and we still don't know a damn thing about Sir Fratley, it's hard to be a fan of a character that has none.

Number 4: Rainbow Knight II

I almost teared my bond sheet apart while drawing this one. It was a tough process to make all these colors appear, and I didn't expected the final result to be that gorgeous looking. Like, I painted it one, two, three, four times and then I watered it and took away all the painted and painted it again... With all the effort it took, this is one of my favorites for sure. I think those lines are supposed to be rain, but moving on...

Number 3: Hrist Chardonnay

Ah yes... My OC would soon make up in this list at one point. I love my OC's design, brown curly hair and purple coat (in contrast to Freya's white hair and red coat), and I had a hard time finding out the one drawing of Hrist I enjoyed doing the most. I found this one in which she's standing near a waterfall (or a canyon, I don't know), holding a javelin and looking forward with an eye covered by the hair. The colors really do add dimension and a kind of fantasy, maybe that's not the world but it feels fantastic somehow. And I love my OC with all my heart too, I just created her to be a mean brat but later I found myself liking Hrist a lot.

Number 2: The Last Cherry Blossom

I drew this one for a friend called JotaTe, who wrote a fic called The Last Cherry Blossom. I liked that fic and decided to do fanart of it, and this one... I looked at it and I was like 'damn, did I really drew this one!?' Besides how much black ink I have wasted, I am very fond of this one. Freya looks like a wilted flower, almost unrecognizable, gazing over her rainy homeland, Burmecia, as if she's flying away or coming back to it, most of it was made randomly so I have no idea what's going on, only that I liked a fic so much that I thought about drawing tons of artwork for it, and this is one of them.

Number One: Out Of The Blue Comes Green

That's it, folks. My favorite drawing ever conceived. The amount of details, details and even more details poured in this one... It took me two days until I could finish this one. Look at that mean spear Freya's holding at hand! Honestly, when I was finished with the linework, I thought the coloring would ruin this one, but I went for it, and decided to color this stunning piece. The background was meant to be solid blue, but I ran out of blue and decided to color it with hydropens of all kinds of blue. One thing I love about this one is the butterfly ribbon, which remained a staple in my later works.

And that's all about my rant! See you later, and happy 2023!

[unclogplumbing]

Liberia, Hollywood, FL, USA - Discover What To Expect

When you decide to move to a new city, one of the most important decisions you'll need to make is where to live. Whether you are relocating for business or for personal reasons, you'll want to discover what things you can expect from your new area. A good way to do this is by reading moving blog posts from people who have already moved there.

Local Cuisine

The area is known for its large number of restaurants and eateries that cater to every taste.

The most popular cuisine in Liberia is American food, with over 100 restaurants serving American cuisine in this neighborhood alone. Other popular cuisines include Italian, Chinese and Thai food.

You can find almost any kind of restaurant you are looking for in Liberia - from fine dining to quick take out spots. The menu at many restaurants changes daily depending on what's fresh and available so you can expect an exciting dining experience every time you visit a restaurant here such as GNS Seafood Express and Sweeteheartz Community Cafe.

The GNS Seafood Express is a seafood restaurant located in Hollywood, FL. They have a variety of seafood options and their menu is very diverse. The food is delicious and reasonably priced. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and there is always something going on in the area.

Sweeteheartz Community Cafe is a small community cafe that serves breakfast and lunch to the surrounding community. The menu has many different kinds of food items such as sandwiches, salads, soups and more. The prices are reasonable and the quality of the food is very good. The staff is friendly and welcoming, making it easy for you to enjoy your meal at this place!

Area

Liberia is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,756 at the 2010 census. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census.

Liberia is located at 26°1'48" North, 80°11'16" West (26.039860, -80.184734).[4][5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), of which 0.05% is water (0.00 km2).

Fair Market Rents

Fair Market Rents (FMRs) are the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) estimate of what an apartment should rent for in a given area.

They are used to determine the amount of rent subsidy provided by HUD.

Fair Market Rent data is available for over 3,000 areas across the country.

Section: You can find the best rental deals on these sites.

Airbnb. This site offers properties from all over the world. Because it's so popular, you'll find a lot of choices and great prices. You can also use Airbnb to book rooms in hostels and hotels, which are another good way to save money while traveling.

HomeAway/VRBO. This site offers homes and condos for rent from homeowners who have been vetted by HomeAway/VRBO experts, so you know they're reliable.

Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO). This site is similar to HomeAway/VRBO but has fewer properties available at this time.

Weather

The average temperature in Liberia is 14 degrees Celsius and the average precipitation is 149.5 mm. The weather in Liberia is often humid with little variation in temperature throughout the year. Daytime temperatures can rise up to 30°C while night time temperatures drop down to 21°C. Liberia has two seasons: dry and rainy. The dry season lasts from December to April while the rainy season lasts from May to November.

Crime Stats

The crime rate in Liberia is very low compared to other cities in Florida with only one reported incident per year according to city-data.com

Commute Times

Liberia is a small town located about 30 minutes from Hollywood, Florida. Liberia is a great place to live if you're looking for a quiet community with plenty of amenities and great schools.

Liberia has excellent public transportation and it's very easy to get anywhere in Broward County. If you need to get downtown, there are several bus routes that run through Liberia every day. You can also hop on one of the many buses that connect to Miami or other nearby cities like Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton.

The commute time from Liberia to Hollywood Beach is about 10 minutes and from Liberia to Fort Lauderdale is about 20 minutes.

Neighborhoods

The city is divided into neighborhoods and districts that are not officially designated. However, some of the more well-known neighborhoods include Hollywood Beach, Hollywood Beach South, North Beach, Hallandale Beach and Aventura.

Schools

The education system in Liberia is divided into pre-primary, primary and secondary levels. In primary school, students are usually aged six to 13 years old. The basic curriculum consists of English, mathematics and Liberia's official language, Kpelle.

The secondary level education system in Liberia is also divided into junior and senior high schools. Junior high school includes grades seven to nine and senior high school includes grades 10 to 12. Secondary schools provide a wider range of subjects than primary schools such as science and technology, arts, music and home economics.

In Liberia, there are 49 public secondary schools, two private secondary schools and seven international schools with an enrollment capacity of 27,000 students.

Demographic and Diversity Information

The population of Liberia is 5,832 people. The median age in Liberia is 31.4 years. The average household size in Liberia is 2.71 people. 39% of people are married and 61% are single. In Liberia, there are 1,456 men for every 1 women that lives in the city.

There are 1,045 families residing in Liberia with an average family size of 2.58 members. The racial makeup of the city is 85% Black or African American, 6% White, 5% Two or More Races, 3% Asian and 0% Native American/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. The average income per household in Liberia is $35k-39k annually with an average rent price of $950-$1k annually.

In Liberia, you can expect to find a warm and inviting community of people, with a diverse range of interests. They are most often willing to open their hearts and homes to you. This is more than just a city, and there is much more to discover here. If you are looking for somewhere new to explore, look no further than Liberia, FL.

Kitchen Sink Drain Cleaning

Kitchen sink drain cleaning Liberia is a popular service offered by many local plumbers in order to keep drains running smoothly and prevent future blockages and clogs from forming inside of them. The process involves snaking out the drain and removing any debris that may be blocking its path through the pipes below your kitchen sink.

The main purpose of this service is to remove grease buildup from deep within the pipes below your sink so that you won't have another problem with clogged drains in the future. 

