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ann-writes-universes · 2 years

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Momento Mori (AzrielxReader)

A/N: Weather has me down, Here’s some Az angst :,)

Warnings: Angst.

W/C: 1.8k

He had been so distant since the end of the war. Different since life had slowed down a bit and there wasn't the ever present feeling of impending doom. At first, you had given him space - he had asked for it after all - chalked it up to shell shock, a deep rooted fear that it wasn't really over. Being alone had been hard, waiting for your mate to finally crawl into your ever cold bed and just hold you like he had for the past ten years.

You waited on that night where he would come to you for comfort, and not Elain or Gwyn or a glass of whiskey that never really seemed to empty. The night where he would crawl into your shared bed and find solace in your arms, in your presence, even if just for a moment.

That night didnt come, and after six months you began to feel as though it would never come.

“Does- does Rhys talk to you about things?” You had asked Feyre one day in the kitchen. You were drying the dishes as she washed them. A task that magic could have easily finished but one the two of you had found some semblance of normalcy in since the war. She had stopped scrubbing the plate she held and turned her gaze to you with a cocked brow.

“Well yes we talk about things (Y/N), but what do you mean?”

“I mean awful, terrible things.”

“Has- has Azriel said something to you?” She questioned, turning the water up to ward off any unwanted listeners lurking about the house. You frantically shook your head ‘no’ and kept drying the same bowl you had been for the past five minutes.

“Not in that way I just…he won’t tell me what's going on in his head. He hasn't since.”

“Since Hybern?”

“Yeah. Yeah, since Hybern.” You muttered, finally setting the bowl down. Feyre sighed and dried her own hands before grasping your forearms. Turning your body to face her she searched your features with a soft smile.

“The war was tough on us all. He watched you nearly die, I am sure it's not on purpose.”

“Feyre. He shut off the bond. I can't feel him.” You whispered, beginning to feel misty eyed and soft. She frowned and pulled you into her body, letting your tears soak her shoulder and hair. You were mumbling nonsense into her shoulder, anger, hurt, and confusion echoed from the senseless words and she just nodded in understanding.

“Whats going on?” His voice cut like a knife through the kitchen, slicing through the sound of your sobs and the water that was still running. Feyre stilled as she made eye contact with him, not allowing your head to leave her shoulder. You hadn't even felt that familiar tug on the bond that signified he had even come home. That fact alone had your gut wrenching and your heart dropping further into your chest.

“Nothing.” You mumbled, gently pushing Feyre away so you could turn to face the stone cold face of your mate. He took in the tear stained cheeks, the red rim of your eyes, and he cocked his head. There was nothing there, no warmth, no concern, just an empty plane.

Granted, Azriel was a hard male to read. But never for you. No- never once had he been hard to read for you.

Glancing between the two of you Feyre waited until you nodded to make her quiet exit, turning the sink off as she left. Azriel leaned against the wall, watching you as you put dishes away, your back turned away from him.

“Nice to see you home.” You muttered, closing a cabernet. He huffed and shifted in his place, running a hand through his hair.

“What is that supposed to even mean?” You turned to face him, leaning backwards on your arms against the counter. “Exactly what I said. Nothing else.”

His mouth formed a hard line and he nodded curtly. Turning towards the door he made to leave.

“Thats all I get?” You urged, possibly louder than you had intended. He froze in the doorway, a hand resting on its frame. His shoulders squared and he turned his head to look at you. “Seven words is all I get? I havent seen you in weeks Azriel.” You whispered, searching his eyes for any semblance of a reaction to your words.

And yet there was nothing.

No hurt, no pain, no remorse- nothing.

“I have been busy (y/n).”

“No shit.” You scoffed, crossing your arms across your chest. He turned to face you fully then, his brows set in a crease so deep you were sure it was giving him a headache.

“What do you want from me? I still have to work. I still have to go out and do my job. Not all of us get to stay home all day and play housewife with the High Lady.” He spit, and his words were laced with so much venom that you flinched. You couldn't even form a rebuttal; you were so astounded by his tone.

You two had had spats over the years but never had he raised his voice at you, never had he tried to hurt you with his words. What did you want from him?

What did you want from him?

Him.

You wanted him back.

