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fyorina · 21 days

Text

ᡣ𐭩 TO SOMEONE FROM A WARM CLIMATE

FEATURING: beast dazai osamu

SUMMARY: you're with him. you're actually with him. everything all of the other dazais have got to experience, he now can too. in his exhilaration, he almost forgets about the threats lurking on the horizon. until you slap him in the face with it, that is. {wordcount: 18k; fem!reader; romance & tragedy}

AUTHOR'S NOTES: PART THREEEEEEE i had a particularly terrible day today guys hahahh literally everything that could go wrong went wrong </3 i'm very tired, but i hope you guys enjoy this installment. for all of u who read badlands, we have a very anticipated parallel scene in this one. + i added a little surprise pov at the end heheh

GENERAL WARNINGS: again, i'll just leave this warning on every chapter - dazai struggles a lot with disassociation/derealization & losing himself in the pages of the book. + we have a bit more of unhinged thought processes on dazai's end which becomes particularly apparent during one of these scenes. as always please let me know if i forgot any warnings

SEE: UNREAL UNEARTH SERIES MASTERLIST READ: BADLANDS SIDE A

You wake up from what might be the best sleep of your life to the sun peeking through the blinds of an unfamiliar bedroom.

It takes a few moments for you to regain your bearings, yawning and stretching as you sit up in the bed, trying to figure out where you are. It’s fancy, fancier than anything you’ve ever come across before. The dark sheets are soft and silky against your skin, you swear that this must be what clouds feel like. The room itself is a bit odd—large but empty, there’s a dresser on the far wall and a nightstand next to the bed, but there are no trinkets or knick knacks that usually litter a person’s bedroom. It’s almost reminiscent of a hotel room, you think.

Your gaze drifts over to the side, where a vast window looks over the city. You can hardly see the view through the blinds, but you can tell you’re high enough that only clouds can be seen below, no sign of the bustling city that you know rests beneath you. Your hazy mind starts to remember what happened last night: the club, the convenience store, your apartment, the leak. Dazai.

Dazai.

Your face immediately feels hot, hand coming up to curl your fingers around your mouth as you realize whose room you’re in. Your eyes flicker around the room nervously even though you know he’s not in here with you. You wonder what time it is, you reach around for your phone to check but you must’ve dropped it somewhere in your exhaustion last night—hopefully somewhere in his apartment (can this even be considered an apartment? it’s huge!) Maybe he’s waiting for you out in the main room of his penthouse, you hope he is. You also hope that he got some sleep last night, you remember that he insisted for you to take the bed but you still feel bad that you usurped his room from him.

… Although it’s not much of a room. Big and fancy with a view that costs more than your life, yeah, but nothing that makes it his. Like a husk. A house, not a home. The bed doesn’t even smell like him—well, you can’t say you know for sure what he smells like besides the cologne he sported in your past few meetings with him, but you know it doesn’t smell like him because it doesn’t smell like anything. Only the faint smell of old detergent meets your nose, not a single other sign that someone has been living here.

You push the covers off of you and swing your feet over the side of the bed, stretching again as you kick your feet out with another yawn. You think this might be the first time in months that you haven’t woken up with an aching back or sore neck and you can’t help but cast a longing look back at Dazai’s bed, wishing you could steal it and drag it back to your apartment to replace your ruined bed.

You don’t bother changing as you drag your way out of his bedroom; you’re decent enough in a burgundy camisole and matching pair of shorts. Yes, you’d chosen your nicer pajamas because yes, you’d still been hoping maybe something would happen between the two of you. You hadn’t realized how hard the exhaustion was going to hit until too late.

Maybe something can still happen, you giggle a bit to yourself as you open the door to his apartment and then stop yourself immediately, horrified at yourself. You wonder when you became like this. You swear you don’t usually go around desperate for sex like this, you feel like a bit embarrassed, honestly, that your train of thought keeps leading this way but you blame Dazai because he’s plain cruel for flirting with you as intimately as he does without even sparing you a kiss. It’s like he’s trying to drive you crazy. You’re becoming even more convinced that the man set some sort of spell over you.

“Gooooood morning!” you sing, your voice still tinged with sleep as you exit the bedroom and catch sight of the object of your desires lounging back on the dark couch in the main room of his penthouse—penthouse, insanity—typing away at his phone with a frown. He’s dressed in the same outfit he was in last night, which is also the same outfit that he wore last week, and every other week before that—you wonder if he just didn’t change or if he has a dozen pairs of the same outfit.

Dazai doesn’t respond, gaze cutting upward, a bit too wide to be casual. The expression on his face is entirely indecipherable, something caught between shock and an emotion you can’t quite place, but it’s softer, you think, maybe a bit sadder too. You brush it off, wondering if he forgot you were here, which would be embarrassing but also a bit ridiculous. So, you think that maybe you just look like a mess after waking up. You should have brushed your hair before coming out of the room, you don’t even know if you brought a brush with you last night. You can’t remember.

You plop yourself down onto the couch next to him. Laying the side of your head against the cushions and curling up a bit, you position your body to face him as you say, “Your… apartment is so nice.” There’s a longing lilt to your voice as you speak. “If you’re not careful, I might never leave.”

It’s a joke, of course, you don’t want to intrude, but you think your life would be one hundred times easier if you were living in a place like this rather than your small, shitty apartment. Plus, you get a view and you’re not talking about the city. Dazai looks gorgeous beneath the mid-morning light, you think. Well, he’s been gorgeous every time you’ve seen him but you think especially so now, with the way his smooth skin glows and his dark eyes look almost gold beneath the sun rays, but you notice the dark bag beneath his visible eye and guiltily, you wonder if he got any sleep last night. He’d long abandoned his phone, attention on you, and you feel warm beneath his gaze.

“I don’t think I’d mind that all too much,” he murmurs, eye curved up as smiles softly.

You’re flustered, instantly, and your face feels hot as you avert your gaze to the coffee table in front of you. Your eyes focus on a familiar item sitting on it and you light up, reaching out for it. “My phone! You found it!”

You pull it toward you and unlock it, frowning when you realize that you must’ve left it open on your landlord’s contact information last night, trying to figure out what you should message him. You sigh as your tip your head back against the couch, realizing that you’re going to have to deal with all of this today. Fighting with your landlord about the leak, ordering a new mattress and a new laptop—god, you don’t even think you can afford that right now, you’re going to have to place a deposit down for your seat at school soon and then figure out tuition.

“You dropped it outside the room,” Dazai notes, drawing your attention back to him as he nods at the phone. “How did you sleep?”

“Better than I have in years,” you sigh wistfully, letting your head fall to the side to look at him. “You have to tell me where you got your mattress. This is the first time I haven’t woken up with a shitty back in forever… especially considering I need a new one because my ceiling decided to drop gallons of water on my bed.”

“Gin-chan would know,” Dazai says, and you can’t help but notice how his gaze seems to track down a bit to your lips as you speak. You try not to smile a bit. You think you fail. You do shift a bit closer. Subtly. You think he notices if the way his tongue darts out to wet his lips says anything about it. His words hardly register until he says, “I have to leave in a bit for a meeting, she’ll come make sure you’re okay and see if you need anything.”

Irrationally, your heart drops with the illogical fear that maybe you’re reading into things because who is Gin-chan and why does she know what type of mattress Dazai has? Maybe it’s not irrational, because that’s odd, isn’t it? Who would know what type of mattress someone has besides like… a wife? But wouldn’t he have mentioned a wife or a girlfriend in the past few weeks? Of course, he would have… right? You didn’t notice a ring, but you don’t want to be obvious and look down to check now. There’s no way he’s the type to cheat anyway, so you assume you’re just missing something—unless they’re not on good terms with each other but haven’t divorced? But… Your thoughts begin to spiral, rapidly and terribly, because you are not a homewrecker, you swear, but you don’t think you’ve ever wanted someone more than Dazai Osamu.

Dazai’s smile sharpens a bit, dark eye flashing playfully, as if he knows exactly what you’re thinking. He leans his head in a bit more, so close that you swear you can count every single individual eyelash, so close that your breath catches when the tip of his nose brushes yours. “Gin-chan is my secretary, I brought her off the streets when she was a child. She’s a sweet girl, I’m sure you’ll get along.”

Oh, you’re so cruel, Dazai Osamu.

You hate that you instantly feel relieved.

You hate even more that he definitely notices.

He leans in a bit closer, your breath hitches, but just when you swear his lips are about to brush yours for the first time, he pulls back to sit up straight again. His cheeks are dusted red, welcome evidence that you’re not the only one who was flustered by his proximity.

You clear your throat in a desperate attempt to regain some sense of control over yourself and then try to change the subject. “What type of meeting do you have?” you ask curiously, and then immediately amend the question, realizing this is your chance to question him about his job again, “What do you even do?”

Dazai hesitates, just like he did the last time you asked this question. You think he might try to avoid the question again but instead he says, “I took over my… father’s company a few years ago. I’ve been running it since.”

Your eyebrows shoot up a bit, impressed, although you notice how he seems a bit bitter at the mention of his father. “Really?” you ask, surprised. He can’t be much older than you. What was he eighteen, nineteen when he took over? “What type of company?”

“It’s a… sort of conglomerate. We have stakes in a bunch of different industries,” he tells you, dark hair falling in his eyes as he rests his head back against the couch. His eyes don’t leave you once, almost as if he’s drinking in the sight of you, you can’t control the way your heart races beneath his gaze. He reaches out, fingers brushing your skin in a way that makes goosebumps rise, and you can hardly breathe as he fixes the strap of your camisole, you hadn’t even realized it had slipped off your shoulder.

His fingers linger for a moment before he drops his hand back to his lap; you long for his touch again instantly.

“That sounds like a lot of work,” you say quietly, and suddenly Dazai looks a lot older and much more tired, gaze flickering down to his lap.

“Yeah,” he murmurs. “It is.”

You’re not sure what to say for a moment, so instead, you decide to reach out and grab his hand, intertwining your fingers with his and squeezing gently. He doesn’t hold your hand back at first, staring at where your hands are connected with a conflicted, unreadable expression, but you don’t let it bother you, holding his hand just a bit tighter before saying: “Well, I’m sure you’re doing a good job.”

He lets out a puff of air, sighing, and then finally, his fingers tighten around yours.

A bit too tight, but you don’t mind.

He doesn’t look like he believes you, and you think that’s a bit sad but you’re not sure what else to say, or even if there’s anything else to say. Dazai’s gaze flickers back up to meet yours and you think that you might not be breathing again. You’re hyper aware of his touch, the way his fingers curl around yours, thumb absently rubbing soft circles on the back of your hand. He’s close—you hadn’t realized just how close the two of you had gotten as you spoke. You’re leaning forward and he’s leaning in, both of your heads resting against the back of the couch.

You could kiss him, the thought rings through your head again. Your throat feels tight, the silence between you is comfortable but tense, as if he can sense the thoughts ricocheting through your head and is battling with his own. He shifts forward a bit more, gaze dropping down to your lips, and you brace yourself, tilting your face up a bit and then-

“Sir?”

You draw back right away, embarrassed, eyes cutting across the room where a girl with long dark hair stands, cheeks flushed and gray eyes averted up to the ceiling. She’s young, no older than seventeen or eighteen, and dressed in a sleek black suit. Is this Gin?

“Gin-chan.” Dazai confirms your suspicions as he greets the girl easily. “Is something the matter?”

“Chuuya-san is in your office,” Gin says, careful to keep her voice formal despite the way her face is on fire. “The executives have been waiting in the conference room on the thirty-eighth floor for twenty minutes. He says if you don’t come out, he’ll come in here and drag you out.”

Dazai sighs dramatically, eyes sliding shut. “Chuuya always has the worst timing,” he complains, rising to his feet. “Gin-chan, tend to my lovely guest while I’m gone, would you?”

Gin finally turns her gaze on Dazai, a bit surprised. “You don’t want me coming with you, sir?”

Dazai waves her off. “I’m giving you a more important job. I’ll make the slug take meeting notes. He’ll love that,” he says with an easy smile before looking down at you. “I’ll be back later tonight… wait for me?”

You stare up at him, breathless. You have to force yourself to nod. “Yeah,” you finally agree, voice wavering. “I’ll wait for you.”

The smile he gives you is brilliant, eye shining in a way that puts the night sky to shame.

You think you could stare at it forever.

His fingers burn.

Dazai can hardly pay attention to the meeting taking place around him as he stares down at his hand, the ghost of your touch still warming his skin. He feels giddy, his chest light and heart erratic in his chest. You’re upstairs. You’re in his room. You were in his bed this morning. You told him good morning. You came out and joined him on the couch while you were still in your night clothes. You almost kissed him. You almost kissed him. He almost kissed you. He would have, had Gin not showed up.

God, it was like something out of one of his dreams, one of the vague memories that haunt him when he’s at his lowest. When he’d wake up with wet cheeks and a tight chest, throat thick with aching desire and longing for a life that he never thought he’d have.

But he has it.

He has it.

He has you.

“Where is Gin-chan?” Kouyou’s voice tears Dazai from his thoughts. Dazai turns his gaze onto the woman, careful to keep his expression void of any of the emotions coursing through his body. “She is supposed to be attached at your hip, no?”

Dazai tilts his head to the side. “Gin-chan is busy with more important matters,” Dazai says dismissively.

Kouyou lets out a noise caught between a puff of amusement and shock, covering the lower half of her face with her fan as she watches Dazai with calculating eyes. Dazai wonders if she knows that you’re here, if Chuuya had mentioned anything to her already and this is just a test to see his reaction to her prodding.

“More important matters than the first meeting with all five of your executives in the same place in two years?” Kouyou presses, fanning her fan lightly as she tilts her head to the side.

“Yes,” is all Dazai says in response, not leaving any more room for conversation on the topic. He sees Chuuya roll his eyes from the corner of his vision, knowing just what Gin is up to.

“What is this meeting about anyway?” Ace suddenly speaks up, looking irate from where he’s sitting at the round table, leg folded over his knee as he looks around the room disdainfully. “This is disturbing my casinos, I had integral meetings with shareholders this morning that I had to reschedule.”

“If your casinos are so easily disrupted, perhaps they’re not quite as valuable as you keep making them out to be.” Piano Man gives Ace a demure smile as he speaks, veiling the venom dripping from his words—the most recently promoted of the five executives has no mercy when it comes to taking digs at the self proclaimed Jewel King.

Ace’s head snaps in Piano Man’s direction, lips turning down and eyes icy. Dazai wonders curiously if the man would snap something back with Chuuya sitting right next to him—that would be the end of that, Chuuya has always been viciously protective over his Flags. Dazai never liked Ace, knowing that the man is loyal only to himself, but he’s brought in masses of money and information to the Port Mafia. He considers whether or not he should step in, but decides to just watch idly, unsure of if he’s entertained or bored, folding his hands on the table and letting his head fall to the side lazily.

He wants to go back upstairs. Back to you. He’s tired of this already, every day it’s been something new the past few weeks—issues with the military police, issues with low ring organizations that seem to think they can play with the big leagues, issues internally. He wonders what you and Gin might be talking about, and then bitterly, he thinks it should be him sitting up there talking to you.

“This is about the Russians?” Verlaine drawls, looking severely unimpressed with the tension at the round table as he looks between Kouyou, Chuuya and Dazai. “I’ve heard from some of my birds that Nabakov’s men were spotted in the Sakae and Kanagawa wards. Interesting, no?”

Sakae and Kanagawa?

Dazai suddenly is a lot more attentive to the conversation at hand, if only because your apartment is around those wards. He was already reluctant thinking of letting you go back there, knowing that it’s not the best area in the city, but now? The thought makes his stomach churn, blunt nails digging into the wood of the round tables.

It’s not an option.

It’s not.

Kouyou raises a parchment between two fingers to show off to the rest of the executives before passing it over to Dazai, who stares at it distastefully for a moment before plucking it from her hand. He scans the words rapidly, lips twisting down into a deep frown the more he reads.

“What is it?” Chuuya asks impatiently, fingers thrumming on the table as Dazai reads.

“A missive from the Pale Flame,” Kouyou tells him, voice smooth and curious, eyes not leaving Dazai once as she waits for his reaction to it. “Nabokov wishes to personally apologize for not coming to the meeting himself two months ago. He claims that he’s coming to Tokyo to handle an issue regarding one of his major narcotics suppliers in three weeks and wants to host us under the guise of a business event to make amends and prove his dedication to our continuing alliance.”

The war in the mainland is over, the realization hits him hard, like he’s been doused in freezing water and struck with a train all at once. His vision begins to tunnel, just a bit, but enough for him to know he has to pull himself back together before it gets worse, but it’s hard because the implications of that-

“That’s not suspicious at all,” Piano Man sighs whimsically. “Since when does Nabokov care for apologies and amends? The man’s pride goes beyond the heights of the moon.”

“War must be going that badly,” Ace scoffs, amused. “I suppose we chose right in declining their pleas for support.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Piano Man says flippantly, side-eyeing Ace blatantly.

Ace’s expression twists, but as soon as it does, it smooths out again, and a slow smirk is curling at the edges of his lips. He parts his lips to dole out a side comment and Dazai chooses to tune out the petty arguments, focusing on his own dilemma.

It can’t be a coincidence. Right when he finally starts accepting you into his life, the three way war plaguing the Russian underworld comes to an end and the threat that Dostoevsky poses to you becomes all the more present. Fate, the word haunts him, curses him, he wants to spit in its face but every passing day reminds him that the gods must be laughing down at him.

Doubt begins to riddle his chest, festering and spreading—should he send you away? Pretend that the past few weeks never happened and send you off to one of your friend’s apartments? But what if someone already saw him with you? If the wrong person saw, and he sent you away, he’d be signing your death sentence himself.

“What do you think?” Kouyou addresses him, drawing Dazai from his spiraling thoughts.

“The war between Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Nabokov ended,” Dazai says, staring down at the table as his mind races. “The missive is a declaration of war.”

“Why would Nabokov declare war on us?” Ace asks doubtfully, leaning back in his chair. “For not giving him support?”

“Nabokov is a puppet.” Dazai’s tongue slides against the back of his teeth, trying to piece together what the best course of action to take would be. He’d been sure that the territory wars in Russia would last at least another two to three months. He’s sure that Dostoevsky is behind the missive, he doubts that Tolstoy would make a move into Yokohama, he’d prefer to move west, but he needs confirmation. But if it is Dostoevsky… Why has this timeline sped up so much? Dostoevsky isn’t supposed to officially make a move in Yokohama until after the Guild. The thought is cold and unnerving, he doesn’t like it. He’s been basing all of his plans around his knowledge of the other universes, so why is everything changing suddenly? He turns his attention to Ace and Verlaine, “Find out if Tolstoy or Dostoevsky came out on top.”

He has his suspicions, but he needs it confirmed before he makes any more plans. He has to be careful now, excruciatingly so. He can’t risk anything now that you’re with him and the threat of Dostoevsky has become exceedingly more imminent. However cautious and meticulous he’s been the past seven years, he needs to up it tenfold. He needs Dostoevsky six feet under. He needs Christie six feet under.

And most importantly, he needs to keep you safe, locked in the ivory tower, ignorant to the looming threats until Dazai has properly handled them.

But to do that, he needs to convince you to stay.

How is he supposed to do that without setting off alarm bells?

“What of the business event that we’ve been invited to?” Piano Man asks, white hair falling into his face as he tilts his head to the side. “Do we attend or tell him to shove it?”

“How eloquent,” Ace digs, but goes silent when Dazai gives him a icy look, no longer in the mood for their petty back and forth.

“We attend,” Dazai answers, exhaling as he turns his attention to the side, looking out the bulletproof window giving a vast view of the city’s busiest ports. “If it’s under the guise of a business event, there will be plenty of legitimate corporations there to use as shields should things go wrong, but the Russians aren’t stupid enough for that regardless. They won’t spill blood on foreign land in view of people who live in the light, it’s the fastest way for them to get the Special Division or the Hunting Dogs sicced on them. This will be the easiest way to gather information… and to try to take out the mastermind.”

Chuuya does not look happy with Dazai’s declaration, likely already tallying all of the things that could go wrong. It’ll be the easiest way to get to Dostoevsky, yes, but it’ll also be the easiest way for them to get to Dazai. Dazai is not stupid and he knows he has to be especially vigilant now, but no progress will be made unless some gambles are made—Fyodor Dostoevsky is slimy and slippery in every universe, for Dazai to get his hands on the man, he’s going to have to take a few risks. Dazai just has to ensure said risks are minimal, because every risk he takes is a risk to you too.

God, he feels sick, his head hurts so badly that he thinks he might die. If he was any other version of himself, he could drag himself to you and bury himself in your arms, a surefire way of making the pain disappear. But he’s not any other version of himself—he’s him, and he’s so bitter, because even when he has you, he doesn’t really have you, not in the way that he wants.

“Meeting dismissed,” Dazai says coldly, hardly sparing his executives another look. He’s ready to go back upstairs and be with you, even if he’s not ready to put that mask back on yet, terrified of scaring you away. “Get me the information I asked for.”

There’s a few spattered agreements and farewells. Verlaine, Ace and Piano Man all file out of the conference room. Kouyou and Chuuya stay behind. Dazai’s eyes slide shut, waiting for whatever the two have to say.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Chuuya finally says, voice gruff and Dazai doesn’t have to look at him to know that his fingers are probably digging into his palms in frustration. “Things are about to get bad. Don’t let some girl distract you from what’s important.”

Dazai looks up at Chuuya now, slowly, gaze glacial. If Chuuya were anyone else, he would’ve backed down or apologized, but Chuuya is Chuuya, so he only raises his chin, jaw tightening when he realizes that he pissed off Dazai with that comment.

You are what’s important, is what Dazai wants to say in your defense. He’s done all of this for you—you and Odasaku, but he bites the words back, resorting instead to turning his gaze to Kouyou, dismissing Chuuya without a word. Chuuya scoffs loudly and then he spins on his heel with a swish of his coat and storms out of the meeting room.

Dazai tilts his head to the side, daring Kouyou to mention it. The woman only raises her eyebrows, a knowing expression painted on her face, as always.

“One of my girls got their hands on a Russian suspected of being a member of the House of the Dead,” Kouyou says, fanning her face gently. “We’ve been unsuccessful so far in getting him to reveal any information. It could be useful in figuring out whether Tolstoy or Dostoevsky came out on top.”

Dazai exhales, because of course he can’t go right back to you, when has life ever been so easy for him? He pushes himself to his feet, body on automatic as he makes his way out of the meeting room and toward the elevator.

It’s fine, he tells himself, he’ll be back to you soon.

He just has to make this fast, and Dazai is never as efficient as he is when he has you as motivation.

Dazai is careful to make sure that no blood stains his face or hands as he leans back against the wall of the elevator. Getting the information out of the rat hadn’t taken too long once he got there, but the following conversation with Kouyou took an eternity. He watches the floors tick upward from the twenty-second floor all the way up to the forty-sixth, back to his penthouse where you’re hopefully still waiting. An irrational fear claws at his chest, that you slipped away and left the building, descending back down into the city that’s quickly threatening to become an imminent warzone. He knows it’s illogical, Gin would have told him if you left so you must still be up there, but a part of him can’t bring himself to believe it.

“I’ll wait for you.”

Your face blends with another version of yourself as he lets his eyes slide shut. The image of his apartment shifting into an unfamiliar hotel room. The atmosphere is much more somber in the hotel room, Dazai feels anxiety swelling in his throat and hope bubbling in his chest no matter how hard he tries to push it away as those very same words ring through his head. In a desperate attempt to sideline the emotions he can’t seem to control, he leans in to press his lips against yours. His own breath catches as the memory floods through him—he can feel the pads of his fingers burning as he pushes you back against the bed, his heart racing as his body hovers above yours, his mind foggy and dizzy as he kisses you so deeply that he think he might die from lack of air to his lungs. His tongue brushes against your bottom lip, his body slides on top of yours, hips slotting between your thighs and then-

Ding.

His eyes snap back open as he’s forced back to reality, the sharp trill of the elevator drawing him from the maze of the pages just as the doors slide open. He’s hardly able to settle down, sweaty palms wiping at his black jacket and tongue pressing to the roof of his mouth as he steps out of the elevator and into his penthouse, praying he doesn’t look half as frazzled as he feels.

It’s so bright, he thinks to himself, unused to having so much sunlight in his penthouse, usually keeping the windows blacked out just as he does in his office, but he figured you’d find that a bit odd so he made sure to fix it before you woke up in the morning. His gaze drags across the room, and he hates that his pulse spikes when he doesn’t immediately spot you, but it’s only a momentary spike when he realizes that you’re laying on the couch with Gin, some unfamiliar show playing in the background as you waves your arms around, talking rapidly.

He doesn’t move for a moment, standing there, admiring you—the way your skin glows beneath the sun, the way you smile widely, eyes glittering as you speak. You’re so animated. So alive. Dazai just can’t get used to it. He wonders if this is what his life would be like every day, if you stayed around. Waking up to you in the morning, relaxing with you under the early sun before he goes off to deal with his work, coming home to you waiting for him on the couch. Realistically, he knows it’s not that simple—you have your own goals and dreams and Dazai swore that in this life, he’d make sure you’d achieve them, so you can’t just sit around his penthouse all day until he comes back… but maybe it’s a practical enough to hope for the next few weeks until Dostoevsky is handled.

But first, he has to make sure you stay here and not try to go off with one of your friends, which will be a trial in itself. He’s not sure how to go about it yet, so he just needs to have faith that it’s not something you bring up right away.

Gin catches sight of him first, rising to her feet instantly, hands locked behind her back. “Sir,” she greets, nodding her head down a bit in respect.

You perk up at her words, leaning up to finally catch sight of him, peeking your head over the back of the couch and then raising your hand to wave at him. “Welcome back,” you say with a grin. “How was the meeting?”

Gin bids you a quiet goodbye before making her way out of Dazai’s place back into the office, leaving Dazai alone with you.

“Agonizing,” he answers truthfully, voice a low drawl as the corner of his lips instinctively curls up at the sight of you. He doesn’t come any closer, leaning back against the wall as you prop yourself up on the back of the sofa to look at him, resting your cheek on your folded arms.

A smile spreads across your face at his words, amused, and he wonders distantly if you would be even half as amused if you knew what the meeting was about or what he had to do afterward. The thought nearly makes his own smile falter, throat spasming. No matter how easily you might’ve accepted him and his past in the other universes, he knows that it won’t be the same in this one because it’s not his past. Not for the first time, he’s viciously jealous of all of his other selves—not only because of their relationship with you, but because they hadn’t needed to go to the depths of hell that he has had to in the name of keeping you and Odasaku safe.

It’s so hard. Lonely. The other Dazais always liked to insist that they were alone but they weren’t—not really. They always had so many people surrounding them even if they refused to accept it, meanwhile he-

He has nothing. Even now when you’re here, he knows that he’ll never be able to have you as intimately as the other Dazais did. He’ll never be able to open up to you like they did, rely on you like they did. He can’t because of the risk it would bring to the fragile stability of this world. He can’t because if you knew the truth, it would drive you away.

He’s so tired.

He’s not sure what you must see on his face, but your expression falls a bit as you look at him. You push yourself to your feet and he can’t help but notice that you’d changed out of your pajamas into a pair of leggings and a burgundy sweater. He also notices, a bit more dreadfully, that the duffle you’d brought last night is sitting outside his bedroom door, packed.

“I messaged one of my friends,” you say, voice a bit awkward, a jolt of panic shoots through him, realizing that you are bringing this up right away and he hasn’t had time to figure out how to go about convincing you to stay. “She said I could stay with her until my apartment is fixed, so I won’t be bothering you much longer. Thanks for letting me stay the night.”

Dazai hardly refrains from sighing and letting his eyes slide shut in frustration.

He really can’t get a break.

“I…” he trails off, unsure of what to say. He could tell you that it’s not a bother, but he doubts you would believe that, and how is he supposed to insist without coming across as shady? He has to try though. “It’s not a bother. You can stay here as long as you want.”

It won’t be enough, and he knows it from the way you immediately shake your head, sitting back on your heels to look at him head on. “I appreciate it, but I don’t want to intrude.”

His mind races as he tries to figure out what to say but it’s hard to think with dark talons pulling at his brain, images of you flashing before his eyes—limp in his arms as he tries to shake you awake (futile, your skin was already cold when he got back from work), unmoving on the floor of your apartment as he stands at the door (he’d only stepped outside for a moment), the fear in your eyes as you topple back over the side of the roof (he can’t get to you in time. he never can.)

“It’s no intrusion… Truthfully, it gets a bit lonely here on my own,” Dazai finally admits, his voice sounds faraway to his own ears as he struggles to ground himself from the foreign memories, he hopes it doesn’t come across that way to you. He can see your face shift a bit at his words, brows furrowing and lips turning downward—not pity, thankfully because he hates pity, but more so understanding. Hooked, he realizes and then deals what will hopefully be the final blow: “I really wouldn’t mind the company.”

Your lips part to say something but no words leave them. You stare at him for a moment, looking between your duffle and your phone and then back to him. He waits, breathless, because he doesn’t know what he’s going to do if you say no, if you insist on leaving. He can’t let you leave, not until the threats have been dealt with, he refuses to sign your execution warrant—he can live with you hating him, even if the thought makes him sick, he can’t live in a world without you.

Finally, you give him a smile.

“I mean, it would definitely be easier getting my work done here than in her cramped apartment, it’s hardly big enough for her and her boyfriend, much less me on top of that,” you say with a laugh, rubbing the back of your neck. “If you’re sure…”

Dazai has to physically restrain himself from letting out a sigh of relief.

“I’m sure,” he murmurs.

You light up and then look back at the television. “Well, I found a few movies I want to watch, if you’re up for it?” you ask with a hesitant smile.

Dazai gives you a soft, matching smile. “I’d love to.”

Oh, god, how did you end up like this?

You can hardly breathe properly, legs tossed over Dazai’s lap, head resting on his shoulder, his arm curled around you. The movie is still playing in the background but you’re hardly following the plot anymore, too focused on the feeling of Dazai’s thumb rubbing idle circles over your hip. You don’t even know if he’s aware he’s doing it, but it has your entire attention—your heart is racing, you’re sure he must be able to feel it, he’s just being courteous in not mentioning it, and your body feels hot. Every now and then, his thumb dips a bit lower and you swear he must know what he’s doing but he’s barely sparing you a glance, engrossed with the movie playing on the disgustingly large television mounted on his wall.

The movie that you had been excited to watch but now can’t even recall what the plot is.