Unclog Plumbing 24/7 Hollywood Liberia (954)-994-2235 https://unclogplumbingservices247.com/

[legit9thlunaticwarrior]

my bby dont enough love in the fanfic realm so here i am!! just some more self indulgent nonsense, dont mind me. 

|remember to leave feedback and i love all you heathens|

‘Princess of Positivity’ Big E (Ettore) x fem!reader

^what happens when you add the raw women’s champion to the new day, a stable with the wwe champion and raw tag team champions? what also happens when two of them have major interest in the other?^

- guest starring: kofi and xavier (austin), sonya deville (daria) and adam pearce, becky lynch and seth rollins (colby) - errbody on raw and are champions bc you live in donna’s world and it’s donna’s world that youre living in - the only thing that stopped me from posting this is i didnt know what song i wanted for readers theme; yes i watched dance moms, the music was fire - i dont know how to write wrestling matches so its just mentioned and later skipped over - Y/R/N - your ring name, Y/N/N - your nickname

3rd Person Pov:

When the three members of New Day were called to a meeting with Daria and Adam, the last thing they expected was to see the current Raw Women’s Champion Y/R/N sitting there already. “Hey Y/N, what are you doing here?” Austin asked. She looked up at the three men and smiled. They were all friends with each other, Y/N having been on UpUpDownDown countless times and just having a lot in common. Mostly with Ettore. They were just drawn to each other from the second they met.; from flirty texts and heart comments on Instagram to sneaking glances and wearing each other’s merch. “Adam called me. Said there was an idea they wanted input on.” Before any more words were exchanged, the two officials walked in with Daria speaking first “Great you all here. Sit.” The trio sat down, Ettore swiftly taking the desk chair next to Y/N. “So we wanted all four of you here because we have, in our opinion, a great proposal. We’ve seen what the WWE Universe has had to say and they want to see Y/R/N join the New Day. If you are all on board, we have her slated with you three for three months so far and we see how it goes from there.” Daria told us. Adam continued, “Fans also want to see the team of Big E and Y/R/N in a mixed tag team match against Becky Lynch and Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins.” The two went over the rest of the logistics with them but they already knew their answers. The four shared a look and Kofi spoke up, “We’re in.” he said smiling. Daria looked to Y/N and Ettore, “What about you two for the match?” “I’m down if you are.” Y/N nudged his knee with hers. “Of course I’m down! Kickin ass with you? How can anyone turn that down?” she said excitedly, which made his heart flutter. Everything was settled for later that night and they were free to go. Y/N already knew what gear she was going to wear that no one knew about. 

It was finally time for the match, Becky and Colby already in the ring. Because they were the champions, Y/N and Ettore were coming in separate to their own music, him going first. When she heard ‘Make Some Noize’ by Clooney, she took her jacket off and did her entrance; high-fiving fans, dancing around until she got in the ring. His eyes never left her as she climbed onto the second turnbuckle and held her belt up, then going up to him and sharing a hug. Before he let her go, his whispered to her “That’s some gear you got on, cutie.” Referring to the New Day inspired gear that complimented her body perfectly. She smirked, “Been saving it for a rainy day, handsome.” He winked at her and they decided Y/N and Becky would kick it off.  After tag in and tag out for each team, Y/N asked something of Ettore he never could have been prepared for, “Babe, throw me.” He looked at her with a face mixed with shock, confusion and concern. “Y/N are you crazy?” “Trust me.” He nodded and let her guide him. He stood in the corner in front of the ring post as she climbed to the top turnbuckle from behind, not paying any mind to the commentary; she’s a high flyer, she knows what she’s doing. She got on his shoulders and he tossed her by her hips into Becky, leading to her getting the pin. “Here are your winners, the team of the WWE and Raw Women’s Champions, Big E and Y/R/N!” Kofi and Austin ran out to the ring to celebrate with them. The two of them gave Ettore a look and he picked Y/N like it was nothing. She looked at him smiling but she was clearly confused, “Ettore, what are you-” she was cut off by his lips on hers as their two friends jumped around like little kids. She didn’t hesitate to kiss him back. When they pulled away from each other, she giggled “I guess wanting to do that was mutual?” “And long overdue, princess. Wanna make this happen?” she nodded quickly. He put her back on her feet and Kofi handed them their belts as Austin got a microphone, “Everyone, we’d like you to join us in welcoming the newest member of New Day, your Raw Women’s Champion and the Princess of Positivity: Y/R/N!!” he shouts as ‘New Day, New Way’ played. The reaction from the WWE Universe was nothing but love and excitement for what is to come.

