#but i guess you can imagine it to be a stealth one

[stabby-biscotti0152]

Birkin in the fog: chase edition!

Otherwise known as 'help me I lost the killer but I don't think they lost me!!'

[deviouz]

OKAY SO LIKE idk if you take requests anymore but I need this done so bad and I love your writing so like imagine Jason Todd being adopted and raised by Catwoman and the reader by Batman as robin like a girl robin and basically Jason needs info or wtv and he defeats the reader in a battle or something and handcuffs her and like seduces her for it and reader's usually had super high morals and stuff but she's like simping over him and melts for him practically but idk something like tht like cat women and Batman but roles reversed but yea

Totally get if this is like weird too much though lmao

here’s a lil drabble while i make my way through other requests <3 thank you lovie!! also, jason’s name didn’t really come up, so i guess you can imagine it as whoever? i did write with jason in mind though!! ;; soz

role reversal !

“Come on, I know you can spit it out. The old man can’t be that important to you.”

It was hard to fight off the embarrassed blush as you jerked your wrists from behind your back, the cold bite of steel a painful reminder of the predicament you had found yourself in. The fight was long and drawn out, having left both of you breathless for a while before your captor had gotten the upper hand. It was times like this you really wished you had paid more attention to your father’s teachings about how to get out of precarious circumstances as this one.

How the hell were you supposed to dislocate your thumb and slip out of the handcuffs again?

Being Robin had given you quite the ego. It hadn't really occurred to you that getting captured was a possibility. Batman had shown you every trick in the book on how not to get caught.

Your opponent was as sly as a fox, though. He was quick on his feet, definitely hard to defeat. It was when you had the upper hand, or believed so, that the rug was quickly pulled out from under you, sharp smile and all.

Silence would be your best friend. There was no way in hell you were going to divulge any information that could be used against either yourself or your family — you’d sooner die than allow that to happen.

It was when he had made way to pluck the black mask shielding your eyes did you move, head jerking to the side while a noise of disapproval escaped your throat.

“Don’t touch me.”

He kneeled before you, lips curled into a smirk as a hand trailed from your knee to the middle of your thigh. Your suit was thin, meant more for agility than anything. It was nothing compared to the protective kevlar of the Batsuit. Stealth was your strong suit, and it turns out lingering touches from a man clad in a catsuit was your kryptonite.

“Don’t be like that. We can have fun! I promise I’ll make it worth your time,” he practically purred, voice smooth and intoxicating. “Just tell me what you know.”

Had your heart always beat this fast? Did he drug you? Maybe it was the lack of sleep finally catching up, the deprivation rearing its ugly head at the worst possible time.

“I thought I told you not to touch me,” you quipped back with a clenched jaw. Hands balled into fists and eyes narrowed, you were a sight for sore eyes. “How about you take these cuffs off and we go for a round two, hm?”

He had the audacity to giggle like it was the funniest thing in the world. The hand on your thigh began to inch upwards once more.

“Darling,” God, did that sound pretty rolling off the tip of his tongue, “any round two that we have will be somewhere with some nice booze and a bed, and maybe with soundproof walls depending on how loud I can get you.”

You were stronger than this, surely. Anything to protect Gotham and the people inhabiting it. You wouldn’t lose your nerve to a man with pretty words knelt before you.

“I can give you what you want, you know. Think of it like a trade; you give me the information I need, and I’ll have you screaming my name for all of Gotham to hear. Fair?”

As his touch began to grow more bold, warm hands slowly parting your thighs as he moved in between them, you knew you had to act fast. Resolve could only last so long, especially when coupled with a nighttime job known as being Robin — you were long overdue for something devious and a long nap.

Mustering up what little restraint remained, your foot raised to kick him back, momentarily leaving him a breathless heap of muscle and suave on the ground before you.

“You really don’t listen well.”

[audhd-nightwing]

modern trans steddie au where eddie is stealth among the Party, only wayne and corroded coffin know he’s trans. also there’s no upside down & they’re both in high school (16/17)

so one day he’s at steve’s (just the two of them, which has been happening more often lately much to eddie’s surprise and delight) and his ribs start to ache and it gets hard to breathe and shit he’s been binding for too long.

eddie attempts to leave, just wants to go home and take a binding break and wear his dysphoria hoodie for the rest of the day, but steve has already noticed that he’s in pain and no way in hell is steve letting eddie drive when all he can do is clutch at his sides and wheeze.

eddie figures shit, this is it i guess when steve asks what’s wrong. his brow is wrinkled in concern and he’s biting at his nail, trying find any visible injuries on eddie and eddie can’t take it anymore so he just blurts out “my ribs hurt.”

steve pauses, searching his face for something before nodding and sitting on the couch next to him.

“any, uh. particular reason for that?” steve asks hesitantly, messing with the hem of his shirt now.

eddie closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths, mentally preparing to either lose one of his best friends or explain a lot of stuff. he doesn’t have the courage to open his eyes just yet so he says, through clenched teeth, “i’ve been binding for too long.”

what eddie doesn’t expect is the silence, and he opens an eye to see steve blinking at him, mouth hung open in shock. eddie sighs, getting ready to explain what binding is and why he does it when steve lets out a somewhat strangled laugh before slapping a hand over his mouth.

eddie doesn’t know if he should be offended or not but then steve shakes his head and asks “how long?”

eddie blinks at him. how long…?

steve clarifies, “how long have you worn your binder today?”

eddie, confused beyond belief, simply tells him “ten hours,” and watches as steve’s face scrunches with worry.

“okay,” steve says, getting up and pulling eddie with him, “you’re changing.”

eddie can’t do anything but follow steve to his room and watch as he digs through his closet before holding up a big hoodie triumphantly. steve walks over, dumps the hoodie in eddie’s arms and says “no more binding today,” before leaving and closing the door behind him.

eddie decides he might as well listen to steve and changes, thankful he wore sweats instead of his usual skinny jeans. the hoodie is big, and a deep navy blue with ‘Hawkins Swim Team’ printed on the front. eddie turns to leave but first catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror, specifically… he turns around again and yup, that’s ‘Harrington’ on the back. eddie thinks he might pass out, and not just from overbinding.

eddie can tell he’s blushing when he leaves the room but can’t do anything about it so he fights to urge to just run away and finds steve in the living room. steve looks up at eddie when he walks in and eddie can’t tell if it’s his imagination or if steve is actually blushing at the sight of eddie in his clothes.

steve coughs and averts his eyes, asking “do you feel better?”

eddie smiles hesitantly and sits next to him on the couch.

“yeah, thanks for that,” he replies, fidgeting before continuing, “look i don’t know if you don’t get it or you just don’t care or something but just please don’t tell anyone-”

steve cuts him off, eyes wide and a hand resting on eddie’s shoulder.

“eddie, hey. i would never do that. i swear on my life,” steve meets his gaze and eddie can’t help but believe him. at eddie’s nod steve slumps in relief, the hand still on eddie’s shoulder squeezing in reassurance before letting go.

“so,” eddie starts, feeling steve turn towards him to show he’s paying attention.

“so,” steve parrots, prompting him, and eddie rolls his eyes fondly.

“so, i’m trans. obviously. well, i think obviously. cuz you’re handling this shockingly well so i’m not sure if you’re actually supportive or just really stupid,” steve makes an offended-sounding squawk and eddie grins, “but i appreciate it either way.”

when steve doesn’t respond (again) eddie turns to find him smiling brilliantly at eddie, dimples showing and eyes sparkling, stealing eddie’s breath.

“what?” he asks, dumbfounded.

steve giggles, fucking giggles, and starts pulling his shirt off. eddie chokes on air and is startled into a coughing fit, fucking shit steve is gonna kill him one day, and next thing he knows steve is standing in front of him and handing him a glass of water. eddie downs it gratefully, opening his eyes to see steve standing in front of him still shirtless and eddie can’t help but admire the view before he sees the top surgery scars and realizes what steve was trying to tell him.

eddie can’t help but gape and meet steve’s eyes, who begins laughing even harder at the look eddie gives him.

“you? you, King Steve, prince of Hawkins High, are trans??” eddie exclaims. his worldview is shattering for a second time (both times because of one steve harrington) and he needs a moment to adjust.

steve just nods and continues laughing, managing to say, “what cis guy chooses the nickname King Steve?” before collapsing onto the couch in giggles

eddie can’t help but roll his eyes fondly and poke at steve’s chest.

“you,” he declares, “are an asshole.”

steve makes a mock-wounded noise and drapes himself over eddie’s lap dramatically, clutching his at heart.

“you wound me,” he replies, staring up at eddie. their eyes meet, and eddie feels trapped in steve’s gaze, his heartbeat stuttering when steve tucks a lock of hair behind eddie’s ear.

a moment later steve looks away, face dusted a light pink, and continues, “i didn’t know you were too until just now- otherwise i would’ve told you, promise.”

eddie trusts steve, and knows he’s telling the truth. he chews on his bottom lip a moment, contemplating, before cupping the side of steve’s face with his hand. steve’s eyes flicker to his, a question in them, and this time eddie knows the answer.

“i’m gonna kiss you now, okay?” eddie asks, smiling wide when steve nods emphatically and tucks his hand onto the back of eddie’s neck to pull him down.

the kiss is short and sweet, interrupted by smiles and laughter, and made worse by the awkward position, but eddie wouldn’t change it for the world.

when he pulls back steve is beaming and before eddie say anything else he blurts out, “be my boyfriend?”

eddie stares at him for a second before snorting and lowering his head to laugh into steve’s chest. when he looks up again to see steve’s pout he smiles softly and says, “of course, dumbass.”

when steve’s grin returns, eddie thinks it might be his favorite sight in the whole world.

[newkatzkafe2023]

@lara-legomonkiekid

What if Y/N had the ability to release sleeping gas?(It can either help others sleep or if it's like enemies, she would release it and make sure that it'll give the enemy's nightmares/Illusions).

Hey everybody as a celebration Of Poppy's playtime Chapter 3 coming out yesterday thought I make this enjoy

(Lmk Wukong) He didn't Know. Like at all He thought he was just Thought he was sleeping peacefully now that the Dangers were over. But no it was thanks To you his wife of well im guessing 500+ years. You have a sleep smoke ability To not only put people to sleep , but to give them sweet dreams due to the Poppy flower smells. But You can also make it to Where you can Make people see horrible hallucinations if they were clearly an enemy. For that's a happen you use heavy doses But it's your loving husband so you use a light Dosage so he can sleep peacefully. You really He doesn't have to know about your ability And you really want to keep it that way until You guys were attacked by Another one of his enemies. The Other demon was putting up a good fight against your husband so you decided to step in you told Wukong to hold his breath and don't breathe no matter what Easy for him to do Since he's well immortal , but he still wasn't sure what you were about to do and When he saw a large creepy smile appear on your face which freak him the Hell out and see a navy blue smoke leave from your Mouth and on to the other demon. That's when he witness the effects The demon began to laugh hysterically , derangely insanely and then scream in terror and pain for a whole freacking hour then fall over and die. He then slowly looked at you in horror But he saw tears come out of your eyes when you saw his reaction. He clearly gonna have a talk with you about your ability. But right now he wants to go comfort you so You don't think he's afraid of you.

(NR Wukong) He tries to be as understanding as possible. He remembered what you had done all those years ago. He was never mad at you. Because you were simply defending yourself and him. But he's still aware of the ability of your sleep smoke. And neither of you knew you were gonna have to use it again because of the demon Thugs that attempted to attack the garage The second he saw the blank deranged Threatening smile on your face. He told Li to run inside and hold this breath While he quickly put on a gas mask and stood back That's when you released your Smoke Into the area towards the demons. The second they breathe Everybody began to laugh and cried arrangely and And for a whole freaking hour before they passed out possibly dead. Li Who witnessed what happened knew how dangerous you could be But he never imagine that you were this Lethal.

(HIB Wukong) Do you know about your ability but only the good part. Do you use your ability to help him and Liuer Sleep peacefully without nightmares from either of you. And you normally are the one who It's up to look out for danger and that's exactly what happened that night. Some demons Came in the middle to Chi and robbed the village. They chose to do a stealth mission. Not knowing that you were the only one in the village awake , so you spotted immediately and went into action. You got into a good position when the demons invaders were still unaware of you And that Smiled wide and released the smoke into the field. They were in and all of a sudden they began Laugh laugh and laugh. It were laughing hysterically insanely derangely, And they started screaming and horror and pain This went on for a good hour before they all finally died of laughter. Everybody In the village woke up justin time to see the dead bodies of the would be invaders. Wukong looked up To see you and your wide range smile. That's when he knew exactly what had happened and why he should never get on your bad side.