And it’s so odd. You don’t like cuddling. Or, you thought you didn’t like cuddling. Whenever your past partners tried to cuddle up next to you to watch a movie, or at night before bed, you’d grimace and try to subtly shift away, but now? You’re leaning into him, you find comfort in the arm draped around you and the fingers drawing absent patterns on your hip, you find warmth in the way your body is tucked against his.

It’s absurd, you think, why is he so different from everyone else?

Your friends think you’re crazy. When you texted one of them to ask for a place to stay until your apartment is fixed, and then abruptly said nevermind because Dazai offered to let you stay at his, you were hit with five calls in a row and a spam of texts ranging from: “wym ur staying with that random guy you met at a bar two months ago???” to “girl ur crazy, this is stranger danger 101. you were literally just complaining about how you know NOTHING about this man. i am NOT coming to ur funeral.”

The last one is a lie, Kei would come to your funeral and she’d cry like a baby while stuttering through the eulogy, but it’s no issue because there won’t be a funeral. Regardless, you still shut your phone off because the vibrations were getting irritating, but now, you kind of wished you still had your phone to peek at because you can’t focus on the movie and you need something to distract you from Dazai’s touch otherwise you’re bound to make a complete fool out of yourself.

You spare a look up at him—just a quick glimpse, but it proves to be a fatal mistake.

He’s already looking at you.

There’s a fond expression on his face, a warm look in his eye. When he realizes you’ve caught him, his lips tilt upward and he says, “You haven’t been watching the movie.”

A soft accusation. Teasing. It leaves you a bit flustered. You want to look away but you can’t bring yourself to.

“Guilty,” you manage to get out, giving him a sheepish smile.

“I thought you wanted to watch it.” His voice is so soft and light that it makes goosebumps rise to your skin. He keeps his tone low so as to not disturb the atmosphere between the two of you, and it only serves to further the yearning you feel for him, eyes darting down to his lips as he speaks. His gaze sharpens a bit, pupil dilating when he notices where your eyes had tracked down to. Your mouth dries.

“I did,” you whisper, leaving the implication in the air that something far more interesting has caught your attention, breath catching as your eyes lift back to his, wishing that you could know what he’s thinking. You can see his mind racing, as if he’s fighting with himself about something and then-

And then he kisses you.

He leans in just enough to brush his lips against yours, brief and hesitant, as if he’s just testing the waters. And it’s electrifying, you don’t think you’ve ever felt anything quite like it. Every other kiss you’ve had pales in comparison to the faintest brush of his lips to yours. His eye searches your face as soon as he pulls back, as if to make sure you’re okay with this; you can see the hint of something edging on desperation as his gaze flits back and forth between your eyes. He wants to know you’re okay with this, needs to know.

You don’t waste a second as you lean forward, hand coming up to cup the side of his neck as you press your lips against his. You don’t have the same hesitancy that he does, heart thudding in your chest as your fingers intertwine with the curls at the nape of his neck, your body flush to his. His lips are chapped, but you don’t mind—it feels familiar somehow, almost comforting. You can feel the rough material of his bandages brushing your cheek but you only press closer. He tastes like fine whiskey and faintly of iron, a strange combination but you can’t get enough of it.

He’s still hesitant, you can feel it in the slow way he kisses you. His fingers twitch from where they’re resting on his lap, as if he’s itching to reach out and touch you but doesn’t know if he should. Your hand slides up from his neck to the back of his head to pull him impossibly closer, tongue darting out to drag against his bottom lip, and that seems to be all of the push he needs.

His hand comes to rest on your waist, fingers biting a bit too deeply into your skin but you don’t mind. One swift motion and he’s laying you back against the cushions, body sliding on top of yours, his other hand shifting upward, large palm cupping your cheeks as he tilts your head back to deepen the kiss. Your eyes flutter shut, you let out a soft, pleased sigh into his mouth when you feel his tongue tracing your inner lip.

You think you could kiss him forever, you realize, heat pooling in your stomach and a fluttery feeling spreading through your chest. The hand on your waist slides down a bit to your thigh and your breath hitches when he parts them just enough for him to slot his hips between them, and god, you want him.

You think your heart might fly out of your chest, and you don’t know why you’re so nervous. You have casual sex all the time to relieve stress but nothing about this feels casual, it feels so intimate; you let out a shaky breath as Dazai’s lips drag from yours to kiss the corner of your mouth, trailing down to your jaw, nipping at the spot behind your ear that always makes you shudder (god, how does he know your body so well already? it’s unfair, you might die), tongue tracing the underside of your jaw lightly, he kisses down your neck, teeth ghosting your pulse point and one of your legs instinctively hooks around his waist, dragging his body closer until you can feel him pressed up against you and-

A screech comes from the television.

You jolt, he jolts, both of you startled, having forgotten that the movie was even playing in the background, too lost in the feeling of one another. Your chest rises and falls rapidly as you try to reorient yourself, leg slipping from his waist to rest back down on the couch.

The moment is ruined, naturally, all too hyper aware of the scene playing in the background and embarrassed by how quickly that had escalated. Dazai’s cheeks are dusted red as he shifts off of you back into a sitting position, and his lips are wet and swollen, and so very tempting.

You want to kiss him again, so you do.

You sit up and cup his cheek to tilt his face in your direction, pressing your lips to his in a short and sweet kiss. You smile against his lips before pulling back and tucking yourself back into his side, gaze focusing back on the movie.

He lets out a puff of air that sounds distinctly close to a laugh before he wraps his arm back around you, warm and comforting, casual, as if it’s something he’s done a thousand times before, and you think Kei can suck it, because you’re starting to think that the ‘random stranger at the bar’ might become the best decision of your life.

A few days later, you’re stretching on a yoga mat looking out down upon the vast city below, Akutagawa Gin is sat pretty on a barstool next to where you’re stretching, one leg crossed over her knee, rapidly tapping at her phone as she finishes up some emails for Dazai, who’s god knows where dealing with whatever business Dazai Osamu deals with.

“It’s a bit weird that they’re taking so long to fix my apartment, isn’t it?” you ask absently, grimacing as you shift into a pose that pulls at all of the wrong muscles. “Usually it doesn’t take more than a day or two.”

You still don’t really know what Dazai’s company is, you were only able to find vague scraps online about the Mori Corporation: a massive, affluent conglomerate that formed seven years ago. Apparently, it has a hand in just about every industry from technology to shipping, so you suppose it makes sense that Dazai is hardly ever around, but you’re finding yourself increasingly bored. There’s only so much time you can spend in the same apartment, no matter how big or fancy it may be. The days have been incredibly repetitive with Dazai leaving for his work meetings, you relaxing and getting some of your work done, talking to Gin, and then Dazai coming back late at night.

“You’re probably not the only apartment that had a leak,” Gin says, astute as always. “Your landlord might just be getting to the others first, and if they’re half as bad as yours was, it’ll probably take a bit.”

You scowl. “It would be just like him to leave me for last,” you say, half to yourself as you sit back on your heels, looking over at Gin. “I swear this man has had something out for me since I moved in. Did I tell you about the time he took three weeks to get back to me about a work order I put in for my sink? Three weeks. I had to wash all of my dishes at my neighbor’s place. How embarrassing is that?”

Gin looks amused, gray eyes lifting from her phone to look down at you from where she’s sitting. “Multiple times, in fact.”

“Well, I’m going to tell you again,” you say matter-of-factly before launching into a tirade that you can recite word for word in your sleep from how often you’ve vented about it to people over the past two years. In your defense, it was absolutely ridiculous, it never should’ve taken that long, but you digress.

You like Gin, you decide as she listens intently to the same rant she’s heard at least three times over the past week, nodding along and adding supportive commentary when necessary. Well, you decided you liked her the first time you met her, but you’re just reaffirming it now. For as formal and professional she is, she always gets a certain gleam in her eye when she talks to you, and you can actually see her for the eighteen year old she is, rather than just as the secretary of the boss of one of the biggest corporations in Japan.

You think she likes you too, you muse as you finish off your rant and go back to laying like a starfish on the yoga mat, not in the mood to do any more stretching. She always lights up a bit whenever Dazai tells her to spend the day with you instead of following him around. You’re not sure why he does it, you figure he’s probably making things harder on himself by not having her around, but you’re not going to complain because you think you’d go crazy with no one to talk to.

But even if she does like you, she’s still not very forward with information about Dazai and the Mori Corporation. She tends to change the topic whenever you bring it up, or sometimes she just gives you that look, the one that tells you that she isn’t going to say anything about it. You think it’s a bit weird that they’re so secretive about it, but you suppose she just doesn’t want to speak on behalf of Dazai when you ask about him, and the whole secrecy about the business probably has to do with trade secrets or something

Although you don’t really think you’re asking questions that could even scarcely tap into trade secrets, but you think that maybe they’re just paranoid. Probably for good reason if the business is half as influential and lucrative as the few things you’ve found online claim it is, but still, knowing that doesn’t make you any less curious.

“Hey, Gin-chan.” You decide to get an early start on today’s attempt to whittle information out of the girl. When she looks at you questioningly, you turn your head to the side to look at her. “Is Dazai okay?”

Gin looks a bit startled by your question, but you only wait for an answer. You think he must be having trouble with something regarding his business because every day he comes back to his place later and more stressed, you can see it in his face when he walks in, the dullness in his eye and the way he can hardly cover it up before you catch sight of him. You don’t know why he’s so intent on hiding the exhaustion from you but you wish he wouldn’t.

“Why do you ask?” Gin questions carefully, as if she doesn’t know how to answer the question which pretty much confirms that something is wrong.

“I figure he must be having trouble with something in his company,” you say absently, watching Gin blink in surprise, another confirmation that you might be onto something. “He comes back to the penthouse later every day, and more tired. And even when he’s here, he spends most of the time on his phone unless he turns it off. You’ve been on your phone more often the past two days too, so I figure it’s connected.”

Gin hesitates and then she says, “We are… having difficulty with a rival company,” she finally says, and you sit up to look up at her again, leaning back on your hands. “They are trying to push us out of some key industries in Tokyo and Yokohama. Their… CEO is hosting an event in two weeks that we’re supposed to be attending, along with many of our subsidiaries. We’ve been trying to prepare for it while dealing with some other internal issues. He’s probably just… drained.”

This time, you hesitate, a lump forming in your throat as her words register because how fucked up is it that he’s so drained from work and then has to come back to his penthouse and entertain you? Guilt swells in your chest, you don’t even know where he’s been sleeping because he’s been so dead set on you taking the bed that he won’t even hear your arguments on it.

“Should I… go stay with my friend then?” you ask hesitantly, and when Gin gives you a half-alarmed, half-concerned look, you elaborate: “I just… feel bad, I guess. That he’s dealing with so much work and can’t even have a space to decompress when he finishes because I’m here.”

Gin says your name with so much humor that you’re almost insulted, but there’s a glitter in her eyes as she looks at you, so any complaint you have promptly dies. “Being with you is decompressing to him,” she says quietly, and though warmth spreads through you at the words, you’re still doubtful.

“I don’t know,” you say, unconvinced. “I see the way he tries to hide how exhausted he is whenever he sees me. He shouldn’t have to put in so much effort to mask himself in his home just because I’m here.”

Gin doesn’t respond for a moment, gaze flickering down to the floor, but when she speaks, her voice is soft.

“He’s always so lonely,” she says, more to herself than anything else, but then she raises her eyes to meet yours, “no matter how many people are around him, he’s always so cut off from everyone, refusing to let anyone get close… except when he’s with you. In all of the years that I’ve known him, I’ve only ever seen him happy when he’s with you.”

You stare at Gin, lips parted to respond but no words leave them.

Instead, Gin continues, “He… had to step up at a very young age. He was sixteen when he found me in Suribachi and even back then he was just so… empty. I’ve never seen him actually acting his age except when he’s with you, or talking about you. So-”

Gin is interrupted abruptly by her phone ringing. She looks down and gives you an apologetic look before answering the call and wandering off to the other room, leaving you to your thoughts. Your throat still feels swollen, but with a far more pleasant emotion now. A small smile tugs at the edges of your lips, hand pressed to your chest as if you can physically slow the erratic pace of your heart. Your face feels warm and a giggle slips from your lips as you flop back down to the yoga mat, staring up at the ceiling.

Or, well, it’s not entirely pleasant. A heavier feeling settles on your chest as Gin’s words about what Dazai used to be like—still is like, whenever you’re not around—process through your head. It’s not like you didn’t have any sort of inkling about it, you’ve known that there’s more than meets the eye about Dazai Osamu since the first night you met him, and the past week you’ve spent with him only has made you more sure of it. His mind drifts off so often, eyes faraway and expression so vacant that sometimes it takes a few tries for you to get him to come back to you.

You don’t mind, but it does make you sad to know that he’s been like this for as long as Gin has known him, and since the only time she’s ever seen him even partially happy is when he’s with you, you can’t help but wonder how many years he spent depressed and isolated. And you’re realizing, a bit scared, that you’re starting to care for Dazai a lot because the first thought that crosses your mind is that you wish you’d met him sooner so he didn’t have to spend all of this time alone.

You sit up straight, alarmed by your own thoughts, because yes, you’re enamored by Dazai and you have been since you met him almost two months ago, but you didn’t think you were falling for him yet—not like that at least. It’s absurd, you still hardly know much about his personal life. You don’t know about his family besides for the fact he took over his father’s company, you don’t know anything about said company besides the scraps you found online but… but you remember the way he kisses you gently, and the way his expression always softens when his gaze falls on you, and the way whenever you speak, he’s always giving you his full attention no matter how inane the topic might be, willing to listen to you ramble on about all of the books you’ve read and gossip with you about your ex-coworkers and drama happening in your friend group and-

Oh.

Yeah. You might be falling for him.

Your hand rises to your lips, mind racing and spiraling all at the same time and you realize that you really, really need fresh air. Promptly, you remember that you’d meant to ask Gin to order some groceries because Dazai’s kitchen is about as bare as his bedroom, and you’ve been craving some specific snacks anyway; you also wanted to have her order some actual food so you can make something to try to make Dazai eat more because you’ve noticed he doesn’t eat all too much and you don’t think that’s very healthy considering how much stress he’s under. You’re not the best at cooking, but you can make do and just pray that he likes it.

A perfect excuse. You’ll run out and grab some groceries, maybe take a walk in the nearby park to clear your thoughts and come to terms with the realization you’d just come to, and then come back and do something nice for Dazai.

Decision made, you bound over to the door Gin disappeared into so you can let her know where you’re heading, but when you peek your head into Dazai’s office, you see Gin in deep conversation with someone over the phone, brows creased and frown on her lips as she stares down at some of the paperwork on Dazai’s desk. She looks distinctly frustrated and slightly distressed, so you decide not to bother her. Instead, you just close the door quietly and make your way over to the elevator, stepping inside when it finally reaches the top floor and pressing the button for the lobby.

You won’t be long anyway, you doubt she’ll even notice you’re gone.

The elevator dings as it reaches the first floor of the massive building and you adjust your purse over your shoulder as you step into the lobby—it’s massive and bustling with dozens of people. You haven’t been back down here since he brought you here a few days ago, and you’d been too exhausted to really be able to gather your bearings, plus it had been the middle of the night and not as many people had been around.

You’re hardly able to peek around for half a minute before someone runs into you.

You let out a quiet yelp, startled, blinking as your gaze focuses on the man who’d bumped into you. He’s a bit on the short side with fair skin and light freckles dotting his nose and cheeks, bi-colored eyes—one brown and the other blue—narrowed as he studies you. He’s pretty, you think. Not quite as pretty as Dazai, but definitely attractive. Or he would be, if he wasn’t staring at you with such an unpleasant expression.

You half-think he’s about to demand that you apologize even though he’s the one who bumped into you, and you think if he does, you’re going to have serious problems with him, but instead, a vague recognition flashes through his eyes as he finally speaks. Although, you can’t help but notice he still is looking at you with distinct displeasure even after recognizing you.

“You’re the girl that’s been living up with the boss,” the man says, his voice is cool and guarded and you feel a bit uncomfortable under his stare. You’ve always been particularly good at reading people, and you can tell at first glance that he does not want you here. “Where are you going?”

You don’t know why it’s any of his business, but you say: “Out. I’ve been cooped up for almost a week. Plus, I don’t know how Dazai feeds himself, he has literally no food in his place.”

“Does he know you’re going out?” he asks, eyes narrowing onto you as he tilts his head to the side.

You bristle, not liking his tone. “He’s not my keeper.”

“No, but he’s gone out of his way to give you a place to stay when he didn’t have to. The least you can do is let him know when you’re going in and out.” The man matches your sharp tone with his own and you wither a bit, because he’s right, even if he is being a bit of an ass about it.

“Gin-chan was busy,” you mutter. “I’ll text him.”

The man lets out a sigh of what can only be utter suffering, lifting his head to look up to the ceiling as if asking a higher deity ‘why me?’ You have no idea what’s going through his head, and you just want to slip out of the building and drink in some fresh air and sunlight, but the last thing you expect is for him to look back at you and ask:

“Want company?”

You blink, wondering if he’s fucking with you, but he only stares at you, expression flat as he waits for a response.

“I-” You’re about to say no, you aren’t particularly looking for company, but then you realize that this might be a chance to try to gather some more information about Dazai. You quickly amend to a: “Yeah, sure… What’s your name anyway?”

“Nakahara Chuuya,” he tells you, voice a bit brusque. “Just call me Chuuya.”

Dazai comes home to an empty penthouse.

For a moment, he doesn’t react. The unconscious smile that had begun to curve to his lips while taking the elevator back up to the top floor of the headquarters falls instantly as his dark gaze sweeps across the room that you’re usually lounging in with Gin only to find it eerily silent, void of the laughter he’d become desperately used to the past few days.

He doesn’t let the panic hit right away, not even bothering to slide his coat off before making his way over to his bedroom, wondering if you’d decided to take a nap. He very much does feel a distinct spike in his heart rate when you’re not in there either. He stands there for a moment—Gin is still up here, she would have called down if she had to leave, so where are you?

Where are you?

Dazai suddenly feels sick to his stomach, a bit dizzy on his feet.

Did you leave?

Why did you leave?

Did you go into his office? Find something implicating his position in the Port Mafia?

Or did you just get sick of staying in the same place so many days in the row? Why wouldn’t you tell him if that were the case?

Maybe you were just sick of him.

His vision spins a bit, he presses his hand against the frame of his bedroom door to steady himself. Stop it, he tells himself, inhaling deeply once to try to get his head back on straight. But he can’t, he can feel numbness spreading through his chest viciously at the thought of you leaving. The void returns with a vengeance, consuming him entirely, and it’s only the thought of the chance of you being in danger out there alone that pushes him forward. He needs Gin to tell him what the fuck is going on.

What does he do if you left on your own voilition?

Dazai’s head is not sitting on his shoulders properly. It can’t be. Everything looks wrong, everything feels wrong. His hand drops down to his side, resorting back to the technique he had to use before he met you—he steadily taps your name against his thigh as he forces himself to walk across the room to his office, to where Gin must be, to get some answers. But even your name isn’t enough to keep him grounded.

He’s holding you in his arms. You’re so cold. There’s blood everywhere. They’re telling him to let you go. He can’t. He never can.

He’s reaching out to you, desperately trying to grab your hand before you topple over the side of the roof. He never makes it.

He has to make a choice. A life for a life. He always chooses to save you. It doesn’t matter—they always kill you anyway.

Nausea builds in his throat, he forces it back down, and when he opens the door to his office it’s a bit too aggressive. Gin’s head snaps up from where she was working at Dazai’s desk, flipping through papers with creased brows as she tries to put together the list of suspects. She stands up instantly at the sight of him, lips parting to greet him. He doesn’t let her.

“Where is she?”

The words come out cold and cutting, a far cry from the awful emotions wreaking havoc on his chest and mind. To his absolute distress, Gin only looks confused at his words, lowering the phone and bidding goodbye to who he can only assume is Kouyou as she asks:

“... What do you mean?”

Fuck. Dazai takes a step back out of his office, back into the living room of his penthouse. His head feels all hazy, his vision starts spinning more. Fuck. You had to have left on your own. There’s no way anyone is getting all the way up to the top floor through all of the guards, and if they did, they wouldn’t leave Gin alive. Fuck.

Where did you go?

There’s blood. Too much blood. Or is it water? He’s dragging you out of the water. And then his fingers are meeting air, the tips of his fingers just barely scraping yours before you plummet down, down, down.

Why the fuck did no one say anything to him?

He can hear Gin talking, but her words go in one ear out the other. Dazai pulls out his phone, double, triple, quadruple checking to make sure he got no messages. None from you (his chest hurts). None from either of the Black Lizard captains. None from Atsushi. None from Kyouka. None from Chuuya. All people who should have feasibly noticed you leaving the headquarters.

Dazai has never done well with emotions, negative or positive, but he thinks fear is the worst of all and he’s been plagued with it since the moment he’s come in contact with the Book. Fear of the future, fear of making a mistake, fear of fate.

Fear is the mind-killer. The quote rings through his head over and over again, damning and true. It’s the one emotion that paralyzes him, puts him into a state that makes him incapable of making decisions. Fear of one thing turns into fear of another—it’s a ceaseless cycle, and a ruinous one. Fear of you leaving him turns into fear of you being vulnerable and then to fear of you being targeted and then to fear of you being dead, and already he can feel numbness spreading from his chest to his limbs. He thinks he feels Gin touch his arm but he can’t even turn his head to look.

So he does the only thing he knows how to do: he channels it into something else. He funnels the fear into something more familiar, something more welcome.

First, it turns into frustration—another emotion capable of incapacitation, but one that’s far more manageable. He jerks away from Gin, grip tightening on his phone as he paces back across the room. His thoughts begin to race, a red fog clouding his mind as he wonders why the fuck no one told him that you left, and if no one knows that you left, then Dazai is going to have to have serious fucking words with all of the security details posted throughout the building because that sort of laxness is not acceptable.

He doesn’t even know who he should message. Atsushi? The boy might close in on himself and shut down for failure and Dazai cannot afford to deal with that. Chuuya? Not an option, Chuuya would be the last person to go to about you seeing how often he actively expresses his distaste for your presence in the building, Dazai doesn’t want to give him more ammunition about you. Hirotsu? Might be the best option, the Black Lizards are quick and efficient, they’ll be able to track you down fast, but if he sends the Black Lizards he needs to figure out what he’s going to do.

What is he going to do?

God, he doesn’t know. The red starts to tint blue as a helpless feeling sweeps over him. He doesn’t know what to do. You left on your own, he doesn’t know why and he doesn’t know if you have any intentions on coming back. He doesn’t know what to do if you don’t plan on coming back. His whole reasoning behind the decision to indulge in you was centered on the fact that he could protect you in this lifetime, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep you in the ivory tower forever but he hoped he’d at least have a little longer to try to figure out a plan.

And the fact that you didn’t even tell him that you were leaving doesn’t bode well—again, the fleeting, anxiety-inducing thought of you stumbling upon something that you shouldn’t have crosses through his head but he pushes it away. Maybe you left because you were bored, because he wasn’t around and Gin was busy, he can try to fix that. He can fix that. Maybe he’ll even convince you to come back.

But if he can’t…

He has two options:

He can put protection details on you, it would be an extension of Port Mafia resources that will face a lot of push back from his executives considering they’re approaching a gang war with the now united forces of Dostoevsky, Nabokov and Tolstoy, but he doesn’t give a fuck about what his executives think, you and Odasaku are the only things that matter in this universe so he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe. But regardless of what his executives think, the main issue with this option is that your safety is not guaranteed. It’ll only take one slip up for your life to be forfeit and for everything that Dazai has built and sacrificed to be flushed down the drain.

That leaves option two. Forcing you to stay in the tower. Locking you up until he can ensure that there are no more threats to you (there may always be threats to you). You’d hate him, surely, and is he capable of living in a universe where you hate him? He has to be, if it means your safety. But that isn’t the life that he wants for you. He wants you to live, achieve all of the dreams you were never able to in all of the other universes, you can’t do that if you’re locked up.

Dazai feels sick. Regret starts to churn his stomach. He never should have approached you. He never should have indulged. He never should have convinced himself that he could keep you safe because he can’t. It’s fate. Fate. Fate.

The word twists the cloud fogging his vision, the ugly color that formed of the mixed blues and reds turns darker, until an inky black is creeping into his vision. Fate, he hates the word, he hates the inevitability, he hates himself for dancing right along with the strings that have been placed on him by the cruel gods above, even when he knew what would happen if he did. The weight of the gun hidden in his jacket starts to weigh all the more heavily, his fingers twitch toward it, desperate to feel the familiar weight of it in his hand. And then-

And then the elevator dings.

Dazai’s gaze cuts to the side, sharp and cold, and it’s only when the elevator doors slide open and your pretty laugh rings through the air that Dazai’s world is finally set straight again. The color returns, the numbness disappears, the void is pushed away for another day. His eyes land on you, and the bright smile painted on your lips as you bound back into his penthouse.

“You’re back early!” you say, delighted, and Dazai can only hope and pray that you can’t tell how badly he’s spiraled because you weren’t around. He thinks you can, of course you can, because your smile falters a bit but then it brightens again as you make your way over to him and-

Oh.

All of the tension in his body melts away as you make your way over to him with a skip in your step and lean up on your tiptoes to wrap your arms around his shoulders. Dazai lets out a breath, too sharp and too shaky for you to not notice with how close you are to his face, but he can hardly bring himself to care as he brings trembling hands to wrap around your waist. He basks in the feeling of your warmth and if any of the numbness had threatened to linger, it’s certainly gone now as he calms himself down by setting his heart in pace with yours as he feels it thump steadily against his chest.

“Where did you go?” His voice is hoarse, as much as he tries to make the question seem light.

“You have no food, Dazai,” you complain, and you don’t seem to care that he’s definitely hugging you for a bit too long, propping your chin on his chest to look up at him. “Plus, as fancy as your penthouse is, I can’t sit around in the same place for days. I wanted to go out on a walk. So I ran to the store to pick up some groceries. I thought I’d make it back before you, I wanted to try to make something for dinner. I saw a pasta recipe while I was scrolling through Instagram that I want to try out, although I should probably test it out on my own before feeding you any. It usually takes me a few tries to get a recipe down and the first few attempts are more akin to toxic waste than actual food…”

You ramble, probably because you can tell how out of it he is and it’s scary how easily you can see through him because he thinks it’s only a matter of time before you see through to what he really is. But for now, he lets his eyes slide shut as he loses himself in your voice, and he feels silly for thinking that you would leave without saying anything.

He knows you better than anyone else in the world. Anyone else in any world. Maybe even better than you yourself. He should have known better. You would never do that, no matter what you learn about him, no matter what he does. It’s not who you are—you’re always so stringent on communication, you can’t sleep until an argument is settled properly. It’s something he’s hated in other universes, because he’s flighty and can’t handle confrontation, but he thinks it’s something that he should rely on in this one, because he knows that no matter what you might learn, you’ll always sit down to give him the chance of a proper conversation rather than just ghosting him.

He spiraled for nothing.

He’s not drawn back to the present until he hears:

“... and Chuuya is so cool, by the way. Why didn’t you introduce me to him sooner? He has an ability, I’ve never met an ability user before. I made him carry all of the groceries, and he did it like it was nothing. Gravity manipulation? Did you know in undergrad, I wanted to major in physics—I tried to actually, but had to drop 101 because apparently my brain is not cut out for the sciences. Or mathematics. It was kind of embarrassing actually, who has to drop out of a 101 class?”

In your spiel, only one word—one name—matters. His eyes reopen, he makes sure to keep his body lax in your arms as you lean against him so you can’t feel his sudden shift in mood. His gaze is cold and cutting again, lifting from you to behind you, where he finally lays his eyes upon the person with you.

Chuuya stands there, dozens of grocery bags hanging off his arms, a faint red glow around each of them signaling that he’s using his ability. Dazai’s expression is lethal as he stares at his executive, but Chuuya’s lip only curls up in a half-snarl, as if daring Dazai to say anything, before he makes his way out of the elevator to bring the grocery bags into his kitchen.

And Dazai can’t say anything, not this time, because he’s already figured out what happened: you must have tried to leave on your own when Gin was busy because you were bored, and Chuuya ran into you and tagged along so you wouldn’t be defenseless should someone target you to get to him, in spite of how he feels about you and your presence in the building.

Dazai bites his tongue, for once, and instead focuses back down at you. His expression softens when he catches you looking up at him, curious, and he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

“You should have texted me,” he murmurs. “I would’ve told you I had a quick day today, we could’ve gone together.”

Your expression twists a bit in irritation. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“I did text you,” you say, indignant, and Dazai’s brows furrow and you immediately draw back to pull out your phone. He misses your warmth instantly, but forces away the longing. Your lips part a bit as you look down at the screen, a sheepish expression on your face as you say: “... I thought I texted you, evidently, it did not go through.”

Dazai lets out a puff of air, half-amusement, half-disbelief, because of course it was a matter of miscommunication, and he thinks again that he should have known better. Logically, what he assumed was so unlikely that it shouldn’t have even crossed his mind, but evidently, you turning him into an illogical and emotional fool is something universal across all of the different worlds.

But he still remembers the one fleeting thought he had earlier—that you were bored, and probably lonely sitting up here all day, especially when Gin is busy dealing with Port Mafia matters. This is bound to happen again, and next time, he might not be lucky enough to have someone catch you slipping out of the building.

So, he’ll have to do something about it himself, make sure you’re not bored enough to leave the building and unwittingly place yourself in danger, he decides, pleased.

“Would you…” Dazai hesitates as he looks down at you, uncharacteristically nervous. You tilt your head to the side curiously. “Would you want to go on a date with me tomorrow?”

A smile splits across your face.

“Is that even a question?”

Dazai’s woken up by someone shaking his shoulder.

Realistically, he knows that no enemy is able to make it to the top level of the Port Mafia’s most well-protected tower—it’s impenetrable, if the masses of armed guards on the lower floors aren’t enough to keep out intruders, then the Black Lizards on the middle floors would be more than enough, and if even they aren’t, Atsushi and Chuuya are stationed on the higher floors, ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice. Still, he’s startled, unsure of who would be in his office waking him up at this time and caught off guard because he hadn’t even meant to fall asleep, so instinctively, he’s reaching for the gun hidden at his side, eyes a bit wild as he jolts up, trying to figure out what’s going on.