As Y/N was putting her gear away in her locker room, she jumped as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and lips on her neck. “Calm down princess, it’s just me.” She relaxed against him and laughed, “You scared me, Ettore. I would have chokeslammed you.” He smiled against her neck. “Mmm, I like how you say my name. Sounds nice coming from that pretty mouth.” Y/N rolled her eyes playfully, “Get used to it babe.” He let her go and sat on the chair in front of the vanity. “How long have you had that gear?” “Daria had it made after you won the title because she said she would push for you and I to team up. I guess your boys weren’t the only ones that knew how we felt about each other.” She stood in front of him and he pulled her to his lap, “You can bet you’ll have more like it. Maybe some to match me?” Wrapping her arms around his neck and humming “I like the sound of that, baby. Though you’ll have to match me sometimes. It’s only fair I get to see you in my theme.” He smiled at her offer. “Don’t have to ask me twice.” She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him deeply. 

~~~~~~~

lovely taglist babes (dm or comment to be added) @josiewrites @rubyred1980 @chrisdickinson @xkennyxomegax​

[thefanficmonster]

All The Colors

Corpse Husband x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Colorblindness, Swearing

Genre: Fluff, Romance, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: The colors are not always seen but rather felt. Just like Y/N feels the colors through their best friend and boyfriend Corpse. That’s how they realize that what they can’t see is the most beautiful and genuine feeling in the world. The feeling of knowing something and someone so deeply.

Requested by my dear friend Lulu, who you might have known as greenieofshield. Unfortunately she’ll never get to read this fic and I’ll never forgive myself for not putting it out sooner but I’ll also never forgive the universe for being so cruel as to take her away so early. She was one of the best people I’ve ever met, always so full of optimism, always there to brighten up my day and make me smile. Always so strong and brave, never falling victim to the hate she received despite not being deserving of it. The world lost an angel the day she died and I as well as so many other people will forever miss her.

Love you and miss you with my whole soul and hear, Lulu. Hope they’re treating you right in heaven ❤

For what it’s worth, Y/N has never asked people to describe the colors to them. In their eyes that seemed like the equivalent of poorly patching up a wound: they could hear thousands upon thousands of descriptions of each color and still wouldn’t be able to imagine it. The descriptions would only make that worse to them. So to avoid feeling even more like they’re missing out they never asked.

However, that doesn’t mean they haven’t developed their own way to ‘visualize’ and imagine colors throughout the years. They’ve tried loads of different methods, few of which stuck around and not for long either. That is exactly why they frequently used to tell their friends: “You can’t paint me a rainbow with black and white and shades of grey and expect me not to feel like I’m missing out on something. Paint me the gloomy sky on a rainy day and only then we’ll be even cause you’re seeing the same greys I am.”

Little did they know how drastically their logic was about to change in the following years.

Speaking of said following years - they met Corpse who became one of their best friends in practically no time. And within just a few months of that friendship’s blossoming, a romance sparked. A romance their friends would jokingly refer to as ‘romance of a lifetime’. Maybe it was said jokingly but Lord knows they weren’t wrong in saying so because the two were completely head over heels for one another -s till are to this day - and never shied away from showing it.

Y/N and Corpse met through Rae who Y/N was staying with while on a little vacation to Los Angeles. To be even more specific here, the two met through a game of Among Us, the game responsible for many wonderful friendships since its release.

“Guys, guys, guys.“ Y/N said after sparking up a bickering session for falsely accusing ‘blue‘ of faking a task in Navigation during the final round for the day, “Here’s a little rule of thumb for whenever we play together again: don’t trust me if I accuse a color instead of a name.“ It’s safe to say that statement rose a few eyebrows in the Discord call, the confusion serving as amusement to them before they explained themself, “Oh, why that is? Hm, I don’t know, maybe cause I’m colorblind.”

Rae who was in on the scheme the whole time and was struggling to hold in her laughter finally snapped while the rest of the players were left processing the information that had been dropped on them.

“But you practically kicked our ass every single round?!“ Corpse said, amazement and confusion in his tone.

“Expect the unexpected from this schemer, take it from someone who’s known them for a decade now.“ Rae said, winking at her friend from across the room. Not failing to notice the blush on their cheeks while doing so though.

“Corpse, are you calling me a good liar?“ They poked a stick at him teasingly, desperately avoiding Rae’s gaze which widened the second she realized why her friend was so flustered by Corpse’s remark.

“Practically a con artist.“ He replied to them with a laugh, earning one from them in return.

And so they practically conned him into falling in love with them with their quick wit, sarcasm and cuteness. If someone is to ask Corpse if he expected to fall for Y/N, he’d probably say yes.

“They were like a magnet the moment they entered the lobby and started talking.“ He said once on a live stream in response to a question he received in the chat regarding Y/N, “It wasn’t hard at all, falling for them. What took me a while was realizing it. While I was referring to them as ‘best friend’ all my friends were rolling their eyes and going ‘Sure, bud.’ Just took me a bit to realize why.”

Luckily, it didn’t take him too long to grasp what his heart was actually screaming at him. Good thing they came to terms with it so soon too, otherwise they would’ve driven their friends insane.

Anyway, enough about what happened and what could’ve happened under one circumstance or another, what matters is the ‘here and now’ of their relationship. And trust me when I say it has never been better and it keeps getting better every day.

The beauty of what those two have is in the tiny every day things that they do for each other, the good morning texts even though the other person in probably just in the kitchen making breakfast while the other cannot find it in them to get out of bed; or it’s laced within the calls between them when neither of them are home or at least one of them is out and about, busy with a task they’ve probably been putting off for far too long. Don’t get me wrong though, the romantic gestures aren’t rare either. Random gifts are exchanged by them on regular intervals but one consistent and super romantic gesture that repeats a few times every year (of the two years they’ve been dating) is Corpse giving Y/N a bouquet of flowers.

A detail Y/N couldn’t help but take notice of was the fact that the bouquet was always made up of the same flowers with only small changes to the arrangement of them and maybe some tiny ones added too. Unfortunately, they aren’t artificial so they couldn’t have kept them thought they wish they could’ve. That being said, it goes without saying that those flowers mean the world to Y/N, the gesture actually - they know flowers are a common gift to give but anything they receive from Corpse is so special and makes them feel like the only person who’s ever received such a gift.

And so they got curious, they had to ask. They had to ask the question they never thought they’d actively ask considering their view of the topic. But they still did.

“Hey Corpse.“ Y/N spoke up out of the blue, breaking the silence that had fallen over them while they watched the movie they were only partially interested in given how exhausted they both were from devoting themselves to their respective tasks and responsibilities throughout the last few days.

Corpse hummed in response, the arm wrapped around their waist doing a little motion as if encouraging them to continue, his gaze immediately traveling down to his partner.

“What color are the flowers?“ They asked, gazing at the bouquet - a gift they had received from him for their birthday a few days prior - in the vase on the dining table.

They waited a few seconds but when they didn’t hear nor feel any sort of response from him they couldn’t help but look up at him. Upon doing so, they saw his small smile as his eyes too remained on the bouquet. “They’re black and white.“ He replied eventually, “Black roses and white daffodils.“ His gaze wandered away from the vase and down to meet theirs, “I don’t want you to think I’m seeing them in their ‘full beauty’ while you only see them in black and white. You are seeing them in their full beauty and not missing out on anything. They are absolutely beautiful black and white as they are.“

As a response to his answer, Y/N couldn’t suppress the growing smile on their face no matter how hard they tried. So they didn’t try at all, they let the smile lighten up their face before speaking up: “You’re a wonder, Corpse.” They said, pushing themself as upright as they could to be able to kiss his cheek. “However, you’re wrong.” They say when they pull away, smirking up at his confused expression, “My world was black and white until you came into it. You’re all the colors, Corpse. Your love’s red, joy’s yellow, sadness blue, chaos green. Love red. You’re all the colors and out of all the people that have tried to describe to me how they look, you have managed to do that just perfectly without even trying.”

Little did they know that’s exactly what he thinks of them - their world is black and white because all the colors live within them. Because they are all the colors.

And maybe they both are, seeing as how they came into each other’s lives exactly like the rainbow after the pouring rain.