(Mk Reborn Wukong) You two were together for a long time. You were there when he got into a fight with the jade emperor and buddha. And you were there for when he got sealed under the mountain. You literally stop by everyday just to blow some sleeping gas till so keep him calm and let him know that you're still visiting every day. In fact , master tang was the one meet you first before he got to the monkey king. He heard about your mini legend about the sleepinguess you release. But he also knows the danger you can bring with it So he presented the Opportunity to join the journey to your husband who you both let out of his seal. One night you guys were attacked by a group of demons and they were pretty strong. That's when you put your ability to good use. You told everyone to hold their breaths. As long as you can and get as far away from you was possible. They saw a big creepy smile Appear on your face and when they got far enough They witness your ability and the demons that attack them began to Laugh derangely hysterically and sadly you name it and Thirty minutes and they started to scream and pain and horror from the illusions they received before they died. All everyone but master tang and your husband looked in horror at your Power. Knowing never to make a enemy Out of you

(Netflix Wukong) You're a Well known and popular In the village know as the sleep demon. You always release your sleep smoke into the village to help the villagers get good night rest. And the children of the village good dreams to have. It was very special and it helped your bond with your fellow neighbors. Wukong Loved your abilities and admired how it was really helping out with the villagers. You always made sure that he has all the good dreams you can give him but One night though when you weren't feeling particularly Sleepy and he was asleep that's When demons decided to attack at night Everybody was Still asleep from the smoke you released earlier , so it was up to you to take care. When you made the village look at you that's when the demons Thought you would be an easy target considering it was just you and they thought you were the village protector or something like that. But that's when they notice your eyes were blank. Staring into everybody's soul and that's when you smiled wide and creepily. Asking if any of them were sleepy. The demons laughed at you for asking. And we're going to kill you and make quick work of you. But that's when you release the navy. Blue smoke darker than the smoke you always use. And that's when the demons knew something was up But it was too late for them. For they each began to laugh hysterically, loudly and sadly. Derangely, you name it. And then they started screaming and pain and horror and fear. Waking up the village finally, and this went on for a freaking hour and each and every one of them died. The villagers ran outside to see you. Looking back at them with your normal face. But the dead bodies of the demon army in the Town center. Wukong Continue to this day to ask what happened. But you always remain silent for you felt he will never be ready for what you can truly do.

Feel Free to Reblog 😇 👍

[spacebarbarianweird]

Dhampirs of Faerun

We had a discussion about dhampirs with @marcynomercy on Discord recently.

Dhampirs are known to be secretive. They know how to blend with mortals and not to attract the attention of either regular people or vampires. But if you release spawns into the Underdark, dhampirs will be much more common in the decades to come. Much more common than they have ever been.

Now imagine this paranormal comedy fuel.

Masterlist

Headcanons

A group of adventurers gathers in a tavern, tasked with killing a shady villain.

They've never met before, each harboring secrets they don't want to share.

Seven members compose the team.

Berserk - Human

Tiefling Bard who fucks everything that moves and if it doesn't move he moves it and fucks.

A Dwarf Paladin.

A silver-curled Elven maiden skilled with daggers.

A Half-Orc ranger who looks at the sun with awe of someone who has never seen the light.

A Half-Elf Rogue.

And an autistic wizard kid they've picked up for fun.

They carefully plan their tactics and embark on the adventure.

For a month, they travel through the wilderness, bonding and befriending each other.

They learn to trust each other and share some secrets.

There's even a love couple whose relationship will probably last longer than this adventure.

They fight the villain, restrain him, and drag him to their camp.

At night, the villain tries to talk to the wizard kid.

"Kiddo, listen, we have much more in common than you think. Have you ever felt the bloodlust? Have you heard the night singing for you?"

The wizard kid feels uneasy; no one must know his secret.

In the meantime, the Rogue decides to look around the camp for potential threats. The Berserk follows him, looking drunk.

"FUCK!"

A loud yell from the woods awakens everyone in the camp.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" the Rogue tries to stop blood leaking from his arm. "Are you a fucking Dhampir?!"

"And what the fuck is wrong with your blood?!" bellows the Berserk. "Wait... you too?!"

The group of seven young adventurers steps around the restrained villain, looking at each other with shock and surprise.

"So," the Bard finally composes himself. "We are all Dhampirs, aren't we?"

The whole group stays silent, realizing they've been succeeding in Stealth checks for the entire month but failing the Perception one.

"Wait, I don't understand," says the Paladin. "The Ranger and the Rogue are dating, and I can't sleep the entire night because, please, learn the Silence spell! The Bard has fucked at least three of us! How come no one noticed anything?!"

"Well, I was busy looking at other things," the Bard shrugs.

"Oh, I knew something was off with all of you. I just wanted to see how long you can pretend!" says the Elven maiden, playing with her dagger.

Astarion's daughter is blatantly lying. She is just embarrassed with the fact she has traveled with a group of her own kind and never guessed that.

"Soo," the Berserk says. "What are we going to do with our prisoner?"

"I am one of you! Let me go! There must be some dhampir solidarity among us!"

"No," the Ranger snaps back. "There is a rule in the Underdark. If a vampire kills a sentient being, they are executed because murders attract monster hunters. If we let this asshole go, he will keep ruining Dhampir reputation, and we will suffer, too!"

"Wait, you grew up in this Vampire Spawn City dad told me about?" asks the Elf.

"Yeah, I did."

"My sincere condolences."

The next night is spent in conversations and discussions.

In the morning, they all return to the city to get their reward for catching the bad guy.

They gather in the tavern once again, discussing what to do next when the Elf girl suddenly sticks a dagger into the table with a piece of paper on it.

"There is a vampire lord on the loose, kidnapping and torturing people. Let's kill him for profit!"

--

Tag List

@tragedybunny @caitlincat-95 @tallymonster @astarionsbeloved @lumienyx @fayeriess @elora-the-slutty-songstress @veillsar @astarion-imagine-archive @micropoe10 @starlight-ipomoea @herstxrgirl @theearthsfinalconfession @ashrio20 @not-so-lost-after-all @vixstarria @wintersire @marcynomercy @tugoslovenka

[lawbin-archive]

Lawbin Zou Analysis: where the dream starts

Zou is an interesting arc. It's one of the arcs that really blows my mind (egghead is another one) I personally like these kind of informative arcs a lot because Oda can always surprise me with his infinity ideas.

highlighted in purple are my delulu~

Again, don't read if you don't like Lawbin. Includes lots of bias.

~LAWBIN FRIENDS PHASE~

Before start analyzing the arc, I just want to say I feel like Lawbin are friends at this moment. Even though Law will deny it and say they are allies only haha, I feel like they are at least friends. Robin wouldn't worry someone for an entire arc and use her whole body to save him if she doesn't see him as a friend in my opinion. Well - in law's perspective, they might just be alliance all the way. But I think deep down, he see Robin as friends since Dressrosa from how they talk with each other.

Chapter 801 ~ 806: Always beside you

Law and Robin sitting across again! Funny that's how they started and ended Dressrosa. And their physique and vibes are so similar. I guess it's really nice to look at Robin all the time hehe

This scene is so funny. Did Law just called Usopp "God-ya" just to make fun of him Lmaoo Law did pick up Robin's habit to tease Usopp just to see him scared Lol Robin even asked Usopp "Need some gum?" Girlll you know exactly why he's looking pale hahaha I love how Law and Robin basically team up here just to tease Usopp. (Maybe Robin is genuinely asking Usopp but it's still so funny to me)

The seating plan here is just sus to me!! Because Law can definitely sit anywhere else and not sit behind Robin! Like he can sit with Zoro and Luffy, it wouldn't affect the plot that much. But no, he needs to sit between Robin and Franky and separating the straw hats lol To be fair, Franky need to sit in front of Kin'emon for plot purpose. (So the monkey can make them fall, because Franky block most of their sight) But it can also be Law - Robin - Franky (there's one panel is, but I think it's just a mistake) Maybe Oda just draw their sitting order randomly but I still feel kind of sus about it because usually he will draw Luffy and Law together, and Robin Franky (or Usopp) together.

For me, it's really normal if Oda always draw Franky Robin (or any straw hats) together. Because they are in the same crew and of course you will stand or sit with a person that you're close with. It's not normal if he always draw Robin with a non-straw hat a.k.a Law together! People always forget that and said they barely interact (which I don't even bother- oh well), but Law isn't a straw hat, it's normal that he doesn't interact a lot with people who isn't close with. That's why it's significant when Oda purposely make him interact with a certain straw hat a.k.a Robin more than others.

So back to the seating plan, that's why I think it's interesting that Oda is trying to put Law and Robin more together!! Maybe they did get closer during their trip :p

I think zolaw is cute sometimes haha. Zoro and Law are so logical here. I searched up their MBTI (which is voted by people). Law is INTJ and Robin is INTP (Zoro is ISTP if you're curious) The three of them personalities are so similar. They all have "T" in their MBTI which stands for thinking logically before feelings. And of course they are all introverts lol Robin cares here because she thinks the dragon is cute, imagine it's some kind of robot ninja, she will probably say something mean here too haha and Zoro & Law will be those getting emotional (like law reacting to Stealth Black)

Logically, I would say Robin ask Law to get in touch with his crew so that they know how Minks act and if they will hurt the straw hats. But in my delulu, I would say it's sus Robin think about Law's crew first and she always keep his situation in mind. Even Usopp needs to think for a minute to realize there's a mink in Law's crew. But seems like Robin know so well about it! (Ok rationally I know Robin is smart so she think of reaching Law's crew is the best way to learn about mink)

It's these kind of small moments make them so compatible. Law & Robin are analyzing a lot during their way on Zou. Robin is more proactive on investigating but I found Law can always quickly analyze of what Robin found. Just imagine they both go on discovering a ruin after everything, Law is behind protecting Robin and help her analyze the ruins it's just seems so perfect to me. (well it's just like the wano scene hehe)

This shows exactly what I meant - Robin said the town is built for this water level and Law can just quickly figured out the shower always happen. Oda I see what you're trying to do here!!! They are just so similar so intelligent together!! And they seems like always talking with each other because they sync a lot.

When Law shambles the whole group, he shambles Robin the last and also the closet to him. Seems like he's protecting her >< In the anime, Law Zoro and Robin landed perfectly but in the manga is only Law and Robin. I knew Law has bias towards to Robin! But rationally, I think Law will do the same for other girls too but because for girls, he mainly only interact with Robin lol so we didn't know how he treat other girls haha But so far, I can see he did seems treat Robin nicer than others. Law seems like very distance to other girls in general.

Chapter 814 ~ 820: Road Poneglyph

Since Vinsmoke is from north blue, so maybe she heard from Law?! jk it's probably from the revolutionary army but I can delulu right?! :p

Law starting to change tears me up T-T In Dressrosa, he really hides his empathy but I know deep down he cares a lot. And now he's showing the soft side of him. That's why I said he is probably going through the character development of what Robin went through during pre-time skip.

Law didn't say a lot here, but I think this part is probably one of the reasons what makes him want to find the will of D later. Inuarashi revealed that Robin is from Ohara and can decipher ruins. And since Law told Robin his real name later on and ask about the Will of D, he probably knew what Robin and Ohara went through. I think Robin and Law did get a lot closer during Zou -> Wano, but I will save my analysis later!

Law said "show me your shadow clone technique" here and it's literally what Robin had shown him back in Dressrosa haha

Seeing this scene, I personally think if everything goes well, Law will probably go to Laugh Tale with the straw hats. I don't think he will join the straw hats but as like an accompany or alliance. Also he already told Robin he want to learn about the will of D too so if Oda is mercy enough, we can probably see Law & Robin learn history together.

Usually, Law will have an annoyed expression when straw hats compliment each other or saying they will protect each other. But when's it's Robin, he didn't react to it hehe But I also think it's because he respect Robin a lot. And I personally think he will definitely protect her when someone is after her.

Robin and Luffy's dynamic is just so cute! >< And the passion of Robin has on road poneglyph is a lot and she always search it when she has a chance. So I really think Law and Robin did collaborate on finding road poneglyph, otherwise, she would definitely search in Onigashima too (which she didn't and Law did)

That's the end of Zou. They didn't interact a lot but I can feel like Law and Robin is getting closer. I'm also saving some of my thoughts for Wano. Wano is definitely a big change for these two, even though there are not a lot of scenes of them together :( Anyways, thank you for reading again!!! Let me know if you have any thoughts!!