“Sorry.” He only settles down when he hears your voice coming from his side, apologetic and little over a whisper as to not alarm him anymore than he already is. Instantly, his fingers loosen around the grip of his gun, a lump in his throat when he realizes that he almost pulled a gun on you. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Dazai shakes his head as soon as your words process, still trying to gather his bearings. He’s in his office, he must’ve fell asleep while looking over paperwork at his desk—plans for the upcoming event hosted by Nabokov, and a list of all of the possible informants that could be leaking information to Dostoevsky’s rats because one too many of the Port Mafia’s warehouse’s have been raided by the military police in the past few weeks for Dazai to be comfortable with, and he knows Dostoevsky is behind it because the man has been leaving little clues like it’s some sort of game to him. Dazai thinks that they should just kill all of the suspects and be done with it—if someone is even being suspected of having betrayed the Port Mafia, then they’re doing something severely wrong, but Kouyou advised him to go about this the right way.

Subtly, so as to not draw your attention, he shifts to cover the papers and then gives you his full attention, curious as to what you’re doing up so early because the sun hasn’t even risen yet. He’s been trying to make sure that he wakes up before you so that you don’t come looking for him in here, knowing where this is the most likely place where you’d stumble upon something that incriminates him as a mafioso rather than a businessman.

“You didn’t,” he lies through his teeth, voice a bit hoarse from sleep. “Is something wrong?”

You’re still dressed in your pajamas, but you have a fluffy rube wrapped around you and a soft smile on your face that makes Dazai’s chest swell. Your eyes are bright, gleaming with a type of excitement that has him tilting his head in curiosity, waiting to see what you have to say.

“Do you have access to the roof of the building?” you ask him, voice still hushed but tinged with more enthusiasm. When he nods, a smile splits across your face. “Can we go up there?”

Dazai doesn’t have the willpower to deny you anything, so there’s no hesitation as he says: “Of course.” But then as he rises to his feet, pulling on his long, black coat that he’d shrugged off at some point last night, he looks at you and asks, “Why?”

“I like watching sunrises,” you say, bounding over to the elevator and waiting for him to follow. He does, of course. He would follow you anywhere. Everywhere. He dreads the day you go somewhere he can’t follow. It’s inevitable—he doesn’t believe in the existence of heaven, but if there is one, you would go there, and he won’t. There’s too much blood on his hands, staining his skin no matter how much he scrubs it raw, and the blood that runs within him is black and corrupted, beyond any type of remedy. “I want to see one from the highest point in the city.”

Oh. Dazai’s heart leaps to his throat when he realizes what’s about to happen, pulling his access key from his pocket and swiping it against the pad to allow access to the roof. Some things differ across all of the universes: the way you meet him (although you’re always the one to find him), the way you die (he always finds you though), sometimes it takes a while for the two of you to progress past the friends stage, but it’s usually not too long.

Everything varies except for one thing: the sunrises. In every universe, you have an obsession with them: you like watching them, seeing as many new ones as you possibly can. You explained to him once that it was because it helps you move forward, gives you hope, a reason to wake up each morning. The infatuation with them began after your brother’s death in the other universes when you couldn’t find any reason to keep going on your own so you sought one out in the sunrises—although this is something you only opened up to him about in one universe, in all of the others, you’ve hidden your past struggles with depression from him. He’s not sure why, maybe just because you don’t want to burden him with them.

It would be just like you, trying to share the weight of all of his burdens but shouldering yours on your own.

He wonders if you’ll tell him in this one. He wonders what made that universe’s Dazai so special. He feels viciously jealous and for a moment, irrationally hates his other self, only finding solace in the fact that all of the other Dazais would probably feel just as scorned over the fact that only one of them got special treatment.

He thinks you can sense the deterioration of his thoughts, because you reach out and lace your fingers with his as you lean against the back of the elevator, waiting to get to the top floor. His grip on your hand is a bit too tight, he thinks, but it keeps him grounded. You’re here. You’re with him. All of the other universes don’t matter. Only this one does.

His lips part to speak, to fill the silence, but no words leave them. He thinks he’s spoken more these past two months with you than he has in his entire life. He never has any desire to speak unless he’s with you, and then he’ll find any reason to speak if it means he can hear your voice.

“You don’t have to sleep in your office, you know?” you say abruptly, voice quiet. You’re not looking at him, he wonders if you’re embarrassed at whatever you’re about to say because you hesitate as you add, “I know I’ve pretty much commandeered your room but… I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with you. This is your place, you should be comfortable too.”

Dazai thinks his face might be on fire, all of the air whooshing from his lungs at your words because of course, it’s something he’s thought of, dreamed of, but he never imagined you would just offer it up like that. He’s quiet for too long, evidently, because you seem to be more embarrassed. Just as he’s about to force something out, the elevator doors slide open and you’re rushing forward, yanking him along, as if to pretend you never said anything and Dazai can’t help the small smile that curves onto his lips.

“That would be nice,” he tells you quietly, he doesn’t know if you hear but he thinks you do because your grip on his hand tightens.

The air is bitterly cold as high up as the two of you are, and the wind is wicked. He thinks that you’re definitely not dressed warm enough, a robe isn't nearly enough to shield from this type of cold, but you look unbothered, an exhilarated smile painted on your face as you drag him dangerously close to the edge of the roof, and Dazai can’t help the way his anxiety spikes—not for his sake, but for yours. His grip on your hand tightens a bit but you only plop down at the edge of the roof, tugging his arm gently as a way of beckoning him to sit with you.

He does. Of course, he does.

His legs dangle off the side of the roof, thigh pressed against yours, and you keep your fingers laced with his, holding his hand on your lap. You stare ahead, eyes bright and excited as you wait for the sunrise. He stares at you, captivated. A part of him is still convinced this is all some twisted dream that his mind conjured to torture him—that he’s going to wake up slumped over on his desk to an empty apartment with only the faint memory of you to console himself with.

Desperately, he wonders if there were any other universes like this, if this is just another spiral into the pages of the Book, just one more intense and more vivid than all of the rest. He knows there were universes where he stayed with the Port Mafia, universes where he became its boss—but he was older in those, in his mid or late twenties. No, this is his universe, it has to be, right? Right?

He doesn’t realize that his grip on your hand has tightened until you look over at him, and instantly, he loosens it, but you only tighten yours in response. Your eyes meet his and suddenly Dazai is breathless, unsure of what to say or do. You always look at him as if you’re looking into him, not at him, not like everyone else. It’s unnerving. He hates it. He loves it.

“Are you okay?” you ask him, knocking your shoulder into his.

The smile on his face doesn’t necessarily meet his eyes, but the words he speaks are probably the most genuine that he’s ever uttered in his entire life. “When I’m with you? Always.”

Your expression softens, although he can’t help but notice that you don’t seem entirely placated by his response. He’s grateful that you don’t push though, because he doesn’t want to lie to you. You lean over though, resting your head on his bicep, and his breath hitches when you bring your free hand to your lap too, cradling his hand in both of yours. He forces himself to look ahead again, not wanting you to see the way his visible eye has suddenly become misty.

You trace absent patterns on his skin as you wait for the sun to break over the horizon and Dazai is lost to his thoughts once more, heart suddenly clogging his throat as he realizes that yes, this is his universe and yes, you are here. With him. He doesn’t have to cling to the vague memories of your warm touch and sweet words, not when you’re sitting next to him and giving him them now. Why is he trying to drift off into the pages when he has you here? In a universe where Dazai was certain he’d never experience the tenderness your presence brought him, he should be savoring this.

“Gin told me the other day that you guys are having trouble with a rival company,” you say quietly, and that draws him back to the present, brows furrowing as he wonders just how much Gin told you, mind racing as he tries to figure out where exactly this conversation is going. “That you guys are trying to prepare for an event they’re hosting in a week. I don’t want you to… worry about me or anything while you’re busy getting ready for all of that… Maybe that’s a bit presumptuous of me to assume but I just… I don’t know. I know you’ve been stressed about it, I don’t want to put more on you.”

Dazai lets out a quiet puff of air. “You see right through me, don’t you?” he murmurs, voice gentle and fond as his gaze drifts over you. “You don’t have to worry about that. You don’t put any stress on me.”

You look a bit flustered at his words, glancing down at your lap, at where his fingers are still laced with yours. You squeeze them tighter for a second and then look back out at the horizon. “... I’m glad,” you tell him softly. “I’ll keep out of your way the weekend of, though. I already talked to one of my friends, she’s going to let me stay with her for the weekend. Well. Assuming my apartment isn’t fixed by then. I still can’t believe it’s taking so long.”

The fondness is gone. Dazai’s world crashes and burns.

It’s only sheer willpower that prevents his sudden burst of anxiety from showing on his face. He turns his gaze out to the horizon now, staring ahead as he tries to figure out how to tell you no without sounding psychotic.

His tongue presses to the roof of his mouth, the nails of his free hand scrape painfully against the rooftop as he desperately tries to fumble together a plan. You cannot leave the tower the night of the event. There’s already a high chance that Dostoevsky knows about you—Dazai knows there’s a spy in the Port Mafia and he doesn’t know if they’ve spotted you around the base. You’ve been leaving the headquarters more frequently during the day since that day with Chuuya; Dazai is never able to join you but he makes sure that Tachihara, Chuuya or Atsushi are with you on the chance that you’re targeted.

If he’s being realistic, there’s no shot that Dostoevsky doesn’t know of you already, and if you’re out and about while the entire Port Mafia is readying for this event… No one would be left for him to station a protection detail on you, and it would be just like Dostoevsky to capitalize on that as he has in so many other universes, having you killed when no one is around to protect you.

God, is this it?

The words ring through his head. Cold. Damning. His bones feel as if they’d been thrown into a blast chiller and stuck back inside of his body. His stomach churns. Is this it? Is this how it’s going to happen?

He can’t let it happen. How does he prevent it?

How does he prevent it?

He thinks there’s only one way, but it leaves a sour taste in his mouth because it’s nearly as risky as letting you go off on your own, the only difference being that he would at least have some semblance of control over the situation.

“Oh,” he finally forces out, the words sound distant and hoarse even to his own ears.

You look at him. Fatal. You can always read right through him, he has to make his decision quick.

“You sound… disappointed,” you say hesitantly.

He makes his decision, and he prays to any god that will listen that it doesn’t backfire.

“I was… going to ask you to be my date to the event, actually,” he says, careful to not look at you and give you even more of a window into his mind. He feels the way you straighten at his words. Hooked. He continues with, “... but if you already made plans with your friend…”

“Really?” you breathe out, your grip on his hand is tight, he can feel the way your fingers are trembling around his.

“Really,” he tells you softly, finally daring to look at you.

Your eyes are shining, the expression on your face so open and unguarded that Dazai almost feels bad for lying, but you don’t have to know the truth, that the only reason he’s inviting you with him is because he can’t have you going out and about alone. Not now. Not until Dostoevsky is dead.

But once Dostoevsky is dead, then what about all of the other threats? Agatha Christie? All of the enemies he’s made in this lifetime? When does it end?

He can’t think about that right now. He has to tackle the issue at hand first.

You turn your head to look back out at the horizon, a smile edging at the corners of your lips. “I would love to be your date,” you say so quietly that Dazai almost doesn’t hear you.

But he does, and he can’t hold back a relieved breath this time as he squeezes your hand.

A comfortable silence washes over the two of you as you wait for the sunrise, and Dazai doesn’t think he’s ever felt more at home. He’s still tired, undoubtedly; he hadn’t meant to fall asleep last night because he knew damn well that he’d only be more tired when he woke up, it would’ve been easier to just stay up the whole night. But now, he’s so at ease with you that he could almost fall back asleep—and that’s a feat in itself because Dazai hardly sleeps, and never feels comfortable enough to do so, he only ever sleeps when he's too exhausted to keep going. You’re so warm, so home, how could his eyes not start drooping shut?

“You know why they’re so great?” you suddenly ask, drawing him out of the drowsy state he was threatening to fall into. You’re still looking ahead, but he’s looking back down at you now.

It’s close—the sun is about to rise, and he doesn’t care to see it himself, he cares to see you. He wants to see how the orange hues reflect in your eyes, the way your skin glows beneath the golden rays; he thinks it’s a holy experience, Dazai has felt the whirlwind of emotions that all of the other Dazais go through the first time they see you beneath the rising sun and he never thought he’d be able to feel it for himself.

“Because no two are ever the same?” His voice is soft and hesitant, and he’s not thinking as he speaks. He doesn’t even register what he said until you’re pulling your head off of his shoulder to look at him again, eyes wide, delighted.

“Yeah!” You toss him such a stunning smile that it almost physically dazes him. “You get it.”

He doesn’t have the heart to admit that he’s a fraud, closing in on himself a bit, but you don’t notice, head turning straight again.

“They give me something to look forward to,” you say, a bit quieter again. Your gaze is distant as you look out into the sky, as if you’re seeing something that’s not actually there. “I want to see as many of them as I can.”

Dazai once tried to find the same comfort in sunrises that you did. It was when he first came up with his plan and he realized that he’d never get the chance to be with you, and he’d never get the chance to call Odasaku a friend. He came up here, actually, and watched the sunrise in this very spot. It was bitter and cold. It made him sick to his stomach. It made him feel emptier than he already was. And he realized that there was no beauty or appeal to them unless you were at his side.

“We should…”

You trail off as you turn to look at him again suddenly and Dazai’s lips part to warn you that you’re going to miss the best part—your favorite part, as you’ve told him (not him) over and over again. But the words die on his tongue as the sun breaks over the horizon and wow, he understands it.

He understands it. God, he understands it. Everything he’s felt through the other Dazais pale in comparison to the sight before him and how it entirely devastates the thin thread of control he has on his emotions whenever he’s with you. Enamored. Captivated. His chest feels tight and his throat feels swollen and Dazai is in love. He is so completely and irrevocably in love that he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to recover.

Suddenly, he understands why so many of the other Dazais have come to terms with their feelings for you at this moment.

The sunrise washes over you and Dazai thinks you’re utterly angelic. Your eyes reflect the myriad of colors sweeping over the horizon, your skin glows beneath the red and gold hues. You’re beautiful, unreally so. Too divine for someone like him to lay his tainted fingers upon. He’s suddenly hyper aware of how his shoulder is brushing yours and how your fingers are laced with his. He thinks he should pull away, spare you from his putrid touch, but he couldn’t even if he wanted to, and he doesn’t want to, because he’s so wholly selfish that he would rather condemn you to ruin than part from you.

“We should watch them together,” you finally say, and your eyes don’t leave his and you’re missing the sunrise but you don’t seem to mind, searching his face desperately for an answer.

It takes an embarrassingly long time for your words to process, but when they do, Dazai thinks there’s no way he’s going to be able to hide the sudden urge he feels to cry.

“Yeah,” he says. His voice cracks, he can’t even bring himself to care. “Yeah, we should.”

Nakahara Chuuya is livid when he gets a notification to his phone about the roof suddenly being accessed, knowing damn well only one other person can get up there. The vibrations from his phone wake him up, and then the subsequent spike of panic that shoots through him when he realizes what the notification is and what the implications of it are is more than enough to have him throwing himself out of bed and sprinting up the stairs, realizing that the elevator will take far too long.

It takes him a total of two minutes to get up to the roof from the thirty-second floor, and by the time he gets there, he’s so full of rage that Chuuya feels like he might explode. The last time Dazai went up to the roof, he was six bottles deep and Chuuya was hardly able to grab him before he toppled over the edge, and Chuuya is not in the mood to deal with that this early in the morning.

Chuuya hadn’t thought this would be an issue now, not with you here because although Chuuya still doesn’t know quite who you are or how you’ve managed to get Dazai Osamu under your thumb, he knows that Dazai is not the Dazai that Chuuya knows whenever you’re around. And Chuuya doesn’t get it, you’re nice enough, pleasant to talk to and pleasant to look at, but he doesn’t think that there’s anything special about you. Not special enough to have Dazai so entirely enamored by you that he’s starting to put the Port Mafia second, at least.

Apparently not enamored enough to stop from getting shit-faced and suicidal, though.

Chuuya’s jaw tightens as he pushes open the door to the roof and-

And he freezes.

The fury slowly starts to dissipate as he catches sight of where you’re sitting at the edge of the roof with Dazai as the sun finally starts to rise. He thinks he should leave, go back down and get a few more hours of sleep before he has to meet Kouyou and Hirotsu at ten to go over the protection details for the event Nabokov is hosting, but he can’t help the way he hesitates, watching how absolutely infatuated Dazai looks as the sun rays sweep over you. Less like the cold and cruel boss of the Port Mafia that Chuuya’s become used to over the past few years, and more like the kid he met at fifteen, the one who disappeared and turned into a shell of himself after a few months of Chuuya knowing him.

Chuuya never understood why. The only time he ever got close was that night on the roof when he started breaking down after Chuuya stopped him from jumping, but even then Dazai refused to explain anything to him. It pissed him off, honestly, because they were supposed to be partners. Chuuya was supposed to have the asshole’s back, no matter how infuriating he may be, but something changed a few months before Dazai’s sixteenth birthday and whatever it was, it entirely killed off anything left of the Dazai that Chuuya knew. No matter how much he demanded to know what happened, Dazai blew him off—dismissive at first, then cruelly, until Chuuya finally had enough and let it be.

If he wanted to go off and be a husk of himself, then so be it, far be it from Chuuya to stop him.

But now…

Chuuya lets out a quiet huff, shaking his head, drawing his eyes from where Dazai is looking at you as if you’re the only thing in the world that matters, stars in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips, to look up at the sky. He supposes it doesn’t quite matter if he doesn’t understand what’s so special about you to make Dazai act like this, just the fact that you do is enough—and if it turns out this is all some scheme by one of the Port Mafia’s enemies to get close to Dazai, Chuuya will do what he has to do. He always does.

He thinks he should still grab Dazai—if Chuuya remembers correctly, he has a meeting with Ace in twenty minutes, but he takes one last look at where you’re sitting with him and lets out another heavy sigh, shaking his head and deciding that he’ll just handle the meeting. He’s been meaning to have a word with the man about his business in eastern Russia anyway.

He closes the door quietly, heading back inside, all of the lingering resentment and anger washed away; he lets Dazai indulge, if only because he knows nothing good ever lasts in this line of work. It’s only a matter of time before his luck runs out.

#ᡣ𐭩 carina’s archives #dazai x reader #dazai x you #dazai osamu x reader #dazai osamu x you #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungo stray dogs x you #bsd x reader #bsd x you

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writersdare · 1 year

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Strawberry Jam | Calum Hood

Pairing: Calum Hood x Reader (she/her)

Summary: The winter holidays were simply the best for both Calum and Y/N, especially when a heating problem in their house occurred.

Warning: fluff, friends to lovers

Word Count: 2 208

Author’s Note: Who knew it’d be so hard for me to write fluff! But I really wanted to come up with something light this time. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it, and the story will make you smile! Requests are open ♡

Winter was quite a magical season. Even if some people weren’t exactly in a celebratory mood, usually it’d change, as Christmas atmosphere was rather contagious. The gatherings could be tedious, but it still felt amazing to share happy moments with the ones you loved, see smiles on their faces and hear glass clinks with bubbly drinks.

That winter was particularly special, as Y/N was spending the holidays with a close group of friends. When she just moved to LA, the girl didn’t really know anyone, but with time she befriended four amazing guys who honestly changed her life for good. Y/N was introduced to Michael by their mutual friend, and since then they started to hang out. Often the guys would go touring, and they’d miss each other desperately, that’s why holidays together seemed like something very sweet, almost exceptional.

Through the half of the past year Y/N got to know the guys better, and maybe deep down she wanted one of them to be more than a friend. Things were complicated, though, with work and simply them being public figures it wasn’t easy, and often, coming back to such thoughts, Y/N was realizing it was safer to leave everything how it was. Secretly, however, she hoped for Calum to make a move on Christmas Eve, but it didn’t happen. It didn’t happen on New Year Eve either, and then just five days were left before them going back to LA.

Sometimes, when it was getting lonely at night, Y/N would consider to open up her feelings, but in the morning the idea seemed rather ridiculous and maybe unnecessary. Calum had never really crossed any friend boundaries, they’d flirt sometimes, jokingly, and that was it. Y/N didn’t want to ruin their relationship and, honestly, that what really mattered. She couldn’t imagine not talking to Cal after a wrong move. She couldn’t tell if the feelings were mutual.

The house they all stayed in was truly beautiful. Soft yellow lights of different kind of installations were illuminating the yard and making the mood even more festive. Y/N was sure if that place was participating in Christmas competition, it’d definitely get its prize.

Everything seemed perfect until a heating problem in the house occurred. It wasn’t that bad during a day, but as Y/N wished everyone a good night and came to her room, she realized she was simply freezing. Naturally, the temperature was dropping at night, but that knowledge wasn’t really helping.

The girl changed into sweatpants and a sweater and got under the cold sheets of her bed. She was trying to remind herself that it would get better eventually, but it was still hard to fall asleep, so Y/N turned back on the night lamp and glued to her phone. Getting used to the cold a little bit, the girl was debating whether she needed to try to fall asleep again or to go downstairs and make tea. The second option didn’t seem smart, as she didn’t want to wake anyone up or to go to a toilet in the middle of the night later. Silly thoughts were running through her head, when someone knocked the door carefully.

The girl froze with her phone in hands and frowned a little, staring at the door and trying to figure out who it could be.

“Y/N? Are you sleeping?” she heard a whisper, and the girl hurried up to leave her mobile on a bedside table and open the door.

In front of her was standing sleepy, wrapped in a blanket, Calum, holding a pillow.

“Hey. Can I sleep with you tonight?” he wrinkled his nose a little, thinking how to bring the news smoothly. “Just… my neighbors…”

“Noisy?” Y/N chucked and let Cal to come in. Everyone was coping with the cold in their own way, it seemed.

“You don’t even wanna know,” the guy sighed heavily and looked around. “You were awake?”

“Yeah, can’t fall asleep,” she said honestly, closing the door and going back to bed, moving her blanket to the left side, so Calum could lie normally next to her. “So cold.”

“I know,” he whispered and lied down. “Here,” Calum suggested his blanket. “We can share.”

Y/N smiled shortly and suggested hers, too, so they could use both.

Cal moved closer, and they almost hid each other under the sheets. Y/N turned off the light, feeling much warmer right away.

“You weren’t sleeping, too, or they woke you up?” she asked, nuzzling his shoulder as she was lying on a side, facing him. Calum’s hand was resting on the girl’s back, but he wasn’t allowing himself to lower it down. They were extremely close to each other, and Y/N trusted him, so he wasn’t planning to change that. After all, he was a gentleman, even though could be a naughty one at times, too.

“No. I couldn’t fall asleep at all,” the guy mumbled and smirked, when heard Y/N’s quiet laugh. “What’s so funny?!”

“You just said it with such an offensive manner, like a baby,” the girl kept giggling.

“A baby?! Did you just call me a baby?!” Cal jokingly outraged and pulled away a bit to see Y/N’s face. “You are just lucky your neighbors aren’t going crazy in there, alright?”

“Don’t be jealous, Cal,” she kept teasing him. “They are in love and want to be closer.”

“Woah, since when are you so romantic?” he giggled back. “The cold really did something with your brain,” Calum sighed and lied on his back, staring at the ceiling.

“Rude!” Y/N pushed him in the shoulder jokingly and smirked, still smiling though.

“Don’t say that, I’ll take back my blanket.”

“You are aware that I’m going to do the same then, right? And you’ll die from cold.”

“So annoying,” he sighed heavily, smiling.

“I mean, you still can come back to your bedroom.”

“No, thank you,” Cal smiled wider and all of a sudden pulled Y/N closer to him, squeezing tight. “Good night?” he asked and then just couldn’t help but tickle the girl a little.

“Don’t you dare!” she gasped and giggled. “Good night, Calum. Now you can sleep peacefully.”

“Ha-ha,” the musician smirked and touched her forehead with a nose. Maybe he was even little glad it was that cold, so he could use that as an excuse to be closer to Y/N…

The next morning, though, the girl woke up alone. For a moment she even thought it was just a dream, but then Y/N realized she was still covered with two blankets, hugging a pillow next to her. Lying in bed for a little longer, the girl checked time — it was surprisingly early — and left the bedroom. Going downstairs, she noticed Cal on the kitchen, making… pancakes. An open floor plan of the house helped Calum to notice Y/N even before she fully went down the stairs.

“Nope! Go back to bed!” he ordered in a funny way, whispering.

“What?!” the girl whispered back. “Why?”

“Because. I’m making us breakfast in bed, it’s not going to happen if you aren’t in bed, Y/N.”

The girl smirked. Well, he was speaking the truth there.

“Since when are you making pancakes or breakfast in bed, Calum?”

“You want to eat or not?”

Y/N chuckled and run back upstairs, smiling. Calum’s behavior was slightly surprising, as he had told her before he hated cooking at first place, but oh well, seemed like cold didn’t freeze only her brain after all…

Honestly, though, Y/N didn’t mind to come back to bed, as it was still early and everyone was asleep, besides it was much warmer under the sheets.

In ten minutes, she heard a knock on the door and then Cal appeared.

“So, I followed the recipe on the Internet, it should be good,” he promised and put a tray with two plates of pancakes, jam and cups of coffee on bed.

“Woah, Calum. You’re a real chief,” she smiled and set on the bed. “Careful,” Y/N warned. It’d be a disaster if they flip the tray by accident, even though a rather expected one for both of them. The girl was clumsy, and Cal was making an excuse that he got that habit just after her.

“Yeah, careful, Y/N,” Calum smirked, shamelessly teasing the friend. The friend… that made Cal to think for a moment, so the girl noticed the change on his face.

Sometimes Calum felt like an idiot. He wasn’t a talkative guy, but he never found it difficult to communicate with people. He had good friends, had been in romantic relationships, some of which were truly nice and some were so bad that it made him reconsider the idea of being in love. In any case, no matter how hard it was, he never felt so little in the world like with her. And it wasn’t something negative, it just was extremely different. Cal could be himself around Y/N, could be quiet, could be funny and silly, it didn’t matter, she’d answer him with the same warm smile. And yet, when he tried to make a move – or at least he hoped it was obvious – he was getting lost. He was getting almost shy. Sometimes the guy wanted to sigh loudly and ask directly, outraged, what she was doing to him, why she was turning his head upside down every time they’d make eye contact with each other.

“Why such a long face? I mean, I know you like apricot jam better, but strawberry isn’t that bad,” Y/N joked, trying to come Calum to his senses. She wondered what he was thinking about, but didn’t want to push him.

Cal only chuckled and looked at Y/N with his warm brown eyes.

“I mean, I just really like apricot jam,” he smiled and finally tried the pancakes. Y/N was already eating.

“It’s not bad, Calum, I like strawberries, just try it,” the girl giggled, remembering how at the very first day of their arrival he had made a whole drama show about wrong jam on a shelf and how delivery had messed up. No doubts he had sent a one-star review after that.

“It’s not bad, it’s just not better,” Cal joked back, being still partly not there but in his thoughts. The guy dipped the pancake into the sweet jam and brought it to his mouth. Another second and the jam was on the sheets…

“Damn it!”

Y/N just burst into laughter.

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful?” she teased him, being even proud that it was him who messed up first.

“Better help me, huh!” Calum giggled and took few napkins to clean the fabric, but it wasn’t really helping, and his fingers became sticky.

The girl kept laughing quietly, apparently enjoying Cal’s frustration. If she only knew he messed up because of her!

“It’s your fault, by the way,” he mumbled.

“How come it’s my fault?!” Y/N outraged jokingly.

“Because,” he sighed and threw away the napkin, then focused the eyes on hers. It was the time, otherwise he’d just go crazy. “You smile, and I can’t even hear my own thoughts. Everything becomes vivid. Each time I tried to get it right… all I could say was some stupid joke, which you’d laugh at anyway, and I’d lose again a chance to try it one more time to… to make myself clear.”

“Calum, what are you talking about?” Y/N smiled shortly, feeling like her heart started to beat faster all of a sudden.

“I’m talking about… feelings. Feelings I’m having for you, Y/N. And I know it’s the most ridiculous moment to tell the truth, but if I don’t do it now, I won’t do it at all. I’ve never considered myself a coward, and yet here I am…” he looked down. The girl was silently listening Cal. “I really like you, Y/N,” he sighed heavily as if it was physically hard to say those words. “And I know we are friends, and I totally get if you… Well, if you say I’m just imagining things, but–“

“You are not imagining,” Y/N interrupted Calum, seeing how much he was struggling to find the right words, not to scare her away. The girl put the tray on the bedside table and turned back to the musician. He wasn’t looking anywhere but her. “You are not imagining,” she repeated. “I like you, too, Cal. I was thinking to tell you that but didn’t want…”

“To ruin the friendship,” he smiled a bit, finishing her sentence.

“Yeah,” the girl nodded.

“Do you think then we can just build something next to it, rather than ruining anything entirely?” he asked. Calum was always a master of words, and Y/N only chuckled, smiling happily.

“I like that.”

“I like that, too,” Cal smiled and hesitated only for a second before covering the girl’s lips with his. The kiss was careful, but full of feelings they were hiding from each other for a while. Only when there was no air left to breathe, they pulled away, and Calum looked at Y/N’s eyes. It still gave him butterflies. “You’re right, the strawberry jam is actually quite tasty,” he smiled wider, and the girl just covered his plum lips with hers once again.

– gif and photo aren’t mine and belong to the rightful owner – saw the gif here @uservalentine –

Moodboard ♡

All stories are original and written by me. Do not copy, trace and post anywhere without permission and credit. The stories are fictional, they do not correspond to reality and written just for fun ♡

Masterlist | Prompt List

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meowthefluffy · 8 months

Text

An update on my unfinished au’s!

I have over the last few months fallen deeply out of love with the Sanders Sides series and as a result I have not updated any of my projects in some time. At the current point I am at I am only planning to do the final two installments in the cupid au (because I pretty much lost my affection for the ts series right before the big finale of the project!!) and the lust Roman au (as it is my longest running work to date and I want to comple the project as a show of dedication to my younger self) although it will most likely be on a much quicker time scale than I was intending originally! (Instead of the 11 more parts I was hoping to produce it will probably be closer to 5 and I will most likely skip a few parts of the story that weren’t as important)

I feel a lot of affection for the work I have created but not a lot for the actual series so I’m trying to find a way to rework the stories I’ve created for the au’s to become independent creations that I will enjoy continuing to make! (Aside from the Lust au which I feel is mostly a story I don’t feel the need to come back to/rework since it relies so heavily on the source material) Most of my au’s function as stories mostly separate from canon material except for the characters archetypes present in each, so I’ll be working on retooling/reskinning said work to be more original and workable as long term projects! (Since u guys were really invest in my plots which had almost nothing to do with the canon characterization)

I’m currently working on retooling the Zombie au (Which I used as heavy inspiration for my oc Sophia I sometimes post about and her girlfriend) the Cupid au (I’m putting together more creative designs for the characters so that I can hopefully redo the comic- since I’m super in love with the concept) The sleeping beauty au (since it functions entirely the same as a stand alone story- and I could use the designs of my princess characters from that comic I made a long time ago for Valentine’s Day ) and the Super hero au! (Which I never properly defined and thus have a lot of incomplete ideas for, and my only struggle is coming up with better super hero names for them)

The only one of my main au’s I probably won’t rework is the Evil king au- just because I’m not sure how I could retool it to not just be a story about abuse(I feel more comfortable creating a story where everything is horrible and bad and the people involved are just bad for eachother when it’s an au- because there is other work of those characters where they aren’t that way to balance it out- but if it were my own new characters I feel as though it wouldn’t be nearly as fun to read or write)

This is a series of decisions I’ve been trying to wait on for a long time because I have been hoping something sanders Sides related would come out soon that would re spark my interest but nothing so far has happened- and with the way the story is going I don’t think it’s something that is going to happen. I still love all the work I have created for this fandom and I am so proud of all the collaborative projects I have been able to create with you all! I will happily re-read your asks and comments on my comics and I am still really proud of the community I’ve been able to create!