“I want to know why it feels like I am sitting by your grave BEGGING for the gods to give you back - and yet… And yet here you are in front of me Azriel.” Your voice was a harsh whisper, those damned tears itching to spill again. It shook and wavered, not at all as strong as you intended for it to be.

“I dont know.” Was all he offered in reply. His arms were crossed and his shoulders were squared, wings pulled in tight.

“You dont know?”

“No. I dont.”

You nodded, a sharp frown overtaking your features. You pushed off of the counter, and moved towards the door. Your approach had him skidding backwards, a reaction that made you visibly take a step back.

Sucking in a breath you glanced at him wide eyed. Azriel looked away, a muscle in his jaw ticking.

“Well when you figure it out, feel free to find me I guess.”

And with a final glance at the love of your life you pushed past him and left the kitchen.

⥈

He had never wanted to hurt you. Had never wanted to see you that visibly upset with him. The utter defeat in the words you spoke as you left him there carved out a hole in his demeanor. Knocked him right off the rung he had been perched on so precariously for the past six months.

The shadowsinger had been walking a fine line of losing his mind and keeping it together and that little discussion had pushed him utterly over the edge.

He had tried stroking the bond hours after you left, only to find a cold and empty plane on the other side. A feeling he now knew you had been getting used to for the last half of the year.

Perched on the roof of the house of wind he watched as the sun sank below the mountain range and the stars you so dearly loved began to paint the sky.

For the first time in twenty years of knowing you he wondered what you were doing.

Wondered because he was not privy to the information for the first time in two decades. This knowledge left him feeling cold somehow, emptier than he had ever been.

It was a Sunday and usually on Sunday nights you were curled up in front of the hearth with a book in hand, smiling gently at him as he urged you to pay attention to him for ‘just two seconds please’. You would always let him have his way, would set the book down and play with his hair or read whatever tale it was aloud to him.

Sundays had always been his favorites.

And yet he hadn't spent a sunday at home with you in damn near 183 days. The war with Hybern had left him torn between two lives. The utterly broken and destroyed part of him that existed long before you had, when he was just a kid fighting a battle they were never really supposed to win. And the other half of him was a man who had fought tirelessly to protect the people he loved. This war had left him changed, cold. His nights were fitful and restless, often ending in nightmares and dreams so foul that he would watch the sun rise and set a few times before he thought of sleeping again.

He hadn't wanted you to see that.

Azriel had wanted to be strong for you when the war ended. Had wanted to be able to be your pillar of comfort and solace on the nights when you couldn't sleep, and yet he couldn't even console himself.

He had failed you by doing what he thought was best for you. Had shut you out in an attempt to keep you blind to the horrors he had been facing, when all you wanted was for him to let you in.

He tugged on the bond again.

No reply. Not even a whisper of a reply.

The shadow singer laid down on the hard clay and stared at the sky. Wondering what you were doing on a Sunday night, utterly alone as he had made you.

⥈

Pacing.

Back and forth, back and forth.

Pacing.

Thats what you were doing on a Sunday night, utterly alone as he had made you.

You had felt the bond grow taut, not once, but twice and had not deigned a reply. You were angry, confused at best. Groveling had never been a habit of yours, and the spymaster knew as much.

This was his mess to fix, his wrong to right because you had tried. You had been trying for months. Tried to seduce, to speak, to hold, to console. And nothing had been returned. Not a hint of emotion nor reaction other than an impassive gaze here or there.

Glancing at the clock you sighed, two AM. The river house had gone to sleep several hours before, and not a peep was heard throughout her halls. One glance and the warm blaze of the fireplace was extinguished and you were padding upstairs to your room.

You crawled into the familiar chill of your sheets and rolled to face the open window. Distantly the lights in the house of wind glowed with ever bright liveliness. You watched them until your eyes grew too heavy to stay open.

And you waited.

Waited for the bed to dip and him to wrap his arms around you and beg you to listen to him for just two seconds.

But the dip never came, and no arms circled around you as you drifted into sleep.

There was nothing but the twinkling of lights and the gentle sounds of the sidra humming you a lullaby. The only comfort you had known in 133 days.

Nothing but twinkling lights and a gentle hum.