[tubbytarchia]

I NEED YOUR EXPERT ADVICE. I'm making Hermit designs but I've been kin-assigning them animals because as a furry artist I cannot draw humans. I've been choosing animals based on personality/behavior and not just looks. Do you have any ideas for Joel, Impulse, or Skizz? Gem too if you've got one, I don't want to stick with Just fandom-popular animals (deer/fox/etc). IF U DO NOT HAVE THOUGHTS THAT IS OKAY TOO, TY FOR READING ANYWAYS <3

Oughh this is a good question uhh I don't have many nor the best ideas probably by a long shot but if it can even just help spark some ideas, here's some!!

Joel - Donkey honestly! Hot-headed, stubborn, loud little things. To me, Joel is a heavy hitter not caring for stealth etc and makes himself known. Think of how farmers often get a solitary donkey to protect their livestock because of the sheer ferocity of those territorial things. Donkeys may often be associated with undesirable traits but they kick and bite like pawns of hell, just because they can, not even because its necessary to defend themselves. They will kick to kill and they'll make sure of it. Kinda Joel coated to me tbh, even if Joel isn't always great at getting that kind of job done. Just from the way donkeys are often perceived though I think it fits.. For pretty much the same reasons also, a rooster?? Significantly less deadly (accurate to Joel) but still capable of great malice!! And obviously often seen as very prideful much like Joel

Impulse - this came up in my dinosaur assigning, but bull! Impulse is usually depicted as a bulky guy with a strong build and horns, like a bull! The bull has a bunch of symbolism thrown at it but that includes stuff like strength and loyalty, attributes I think are often assigned to Impulse. And at points, Impulse does showcase these, but he can also become hot headed, arrogant, and he holds grudges like hell. These aren't traits you usually think of with a bull though, lest you think of bull-fighting. I think it fits Impulse because on surface level, and from a lot of people's understanding, you don't think of these less desirable traits. He also seems to think rather highly of himself and doesn't often deem it necessary to prove his loyalty etc when others doubt him. Bulls aren't as hot-headed as the awful bull-fighting sport might have you believe but they are still rather easily aggravated! A lot of animals can "hold grudges" for a prolonged time, but elephants and camels especially, so, something fitting in that too (especially with those once again being bulky large animals. The camel I guess is more lanky than bulky though...)

Skizz - Of course Skizz just makes me think of lovely birds when I try and assign something to him. Immediate thought was swan but... Swans are ferocious fighters and Skizz is... not Mayhaps an albatross instead if we stick with birds - they're also birds known for their love and conviction, but also the fun rumor that killing an albatross will leave you cursed. That kind of makes me think of Skizz's "I only kill those who deserve it" mindset. Harm him and he will (try to) get back at you Maybe even a crow, for how social they are but also how capable of remembering faces If we want non-birds, I think any animal that's passive and chill but valiantly protective of their own could fit? Or because Skizz is kind of always friendly, could lean into that and assign him the capybara, which I can't imagine is much good at fighting much like him. Or maybe an animal that has an unimpressive and maybe laughable defense mechanism to a human, like the way raccoons or red pandas stand on their hind legs to try and threaten you, the same way Skizz on his red life will dye his hair red or wear a red speedo

Gem - Surprisingly tough... I love the usual deer themeing with her so I automatically wanna assign her another herbivore that is thought to be very passive or docile but one that could very much fuck you up. Honestly... I know it doesn't make for good hybrid material at all but..hippos... just for how fucking murderous they are. Maybe a good ol horse instead? Because horses especially are widely domesticated and people very often make the mistake of getting too close etc only to get kicked in the face. Gem doesn't listen to anyone man she's her own boss!! A cow works for similar reasons. Deadly beasts even if often seen as totally docile... I love this kind of idea because it draws so much attention to how spearheaded Gem is But I could also imagine her as a predator like an ocelot etc. She very much acts like one I think. That's why it's so tough, so much stuff fits her!!

[redditreceipts]

i feel like i do agree with most radfem stances but then some just don’t make sense to me

like stating that someone’s bf begging for sex or acting sad he isn’t getting any is akin to rape/coercion into sex? it just doesn’t sit right to me because i got assaulted and it was .. forceful, i didn’t get to decide ‘oh i feel bad for this person, guess i will just do it!’ i didn’t want to and i was forced to. i feel like the many posts about how having consensual sex you regret because you consented for bad reasons making it ‘rape’ are disrespectful towards anyone who actually got assaulted/raped.

then there’s also the thing where Tifs are treated like they are just harmless deluded girls, when most tifs are homophobic and gross- you constantly see them mocking gay men and talking about how they want to go ‘stealth’ and would be fine tricking a gay man into sex. but radfems ignore that and mostly talk about tims.

i also don’t get if most radfems are pro gay or not because i got told multiple times that women who have consensual sex with men or who got married (by their own choice) to a man and had kids with him are also somehow ‘lesbians’. it just sounds like they think lesbian = manhating bisexual with trauma. idk most radfems on here i agree with until it comes down to these 3 points.

hmmm, so I can't speak for all feminists here on tumblr, but I can just give my personal opinion on these points.

So I don't have much authority on the first point, because I've never experienced that (well, I haven't experienced it so far lmao). But I think that the problem is that we have very few words for very different experiences of sexual violence. We have "molestation", "rape", "sexual violence", "coercion", "sexual assuault", - and... well, I'm not a native speaker so I don't know all of the terms, maybe, but most of these terms are just polite descriptions of sexual violence. I think we should invent new terms to differentiate. Maybe one umbrella term like "sexual violence", and then a term for coercion with physical violence, coercion with verbal violence, coercion with manipulation, coercion with threats of taking important things away from a person, coercion from an authority figure via their authority, rape of an inebriated person... Like with violence via physical impact, where we have the terms "punch", "hit", "strike", "nudge", "slap", "beat", "smack", "thump", "pound", "smash", "slam", "hammer", "box", "bump", "spank", etc. Imagine there was just one term: "to hit". But if there was just this one term "to hit", one person would say "I was hit" when they have been bumped into, and you would say "I was hit" when you had been punched in the face. It would of course seem crazy to act as if these two experiences had been similar, but the problem is not someone appropriating someone else's terminology, but the problem is that there is just one word for violence via impact. Maybe that's the problem?

Second, I do think that there is a difference between TIMs and TIFs. 1. Men are more violent than women and there is no reason to think that this would change with transition. There are violent women, yes, but not as many as there are violent men, so violence in men is far larger problem. 2. Also, a woman who is violent against men is less likely to be able to do harm because she will be smaller on average. 3. The general attitude toward transgender people among gay men and lesbian women is very different. While lesbians and bisexual women tend to welcome straight TIMs with open arms (and get to feel the repercussions of that), gay men tend to be much more confident in excluding women from their sexuality. Almost every subreddit for gay men would be labelled as a "TERF"-subreddit if it was women behaving in the exact same way. While gay men have basically the entire internet to talk about how they hate vagina, lesbians have carved out this very little space to talk about how they hate dick. so that's why this is much more frequent, I guess 4. most people on here are lesbian and bisexual women. So I guess that venting about transbians is more common because trans gay men don't invade our spaces. If they do, that's shitty nonetheless of course.

And on the third point - well, many women get married to men they are not attracted to. So if you marry a man you don't like and you do it because of internalised homophobia, you would still be a lesbian. If you are genuinely sexually attracted to him, you would be bisexual. But I've not really seen that happening, but if it did, I'd be happy to get a link because that's of course nonsense, a person who is genuinely attracted to men is not a lesbian.

I hope this answered your questions a bit :)

[uniquethingtastemaker]

Hello! I think I've got a good one. First off, for the sake of this request, let's pretend that Rook was somehow able to attend Camp Vargas (We're reaching SO far, but it's fine) and he has a male s/o who was also attending the camp (whether he's Yuu or not, I'll leave up to you), but he has serious trauma from being kidnapped by a serial killer when he was younger. And so, when Vargas captures and ties him up, the reader starts losing it and having a panic attack, thinking he's going to die. How would Rook react to this?

Hey, Anon! Thanks for sharing your brain rot ideas regarding Rook, because we love our ridiculous and theatrical hunter. Truly a wild set of circumstances I've been presented, but I love it!

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I saw Rook attending Camp Vargas purely because the man is so athletic. He wields a huge bow with great accuracy and is proficient in stealth. He would easily be able to sneak in and just lay in wait, taking pictures secretly in the trees. The reason he would be there in the first place would absolutely be to take photographs.

Honestly, even without the extremeness of "got kidnapped by a serial killer," I can see someone having a panic attack just in general by getting kidnapped. I mean certain traumas can trigger people's fight, flight, or freeze response and it's a big mood.

What will come next is just me free writing my ideas for this, so here's y'all's present I guess lol. Also, note that I have not actually read the Vargas Camp event, but have a vague idea of what kinda went down during the event lol.

Oh my god, wait, to elaborate on this idea or whatever. I could totally see Rook in the trees, watching the whole kidnapping thing go down. Then, when Vargas would leave to claim his next unsuspecting victim, Rook would drop down next to you. Cooing in your ear that you were safe and are going to be ok, he would cut the ropes off you. Probably holding you close and just rocking you back in forth lovingly while you calm down from your panic attack. You would probably be clinging onto him and his big muscles like a koala. He would be whispering sweet words of affirmations in your ear, as he moves you to somewhere safer. Aka away from the pile of other victims lol...

You know, he would probably cut the other victims free just to cause some more fun chaos and trouble for Ashton. He probably knows that the person behind the kidnappings was Ashton anyway, because Rook is so perceptive... I could totally imagine him deciding to exact a "friendly" revenge on him for messing and actually traumatizing his beloved by telling the other victims that the culprit was Ashton and maybe some other important information to help them successfully get back at their teacher lol. Rook wouldn't have time in the moment to personally get back at him, because he would be too busy taking care of you!! Ahhh, so sweet! We love our hunter boy. Taking care of us and making sure that we feel ok and safe (in his arms lol). I can imagine that there would be cuddles as you hear the sounds of absolute chaos and screaming in the distance perhaps watching the whole fight go down from afar. The kids rebelling and enacting a revolution to overthrow Vargas. Sounds about right. I wouldn't be surprised if that would happen in game low key lol.

Ohhhh, and you know what would be the cherry on the cake? Having the reader specifically thinking and praying (maybe whimpering lol) while they're getting kidnapped that Rook would save them even though he wasn't at camp or whatever. And then having Rook actually show up?!!! *throws myself on the floor and dies* It's such a good idea. Good job, anon, you've successfully murdered me.

You also surprisingly got me to vaguely write/elaborate on your request low key, and that my dude is a feat within itself. Like I'm truly impressed. *applauds you from the floor*

[goldenblu]

i dont have emojis, so- hurricane, snowflake, raincloud, umbrella? or you can choose only one or two of them if you want

🌀 Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing...

5 times zoro didn’t know he was flirting with sanji and 1 time he knew

(i do plan on releasing this some day—i’ve got almost 3k written so far—but probably not anytime soon)

❄️ Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing.

from the fic above ^ :

Zoro thought the whole flower situation was over and done with, but apparently he was mistaken. The cook had presumably seen it when he returned to the ship or maybe when he retired to sleep yesterday night and hadn’t said anything to him about it, so Zoro had assumed that Sanji had accepted the gift junk and presented it to Nami or Robin or whoever. So imagine his surprise when he sees the flower again. With the cook. On the cook, actually. Tucked in his hair.

What.

Zoro’s brain takes a moment to reboot. He blinks, wondering if he’s hallucinating, but nope, it’s still there. Why. When. How. Why, again, for good measure.

Sanji catches him staring—of course he does, they’re literally two feet apart since Zoro had immediately come face-to-face with the cook after exiting the washroom. Because apparently the universe hates him. For some ungodly reason that Zoro can’t fathom, the tips of Sanji’s ears burn a bright red. “What?” he snaps.

Oh god. The cook actually sounds embarrassed.

“Nothing,” Zoro says, because if he says what he’s actually thinking, he’s going to be even more embarrassed than Sanji, if such a thing were possible. “Just wasn’t expecting that.”

🌧️ Share something angsty from your WIP.

ohoho there is so much to choose from

Sanji’s hand clenches in his shirt so hard that he shakes from the strain of it, and then he shoves Zoro against the wall, cabinets clattering open on impact. Zoro allows it to happen, keeping his hands loose and by his sides as Sanji’s forearm presses into his collarbone.

“I hate you so fucking much,” Sanji spits out. He lets go and starts pacing back and forth furiously, steps coming down so hard that Zoro’s surprised that the wood doesn’t splinter under the force of it. His hands fist in his hair. “I asked you for one thing. One fucking thing! I thought I could trust you to do it, but I guess I was wrong about that.”

“I can handle your hate.” If it means that Sanji is still himself, is still feeling and alive, Zoro can handle anything.