I’m sad to let this part of my life go (it’s taken up a solid 4th of my lifetime) and I understand that a lot of you all won’t follow me to my new projects- because I understand you guys didn’t come here for random oc projects- or original comics. And Altho it breaks my heart to see some of you move on and leave my notifications I am happy I the time with you all that I did!

Thank you all for everything- and I’ll see you soon 💖

#Im going to use the Prinxiety tags so that more people will see this post- since I am one of the bigger Prinxiety centric creators)#prinxiety #ts roman #tsvirgil #virgil sanders #cupid! au #sanders sides #roman sanders

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ukulelevillainwrites · 9 months

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who follows the rules anyway?

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9

complete

pairing : anthony lockwood x reader

summary : y/n gets fired from Fittes and seeks refuge with George, only to find out he works with the worst guy she's ever met

word count : 3.4k

notes : with this part the plot actually takes off, more will happen in part 3 obviously i'm just getting started ;)

---

The following day they met again at the client’s house to take care of the final details. They explained that the clock was the source and that they had to get rid of it for the haunting to cease. She simply needed to open the case and they would be on their way. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as it should have been.

“This clock has been in my family for generations. I don’t care what you say, you are not taking this heirloom to be burned among other rubbish.” Mrs. Overton was very upset. She didn’t want to hear any advice given and categorically refused to open the case.

“I understand your disappointment Madam, but if you want your house to be safe again, I really don’t see any other solution.” Mrs Dufour explained.

The conversation had been lasting for hours. Well, metaphorically at least. It really had been 15 minutes, but hearing a client complain about the source wasn’t what y/n liked about her job.

“What if you got display cases made out of silver glass?”

All eyes turned to her.

“Maybe we could find a compromise, we keep your clock while you install new displays and put it back once everything is made safe. That way you can still enjoy your family’s history without the creeping fear. Would that be possible Mrs. Dufour?”

“I don’t think-”

“That is an excellent idea!” Mrs. Overton exclaimed.

“But Mrs. Overton I’m not sure it could be that simple. I really think you should consider giving up your clock.” Mrs. Dufour objected.

“I’d rather keep it. Hopefully you oversee young people with practical solutions! You should listen to them.”

Kipps and Bobby had smiles on their faces, but Mrs. Dufour glared in her direction.

They agreed on a date to bring back the clock, signed a few papers and soon after the team was on its way back to the Fittes headquarters.

“You did a great job keeping our client satisfied today y/n. I’m really impressed.” Kipps said.

“Th- Thank you. That means a lot.” She looked down at her feet, she felt incredibly intimidated. Somehow, she still wasn’t used to receiving that many compliments. She finally got those four words she had waited a month to hear. Her dream of taking on more responsibilities was getting closer, she could feel it.

“Miss y/n, could I have a word with you?”

Her happiness was cut short. Was she really in trouble because she tried to keep a client happy with their service?

“Your behavior today was extremely disrespectful. Contradicting a supervisor in front of a client is beyond unprofessional. What image of the Fittes organization does it send? I hope you won’t do this again.”

“I was just trying to keep Mrs. Overton satisfied. But I understand.” She tried to remain civil. But really she had a hard time not rolling her eyes.

“Good. Now I must leave, I have another appointment.”

“I can take the clock back to Fittes’ if you want. It’s where we’re headed anyway.”

“Thank you but it won’t be necessary.”

“Really it’s no trouble at all.”

“I’ll take care of it myself, no need to insist. Good day.”

What a nice and pleasant person. Clearly if she considered this insubordination, she must have had her hands full when she had to supervise George. As she thought about him, she noticed how insistent she was on bringing the clock back herself. Especially if she had another meeting before…

---

“You should break into her office too.”

“Haha very funny. Will you ever stop making fun of George? He really was worth knowing if you gave him a shot. You shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss him.” she told El.

“I’m not joking. If he’s such a great guy maybe, he was onto something. And her behavior with you was in fact very suspicious.”

“I think I might be reading into some things. I was tired, I’m probably not even remembering it right. Plus, it would serve me right if I got caught and ended up like George. How am I supposed to become a higher up in the Fittes organization with that on my record?”

“Yes, but you don’t see the bigger picture. If you expose her activities, you get all the praise and move up the ladder even faster.”

They couldn’t be serious. How could they even offer to do this? On the other hand, she was very curious to see what Mrs. Dufour could be hiding.

“There’s no way I’m doing this.”

“I wouldn’t let you do this alone! I’ve got your back. I would be on the lookout; you take five minutes inside her office and you come out without being seen. It’s no big deal. And if she is at a meeting right now chances are she won’t be back for hours. Now’s our chance!”

She considered their offer. How could she even think about doing this? But if she didn’t find anything, it would put to rest her suspicions. And if they did find something, it would benefit her in every way possible.

“Okay let’s go right now. But I’m only staying inside for two minutes, non-negotiable.”

“As you wish.”

They located the office easily. It was on the first floor, second office on the left after the elevators. It was lunch time, everything was quiet. y/n couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. Her mind dissociated from her body. It went totally blank and watched as her fingers methodically picked the lock to Mrs. Dufour’s office. El stayed outside to warn her if someone came nearby. She entered the room with determination, trying to remain calm. Her heart was beating atrociously fast. What was she doing? As she stared at the desk in front of her she realized she had no idea what she was looking for. A source from another case that hadn’t been burned maybe? She opened a first drawer, and a second, a third… Nothing. That was such a bad idea. She had to leave. Now. As she turned around the door slammed. Oh no. Was Mrs. Dufour back already? Would El be able to distract her long enough for her to exit discreetly?

“I heard her mumble something about sources being stolen and suspicious behaviors, I didn’t catch all of it but it sounded like nonsense.”

That was El’s voice. What were they doing? She heard steps coming her way. She needed to hide. As she stepped behind a coat hanger near the door, Mrs. Dufour entered the room.

“Miss y/n, I know you are in here. Come out. Right. Now.”

She was holding her breath. There was no escape. She took a step forward. El was standing next to Mrs. Dufour. But they didn’t look panicked. In fact, they were smiling.

“I can’t believe this is the second agent I find here illegally this week. Between your behavior this morning and your break-in, insubordination isn’t enough to describe your insolent attitude.”

No words came out of her mouth. The shock she felt froze her in place.

“You are of course fired, that goes without saying. You can collect your things, I want you gone by the end of the day.”

“I’ll walk her out.” El said, a proud look on their face.

This wasn’t happening. It was just another vivid dream that merged with reality. She was going to wake up in her bed, the sun slowly rising in her window, and none of this would have happened. This could not be the end of her career. Her dream could not be crumbling in front of her eyes in just an instant, to be replaced with a horrific nightmare instead. No this wasn’t real.

“I can’t believe you followed me that easily to be honest.”

She looked up at El, tears now starting to blur her vision. She could only frown.

“But I guess when you’re that naïve and gullible you can’t possibly be qualified to be a supervisor. People like you shouldn’t be put in charge at all to be honest. I’ll never understand why you of all people were selected to be on Kipps’ team. Well now I guess there’s a spot open.” They said with a wink.

She shoved her “friend” aside.

“You betrayed me to get my job?”

“I would say I was smart and did my job correctly, betray makes me sound like a villain.”

y/n had shared a room with El for the past 4 months, she had grown to like them. Of course they were close, they basically lived together. Trust was part of the deal. How could she ever sleep next to that person again? Oh. Right. She wouldn’t have to. As of now she didn’t have a job and didn’t have a place to live either. She would be kicked out of the Fittes housing. She needed to get out, to walk, to breathe. She felt the walls closing in on her, she couldn’t breathe.

She rushed back to her room, tears streaming down her face. She opened her suitcase and bags, filled them with her stuff without taking the time to fold anything. She had to get out of here fast, she couldn’t look El in the eyes. She didn’t want to see their face at all. How could they have pretended for so long, putting on phony smiles and cheering at her success when really they just planned on replacing her one way or another? What did she do to deserve their hate? Was she really the problem? Maybe El was right. Maybe she was too naïve to ever be successful. Maybe she had brought this on herself.

She put on her backpack, took her rapier and her suitcase and exited the room. As she closed the door, El was coming back.

“I see you can’t get out fast enough. Good for you. Enjoy the night watch!” They had an arrogant smirk across their face.

She dropped her luggage, took one step closer and punched her dear friend in the face. They brought their hand up to stop the bleeding and looked at her with pure hatred in their eyes.

“Enjoy the broken nose!”

----

That helped relieve some tension. But she still felt like shit. What was she going to do? She couldn’t just go back home. Her parents would be so disappointed. Not because of the career but because she got fired. And because of the reason why she got fired. She was so ashamed of herself. How could she do something so stupid?

She wandered the streets of London, luggage in hand, for hours, lost in thought and mostly beating herself up. Aside from her life falling apart it was a beautiful day. The leaves were starting to change color, the light was still warm and golden. A fresh breeze rustled her hair as she crossed the street. She had no idea where she was going. She didn’t know that part of London well. She had passed Mayfair at least 15 minutes ago and was now in a more residential part of the city. The white houses had lavender at their balconies and most of them had an iron gate in front of the stairs that led to their door. The neighborhood was quiet and everything was still except for two crows hopping around at the end of the street. She was staring into space when a sudden loud noise made her jump. It was a malfunctioning ghost lamp that had went off even though curfew wasn’t for another couple of hours. It made her look up and she saw a sign reading Portland Row. That sounded familiar. Where had she heard of that street before? Wasn’t George living nearby? What was the number he had told her… 45? No, 35. She could always pay him a visit. It’s not like she had any place to be.

She hesitated. He would probably laugh at her. Though the situation was ridiculous. At least she would make someone smile. And she would get a cup of tea before wandering some more for the whole night. She looked for the number 35 and saw the sign across the street. She stared at the house for a while. She felt nervous for some reason. She looked at herself in a car window. She looked like a mess. Her hair was tangled, her eyes swollen from crying so much. George would probably take pity on her. That was so embarrassing. But given how her day was going she didn’t really care anymore.

As she opened the iron gate, she noticed a wooden sign that read “A. J. Lockwood & Co. Investigators”. The name didn’t ring a bell. The sign looked brand new. She vaguely remembered George mentioning a friend he was working with, but it didn’t look like she had met them before.

She felt lost. She wanted to run away, her shame growing with every step she took towards the door. It was almost unbearable. Burying herself into the woods in the middle of nowhere sounded more appealing suddenly. She forced her hand to knock on the door. She waited a few seconds that felt like hours. After a minute she figured they might be out. She turned around, ready to leave. This was a terrible idea. It was getting rid of the last tiniest bit of dignity she still had. As she stepped back one step the door suddenly opened.

“Hello, welcome to Lockwood & Co. Do you have an appointment?”

She turned around, surprised by the voice behind her.

“H-Hi George…”

“y/n? I didn’t expect you to come by so soon.” He looked at her and realized she didn’t look as proper as she’s used to. “Are you okay?”

“Not really if I’m being honest. Could I come in?”

“Of course, yes please”

He showed her inside.

“I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Don’t worry it’s a slow day, I was just cleaning the kitchen.”

The hallway felt welcoming and seemed traditional at first. But as she walked deeper into the house, she noticed the masks hanging on the walls, the rapiers in the umbrella stand, the ancient weaponry on the shelves. The atmosphere was homely but also unsettling. It wasn’t unpleasant or threatening though. She felt strangely at ease.

They settled in a living room with the same atmosphere as the hallway. He brought her some tea and doughnuts she felt really grateful for.

“So, do you wanna talk about what happened to you? You clearly look like you’ve had a rough day.”

“I got fired from Fittes.” She blurted out. There. She’d said it out loud. It was official. George opened round eyes and looked at her in total disbelief. As he was about to say something she added

“For the same reason you got fired.”

George stared at her. His eyes couldn’t get any wider. They looked at each other for several minutes. After what felt like an hour George burst out laughing. y/n quickly followed. She relieved all the tension and stress she had been accumulating today. They laughed, laughed and laughed until they were out of breath.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Unfortunately, I am.” She said wiping a tear. At least this one wasn’t from sadness or anger.

“But what? How?” He could barely articulate full sentences.

She told him the full story. How she hadn’t believed anything he had told her. How Mrs. Dufour’s behavior had been strange. How she got talked into breaking the rules. How she was betrayed. How stupid and gullible she felt. How guilty she felt. For once it was her turn to talk. George found himself on the other side and listened closely to the whole thing.

“You really go all out when you break the rules.”

This threw them into another fit of laughter. At this moment, they heard the front door close.

“Hey George, sounds like you’re having fun. Who’s your friend?”

She turned around to look at the guy who had just entered. Her smile dropped. Could this day get any worse? Standing in front of her was the most arrogant and pretentious guy she had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

He took a step forward, putting out his hand as he said

“I’m Anthony Lockwood, pleasure to meet you. You must be y/n, George told me you would be stopping by.”

She stared at him; her anger rekindled. She didn’t shake his hand and simply waited, remaining perfectly still. After a few seconds he casually took a seat in a sofa opposite the couch she was sitting on.

“You look familiar, have we met before?”

She couldn’t believe him. Of course he didn’t remember. If the doughnuts hadn’t been that good, she would have gotten up and left without looking back. But she was desperately hungry, and she wasn’t so eager to spend the night wandering the streets of London with no place to go.

“You might have seen me around near Fittes, but I don’t think we’ve met.” She answered politely. He looked at her with a strange intensity, his expression briefly unreadable before changing into a complaisant smile. “It’s nice to finally meet George’s colleague.” She concluded.

“Well, more like his employer technically.”

For heaven’s sake. She mustered all the self-control she had left to not roll her eyes. She forced a smile, but it looked cold and stiff. The room fell silent, but it was probably for the best.

“So how are things going over at Fittes?” Lockwood asked her. He was trying to start the conversation again but there was a certain disdain in his tone that she didn’t appreciate.

George shot her a glance before turning insistent eyes towards Lockwood. It was sweet how considerate he was trying to be.

“Not that great actually since I was fired a few hours ago.” She said in a nonchalant tone.

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.” He looked at his shoes, avoiding eye contact. “Having heard you laugh so much I expected a much happier context.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“No, I didn’t mean-” He stopped mid-sentence. He looked defeated and just drank his tea in silence.

George turned towards her.

“So what are you gonna do now?”

“I haven’t got the slightest idea…” She admitted. “Maybe wandering the streets of London tonight will inspire me.”

“You don’t have a place to stay?” George asked, a certain worry in his voice.

“All the trains were booked, so I couldn’t go back home.” She lied. She didn’t want to admit that she was scared to tell her family about her situation. “I could always find a hotel I guess.”

“Don’t bother, you can stay with us tonight. Right, Lockwood?”

“Um, sure. I have an extra room in the attic.”

Fantastic. That was just what she needed. To stay even longer in his company.

“I really don’t want to impose. I’m sure you’ll be better off without me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, it’s just one night. It’s the least I can do after putting those ideas about Mrs. Dufour in your head. It’s all my fault really.”

“Why would you say that?” Lockwood asked, intrigued.

“I sort of got fired for the same reason he did.” She admitted. She couldn’t help the shy smile that appeared on her face. She genuinely wanted to laugh at herself.

Lockwood laughed at the situation too. He looked at her with a charming smile but she felt like he was laughing at her for being so naïve.

“Rule number one around George is to do the exact opposite of what he does.”

“I had my reasons for acting like this. I wasn’t blindly imitating him, she was being suspicious.” She said defensively.

“Maybe next time, or at least if there is a next time, don’t let George’s wild theories get to you.” He said with a wink. There was another face she wanted to punch.

She took a deep breath to keep her urges under control. Giving in to anger would only get her kicked out and then she would really be wandering the streets all night. She could always find another plan tomorrow but for now she needed to eat and to sleep soundly. The day had been exhausting.

#lockwood and co #lockwood and co fic #ukuwrites #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x y/n #lockwood and co imagine #who follows the rules

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rickie-the-storyteller · 3 months

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Steph's Crew - Book 3 Summary

I was meant to post this last year to sort of close the Steph-related content and focus more on other projects. Actually, I was meant to post a lot of things last year...

Bretanie analysis (on here)

Season 1 of AU (on my second blog)

Jekyll and Hyde, but in the modern world (I've been working on that for fun on the side, and I've decided to post the full story on Wattpad)

Revealing the identity of the secret blogger (I'll probably do it in this post, since it is relevant to this part of the story as well)

I've been so busy, y'all. Sorry for the delays.

I just want to make sure I have time to do everything as best as I possibly can, so you can enjoy it. I think it was less pressure posting the Steph's Crew dialogues and snippets because they were old pieces of work, and since the time I first wrote them, I've neatened it up and made it considerably better than it was... I know that the stuff I've shared isn't the final product, so I don't feel the urge to make it perfect. At least not to the extent that I do with all these other projects lol.

Hopefully this can help make up for lost time. I'll get to the other posts mentioned on that list as soon as possible, but until then... here's a summary of the third and final instalment of Steph's Crew!

Enjoy!

Keep in mind that I'm still working on this one. It isn't finished yet, but I wanted to give you guys a rough idea of how it goes. And prepare for this, because it's pretty unhinged lol. I collaborated with my sister on some of the wackier ideas...

Book 3 is titled "Story of a Broken Thing." It picks up where Book 2 ends off, more or less (or at least, it fills us in on what went down since the end of Book 2). If you can't remember how UVC ended, then here's a link to that summary:

But to put it briefly, the crew have successfully solved the mystery, Brelise have split up again, Bret's gone on tour with his band, Dalice are together, Bephanie is over, and Stephanie got arrested... but then escaped from holding. Nobody knows where she could have gone.

Which leads us to Book 3. It is set a couple of years later (I think about 5 years after Book 2 ended), and a lot of stuff has happened in all that time...

Dylan and Alice have broken up. Wasn't meant to be, I guess. But don't worry - they're still friends, and there's no bad blood between them or anything.

Victor and Jen have unfortunately split up as well, leading to Jen moving back to Texas. Alice decides to go with her. She's doing alright - currently taking some classes at a local college, and helping out at her old dance studio in her spare time. She's also still making YouTube videos.

Bret's band is still doing well. They're not touring anymore at the moment, but they are super busy recording a new album, and filming music videos. Plus, they have been asked to perform at the Jingle Bell Ball towards the end of the year, which is very exciting. Even though he has moved back to the UK, because of the nature of Bret's job, he can't just stay in London with his aunt anymore like how he used to... but he still comes to visit her as often as possible. And he and Elise are still close friends, so that's cool. He's been seeing other people over the past couple of years, though.

Elise and Charlie are together. She decided to give him a chance. They're really happy together and they seem to have a pretty healthy, solid relationship for the most part (they've been together for two years straight by the time Book 3 has started). Charlie still harbours some degree of jealousy/wariness towards Bret, though, since she's still really good friends with him. He's never once brought it up to her, though. But it becomes a big deal in this part of the story... more on that later.

Ben isn't really in this part of the story... at least not until towards the end, when Stephanie randomly decides to call him for some reason. But he's doing fine. Moved back to his cooking job from Book 1 lol. It was good money, and now he doesn't have another person to share it with! Wait, that sad-

And by now, Dylan, Connor (who has finally moved on from Daisy! Thank God), Elise and Charlie have all finished their university courses. Yay!

In fact, this is what kickstarts the plot. Dylan's family (we get to see them again in this one! Specifically his mother, her new husband and his younger brother Sam. I feel like we didn't get enough of them last time) is very proud of him for finishing such a long, tough course (3 years, + 1 foundation year + 1 year of masters), and they decide to reward him with an epic summer trip to Australia. And it is during this holiday that he sees Steph again (she's not in Australia btw - he sees her when he goes with a family friend to the Samoan islands).

She fills him in on how she got there. I haven't neatly worked this part out... but basically, Reggie helped her leave the country (idk whether to make him a villain or some kind of loose cannon/antihero type of guy. Like, he's awful most of the time, but he's also one of Stephanie's oldest friends, and he can be genuinely nice when he wants to be. Especially to her. He needs to be in trouble tho lol. I think the thing about him is that he gets away with his awful behaviour easily, whereas Stephanie is kind of forced to be held accountable, even if she actively runs away from the consequences of her actions sometimes...)

After that, she was stuck on her own again for a while and needed a job. So she applied for a job at a local Natia hotel (Natia is a famous line of hotels... kind of like Hilton, to give a known real-life example). She didn't have enough money for a cab or bus, so she had to walk the whole way there through heavy rain. By the time she got there, she looked terrible lol. But when she arrived, she bumped into a handsome young man who kindly helped her out. He got her a room and some clothes to change into, which helped in making a good first impression and whatnot. She got the job!

Later, she found out that the guy's name was Jordan Natia. The son of the hotel line founder (he also owns the hotel she got a job at). She thanks him for her help, and he invites her for dinner... and the rest is history.

And by history, I mean she ends up marrying him lol. Dylan finds out that she now lives at the resort that he and his family friend are currently staying at. She also has a baby daughter named Mia (short for Miranda. Not suspicious at all). She loves her life so much right now. She's always prided herself on being a strong independent woman who can take care of herself, but she's surprised at how much she's enjoying being a stay-at-home mother and housewife lol. She loves spending time with her baby, and she loves her husband a lot, too. He takes good care of her. However, similar to Ben, he doesn't really know all that much about her (Jordan goes through a similar arc to Ben's in Book 2, where he finds out the truth about Stephanie, and it changes the way he sees her. Minus the cheating lol).

Dylan is shocked at how much Steph has changed since the last time he saw her, but he's happy for her at the same time. He can see that she's genuinely happy and seemingly at peace, which is great.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Charlie has decided to propose to El. He's taking it VERY seriously - even asked for her family's blessing and everything. They all said yes... even Adam lol (he's grown to like Charles by now). One summer evening, he pops the question (in a truly beautiful and romantic way btw), and Elise says yes in the moment, but she doesn't know if she truly feels ready for marriage yet. Something about the situation feels wrong to her, but she doesn't know what it is. However, instead of communicating her mixed feelings to her now fiance, she decides to distract herself with hangouts with her family and friends, as well as getting into her work and other hobbies, preferring to think about anything other than her problems (man, does THIS sound familiar lol). Charlie starts noticing a change in El's behaviour and it begins to really upset him (especially since Bret is one of the people she starts spending more time with, and we all know how she feels about him), causing more strain in their relationship. It only gets worse when they find out about Stephanie's whereabouts...

Dylan messages the others about his trip everyday through a group chat. One night he reveals that he's reunited with an old friend of theirs and sends a picture of him and Stephanie hanging out. The others are shocked. Elise especially.

The situation started becoming somewhat of a controversy in the news... people started talking about it more online, many blogs and news websites (including The Looking Glass) started covering it. Alice made a video on YouTube talking about it (and it came from the unique angle of her knowing the person from school and being their friend and everything. She didn't mention Steph by name, though). It blew her channel up.

The story of Stephanie's escape was quickly resurfacing back into people's minds after being forgotten for such a long time. And this wasn't good for Steph lol. Especially after finally making a life for herself that she was genuinely truly happy in.

But that's not the end of the story.

I'll tell you the rest in part 2 of this summary!

#rickie-the-storyteller #writerblr #steph's crew #original content #book 3

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therand0mwriter · 9 months

Text

Cobalt-Awake

MHA Males x hero!female!reader

[Unedited]

[(h/t) = hair type, i.e. curly, wavy, straight, ect.]

*Y/N's POV*

Yup. I definitely couldn't sleep. It was almost midnight at this point and I was no where near tired. Too many thoughts were running through my mind to even think about sleep.

'Hopefully that wizard looking dude figures out how to get me home.'

'If not, then how am I going to get home?'

'Will I be able to get home?'

'Of course I will! I'll figure something out! I always do!'

'But... what if I don't this time?'

'Alright, I need some air.' I finally thought. I slipped on a dark blue hoodie over my dark blue t-shirt, courtesy of Aizawa.

I opened the window in my room and stuck my head out. I deeply inhaled the crisp, fresh air and it instantly relaxed me. I made my way out the window and started crawling up the wall, my feet and hands bare. My legs were covered with thick, gray sweatpants so the cold air didn't bother me, thankfully.

Once I made it to the rooftop I looked around. Not seeing anyone, I made myself comfortable and laid down, staring at the, mostly, clear sky. The moon was full and bright, the stars sparkled around it, it was a truly beautiful and serene sight. It was tranquil...

Until I sensed something coming up to my right. I jumped up and readied my web shooters, prepared to fight. Frost and ice gradually made its way over the edge, then I saw white and red hair. Todoroki had popped his head above the edge, making only his face visible, "Ah, you are up here."

I relaxed my body and sighed in relief, "It's only you." Todoroki had climbed his way over the edge and made his way over to me. "How did you know I was up here?" I questioned, sitting back down. Todoroki sat down next to me and showed me his phone that was flashing an alert, "Sensei installed sensors on your door and window." I rolled my eyes, "Of course he did."

"Couldn't sleep?" Todoroki inquired. "Nope," I answered, laying back down. Todoroki looked at me for a moment before laying down too. It was silent as we both stared at the moon and stars, wind gently blowing through our hair.

"What are you thinking about?" Todoroki softly spoke, trying not to disturb the peace. I hummed before answering, "Home." Todoroki didn't respond at first but when he did, he turned his head to face me, and I turned my head to make eye contact, "You'll get home. A solution will arise and you'll be able to go home. My advice is to enjoy your time here while you can, before you have to leave and we don't see you again."

My eyes widened. Todoroki's words, his soft hair blowing in the wind and his gray and blue eyes that glowed under the moonlight made my heart rate speed up. 'What the hell was that?'

But nevertheless, I smiled at him, "Thank you, Shoto. That helped put my mind at ease." He seemed to blush and looked back up to the sky, "Of course..." He mumbled. We were quiet again, just staring at the night sky together.

Then a question popped in my mind, "Whats the plan for tomorrow? Am I going with you guys to your school?" Todoroki hummed, "I believe so. Aizawa might have put normal clothes in your room so we can get you a uniform tomorrow." I chuckled, looking back to the sky, "Alright."

Me and Todoroki laid in silence once again, still staring at the night sky. It was almost a pattern now, we would be quiet for a few minutes then the other would ask a question. Because Todoroki asked me a question a few minutes later, "Aren't you cold?" I shrugged, "A little bit."

Todoroki sat up and made his way over to me some more. I sat up at his movement as he cupped his hands together. I watched him curiously until a flame erupted in his hands. My eyes widened, "Wow... that's amazing, how handy!" I chuckled and gave the boy in front of me a thankful smile.

*Todoroki's POV*

Her wide eyes that were filled with amazement...

Her simple compliment...

Her light and airy laugh...

Her soft smile...

Why is my heart beating so fast?

*Y/N's POV*

Todoroki didn't say anything, he just hummed and nodded. A particularly strong gust of wind blew out his small flame, making us both shiver. "We should probably head inside now," I said, gesturing to the edge of the building. Todoroki nodded and stood up, offering me his hand.

"What a gentleman," I teased as I took his hand. He softly rolled his eyes, making me laugh, as he helped me stand. After I was up, his warm hand let go of mine and I noticed something strange... I missed it? I shook my head, ridding me of that thought.

"I guess we just go down the way we came up?" Todoroki said in more of a questioning tone. I sat on the edge of the building, staring at the white and red haired boy, giving him an innocent smile. Todoroki could tell something was up, he raised his eyebrow in question and opened his mouth to speak. But before he could make a sound, I leaned all the way back and fell off the edge, disappearing.

"Y/N!" Todoroki rushed to the edge of the building, hand outstretched, about to jump off after me. He froze once he saw me standing on the side of the building, unharmed. "What?" I chuckled, "Forgot I can stick to walls?" The boy heaved a sigh of relief and I laughed, "Aw, were you worried about me, Shoto?" I cooed, drinking in Todoroki's blush.

He scoffed before jumping off the edge of the building, the right side of his body sticking to the side and leaving a trail of ice as he slid down to meet me. Once he was caught up, I continued to make my way down towards my room window, walking as if I was walking on the floor normally. I could feel Todoroki's gaze on me, "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

But what caught me off guard was the fact that he actually did. Once I saw the flash I flung my head towards his direction, just to see him staring at his phone. "Yup, this one is a keeper." He nonchalantly stated. "Shoto! Delete that!" I yelled, an embarrassed blush making its way onto my cheeks.

"No." He simply said.

"Please, Shoto! Just delete it!" I desperately begged, making my way towards him.

"Nope." He said again, slipping his phone into his pocket as he backed away from me.

"C'mon, just delete it! Why do you need it anyways?"

"A few reasons."

"'A few reasons'? What are those?"

"Well, the main ones are: when we get you a phone, I'll have a contact photo with you. The second one is when you leave, how will I remember what you look like?"

I paused at his last sentence, not expecting such a sentimental reason. I heaved a sigh then softly smiled, "Well, for your first reason, I would prefer you to take a better picture of me. Maybe a picture of us together. And for your second reason, if I'm able to find a way back home, I'll most likely be able to find a way to come back." Todoroki paused, taking in my words, "You really think so?" I gave him a reassuring smile, "Yes."

...

'Huh?'

Todoroki was... smiling. It was small and gentle as it reached his eyes... and it made him even more handsome than before. My heart was racing again... The soft glow of the moonlight enhancing his features didn't help at all...

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." He repeated my words back to me, smile still on his face as he quickly climbed through his window. I was frozen in place, 'What the hell just happened?'

Once I shook myself out of my daze, I looked towards Todoroki's window to see him softly smiling at me still, "Goodnight, Y/N." I rolled my eyes at him but nonetheless smiled, "Goodnight, Shoto."