TAGS:

@brekkershadowsinger @piceous21 @younxii @momlo @morelovemorepeacemoretattoo-blog @highladyofillyria @crimsonandwhiteprincess @purplevitagen @isthataknuck

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sleuth-draws · 8 months

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LOVESICK (part 4) - Close to You < prev | next >

Vitani has been acting strange.

Well, she always acts strange; that's kind of her thing sometimes. But stranger than usual.

Kiara has noticed that her friend can't quite keep eye contact anymore, often darting away quickly. When Kiara comes close to nuzzle her, groom her, even just to chat, she's been insistent on keeping more distance than usual, scooching away with an awkward and very unsubtle clearing her throat. On top of that, she's being leaving the den at night more and more to pace and grumble. Vitani might think she's being discrete but Kiara knows her enough to be able to tell when something's wrong. She's started to worry that her dear friend has started to lose sleep.

She's more than familiar with the old Vitani -- the quiet broody lioness who most times couldn't stand to stick around the pride, more out of habit than preference. She's reminded now of that Vitani.

There's no one she's enjoyed seeing come out of her shell more than Vitani. Except Kovu, of course. But she loves getting Vitani to crack that crooked smile of hers, getting her to loosen up and see that there's no immediate threat to look out for anymore. Kiara never bore witness to the atrocities Scar inflicted upon the Pridelands but she thinks witnessing how her new friends have been affected by Zira's tyrannical reign is the closest thing to it. The lack of food, the lack of support, the lack of love. She can't imagine what that's like.

Kiara does realize her privileged position; she's the Princess of the Pridelands for gods' sake. She knows she could never come close to knowing what it's like to suffer this greatly or to feel the after-effects of cruelty. But it's all she can do to check in on those who have.

So when her training lets out at the first sign of sunset, she spares Kovu a halfhearted nuzzle before going off in search of Vitani as she always does.

She's not at the watering hole, nor the fields, nor in the shady spot where they play-fought just a few days ago.

Hm. The Guard must have finished late today.

Kiara heads back to the Rock to visit the lair and approaches just in time to see Vitani exit with Imara at her side. The two are speaking with hushed tones and standing rather close. Vitani ducks her head in laughter and Imara nuzzles her side.

A pit forms in Kiara's gut. Huh. She must be hungrier than she thought. Yeah. That must be it.

Before she knows it, she's trotting towards them, calling, "Hey, Vitani!"

Her friend perks up instantly, those big ears of hers at attention. She looks hesitant but smiles at her nonetheless. Kiara grins as she makes her way over.

Imara nudges Vitani with her shoulder almost smugly, before bidding her goodbye and offering a respectful nod in Kiara's direction just as she comes face-to-face.

"Hi," Kiara breathes, only a little winded from her hurried journey over.

"Hi," Vitani breathes back, though she doesn't look tired at all.

Kiara tilts her head at her tall friend. "How was patrolling today?"

"Eh, it was fine. Imara just left to report to your old man. Had to chase off some mangy rogue who thought he could flirt with me and the Guard. Unfortunately, he was stubborn enough to let things get violent."

"Ugh, he sounds awful."

"Oh, he was," Vitani barks out an amused laugh, "But I knocked him flat and he ran away scared."

"Ha! You sure showed him," Kiara chuckles, finding herself circling around Vitani. She does things like this sometimes, stalking around Vitani as if hunting -- and at one point, Kovu as well -- and she doesn't quite know why. At this point, she's reasoned it's simply a natural habit. "How lucky we are to have you to protect us." She leans in to brush their sides together, nuzzling her cheek to Vitani's. "I missed you, y'know."

Vitani tenses but that's never been atypical. Touch has always been something her friend found hard to get used. "Oh, I, uh --" She clears her throat, thrown off her game. "I-I missed you too." She shakes her head. "But you just saw me yesterday, Princess!"

"I can still miss you!"

A snort. "Yeah, right."

Kiara is about to shoot a retort back when her nose starts to itch and a loud sneeze interrupts her, startling them both.

"Yeegh," Kiara exclaims, shaking her head and licking her nose, "Vitani!"

"What?"

"There's so much dust in your fur! No doubt from that fight. You seriously need a bath."

Vitani bristles. "Ugh, no way." She shakes herself out, ears flapping almost aggressively. "Look, I'm totally fi--" When she takes a step forward, her foreleg buckles and she stumbles, catching herself with the other foreleg.