Sanji bites out a harsh laugh. “That’s goddamn perfect then.” He whips around, wild, resentful, burning a hole into Zoro’s flesh with the bitterness of his gaze alone. “Because you fucking have it.”

(yes this from hold your fire 😁)

☔ Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

the stealth black sanji au 👀 ive already talked about it at length though so i don’t have anything to add here lol

beyond that, i’ve always liked the hc that sanji attended a reverie as part of the germa delegation when he was young, so an au where vivi recognizes him when they first meet could be interesting. haven’t put too much thought into it though

[madeofspite-and-memes]

shards

tw: weapons, violence, injuries, blood, swearing, reckless behaviour

the hero hadn't anticipated a fight.

they had no knives, daggers, weapons of any kind hidden on their person. not even wearing any kind of protective gear. leggings and a baggy shirt for mobility. this was a stealth mission.

it had been last minute, the superhero had come to them, frantically begging them to break into their supervisors office. they hadn't even bothered asking why. it sounded fun.

so now here they were, backing away towards a dainty looking glass table whilst their very angry boss prowls closer.

"I'm going to fucking kill you" they growled. the hero laughs nervously.

"bit of a bland threat don't you think? villains use that one on me daily - though yesterday a particularly imaginative criminal said I had the charm of a hairless kitten and threatened to shave my head so I looked like one. now that had me quaking in my boots!"

"shut up" their boss lashed out at their face, snapping it sideways with the force of the slap.

the hero dodged the next blow and hit their boss right back, square in the jaw. they let out a truly animalistic howl and grabbed hero by the throat, flinging them to the hard wood floor.

"you little brat"

the hero coughed and crawled backwards as their boss descended. kick after kick landed on the hero's ribs and limbs before the superhero showed up in the doorway and rammed their boss of them.

"fucking hell - security" the boss yelled, by his voice the hero would've guessed they were entirely unbothered by being body slammed to the ground.

"well that's rude - was I not worth security?" the hero pretended to pout as the struggled to their feet - they had had a brilliant idea whilst on the floor. superhero was now fully entangled with two armed guards and that left hero corned by their boss.

"your hardly worth my, time let alone theirs. I'm going to beat you into the ground so hard you wont stand up again you pathetic little brat - won't hardly be a problem for me" their boss snarled.

"c'mon then, shove me to the ground, beat my body so ferociously I leave a dent. it'll be fun" the hero smiled, bearing their teeth ferally.

blood rushed through the hero's veins, pulsing wildly as they felt rough hands shove them hard through the glass table behind them, shattering it everywhere and embedding in their skin. this was their best plan yet - undoubtedly. their boss was on top of them in an instant, pinning them. the hero's hand closed around a large shard, then deftly dodged the flying fist and lodged it into their bosses sternum. they twisted the makeshift blade slightly as they removed it, leaving their boss wailing in pain.

the hero needed little effort to shove themselves free of their boss and stand over the whimpering figure.

"I don't know what you expected this is literally what you pay me for"

superhero rushed to hero's side, sweating and panting but overall fine - especially considering the two unconscious men on the floor.

"your okay?" they sounded insultingly disbelieving.

"of course I'm okay I know how to improvise a weapon!" the hero defended themselves staunchly, smirking a little.

"you fucking prick, I can't take you anywhere"

"I can take care of myself"

"you had yourself THROWN THROUGH A GLASS TABLE" the superhero yelled incredulously.

"it was a tactical move to win a fight"

"you are literally covered in blood"

the hero had no way to argue with that.

[shieldofiron]

Eddie looked down at the flyer in his hand for the one millionth time. At least that’s how it felt.

Coming to college had taken two years of work, picking up classes at the community college to raise his gpa and filling out what felt like hundreds of scholarship applications. But walking through this door felt somehow even harder.

He had been out in Hawkins. But he had wondered if maybe at College it would be better to be stealth. After all, high school had been a nightmare. For once he didn’t want to be “THE trans guy.”

Though according to Argyle, who had sat at the Gay Alliance table all through the fair, he was far from the only trans person at UCLA. And they had a weekly board game night. If it had been any other activity, Eddie would have run for the hills. But this… maybe he could do this.

“You coming in or-“ the guy stared at Eddie through the half open door.

He was pretty, blonde and sort of lean, with blue eyes and a tiny nose.

“Hey, sorry just getting my nerve up,” Eddie thrust out his hand, “I’m Eddie. I just transferred.”

The guy only stared in response.

“Haha,” Eddie fought down a nervous laugh, “Get it? Transferred.”

The guy paled, “I’m Jason.”

“Nice to meet you Jason.”

He gestured to let Eddie inside, blue eyes round and huge. Like he was scared or something. Maybe Eddie should have toned it down, worn something more lowkey.

But when he got inside that didn’t totally track. The one guy, Billy, was local and loud as they came, showing Eddie a picture of him and his mom who was apparently his best friend, a large dangly earring swinging from his ear. And Eden, a trans girl from Utah, was decked out in heavy goth.

So Eddie wasn’t sure what Jason’s issue was.

“So, why a board game night?” He asked. “Not that I’m complaining. I’m a huge game fan, I started my school’s D&D club.”

“Oh, that’s Mr. Treasurer’s thing,” Billy slapped Jason on the back, “Apparently he and his best friend used to play all the time before she unfortunately passed away.”

Jason’s eyes darted over Eddie’s face.

“Oh. I’m so sorry,” Eddie said.

“Can I talk to you in the hallway, Eddie?” Jason said, his voice almost too loud in the quiet room.

“Ok, sure?”

Out in the hallway, Jason closed the door behind them and leaned against it.

“Look,” he said, “You’re being really cool about this. But it’s one hundred percent okay with me if you want to go. I can tell Billy and Eden, or even organize the game nights without me. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. But for what it’s worth… I’m really fucking sorry, Eddie.”

Eddie was mystified, “What?”

“I’m really fucking sorry. I was so… I hated myself so much, I regret that it made me act out in anger, and I’m… I am so sorry,” Jason said it so earnestly, so sure of something that he’d done wrong but Eddie still didn’t understand.

“Wait, what do you mean? Why would I feel uncomfortable with you?”

“For what I did,” Jason’s eyes looked a little red, and he hunched in closer to himself, folding his arms across his preppy polo, “When I was Jasmin.”

Oh.

Fuck.

Jasmin Carver had made Eddie’s life a living hell in high school. Teasing him constantly, pushing him away from Chrissy, who had actually seemed to like Eddie. Until Chrissy had died senior year, and Jasmin had gone off to college never to return.

Apparently Jasmin was never coming back.

Eddie sucked in a breath, “Oh.”

“You didn’t… recognize me?” Jason looked up, a single tear sneaking out of one eye that he swiped away on his shoulder.

“No,” Eddie said.

“Oh.” Jason nodded, then shook his head, staring at the carpet.

If Eddie ever imagined meeting him again it was never like this. But there was something awful about it too.

He hadn’t been the only trans guy in Hawkins. But because of the way Jason had acted… they had both been alone.

“I’m not out…” Jason sniffed, “No, I guess it would be fair if you outed me back home. I guess I deserve that.”

“What? I’m not gonna do that.”

“It’s fine,” Jason rubbed his eyes, “My parents are mad enough I’m actually taking anti-psychotics instead of just eating broccoli. Might as well just burn that bridge.”

Jason looks up, “But thanks, for being nice. Billy and Eden know that I was totally fucked up in high school. But it was nice. To pretend that… you liked me. Thank you.”

Eddie’s mouth worked before his brain could catch up, “But I can stay right?”

“What?”

“I can stay? If I want?”

“Yeah,” Jason smiled then, and Eddie realized why he hadn’t recognized him. Jasmin Carver had never smiled, not once.

It was a good thing, because it seemed Jasmin Carver was dead. Also, he wasn’t but…

“I’d really like that,” Eddie smiled back. “It’s really nice to meet you Jason.”

Jason sucked in a breath, “it’s nice to meet you too.”

—-

Pst @intothedysphoria it’s them!

[kuuchuuburanko]

Ok so a bit ago I was writing up some headcanons for Gremmjamin here based on some prompts. Some of which were based around things relating physical stats (ie. speed, endurance, stealth, running, jumping, dance, etc.) and I wrote,

Gremmy does not have a true physical form! His body is a construct, a creation of his imagination, as Gremmy is in fact a brain in a jar. And because he can so easily construct any form or physical version of himself as he sees fit, his physical capacity can vary drastically based on that. He could create the peak physical body, perfectly strong, fast, agile, any mix of those attributes to varying degrees. And so, it ranges based on what he desires at the moment. So In the stats such as running, jumping, swimming etc. those are set as a range. But there are limitations as well. You cannot imagine a learned skill. Or at least not to a proficient level. Vague understanding will only get you so far. For example, dancing is a learned skill. An art form, something that takes being taught, practice, study and experience to accomplish. It’s a performance and one cannot simply execute the movements either. It requires flare, emotion, etc. for it to be any good. Now if I were to tell you, for example, ‘imagine doing merengue’ and you had no idea what it was or what it looked like, how could you imagine it? Not well probably. It’s vague, it’s a guess, it’s hardly there. The same applies to Gremmy. One’s imagination can only go so far as your current knowledge. You have to know things to begin with to expand on them. I can know, generally speaking, what ‘dance’ is. As a performance art, as a concept, but if I don’t watch dancing, or learn the basics of it, how it’s constructed, how it goes with music etc. I’d be hard pressed to imagine or do a dance that’s any good, even with my imagination. Gremmy’s imagination only goes as far as that knowledge or lived experiences. And considering he’s been stuck in a box for much of his (sentient) life he hasn’t had much in the way of experiences outside of his head. (This is also why I believe his fight with Kenpachi was so simple. His imagined constructs of water and lava and guns and meteor all feel very simple and plain, especially considering the extent of his ability. In this context, imagination =/= creativity)

I am also drawing my reasoning from the novels (which aren't canon or whatever but I need my crumbs so they are canon TO ME) So...writing up that last headcanon post got me thinking… Gremmy's powers are vastly over-powered, even by bleach standards. A broad stroke of 'anything he imagines becomes reality'. Even his fellow quincy feared and were weary of him. He was considered one of the most powerful in their ranks. (There's even speculation/strong hints giving credence that Gremmy was actually an aspect of the Soul King like Pernida) But, from what was displayed in his battle with Kenpachi, the scope of that imagination seemed limited. Simple like entombed in water, floods of lava, shot into space, meteorite etc. For someone who could theoretically do and/or create anything, his methods remained very simple. Gremmy is obviously capable of creating more complex and intricate figments, seeing as he constructed live, sentient entities. I think that must have taken longer for him though, more thought and time.

In battle it's probably easier to stay simple. But I can't help but think that he was sheltered in a prison away from much social contact for more than the reason of 'he's destructive and volatile'. Imagination is limited by creativity. You can only imagine more vast possibilities if you are creative. And creativity is limited by your environment and current knowledge. If a child grew up in a home of only neutral colors, their thoughts and imagined things would be in only neutral colors. But there are more colors than grey and beige. Yhwach isn't stupid. I think he knew that Gremmy's abilities needed to be locked down at a certain point, so he purposefully sheltered him from the outside world. He made sure Gremmy only knew about grey and beige so he could be limited to only creating grey and beige things. If he knew about the entire color spectrum so to speak, he would have developed into being enormously more powerful than he was.

He's also still a kid. He's basically the gifted kid in class who stopped doing the assignments because they were too easy and he got bored. In the novels he wasn't entirely anti-social. He got along fine with Liltotto and even had a nice conversation with her when he was released from his prison. He doesn't like Yhwach and nobody treats him as a person or without fear/disdain except for Liltotto and so he felt grateful to her for that. So he's this kid with these nearly godlike abilities, and from his perspective he can do anything but that 'anything' is also not the whole picture either. He only started feeling true joy, excitement etc. when he was challenged in the battle with kenpachi, because suddenly life wasn't boring, dull and lonely. Suddenly, the world opens up to him, suddenly things are new and there's an infinite amount of possibilities. He beefs it of course, but I still think that he was basically nerfed by Yhwach so he couldn't find things like say... art, literature, cinema, anything in the human world for that matter lmao. Maybe if he had more shit to do, things to learn, time to experiment he wouldn't have been nearly as homicidal because now there's interest in life and challenges to be had.