I climbed through my own window and shut it, locking it afterwards. I took off my hoodie and threw it onto a chair, crawling into bed. I made myself comfortable and thought back to mine and Todoroki's interaction. I smiled and chuckled to myself. 'What a tease.'

*Todoroki's POV*

I shut my window and locked it, then made my way to my bed. I was still smiling to myself as I got under the covers, getting comfortable. I pulled out my phone and pulled up the picture I took of Y/N. It was a candid photo, but that's what makes it more beautiful in my opinion.

It was an awkward angle since she was standing on the wall, but it looked like she was gazing off into the distance with her pools of (e/c) eyes, her shiny, (h/t) (h/c) hair perfectly framing her face, a gentle smile gracing her (thin/plump) lips... and to top it off, the moonlight made her absolutely angelic.

'Yup... this one is definitely a keeper.'

#x reader #reader insert #fanfiction #mha #my hero academia x reader #my hero academia #todoroki x reader #bakugo x reader #kirishima x reader #kaminari x reader #tokoyami x reader #iida x reader #midoriya x reader #deku x reader #sero x reader

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marmorafarms · 1 year

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The Phone Call pt 3 Sebastian x Cis Female Reader

This is the final part of my three part Sebastian x Reader series! I hope you've enjoyed it! This can definitely be read as a stand alone piece, but I would highly suggest you read the others as well!

Summary: After having some fun over the phone, Sebastian is coming over to your place to have a good time. The only issue is that Sebastian is a virgin who is very nervous about his ability to please you. Hopefully you can get him to relax and give him a great first time

Word count: 2808 words

Warnings/content: Weed mention, virgin Sebastian, body worship, nipple play, blow jobs, fingering, first time, cis female reader

Here are the previous pieces:

Enjoy!

Living in a tiny town like Pelican Town definitely had its plusses. For one thing, it was usually very tranquil. The sound of car horns blaring was absent, and you were never afraid when walking around at night. However it definitely had its minuses. And here you were at the clinic, experiencing one first hand.

In the city, buying condoms wasn't a big deal. Nothing to it. Just pop into the store, grab what you need, and head on out. But in Pelican Town, you had to buy from someone who you would see every single day. Someone who might get curious, and ask awkward questions. Perhaps even gossip about it behind your back.

It wasn't Harvey you were worried about, not at all. That man was a professional through and through, and had even asked if you needed birth control or an STI test. It felt natural to explain that your IUD still had a few more years on it, and it wasn't weird at all to take him up on the test. No, the person you were worried about was Pierre.

Fucking Pierre.

You had gone to his shop first, assuming that the general store would be a good first stop. After all, you'd bought condoms at the grocery store when you lived in the city. You searched every shelf and wrinkled your nose in frustration. You couldn't find any, not even a sign saying if they were out of stock. So you decided to go see if they were behind the counter. Maybe they were hidden out of sight so Jas and Vincent wouldn't see them and ask questions.

"Oh ho ho!" Pierre had said with a lecherous grin after you asked about it. "So some lucky guy has caught your eye, eh?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

You could feel a flush rising to your cheeks as you shifted your weight from one foot to the other. Sex wasn't something you'd ever been uncomfortable discussing, but the way Pierre was going about it was making you extremely embarrassed.

"So do you have any?" you asked, ignoring his question. Hopefully he'd let you know quickly, and then you could be on your way.

No such luck.

"I'm glad you're staying safe," he said casually. "Believe me, I know what it's like when you're young. Making split second decisions that don't always work in your favor. And I doubt you have space for a kid in your house right now."

"Pierre," you said through gritted teeth. "Do you have them or not?"

"No we don't sell those here. Most folks order them online! But Harvey also sells them if you need some in a pinch." he said with that creepy grin still on his face.

"Right. Okay, I'll just go there then," you said, and turned on your heel. You wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

"Have fun with your mystery man!" Pierre had called out in a sing song voice. You briefly considered doing all of your shopping from JoJa from now on just to spite him, but thought better of it. Abigail would be disappointed. Pierre was lucky you were friends with his daughter.

The transaction at Harvey's had gone well, and your results came back clean. The only thing that made you sweat were the looks Maru was throwing your way. They were knowing looks, which was extremely annoying. It made you wonder if she somehow knew who it was that you were about to jump in bed with. Luckily she didn't say a word. But you wished she would stop looking at you like that.

Once you got home, you took a long hot shower and then looked at your lingerie options critically. Of course you could always wear a normal bra and panties, but you wanted to look nice. You found yourself torn between two sets, anxiety rising.

Never in your life had you spent this much time picking out underwear for a hookup. Because that's what this was, right? A hookup. You weren't dating after all. This was just…something casual.

Your heart dropped as you tried to convince yourself of that. You didn't want this to just be casual sex that might repeat every now and then. What you really wanted was for it to mean something.

Shaking your head, you decided on the set you would wear. There was no time to mope over the fact that this might mean nothing to Sebastian. You needed to get ready, and you were pleased with what you had gone with.

You had gone with your black balconette bra with gold lace details. The matching panties had ribbons that sat on the hips, keeping the front and back together. And the best part? They were crotchless.

You tossed on some joggers and a plain black t-shirt. It would be a nice surprise for him to find pretty lingerie under such normal looking clothes.

By the time 8 had rolled around, your house was sparkling clean. You had busied yourself with making the place look perfect. The sheets on your bed were fresh as well. Now all that was left to do was wait.

About five minutes later you heard a knock on the door. Heart beating fast, you opened it up to find Sebastian on your doorstep. He was looking down at his feet, and shot you a nervous smile when you greeted him.

"Come on in!" You said cheerfully. He followed behind, closing the door with a soft click. You couldn't help but notice how nervous he was. Sebastian wasn't really looking at you, and he was rubbing his thumb against his forefinger, a big tell that he was feeling anxious.

"You look nice," you said with a grin. It was true, he looked great. Sebastian had on a leather jacket that you had never seen him wear before and wow. That jacket was really making you feel a certain type of way.

Sebastian let out a small "Thanks," before going silent. You frowned, trying to figure out what was up. Did he not want this anymore?

"You wanna sit on the couch?" You asked. He nodded, and sat stiffly, hands in his pockets. You looked him over, and then suddenly it dawned on you.

He was sober.

Every time he had called, he had been high. And when you guys had gotten off together and agreed to do this, he had been really high. So nerves hadn't really been an issue for him. But without weed as a crutch, he was left with a clear mind that was free to overthink everything. Overthinking things was a specialty of his.

You cautiously walked over to him, as one might approach a scared animal. His eyes flicked over to you as you sat next to him, and he began to bounce his leg.

"Talk to me Sebby," you said gently.

"What do you mean?" he asked after a beat.

"You're nervous. Don't deny it!" You said, putting a finger to his lips as he began to display signs of protest. "I can tell. I need you to tell me what's going on."

You lowered your finger, and Sebastian squeezed his eyes closed. You gave him a moment, and right as you were about to speak, his pushed back his hair and sighed.

"I…I'm a virgin," he said, refusing to meet your gaze. "I wasn't even thinking when I agreed to this. Not that I don't want to," he said hurriedly, "I just…I don't want to disappoint you. I don't want to be bad."

"You won't be," you said with certainty. Doubt was written all over Sebastian's face, so you pushed on. "Listen. You and I…we've got chemistry. We get along, we like a lot of the same stuff, we enjoy hanging out. That kind of thing can't be taught, you know? You either have chemistry or you don't. Right?"

"I guess," Sebastian said.

"Okay, so we're in agreement that good chemistry can't be taught. But being good in bed?" you said, eyes fixed on him, "That's something that can be taught. With lots and lots of practice."

Sebastian blushed, but finally looked up at you, returning your grin. He slid his hand over to yours an intertwined his fingers with yours.

"Okay," he said, sounding a bit more confident. "I feel a bit better."

"Only a bit?" you asked, pretending to be offended. You let go of his hand and slid over. You straddled him, sitting in his lap with your hands resting on his shoulders. "I'm gonna make sure your first time is amazing, okay?" you murmured, leaning in and placing soft kisses along his jaw.

Sebastian sighed in contentment as you kissed down his neck, letting out a pleased hum when you slotted your lips against his. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you began to kiss. The kisses were slow and sensual, the main goal being to get Sebastian nice and relaxed.

A gasp escaped Sebastian's lips as you rocked your hips against his. Slowly, you snaked a hand under his shirt and gently swiped at his nipple with the pad of your thumb. You received another gasp in response and you grinned.

"You sensitive there?" you whispered into his ear, repeating the motion.

"I guess so," he breathed out. "Never tried that before."

"Here let's…hold on a second," you muttered. After a bit of scooting around, Sebastian was lying on his back with you on top of him. His face was slightly flushed, and you felt a surge of affection looking at him.

"Should we go to the bedroom?" he asked.

"In a minute," you said, tugging at the hem of his shirt. He quickly caught on, and shook his jacket off before he pulled his shirt over his head.

"...What?" he said nervously, looking at you with a vulnerable expression. Your jaw had dropped and you were staring at him with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"When…how….you're buff!" You said, shocked. "Why the hell have you been wearing a baggy hoodie every day when you could be showing off this!" You ran your fingers over his well defined abs, eyes fixed on his v-line. He blushed and looked away.

"I help my mom a lot," he said. "And I guess working on my motorcycle has helped too. But um…I don't like people looking at me. Except you," he added shyly.

You put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down. "God you're hot," you whispered against his lips before giving him a passionate kiss. Your tongue darted out and touched his lips lightly. Sebastian opened up and you slid your tongue inside, relishing in the taste of him.

Sebastian whined when you pulled away, but it quickly turned into small moans of pleasure as you kissed his neck. Your hands explored the expanse of his chest as you kissed and sucked at his collar bone, slowly traveling downwards.

You laved your tongue over one of his nipples, rolling the other in between your fingers. His hips bucked up, and you gently sucked, loving the whines and gasps that left his lips.

While you were very much enjoying his reaction to having his nipples played with, there was something else that you'd rather have your mouth on. You continued your trail of kisses downwards until you reached the top of his jeans. He visibly gulped as you undid the button, and threw a hand over his face as you pulled his zipper down with your teeth.

"Can I?" you asked, hooking your fingers into the waistband of his boxers. There was a pause before Sebastian finally nodded, giving his full consent. You pulled them down, eyes brightening as his cock sprang free.

He was a little longer than average, and decently thick. Your mouth watered as you looked at it, and you gently placed a kiss to his tip.

"I'm gonna suck you a bit and then we can go to the bedroom, 'kay?" you said, settling into a more comfortable position. Sebastian nodded and you grinned before licking him from base to tip. You gently lapped at his head before kissing and licking at him again, getting his cock slicked up with your spit.

Sebastian's head was thrown back in pleasure, panting lightly. You tapped his inner thigh, and he looked down. Your eyes locked as you took him all the way down you throat.

"Holy fuck," he whimpered, and then clutched the couch cushions as you began to bob your head.

You popped off after a bit, loving the glassy eyed look you got when you told him it was time to go to the bedroom. He kicked off his pants and boxers fully before following you, nerves clearly gone.

The two of you hopped on the bed and you grabbed one of the condoms you had just purchased. You handed him the little foil package, and he frowned at it.

"Need help?" you asked.

"No. Well, I mean yes I will, but…shouldn't I be touching you?" he asked. "It's been all about me so far."

You smiled fondly at him, loving that he was just as concerned about your pleasure as he was about his own.

"Do you want to touch me?" you asked, biting your lower lip.

"Yeah. Hell yeah," he said.

"Well then, help me get my clothes off," you said. He slipped your shirt off and then groaned.

"You look beautiful in that," he said. Sebastian looked at your breasts and then back at you. You gave him an encouraging nod, and he placed a hand on your breast, squeezing gently. You let him fondle you for a moment before sliding your pants off. The hitch in his breath made you giggle, and you spread your legs open. The open crotch gave him an excellent view of your wet pussy.

Sebastian looked like he was struggling between looking away from such a lewd display or diving right in. You decided to help him out. Grabbing his hand, you guided it between your legs, and pressed it against your heat.

"What should I…?"

"Slide your fingers in Sebby," you murmured. "Gotta get me ready for you."

His movements were nervous and stiff at first, but soon he had you squirming underneath him. Sebastian's face lit up like a light bulb when he found your clit, causing you to moan and your back to arch.

"That feel good?" he asked, looking down at you in wonder. You nodded, and then cried out as he began rubbing your clit faster, continuing to thrust his fingers in and out.

"Oh god yes Sebby, fuck, don't stop!" You moaned, gripping your sheets tightly. Sebastian was slowly making you come undone and it was fucking amazing.

You wailed as your orgasm hit you, pleased that Sebastian was fingering you through it. He gave you a lopsided grin when your eyes fluttered open.

"Can't believe I did that," he said in awe.

"I can," you said. "Now let's get this on you."

You showed him how to roll the condom on properly, and then proceeded to give him a second warning.

"Lots of guys cum fast on their first time," you said. "So don't feel bad if it doesn't last long, okay? You already made me cum, so I won't be disappointed."

He nodded in understanding and crawled on top of you. Sebastian lined up, and closed his eyes as he sank into you, swearing as he bottomed out.

"You're so goddamn tight," he panted. "Shit…"

You gave him a second to adjust, but had to hook your leg around him and push him to get him to finally start moving.

He thrusted into you slow and steady, holding your hands as he moved. You felt like you were in some kind of romance novel. You had always wondered if there was an actual difference between making love and fucking, and this proved there definitely was. Even as his thrusts sped up, there was a tenderness behind it. This was different from anything else you had experienced before.

He buried his face into your shoulder as he came, hips thrusting against you a few more times as he spilled into the condom. He smiled down at you and began peppering your face with kisses before pulling out.

"You're welcome to stay the night," you said after the two of you finished cleaning up. Sebastian beamed at you.

"I'd like that," he said. "And um…do you think maybe we could go to the saloon sometime and get dinner? Just you and me?"

"You wanna take me on a date?" you said, trying not to get your hopes up and failing miserably.

"If you want," Sebastian said with a shy smile. You walked forward and kissed him softly.

"I'd love that."

#stardew valley #sdv smut #stardew #stardew sebastian #stardew smut #stardew valley sebastian #stardew sebastian x reader #stardew fanfic #sdv fanfic #my writing

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herrmannhalsteadproduction · 8 months

Text

500 Miles (Chapter Nine)

Summary: This is Part Nineteen of my series A Herrmann/Halstead Production. It is an AU where Christopher Herrmann's mom had an affair with Pat Halstead resulting in a baby. The series follows this OC character (Rebecca "Bex" Herrmann) as she grows up and gets to know her brothers and the various Chicago teams. It is very much an AU, just to underscore that. It doesn't follow the same timeline and characters will follow different paths.

Click here for the Series Rundown where you can find the links to read all of the previous installments (which I highly recommend you do so that this one makes sense.)

Rating: Teen and Up

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz/Original Female Character, Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes, Assorted OC Couples

Warnings: Light Angst, Emotional Conversations, Dealing with Past Trauma, Minor Character Injury, Swearing, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, An Unholy Amount of Fluff

A/N: To underscore my previous note, this is an alternate universe so things have unfolded differently. This will not follow the canon arcs exactly by any means. But I hope you'll still enjoy it!

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chris

Kol did their team another solid by catching Olinsky’s hit for the third out. Hopefully he’d remember who fed him bacon this morning and go take a nap for the second half of the inning. (Chris made a mental note to remind the kids not to tell Will about that particular dietary lapse.)

21 hadn’t managed to get any runs so if 51 could get a few in, this was a chance to get ahead and stay there. Chris went over their batting order and swallowed a sigh. Capp was sitting out voluntarily due to last year’s black eye which was fine except for the fact that Tony was with him in solidarity. Guy wasn’t the fastest player, but he had a real Babe Ruth quality when it came to hitting balls out of the park.

Now instead of Tony, they had Sylvie who was a total wild card.

They could make this work.

Probably.

Casey was first up and Bex was immediately up to her shenanigans. “Don’t you have a canteen to run?” Chris hollered at her.

She ignored him, waving her friend Emery over to start up one of her chants. “Hey, batter, what’s the matter, can’t you stand a little chatterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr?”

Chris swore she binged every sports movie she could before each Grudge Match so she could get refreshed on all the trash talk and whatnot that she possibly could. Points for commitment, but he was glad she usually used her powers for good.

Luckily, Casey was used to her by now and remained unphased. He hit a double off the first pitch and had all of 51 on their feet, cheering.

“Attaboy, Casey. That’s what I’m talking about,” Chris said, clapping a hand against his clipboard. “Good start, good start. Severide! Get in there!”

“Yeah, Severide!” Bex echoed. “Get in there and hit it right down the middle there. Kol’s waiting! He’s gonna get it! I can feel it!”

…and then the god-damned dog did exactly that.

Leapt up and plucked the ball right out of the air. Severide cursed as Dr. Abrams called him out—cursing again as Jay laughed his ass off at him while he walked back to the dugout.

“Daddy!” Annabelle squealed; Lee Henry lifting her up so she could hang over the fence. “Did you see that? Did you see? Isn’t Kol the best baseball player?”

“Yeah, I saw, honey.” Chris tried to inject some measure of enthusiasm into his words. “He sure is something.” Hiding a hand behind his back, he surreptitiously gave the finger to the Canteen Crew who were all loudly agreeing with Annabelle and cheering for Kol.

Brett was up next and Chris looked up to the heavens, praying for her to at least hit it away from the freakin’ dog.

***

Sylvie

So…the Grudge Match was intense…

The warnings she’d received had not prepared her for the sheer level of bonkersness that the day was bringing—and they were only in the first inning!

Now it was her turn at bat and Herrmann had told her to ‘just do her best’ and ‘have fun’ in a kind of manically casual way that was super reassuring. It wasn’t like she’d never played baseball before. It had only been fifteen-ish years…maybe twenty. But it was like riding a bike, right? Some things you never forget.

“Like riding a bike,” she whispered to herself as she stepped up to the plate.

She could see Bex and the rest of the Canteen Crew gathered near the backstop fence and she braced herself for their good-natured ribbing. Otis and Cruz had prepared her for the heckling as well as the whole Pick thing. She had to admit it’d been pretty entertaining so far.

Sylvie stepped up to the plate and nodded to signal her readiness. Sam Kent, a patrol officer from 21 and one of Bex’s many friends, was pitching. He had a mean fastball. Sylvie braced herself—

“Come on, Sylvie! You can do it!” Bex cheered followed by the voices of the rest of her gang. Sylvie’s head whipped around to stare at them in shock.

She was the Pick?

…she was the Pick!

“Aw!” She was totally and utterly touched. “You guys!”

“Strike one!” Dr. Abrams called out as the ball thudded into the catcher’s mitt.

Oh, crud.

Bex shook her head in a fondly exasperated way as Herrmann’s faint cry of “Brett!” made its way over to them and Sylvie smiled sheepishly.

“Come on, girl!” Bex called out.

“Second time’s the charm, Brett!” Connor hollered.

Sylvie adjusted her stance, properly ready this time. She kept her eye on the ball as it came winging toward her and—

Yes! Sent it sailing toward second base. Sylvie took off and ran as fast as she could, making it to first just after Jay had thrown the ball to Kevin.

“Safe!” Maggie declared and Sylvie did a little dance, waving at Casey who had made it to third.

“Nice moves, Brett,” Kevin murmured in her ear before tossing the ball back to Sam.

“Why thank you.” She grinned back at him, feeling the blush that always crept into her cheeks when he looked at her like that.

“Eyes on the game, people,” Maggie said, the laughter clear in her voice.

Sylvie bumped hips with Kevin, still smiling, but turning her attention back to their next player coming up to bat. “Woo-hoo! Yeah, Kidd!”

***

Hailey

Kidd managed another hit and Hailey could hear Trudy’s groans clear across the diamond from her spot on third base. Halstead tagged Brett out before she got to second, but Casey was racing toward home already.

All of 51 leapt to their feet as he crossed home. Bex and the Canteen Crew, inexplicably, threw their arms in the air and yelled “GOAL!” with varying levels of enthusiasm.

Hailey shot a look over at Halstead, hoping for an explanation, but his face was buried in his mitt as he groaned. She turned to Mouse over in the short stop position instead.

He huffed out a laugh at her wordless question, staring out a Halstead’s sister with that unbearably soft smile he’d been wearing more and more. “Bex started doing it to annoy her brothers,” he said and Hailey waved a hand at him.

"Enough said." Hailey had three older brothers herself.

Sometimes being annoying was reason enough.

***

Bex

Otis was two strikes in at bat and not being very appreciative of Bex and Emery’s encouragement to put his back into it.

They had a little dance move and everything.

He put almost as much work into ignoring them as he did focusing on the next pitch. And it paid off! He sent the ball flying off to centre field…

Right into Kol’s waiting muzzle.

Otis stomped his way back to the dugout when Dr. Abram’s called him out. “This is some Air Bud-level bullshit!”

Kol barked from his spot out by Al in centre field.

Bex pulled herself up off the ground where she was currently dying with laughter to yell, “Hey, Kol says watch your language,” and Otis leveled a murderous look at her.

Seriously. Best Grudge Match ever.

***

Will

Bex and Emery switched off with Devon and Isaac for the beginning of the second inning so the guys could have a go at heckling Sam when 21 took their turn at bat. She declared it their right as boyfriends.

The considering-slash-mischievous look Connor gave him was making Will eternally grateful Med didn’t have a team.

Bex then got into a discussion with Emery and Donna over how weird it was having Police Officer Sam Kent around at the same time as Dr. Sam Abrams and whether or not they should give them both nicknames.

A nickname.

For Sam Abrams.

Will and Connor steered clear of that chat, filing it firmly under the list of things only Bex could get away with.

The game finally started to heat up a bit and by the beginning of the third inning, 21 had pulled ahead four runs to three. (Jay scored one of them, pointing a sharp finger and mouthing ‘DON’T’ as he ran past them only to be blasted by extra loud cheers of ‘GOAL!’ as a result.)

Will and Connor took a little break from the canteen to watch for awhile, enjoying the shenanigans and keeping up the heckling when Bex prompted them.

They’d turned to head back and relieve Donna at the grill when a wave of noise went up from the crowd. Will looked around to see a foul ball come flying over the back stop, straight for Connor’s head.

He plucked it out of the air right as Connor looked up, eyes wide. Will grinned over at him.

“Saved your life.”

Connor rolled his eyes, but leaned into his side. “My hero.”

“It was for my own benefit, really,” Will said, tossing the ball back over for Abrams to catch. “Kinda like your face how it is.”

“Just kinda?” Connor arched an eyebrow at him.

“Kind of a lot.” Will leaned in for a kiss. “Among your many other excellent qualities.”

Bex brushed past them holding a tray full of popcorn bags and drinks. “Back in a sec! Keep heckling!!!”

“Where are you—” Will turned to Emery since Bex was already travelling at full velocity. “Where is she going?”

“Do any of us really know where we’re going?” Emery asked back solemnly.

“Em.” Will sighed as Connor snorted behind him.

“No clue,” she said with a laugh. “Bex is gonna Bex. She said she’d be back though.”

“Yeah, she mentioned that as she flew by.” It had to be something important. Bex wouldn’t abandon the Canteen ship so Will would just focus on keeping things organized in the meantime. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s see how we’re doing for supplies and figure out if we need grab anything before the fifth inning break.”

***

Bex

Bex carefully balanced her load as she made her way over to the bleachers on the CPD side of the field. She walked as quick as she could to avoid being pulled into a chat.

She was on a mission.

She’d spotted Mouse’s group sitting together at the start of the game, but none of them had stopped by the canteen yet. Bex wasn’t sure if they were hesitant to approach her or waiting until the break or…any number of the scenarios that she’d run through her brain.

In any case, this felt like the better plan. Break the ice with snacks.

Very high success rate.

Usually.

Don’t overthink it, she coached herself. These were Mouse’s people. She’d already met them once and they’d been lovely. They just wanted to get to know her a bit. Because they—

Oh, god, because they were Mouse’s family—she was meeting—capital M Meeting— Mouse’s family and they weren’t even technically, officially dating yet.

The tray wobbled.

“Cool,” she whispered to herself. “Everything is cool, cool, cool.”

Rounding the corner of the bleachers, Bex approached Mouse’s group. Ed spotted her right away and leapt up to offer his help with the tray.

“Hi,” Bex said, relinquishing her hold on the tray and giving the group a little wave. “I brought snacks.” Ugh. Excellent start, Bex.

“We were just debating when to get snacks,” Ed said, quirking a smile at her as he handed out the bags and drinks to the others. “Before or after the fifth inning rush.”

“Things definitely get a little hairy over there during the break,” she said. “But we always make sure we’re well stocked so they’ll be plenty left if you want to play it safe and wait for the start of the sixth.”

“We can always send Ed in,” Ada said, poking at his shoulder with a laugh. “His elbow game is strong. Good man to have in a crowd.”

“It’s not—I don’t—Ada—” Ed sputtered and Bex stifled a giggle. It was kind of nice to know the guy could get ruffled like a regular human. Every story she’d heard involved him being the calmest person on the planet which was slightly intimidating.

“Bex, join us,” Lucy said. She shuffled over with a warm smile. “Can the canteen spare you for a bit?”

“Oh, for sure.” She waved a hand over at the Canteen Crew. “I roped my brother in this year so we’ve got plenty of help.”

“Which brother is this?” Frank asked. “We’ve heard about Jay and he’s playing with Mouse on the CPD team, right?”

“Yup, so this brother is Will,” Bex said. “He’s two years older than Jay and a doctor at Med. My oldest brother is Chris. That’s him over there with the CFD team.”

The group peered over the fence to get a glimpse at Chris across the diamond. He was currently smacking his face into his clipboard so as far as first impressions went, it was…fairly accurate.

“Three older brothers,” Lucy said with a whistle. “I thought I had it bad with two.”

Bex laughed. “Yeah, that’s just my biological brothers,” she said. “Factor in all of my adopted brothers?” She waved a hand at the whole field. “It’s a little nuts sometimes.”

“Mouse says you’re an artist?” Chuck asked and Bex started telling them about her work and her projects she had on the go and then asking them about their jobs.

It went on like that for a while; all of them sharing pieces of their lives with her and her doing the same in return. She had them all laughing with the history of the Grudge Match game and the reasoning behind the Canteen Crews antics.

“We gotta join in with the goal cheer and wave our signs if Mouse gets a run,” Lucy said, eyes going bright with the idea.

“Oooh, perfect,” Ada agreed. She turned to Bex then and the change in the air was visceral. “Speaking of Mouse,” she continued. “What are your intentions?”

Her what?

“Ada,” Ed groaned.

“He’s our friend,” Ada said, ignoring the daggers Ed was shooting at her. “This is our job.”

Realization shot through Bex in a flash and her heart clenched, feeling so full she thought it might burst. “Is this—are you giving me the shovel talk?”

***

Ada

Bex went white for a moment before her eyes went wide and shiny as she took a sharp breath. Ada had half a second to worry that she had monumentally screwed up before a wide smile spread across her face.

“This is—oh, my god, this is so great,” she said, pulling Ada in for a tight hug.

Ada looked to the rest of the group for help as she was squeezed by someone a foot shorter than her, but they were zero help. Every single one of them looked as flabbergasted as she felt.

“Okay.” Bex pulled back, giving herself a shake and straightening her shoulders. “Lay it on me.”

“Well, it feels weird now,” Ada said, throwing her hands up and Bex’s face immediately fell.

“No! No, I’m sorry,” she said, reaching for Ada again and then stopping, planting her hands in her lap. “I’m just—it’s so great.”

“Great how?” Chuck asked slowly. He was eyeing Bex like he was putting together the pieces of a puzzle only he could see at the moment. Ada hoped he filled her in soon or that Bex did because she was very lost.

“Do you see that field?” She pointed out at the players running around and shouting. “Pretty much any one out there would give Mouse a shovel talk for me in a heartbeat. And there’s more people beyond that.” She sighed, gathering her words. “I don’t say that to brag or anything. I’ve been really lucky when it comes to…acquiring family members.” She smiled before looking back at them. “Mouse doesn’t talk to me about his family. Not yet, anyway.”

A slight nod to what they all knew he was working toward with the walks.

“I’ve always had the sense that they’re not really in the picture,” Bex said and Ada didn’t want to be speaking out of turn, but she knew her face was saying plenty. “Right,” Bex nodded. “So. when it came to having people—to having family—I knew he had Jay and he had me…” Bex slowly looked around at every member of their group, smile growing impossibly brighter. “But he has all of you too. You’re his family and that makes me—I’m so happy for him.” Her laugh came out a little wet and she shook her head before taking a deep breath. “Okay. Shovel talk. Let’s go.”

“I don’t know if I can do it now,” Ada began, but Chuck was already leaning in.

“Mouse is very special to us,” he said in that soft, calm voice of his. “We have been there with him through some of his darkest times and through all of the hard work he put in to pull himself through. It’s taking a lot for him to take these steps with you. All I ask is that you honour the effort he’s making and…give him time.”

Bex nodded solemnly. “I do,” she said. “And I will.”

“Don’t break his heart,” Frank burst out, surprising them all. “I know you can’t really promise that because no one knows how these things will turn out, but please. Don’t break his heart.” The last part was whispered, like a prayer Frank was sending out. The rest of them felt it echo in their own hearts.

“The last thing I want to do is break Mouse’s heart,” Bex said. She chewed on her lip for a moment before continuing. “I don’t know what you’d classify what we’re doing right now as—aside from ‘taking it slow’, but it feels like more than that. Because everything with Mouse is more for me.” Her cheeks went pink for a moment. “This kind of feels like something I should be saying to him.”

“You don’t have to explain,” Ed said and she held up a hand.

“I want to. At least a little bit,” she said. “I think the truth of it all for me is that no matter what, even if things don’t work out romantically between us—but I’m really, really hopeful that they will—like I said, Mouse is part of my family. I will always be there for him. Always.”

Ada caught Chuck’s eye and raised a brow. To be fair, Bex had kind of proven that already by not walking away from Mouse after the first round of horrific miscommunication.

Girl was pretty committed.

“We had a sense of that,” Chuck said, patting Bex’s shoulder and putting voice to Ada’s thoughts. “But it’s always nice to hear. Now.” He pointed out at the field. “What can you tell us about this fantastic dog?”

Bex’s laughter pealed out infectiously and she immediately began launching into the story of Kol the dog’s adoption by her brother Will and the many adventures he’d had since then.

Ada’s smile grew as she listened, making eye contact with the rest of the group and bumping shoulders with Ed. Even without talking, she knew they were on the same page. This was good, that they had come here today—that they’d seen for themselves.

Bex was the right person for Mouse.