"Vitani!" Immediately, Kiara is moving in to assist her.

"I'm fine, Kiara." Vitani grits. "It's just a sprain, nothin' I can't handle."

Kiara looks back towards the fields. Her mother won't be back with food a little while. "Come follow me."

"But --"

"Don't argue with me. Come on." Kiara headbutts Vitani's shoulder and though Vitani grumbles the whole way, they walk up Pride Rock together. There, several lionesses are resting out at the entrance of the den, grooming themselves and each other and sunbathing while they still have a sun to bathe in.

There's a round of greetings when the pair ascend, including Tiifu, Zuri and, surprisingly, Kasi, who are dozing in a pile together. Vitani stares as they pass; Kasi looks away in slight embarrassment.

They find a spot somewhere nearby, still warm from the sun, and Kiara gives a look that makes Vitani sigh loudly and plop down. Kiara settles in beside her.

"Hmph, good. Now..." Kiara leans in and starts grooming the fur on Vitani's neck; immediately Vitani jerks away. "Oh, come on, Vitani."

"I-I-I really think I can do this myself!" Vitani stutters.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kiara huffs. "You couldn't reach that neck of yours if you tried!" She leans in again and when Vitani dodges once more, she reaches with both paws to ensnare her head and hold it securely to her. Vitani struggles but doesn't go so far as to kick at her with her hind legs -- a great sign. "Ha. Good girl."

Vitani goes ramrod straight. Kiara pays her no mind and starts to groom the tuft on her head. Slowly, her friend starts to relax, though she maintains the tension in her shoulders, claws digging into the dirt. Eventually, that too leaves her, pressure rolling off her shoulders till even her claws, trained to be out at all times in attack position, start to sheathe themselves. She breathes a sigh and closes her eyes.

Delight fills Kiara's chest. There's something precious about this. Being able to just lie here in peace with someone once considered her enemy and relax together. To see her realize there's nothing to fear, at long last. Vitani has been scared for so long. She might not like to admit, but Kiara knows. Kovu has told her the hardships they all had to face at Zira's paws, Vitani in particular. He'd been blind to it, at first, giving in to Zira's hate-filled rhetoric and training. But the months after the war had allowed the siblings to open up to one another, where they'd previously been emotionally standoffish.

Vitani was the one keeping their family together. Her closeness to their older brother as both of Zira's neglected children and her admittedly enforced love for Kovu was bridged by her need to do right by her mother. She amplified the admiration for her younger brother among the Outsiders, she kept her older brother in line, and, greatest of all, she was the perfect soldier. Savage and wild and bloodthirsty, eager to fight and, lucky for Zira, eager to please. Because, however small, that was the closest she would get to actual love from Zira.

A transactional, militaristic relationship.

And when at last she defied her mother, she was quickly cast aside.

Where Vitani had loved Kovu superficially, as taught by Zira, there was also the real love of being the only sibling who truly cared for him. They're twins, after all, as easy it is to forget, uniquely linked. That love was smaller, unfostered, buried away, but it was there. Her betraying Zira was what made Kovu realize there was more that needed to be talked about. How could they leave things the way they were? After they'd lost their only mother and Nuka, after not even knowing their supposedly shared father, how could they go on not truly knowing one another?

The months of healing did them well. While Vitani had been reclusive at first, there were times where she was seen with Kovu and she looked truly happy. Now, they're closer than they'd ever been, and Kovu happily recounts their visits together to Kiara.

It makes Kiara wonder: does Vitani fear being cast out again? Is that why she's been so aloof? Is she afraid that the peace is delicate, that it'll all fall apart one day and her value will be reduced to nothing once again?

Kiara will do anything to keep her from feeling that way.

An easy rumble in Vitani's throat draws her from her thoughts. She's nearly clean now, her usually unruly tuft smoothed into a funny-looking cowlick, but Kiara is reluctant to let her go.

"Something's been bugging you lately, hasn't it?"

Vitani's eyes open and, regrettably, a small amount of tension comes back to her. She's quiet for a long time, as if calculating her response.

"It's nothing you gotta worry about, Princess. I'll be fine."

Perfectly calculated, in fact. Something that says she shouldn't press or pry, even jokingly. Something Vitani wants to sort out herself. And as much as Kiara wants to help with this, to get her sleep and ease again, she has to respect it.