@maat-the-prescriptive  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @itsminniekat  @hacker-ghost  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams @solowheein  @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01  @buddyemily   @the-albino-lioness  @stardream14  @gdhdkfnn  @nomadicgypsyy  @preciousskye  @fluffysuicideunicornsworld  @o-kaelin  @manacharlotte  @awkward-youtube-trash  @lolalee24  @bonky-beerns  @meme-lord-and-savior-sebastian  @strawbrinkofdeath  @teenloves  @tams0527  @browneyespinkhair  @starstruckllamapuppy  @daisychains012  @y0ulooked  @tinytacosuitcaseflap @supernatural-is-my-only-life  @jula-pauline  @melodykitty  @just-that-bi-girl  @crazybutconfidentaf  @lowellshade @alphakees  @bellero  @weallneednamjesus  @starryhanji  @boiled-onionrings  @husherstan  @fockingwhore  @melaningoddessthings  @prettypastelpetals  @haleypearce  @godwhyamiawkward  @y-napotat  @daisychainyoonmin  @little-miss-rebel3  @free-wheelin-bi-sexual  @redmoon261 @darkacademic2  @wiseflamingoqueen  @into-the-end  @namikhai-i  @nastiablr  @thelittleplantlover  @mirktuan  @dont-hyuck @jjk-bunny  @vintagegothlover  @easygoingtheatre  @itsrandombooklover  @miiaivi  @emmybaybee  @befourgolden  @jjk-is-my-shit  @eternalteaaars  @spacebadgerx  @princesslunalight  @acequinn14  @samm48  @misselsbells06 @simp-lykawa  @fo-love  @marishimomura-blog  @therealglenncoco  @cinnamonbun332  @killtherandomness  @sanshinexxxsan  @fee-btheweeb  @press-lay  @cathleenpotgieter16  @jazzydoesstuff  @moonlxghtbay  @forestrain2000  @hyunjinhugs  @blood-of-fandoms  @lovellylies  @ukiyolixx  @simpforhpcharacters  @chrisdylan17  @parkerjisung  @pedernille  @theodonyous  @wineandionysus  @malfoystilinskii05  @morbid-x  @coryisagee  @jessewa26  @scoobydooluver97 @mindintheskies365  @raeanneinwonderland  @indecisive-empanada  @gluttonypalace  @loriane2503  @btsiguess-kpop  @khaoticbunny  @lucidlycactus  @smiithys  @rottenroyalebooks  @kpopgirlbtssvt  @fangirl-tc27  @fr0z3n-1  @notmesimpingfortechno  @shotarosleftpinky  @kunoi-chan  @idk-whats-wrong-with-me  @yikeroonie  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @poetry-and-tea  @ama-do-writing-stuff  @wishbonewolf  @emeraldxhope  @t0xick1tty  @kusuinko  @speakyourselfloveyourself  @sophia902103  @lo-manburg  @classsykittykat  @dmgama  @depressedpuppythatneedscoffee  @btsiguess-kpop  @akaashi-baby  @gun-jong-simp  @geschichtenfee  @yerapotato-wp  @browneyedgirl365  @thysagclub  @sparklycloudnight  @helloatomicshadow  @queentorresstuff @vtte @val-gal  @lucy-bunny17  @aaliyahh0  @katluckybear  @boyleanti  @straybids  @franchesca-791  @cosmicstorm19  @averyisbackinthetrashcan  @aomi-nabi  @xlanawriter  @allensimpsforcorpse  @sunnyrae-cessh  @ladykxxx08  @meowiemari  @renupf  @booklover76  @sra-verissimo  @beatrhizn  @blueberrystigma  @beatrhizn

[bangteamhyuk]

Seesaw (I)

Genre: Mature/Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Neighbors with benefits/Fuck buddies, Producer! Min Yoongi, Fuck girl! OC Y/N, Neighbors AU (a Spin-Off to “Moving On”)

Warning: NSFW! alot of kissing (torrid, soft, neck, and down under😉), protected sex (you can never go wrong with a rubber on, kids!), oral sex, mentions of alcohol, mentions of nipple pierce (pls don’t kill me 😣), mentions of cheating, appears to be pwp but i swear there’s a plot in this..so bear with me please😖, elevator buddies (lol. thanks ggukieland for mentioning this) to eventual lovers. I’m ending this in good terms 😌

Synposis: His outfits are always in black, and if not black then it must be in dark muted tones. You pressed the button on the elevator floor, and positioned yourself at the edge. You watched his back from a distance, and turned away if he moved his head. You were always the one who start your small conversation with him: From “good day” to “good night” to “that’s interesting (whatever it is you find ‘interesting’ from him, even though you were interested in him more than the item)” and other things. You and your little crush to your neighbor who lived on the 18th floor.

Until one rainy night, all drenched and cold, and your eyes smudged all over with kohl, you found him waiting for you inside the elevator. His body slacked on the edge, hair unkempt, his jacket barely settled on his shoulder while holding on to an empty bottle of scotch.

“Rough night?” he asked while you moved to the other side of the lift,  pressing the button from the elevator immediately closing its door.

“Yeah, seems you had one too?” you watched him attempt to position himself upright in amusement.

He drank from the empty bottle before he replied and realized straightaway that it’s been drained.

An idea came up to you suddenly and you asked: “I have more of that in my place. Wanna come over?”

A/N: Yoongi have been tormenting me of his visual for weeks and I just have to. Also I owe Producer!Min Yoongi to be happy. :( I hope you’ll enjoy “Seesaw” as much I enjoyed writing it. I decided to make it a mini-series because ideas are just piling up for the two.

And yep, mood song is “Seesaw” by Suga 💖

Word count: 7,190k

“Good morning” you said upon entering the elevator. You walked past him and placed your back on the steel wall for support.

“Good morning”  he replied, eyes blinking.

You opened your insulated tumbler to drink your freshly brewed hot coffee you made before leaving your apartment, when you noticed something particularly interesting from the lone stranger you’re with inside the lift. “Nice bean hat” you complimented.

“It’s a gift from my friend” he looks up at the elevator screen, monitoring what floor you two are currently in before it hits the ground floor. “That coffee smells nice, Ethiopian beans?” he turned his head a little to your direction, but wasn’t trying to look back at you particularly.

“No, Tanzania Peaberry” you took a sip and levelled your eyes to the decreasing number before the elevator digital screen until it hit ‘Lobby’. “Well, have a good day!” you smiled at him as you walked past his side. Yoongi let you leave first, like a true gentleman that he is.

It was always the same dry and small conversation. Always the same feeling whenever he is around. Your little crush on the man living on the 18th floor.

——

It started about two months ago when he was running towards the closing elevator, asking for you to wait for him before you could push the close button on the lift. Normally you would mind, and would even subtly push the button hard (about once or twice) so the lift would close quickly before the other person could even enter.

But not this guy, no. The way his eyes looked at you for a second, there was something behind it, something you couldn’t pinpoint exactly. When he reaches out for the door, you knew from that moment on, it was already over. He finally came in and pushed the ‘close button’ before you.

You were charmed.

“Thank you” he panted, as he tried to catch his breath from running and crouched down on his knees right when the elevator door closed. He was wearing a black oversized hoodie and dark blue fitted jeans and black canvas shoes, but were all dripping wet.

“Didn’t expect the rain too” You pulled out your gym towel from your bag. The one you didn’t get to use because, Matt, the cute guy your friend introduced to you during her wedding day, suddenly sent you a message asking if you had any plans for this afternoon.

Naturally, you cancelled your ‘gym day’ to trade it for one steamy workout session with him inside his car. Which leaves you now with your gym outfit and other stuff perfectly unused,  including your towel.

“Here” you handed it over to him, feeling sorry for the situation he was in. Wet and dirty from running outside the street. He turned to you, confused, unsure whether to accept the towel you were offering or not.  “Oh don’t worry, that’s a new one. I didn’t get to the gym today so it’s not used, like at all…” you smiled.

“Thanks” he bowed a bit and gently wiped his neck and face as he pushed the 18th floor button. He shook his raven short hair a little to his side and tapped it with the towel, hoping to reduce the water trickling from the ends of his straight hair.

You pushed 17th.

“New here?” you asked.

“Yeah, I just moved two weeks ago” he gently wiped each side of his cheek for warmth.

“Has anyone ever welcomed you here?” you took a quick glance at him and furrowed your eyebrows  then retracted “Well, besides the management and the security guard?” you snickered, eyes still fixed at the elevator buttons and its screen.

He chuckled at your query “No, unfortunately.”

“Bummer. Well, let that towel be the ‘first welcome gift’ then. From a neighbor” You shrugged then turned to face him and smiled.

The elevator bell rang, ‘17th floor’. You put your feet forward near the elevator door, arguing in your head whether you should ask his name or not. Usually, you don’t ask strangers for their name, especially the ones you just met. You barely knew anyone in this building, except your next-door neighbor who frequently complained about the noises you make at night.

And It’s not like he owes you anything either, so you didn’t expect that he’ll do it so casually… and yet here you are, hoping.

At least, maybe he could ask you a thing or two about you and say ‘thanks’ one more time? That’s just wishful thinking though. You suddenly remember that you did mention the towel was a gift, despite not bothering to ask if he wants it or not.

You began to worry even more, and wanted to ask if he really wants to even keep it. So, you turned around to meet him the eye and “Ah w—”

“Thank you, neighbor” he smiled and held the towel to his ear. The elevator door closes before you, stunned to see him smile. Yes, that damn smile. The kind where you forget where you live for a second, and you just nod. Leaving him behind.

“What’s your name?” you asked no one, and sighed. “Whatever… you’re welcome, neighbor” you turned away from the closed door in frustration and walked along the hallway.

——

Boys are like games. You liked it when they made you scheme so that they could find you interesting, and then trap them once they took the bait. And leave when it becomes dull.

Every so often, you try to lure in guys that interest you so that you could spend about a week or two with them, to fill in the gaps of your own boredom. You despised monotony, the way you hated commitments.