And Ada was pretty certain Mouse was the right person for Bex. Next time his doubts started to creep in, their group would have no trouble reminding him of that.

***

Jay

It was finally the end of the fifth inning. Break time.

Their team had held on to their lead, stretching it to eight to five at this point much to Chris’s despair. Jay had scored another one of those runs himself thanks to Kol finally deciding to take a break. Last Jay had spotted him, the evil beast had been snoozing under the CFD side of the bleachers while Annabelle decorated him with dandelions.

Maybe he could slip her five bucks to keep him there.

(He should have twenty ready because that kid could haggle.)

Jay lined up with the rest of the team to get some kind of snack. He was freaking starving. As he got closer to the tables, he grinned at the sight of the Canteen Crew bopping around as they hustled through serving everyone. Since the game was paused, Bex had turned the tunes on.

Strictly oldies.

It was the one genre they’d landed on that hadn’t caused an argument. The year they’d played classic rock had been a blood bath. Who knew Mouch had such strong feelings about Rush?

…everyone did, now, but at the time? Jay blew out a breath at the memory.

Nah, oldies were a safe bet. Plus, now he was treated to the sight of Will dancing around with Bex singing along to Rockin’ Robin as they handed out burgers and hotdogs.

Where was his phone? He needed a picture of this. A camera sound snapped to his right and he looked over to see Chris already taking care of it.

“Send me a copy?” Jay asked.

“Oh, it’s going in the group chat,” Chris said with a grin.

Jay kind of loved that ‘the group chat’ could mean anything from the one he and Will were in with Chris and Cindy and about ten other options ending with the one that had…pretty much everyone.

“What can I get you?” Emery asked with a grin when he stepped up to the table at last.

“Literally anything,” Jay said, eyeing the vast selections. “But definitely a burger if there’s one available.”

“On it!” She disappeared for a moment before returning with a heaping plate. He dug into his pocket for his wallet and she waved him off. “It’s on me,” Emery said. She nodded her head toward the end of the table and he followed. “I wanted to say thanks for checking out the places I was looking at.”

“No problem at all,” Jay said, picking up his burger and took a huge bite. He was hungry, okay? “Bex said you went with the house?”

Emery shook her head, laughing at his attempts to talk around his mouthful and giving him a very Bex look. “Yeah, I signed the lease and I move in on the 15th.” She looked like she wanted to say more so Jay waited her out. Still chewing.

“Thank you as well for the self defence class recommendations,” she said. “I looked into them and I found one with an instructor I really like. I start this week.”

Jay swallowed, wanting to be intelligible for this. It was a big step. “I’m really glad to hear that,” Jay said. “And seriously, I was happy to help. We all are. You need anything, you’ve got my number, right?”

“Bex gave it to me, along with possibly the number of every single person who works at your precinct?” Emery shrugged in that way everyone did when faced with a very Bex thing.

Jay was about to ask how, but decided he really didn’t want to know. Especially when the answer was gonna be one: something that skirted all kinds of rules or two: …Platt.

“I should get back to work,” Emery said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “But thanks again.”

“No problem again,” Jay said, already stuffing his mouth full of more burger. “And thanks for the food!”

He ambled over to the CPD dugout and listened to Platt talk ‘battle plans’ while he finished of his meal.

***

Bex

“Thanks, Bex,” Kevin said as he accepted his plate from her. “Hey, uh, got a minute?” He jerked his head to the side and Bex looked out at the dwindling line, deciding she did have a minute.

“What’s up?” Kevin looked uncharacteristically nervous. To the point where Bex was almost concerned about what he might want to talk to her about.

“Remember how Tay brought Shay to one of the game nights?” he asked, letting the question hang in the air.

“Yeah, because she wanted a ‘relaxed’ way to bring her into the friend group and I still say she was lucky the night turned out the way it did because historically game night—oh, my god—” The dots. They connected. “You want to bring Sylvie to game night.”

Kevin ducked his head with a shy little nod and Bex melted.

“She can totally come to a game night,” Bex said, reaching out to grab his arm and do a little happy dance. He didn’t join in, but that was fine. She could dance for two.

“Yeah?” Kevin grinned at her. “Good, that’s—hey, I was thinking though. She really likes outdoor stuff so maybe we could mix it up.”

Bex felt her smile freeze on her face. “Mix it up? Like…find a boardgame café with a patio?”

“Nah,” Kevin laughed. “Like that time we played ultimate frisbee. Or we could play touch football or have another baseball night? Something like that?”

“Those all sound like something. That could be done. By people.” Outside game night. Outside. Game night? They were words. But did they go together? No. No, they did not.

“Are you sure that would be okay because your voice got kinda high there at the end and I don’t wanna—I don’t wanna push or anything.” Aw, and now he was looking all nervous again and that was no good.

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Okay. Bex could suck it up. She could do this. “We can absolutely figure out a fun—” (hngh) “—outdoor—” (oh, god) “—game night that you can invite Sylvie too and we’ll be fun friends and convince her that you’re actually cool.”

“If I needed to convince her of that, I wouldn’t be doing something with all of you people,” Kevin shot back. “Or at least not Ruzek.”

Bex swatted at him with a laugh. (Although that was fair.) “I’ll get a chat going and we’ll figure out some dates and ideas for you to take back to Sylvie, sound good?”

“Yeah,” Kevin said. “Really good. Thanks, Bex.”

“No worries.” She gave him a pat before he wandered off back toward the CPD dugout and sighed. The things she did for her gang.

Outdoor Game Night. Good lord.

“Come on, people,” Dr. Abrams called out. “Break is over in five minutes. Let’s finish this.”

***

Chris

By the beginning of the seventh inning, the clowns at 21 were still leading except now it was nine to seven. 51 was giving it their all. Still hustling as hard as they could.

Too hard, it turned out.

A gasp went through the crowd when Shay and Cruz both went the ball at the same time and collided in the out field. Hard.

Will and Connor were already jogging out onto the scene as if their whole team wasn’t made up of first responders, but the support was nice. Especially considering how much Shay’s nose was bleeding.

Not broken was the verdict. Which was good. Real good. But it meant Shay was out for the rest of the game.

She glared at him from her seat in the dugout. “It’d be nice if you could try to look less happy about this,” she sniped.

“I’m not happy! Not happy at all! I hate that you got hurt, Shay. It’s terrible. Want me to get you some ice?”

“Will’s already getting it,” she grumbled, waving him off. “Don’t worry about me. Just say it. What you’ve wanted to say all day.”

Chris fought back the grin that wanted to burst out as he turned to his two spare players.

“Tony. Get out there, man. You’re in the game.”

***

Connor

Everyone clapped for Shay when she came out to wave at the crowd and they announced that she was okay. Tony went out to take her place in left field.

Connor turned to Bex who was pretty vibrating with excitement beside him. “Are we happy with this turn of events?”

She made a face. “Not happy that Shay’s hurt,” she said. “Obviously. But we are happy that Tony’s in play. Wait until they’re at bat. You’ll see.”

The rest of the first half went well for the CPD team. They got another run when Mouse made it home. All of the spectators had picked up on Bex’s cheer by this point so he was faced with a rousing cry of “GOAL!” from all sides. Plus a crew of people waving signs with his name on them wildly.

He took it about as well as Mouse seemed to take any attention which was to duck his head with a little smile as he jogged back to the dugout.

That was the last of their luck though as three outs in quick succession had the teams switching places. Chris gave another rousing pep talk before 51 started up at the plate and that plus the addition of Tony seemed to have an effect.

Given how the game had gone so far, Connor wasn’t too sure how they were going to overcome a four run lead, but soon enough the bases were loaded.

But then Cruz stuck out.

And Stella stuck out.

One more out left and Tony was coming up to the plate.

Connor curled his fingers into the fence, holding his breath.

***

Chris

It wasn’t the be all, end all for them to win this game. It was for charity.

But Chris really, really wanted to win.

He wanted those bragging right and he wanted them bad.

Once Tony had been put into play, it seemed like they might be in reach, but now they were down two outs and Chris was praying to anyone who might be listening to throw a little luck their way.

Tony was finally up to bat. They could do this. “Come on, Tony,” Chris said, clapping his hands, getting everyone else to join in on the cheers. “You got this, buddy. You got this.”

The first pitch came through.

“Ball one,” Dr. Abrams called out.

Okay. Okay. That wasn’t a strike. That was fine. Tony was waiting for his pitch. Chris could respect that.

By the time they got through two strikes and two more balls, Chris was maybe starting to sweat a little.

“Tony!” Bex called out and Chris squawked at her. They did not need any trash talk right now, Rebecca Marie Freakin’ Herrmann.

She ignored him and waited until Tony turned to look at her. She nodded at him once. Slowly and silently. Tony nodded back. Just as slowly and silently.

What the—what the hell was that? Chris buried his face in his clipboard. He couldn’t watch this.

He looked up.

He closed his eyes.

He opened them and peered over the top of the clipboard.

Sam wound up and let loose with the pitch. Tony narrowed his eyes, adjusting his stance and—

—swung and—

CRACK!

Chris felt his heart stop until he caught sight of the ball in the air, flying, flying—straight out of the damn park. Mouch was slapping at his shoulders and people were cheering and his crew was rounding the bases—one, two, three, four! Four runs taking them to a total of eleven!

WHICH DEFINITELY BEAT TEN!

They won. They won!

Chris leapt into the fray, jumping around and cheering with the rest of his team as 21 clapped semi-reluctantly, but mostly with good-humour in the background.

They went through and did the good game handshakes and Chris was semi-certain he’d kept his grin to a respectable level of just a teeny bit smug.

Because they frickin’ won.

“This time,” Platt said, as she gripped his hand, apparently reading his mind at the same time.

“It’s the only time that matters until next time,” Chris shot back. Nothing was wrecking this high. Cindy and the kids came over to cover him in hugs and congratulations. Kol ambled up behind them, fully decorated with dandelions dotting his fur and a crown of them on top of his head. “You’re a good boy, Kol,” Chris said, crouching down to give him a scratch. “Even if you tried to destroy me. I forgive you. Yes, I do. You’re a good boy.”

“Daddy, can Kol sleep over again tonight?” Annabelle asked him, sweet as can be. Since they’d put their foot down about getting a dog of their own (not something they wanted to juggle with a little one on the way), Annabelle had been working double time on her efforts to have some sort of time share arrangement with Will over Kol.

Chris shot a look at Cindy who shrugged. Seemed like one more night would be manageable. “Fine by us, sweetheart,” Chris said, running a hand over Annabelle’s hair. “But you know who you need to ask…”

Annabelle was already off and running. “Uncle Willlllllll!”

***

Mouse

Now that the game was done, both sides were mingling, enjoying the last of the food from the canteen as the tunes started up again. Mouse leaned against the fence, smiling to himself as he watched Bex and Otis try to teach the Herrmann kids what he had to assume were dance moves from the fifties? Maybe the sixties?

The two of them had miles more confidence than skill, but the kids didn’t seem to care.

Especially since, as Mouse looked a little closer, it definitely seemed like Otis and Bex were fully making up moves now, egging each other on.

“Gonna join them?” Chuck asked, coming over to join him with the rest of the group close behind.

“I think you know the answer to that,” Mouse said and Chuck’s answering smile said he did.

“We had a lovely talk with her earlier,” Chuck continued and Mouse froze, then consciously tried to unfreeze because a talk was just a talk. It didn’t have to spell disaster.

“Our initial impression stands,” Ada said, jerking a nod at the Bex and Otis show. “We like her. A lot.”

“Glad to have your seal of approval,” Mouse murmured and he was. Their opinions held value for him. Held weight.

“Keep doing what you’re doing,” Chuck said, equally as quietly. Only for Mouse’s ears. “I have faith the two of you will get there in the end.”

Mouse watched as Bex threw her head back, laughing as she jumped around now with Boden and Donna joining the fray.

He hoped so. More than anything ever before, he hoped so.

***

Bex

“We took such good care of him, Uncle Will and he had so much fun and I promise we’ll take extra good care of him tonight,” Annabelle said, following Will around as they packed up the canteen supplies. “He probably won’t even want to come home…”

Bex could not even look at Will after that because she knew she’d burst out laughing. She could totally picture the look Annabelle was giving him right now. He didn’t stand a chance.

“You know,” Will began and Bex shook her head knowing already where this was going. And Chris said she was a pushover. “I think Kol would love to have another sleepover with you.” Careful pause. “But he should probably come back to my place after that because routine is important for dogs.”

Oooh, good save.

“Thank you, Uncle Will!” Annabelle wrapped her arms around his neck, strangling him a little, but Will didn’t seem to mind. He whispered something in her ear and she turned to Bex when she finally let him go.

And uh-oh. There was that look.

Will smirked at her.

“Auntie Bex,” Annabelle said, wandering over to her. “Uncle Will said you were sad about not coming to the sleepover last night but you can come tonight if you want? I know Mommy and Daddy will say yes.”

Like she would ever say no.

“Miss Annabelle, I would love to come over for a sleepover,” Bex said, reaching out for a high five which Annabelle happily slapped. “I need to run home and grab some stuff, but I’ll be over soon.”

Cindy and Chris would probably be happy to have the help kid-wrangling after the long day they’d had and she had plans to meet Chris for breakfast tomorrow anyway so this just simplified things.

“Hey!” Emery came up to grab another load for the car. “I’m headed over to Kira and Malia’s tonight. Girls’ night sleepover. Want to come?”

“I’ve actually received an exclusive invite to a Herrmann house sleepover complete with dogs and small children,” Bex said. “But thank you for the offer.”

“Next you’re going to tell me there’s a pillow fort to go with this exclusive invite,” Emery said, giving her a mock pout.

“I mean, it’s not out of the question.” Things could get crazy over there.

“Lucky!” Emery picked up one of the last boxes and started heading back for the car. “I’m texting Malia and Kira back. They need to up their game.”

Bex laughed, picking up the actual last box as Will and Connor took down the last table. She walked by them on her way to the car. “Looks like you have the place to yourselves tonight, boys.” She leaned in to whisper at Will, shaking her head. “As if that wasn’t your plan all along. Diabolical, sir. Di-a-bolical.”

Will didn’t bother to deny it. Just shot her a little smirk.

Whatever. He wasn’t getting a pillow fort.

Probably.

Hunh—nope, not asking.

***

Will

Will crowded Connor against the car after they loaded the last of their supplies in the trunk. “Did you hear that? Got the place all to ourselves.”

“I did,” Connor said, raising his eyebrows. “Neatly done, if not, as Bex said, fairly diabolical.”

“Well, I had plenty of motivation because certain promises were made this morning,” Will said, tugging at Connor’s cap. “About you…and this outfit…”

“Will,” Connor said slowly as he leaned in.

“Connor.”

“Sooner you get in the car,” Connor said, gaze heating up. “The sooner I can fulfill those promises.”

He was in his seat, buckled, and already reaching over to open Connor’s door before the man could blink.

Grudge Match Day was turning out to be not so bad after all.

Click here to read Chapter Ten. Click here to read Chapter Eleven. Click here to read Chapter Twelve. Click here to read Chapter Thirteen. Click here to read Chapter Fourteen. Click here to read Chapter Fifteen. Click here to read Chapter Sixteen.

Click here to read 500 Miles on ao3:

More to come in October! (I have to get a project handed in for the end of the month. *sad trombone*)

Here is the tag list (let me know if you wish to be added or removed):

@sorry-i-spaced, @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived, @ivyalmighty, @thewannabewriter, @lexhalstead3, @multifandomgrl08, @sensitivemallysix, @thebewingedjewelcat, @emme-looou,

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chameleontea · 1 year

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Disenchanted MCs

Hey guys, I’m back with another installment of ‘I Have Way Too Many OCs’! And what I mean by that is that today I will be sharing my MCs from @disenchantedif‘s game! It’s super good and has a really interesting concept, so be sure to check it out!

Now, if you know me then you’ll know that I like to make different MCs for different routes. So for Disenchanted I have 7 MCs for each species available and to romance the different ROs.

I can’t draw sadly, so I’ve used @elena-illustration‘s picrew! Anyways, I apologize for the rambling that’s bound to happen. And maybe I’ll share more OCs in the future if I can get over my crippling social anxiety :).

Sabina “Bibi” Fotiou

Gender/Pronouns: Nonbinary, They/Them

Species: Siren (They can transform in water with a deep purple tail, and they only have gills when in the water)

Personality: Bibi has always enjoyed being around people and used to be quite outgoing, but after being unchosen and cast aside by Luci, they've become much more closed off. They still deeply crave people's love and acceptance, but they've grown into an anxious mess that can barely hold a conversation without things turning awkward. They hate how much they've changed and wish that they could get themself back to where they were before, but instead they continue to stick their head in the sand in an attempt to avoid even more rejection.

ROs: Vik/Luci Poly (Viktor has been their greatest source of comfort and support after everything that happened, and they love him dearly. However, they’ve also never been able to fully let go of Lucien...)

Catalina “Lina” Montes-Romero

Gender/Pronouns: Transwoman, She/Her

Species: Banshee

Personality: Lina most likely isn't what people would expect a Banshee to be like. She's super outgoing and perpetually cheerful, always acting kind to people even though she knows that they talk badly about her behind her back. She always tries to stay positive, which isn't something that's easy to do when you can foretell death. But the truth is, the positive attitude is something that she uses to try to help her get through the day. Because she buries all of the negative emotions that come with her premonitions and with her unchosen status deep down inside. She can always feel it lurking inside of her, but she refuses to let it show. Lina is scared of that darkness inside of her taking over one day, so she keeps using her sunny smile to try to keep it at bay. Let's hope that it lasts.

RO: Harlow (Some of these ROs may be switched around, but for now I feel like the two banshees would be a good match since they can understand each other. They’ll probably make me cry though)

Ash Mulligan

Gender/Pronouns: Cis Woman, She/Her

Species: Sorcerer

Personality: Ash has always been strong. She tries not to take things too personally, so maybe that's why she prefers to try to just move on with her life and forge a new path rather than hold grudges and dwell on what could have been. She's always been more laid-back and go with the flow, so she's going to do what's best for her and not let other people's opinions get in her way. She's never afraid to stand up for herself, but she also has a kind heart for those who make attempts to get to know her without judgment. And if you do end up becoming close to her, be prepared for her affectionate teasing and sarcasm.

ROs: Theo/Cam Poly (I could have made things easier on myself and just gone with the Theo/Vik poly, but I guess that I just like the rivals to lovers drama too much. At least Ash can hopefully stop Theodora from breaking Cameron’s kneecaps too many times...)

Lkhagvasuren “Suren” Munkbat

Gender/Pronouns: Transman, He/Him

Species: Nephilim (His wings are actually blue like a raven’s)

Personality: Suren was always shy and introverted, but he became even more reclusive after the events of his past. Even after the years that have passed, he can't help but feel heavy and weak with grief. Even when he does make a rare public appearance, it's unusual to see him actually speak to anyone other than Viktor and Theo, and the lost expression on his face really speaks for itself.

RO: ??? (Why on earth would I give the most depressed character the Wraith as an RO? I have no clue... but here we are)

*I wanted to give Suren a Mongolian heritage, so I tried to reflect that in his name. I don’t know too much about Mongolian names though, so if I messed up please let me know and I will correct it! :)*

Levi Dorokhov

Gender/Pronouns: Cis Man, He/Him

Species: Basilisk

Personality: Levi has been stoic ever since he was a child, so it's hard to tell if he's always been so emotionless or if the trauma of his past caused him to lock away his emotions even tighter. There just seems to be numbness inside of him most of the time. Sure, he loves his friends and he enjoys things like reading and napping in the sun, but verbally and physically expressing his emotions is something that he just doesn't know how to do currently. If he tries to think about his emotions and their meaning for too long his brain just begins to short circuit. So it's easier to just float through life and not question the strange emptiness inside of him.

ROs: Charlie/Avery Poly (I have no clue how this will work out seeing as both Levi and Avery are emotionally constipated. At least Charles is good with expressing emotions, but it seems like he’s also not the best at recognizing romantic feelings, so really it’s just going to be a mess. But a fun mess hopefully)

Aziz Khan

Gender/Pronouns: Agender, Xe/Xem

Species: Draca (Xyr scales are supposed to be a deep green color)

Personality: Aziz could be described as materialistic and self-absorbed, which is definitely a stereotype that xyr species knows well. But really, at this point, xe doesn't care anymore. People have been talking bad about xem and tarnishing xyr name for so long that xe can't even be bothered to try to prove them wrong. In xyr mind people will never see them in a positive light anyways, so why spend any energy trying to convince them? No, instead Aziz does whatever xe wants whenever xe wants. It may not be the best tactic to make friends with, but xe was never much of a people person anyways. Xe doesn't have the energy to care anymore.

RO: Penelope (She seems like a ride or die, and Aziz definitely could use more of that in xyr life. Also, I think that xe would get heart eyes if xe saw her get into a fight with someone or chew them out)

Mika Eskelinen

Gender/Pronouns: Genderfluid, Any Pronouns

Species: Cambion (They do not have wings)

Personality: Mika may have some anger issues... but after everything that they've been through can you really blame them? All of Mika's emotions are explosive, whether they're throwing a punch or shrieking in delight. And the one thing they do better than anything else is hold a grudge. They've always been rebellious and mischievous, and that certainly hasn't stopped now. You better always keep an eye out for their next scheme, or else their next victim may just be you.

RO: Ami (Someone please stop them, they are out of control. Imagine the chaos these two could get into together. Also, imagining the absolute breakdown that Amrita’s parents would have after finding out that their daughter is dating a cambion makes me smile)

------

So that’s all for now! Maybe if I have more to say about them in the future then I’ll make another post. For now I’ll just sit here and feel bad about all the different ways I made their trauma affect them. Hopefully you guys like them though. I love my children, and I’m excited to see where the story takes them.

Also, I did not proof-read this. So apologies if there are any mistakes lol.

#disenchantedif #OCs #the anxiety that courses through me whenever I try to post something or talk to someone...#Anyways #Enjoy my brain gremlins

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benevolentcalamity · 2 years

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Rescue Mission [Yautja (Wakate) x Fem!Reader] Pt.3 [Final]

Ngl! I feel like without having seen a single movie of the Yautja I’m doing one pretty well! Even for just skimming their wiki and shit, haha. Hopefully you guys like Wakate too.

Also I do understand there’s like... different kinds of Yautja? Like their head shapes and color schemes are different? I’ll need to reread that bit.

For now, enjoy! This is the last installment of this trilogy - let me know if you dig it! (Thinking about writing an epilogue.)

I did wind up changing my mind about this being a smut fic. This situation doesn’t have the buildup I require, so just let me get comfortable with these big guys before any of that, ok?

Also! Let me know if you want all this to become an actual full fic, because the storylines are interesting me, finally! (But that feel when that requires you facing your thing about body horror and watching the movies for deeper understanding...)

“I’m still not entirely sure why you feel this necessary.” Wakate’s voice is more confused than his normal irritation. “Normally any sort of contact with a Xenomorph spells death, especially for you humans.”

You pause from washing off [Redacted], keeping her clothes on or nearby to preserve her dignity.

“I’d have seen those hand scorpion looking things dead nearby if she was infested, and from examining her she seems to be okay, at least for now,” You mention. “They have a special medical facility at the base, something that gives us some chance of survival.”

This isn’t a lie. After the realization of a past and shamefully repeated threat, the Ripley Project, named for the first person to survive an encounter with Xenomorphs, was created. Consistent study of these creatures all the way down to the composition of their brains - samples brought back from an expedition for this purpose - is ever-evolving and expanding. What’s tragic, however, is you and the next generation won’t get to see the project be completed. You and future soldiers will use upgrading technology, yes, but it will be possibly decades, centuries even, before a human can stand a chance one-on-one.

You barely made it by the skin of your teeth, and you’re considered one of the best.

“Hence our recent communications with the Yautja as well,” You add, combing your fingers through her hair. “We’ve been attempting to come to some middle ground with the different tribes, but we end up fighting more than shaking hands instead.”

“And what about you? Where do you stand?” It’s an honest question, especially from him.

Momentarily you look off in thought. “I’ve been recommended for promotion. As I stand now I don’t have the biggest inside looks on the actual project itself.”

“As for [Redated]?”

Swallowing, you check her pulse. She’s stable. “... I actually don’t know. They say a good few years after the project formally started, she was brought back to us. A leftover from the Ergoproxy Station, I think is the story.” You pause, pouring more water over her. “There was some Xenomorphs...” You trail off, noticing something off.

Lifting her shirt up above her tearing grey sports bra, you recoil with an uneven shriek.

Smack dab beneath her ribs is an ugly patch of scar tissue, suggesting an injury repeatedly opened back up and inflicted. At first glance it looks more like she was impaled on a pole, but when you take a closer look at how it’s formed, it almost looks like...

Your face blanches. “... Hey, Wakate... Take a look at this, if you’d be so kind.”

Almost immediately after you request it he’s right beside you, kneeling down and lifting [Redacted] slightly to get a better look at the scar. His enormous finger prods and pokes it, him looking from slightly different angles. Eventually he lifts his head, looking toward you.

“Do you know how Xenomorphs reproduce, Ooman?” He questions, and you nod. “This is not a wound from the outside in.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense.” It really doesn’t. “The chestburster method is supposed to be fatal.”

“Either the actual parasite can travel, or she’s tremendously unlucky.” He’s audibly rolling his eyes. “This particular Ooman’s an odd one.”

Wetting your lips, you raise your hand to your communicator. “Johnson, come in.”

“[Name], evac’s going to be there in thirty, the hell you want?” His uncharacteristic testiness has you momentarily recoiling. “... Apologies. The commander’s been up my ass about the operation.”

“Cry me a river,” You sigh. “Listen, do you or I have access to the files of the Ergoproxy Station incident?”

“... Negative.”

Furrowing your brow, you try not to snap at him. “Well, who does?”

“The scientists, bioengineers, the whole nine yards, all involved with this damn project. The commander, too.”

“Why would they keep those files from us?”

“Beats me... Will that be all?”

You huff. “Yes. Ending communication.”

The moment your finger releases the communicator button, you slump, almost tempted to hit yourself in the forehead. Letting out a sharp, aggravated breath through puffed cheeks, you try to relax, scooping [Redacted]’s hand up in yours. Squeezing it slightly, you lift your head back up, straightening your back to look towards Wakate, now looking a bit more relaxed.

“What’ll you do now, Wakate?” You’re wholly aware you two are a good team, maybe even starting to bond. Whatever the case may be, you just want to know if he’ll be okay.

“My hunt is over, and you retrieved your friend. So, our alliance has served its purpose,” He responds. “My ship will be back soon. In the meanwhile I’ll be combing this island for anything that might’ve escaped the nest.”

You swallow. “Well then I’m staying.”

His mandibles flare. “You said yourself you’re out of bullets, and you’re inadept with what you have still. You’ll be fodder before you even take a breath.” His voice is stern, almost harsh, but even you can pick up the undertone of care. Once you do, his large hand is on your arm. “You fought well, and proven yourself a worthy Ooman. Do not throw that away.”

“But...” You tilt your head slightly. “How will I know you’re okay?”

He snorts. “You don’t need to be concerned about me. You’re quick and resourceful, and equally I am strong and agile. If you can make it that long in the nest, I can survive the island.”

Only mildly assured, you nod. “Okay...”

For a moment, you’re both in silence. There’s no reason for him to stay beside you, other than whatever’s going on in his head. You like thinking maybe he’s just looking after you and [Redacted] until your chopper arrives, but there’s probably something else. Perhaps what he’ll do when he gets back home, wherever home may be for him.

“... Wakate,” You say after a moment.

“What?”

“When [Redacted] and I get back to the base, I’m going to see if I can access the files to Ergoproxy station. If I can get those, I can probably find out about her too.” You put your hand over the scar under her shirt. “If what you said is true, then she’s been through a whole lot more than we know.”

“And what’ll happen when you do find all that?” He sounds... doubtful? You’re not sure.

“I’ll prevent it from happening again.” A newfound resolution creeps onto your tongue. “And if there’s more I’ll put a stop to it. To hell with retirement - if this is more than just her, someone’s gonna have to answer for it.”

A moment, and he erupts in laughter. Confused, you turn back towards him, tilting your head, before he puts a hand on it.

“I was right to believe in you!” He guffaws. “Alright then. Hopefully we’ll see each other again when your next hunt begins.”

“Hopefully...” Your voice trails off at the telltale buffering of an engine.

Raising your head you look aside, seeing the helicopter closing in from just over the horizon. As it approaches the trio of you, you stand up, raising your arm high and waving. Before you know it a ladder drops down as the chopper door opens. Colonel Weiss, initially confusing to see, leans out and waves back at you.

“[Last Name]!” He shouts.

“Sir!” You respond, giving him a quick salute.

“You’re both in one piece, thank god! Now just get her and let’s get the hell out of here!” His voice is normally crusty but he sounds like he’s been smoking so many cigarettes on the way. Even the actual smoke radiates off him and he doesn’t even have one in his mouth.

Turning, you lift [Redacted] into your arms, approaching the ladder as Weiss descends. Softly passing her over to him, you fail to notice the displeasure on his face as you turn back towards Wakate. Feeling the colonel going back up the ladder to secure her, you clear your throat, approaching him yet again.

“You are not staying,” He reiterates, helmet on his hip.

“Not planning to.” You know it’s what’s best. So, you manage a smile, holding your hand out. “Well... so long, Wakate.”

He looks down at your hand, his mandibles rubbing together. Before long he shakes his head. “I have a better idea.”

Blinking, you watch him set his helmet aside, swinging his arms before turning back to you. Momentarily you fear him trying to strangle you now that he has no further business with you, but then you’re surprised when he closes the distance. Before you know it your cheek’s pressed to his chest plate, and his arms effortlessly hold you.

... Oh. OH.

Holy fucking shit.

Ignoring your back popping slightly, you do reciprocate his attempt at a hug. Sadly he is so huge that you have your arms almost stretched out completely to your sides, your forearms only barely touching his back. As though aware of your frailty he’s clearly just hanging his arms; you shudder at the possibility of his true strength.

... Yep. He’ll be just fine.

“Be safe, Wakate.” The helicopter is loud, so you are hopeful he doesn’t hear.

“Stay alive long enough for us to meet again.” It’s practically an order. “If my ship returns again and you’ve expired, I’ll drag you back from whatever afterlife you end up in and hunt you down.”

You chortle, raising your voice so you’re audible. “You too, don’t you dare die to anything!”

“[LAST NAME]! STOP HUGGING THE YAUTJA AND LET’S GO!” Weiss about screams through the helicoper.

You scoff. Asshole... “... See you around, Wakate.”