"Okay," Kiara settles on, "But if you want to talk, or need help in any way, you know I'm here for you, right? I always will be."

Vitani tilts her head and looks earnestly at her. Her violet eyes are soft, softer than she's ever seen them. A thumping erupts in Kiara's chest.

"Yeah. I know, Ki."

"I-I really care about you," Kiara finds herself blurting, "You're my best friend."

"What? But I thought Tiifu and Zuri were your best friends," Vitani says, surprised, "Or, Kovu? I can never keep track."

"No -- I mean, well, yes, they are -- but I can have multiple!" Kiara sputters, suddenly nervous and not knowing why. "The point is, I...I feel so close to you. I couldn't stand it if you were hurting a-and there was something I could do to help you."

The whole exchange gives Vitani pause and she's quiet for a long moment.

Then, miraculously, terrifically, magnificently, Vitani allows herself to nuzzle the side of her face into Kiara's chest.

"You're my best friend too, Kiara." Vitani smiles that lovely, crooked smile. "I...really care about you too."

It feels as though a storm cracks through her.

She's shaken, almost vibrating in her pelt. Her fur is warm, her mouth is dry -- what is this? She prays -- oh gods, she prays -- that Vitani can't hear her thunderous heartbeat. It would be awful of her to ruin this moment.

But what is it that's afflicted her?

And where did the air in her lungs go?

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basketballanonsblog · 9 months

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A Bouquet For My Love

This is set after Goodnight and Goodbye in the Jihyo x military!reader AU

I'm sorry this feels rushed 😪 but there will be more for this AU in the future

Synopsis: After almost two years, it was time to try and win your ex-girlfriend back

-x-

"Damn girl, you didn't waste any time."

It didn't take long before news of Jihyo being in a relationship to reach social media once Twice's dating ban was lifted.

The leader was thankful for the members' support, but...

"What about y/n unnie?" Tzuyu asked.

There's that.

"The right thing to do is to tell her, before she finds out online."

They had a point.

"Our breakup was amicable. I'm sure she'll handle the news well. Besides, it's not like she waited for me, right?"

No one commented on how it sounded like she was trying to persuade herself.

-x-

You darted around the house as quickly as you could, not even bothering to talk to your brother.

"Y/n! Slow down, we just got back from overseas, maybe you should rest."

You've been away for eight months, and in that time, all you could think about was your ex-girlfriend.

"There's no time. I need to see Jihyo to try and win her back."

Min-jun recalled how you were after the breakup. You drew back into your shell, the spark in your eyes dampened.

But the spark returned.

"Wish me luck!" And just like that, you were out the door.

"Good luck."

He brushed off the sinking feeling in his chest.

-x-

You made your way through the market, flowers in hand. It was surprisingly devoid of people, but it made it less time-consuming to go through. It was your last stop before heading to her apartment.

Turns out you didn't need to go far to see her again. She was holding someone else's hand, and her laughter that once made your heart skip a beat, now made it ache.

Jihyo finally noticed you standing there with a bouquet of her favourite flowers.

"Y/n..." Your knees almost gave out there and then.

You put on a smile as the man introduced himself, even though you knew who he was.

It was awkward and painful.

"My brother asked me to pick up flowers for his girlfriend." No one asked, but you felt compelled to give a reason why you had them.

Jihyo didn't believe you. She almost asked if you wanted to catch up, but the hurt in your eyes stopped her.

She did wait for me.

The guilt became almost unbearable as she watched you walk away.

That's the second time she didn't ask you to stay.

-x-

You became a mess at the bar. You cried while looking on the internet, at the various outlets reporting the official news of Jihyo dating Kang Daniel.

"Y/n you idiot! You should've moved on. She probably thinks you're a fool for waiting." You began a cycle of drinking and demeaning thoughts.

It didn't take long for company to find you. A woman convinced you to loosen up from your sad state.

Even going as far as pulling you up to dance. She laughed at your clumsy moves and impulsively kissed you.

You were immediately taken aback, but you didn't oppose the display of affection. You kissed her back, and it got hot and heavy real fast.

"Wanna get out of here? No strings attached." That's all it took for your hesitance to vanish as you exited the bar.