I also think that if he were to have most of his powers stripped and was forced to build back up said power (like... say, if there was a little splat of his grey matter somewhere after his brain jar was collected and inevitably experimented on, that the little splat was able to grow and grow and grow and eventually grow enough that it could escape and hide to grow more and eventually he can materialize his body again so he decides to just chill on earth for a bit), he'd have to use what little power he has to be more detail oriented and creative with what he's able to 'imagine'. He'd just have a much better time if not everything was literally at his fingertips. Let him play minecraft and learn organically. But that's an au post for another time lol

[canned-goose-feathers]

snacks, hidey, locust :0 ?

Pies? Sure. Weird quests? Not out of the ordinary. But if she finds out that Ren is behind the locusts, she'll be having a word with him. Or a few.

Cleo picks another locust off the back of her neck and mercilessly crushes it. This is ridiculous. No one else seemed very bothered but, then again, no one else was a walking bug buffet. She hisses as one nips at her arm.

That's it.

ZombieCleo: I've had it with these things

ZombieCleo: I'll burn down the whole server

joehillssays: That seems like a bit of an overreaction but I support you in all your endeavors. 

ZombieCleo: The bugs

joehillssays: Oh. 

ZombieCleo: They're driving me batty

joehillssays: Ah, I was wondering if anyone would bring that up. I have a theory about the locusts that I think may solve your problem. 

ZombieCleo: go on

joehillssays: Well, bees have a queen, kind of like a monarchy but not really. Locusts, on the other hand, aren't bees, so they don't have a queen. 

ZombieCleo: ??? 

joehillssays: So, by that logic they must have a king! Because as everyone knows, flying insects all abide by a monarchy system. They'd have to, I can't imagine what democracy among bees is like. 

ZombieCleo: joe please what are you talking about

joehillssays: Hold please. 

Before Cleo can really think about what Joe could possibly be talking about, she hears the signs of fireworks and a soft landing nearby. The man himself runs up.

"Howdy, Cleo!" he says.

"Hi Joe."

"So as I was saying, all flying insects abide by the monarchy system. So that's bees, locusts, you know that kind of thing. This also implies currently, the Hermits are flying insects, which does make sense as we do fly—"

"Hold on," Cleo stops Joe (probably for the best, he was turning a little red), "are you implying there's a king locust?"

"Yeah, of course there is."

"Right," Cleo says, holding back from rolling her eyes. "Well, I'm sick enough of these things I'll try pretty much anything. Any ideas where to find this king locust?"

Joe purses his lips. "Well bees have beehives, but I've never heard of locust hives. Don't they live in the ground?"

"That's cicadas."

"What's the difference?"

"Not a clue."

Joe shrugs and bats away a locust. "They get quieter at night. Maybe we can follow them to their nest?"

"A stealth mission, I like it." Cleo grins widely. 

It turns out that the stealth mission also involved killing half the day. Cleo explicitly bans Joe from working on his poetry anymore (it wasn't that it wasn't good, it was, it's just that she can only hear the same line in different accents so many times). Joe ends up going over some plans for his base while Cleo carefully works on her bullet journal. 

In hindsight, setting up an entire arts and crafts session may have not been the best idea while waiting to start a stealth mission.

Cleo elbows Joe and cuts off his whine with a finger to the locust cloud moving away from them. They're up and in the air in . . . Well, not very quickly. Cleo wasn't just going to leave her journaling supplies out in the elements, after all. A mad dash to put everything away and they're finally rocketing off after the insects. 

"Should we hang back so they don't see us?" Joe yells over the wind. 

"Joe, they're bugs. They have terrible eyesight."

"How do you know?" 

"They have compound eyes, so they can see more but they don't have depth perception, so they have to move closer— you know what? I'll tell you later."

"You know, several species of spiders hunt via sight— although those are arachnids so they don't really count I guess. Dragonflies are also known for their excellent eyesight, and I don't even know what kind of monarchy system they abide by—" 

They continue to discuss the eyesight of certain insects as they follow the swarm. Flying a bit higher helps to see where the swarm is headed; the locusts funneling into a hole in the ground. At Cleo's direction, they land once the skies are clear and Cleo peers down the hole. She grimaces. 

"I hate small spaces," she groans. 

"I'm claustrophobic!" Joe says cheerily as he climbs down the hole. 

"Don't you sleep in a pinball?" Cleo ducks down to follow him. 

"...Anyways!" Joe ducks his head and shimmies into the small space. 

The tunnel is rough-carved and damp. Cleo has a much harder time fitting through than Joe does, but eventually it opens up into a cave. Cleo can see the flit of bugs through the air. As Joe lights a torch, Cleo can see the massive cave is lined with locusts on every available surface. Joe nudges her and she follows his gaze. There, in the center of the cave, is a locust at least twice as big as a horse. 

"You're joking," Cleo whispers. "How did you, I mean. There is actually a king of locusts."

"Of course there is," Joe says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "You know all this about eyes and stuff, but the hierarchy of flying insects is new information?" 

"Joe, maybe we should keep it down."

"Bugs don't have ears. At least I don’t think. Anyway, like I was saying." Joe pulls out a few sticks of TNT. "Bees have queens, locusts have kings. Wasps probably have, like, Tsars or something, I'm not sure. Hold on, let me put this down."

She watches with bated breath as Joe creeps far closer to the resting king than she would. He sets down a few pieces of TNT near it, then hurries back up to where Cleo is waiting. 

He gestures to the TNT. "Zombies first, please."

That almost makes her laugh. Cleo pulls out her bow, lights the arrow, and draws. 

Everything, predictably, goes to shit. 

The explosion rocks the cave, but the King isn't dead. It is, however, very upset. The cave erupts into chaos as locusts take flight. 

"Go, go, go!" Cleo yells over the sound of wings. The crawl back up out of the hole is considerably faster than when they came down. Cleo fires a rocket as soon as she's clear of the hole with Joe right on her heels and the swarm on his. 

"Joe, I think we might be in a bit of trouble," Cleo yells back to him. 

"I am very aware of that situation! Follow me, I've got an idea."

Cleo turned to follow him. Probably not the best idea, given that the last idea he'd had got them chased by a swarm of locusts, but seeing as there weren't many options, well. Joe dips down the side of a mountain and turns sharply, disappearing below the treeline. Cleo follows best she can. Joe's hand is on hers the second she lands and he pulls her through the trees until she's pulled into a dark cave. Joe turns on his heel and piles stone up at the entrance until they're bathed in darkness. 

Cleo pulls out a torch and lights it to see . . . a bed? There's a bed. And a chest. And unlit torches. Altogether it looks like a very small bedroom. 

"Welcome, Cleo! Don't mind me, cowering as I always do in the Just In Case Exclusive Emergency Bunker number seven." he says with a flourish, grinning like a madman. He drops his hands and says "I might have to work on that acronym."

"You have seven of these?" Cleo gapes. 

"I have ten," Joe says, "this is just the seventh one. It does pay to be prepared for every situation. Oh, I should start a service for that, maybe like 'Hermit Hidey Holes' or something. It's like camping, but sudden!"

"Joe."

"Oh, pardon my manners, I'm a terrible host. Do you want some snacks?" He opens the chest to reveal it's packed to the brim with foodstuffs. Cleo doesn't even know what to say. It feels like a really, really weird dream. She picks up some jerky and a few cookies. 

"Are you alright?" she reaches out to touch the back of her hand to his head. "You haven't fallen recently, have you?" 

"I mean I fell off a tree yesterday. Though with the respawning thing I doubt that's an issue. Why? Do I look like it? " 

"Being prepared is very out of the ordinary for you."

"I'm going to try not to take offense at that." He snags an armful of snacks and plops down onto the bed. Cleo joins him. 

She's halfway through a cookie when she looks over to him, a thought occurring to her. "Are you really claustrophobic?" 

"Nah," he says around a mouthful of pie, "Just thought that would make you feel better if you heard I was terrified."

She laughs a little. "That's very thoughtful of you. So . . . What are we doing about the bugs?" 

"That," Joe says crawling up onto the mattress and curling into the mountain of pillows with a breathless, nervous laugh, "can be a great problem for someone else to solve. I'm going to bed."

[h4nn4hra]

Incorrect quotes

P3

I kind of made this for more brotherly content between Will and Gilan but cralt somehow managed to sneak in, so there's also a bit of that.

These mostly fit a specific au but I'm not gonna explain that here. Let me know if you want it though.

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

Gilan: Which is correct, seven and five IS thirteen, or seven and five ARE thirteen?

Will: Neither.

Will: Because it's twelve.

---

Gilan: Dom or sub?

Will: I guess Domino's, since I don't go to Subway that much. Don't see why you'd put them in the same category though

---

Gilan: I need you to come meet me, and I need you to come alone.

Will: And I need you to be less vague and weird.

---

Gilan: I know this isn’t going to end well and I don’t care. So don’t you try and stop me, Will!

Will: I wasn’t stopping you. I was asking if you had a spare camera so I can record this.

---

Gilan: I’m so excited!

Will: We’re gonna have the best costumes, get the most candy...

Gilan: And have the biggest stomach aches ever!

Will: Yeah!

---

Gilan: This bloodline ends with me.

Will: That's the fanciest way I've ever heard someone say "I'm gay".

---

Gilan: What happened?!

Will: Do you want the long version or the short version?

Gilan: Sh-short??

Will: Shit's f*cked.

Gilan: Okay, long.

Will: Shit's very f*cked.

---

Gilan: Let's just agree to both say we're sorry on the count of three.

Gilan: One... two... three.

Will: ...

Gilan: ...

Gilan: See, now I'm just disappointed in both of us.

---

Gilan: Hey Will, can you give me the opposite of these words?

Gilan: Always, Coming, From, Take, Me, Down.

Will: Never, Going, To, Give, You-

Will: The f***ing satisfaction.

---

Gilan, throwing a pokeball at Will: Will, I choose you!

Will, not looking up from their book and catching it: You need an Ultra ball to catch this Legendary Pokémon.

---

Gilan: Who hurt you?

Will: *snorting* What, do you want a list?

Gilan: ...Yes, actually.

---

Will : Here comes the lightning!

Will , whispering: You've got to imagine it coming out my fingertips, wherein I am an almighty wizard.

Crowley: Ok, currently imagining that. Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all.

---

Gilan: You look mentally ill.

Will : I am. Let’s go.

---

Gilan: Guys, they're definitely prepared for us. They even have a training model of our brand new top-secret stealth helicopter.

Will : No you idiot, that’s ours we crashed!

Gilan: Oh yeah. I guess that makes more sense

---

Crowley: Hey Halt, I’ve got an idea for how to solve this.

Halt, pulling out a shotgun: Yeah?

Crowley: Wh- No! That’s not the idea, Halt!

---

Crowley: Ow!

Halt: What’s wrong?

Crowley: I have this weird pain right above my eyebrow.

Halt: It’s called a stress headache. I got my first one when I was four.

---

Kidnapper: I have your partner.

Will: What? I don't have a partner...

Kidnapper: Then who just called me a lowlife and spit in my face?

Will: Oh my god, you have Gilan.

---

*Crowley and Will are in a car teetering on the edge of a cliff*

Crowley: oh my god, Will , backwards!

Will : Really, Crowley? I thought I might go forwards into the river, I thought that would be a fun thing to do.

Crowley: THIS REALLY AIN'T THE TIME FOR SARCASM.

---

Crowley: Where are your parents?

Will : What are parents?

Crowley: That’s just about the saddest thing I've ever heard.

---

Halt: I don't want to fight you!

Crowley: I wouldn't want you to fight me either!

---

Gilan: When you've been on the internet for as long as I have, you develop thick skin.

Will : Navy blue isn't your color.

Gilan: Navy blue brings out my eyes you little shit *Chases after Will *

---

Gilan: Do you even know what an amulet is?

Will : Of course I do! I eat amulets sometimes. I like the ones with cheese and onions!

Gilan: Will , those are omelettes.

Will : Oh. Then I’ve got nothing.

---

Will : Wanna get out of here and grab a bite to eat.

Horace: I don’t usually eat with losers.

Will : Neither do I but I asked you, didn’t I?

---

Will: Do you think different paints have different tastes?

Gilan : They do.

Halt: ...Why did you say that with such certainty?

---

Crowley: Not gonna lie, I'm kind of afraid of Will...

Halt: As you should be.

Crowley: No, for real, they're kind of-

Halt: As. You. Should. Be.

---

Halt: Sorry, I'm late to the party. I've been doing things.

Crowley, entering in an unbuttoned shirt: I got caught up doing things too.

Will: Wow, Halt was late too! What a coincidence!

---

Halt: *raises eyebrows*

Crowley: *screams* Put one down!

Halt: *raises one eyebrow*

Crowley: ah, yes, that better.

---

Will: *walking around disappointed after visiting an aquarium*

Gilan : Will, what did you think a tiger shark was?

---

Will: How do tall people people possibly sleep at night when the blanket can't possibly cover you?