Reluctantly, you break from him, patting his arm as his almost serpentine eyes blink along with him nodding.

“Good hunting, Ooman.”

___

“So from what I understand, [Redacted] was snatched and dragged into this island’s nest, right?”

“Correct, sir.” You finish patching your injuries, having prioritized [Redacted] and risked infection; you must’ve had more injuries from your fight with that Xenomorph than you thought. “We confirmed the death of the queen, and suddenly we were ambushed by a Xenomorph.”

“I see.” His shift to being calm is... odd. “And that’s when you met the Yautja?”

“His name is Wakate, sir.” You wipe some sweat from your forehead. “He helped me find the nest and retrieve [Redacted]. If not for him I’d be long dead.”

“Never expected you to make friends with one of them, but what matters is all three of you made it.” He reaches over and pats your leg. “You’re sure to get that promo, hopefully. By the looks of it you’ve been through hell.”

“And dragged myself out of it, too. I killed a Xenomorph - might’ve been the one that snatched her, too.” There’s an odd pride in your chest, only swelling when his eyes brighten slightly.

“That’s great news. You were always one of the best - maybe you’ll be the best, with some more time with this line of work.” He contemplates his cigars and lighter, before his better judgment puts them back in his pocket. “There’s a good fat paycheck waiting for you. Maybe some vacation time, if you’re up for it.”

“I’d like to be able to stay in contact if I do, keep in the know about [Redacted],” You affirm. “I do want a vacation, but her health is just as important as mine.”

“Granted. I can tell, after all, that this is very important to you.” Then his chest bounces with a laugh as he leans back. “This takes me back. When you were raised to this rank and put on this work, we had just recently recruited [Redacted]. Girl couldn’t even say her own name or talk to anyone, but then you came along and she actually acted human.” His eyes crinkle with a smile. “... It was meant to be, [Last Name].”

“I’m honored you regard both of us so highly, sir,” You nod, giving an appreciative smile. “I hope we keep pleasing you.”

“I know you will.”

“And sir?” You lean on your thighs.

“Yes?”

“Do you... happen to know something about Ergoproxy Station?”

#aliens vs predator #yautja x reader #yautja #yautja x human #xenomorph #reader insert #my writing #writing #predator

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asshlyyyy · 2 years

Text

Rhapsody (Austin!Elvis x Reader)

Did this end up the way I wanted it to? No, I had something else in mind, but I still liked how this came out. Hopefully you will also.

However! I am super excited for my next fic. It is going to be an Austin Butler fic. And I am so excited honestly. I hope you guys are super excited. I have nothing else to say... uh... I hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

Pairing: Austin!Elvis x fem!reader

Warnings: Swearing, parent abandonment, spelling and grammatical errors most likely.

Word Count: 3.3k

"The song that has everyone screaming at the top of their lungs. Everyone has been requesting it ever since I played it yesterday and my gosh... we've been playing it on repeat. You already know, so why do I keep talking? When I Kissed The Teacher by Rhapsody." The guy on the radio spoke. The beginning of the song started to play and you smiled softly.

The musician world was a scary world. It was one that you didn’t want to explore, but at the same time, you did. From the moment you could walk and talk you were singing and playing. Eventually, it became the only thing in life that you loved.

From an early age, your parents fought. Even when they thought they were being sneaky, you were able to hear them. You remember getting up from bed just to see and listen to why they were fighting. Eventually, before you hit middle school, your parents divorced.

Your mother wanted nothing to do with you afterwards. You couldn’t understand what you ever did to her, but nonetheless… she left without saying goodbye. It affected you at first, but then you got over it. Because if she never left, music wouldn’t have been as big with you as it was now.

Your father and yourself moved up to Memphis Tennessee. Your father claimed it was in order to get far away from your mother, but you figured it was so you could be closer to your grandparents. Either way… you were completely fine with the move.

Lauderdale Courts was beautiful. You found yourself spending time out on the grass, more than inside the unit itself. You were actually beginning to become happy. Your music started to make you happy and eventually.. for your birthday you received a custom guitar. One that your father painted.

It was based on Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Starry Night. While you may have not been a painter yourself... you can appreciate a beautiful art piece when you saw one. Your father on the other hand was an amazing artist. You imagined your parents often times fought about that. Your father wanted to be a painter, but that didn't exactly pay much. Which made your mother have to work... which she did not want to do.

You started working the moment you could. You wanted your father to be able to follow his dreams. You knew at some point it would be reversed... but you were living your dream. You were making music... singing... with your father, and had an amazing set of friends.

"Y/n! Number three!" You picked up the tray and pushed off and glided against the laminate floor. You faced your back towards the door and pushed it open. You skated your way over to space three and pressed a smile on your face. You installed the temporary try and gave them some small conversation before you went back inside.

You looked over at the clock that sat high on the halls. Once that clock struck seven you were out of here. You let out a smile and slowly started to pack your things. If you were lucky enough you wouldn't have to run any more orders out.

"Hey, Y/n... I have a big favor to ask." You heard a soft voice ask. You turned over and saw Dixie. You sent her a kind smile. She was a close friend to you. She seemed to have even held a crush on your other friend.

"What's up Dixie?" You asked as you threw your bag over your shoulder, considering it was a few minutes away from your shift being up.

"I really need to get home to do homework... would you be able to cover my shift?" She asked. You felt like you were hit with a ton of bricks. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but it sure felt like it. She had homework? The two of you went to the same school! If she had homework you did also.

"U- I mean... Elvis is probably already outside waiting for me. I hate to do this but I just can't." You explained. You didn't exactly explain the real reason behind why you had to leave, but you worked this shift for months and it worked best for you. If she had to leave she should've planned better.

"Well his ride wouldn't go unused, I just... I really need to get home, and I figured you could use the extra money." You folded your arms against your chest. You did not just hear that right? You shook your head and decided to let it slide as you went to punch out.

"Dixie, listen... I pick these shifts because it's what I can do. I have homework also. I just can't stay I'm sorry." You left the building and made your way over to your friend's truck. As you grabbed the handle of the car and pulled it open you pressed a smile on your face.

"There she is," Elvis' voice collected in your ears.

"Here I am," you laughed gently and got yourself situated. You dropped your bag onto the ground and wrapped the belt around yourself.

"I got a song for you to listen to," Elvis held up his hand as he skimmed the radio stations. You smiled softly and watched the loose pieces of hair fall onto his face.

"... I swear it's playin' everywhere and now all they're doin' is talkin'?" Elvis groaned and continue to skim through all the channels before hitting on one that was finally playing the song he was looking for.

"Ah ha! Here it is. She calls herself Rhapsody. Not to mention... she's doin' something no one has ever done before. I mean, it sounds like there are multiple singers, but it's all just her." Elvis explained as he looked at you. You let out a giggle and shook your head.

"If you start driving I'll tell you a secret." You hummed as you tilted your head.

"I- a secret? What kind of secret are ya talkin' bout?" Elvis questioned as he started to back out of the parking spot he was in

"One that will blow your head off." You smirked gently. Elvis glanced at you before returning back to the road. A secret that could blow someone's head off? That sounded a bit ridiculous, but to Elvis... that meant it had to be good.

"What is it then? 'm dyin' to know," Elvis smirked back. You rolled your eyes and shook your head at his lame joke. Elvis let out a light laugh at your reaction and tapped his fingers to the beat.

"Do they know anything about Rhapsody?" You asked. Elvis let out a hum and shook his head.

"Said they just received the record and a stage name. Unless it's her actual name, which I doubt. Just know she got a killer voice." Elvis explained. It was your turn to hum. You felt yourself blush and you looked out the window.

"Why? Do ya know somethin'?" Elvis asked after a few moments of silence. You turned and looked at him.

"Maybe," you simply responded, "why do you want to know?"

"Is this your secret? Who is she? You have to tell me! And if ya know 'er ya definitely have to introduce me." He asked. You let out a chuckle and shook your head. Imagine if your secret was totally not on the current topic. That would be funny and would definitely crush his poor soul.

"Well, you already know her." You started off. Elvis raised an eyebrow and turned to face you, mostly due that you two were sitting at a red light.

"I don' know many female singers." He pointed out. You shook your head at his response.

Elvis knew you had a special place in your heart for music. He knew you loved to play it at all points. He knew when you received your first guitar, and the first time you played piano. Now, he has never heard you sing, and he couldn't figure it out why he hasn't.

"Maybe she's been under your nose this whole time." With everything you said, you seemed to have confused Elvis even more than before. Everything simple hint you tried to give him, just left him a whole confused mess.

"I-" before Elvis could speak, there was a honk that broke him away from questioning you further. A light giggle left your soft pink lips.

Elvis seemed quiet after that. You figured he was trying to put it together in his head. Just like you, he had just gotten off a shift just before you did. You could only imagine that this riddle was only merging with his work brain. What you meant by that is... that his brain was still in work mode, and he couldn't easily put two and two together.

You looked towards the sky and watched as the warm hues of color started to mix. Soon the sky would be littered with cool hues and would leave space for the moon to shine. The sunlight ever so perfectly hit Elvis' face and sculpted out his features.

Now, of course, you would end up developing a crush on your friend. I mean come on! He was practically your neighbor and you saw each other every single day. There was no way a crush wouldn't develop. You were sure at some point it would've disappeared... but hey here you are years later with that same crush.

"Dixie?" Elvis spoke after a long moment of silence.

"What-? I'm sorry what?"

"Rhapsody is Dixie, isn't she? Oh my god! I should've known-"

"What Elvis? No, she isn't, I am. I'm Rhapsody." You felt the car joint to a stop and a loud collection of angry car horns. Elvis turned to look at you dead in the eye. You didn't know what it was, but it caused a whole wave of nerves to run through your body.

You could hear angry people from outside yell profanities out at Elvis, but he didn't seem to mind. He took a deep breath and continued to drive home. It's like he was mad? Upset? You couldn't pinpoint what he was feeling but... he was feeling something. Maybe he took your lyrics literally? No, you didn't kiss the teacher... It was a metaphor.

As you guys got to Lauderdale Courts, Elvis parked on the side and turned off the car. He let out a sigh and turned to face you. He smiled softly and just shook his head. Was he now happy? You didn’t understand his emotions. If only he would tell you! It would just make life easier!

“I can’ believe it. ‘M just… wow… you sound amazing. I mean- god.” Elvis was lost for words. You once again felt yourself start to heat up from the compliments you were receiving.

“You can't tell anyone, Elvis. I want this to be a secret." You mentioned to him. He nodded quickly.

"Of course, your secret is safe with me." He smiled and got out of the truck. You got out as well and grabbed your bag. You closed the door and met up with Elvis by the entrance. Elvis wrapped an arm around your shoulders and the two of you started to head in.

"So, how come ya didn' tell me sooner you could sing?" Elvis asked as he held open the door. You hummed a thank you and walked into the building.

"It never crossed my mind. I honestly didn't want to do the whole singing thing, but my dad convinced me... and paid for it so. Couldn't just say no." You explained as the two of you started to head up to your floor.

"Where did you get it recorded?" He then asked. You knew Elvis loved music, and that he's been wanting to record something for his mama. You thought it was sweet how close they were. You wished that you had a mother that you were close with.

"Do you know Sun Records? The guy who owns it, his name is Sam. He's a really nice guy. I bet he would help with your gift for your mama." You answered him. He nodded as he retained the information. As the two of you got to your door you turned and looked at Elvis. A smile on your face.

"Thanks for the ride, Elvis." You said softly.

"Anytime. Ya know I got ya." He replied. You rolled your eyes playfully and pulled him into a hug.

"All right you log. Have a good night." You said as Elvis returned your hug. His arms wrapped around your frame. He picked you up a bit from the ground and held you tighter. It was something Elvis always did. Every time you two would hug, he made sure to lift you up. Even if it was a few inches off the ground. As he placed you back down on the ground you pulled away.

As you unlocked the front door with your key you turned quickly to look at Elvis. "Oh!" He turned around to face you. He figured you forgot something in his truck but no.

"My dad wanted you to come over to dinner tonight." You remembered your fathers wishes from this morning. Your father grew quite fond of Elvis. Not to mention, he was happy that his daughter had a friend.

"Is he cookin'?" Elvis then asked. You sighed and nodded lightly. "No offense, Y/n... but your dad is not the best cook out there."

"I know but he likes you. Maybe... invite over your parents and... convince them to cook?" You suggested. Elvis smiled softly and shook his head.

"Minus well just come over to our place for dinner then." He chuckled lightly.

"Listen, I'll help my daddy okay? Just be here in an hour." You told him. He nodded and smiled. You walked into your unit and closed the door behind yourself. You kicked off your shoes and placed down the keys in the plate holder.

"That you, Y/n?!" You heard your father yell.

"Yes, daddy!" You replied and headed over to your room. You closed the door behind you and placed your bag down. You stripped out of your work clothes and tossed them over to the hamper. You noticed by the height of your dirty clothes, that you were going to have to do laundry soon.

You slipped into something more comfortable and grabbed your journal from underneath your pillow. You grabbed a pen and walked out of your room. You made your way over to the kitchen where your father was reading a recipe book.

"Can I help?" You asked softly as you placed down the journal. Your father's head picked up and nodded. So, you helped him make dinner. You made sure that you made something that was good and edible. No offense to your father's cooking... but he wasn't exactly the best cook.

Then again... that was mostly a women's job... and well... You were the only women left in the family. Of course there were times when you went to your grandparents for dinner. The two of you tried your best yourselfs. While your father has gotten better at cooking then the first time... it still wasn't the best.

The rest of the night went quickly. Elvis showed up an hour later like you had asked, and the three of you talked and talked. After your father went off to his room alone, you were left with Elvis. Which was when you showed him your journal. You shared with him your song ideas. Which, he argued that I should make them all into a record... If only you had the money.

Most of the money you made helped pay for the things you and your father needed. You of course pushed to the side some money for yourself, and it did take a couple of shifts to get that own record.

Little did you know... you would be receiving a call from Sam yourself the next day to record something new... Not to mention... to receive your royalties from the amount of time your song had been played on the radio. So, you made some new songs. All of them flooding all radio stations.

When Elvis recorded his song and he was the one getting played continuously... the two of you went out to celebrate. By celebrating... you meant that you two went to the diner that was opened twenty-four seven. So, you guys had a bunch of milkshakes.

You joined Elvis on the Hayride... you didn't sing but... you were there for support of course. You were a masked singer... a singer that one who knew who she was, and you wanted to keep it that way for as long as you can.

"Now, Elvis. You have made a pretty big name for yourself." The interviewer asked the dark-haired boy. Elvis scratched the back of his neck and smiled softly.

"I have yes," Elvis responded with a nod.

"And you started out at Sun Records... You wouldn't happen to know of a certain singer would you? Sings the songs... When I Kissed The Teacher, Honey Honey, Dancing Queen... need I say more...?"

"Of course, Y/n is an amazing sing-" Like clockwork, everyone's eyes widened. Well, for the most part. Not only did Elvis just give away your identity to the world... But that interviewer knew what he was doing.

"I meant, Rhapsody. I- 'm sorry. I was just thinking of my friend there. She's a singer also, and she loves singing Rhapsody's songs." Elvis tried to salvage his mistake. However, the interviewer knew better though. He now has the real name of Rhapsody... he just needed to figure out who you were.

As Elvis got home, he found you balling your eyes out. Could anyone blame you though? You wanted your identity to be a secret and Elvis revealed it to the whole world. You're Rhapsody, not Y/n... Rhapsody. When Elvis saw you he... while... he already felt bad when he let the world split. Just seeing you upset and crying.

"Oh my angel... 'm sorry..." Elvis whispered and walked over to you. You let out a sniffle and looked up at him.

"H-how could you..." You whispered gently. Elvis shook his head and sat down next to you. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close.

"I didn' mean to, angel... I was just so happy to talk bout ya... I didn' mean for it to slip... 'm so sorry." Elvis apologized and kissed your head. You knew Elvis didn't mean to, and you didn't mean to put the blame all on him... You were just... going through a lot. Your whole identity was out there. Not that it wasn't already...

"I'm sorry..." You whispered and looked up at him. Elvis chuckled and shook his head. "'m supposed to say that," Elvis pointed out.

"I know... but I blamed you... You didn't mean to... I'm sorry." You apologized once more. elvis smiles softly and ran his fingers through your hair.

"Hm, ya never know... They might not know it's you. Other people have ya name." He brought up. You hummed and thought about it. He did have a point, he wasn't like he said your last name. Yet, that still didn't mean that someone wouldn't figure it out.

"I guess your right," you said and ran your hand against his face.

"'m always right," he smirked gently. You rolled your eyes and pulled yourself away.

"Okay lover boy, now I expect a date at the diner as an apology." You placed your hands on your hips. A playful smile on your lips.

"I'll give ya more than a date." You blushed gently and shook your head. Maybe having your name out there won't be so bad.

Want to join my taglist? // Let me know If I spelt any wrong! I have updated my form for my taglist. You will be tagged under everything now in that selected fandom/person. Just makes my life easier.

Taglist: @babyhoneypresley, @mirandastuckinthe80s, @mommy-maia, @yagirlalexx, @slutforblueeyes, @alligator-person, @diorxmimi, @anangelwhodidntfall, @pumkiinpasties, @djconde58, @starryhazee, @21bruhs, @girlblogger2002, @dollfaceyourfear, @smbonilla2002, @homebodybirkin2003, @apparently-sunshine, @dark-as-love, @pandora-journey, @hsstylesrings, @jeonggukschris, @4everrmore, @bewitched-tales, @thelaziest10, @butlersluvbot, @curatedbyemily, @lovingly-unlovingme, @starlight-jpg, @omegellenlouise, @gyomei-tiddies, @Chlobug07, @wandawiccan60, @re3kin, @Itzjira18, @passengerjett, @neepo, @vane28282, @emilykolchivans, @gothantoinette, @gruffle1, @ilovemuppets, @hangmanswhore, @theinvibislecapricorn, @hariestyles1, @annamarie16, @holliemahady, @misacc08, @Brighteyesscum, @marchingicenotes7, @callthedarknessdown, @domaniquessidehoe, @gay-af-satan, @skinnypantsmcgee, @sassyblazecloud, @lovelyney, @lordandmistress, @Sharkslayersblog, @billysway, @nuo0n, @coldonexx, @adoreyouusugar, @aliciaelle47, @kh1898, @danitheedanimal, @raefoxiegirl, @cobra-kaii, @rylee-durhxm, @bob-the-tomato, @crabat-the-queen, @naveyelise, @austinbutlersgirlfriend, @iluvnerds69, @hopefulinlove, @aradevil, @Tylerdurdenisme, @laperceval, @xcallmetaniax, @londonalozzy, @mslizziesblog, @rosemochaaesthetic-blog, @bxbylexi23, @gloomynigvts, @persephones-blood-iris, @milaa24, @randompointlessbeauty, @auds02, @BubblyYork, @nora-nexus-34, @jazmin2211, @kittenlittle24, @Rqseycheeks, @moonbird1507, @bobthefishiesworld, @cevans-winchester, @luckyevansstan, @noorreads, @idc123sworld, @normatural, @hauntedarchivesx, @Luna4mnoon, @imagineslut01, @Kayleealicej, @thatcrazyfangirl22, @amiets2, @loveisalover, @myguiltypleasures21, @poppet05, @xcallmetaniax, @fullmetal-falcon, @kaitaesupremacy, @rainydayz101, @asd-n-adhd-fox, @loveisalover, @eliseinmemphis, @adaydreamaway08, @stitchattacks, @cmrxac, @vintagegirl50s60s70s80s, @purexfuego, @dkayfixates, @fa1ryprincess222, @virgils-left-hoodie-string

#austin butler elvis #elvis x reader #elvis imagine #elvis #elvis 2022 #Elvis Presley #elvis presley x reader #elvis film #elvis fic #elvis fanfiction #elvis fluff #elvis fanfic #austin butler #austin butler x reader #austin!elvis x reader #austin!elvis

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corvidry · 1 year

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Hi! I am working on an assignment for school, and I am trying to find information on how animal crossing is styled. Through my scrounging of the internet I saw a link that lead me to your website that was a "Animal Crossing Style Guide" but it no longer exists. I was wondering if you might have some pointers that I could learn from for my project?

Hi there,

You're about 2 weeks shy of that link working. I just changed web hosts and rebuilt my website and ended up taking down the blog section, which is where that content lived. The Animal Crossing Style Guide was an article / blog post I wrote a few years ago around the time New Horizons came out discussing the topic of animal crossing character designs for artists. While the post no longer exists online, I did archive it to hopefully host again in the future, but I havent gotten around to remaking the blog yet. In the meantime here's literally the entire thing in a tumblr post, and if I remember, I'll try to update whatever links I can. Sorry if it reads or is formatted a little weird on tumblr, but rest assured it's identical except for some shopping / sponsor links that dont need to be on this version. No idea if this is the sort of thing you need for your project, but good luck and enjoy!

Animal Crossing Style Guide: Artist Tips for Drawing Your Favorite Characters

Apr 24 | Written By Birdy

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Fandom Friday. If you’re like every Nintendo Switch owner right now, you’ve been playing Animal Crossing nonstop for the last month. And who can blame you? This irresistible chore simulator has no trouble winning the hearts of the masses by helping us fall in love all over again with our favorite animal neighbors. Nintendo found a way to make tedium fun by implementing a fun reward system and fully embracing the rule of cool, or rather, the rule of cute if there is such a thing. Why do I like it? I don’t know, man!! It’s adorable! It turns my brain chemicals into a relaxed, happy soup.

If you’re an artist it’s possible you’ve seen these cute character designs and thought “I want a piece of that for myself.” I know I have. If you love to draw the Animal Crossing cast or have some OCs of your own who you want to mesh with the AC universe, read on for some mini tips for drawing in the Animal Crossing style. I’ve been studying the style for the past few weeks and this guide is a pretty compact version of what I’ve learned, but feel free to let me know if you guys want more. It was fun to study these characters and I’d love to expand upon this with a more definitive guide or deep dive into more specific aspects of the style!

On to the basics!

Villager Bodies

In the graphic below I describe that most animals are a little over 2 heads tall. That’s because the characters in animal crossing tend to have very large, bulbous heads as part of their appeal. You’ll find that certain species, such as eagles and gorillas, do break this convention slightly, often appearing with their anatomical midpoint lower on the chest than most smaller animals.

That said, this isn’t a hard and fast rule necessarily. While the height and shape of AC bodies is generally in the neighborhood of what’s stated above, there is some variation between installments of AC. Compare the following images and you’ll see what I mean.

As you can see, Bob’s shape and proportions vary between Wild World and New Leaf, as do many of the other characters. While many current players likely think of New Horizons as the definitive style for now, I would encourage my fellow artists to experiment here. Play around with height in the 2 to 3 heads tall range and see what you like. Stylize the torsos to your taste. It’s entirely possible to remain within the AC style of drawing while still making some details your own.

Heads

Heads of AC characters are a bit of a complex subject because there are literally so many different species of animals who all have their own goofy, lovable little faces. I’ve done my best to break them down to the basics without getting too specific about one species or another.

As you can see, even the the more complicated animals can be broken down into these simplistic, bulbous shapes that Animal Crossing loves so well. When designing a new character, it’s wise to plan their head and body using basic shapes before you tack on any other extraneous features. By doing this you can ensure that your character has the round, soft features that are key to Animal Crossing before you ever have to decide what their face looks like or what their personality should be. When in doubt, round it out. You’ll be drowning in the cute in no time.

Speaking of faces, feel free to let me know on social media if you’d like me to expand upon this guide in terms of facial features and placement. I avoided the topic in this case because I wanted to focus more on foundational elements, and animal faces felt it a bit broad for that scope. The sheer expanse of animal individuality in this game allows for quite a lot of different faces with quite varied placement. And that’s not even including the human character options!

Limbs

Arms are perhaps the simplest section of this guide because there are so few styles of arm in Animal Crossing. The vast majority of characters you encounter will have the cylindrical arm style, or something close to it. At that point, all you’ll have to do is vary the length to suit the character.

Birds and octopi are one exception to this rule, with birds in particular being the more complex of the two. In most instances, bird characters will have those flattened out oar shapes for forearms with a simple texture stretched over the shape, but on occasion some birds will have distinct feathering as part of their model, which can at times distort the underlying shape for the artist trying to make sense of it. Our owl friends, Celeste and Blathers, are good examples of this.

With birds and octopi in particular, don’t be afraid to experiment a bit with the design of the limb. Some birds, like Blathers and Celeste, have wider forearms, and many octopi have interesting textures for their suckers. In addition, don’t be afraid of extending or shortening the standard cylindrical arm shape, as this shape can be applied to all different sized animals, from cats to hamsters and beyond. Some animals will have very short stumpy arms while others will have longer ones. Some villagers have slender, delicate arms, while others have bulkier ones. You can adjust the proportions of the shape to suit the character you’re drawing.

Legs on the other hand….those are a different can of worms. I’d like to preface this by saying that legs are another topic I’d love to go into greater detail on if there is interest because this graphic could afford to do the topic a bit more justice.

As with arms, most animals have the same simple cylinder that can be widened and extended as needed to suit the body of the animal. Birds once again have a unique trait in this department, but beyond that, leg styles vary widely. Mostly in the foot department, I should say. When starting off you’ll find that most animals maintain a cylindrical leg even if they have a unique foot, and in most cases the foot can be constructed out of a dome shape attached to the cylinder. Not unlike a plunger, if for some reason the stick was on one side of the plunger rather than in the center. On top of that, human characters can now wear a large variety of shoes, making this a second topic that I felt went beyond the scope of this exercise. If you’re interested in a more thorough explanation of Animal Crossing legs and feet, feel free to let me know. I just might write about it in more detail in a future installment.

But never fear! Feet, like most unique animal traits, do share similar design elements across the entire game even when they don’t look particularly alike.

Designing Unique Features

So you’re an artist who wants to draw a specific character, or maybe you want to design a brand new character. You can construct a simple animal body, but then what? What makes this character Your Character™ rather than Bob or Molly or Flora?

Despite how similar these animals all are in basic constructions, each animal and human has their own unique design elements that set them apart from one another. It is nigh impossible to cover every single interesting design element of every single animal in every single game, so here are some tips that will aid you in drawing any element you decide to apply to a character while still keeping them cute as a button.

Just like up top, I reiterate. Big, round, soft shapes. Even the most hardcore animals in Animal Crossing look soft and huggable to some degree.

Take for example, these animals who all should be at least a little bit scary. Animal Crossing’s art style keeps them appealing even with their rougher traits on display. Alfonso the alligator should logically be among the most feared of reptiles, yet his sleepy eyes, gently sloping snout, chubby cheeks, and tubby belly give him all the charm of a stuffed animal. His pointy teeth feel more like a clumsy after thought than a mechanism for killing prey.

Coco the bunny is designed to look like a haniwa figure, an item commonly buried with the dead during the Yayoi period of Japanese history. Coco’s Japanese name is, in fact, Yayoi. In addition, many items in her house are reminiscent of Japanese funeral decor. She’s supposed to be a little unsettling. Her facial expression does not change like those of other villagers, so she can’t smile at you or put you at ease the way other characters can. Indeed, Coco wears a permanent somber appearance, but even so, she looks sweet and pleasant to touch. Her face is completely curved and she is given the body of a bunny villager. Her huge, round ears and tiny, dainty paws evoke the charm of a little rabbit even from a villager whose whole design is meant to remind one of death.

Rasher the pig and Spike the rhino have similar charm. Both of them don scars all over their bodies and in some cases wear aggressive looking shirts in their rough or rustic homes. Still, with Rasher’s big sleepy eyes and friendly round belly, he could almost give you a Winnie the Pooh vibe if you squint hard enough. Spike, meanwhile, has had his horns rounded ever so slightly at the tips and his curved hooves and short tail make him seem far from threatening. Even the most edgy creatures in the Animal Crossing universe can appear somehow friendly by making use of these softening design elements.

Go Forth and Draw

And that, in essence, has been my broad overview of Animal Crossing’s art style. I consider that last tidbit to be the most valuable tip of all. By closely studying the way Animal Crossing characters use round bodies, gradual slopes, and pleasant curves, you can make even the most threatening of animal characters look cute and perfectly cuddly for your town, village, or island.

Once again, please let me know if there are particular elements of the Animal Crossing style you’d like me to look into more closely. This has been a very broad and very general overview of the character designs, but I would absolutely love to dive deeper into this art style. If you use this guide to improve your Animal Crossing drawings, feel free to tag me on Instagram, Deviantart, or Tumblr, so I can see what cool art you’ve made!

Have a great weekend, The Internet! Can’t wait to see you again for the next Fandom Friday. If you need me, I’ll be waterscaping a moat around Raymond’s house.

#animal crossing #acnh #animal crossing new horizons #honey-blob #birdy words

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shelly-ya · 1 year

Text

STUDY 1

This is the first installment of hopefully many others to a baji fic I had brewing in the back of my mind. So far it is sfw. Please do enjoy.

"Oh man chifuyu if I don't get my grades up my mom will cry again" the put together brunette sighed in his hands. Confiding his problem to the poor blonde having lunch at his table. His last exam results scattered around the table.

"You know I think I know someone who may be able to help you. But they are living in the opposite direction from here." Chifuyu said stuffing his mouth with a mouthful of yakisoba after speaking. Handing the bowl back to his friend.

"Oh yeah what makes you think they can help me?" He asked taking the bowl from chifuyu and stuffing his mouth in the same manner.

"Because they are smart and a great tutor and well they owe me a favor for saving them from some tugs. They're in class 2-_" chifuyu said taking a swig of his drink before wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"You said they are living in the opposite direction from our apartment."

"Yeah we may have to meet somewhere half way."

"Wait I know the perfect place" he beamed his toothy smile fangs showing in all its glory.

"Great let me meet up with them." Chifuyu said getting up and stretching and started to head off in the direction of the classroom door. Stopping himself he placed a and on his friend's shoulder "baji San don't worry this person can help."

"Hmm we'll see" he whispered finishing up the bowl of yakisoba. Chifuyu already gone to look for you.

Meanwhile

"Hey name Chan in here?" He asked a boy hanging out at the door.

"Yeah they're over there finishing up lunch" he looked in the direction he was pointed to and saw you packing up your lunch set and pushing from your seat. "Name Chan some one from year one is looking for you" the boy yelled out to you earning the whole classroom's attention.

Looking up you spot the boy who saved you back when you were in the convenience store and some older guys were harassing you. "Hey chifuyu right?" You asked walking to him.

"Yeah you remember me" he spoke up shoving his hands in his pockets "can we talk alone?"

"Sure why not" you said following him as he led you the roof top for privacy. When you both got up there he leaned against the fence as you stood facing him.