With the alcohol and lust going through your veins, the bouquet laid where you left it, forgotten.

Merry Christmas again, guys! 🎉

#twice x reader #jihyo #jihyo x reader #twice fic

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v3nusxsky · 1 month

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Could we get fluffy accidental love confession with Emily Prentiss from Prompt List #4?

Book girlfriend

*Authors note~ I love me some Booktok and smutty sapphic romance novels so it’s only natural that it would translate into my fics. Also just getting back in the swing of writing so length and I guess confidence will increase*

Trigger warnings~ mildly suggestive???sin to win weekend mentioned (past), Emily references smut and refers to herself as daddy (red tank top Emily is just so daddy)

Prompt~ see ask^^ and this ask

Banner will come

For years now you’d been know as the shy agent of the behavioural analysis unit. If it wasn’t case files, you always had your nose between pages of a book. It was a given that on the jet ride home where most the team were catching up on lost sleep, you were losing yourself into the love story of others. If only you knew that one certain brunette agent was just as madly in love with you as you were her.

Emily couldn’t help but find you attractive, your shy and quiet nature, kind heart and stunning looks were just some of the reasons she ended up falling for you. It happened so slowly at first, so slowly that not even Emily noticed at first. In fact Penelope and JJ noticed first. The way you shyly watched Emily walk around the bullpen, eyes peering over the top of your chosen reading material. The way Emily’s eyes would linger on your frame whenever you exited a room. Dereks playful teasing over your obvious, to everyone but yourself, heart eyes whenever Emily’s name was mentioned.

When the realisation hit Emily, it was single handedly worse than anything Doyle put her through. A stupid mistake on the field resulting in the unsub left in around of shots fly in your direction. Spencer yelling for a medic and apprehending the unsub. The pure heartbreaking moment where your eyes fluttered closed, pulse weakening as blood spilled onto the concrete floor.

Time seemed to still as your body was moved into in an ambulance, the only reminder being the stain left behind. It was here that Emily understood the paranoia of lady Mcbeth. It was impossible to get the stain out of her mind now. Thinking the worst, unable to will her body to move. Numb. She may have lost you, not ever telling you how she truly feels. Admiring you from afar, waiting for the right way to tell you and building up her confidence to face possible rejection. All for what? To have you so easily taken from her was just soul destroying.

Thankfully, you had the best doctors working on you, helping you heal from what occurred and allowing you to be back at work once more. From then on, Emily prentiss became increasingly observant with anything to do with you. Paying extra attention to when you were in the field, often using her own body to act like a human shield. She spent more time in your company which didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. Even you.

Since being injured the way you were, you began to come out of your shell a little more. Bonds beginning to strengthen as you attended more girls nights and even starting to banter with some of the team more frequently. Your close brush with death highlighting how much you could’ve lost. How much you have now. That isn’t to say you stopped loving the books and reading in your quiet moments, hoping for a love like that while being more open to the obvious flirting brewing between you and Emily.

Months passed, flirting back and forth as you continued to come out of your shell when it finally happened. You were halfway through your first book in a new series bright falls. Delilah doesn’t date having a beautiful brunette masculine presenting woman on the cover.

“New book sweetheart?” Emily murmured as she joined you on the jets love seat. The way you nodded and blushed a beautiful shade of pink caused her heart to race. Peeking over the top of your lilac bookcover you noticed Emily’s plump lips adoring her signature smirk before she chucked, “darling you’re just so easy to fluster. It’s adorable really. Without missing a blink you retorted “Ah so your like my book girlfriend now huh?” before your brain caught up with your mouth.

The raven haired agent immediately turned her upper body to face you, “mmm something like that.” You couldn’t help yourself, this flirty banter had been going on for months and after a rough caae you just wanted to lean into the warmth she makes you feel, even if it went no where, you had to try. “Oh Em you have no idea what you’re signing up for, I could read murder mystery books for all you know…”

It was then that Emily lent into your personal space, so close that your noses hardly touched and you could feel her breath on your face, “darling we both know that book right there contains some of the filthiest acts you’ve only ever imagined… sweetheart I’ve done them all.” Well damn. Immediately images and scenarios flooded your brain, oh to have the Emily Elizabeth Prentiss dominate your mind body and soul, pushing you deeper than you’d ever been before into the pools of pleasure and bliss. Drops of sweat glistening all over her body as she made sure you’d feel how much she loved you with every orgasm. Her words dripping in the perfect mix of praise and degradation. Oh those hands. That nose. God what you wouldn’t give to explore all the things you’d read with her.