Gilan : Will, it's four o'clock in the morning.

Will: So, you can't sleep, huh? Is it because of the blanket?

---

Gilan : I sleep with a gun under my pillow.

Will: I sleep with a knife.

Crowley: Both of you are pathetic.

Gilan : Oh yeah? What do you sleep with?

Crowley: Halt.

---

Crowley: We call that a traumatic experience.

Crowley, turning to Gilan : Not a "bruh moment".

Crowley, turning to Halt: Not "sadge".

Crowley, turning to Will: And DEFINITELY not an "oof LMAO".

---

Halt: That's ridiculous, Crowley doesn't have a crush on me.

Will: Yes they do.

Gilan : Yes they do.

Crowley: Yes I do.

---

Will: *eating a cinnamon roll*

Gilan: Cannibalism.

Will: *confused chewing noises*

---

Halt: Yesterday, I overheard Will saying “Are you sure this is a good idea?” and Crowley replying “Trust me,” and I have never moved from one room to another so quickly in my life.

---

Officer: What’s your name?

Gilan, whispering to Halt:Can I tell them my real name?

Halt: No!

Gilan: I’m… Halt.

Halt, whispering to themselves: The ONE TIME they get my name right…

---

Crowley: Guess what I'm about to get!

Halt: On my nerves.

---

Will: Someone’s trying to break in. Call the cops!

Gilan: *loads shotgun* I got this.

Will: Last week you fell up the stairs, what do you mean-

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

Hope you liked it :)

[kashi-prompts]

Kakashi sees fem!Reader in a kimono for the first time, and finally can't deny his feelings.

Prompt: Above

Rating: MA

TRIGGER WARNING: This prompt has graphic description of an attempted sexual assault (not by Kakashi). If this is triggering for you, I hope you can find comfort in another one of my fics. I promise I'll write something fluffy later.

Pairing: Kakashi x Reader

***

The mission scroll slid across Tsunade's desk, the ink bold and freshly written. A red finger pointed to the kanji lettering, pressing the Jonin to observe, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Hatake," Tsunade warned. His dark eye shot up, connecting with hers. Her stern gaze slumped his shoulders. He shoved his hands further into his pockets.

It wasn't like him not to pay attention to a mission brief, nor was it like him to feel rather apathetic towards such a high-ranking mission. He nodded his head and mumbled an apology.

"What's going on with you lately? You seem distracted the last month or so," the Hokage questioned, sitting back in her chair. Cocking her head to the side inquisitively, her amber eyes met his.

"Nothing," Kakashi responded quickly, waving a dismissive hand. His spine straightened in a demonstration of attentiveness. "Just a little worn."

"Anything on your mind?" Tsunade quirked an eyebrow up.

"No, I'm fine," he said defiantly, clearing his throat.

"Please pay attention then."

Behind him, the oak entry slid open against the linoleum, and footsteps appeared beside him.

"Ah, [y/n]," Tsunade cooed, "thank you for coming."

"Thank you for having me, m'lady," [y/n] bowed slightly.

Kakashi could feel his body go rigid as she appeared beside him. He glanced over at her, giving her a curt nod. Of all people, he thought.

"I have a mission for you both - and it may not be an easy one, but I have faith that you'll both be able to pull it off. Both of you have a different skill set that I feel is valuable to the outcome of this mission."

"I am honored, m'lady," [Y/n] bowed her head in thanks.

"Mhm, well - on the outskirts of the Land of Earth, there is a prestigious - and rather new, might I add, village that goes by the name of the Village of Gold.”

“Gold?” Kakashi questioned.

“They’re rolling in it,” Tsunade responded, almost bitterly. “But that is beside the point. We have been commissioned by a neighboring smaller village, the Village Hidden in the Lotus, to obtain a scroll that they suspect the Gold has confiscated. This scroll is a relic to them, one that they traditionally use to assist with their crop growth - their main source of income."

“Interesting, and what does the Gold need with this scroll?”

“That is a good question,” Tsunade sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Intel tells me that their soil is fertile, so I can't imagine the Gold has any business needing assistance with crop growth. My guess is that they want more land. The more vulnerable and poor the Lotus is, the easier it will be for the Gold to take over. At least, that could be part of the reason. You'll both have to figure out the rest. ”

“And our mission?” [Y/n] asked.

“Retrieve the scroll from the Gold,” Tsunade replied, rolling the mission paper back up and handing it to Kakashi. He looked down at it before tucking it in the top pocket of his flak jacket.

“You leave tonight. I anticipate it will take the evening to travel there, followed by a day to scope out everything. Find the scroll, and bring it back here. Don't kill anyone, and don't let anyone know who you are or we will find ourselves in a war we don't want to be involved in. Need I emphasize more that this is a stealth mission? DO NOT make a scene. Understand?”

Both heads nodded at the Hokage's words. She glanced between them both, a suspicious look in her eye.

"Have you two ever been on a team before?" she asked abruptly.

"Not a two man team, m'lady," Kakashi responded quickly. [Y/n] glanced over at him, his gaze straight ahead at his superior. She nodded her head, her eyes still fixated between the two of them before taking in a deep breath. The tension could be cut with a knife between the two standing shinobi. [Y/n] closed her eyes in shame, her mind traveling back to that mission months ago.

"I understand what you're saying," Kakashi had replied quietly, the fire a twinkling glow against his sharp profile. “But... you- you deserve someone better than me. Trust me.”

"I don't understand," she had said, shaking her head. "Why do you say that?"

[Y/n] sat beside him on the ground, her eyes round in anticipation of his response. She blinked, wondering if he would respond to her question. A moment passed, then two. Her eyes fell, looking away in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, looking over to her.

His gaze was genuine, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. In the tent beside her, she could hear Yamato sleeping, their whispers drowned out by his incessant snoring. Her chest tightened uncomfortably. The risk she had taken to confess what she was feeling to her superior was more than she ever thought she could manage. Yet, being shot down by him, and not even directly, was worse.

"Right," Tsunade nodded, her gaze still apprehensive. "Well, there is one other thing you'll need before you leave. Formal attire. I don't expect you to travel in it, but you cannot enter the Gold Village's grounds without it. It would make for an obvious discovery of who you are. You'll find it in those bags behind you. Now go, and come back in one piece, will you both?"

***

Kakashi hitched his backpack up over his shoulder. The silence between them was deafening. Of course, there wasn't always chatter while traveling, but this time, he could feel the tension.

"So, how have you been?" He finally asked hours later. He knew he should have said something earlier, something witty to lighten the mood. Yet, he had nothing. Nothing to say that could fix what he had damaged.

Their friendship had once been fresh; a blossoming new relationship that he cherished beyond words- the type where you connect with someone and instantly know that you will get along with them. She was much like him. Much like Guy. Much like Yamato. Much like his friends. The moments between them were like those where that you only have with lifelong friends. The ones that have known you since you were young.

He had confided in her on long nights, and she in him. There was something special between them, a bond that he yearned for since that one mission where things had changed. My, how he regretted that night.

"Fine," [y/n] responded curtly, her sandals kicking a rock as they walked.

"That's good," he replied awkwardly. A bird cawed above them, dusk finally coming to a close. The bushes running parallel to the path rustled with nights early wind.

“What’s that over there?” She asked, pointing to the horizon.

“I’m not sure,” Kakashi stopped, observing.

“You’re the one with the map,” [y/n] mumbled beside him.

"Right," Kakashi replied quietly, pulling the scroll from the breast pocket of his flak jacket. "Looks like its a hot spring. This is good, we can freshen up and stay there for the night. It'll be less suspicious if we aren't musty."

"Speak for yourself," [Y/n] quipped, walking towards the onsen. Behind his mask, the beginnings of a smile spread across Kakashi's lips. That was the old [y/n], he thought.

***

[Y/N]'s Perspective

"One night," Kakashi said to the inn owner behind the counter.

"Okay," the young woman smiled between the two, curious. "Here on business or pleasure?"

"Pleasure," Kakashi quickly responded.

"Oh, wonderful. I hope you enjoy your stay. Is there anything I can help you with during the day? Any directions?

Kakashi considered her question for a moment, "Just here to visit the Gold village I've heard so much about."

"Oh," the young woman frowned, looking back down at her paper. Her expression changed, hardening.

"Not a fan?" Kakashi asked.

"I suppose you can say that," she looked back up, tilting her head. "We're not affiliated, despite the close proximity. Little dishonest, vile group of people if you ask me. So please do not-"

"No worries," Kakashi lifted a hand.

"Right, well - will one room be okay for the lovely couple?"

"Two," [y/n] responded quickly. Kakashi pressed his lips together in an awkward smile to the attendant.

"Two," he confirmed curtly. The woman smiled back at him, lifting an eyebrow as she continued writing.

"And would you like dinner to be included?"

"No." "Yes." The two responded in unison.

"Yes," Kakashi responded defiantly. "Dinner would be perfect."

"Right, well, a late dinner will be served in about a half hour if you would like to get settled and meet in the private dining area. You're lucky, you're the only ones here tonight despite tomorrows festivities at the Gold."

"Tomorrow's festivities?" Kakashi questioned, signing his name as he crooked an eyebrow.

"Yes, they're having a grand opening of their artifact museum. I thought that is what you would be here for."

"Ah, no," Kakashi smiled, sliding the paper back across the counter to the attendant. "But that is great to hear. Thank you."

Outside, dusk had fallen to darkness. The birds no longer chirped, their songs quiet for the night. [Y/n] put her backpack down in her room, grateful for the moments of solitude she was afforded. Glancing towards the window, she looked out at the night sky, frowning.

She missed her friendship with Kakashi. Everyday, she thought perhaps the embarrassment of the wound she received from him would diminish. But it never did. It felt fresh, the embarrassment still new.

Thinking again back to that night, she bit her bottom lip. How could she have not known he didn't feel the same way about her? How could she have assumed he would have the same feelings? Her naivety stung.

The way he spoke to her all those nights they had stayed up talking, quiet and attentive to every word she spoke to him, making her heart race. A tender glace. A hearty laugh. Fingers brushing against skin on accident, or perhaps on purpose. Often times, she would catch him staring at her, his single eye soft with affection.

And yet, after all those signs, there was nothing to reciprocate back to her. He simply did not want her.

"Dinner's ready," she heard behind her. A turf of white hair appeared at the sliding door.

"Thank you," she turned back around, her eyes settling back out the window. "Perhaps you could knock next time."

The door slid back closed without another word. She took her time heading to dinner, making sure all her items were unpacked for the night before arriving. When she did, she realized he had waited for her before eating.

"Nice of you to finally join," he quipped, looking up from his novel. She smirked, noting the battered book in his hands. Some things never changed. His eyes never left the page until she sat opposite of him. One dark eye traveled over the top of the pages to her.

“I was busy,” she murmured, snapping apart her chopsticks. He set the book down and began to do the same.

“Did you order this?” She asked, picking at them fish on the table. Her stomach growled at the smell of it.

“I did,” Kakashi replied, almost quietly.

“Mahi Mahi?” She commented, gently placing the fish on her rice. Her favorite.

“I remembered,” Kakashi lifted his brow, making eye contact. Her cheeks prickled with warmth as she scolded herself, shoving the fish in her mouth.

“I want to talk about tomorrow,” he said moments later. “We need a plan. I have a tourist map of the city, it’s not incredibly detailed, but it will do until we find out more.”

“Do you suppose the scroll is in the artifact museum?” [y/n] queried, poking her rice.

“I have a hunch it might be. Although I don’t understand completely why they stole the scroll, I can’t imagine they would actually know how to use it. If you consider the physical description of it, one might surmise that it is of high value.”

[Y/n] nodded, “and how do you suppose we steal if it is under glass or behind some type of display.”

“Well, we'll get there when we get there. But I would imagine that is where you come in,” he smiled, pointing his chopstick at her.

“Oh, great.”

“Nothing bad. But if my assessment is correct and they are displaying it as some type of relic, then we will be posing as two art collectors looking to purchase it from them.”

“But we couldn’t possibly afford what they are looking for. Just look at this place,” she pointed to some of the scenes on the map, “a statue of a cow made of pure gold? A clock tower made of gold? Surely they drive a hard bargain.”

“Part of being a shinobi is to think quickly on your feet, this is one of those scenarios,” Kakashi replied.

“What if we can’t afford what they are asking for though? This is something we should think of before we get there.”

“Then we distract them,” Kakashi replied without hesitation, “One of the reasons you were assigned to this mission is your ability to copy physical objects of out your own chakra. Judging by the size and shape of this scroll, I doubt it would be hard for you to create a replica quickly.”