"I need to cash in on a favor" he outright spoke

"Straight to the point I like go on"

"You see I have a friend he got held back and he is still failing. I was wondering if you could tutor him."

"Sure" shocked at how eagerly you agreed without knowing the details he gawked at you. "What? if this helps me repay that debt then fine I will do it." You said crossing your arms over your chest.

"Give me your number. I will text you where we will meet up" he said pulling his phone out giving you it to put your details in. In turn you did as was expected handing him back his phone you gave a nod to signal your conversation was over and you were heading back. You were eager to repay this debt and if tutoring was going to help then you will be damned sure to tutor this person to the best of your ability.

Friday evening pulled up so quickly on you that you almost forgot you had plans for the long weekend ahead. "Name Chan!" You heard chifuyu calling for you from behind. Halting your progress home you turned to see the blonde running to you and another guy who had slick back shoulder length hair pulled back with some thick glasses, he almost looked like a nerd.

Chifuyu stopped in front of you dropping his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath as his friend walked up slowly behind him.

"This is the guy I was telling you about" he said pointing to the nerdy guy

""You serious?" You were surprised at this revelation.

"Yeah, this is baji..."

"Am I some joke to you chifuyu?" You didn't let him finish. Going to walk off you felt a rough grip on your wrist.

"Please I'm desperate. If i don't pass my finals I will be kept back again. Chifuyu trusts you to tutor me and I am willing to learn" a rough voice spoke behind you. Turning slowly to the teenager you tilted your head.

"You're not a genius?" You asked

"No I'm not" he shook his head innocently

"But you look..."

"Classic don't judge a book by a cover trope" chifuyu interjected "and you could let their hand go now baji san" he said pointing where your hands were still connected. Baji released your hand with a quick sorry and turns his head to the side scratching the back of his neck.

"Fine I'll do it but we got to meet somewhere in the middle cause of where we live." You said shifting your weight to the other foot.

"I know a place where we can meet. I have a friend whose brother has a bike shop. We can meet there along with some of my friends as well." Baji stated looking back at you. Looking to chifuyu for support.

"I'll be there too so no worries. You'll be safe I promise on my life" he says putting his right hand up "maybe he can not invite all his friends just the three of us in the office of the bike shop" chifuyu suggested noticing you still didn't trust them. Nodding at that solution he looked to baji a bit hopeful.

"Yeah I could really use the concentration." He said pocketing his hands. "No extra distractions"

Both you and chifuyu nodding your approval and everyone heading in their own directions you waited for chifuyu to text you back the directions of the place. Hearing your phone as you got out of the shower you opened it up to read the text

"S.s. motors?" You whispered "it's a bike shop they said" texting him back that you got the message you climbed under your covers. Your phone got another message reading it

*thanks again name. See you tomorrow. Good night. Sweet dreams*

*good night sweet dreams* You messaged back a little embarrassed at a guy wishing you sweet dreams. You closed your eyes and drifted to sleep.

The morning came quickly as you got ready in your outfit of choice and packed up your books and strapped on your bag and picking up your keys you yelled to your guardian that you will be leaving and that you will be back later than usual. Rushing to the meet up in front of the small bike shop you eyed it cautiously. Looking at the name on the sign and the name in the text. "S.s. motors this has to be the place" you whispered more to yourself.

"Can I help you?" A strange mature voice said at the entrance of the door. Looking to your right you saw three men leaning against the wall of the building smoking. One with short black hair, tall and lanky. The second was tall and muscular with a blonde hair and a beard. He had an intimidating aura. The third almost seemed more feminine and short with stripped blonde and purple hair.

"Um I think I have the right place" looking from them to your phone.

"Uh got a bike to fix? Although I don't see one" the black hair one spoke up again smoke puffing out witb each of his words

"What? Oh no I was supposed to meet two guys here" you spoke up shaking you head. Just then you heard the motor of two different motor bikes heading your direction. Looking towards the sound of the motors you see both chifuyu and baji driving towards you. Then stopped and parked their bikes. Chifuyu jumping off and running towards you.

"Sorry we're late" he gave the widest smile you have ever seen.

"Ahem" one of the older men cleared their throats to signal they were still there. Both you and chifuyu stood side by side when baji walked in front of you both and introduced you both the man with black hair.

"Shinichiro, this are the two people I spoke to you about. This is chifuyu and name. Guys this is shinichiro he is the owner of s.s. motors." Baji said looking finally at you both.

"Welcome I heard you were helping keisuke here" shinichiro said with a cute smile.

"Thank you for letting us use your office for this" the three of you bowed and spoke in unison.

To be continued

@stxrmylxve @angelsdevils

#tokyo revengers #sano shinichiro #wakasa #benkei #baji keisuke #chifuyu matsuno #study series

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gliphyartfan · 2 years

Text

Hello! Finally cleaned it up and hopefully this one won't pull another Houdini act! I hope you all enjoy this bit!

A special thanks to @yandere-linked-universe for helping me with this so much! (You are the true goddess in my eyes I am unworthy of your brilliance! 😘)

@screaming-until-god-hears-me @crestfallenmermaidan @ice-cream-writes-stuff @imprisioned-in-the-hole @stars-for-thought @linked-heroes

Thanks for being patient guys! Enjoy!

Some days, Castle Town was quiet.

Instead of the crashing waves of noise and life, it would be a gentle stream of chatter.

The days when the sun was bright and citizens rested comfortably in their homes, no errands to run, nor work to be done. Where merchants, farmers, and guards settled into a lax pace. The peace of the day pulling them into a sense of ease.

Yet even on such a day, the central square was always bustling, though at a calmer pace. Inhabited by those who have taken the time to enjoy the rare quiet that such a day always brings.

The goddess statue serving at the fountain's center piece provided ample shade for children to play under as their mothers calmly went about their shopping.

Elderly strolling slowly down the roads or sitting on some of the benches that were placed around the wide fountain.

It was days like this that Warriors valued.

It gave him the chance to wander the streets of his home in peace. As the life of a hero rarely allowed days such as this.

Sitting on one of the benches, resting his elbows on his knees, he watches the water spew from the fountain. The day installing into him the same calmness that it always brings.

His eyes don't stray from the fountain as his seat mate spoke up.

"What seems to be on your mind Captain?"

"I admit, I've found it intriguing blacksmith." He says thoughtfully.

Four merely looks to him, eyebrow slightly raised.

"How grave the consequences are, for turning against the goddess. Even for a moment, even if unknowingly." He continues, a small huff escaping him.

"Well, I suppose it's only natural for the punishment to suit such a gravous crime. But still, I find it fascinating."

He seemed frustrated when he said this, posture reflecting his feelings. "I mean, what possesses someone to shun the very source of all their fortune?"

Four's eyes slowly rose, following a bird soaring past as he calmly replied.

"Blindness, greed, arrogance. It's simple. That's why they are blind when it consumes them."

"Simple indeed. You speak truth and yet my mind still fathoms at the absurdity." The corner of Four's mouth quirked in amusement.

"Don't allow those thoughts to unsteady you. It will only send you spiraling. "

Four patted his arm patronizingly, fully smirking as Warriors playfully swatted at him. Eyes soon looking back at the fountain, taking in each detail that brought out the goddess' image.

"Tell me captain ," he says as he taps the older one's arm and points at the monument.

"Would you consider mere stone as an excellent medium for use in worship?" Warriors eyed him questioningly, looking back at the fountain to examine it."

"...Seems a bit fragile for such a serious matter." He said after a moment of consideration. "Marble is more suitable." He eyed the fountain.

"Perhaps one in a detailed likeness?" Four made a small noise, tilting his head a bit as he looked up at the statue of Hylia's image.

"I suppose I can talk Sky into pulling out his craving set."

"Can he really work with such a stone?" He twirled his finger through his hair in a careless manner.

"Prefers not to, but he's more than familiar with the craft." Warriors raised an eyebrow at that.

"Enough to crave Her image well?" Four chuckled at that.

"He would not dare settle for anything less than perfection." Warriors tapped his chin, a thoughtful look appearing.

"...Do you think he can carve delicate flowers?"

'I'll have to ask him.' Four looked over to Warriors. 'Why?'

"Flowers would suit Her image more..."

Four let out a small 'Ah', and nodded in acknowledgment.

Warriors let out a huff, shaking his head in a humored manner.

"Look at us, planning a monument that will never be."

"Maybe." Four hummed and stared at the location of interest, causing the captain's huff to turn into chuckle.

"Enough of your antics. Let's be off." he says, guiding Four into standing, leading them to walking away from the fountain.

"Now tell me," He starts, form relaxed and calm.

"Have the materials been prepared?" Four looked forward as they walked. Reaching up and brushing his hair over an ear.

"There was a momentary setback with one of the merchants. But I was able to get it rectified."

Warriors turned to look at Four before returning his eyes to the road. "Was it the merchant by Eldin fort?" He did not wait for Four to respond. "Odd, normally he's rather attentive to my requests."

"Yes well, it seems he grew rather comfortable in his position."

…

"All I want is the materials on the list. Is that truly so difficult to procure?" Four's displeasure was firmly clear on his face as he looked down at the papers handed to him.

"It's...merely a concern of mine that you are asking for such a immense amount of material with so little information as to why." The merchant answered, his face sweaty and nervousness barely hidden behind a weak mask of calm.

"I seem to recall having more than compensated you for this. Yet it seems that still you aren't satisfied." He retorted, sighing roughly, head in hand.

“...I suppose it's come to this." The merchant watches as Four reaches down to his belt, towards his wallet.

Greed gleamed in the elder man's eyes, smiling widely, he rubbed his hands together.

"I'm sure we can come to a better understanding-" The sound of a blade being draw reaches the merchant's ears and he immediately cuts himself off, taking several steps back, he is backed against a wall as the tip of a sword is pointed directly at his neck.

"S-sir?!? What are you doing-" Frozen eyes stared Into his, whatever warmth that had filled the room vanished in an instant.

"Now..." the merchant could only tremble as the tip of the blade pressed against his throat, a pinch of pain as the pressure slowly increases. A small tickle down his neck as a line of blood made its escape.

"Let's discuss my purchase... shall we?"

…

"...That won't do." Four nodded, cocking his head.

"Perhaps there will be another merchant next time?" Four suggested, nodding briefly at a couple and their child that walked pass them, the child waving up at him.

"It's a sought after post, given the civilian traffic, I have no doubt I'll have a new one in place soon."

"Other than that, I suppose all the preparations have been placed." Warriors smiled warmly.

"I'm glad." He let out a quiet sigh before smiling rather thoughtfully. "It has been some time since we've gathered for worship of any sort."

"Well this is a significant occasion." His eyes strayed to the signs in front of the market stalls as they wandered down on of the roads.

"After all, he was under your command."

Warriors nodded. "He was."

"But to think, you would go to the temple just for him." Warriors hummed but didn't reply.

He wasn't wrong after all.

…

"It's always a shame to see such young folk visit this place of mourning"

Warriors looked up to see an lone man approach him.

"Well, war tends to affect everyone." The old man nodded at his words, slowly walking closer, the both of them looking at the candles on display. The gentle glow aiding with the peaceful ambiance the temple had.

"Who is it that you are visiting for, if I may ask."

"...a fellow soldier I fought alongside with." The old man looked sad.

"Did he pass during the war?" Warriors shook his head.

"He is still alive, though now it's only a matter of time." He lowered his eyes, face unchanging.

"So I came here in hopes that I would have an epiphany, perhaps something to remember him by when he is truly gone." The old man watched him with soft eyes.

"So you care about him dearly." Warriors stared into the candle's flames as he answered him quietly.

"No...rather I hate him." Warriors could feel the surprise and confusion radiating from the man.

"I must say then, it's rather surprising that you're considering a memorial for him if you hated him."

"Well, he is a reminder of the consequences of my weakness." The elder man eyed him strangely, eventually shaking his head and looking away.

"It must have been something quite significant for you to go this far for such a person." Warriors nodded, the corners of his mouth quirked slightly in bitterness.

"It was. It ended up with someone I care about being affected." Shaking his own head, he looked back down at his hands, his mouth in a firm line.

"Because I was weak back then, She was nearly hurt and-" he closed his eyes. "And I was powerless to do anything."

He let out a bitter laugh, his voice was quiet. "She even begged me not to escalate the situation."

His heart still clenches at the memory of her tear-stained face. The way she quietly pleaded for him not to make things worst.

"I'm...sorry to hear that son." Warriors merely nodded, his head dropping as he sighed through his nose.

"It'll be alright." He curled his fingers into fist, clenched tightly.

"Eventually he'll be gone and I'll be able to move passed this."

“I hope it brings you peace.”

“...me too.”

…

"...Well, we have faith in our Lady." He said in return. "And She will reward us for our faith."

He tossed scarf over his shoulder in an over confident manner, smirking widely.

"After all, a true knight is nothing without loyalty and faith to the Goddess."

"Well said young man.” Four and Warriors were startled into stopping, and turned to the sudden intruder to their conversation. Their faces defaulting to a polite expression.

It was an elderly man and his wife. The sharp looks in their eyes, along with the ornaments and obvious high quality of their clothes signaling that they came from wealth in some way.

"I must say, it is a refreshing sight to see young boys hold strong faith in our Goddess." The man gruffly continued.

"Most youths we've seen these days only care for glory and riches you see." The wife continued, her stern face holding a displeased expression. "To hear young men such as yourselves speak so strongly of your faith for our kingdom gives us confidence for the future."

"Well...thank you." Warriors said after a moment of taking in their words.

He straightens up and gives them a perfectly executed bow. To their immense delight.

"As a knight of the Land, I am honored to know my faith in the Goddess is recognized by those that have paved the path for our futures." He straightens up and gives them a charming smile.

"It is through our Goddess' kindness and benevolence that we have purpose. I hope our continued devotion to Her be seen through our actions."

Four silently stood back and watched as the captain continued to charm the couple. Watches on as he guided them into excusing themselves from the conversation.

It was not long until he and Warriors were waving goodbye to them, hearing them talk about the 'nice young man.' and soon returning back to their walk.

The world around them continued on, families walking by, merchants tending to their business. The day as calm as before.

"Rather familiar with that sort are you." The blacksmith spoke up after some time, Warriors released a unnoticeably firm smile and shook his head.

"They are simply all the same." His smile stayed on his face.

"Mindless ants. Worshipping a witch that dares call herself Goddess." Four side-eyed him.

"Yet you were so genuine to that elderly couple that I would never have assumed you were anything but Hylia's champion." A smirk appeared on the blacksmith's face as the captain's smile tensed.

"They were so honored to speak to a respectful young knight such as yourself." He made a show of bending in a small bow, using the new angle to look up and take in the way the captain's fist clenched.

"Allow me the pleasure to say that you were the very picture of a true loyal knight of Hylia-" Four was harshly yanked up and forced to face Warriors as they halted.

Their walk led them to a bridge leading out of southern area of the town.

While castle town was very prosperous, it was still recovering from the war. Many areas were still in need of repair, though less so than before.

Maintenance of the bridges to the south of castle town were minimum, due to the laborers focusing on the more populated areas and the war leaving dangerous rubble behind.

The result being bridges to the south full of holes that exposed the sharp rubble far below and weakened flooring to step on.

To say death was inevitable in such an area was an understatement.

Yet Four was merely steps away from one weakened area. With the way he had been yanked and held by the captain, the impression that the captain prevented his fall was easily assumable. But to the two, it was clear.

A warning.

"Careful where you walk blacksmith." Warriors softly said, tightening his hold on the younger hero's arm, a bruising force that Four knew would surely leave a mark in need of a potion later.

"It would be a shame for the Hero of Light to perish due to bad footing." Four laughed, not threatened in the slightest at the implications of his current position.

"Calm yourself captain. All in jest, I assure you." The grin he gave him was bright and full of humor.

Yet his wide eyes shifted in a kaleidoscope of colors, the colors seeming to surge forth, as if ready to come out.

A warning returned.

Warriors stared into his eyes for a long moment, before steadying him once more.

They didn't say another word the rest of the way.

They had a lot to think about.

---

-Maybe I'll stop being so upset when I'm not treated like a kid!"

"And that attitude is exactly why we still treat you like a kid."

"But you're all fine with me running around helping you??!?"

"Because you never fail."

"Yet you still treat me like a kid!"

"Fine, you're a teenager, minimum."

"Rulie-!"

"Sailor, you act as if we treat you like a child all the time."

"...it feels like it..."

"Wait until you're 18, then we'll talk."

"But you're not eighteen yet either!"

"Still closer to eighteen than you are." Wind huffed and looked away.

"Calm Sailor, you know you wouldn't be involved if we didn't respect your skills, opinions, and achievements." He waited until the sailor gave a smile at his words before continuing. "Trust me Wind. Before you know it, you'll be the one calling people kids. Give it a few more years."

He huffed in amusement at Wind's grumbling.

"Now, we need to finish this." He said, tugging at the straps, making sure there was no risk of a loose end.

"...Is he really the one who did it?" Wind said after a period of silence, arms crossed and staring down at the body being wrapped and bound.

Hyrule nodded. "The captain confirmed it. As did the Master Sword." Wind tsk'd, face twisting with anger.

"I can't believe I helped the guy during the war." He spat, "Who could do such a thing and act like they're in the right?"

"Monsters." Was all Hyrule said to that.

Wind leaned against the table as Hyrule finished up. Watching him give the last strap a final firm tug and sealing it in place.

"Sailor, can you give me the dark green bottle with the purple stopper?" Wind nodded and went through the potion case, pulling out said bottle and handing it over.

"What's in that?" Wind watched on as carefully, Hyrule pulled out a single long needle and, after giving it a small flick, placed it against the man's neck, plunging it deep until his finger was touching skin and holding it in position for a few moments before quickly pulling it out and placing it back into the bottle.

"Well. I suppose we all know that cooking isn't something I'll do well anytime soon," He smiled and rolled his eyes at the sailor's grimace at the mention of his cooking.

"But poisons? I know a thing or two." The sailor raised an eyebrow.

"That's some confidence." Wind looked at the bottle curiously. "What's the effects?"

The traveler's smile grew just a bit more.

"Oh, just an increase in nerve sensitivity." He tapped the top of the bottle.

"That's all?"

"That's all." Wind made a noise but didn't say anything else, just eyeing the bottle curiously.

...Ah well, he'll get a turn using it eventually.

---

They were being dragged along the ground. The sensation almost unbearable. That much they knew. Many parts aching from their placement. Sight and noise was beyond them, but they could focus on what they could hear and smell.

It was humid. The moisture clear to his sense of smell.

Then there was walking. The sound of footsteps. More than one. Perhaps two?

They didn't have long to take in that information when they were suddenly heaved up and onto something. The bindings preventing them from resisting the treatment.. Rope and cloth blocking the sight of what was happening.

It was then a voice spoke up.

"So this is where we should leave him?" The voice...sounded young. A child?

Shuffling was heard opposite of where the voice originated. A second voice speaks up.

"Yes, let's place him on the table, the captain will be arriving later, so let's finish the preparations now."

“C..ap..tain…” Someone of equal rank as him? Who were these people that they were willing to attack another captain? The army was rough for those who wanted to climb the ranks yes, but to go this far…

‘A fellow captain…did this??’

Yet he could not continue down that line of thought as something was shoved under his nose, a scent invading his senses and he was roughly dragged back into the void of unconsciousness.

---

—

"That was close." Hyrule sighed, placing the stopper back on another bottle.

"You should have known he was awake!"

"Yes yes, Wind can you place the tub over by the others?"

"Okay..." He smiled as the young hero carefully dragged the large to the others, the contents sloshing with each tug.

"Why do we even have to do this? We're not gonna be here to see it!" He side eyed the sailor as he began to pull out his equipment.

"Considering we owe him for covering up our activities last time?" Wind clicked his tongue in an attempt to hide the smirk that tried to cover his face.

"We weren't the ones to kill anyone!!" Hyrule nodded along.

"True. After all, stumbling into a angered Hinox's napping spot is merely...unfortunate circumstances." A pause, and he smiled at Wind's answering snort.

"Regardless, we would have been in great trouble if he hadn't diverted the investigation."

"I know that!" Wind exclaimed, arms crossed.

"Than you most certainly remember that we can not eliminate our enemies in our preferred ways anymore. This is a rare exception." Wind sighed harshly.

"I just hate that we can't be involved like them."

"This is a rare exception." He repeated as he walked over to his bag. He knelt down and pulled out what he needed.

"But it merely means that exceptions can be made when the situation calls for it." That got Wind to smile.

Good, now back to work.

They had things to finish up.

---

Consciousness pulled him up once more, the sound of flames and scrapping metal reaching his ears.

"Turren."

When Turren awoke, he regained his senses rather slowly.

Unable to use his limbs, his body was aching from a strained combination of pain and numbness. The difficulty breathing and lack of ability to speak sent him into a panic.

"Calm yourself, I want this over with as much as you."

The sudden voice gave him something to focus on. Familiar it sounded. Enough so that he continued to focus on it as the individual spoke. Was this the captain that did this to him??

Anger was slow to rise up, but it rose all the same.

"It was a difficult decision, given that there were so many ways to handle this. But I decided on a small affair. Do forgive me."

For a moment he heard shuffling, then he flinched as he felt hands touch his face, tugging at the cloth covering his Eyes and mouth.

He blinked rapidly as light reached his eyes once more. An ache making itself known behind his eyes.

He took the time to clear his sight before looking around.

He seemed to be in what looked like a forge. Underground perhaps? He could not see any light to signal the time of day.

"All there?" His attention turned to the speaker, his eyes bursting with the confusion he felt.

'...Commander Link?'

“It’s been a long time," His expression was almost pleased despite it's blankness. "How have you been?”

The only audible response from Turren's mouth was an groan.

Link grabbed Turren's head as he approached.

"I won't say how long I've waited for this. It's irrelevant. But I'm very pleased I've reached this point."

"Wha tha 'ell ar yu talkin bout..?" He slurred, his words clearing as he spoke, slowing phasing into confusion and anger as Link began to tie a rope around his neck.

"Wha tha hell are you doing...?!?" Instead of answering him, he is ignored as Link turns and calls over to someone behind him.

"Has it melted yet?"

"Give it time." A voice, sounding younger than the commander, answered back.

"What the hell is going on?!?" He cried out, anger clear on his face.

"Commander, what the hell are you doing?!? What’s going on??? Are you mad?!?"

“Well, why did you go do such a thing? Did you really think I would let you go free?"

"What I did??" He asked in complete confusion. "I haven't done anything!"

"Of course you did. You’re the one who popped into my mind a little after I woke up here. You certainly made sure I wouldn't forget you."

"Commander, I don't understand! We're comrades! You've saved my life!"

"Believe me. It wasn't by choice." That pierced him in a way he didn't expect. They fought together. Protected each other. What did he do to be stabbed in the back like this?

For Warriors, the decision wasn't one he was pleased with at the time but it was necessary. Turren's early demise wouldn't have changed the outcome of the war, but it would have prolonged it.

Warriors refused to waste any more time than necessary in returning to Her side.

"But you are also a knight of Hylia!" Warriors sighed, yet nodded in agreement. The blacksmith's amused chuckle reaching his ears.

"Alas, I must say you are correct."

"Than why are you doing this?!? We are sword brothers!! Loyal to Goddess and crown!! You can't do this to m-ugk!" His breathing suddenly became very difficult, the rope around his neck tightened, as if to pop his head clean off his shoulders.

"I do not serve that witch." Answering growl reminded him of a dragon ready to strike down upon him.

The gaze he brought forth, like the piercing top of the Hebra mountains, it chilled his very soul.

"And I am no sword brother of yours." And that scared him.

Turren has fought many beasts in his youth, the battles he has seen alongside this madman. His pleasant dreams are few and nightmares aplenty. He thought he knew fear, that he understood it. That nothing could truly shake him ever again.

But he was wrong. He knew he was wrong as he was looked down upon by eyes full of rage and hatred.

...He was scared.

He was scared.

He was actually scared.

"What did I do?" He whispered, his voice trembling as he asked.

Link almost seemed surprised when asked.

"What did I do?" He repeated his question again. "What did I do to deserve this??"

With a numbness that could have been from the shock, he watched as his former commander looked over his shoulder and his accomplice's silhouette shrugged in return.

When Link turned back to him, his eyes were raging with emotion. Yet in a instant, He looked back at him with a state that was dead, emotion washed from his very face.

"Your sin is daring to lay your filthy hands on Her." Bewilderment flooded through him.

"What?"

"I can never forget how you dared to raise a hand against her. How you used your position to try to make her listen to you. I can never forget her tears." Link continued, his expression pained by whatever his mind showed him.'

"But I never met whoever this woman is in my life!!" He screamed, eyes desperately searching for some sense of reason, but finding none.

"Well, that's because I made sure you could never reach a point to gaze upon her image." And he said this so simply.

He reached down and slowly grabbed the man's head, forcing him to look directly into his eyes. "You tried to lay your tainted hands on her once and dared to call her a liar when she confronted you on your attempt. Daring to use your position as my superior to silence her."

"What the hell are you talking about?!??" Position? Superior??? He had never been his superior in his life!

Warriors shook his head. "I never forgot what you did. Erased timelines be damned." Hand sliding down and resting in the man's neck.

"All this time, I stayed patient." His face was almost like a statue, how frozen his blank stare was. "I stayed quiet because I knew exactly what I wanted done to you."

"You tried to hurt her happiness for your perverse desire. So I made sure that this time, I destroyed every opportunity for happiness you had." Warriors spoke, the bewilderment he received easily ignored.

"You blamed faulty equipment for lack of promotions. Bad weather on a outing. Stubborn animals, and just plain lousy luck. Not once did you ever think it was a comrade's actions." He spoke so casually, as if he was listing out the small favors he did. It was then, a wide grin slowly grew across the commander's face at the gaping expression he received.

"Y-You..." Turren's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, as if words alluded him. The commander prevented his promotions? He ruined his reputation?

"W..hat?" He seemed surprised by Turren's reaction, he really took in the man's expression at that moment. The calmness the commander radiated, as if everything he just said was insignificant.

The way the shock and confusion soon was pushed behind as the rage was slowly flowing in.

"We were COMRADES!!! You saved my life and I saved YOURS!!" He shook the table he was strapped on as he screamed.

"A monster! That’s what you are!! We should have given you to that damned sorceress!! A monster that betrays his comrades for events that never happened DESERVES to suffer under her!! Warriors smile began to fade, blinking as if just realizing what he was hearing.

"...You thought I was on your side...?" Warriors was giving him his full attention at this point, the sound of the flames crackling and Four's preparations all the noise that surrounded both of them almost into fading from his senses.

"...You…trusted me..." he brought a hand up to his chin, his shoulders dropping as he let out a long sigh.

Behind him, Four paused in his work to silently watch him.

"...Four." The blacksmith tilted his head slightly but made no other movement.

"...Yes?"

"...Are you hearing this?" Face unreadable as he nodded, as if waiting for something. Four watched as the captain released a small airy laugh as he registered everything at that very moment.

He was shaking his head. Almost in disbelief.

"And the veteran said I couldn't act."

The bound man was frozen.

And Four released his hold on the item he had reached for a moment ago.

It seems the good captain wasn't buckling, so all was well in the blacksmith's opinion.

"You honestly thought I would let you be happy after what you've done." Warriors didn't phrase it as a question. Because he knew the fool genuinely had thought he had been on his side.

"You used my captain position to silence her voice. But now, after waiting so long, after what you've done, I've made sure you can't ever use me to gain her silence anymore." He shakes his head as he says this.

"You will never lay a hand on her again. Never force her into silence." He leaned in close, teeth bared. Staring directly into his eyes.

"Now you're the measly captain , and I'm the head of the army." He replaces the cloth back into the man's opened mouth and binds it shut.

"So I don't need to listen to you anymore." Stepping back, his grin shifting to a sharp smirk as the bound man struggled as best as he could, muffled screams of frenzied rage and fear of imminent death all he could do.

"Blacksmith." He calls out as he gave the table a final shove, placing it exactly where he wanted it.

"The steel is fully heated." Was the reply he received.

He nodded. "I've had enough of this farce, let's begin."

He walks over to Four and helps him load the large tubs of smelted steel. Hooking them to chains and pulling them into the air. Using the chains to adjust it's placement overhead.

With one last adjustment to the tub's position, both he and Four step away from the bound man, standing on either side of him.

"Farewell captain Turren of Castle town." He says quietly to the raging man. "May the penalty you pay tonight release you of your sins." With that, he and Four began pulling at the chains.

The action caused the tubs of smelted steel to slowly begin to tilting forward.

The man's muffled cries grew in intensity, as did his attempts at struggling grew in frenzy. The fear and desperation to live driving him to shake the table.

It did nothing to phase them.

Not as they pulled the tubs forward.

Not as the smelted steel poured down upon the bound man.

Not as the fearful, angered cries faded into muted screams of agony and terror, until that too faded.

It did nothing to phase them as they watched the man be consumed by the heated liquid.

They merely watched.

They watched for a long time.

Stared at the poured metal covered the struggling man. Focused on the way the flames flickered in and out as the heat fluctuates.

Even as the screams were cut off, as the glow of the smelted steel faded.

As nothing but a thick rectangular block of steel was all that remained in place of the man that had been alive just a moment before.

"...Well..." Four speaks up, breaking the silence that took hold of them as the execution commenced. "How do you feel, finally atoning for your incompetence?"

Silence drifts across the room, not as tense or as heavy as it was a moment before.

He looks over to the captain a moment later when he doesn't respond.

Had he been anyone else, perhaps the smile presented to him would have been unsettling.

But he wasn't anyone else. He understood.

After all, how could he not understand the euphoria of defending Her honor. Of ridding the land of the vermin that dare sully Her happiness.

"Joyful." The giddiness and elation in that answer. The peace of atonement was clear on his face to observe. Four could almost hear the captain's heart pounding in what only could be pure bliss.

"That's all."

His eyes were almost aglow from the light of the forge's flames, yet also with a level of euphoric peace that was surely coursing through him.

Yes. The Hero of Warriors was responding as a loyal devotee should.

That's all the matters to the Hero of Light.

---

"Hey guys! I think I've rarely seen you this week!"

"We're sorry (y/n), the blacksmith offered to help me make something for a late comrade."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was he a close friend?"

"No, I actually hated him."

"...Then why make something for him?"

"It's good to have reminders."

“...??”

“Next time take me!"

"This one was personal sailor."

"I hated him too!" "WIND!"

"And I hated him more." "WAR-oh my god NO!"

#linked universe #yandere linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu #loz #lu warriors #lu four #lu wind #lu hyrule #timeline two au

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