Though you were not always like this before, you once believed in ‘true love’ and ‘fairytales’, until you’ve had your heart broken a few times (mostly due to one-sided love) and then that was it. You’ve had enough. Back then, you were still young and naïve, thinking men will come and save you from this cruel world. You’ve seen it in movies, tv dramas and heard countless songs play about it on the radio, you were hopeful.

Yet no one came to save you, not even one. You came to realize that only you could save yourself from making your life any more tragic. Men are never the key to happiness. Love is not the formula in living a good life.

You looked at your own reflection and marveled at the beauty you created for yourself. And that was the thing, you saved yourself way too perfectly that you just don’t believe in love anymore. And out of nowhere, men were starting to line up.

Not like the teen romance kind of stuff, where they literally line up for you because you started to look like Gal Gadot overnight. More like, you don’t seem to care whether you get asked out or not, either way, men like you because you are a challenge. And who doesn’t like a challenge?

Because men are dying to see one day, that all the walls you’ve built for yourself would fall for them. They wanted to see a damsel in distress behind that wall.

Because men always like their ego stroke, and they always want to have the bigger prize. Unfortunately for everybody, it’s not Princess Peach who they want to save on top of a tower, they just want the game. That’s it, they want to see whether you’d fall for them or not. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s why you never let it. You refused to get too personal and you renounced commitments. You’re too proud.

Because for you, commitments are the epitome of prison. For you, commitments are just a disguise for convenience. In the same manner, convenience is a sugar-coated word for validation, caramelized to perfection.

And for whose validation? For men? Maybe then, they could make you do their laundry, cook them food, satisfy their lustful desires? Are those really an act of love or selfish desire to make their lives easy?  Clearly, your choice to keep yourself free from commitments isn’t an act of rebellion against sexims and double standards. It’s actually letting yourself be free from nuisance, which is what they call “love”.

That is why you remain in your stance, that you want men for your own pleasure. Nothing more, nothing less. That you want to see them admire you, kneel if they must, before you. Cry desperately for your touch. Because you’re not giving any, not until a man who thinks the same way as you do, the ones who are smart enough to knock on your door and present to you his pure intentions.

Evidently, that’s impossible, with the way men are in this god-forsaken city? The closest thing you could ever meet to a perfect man is the cardboard stand of Park Seojun, smiling at the entrance of a restaurant beside you right now.

You pat the fabric from your dress, after looking at your reflection from the glass window. Joe, your officemate, from the Design Department, finally asked you out for a ‘little dinner nearby’.

“Y/N, you sure you want to eat here? We can go to some place fancier” he asked while he folded his long sleeves.

“Two seats please” you ignored his query as you grinned over the lady who took on the customer cue. She rolled her eyes upon seeing you again with another man.

Joe went to you close and whispered “Do you have any beef with the lady?”.

“Nah, we’re good. It’s her term of endearment for saying ‘welcoming back’. I’m a regular customer here” you winked at her “so I’m sure she’s delighted to see me every time” she groaned in annoyance and let you in. She remained polite by guiding you both to an empty table.

——

Obviously that’s a lie, because next thing you knew, you were already making out with Joe inside his car, barely reaching his apartment.

“Mmm” you shifted to his seat, knees in between his legs, as he unzips your dress on your back. You helped him pull the fabric down from your shoulder, exposing your lacy lingerie, exclusive for this occasion.

“Can’t you wait until we get into my place?” he parted, panting, leaving him breathless after that torrid kiss.

“I just wanted to give you a little preview with what I can do” you smirked, as you began to kiss his ears and traced it down his neck. “Will get there, don’t worry” you gently bit his ear lobe which made him groan in pleasure. Until, someone came knocking on his window. Joe moved from his seat to see who it was.

“Lara!” he immediately stopped and pushed you away.

“Lara?” you turned to face where he was looking, and to your horror, you saw Lara. Lara, your officemate and your best friend. Lara, who perfectly knew your history and the list of men you slept with. Lara, who stood by you even after office hours and saved your ass multiple times from your mercurial boss.

You didn’t have any slightest clue she was seeing this Joe from the Design department, yet you feel like you’ve done something terribly wrong.

You quickly pulled your clothes up, while Joe immediately left you in the car to talk to Lara.

“I can explain,” he pleaded, shutting the car door hard.

“I don’t need it” Lara shook her head and took a step back.

You pulled down the headboard mirror to fix your hair and lipstick for a moment and let the two do the talking first. You listened to them argue, rather faintly from the inside of his car while you tried to put on your heels.

After you gently pat your lips with your finger, you finally decided to leave the car and went to Lara so you could take on her side and put more misery over Joe, the canker cheater. Besides, isn’t it Joe’s fault that you are all in this muddling position?

“I always knew I shouldn’t be friends with a slut like you!” she spat a disgusted look on you.

Your mouth went agape, bewildered at her reaction “Excuse me? I didn’t know Joe’s seeing you”.  You were expecting that above all, she would understand the current situation, that it was Joe and not you who started out all this mess. Why does it feel like you’ve put gas in to the fire? When the one who deserves all these words is Joe.

“So, is it my fault now? That I didn’t tell you I’m seeing Joe?!” she scoffed and folded her arms. Now she’s starting to piss you off too.

“Because I don’t know Lara? We’re best friends? We’re not supposed to hide secrets?” you gave her a sardonic smile, which peeved her even more.

“Of course I should, the way you sleep with everyone’s boyfriend without being sorry? I definitely think I should” she bit at you, barely quivering from the words she chose against you. You must admit, that definitely hurt. Not the words she chose, not the way she barely quivered, but because it came out from someone you trust.

Lara, was the least person you thought who could inflict a burn to your already-distorted ego.

You sighed, forestalling the tears that were slowly looming around your eyes “Right, well at least I learned something about you tonight. Have a great night with Joe, I hope you two sort out things…” you pulled your bag from your shoulder and walked away but then you remember something.

You wanted to slap Joe in the face so bad right now, that the only thing that’s stopping you is the idea of an eventual ‘Physical Harm Outside Office’ complaint against you from the HR Department, well if you were careless enough to actually do it.

“There’s a thong hidden underneath your seat, which isn’t mine by the way. I only wear Kiki De Montparnasse, don’t I Lara? Well, those are Victoria’s. You know I dislike Victoria’s ” you declared, before leaving, not turning your head to face them one last time.

“We’re over Joe!” Lara screeched, as Joe pleaded even more, their voices turning inaudible as you moved farther away.

Of course, that was a lie. There were no thongs left inside Joe’s car. Just the friendship you lost with Lara.  And you wanted to retaliate hard, to put everything on equal footing. Except, it didn’t feel that way, because Joe took something away from you forever: Trust.

——

Someone knocked from Yoongi’s studio. “Excuse me sir, but Mr. Park and his fiancé are waiting for you at the lounge area?” one of the staff asked, sticking her head out from the door.

“Right, tell them I’ll be there in sec!” he pushed a few buttons on his keyboard and then left his seat to meet his visitors.

“Hyung!” Jimin stood up from his seat to meet him, together with his fiancé… Yoongi’s ex-girlfriend.

“Hey there kid!” Yoongi went to give Jimin a brief hug, and gestured to them to return to their seats. “Hey there” he nodded and smiled weakly to his ex, not that he’s sour or hostile towards her, but he was just in a tight position seeing the two of them together in one room.

“Hyung, I’ve been really meaning to ask you, but I know it’s pretty awkward considering the two of you well, you were once, you know” he scratched the back of his neck, trying to find proper words but decided to continue anyway “together… and I know this is sudden too, but we reserved a seat for you on our wedding day tomorrow, and hopefully as one of my groomsmen…”

Be there on their wedding day? Tomorrow? As one of his groomsmen? Is this a joke? He was baffled for a moment, but his face remained stoic. “I can’t. I’m sorry…” he nodded coolly.

Yoongi saw how she quickly held on to Jimin’s hand tight, to give Jimin comfort from the rejection they expected from him.

“We understand” Jimin breathed and faced the ground.

“It’s not like that” Yoongi lied. “You know that contract I just had for a soft drink commercial? Well apparently they wanted a full revision on the song, so I just had to finish it before the weekends”

“Oh” Jimin smiled shyly “that’s unfortunate…”

Yoongi turned to face his ex, who knew him fluently. He gulped and smiled weakly, hoping the message would come across to ‘Not tell Jimin’. She nodded, fully understanding what Yoongi had in mind.

He wanted to save everybody (especially her family who knew him for years, and their common friends who’ll come by) to see an uncomfortable scene on their special occasion: An ex on a wedding day.