“I-uh-mm” you practically choked out as your mind continued to dream up what Emily was so clearly stating. “Oh darling, you didn’t think daddy went to her sin to win weekends to observe now did you?” She practically purred at you, eyes raking over your body with the profiler in her noticing the way your thighs uncontrollably squeezed together, your eyes dilating and body silently begging to be touched by her. “I’ll show you sometime princess, I promise but for now enjoy your book darling I’ll see you at 7 tonight” she muttered with a wink before leaving you dazed unable to remember what page you’d been on, your mind clouded with her. Only her.

Word count~ 975

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sealofarchives · 9 months

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Prompt: filipino!reader with the turtles (separate)

Note: I'm filipino so if I get some stuff wrong, let me know and I'll make edits to this post

Leo

The day after your other family members showed up as a surprise visit. You apologized to the red slider turtle for slightly panicking. Trying to get him to the nearest window frame of a fire escape exit.

He waved off the apology, more interested that you knew spanish and didn't tell him about it.

You instantly looked at him with a confused expression.

"It's tagalog, not spanish."

It didn't help that Donnie overheard the conversation. While Leo felt a bit embarrassed, jumping to the conclusion of, confusing the language with something else.

"A total of 8 different dialects. There's more but, tagalog just happens to be the common language in the Philippines."

Just as the softshell turtle dropped off your papers with purple pen marks before heading back to his lab.

You still reassured Leo that he didn't mean to offend you. He let out a sigh of relief but, still thinks that its pretty cool that you're aware of your family's culture.

If you can speak it fluently, Leo will sometimes ask on what phrases you usually use.

Or if you're like me, who only knows a few words. He might tease you to try speaking some common phrases only if you're up to it.

Raph

Raph accidentally ran into one of your relatives. An aunt and uncle who were almost swindled out of a deal from Repo Mantis.

The alligator snapping turtle still managed to get them out of there safely. Now at a safe distance close to the Run of the Mill pizzeria.

He was still nervous at the thought of trying to escort them home until the aunt asked if he was okay.

Raph tried his best to hide the panicked tone in his voice until she gasped.

"Oh! You're one of (Y/N)'s friends!" "They're always talk about you and your brothers before any of us ask them about school!"

Timeskip a week later, they ordered pizza to thank Raph for getting them out of that situation. They couldn't stay for too long but still left with big smiles waving goodbye at the turtles.

"Uh, (Y/N). What does it mean if I'm being called 'Kuya Raph'?"

You chuckled saying "You're still the oldest brother of the group." "But it has more of a respectful manner. Since my other family members still use it for some of their friend groups."

"You know checking up on each other even when things aren't so great."

Raph smiled while you confidently stood your ground when his brothers try to find a teasing remark. Mikey eventually stepping back followed by Donnie who slowly grew bored of the banter. And you continued to playfully ignore Leo's idea of a bet that he could go a day taking over Raph's oldest brother role.

Mikey

You asked the box shell turtle for help trying to prepare pancit (a filipino noodle dish.) All of the ingredients laid out on the table and your mom's list with said instructions on cooking the food. You held onto the package containing rice noodles but hesitated opening it.

Mikey took notice of the frown on your face.

"Still nervous on trying to cook this dish on your own?" Mikey asked as you sighed

"Sort of... My mom has the 'oh you're doing this wrong...' whenever I try to cook something that isn't instant noodles." "So, sorry if I'm slow to this cooking thing..."

"Don't worry about what your mom thinks. I'm more happy that you asked for help! And I get to learn a new recipe from my best friend!"

The uneasy what if feeling slowly faded away as you and Mikey followed a few step by step videos with laughter filling the lively atmosphere.

After an hour passed, a knock from your apartment door signaled your mom and two of your relatives' arrival.

Before you told Mikey to hide, a light blue portal threw out a orange hoodie. With Mikey in a hurry putting it on.

"I might be on pizza duty for the next month but, I'm still not letting you face this alone!" Mikey said with a guaranteed grin on his face.