[y/n] nodded, “Right, of course. I’ll just pull it out of my ass while you stand on your head or something.”

There was a moment of silence, and she wondered if she had gone too far and disrespected him. But then she heard him let out a noise and she lifted her eyes to meet his. Suddenly, a roaring laughter came from both of them. She couldn’t help but laugh as he did. And for a moment, only one moment, it was just like old times. Just like the way they used to laugh with each other over

He caught her eye, the smile on his faced etched in the fabric of his mask. She stopped, feeling a blush creep back up her neck again as he stared at her fondly. The same tender gaze he used to give her. The one that she fell for.

"You know," he began. She held a hand up, knowing suddenly what he was about to say.

"Please, Kakashi."

"No, I'm serious," He leaned forward, his expression twisting as he struggled to find the words. "That night - when we were on that mission - I just, I really shouldn't have said what I said."

"But you did," [y/n] replied coolly, setting down her utensils. "So let's not-"

"I di-"

His words were cut short by the door sliding open, the old woman at the front desk poking her head in. Her eyes were two crescent moons, crows feet wrinkles dancing across her cheeks as she smiled at them.

“Curfew is in 15 minutes, children. Do hurry,” she offered before sliding the door shut behind her.

[Y/n] turned back to him, his eyebrows high under his messy bangs. Without another word, the two finished their meal and retired to bed.

***

The morning sun peaked through the curtains as [y/n] pressed her palms down against the silk of her kimono. It wasn’t often she wore anything besides her uniform, but it was especially unusual to find herself in formal attire.

She swept the tube of lipstick across her barren lips, feeling the delicate gloss coat them. Pressing her two lips together, she felt herself smile with satisfaction. She had awoken early to braid her hair, pinning it up in a more formal style she was surprised she even was able to manage. She hadn’t worn make up in years, yet when she was told she needed to look proper for her mission, she felt it would make the most sense given her usual dull appearance (at least, this was how she felt).

Looking back at herself in the mirror, her mind wandered to Kakashi again, a familiar yet bitter area of her mind where her thoughts often settled. Bitterness rose up in her mind at that single memory.

And to have the nerve to bring it up again last night! She thought.

Brushing her hair back with her fingers, she sighed. Just her luck she would get stuck with him on this mission. Their friendship was irreparable, even at his feeble attempt to talk about it or simply laugh like old times. She would’ve rather died than spoken about that night again.

“Hm,” she hummed contently as she admired her reflection, a smile forming at the corners of her lips.

The sound of knuckles rapping against the sliding door filled the quiet room. A knot formed suddenly in her throat as she turned at the sound of the door sliding open.

“You knocked today, but you should at least wait for me to respond,” she quipped before she even saw him, knowing.

“Well we should get-oh,”

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately.

One dark eye swiveled over to her as the remainder of his words fell from his lips. Whether he intended it or not, she felt his gaze travel down the length of her silk kimono, consuming her in a way that told her he couldn’t resist.

A stricken gaze returned to her eyes as he stood up straight and took a step towards her, composing himself. She noticed the muscles in his jaw clenched tightly under the fabric of his mask. The usually calm and composed Copy-Ninja was clearly flustered and trying desperately to hide it. The rouge she had dusted on her cheeks earlier darkened as she looked away. Surely she would melt if this continued.

“We should get going, yes,” she finished his sentence, glancing back up. He had looked away, scratching the back of his head. Was he blushing?

“Yes, of course,” he cleared his throat uncomfortably. Finally, she was able to get a good look at him as well. His kimono cinched perfectly to his body, accentuating the broadness of his shoulders.

"Here, let me get your bag," he reached over to pick up her belongings.

"I've got it," she replied just as quickly, reaching. Her hand clasped over the shoulder straps before his had reached, grazing over the back of her palm. Surely she could blame the rug for the electric shock she felt when she had touched his hand in that moment. Or the fact that his chakra nature was inherently lightning based. Anything except what it was.

She stood up, meeting his gaze. Her eyes glanced quickly at the base of his neck, watching him swallow.

Goodness, he was so handsome.

“Let's hurry then, right?” she managed, pulling her bag over her shoulder before walking past him, exiting the room before he could say another word.

***

Upon entering the village, it was clear from the start where they should head. Hitching up her long Kimono, [y/n] traveled past merchants selling festival souvenirs, gold items polished brightly to offer to any naive tourist. [Y/n] nodded to the vendor as their eyes followed her. The further down the path they took, the stranger the village appeared. It became apparent very quickly that they were one of the youngest people in the village. Even the merchants and store owners were nearing at least middle aged.

Another observation [y/n] noticed rather quickly was that there were seldom any women they passed by.

“There are hardly any women around here,” [y/n] whispered to Kakashi. He nodded, his gaze fixated ahead towards the huge building at the end of polished road. She worried their interaction had distracted him. It had certainly distracted her. The most unusual thing for such a stoic shinobi such as himself.

“Interesting,” was all he managed.

They arrived at the entrance of what looked like a museum shortly after.

"This must be it," he said to her, looking up at the gold dome that housed the museum.

Lines of older looking tourists eagerly queued for their chance to purchase tickets. [Y/n] nodded politely again at the ticket seller as he looked her up and down. Was her outfit too much? The few women she had seen had been dressed just as nice, although they were much older. She blushed nervously.

“Is this where they are housing the artifacts on display?” Kakashi asked the man, gesturing to the museum gate. The ticket seller nodded, pointing his chin to a smaller line to the side.

“If you’re looking to buy, you can head to the art dealer line over there,” the man offered.

“Art dealer, yes - perfect,” [y/n] looked up at Kakashi. She noticed he didn’t seem himself since their interaction in her room. As they walked towards the art dealers line, she took his elbow and stopped him.

“Are you okay?” She asked, meeting his gaze for the first time since that morning. "You seem distracted."

“I’m fine,” he waved a hand dismissively, looking away, “this outfit is just uncomfortable. Let's go.”

They were quickly ushered in with dignitary status through the side door. Only a handful of others followed them in, their formal attire higher end than anything [y/n] had ever seen. She picked at the fabric of her silk as she observed the stitching detail of the man in front of her.

“Finally!” A boisterous voice appeared beside them, “the day has come! Our grand opening!”

Kakashi stood straight, slipping quickly back into his calm demeanor as the goal of the mission neared. She exhaled, her eyes falling to the man who had spoken so loudly.

His beard was large and white, combed through and almost polished under the yellow lights. His robes were flamboyant and rather tacky, yet high end enough to pass as someone important.

He had to be older, she thought, much past middle age yet still agile enough to get around quickly. She looked back up at him when she realized he hadn’t said anything. Two beady eyes were staring back at her and her alone. She smiled, extending a hand as she intuitively fell into her fabricated role as a confident art dealer, just as Kakashi had.

“Yuki” she introduced, providing a fake name as she shook the man's hand. His fingers look manicured.

“Hiro Goro,” the man replied, “at your service!”

Kakashi followed suite, his hand reaching for the mans' as well. “Ren.”

“First to extend a hand! Admirable,” the man said, looking back at [y/n]. His eyes bore into hers, intent on something. The way he stared at her was unlike any way anyone had ever looked at her before. It’s was different - hungry. Her foot shifted back uncomfortably, but her expression remained confident.

“Come, come!” Goro gestured for them to follow, leaving the others who had stood in line longer up in arms. Clearly, the two of them stood out, and [y/n] wondered if it were a good thing or a bad thing to receive such special treatment.

“So, looking to buy some things for the young married couple?” Goro smiled back at them, clearly eager.

“Oh, we’re not married,” [y/n] quickly replied, flushing. “Just colleagues.”

Goro turned around quickly, almost suddenly, and raised two eyebrows, “Ah, well that is just wonderful. You're too beautiful to be taken. A lot of men must be after you!" He smiled, winking.

[Y/n] laughed uncomfortably, unsure of what to say.

As Goro turned around, [y/n] felt a grip on her upper arm. “Stay close to me,” Kakashi muttered to her, the fabric of his nose against her ear. He pulled away and she looked over at him, wanting to tell him she could take care of herself, but the man spun around again before she could protest.

“So, what are we looking for?” Goro asked, walking in reverse. “Paintings? Sculptures?”

“Ah,” Kakashi spoke first, “a mix of everything.”

Goro nodded, assessing the two with a smile, “Right. Well, right this way. Let's start at the beginning.”

***

The museum was much larger than the two of them had originally anticipated. Hallways and staircases leading them to different exhibits housing artifacts from regions near and far. [Y/n] looked around, noticing different alarms set in each room, all heavily armed and ready for anyone that came near any artifact. She hummed it herself, wondering.

“There it is,” [y/n] whispered what felt like hours later, pointing discreetly to the scroll situated behind a glass wall. Kakashi looked over, acknowledging the item before returning his gaze to Goro , who was teaching them a both about a rather new looking ceramic vase he claimed was 200 years old.

[Y/n] bit her lip, assessing the situation unfolding before her. There was no way to get behind the glass. She leaned back, looking to see if there were a door of some kind, but there was nothing. Just alarms and cameras situated at every corner. There was no way Kakashi could hold off distracting him long enough for her to find the correct entrance to the exhibit, bypass the security and then somehow replicate the scroll, all without being seen. Even now, more patrons were coming through to this section of the museum, all looking curiously at the different artifacts.

Did they know this was a stolen good? Did they know any of this was probably purchased with dirty money? [Y/n] inhaled deeply, her eyes set on the scroll.

“Interested in something, Yuki?” Goro smiled, rubbing his hands together and taking the chance to come closer to her. He slid between Kakashi’s body and her own. Kakashi looked over Goro’s shoulder to her and made eye contact. His head bobbed in a sublet nod.

“Yes, this scroll over here,” [Y/n] smiled warmly at Goro, gesturing to the scroll behind the glass. “It’s quite something. We collect ancient scrolls. It says on the description that it is from the Land of Lotus?”

“Yes, yes!” Goro nodded, his cheeks red and puffy as he grinned. “Bestowed to us from one of their finest leaders. He was a friend of mine back in the day - a true warrior. But alas, they needn’t not anymore. He was gracious enough to donate it to our museum.”

[Y/n] made no sign of disbelief, despite her knowing the truth of the origin of this scroll. It disgusted her to know what a blatant lie this man was telling the whole world, all to make a profit.

“Wonderful,” she smiled, “Ren, what do you think?”

“It’ll make an excellent addition to our collection,” Kakashi nodded, stepping back between her body and Goro’s.

“Wonderful,” he repeated, “Jeri, would you please go and grab the scroll for these young folks? Wrap it up nice, would you, good sir?”

An elderly looking man in the same getup as Goro nodded, shuffling his feet away.

“Well, shall we go discuss pricing then?” The two of them nodded, giving each other a quick uneasy glance as they walked toward a back office with the man. He waved enthusiastically to a few patrons, each calling out his name as though he were an old friend of theirs. Again, [y/n] noticed the seemingly absent women in the group. She wondered what that was about.

“So, pricing,” Goro sighed, sitting down behind his large polished wooden desk in his office. Clapping his hands together, the gold rings on his fat fingers clashed as he folded them at his chest. “300,000 Ryo.”

Kakashi nodded, seemingly unfazed by the offer, “250,000,” he countered.

The old man reappeared, holding the scroll which was wrapped up in a silk piece of fabric. Goro thanked the man, shooing him away as he smiled widely at the pair. Carefully, he unwrapped it and showed it to Kakashi.

“275,000. And perhaps you’d like to throw in something else?” Goro smiled as he placed the scroll before them on the desk, this time showing his teeth in his grandiose smile. They were all perfectly straight, like little porcelains piano keys.

“I’m not sure I understand?” Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at the man. [Y/n] looked over at him, her spine cold suddenly with a chill.

“Well,” Goro laughed lightly, looking down at his desk for a moment as though it were obvious. “In the Land of Gold, we like to barter. I have something you want, you have something I want. Make sense?”

Kakashi’s chin rose, his eyes looking down at Goro as [y/n] looked between the two. Goro’s eyes landed on her, his expression haughty and dark.

“I think you have the wrong idea, Mr. Hiro,” Kakashi replied, “we do not make business like that.”

“Oh, but I do,” Goro replied quickly, standing up. “And I’ll get what I want, or you won’t get anything.”

“I don’t-“

“Fine,” [y/n] replied quickly. Kakashi looked over at her, his eye wide. He clenched his jaw, as if to say ‘what are you doing?’

“You’ll give us the scroll?” [y/n] asked, surprised at herself. Under no circumstance did she want to do this. On the contrary, she had never been more frightened of a man her life. But she couldn’t think of another plan. Kakashi would only talk in circles to him, unwilling to give her up. There was security everywhere, cameras setup at each corner. To top it off, they didn’t even have the money to begin with. Their original plan was a bust, the security of the scroll was much higher than they had originally thought.