Hours passed, and Yoongi politely offered to see them leave the office building while bidding them good luck for tomorrow.

“Excuse me, I just need to get this” Jimin took his phone to his ears and left them to receive the call from his manager. “Yeah, they’re there? All areas secured? Yeah, thank you. Hopefully, we can avoid paparazzi and obsessive fans at the wedding venue tomorrow…” Yoongi heard him say, his voice turning faint as he walked far.

“Yoongi” she quickly but subtly held his hand “Just say it…” she shut her eyes and pleaded him.

Yoongi knew what she meant, and even if he still feels something for her, he had to do it. “Don’t do this… I know it’s probably just wedding jitters, and maybe we really haven’t had a proper closure when we broke up, but Jimin is a good guy. He’s better. Please, be with him” he said softly, resisting to meet her eyes.

“I’m so sorry for leaving you that night, I should have stuck out to you then, and understand you, I really lo—“ she started to talk fast, while her eyes glistened.

“Stop” Yoongi, moved back, pulling his own hand away from her. “You made the right decision, and I also made mine. Everything falls perfectly, where it should be”  Yoongi bit his lip, maddened to hear her regret. For what? What good does it make to agree with her and run? To destroy a relationship right before their wedding day? He’s not dumb to take the bait.

After years of being left behind, years of putting him in the dark after she left, years of hoping that the two of them can get back together. Only to find later, by chance, that she was already dating his colleague, Jimin. “Stop!” he repeated, taking another step away from her.

Jimin ran back to her side, clueless of what just happened between her and Yoongi. “I’m sleepy, love” she yawned, trying to mask her teary eyes that started when she pleaded Yoongi to take her back.

Yoongi nodded “I’m sure you two are tired from all the planning. I really appreciate you two for visiting. Take care! I need to get back to the studio, client’s calling too!`` He quickly turned away and left, digging his hand in his pockets to hide his shaking palms. The thought of almost agreeing to take her back, right on the night before their wedding, sends shivers down his spine.

He needed a drink.

——

You fumbled on your wallet and realized that you left your transportation card on the office desk. Honestly, you thought you wouldn’t need it when Joe offered to drive you home. “Please, at least a change, at least a change…” you mumbled it like a mantra, praying something helpful would appear, but didn’t.

Even when you dug deeper in your bag, there was no spare change in sight, only your credit card. You didn’t expect the night to turn out so bad. Even worse, it was starting to rain. It didn’t have an umbrella either.

You paused in the middle of the street to cry, not being able to comprehend the series of unfortunate events. You watched the rain flushed down your makeup from a convex mirror hanging on a pole. Your eyes were starting to look like raccoons. Your favorite dress is already drenched and filthy from street dust and smoke. Yet you remained walking, hoping that if you continued to raise your hand every so often, a taxi would come by and let you in.

But even after an hour, no one bothered to let a rain-drenched woman into their dry and pristine car. Until it took you long enough to arrive at your apartment lobby, and you sighed in relief. You shook your head when the security wanted to ask what happened, and declined when the service staff offered you a seat to wait on the couch and bring you a towel. You just wanted to get to your home quickly.

And there he was, inside the elevator, your little crush who lives on the 18th floor.

You saw him drink the last drop from his bottle before he pressed a button, when his eyes widened upon seeing you in a poor state. You walked towards him.

In an attempt to look sober in front of a stranger, Yoongi fixed his posture and quickly pressed the ‘open door button’ and waited for you inside.

“Rough night?” he asked while you moved to the other side of the lift and watched you press the ‘close button’ from the elevator, immediately closing its door. His body fell almost instantly on the slight movement of the lift that shifted towards the upper floors. His body slacked on the edge, hair unkempt, and his dark denim jacket barely settled on his shoulder while he held onto his empty bottle of scotch.

“Yeah, seems you had one too?” you watched his attempt to reposition himself again upright, in amusement.

He drank from the empty bottle before he could reply and realized straightaway that it’s been drained.

“I uh” he gulped “I met my ex a while ago, and she pleaded with me to take her back right before her wedding day” he drunkenly confessed, and giggled to hear himself say it.

“That’s rough buddy…” you folded your arms and watched the elevator screen, as usual.

“What’s your sob story?” he asked, blinking as he tried to mask his insobriety.

“Oh this?” you momentarily look at your drenched clothes. “Well I found out the guy I was out with, ‘double-dipping’ me and my best friend”

“That’s even tougher” he chuckled as he peered on to his empty bottle, wishing that a drop would magically appear out of nowhere.

“I think we’re even” you watched him silently, trying hard not to laugh to see him in his drunken state, until an idea suddenly came up. You asked: “I have more of that in my place. Wanna come over?”

——

The moment you two stepped out of the elevator, you found your bodies pressed together.

Lips knotted on each other, wet and tacky. You moved back while he pressed you forward along the hallway. He then moved to force you up against a wall, pressing himself to you even harder.

Yoongi didn’t waste a minute and pushed his tongue in between your lips, and you reciprocated. You roughly brushed your hand towards his hair, and pulled him even closer to you and deepened your kiss. Whatever it is you two were doing.

He parted and pressed kisses on your throat, his fingers reaching down to your waist and clutched your bottoms.

It was so sudden, so fluid, that you almost forgot that you were still outside from your place.

“Oh, bless you two!” your 60 year old next-door neighbor cried, who just went out of her door. Fidgeting while she tried to close it and ran towards the empty elevator.

“I’m definitely going to receive a house complaint from the management tomorrow” you chuckled. You parted for a moment, and stopped by your apartment door. You quickly entered your password on your lock screen, while he continued to press kisses on your neck. You didn’t mind if he saw it, since you were pretty sure he’s too intoxicated to remember every number.

Upon entering your door, he quickly discarded his jacket and left it on the floor, he kicked the door close. You didn’t dare break the proximity between you and him, even if it bears as a challenge to move back while taking off your shoes from the threshold, and still manage to wrestle with his tongue.

He cut the kiss briefly to remove his own shoes, but quickly as a fox.  Like a clockwork, he continued where he left, back to hungrily pursuing your lips. You parted and watched your lower lip leave gradually from his soft bite. You smiled at him and began to trace kisses on his neck.

He closed his eyes and revelled from your touch. He then carried you over to your bare dinner table and hurriedly pulled your dress up, exposing your lacy underwear, while you helped him pull his shirt off exposing his pale chest. You pinched your lip, stared at him for a moment, all pleased to see him bare.

“What?” he nervously asked.

“Just thinking how I’ve always fancied seeing my neighbor naked come to a reality” you tilt your head, while your eyes remain focused on his chest.

“What a coincidence, I was thinking the same” he finally realized that you had a zipper on the back and pulled it down a bit.

“Careful, this one’s from Lanvin” you alerted him. He obediently followed and carefully pulled it down your waist. You gently pushed it away and threw it on the carpet.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if you had your dress in Versace?” you laughed at his remark.

“Oh, so you could sing that Bruno Mars song? Kinky”

He chuckled at your retort. You then realized how charming he looks up close, his gums flashed before you as he grinned.

“Uhuh…” and just like that he swiftly changed from cute charming to a seductive one, as he shifted his position and watched you react to his finger pressed beneath your cloth that was keeping a barrier between your skin down below and his fingertips. “You’re wet”

You breathed at the sensation and nodded “You know for a neighbor, you are pretty friendly. Yet I never get to know your name” you whispered in his ears and unbuckled his belt. You help him pull down his pants from your seat.

He smiled, seeing you fairly repay his effort by finding your hands gently brushing his length beneath the fabric of his underwear.

“Yoongi” he replied, a bit groaning. You felt his flaccid length grow stiff at your touch.

You turn to look at it, then his eyes “Y/N” you smiled as you pulled it down and began stroking it bare. Nice and slow.

“Nice to meet you… God… that’s it” he shut his eyes and breathed, as he unclasped your bra and began cupping your breasts.

“Nice to meet you too Yoongi…” he opened his eyes, his right hand shifted to lick his fingertip and stick it between your lacy fabric down to your nub, brushing it quickly yet soft.

“That’s… yes…” you shut your eyes at the sudden contact. You were sensitive. “You know we are 3 steps away from my bedroom, why don’t we continue from there?” you gave him a peck on his lips and pulled his hand away from you. You jumped out from the table and waited for him to follow you to your bedroom door.

He just stood for a while and watched you slip your panty down, he gulped at the sight and immediately followed.

——

“Yoongi!” your toes curled, as he pulled you even closer to him. You heard him growl a little underneath you. His hands under your butt cheeks, caressing it gently while he sticks his tongue out for a taste. Seeing stars was underrated, if you must describe how wonderful his tongue techniques were when you are receiving him.

“Yeah, that’s pretty” He parted and licked what’s left of you on his lip while watching you shiver beneath him, slowly coming undone. You lost count how much you orgasm with his tongue alone. He then pushed two fingers in you and slowly stroked it in and out, and watched you unfold for the nth time to his touch.

God, you almost forgot that he’s been pleasing you for almost an hour that you forgot to return the favor. “Yoongi, stop… lie down” you gently pushed him to the side, letting him relax on his back, and began rubbing his length.

“Y/N, it’s okay. I want in” he stopped you before your mouth received him.

“Right now? You sure?” you asked, as he chuckled at the query.

“I’m fully erect, Y/N. What’s there to be unsure of? Lie down…” he commanded, and you gladly obliged.

“The condom is on the bed side table, first drawer on the left.” You pointed. He opened the drawer, and found one. He gently opened the golden foil as you helped him pull the rubber out and placed it on him.

He moaned to the cool sensation “Mmm…” he placed both your ankles on each side of his shoulder as he slowly moved inside of you.

You shut your eyes and opened your mouth wide, surprised to feel something fairly sizable and immense. He rests for a second, letting you adjust to him.

“You okay?” he asked worriedly.

“I’m tough, and I like it rough” you panted.

He chuckled momentarily, but his face turned earnest when he began to thrust inside of you slowly. From a steady placid pace, it gradually accelerated, penetrating deeper into you as he moved further. He wasn’t just hitting your sweet spot, he was unearthing everything within you. To say you’re pleased is an understatement, he definitely did more than that. “God!” he started to move fast to an inconsistent pace and finally came.

You followed.

He pulled out, and rested on your chest.

You gulped and found your throat dry from all that just happened “Want something to drink?” you sat on your side of the bed.

“No more scotch, just water. Know what? Fuck it” he pulled you back to the bed. Swiftly changed his soiled rubber to a new one. He took another condom from your bed side table and immediately entered back into you.

Turns out, the night ended unexpectedly great.

——

🎵 Love me special… love me special… love me special🎵

Your alarm resonated all over your apartment. “Alexa, stop” you commanded, as you shift from your bed and was surprised to see a motionless body you don’t recognize on the other side of your bed.

You slapped your forehead upon realizing who it was on the other end. Your little neighbor crush, now with a name: Yoongi. The song continued to play, stirring the stranger from his sleep “Nngh” he lazily scratched his neck in annoyance.

“Alexa, stop the alarm!” you exclaimed, blinking at the thought of rousing him further from his slumber. You didn’t want the idea of little chit-chats on the morning after sex.  You disliked being demanded to answer questions like “how did I get here?” or “was sex good?”and etc., conversation like those are a total drag.

Regardless who it was, whether it was one night stand or a regular fuck buddy. You wanted to casually forget it by the day, then crave for it during the night. It is how you put up with stress from your work. You separate your professional life to your personal life, that’s how you endure having to face bullshit for years.

He turned around to see you put your clothes back. “Oh shit” he shut his eyes the moment his memories stirred him from his stupor.

“Morning. Look, I’ll go ahead? I’ll be late for work. You can stay as long as you like… but not too long… Whatever, just, don’t forget to take all your things on the way. I know where you live so don’t do anything funny” you put on your bra and underwear then quickly move to your open rack to take your satin robe with you to your bathroom.

“Wine” he sluggishly replied.

“I’m sorry?” you asked, you peered from the wall separating the bedroom and the baths.

“You were playing ‘Wine’. I made that.” He snickered lazily.

“Made what? Wine, this song?” you pointed to your speaker “It’s sung by a girl named Suran? Wait, are you still drunk? I have Tylenol inside the drawer– ” he smiled at the thought of you being kind and considerate. He then shook his head.

“No, I meant I produced that. I’m glad you like it enough to make it your alarm” he pulled down the duvet, exposing his bare chest. He sat up, but the brightness from your window made Yoongi squint his eyes.

“What are the odds”  you chuckled, but only for a while, because when you took your phone and typed in the song on your search bar you found his name, well his other name that is.

“Suga? Are you Suga? Who named you that?” you smiled, as you turned away from him towards your shower but stopped midway.

“You produced a song for Jimin?! THE Park Jimin? the famous idol? The one who won KMA, MAMA, and Daesang… you made those songs?” you swiped further and saw a ‘breaking news’. You narrated it out loud “Look, you know about this? ‘Park Jimin just married his long time non-celebrity girlfriend’…” then paused. You remember the conversation you had with him last night, suddenly grasping and putting things together “Shit, she’s the ex, isn’t it?” you went back to face him, waiting for his response.

“Yeah” Yoongi sat up, eyes still listless. “Isn’t it Dispatch worthy?” he asked sarcastically.

“No,” you replied dryly.  “You know what is?” you rested your arm on the doorway from your bathroom and watched him react “Park Jimin, has a piercing on his left nipple. That’s why you never see him wear a fitted shirt” you raised one of your eyebrows and smiled.

His eyes, which looked formerly lethargic, became wide and lively.

“Wait, what? How? When?” he opened his mouth in shock.

“He was still a rookie then I guess? Anyway it’s been years… and was very single at that… He loves that left nipple a lot, you know? That he came by too soon. He wasn’t that great to be honest, you were better, well more than better to be precise… and I guess that’s what made your ex regret her life decisions?” you shrugged as you watched him laugh hard at your remark. “So don’t be too bummed, okay? You were definitely better, and you deserve the best out there” you smiled and left him there on your bed.

“Thanks” he spoke softly as he watched you close the bathroom door.

That was the very first time you talked with someone you slept with, the morning after. And  the funny thing is, you never regret doing so.

——

You didn’t want to come, but you have to, it was such a horrible position to be sitting beside your now ex-best friend while you two try to remain professional at work.

It was the first time you weren’t left with a sticky note with a smiling face, nor placed a freshly brewed coffee for her, first thing in the morning on her desk. You were both working fine, but the relationship was beyond repair.

That night after work, you found Yoongi waiting in line to get a cup of java in one of your favorite cafes.

“Hey neighbor” he smiled. “Fancy meeting you here?”

“Well I was on the way home. Then I saw you. Have you eaten dinner?” you asked, you went beside him on the line.

“Is that an invitation or are you asking me out?” he squinted his eyes towards you, as you rolled your eyes.

“It’s the former. I thought it’s around dinner time by now, maybe we could share a meal? There’s a promo on one of the restaurants nearby…” you took your phone out to show him a copy of an electronic voucher they were giving for free online.

“Sure, I like promotions. The ones that don't require me to shell out a lot” he remained stoic, despite genuinely liking the idea of cutting regular priced foods.

“Exactly” you winked at him.

——

You brought him to a BBQ place, and saw him turn ecstatic to see them actually serving Kobe Wagyu Beef.

“I must admit, you know the perfect places to eat” he affirmed.

“Of course, I’m very particular in choosing my meat” you stared at him for a second, as he watched you chew a piece, your eyes still fixated on him. He gulped.

“Wanna come over to my place, after?” he asked.

——

UPDATE: Chapter 2 is HERE!

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas : Your blessings are your curses.

Also on AO3

TL;DR:

Dead All Might acts as a guardian angel to this heroic quirkless kid he runs into. Izuku gets put into a dangerous situation and turns out – DNA wasn’t needed to pass OFA. Just intent. Izuku gains the ability to see All Might along with the ability to use his quirk.

Sadly, AFO notices.

Now Izuku is on the run with a ghost for a guardian after AFO’s goons kill his mother.

Your blessings are your curses:

TL;DR: Dead all might, acts as a guardian angel to this quirkless kid he runs into. Izuku gets put into a dangerous situation and turns out – DNA wasn’t needed to pass OFA. Just intent. Izuku gains the ability to see All Might along with the ability to use his quirk.

Sadly, AFO notices.

Now Izuku is on the run with a ghost for a guardian after AFO’s goons kill his mother.

So – In the fight between All for One and All Might six years before canon, All Might loses.

Not horribly. All for One is still left almost dead and retreats into hiding, but All Might falls unconscious never to open his eyes again, later dying of sepsis in the hospital. His eyes may never physically reopen, but he does awaken – translucent and noncorporeal.

For a while he doesn’t know if it’s a latent quirk, or maybe something All for One did as a final blow, but no – it’s One for All. One for All has a mind of its own and refuses to disappear until Yagi has found a successor. Not that Yagi knows that.

His old haunts are too painful to hang around, the whole nation is grieving for him and seeing that pain on his old friend's faces burns something fierce. So he does what he’s always done. He helps.

Midoriya Izuku is nine when his favourite hero dies. He sees how the nation is grieving and his desire to be a hero only burns brighter. The bullying he suffers worsens, hate crimes against the quirkless and those with ‘villainous’ quirks uptick. Japan isn’t a pillar of safety and security anymore – crime rates have risen to match or overtake worldwide averages.