“Don’t worry, Yuki, dear,” Goro smiled, snaking his hand between the two of them. “Of course. You have my word. I just want to get to know you. A man such as myself gets lonely, you understand, right, Ren?"

"Mr. Hiro, I don't thin-"

"Don't worry, Ren. We'll only be a little while. I just want to chat. Right, Yuki? My guards will keep you company, Ren. Yuki, darling, let's go chat in the other room, shall we?"

Behind him, two bulky middle aged men appeared, each yielding a gun. [Y/n]’s eyes widened; she had never seen a real weapon like that before. Only civilian countries used such weapons - ones that easily killed. Kakashi looked around, his mind clearly trying to think of another plan as quickly as possible while Goro ushered her to the next room over. Her body tensed as his hand slid up her back.

Tsunade’s words echoed in [y/n]’s mind, “don’t kill anyone and don’t make a scene. We don’t need to get involved in a war.”

Her eyes locked with Kakashi’s, as if to tell him ‘I’ll be okay - think of something to get that scroll.’

Still, his eye was a dark pool of concern and panic. She had never quite seen him this way, lines forming at the waterline of his bottom lids.

Closing the door behind him and leaving Kakashi alone in the room with the two guards caused her heart rate to jump. Anxiety enveloped her, rushing through her bloodstream like a dam being broken open.

She instantly regretted her decision as Goro went over to a bar situated on the opposite side of the room, pouring himself a glass for both himself and her. How could she distract him long enough for Kakashi to think of a plan? He was smart, but how could he bypass all of the security?

“Won’t you sit?” He offered, pointing to a leather chair opposite of him. He handed her the drink, and she took it. Looking down into it, she wondered what was in it.

“Don’t be so nervous, Yuki, dear,” Goro smiled, sitting beside her, “I am not going to hurt you. As an unmarried woman, you have nothing to worry about, right? A beautiful woman like yourself should be worshiped. I've never quite seen someone so beautiful as you. Do tell me where you're from. You should take my gestures as a compliment." The back of his finger caressed her arm and she recoiled.

“Drink, drink,” he smiled, lifting his glass, “it’ll calm your nerves.”

“I am good, thank you,” she replied, placing the drink down.

“I insist,” he picked it back up and handed it to her. Smiling uncomfortably, she lifted it to her lips and filtered the drink against her teeth, ensuring none was drank.

There was another knock at the door opposite of them, the one that wasn’t connected to Goro’s office.

“Come in!” Goro grinned, putting his glass down on the coffee table before them. He clasped his hands together in excitement, looking over to her with raised eyebrows. Her stomach churned nervously, feeling a cold sweat suddenly spread across her skin.

‘How can I get out of this?’ She thought, her eyes darting around desperately.

The sound of another man entered behind her, “Osamu, I’m glad you got my message.”

Before she could turn around, she felt a hand clamp on her mouth, muffling a squeal that came from her lips. Without hesitation, her wrist was grabbed as well, yanking it behind her head. Her hair pin slipped out of her hair, making a subtle ping on the marble floor behind the chair.

Frantic, she grasped at the palm against her mouth with her free hand, clawing at the man’s hairy fingers that pressed so tightly to her lips. She could use her jutsu now, but that would clearly cause a scene. They would be outed as ninjas and surely be confined as prisoners of war. Panicking, her eyes widened as Goro stood, gently placing his hand on her knee and sliding her dress up. Her reflexes immediately jerked him away, kicking him in the stomach with her heel.

“Feisty,” Goro grinned wildly, “Just how I like them.”

A muffled cry came from her mouth behind the man’s hands. She continued to push him away with her feet, but her efforts were fruitless. Her chest cramped as tears welled in her eyes, looking up at the ceiling as she writhed her body in the chair. His thick hands slid up her thighs, smooth, disgusting fingers reaching the hem of her panties.

“Should I sedate her, Goro, sir?” Osamu asked. How could she have subjected herself to this? Why did she say yes? What did she think was going to happen? Panic rushed through every nerve ending in her body.

She jerked, kicking her foot against the coffee table. The sounds of shattering glass skidding across the floor filling the room. The noise was louder than she had anticipated, but it merely blended in with the high velocity of blood pumping in her ears.

Please let him have heard that, she begged to herself.

"Those were good drinking glasses," Goro scowled at her, looking back at the shattered glass on the floor. "Nasty woman."

She felt as though she were going to faint from adrenaline, fear and now anger. She tried to wrangle her hand free, using ever bit of her strength as she used the other to push Goro away. They slipped out of Osamu's grip before he quickly grasped it again.

"Osamu, please take both of her hands. You should know better."

The mysterious man behind her pulled away his palm from her mouth to grab her free wrist, collecting it in his other strong hand. She yelled out at the chance before his hand slapped back on over her mouth.

A tear crept from the corner of her eye as she continued to writhe beneath him, feeling this old man pulling her underwear down, sloppy bearded kisses sliding up her thigh as he knelt before her.

All at once, the door behind her slammed open, its oak finish bouncing against the wall from impact. Her eyes widened as Goro looked up, his expression changing from lewd to stunned.

“Get out!” He ordered loudly, pointing at whoever had opened the door. [Y/n] knew as soon as the grip of the man’s hand slid from her mouth and the sound of fists against flesh filled her ears. Thinking quickly, she kneed Goro between his legs, standing up to see Kakashi behind her with the burly man who held her captive in a headlock, choking him. Goro cried out in pain, gritting his teeth as he stumbled backwards.

“Get back here, you disgusting whore!”

Lunging forward, Goro grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back as she pulled her panties back up her legs.

“Get off of me!” She yelled, elbowing him in the face, hitting the base of his nose and hearing it crack. Without hesitation, her hand landed smoothly at the base of his neck and he leaned forward in pain. She finished him off with a knee jerk to the forehead, knocking him out.

With her chest heaving, she looked down at her assailant, his body face down on the marble floor. Everything had happened so quickly, she was unsure of how to process it. She looked around the room, her vision tunneling with adrenaline.

“Are you ok?” Kakashi asked her, his eyes watching her the whole time as she looked around. She swallowed, looking over at him. Her expression must have disturbed him, as she felt his hand on her wrist, guiding her out of the room. The two guards in Goro’s office lay face down as well. His hand slipped between hers, squeezing it.

“Are they dead?”

“No, just knocked unconscious,” he replied. His hand felt warm in hers, but her heart still pounded uncomfortably in her chest.

“I have the scroll. Let’s get out of here, quickly,” he told her, pulling her out of the office and closing the door to ensure no patrons saw the mess behind it.

***

The two reached the edge of the village quickly, their feet taking them beyond the onsen they had stayed at the previous night. They didn’t even retrieve their belongings.

Finally, 10 minutes later, they reached a clearing in the woods, and [y/n] stopped. Kakashi looked back at her, his expression concerned.

“You didn’t have to save me,” she told him defiantly, though her voice cracked. Her thoughts felt irrational, yet she was still reeling from the adrenaline.

"I was fine, I swear, I was fine," Her words said one thing, but her voice cracked as she lifted her head to the sky, the back of her hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes. Panic seemed to consume her body again, dizzy as she felt the rough feeling of Goro's beard against her thigh.

She had almost been raped. Raped for a stupid scroll. How could she have been so stupid? To think she could just talk to this man while Kakashi distracted the guards.

“I know,” Kakashi said to her calmly, turning back to walk towards her, “but there was-“

“But you didn’t have to, I could’ve saved myself,” she said, her voice shrill with anxiety, “I could’ve done it - I don’t -“

She couldn’t find the words. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that man’s haughty expression staring back at her, like a piece of meat in front of its prey. Her knees gave way beneath her and she fell to the ground, a sob erupting from her chest.

“Hey,” Kakashi called quietly, kneeling down beside her. Quickly, he gathered her up and pulled her close to his chest, feeling her body wracked with sobs as she clutched his kimono. His hand slid up into her hairline, pressing her head to his collarbone firmly.

“It’s okay,” he whispered to her, sitting on the dirt path himself, “you’re safe. I’ve got you.”

“Why did I do that?”

“You didn’t do anything,” he assured her, “You’re not an object to be bartered for and taken. It's not your fault.”

“Oh god,” was all she could manage, muffled against the fabric of his clothing. His arms held her tight, wrapping around her shoulders as his body rocked back and forth slightly to comfort her.

She wasn’t sure how long she had stayed there against him, unsure of how long the panic had taken to melt away from her, coming and going like the ebb and flow of the ocean. When it would return, he could feel her body go rigid and he gripped her shoulders tighter.

“It’s okay,” he would whisper against her ear.

Finally, she pulled away, eyes red and puffy as she looked back at him.

“Thank you,” she managed.

He gave her a soft half smile, reaching his hand up to her temple and pressing his palm to it to sweep away her matted hair. Something stirred within her, a longing for his touch that she had always wished for. It comforted her. Whether or not she was vulnerable in this moment was besides the point. She wanted nothing more than to be with him. To feel safe with him.

The energy around them shifted, his eye staring at her and searching her face as his hand fell to her jaw. A thumb grazed it warily. His gentle gaze was a stark contrast from Goro’s - tender and caring.

She was sure he was only comforting her, assuring her that she was safe. But the way his hand felt against her cheek, delicately caressing the base of her jaw with his thumb, twisted her stomach in a much different way.

“[y/n],” He said softly, “I know this isn’t the best time, but I have to tell you something.”

Her eyes searched his face, her mind reeling from the sudden change of events. How quickly everything had unfolded today, coupled with the trauma experienced left her feeling dazed. She felt his fingers weave themselves into the hair at the nape of her neck.

“I’m sorry for what I said on that mission,” he managed, his expression genuine. He studied her face, piecing together the words in his head. It was clear he was struggling. Her heart raced, this time pleasantly.

“I feel - I have always felt-“

Without hesitation, [y/n] leaned forward, pressing her lips to his clothed ones before he even finished his sentence. Pulling away, she looked up into his wide eye, blush creeping up her neck as she thought she may have crossed another line. But before she could even apologize, she felt his mouth press against hers, tender yet feverish. Two lips moved carefully over hers, the fabric between them a soft barrier that filtered the heat of their breaths. Reaching up, he pulled the cloth over his chin, pressing them back to hers in fervid kiss that left her feeling delirious.

She pulled herself into him more, gripping the lapels of his kimono as he splayed his palm against her back, pulling her close. His lips moved to the corners of her mouth, and across her cheek. Leaving delicate kisses in his wake before nestling his nose in the crook of her neck.

They stayed like that, her nose breathing in the woodsy sent of his grey hair. She peppered kisses across the shell of his ear, feeling calm for the first time since they had left the village.

Pulling away, he pressed his forehead to hers, his fingers pressing the hair at the nape of her neck down.

“I love you,” she heard him say, barely above a whisper. She wasn’t sure she heard him right, but as her eyes connected with his, she knew his words were true. She lifted her hand to his face, seeing it for the first time as her fingers slid down his cheek to his jaw. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Please forgive me.”

*******

4 months later

No one ever forgets the trauma experienced by an attempted sexual assault. The wounds are ever fresh, barely scabbing over in your mind. Yet every day, little by little, there is someone there to mend them. To apply balm to them and ensure they heal. Whether that healing take months, or years, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes she would wake up in a sweat, reliving that moment over and over again in her head until she wanted to vomit. The panic consuming her just as it had in that moment, ever so prominent and barely diminishing in strength.

No matter how much she had tried to deny it, she felt responsible for saying yes in that moment. For getting herself into a stupid situation that she could have avoided had she just been smart enough to think of another plan. Yet, each day, each moment she had spoken those thoughts, Kakashi was there to reassure her that no man should think he could take advantage of a woman as Goro had done.

Kakashi had been a key component of her healing journey, appearing by her side and loving her in a way she never thought he would. All those months ago when she had offered her feelings to him, she never suspected that he had just been shielding her from himself. The copy ninja had is own trauma to process, yet they managed to heal together. Side by side. Along for the journey.

***

A/N: So, I'll be real here, know I said I would write this LITERALLY 4 months ago, but I didn't like how I wrote it the first three times and the I got frustrated and gave up, tbh. Which is why I haven't been back in so long because I was stuck on this fic and didn't want to give you guy something else when I promised this first. I'm like 75% content with it now, so I hope you enjoyed it.

Anyway, I hope this wasn't offensive to anyone or ignorantly written. If I, in anyway, did not describe the aftermath feelings as you feel they should be, please let me know. I hope I was able to articulate it well, despite the grim subject.