Still, he feels almost, safer? He gets luckier – the book his classmate stole shows up in his bag by the next period, bullies trip more often, and sometimes as he runs from villain attacks or classmates with their quirks popping against the nape of his neck, he feels a broad hand push him forwards, giving him an extra burst of speed.

He decides it must be the All Might charm he bought the day before the news of All Might’s death broke. A small solid plastic charm meant for a phone with a bright yellow bell attached, along with a tag reading “I AM HERE”. He fills the bell with scraps of paper so no one can hear it ring as he holds it tight in his hand when he gets nervous.

Midoriya Izuku is nine when he is almost killed.

With All Might gone, organized crime spikes. Quirk trafficking rings spring up – very rare, but no less real. It’s one of these such rings that kidnaps Izuku on his way home from school. He awakens, sore and blurry-eyed in a warehouse with a half dozen other crying children. One by one they are forced to show off their quirks, to gauge their value.

Izuku has no quirk to show. He has no value to these people. They growl at him to stop playing around, to stop pretending to be a hero (his All Might charm is almost cutting into his hand from how hard he holds it. He needs his luck more than ever please all might save me one more time - ). He can't bring himself to shut his eyes as a flaming hand reaches towards his face.

For a moment it feels like he's being held. He feels safe.

A shockwave levels the warehouse, leaving he and the other children untouched, the villains buried in the rubble. Green sparks sink into his skin, dancing over the rapidly purpling bruises decorating his arm. He runs.

He comes back to himself in a park, sobbing and shaking, arms wrapped around his shaking form and an oddly familiar voice murmuring apologies and praise as a broad hand runs gently through his hair.

It seems One for All never needed DNA, only intent, to pass itself along. With the passing of the quirk, Yagi should have dissipated, but he refused, clinging to the child he’d accidentally burdened with his legacy, the same quirkless child he’d been playing guardian angel for all this time.

When Izuku sees All Might he freezes. It’s not All Might as he knew him, rather – this is the All Might that died. He’s translucent, faded around the edges, with a tattered and bloodstained costume, thick padded bandaging over his stomach hiding stiches staining to close infected wounds, doing little to stop the blood oozing through. Still – All Might’s eyes are bright blue and kind and his smile is as it always was. Izuku throws himself onto his hero and sobs.

All Might – Yagi, as he insisted Izuku call him – led him to the nearest police station, as he tried to explain what had occurred. It wasn’t easy considering Yagi didn’t seem to be sure himself, but Izuku was pretty sure the quirk he’d been accidentally gifted was sentient.

Izuku held his arms up to the sky, stretching his fingers to the pinpricks of light in the night sky. Sparks of glittering gold, green, white, blue and red jumped across his skin, like the static shocks he’d get when he wore his wool socks in bed, but less painful. They almost felt playful.

“What are they called?” Yagi looked at him, confusion clear on his face. One of his spikes of hair drooped, and if Izuku could ignore the dust and blood that ran through it it would almost be funny.

“They? My boy, do you mean the sparks? If so, they don’t have a name.”

Izuku frowned, letting his hand drop. He could feel the sparks gently brushing his injuries, almost soothingly. “No, I mean your quirk. They should have a name, they’re so nice to me.”

Yagi coughed, dark blood spilling from his mouth, never to hit the ground. “One for All. It’s called One for All.”

Izuku’s frown deepened.

“All Might, mama says it’s rude to call someone an it.”

Inko is reunited with her only mildly injured son, now excitedly gushing about a quirk he’d somehow manifested. She privately thanks whatever spirit finally decided to smile upon her son, even if it took so long.

Their happiness doesn’t last long. Days later Izuku receives a summons to the head office. He freezes when he sees the police officer, Yagi’s comforting hand on his shoulder the only thing that keeps him from running.

It was a villain attack, the officer says with kindness so forced Izuku wants to cry. Yagi looks angry. If you’ll just come with us so we can get you to the safehouse with your mother –

Yagi almost growls with rage. “She’s lying.” He whispers, habit enforced despite the fact Izuku is the only person alive that can hear him. “Follow her out of the school then run” Izuku does exactly that, quirk sparking up his legs and pushing him forwards, down the familiar path to home. He takes the stairs six at a time, quirk chipping the edges of the concrete as he hurls himself forward.

Their apartment is in shambles, bookshelves tipped, small objects laying scattered on the floor, a pale arm laying limply from a half-open bathroom door.

Yagi pushes him out of the apartment and confirms the identity himself. He urges a sobbing Izuku to say his goodbyes to his mother’s corpse as they quickly gather all the money in the house, a few spare clothes and whatever food and water Yagi could knock down from the pantry shelves for him. Izuku crams it into his backpack as he sobs, Yagi guarding the entrance as he boils with rage and guilt.

He didn’t think All for One would find Izuku. He didn’t think he would even be looking. He was wrong and now his boy was paying the price.

So starts his time on the run.

He meets Shinsou first, saving him from some rubble in a villain attack. He meets him again later, battered and bruised – not from a villain, but from his foster parents. Shinsou joins him, no matter how Izuku explains hes in danger. Shinsou wants to be a hero, and if the only way he gets to be a hero is stubbornly keeping Izuku out of trouble? That’s not a bad trade-off, considering izuku was the first person to save him.

A little while later the two run into Shouto feverish and badly burnt and try to nurse him back to health as best they can. A few days in Touya and Toga run into their little camp guns blazing, expecting them to have kidnapped Shouto only to see Izuku patiently trying to feed him rice porridge with a veritable pile of ‘liberated’ fever reducers on the floor beside them.

They apologise but Shinsou and a still feverish Shouto refuse to talk to Touya or Toga for like three days bc they made Izuku cry.

They refuse to leave no matter how Izuku explains he has a centuries old villain after him. These kids are ride or die. So Hitoshi, Shouto and Izuku are like 9 and trying to learn what they can from libraries and newspapers, never settling down for too long. Toga (12) and Touya/Dabi (14) try and keep them all alive by working or stealing what they need to live. It doesn’t take long for them to evolve into a mini vigilante group.

Aizawa becomes familiar with the messy group of short vigilantes that seem to bounce from prefecture to prefecture every second day, to the point that the force is pretty sure one of them has a teleportation quirk because they don’t seem to have any kind of home base. He’s completely uninterested in trying to arrest them in the beginning – they aren’t hurting anyone and are not half bad at what they do.

That changes when he meets them.

Battered and bleeding out in a rainy alley with a villain looming over him with a knife, Aizawa is pretty sure this is the night he dies. The knife swings back, glinting in the streetlights as he tries in vain to scramble backwards with heavy limbs. It never connects. The villain jerks back as a brilliant blue plume of flame cuts him off, burning the tips of his hair. Not expecting backup the villain bolts. Aizawa feels small hands helping him into a sitting position – his stomach starts to sink. When the short masked figure with curly hair speaks he feels his heart turn to ice. The figure couldn’t be older than 11, probably closer to 10.

He wakes up in the hospital and he makes it his mission to save these kids.

Ghost All Might is having a rough time. His boy is in danger and the best he can do is rattle windows and trip sprinting villains. He can’t help them enough.

He has a plan though.

He warns Izuku that he’ll be gone for a while and to keep safe without him and he goes out scouting. Being invisible and impermeable is normally a curse but when trying to find a paranoid 200-year-old super villain? It’s pretty damn useful. It takes months but eventually he’s not only tracked down All for One’s main hideout he’s also memorised his schedule. It’s nothing impressive considering the man is still mostly bedbound after what All Might did to him, but he won't be a pushover. It’s a start, though.

Izuku cries tears of joy when he sees All Might again and cries even more when he shares what he found. It’s do or die time. He offers every one of his friends the chance to split now because there is a good chance they’ll die, but none of them wants to leave him. With that, he starts planning.

They’ll need Eraserhead, no bones about it. Without him, there would be no way to strike the final blow. They spend a few weeks refining their stealth then they seek Aizawa out.

They knew he’d have a price for helping them, but they never expected it would be so high, but simultaneously so kind. In exchange for his help and a vow of silence he wants each child to let him help them, to find them a safe place to live, a school to go to – a future. Izuku has spent his whole life being told he doesn’t have a future, from when he was diagnosed quirkless to the almost 2 years spent on the run from Japan’s most dangerous villain. He’s still not sure he’ll have one, even with All for One dead, but he knows he wants his friends to grow up happy and safe.

He accepts.

With Aizawa’s help, with Dabi and Toga clearing the way and Shinsou standing in the wings as the last resort, Izuku kills All for One as he sleeps. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy, just quiet footsteps, a sharp knife and shaking hands.

Aizawa is horrified this child just killed someone in front of him, but Izuku is sobbing and All for One is notorious in underground circles so he keeps his quirk up until the blood stops flowing from his neck. He takes the children and flees.