While the dish earned praise from your relatives, you felt more comfortable that Mikey vouched for you when your mom was still skeptical of the finished product. The relatives in agreement with him resulted in her giving up any further comments.

"(Y/N) could try making lumpia for their friends. And with how Mikey is helping them. They'll slowly get better at cooking!" Your grandma joked as you pretended not to sink below your chair.

A week later, at the lair, the three turtles often glancing back at the wrapped up uncooked spring rolls slowly beginning to stack a pile.

Donnie

"I know you said food or drinks aren't allowed at the lab but, I went out and got you halo-halo! To thank you for helping me with studying for the test next week."

"Halo-what-"

Donnie's eyes widen at the sight of the purple shaved ice dessert in a plastic cup. The spoon inside of the cup lid as he reached out now holding the drink in his hands.

"Is it actually purple or is it just the food dye that has purple in it?" Donnie said looking around the contents of the dessert while you laugh.

"I guess you never heard of ube aka purple yams. I had bread that used ube as filling. But, its been used in other pastries as well."

Donnie took a spoonful of the ube into his mouth and attempted to hide the smile on his face. But, savored the sweet treat with a light hum. He blinked noticing how he was the only one who got dessert.

"Wait, you didn't get one for yourself?" He asked as you lightly scratched your face.

"I only had enough money to buy one. And don't tell your brothers because I sort of waited when they went to the Run of the Mill pizzeria to get it. So..." You avoided eye contact finishing that sentence as Donnie got up from his seat.

"Well... Since you got me this refreshing dessert. I'm willing to let you take dibs for the first few slices of pizza. It will still apply to pineapple as well so no takebacks." Donnie immediately spotted at the grin slowly appearing on your face as you nodded.

Close to 45 minutes later, the turtles arrived back with the stack of pizza boxes. However...

"Hey, you two missed out on the limited time desserts they're giving out at the Run of the Mill pizzeria! We managed to get the last three while we waited in line. I forgot what it was called, something starting with two h's but, it has Donnie's favorite color-"

Donnie internally winced as you went to open the nearest pizza box. And took a slice without caring that it was one of your least favorite flavors. Mostly biting into the bread crust almost startling Mikey in the process.

[Note to self: repay back (Y/N) within this week with their favorite snack] (He does but both of you joke about that timing while taking a break from assignments)

#rottmnt x reader #leo x reader #raph x reader #mikey x reader #donnie x reader #I haven't written anything as of july 2023 #I'm keeping my distance away from wattpad because it got really terrible to the point of burnout but #these silly guys got me through the hell that was 2019 so #I'm gonna try to put my writing here despite how this site is such a hater towards x reader writing #aside from that I'm slowly getting out of writer's block ; w ;#I'll make a post about rules later into next week so for now I hope you enjoy reading this :]

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sarahjswift · 2 months

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Here is the third chapter of spotlight on me, baby where are you? (Originally a one shot named “emails I can’t send”)

I’m having so much fun writing this series!

Word Count: 1.7k

Enjoy! Please let me know what you think! 😚

Breathe.

Well, she couldn’t do that in the peace-killing device she wore. Aelin was pretty sure her dress was slowly suffocating her.

“At least you look hot,” Lysandra had shrugged when Aelin had mentioned this to her best friend and stylist. “And that’s all that matters at the Grammy after party, isn’t it?”

Now, Aelin blew out a breath as she stared out the tinted window to the building before her. Everywhere, celebrities were exiting their luxury vehicles and sashaying their way towards the party. She thought they looked like ants crawling over their nest.

“Ready?” Aedion, sitting on the other side of the car, asked. He was clad in sweats and a white T-shirt, hair pulled back. Lysandra leaned against him, a hand on her boyfriend’s knee, the green-eyed beauty wearing a simple black dress. For a moment, Aelin was overcome with a devastating envy; not just for her friends’ obvious bliss in their relationship, but for their life. After the Grammys performance, their job was done, and they could drive home and relax on the couch, watch Netflix, and go to sleep.

Not Aelin. No, because of the life she’d so desperately wanted, she’d squeezed into her dress and was carted off into the limo moments after the exhausting event that was the Grammys. Now, she would spend the next five hours maintaining her perfect image, avoiding the cruel paparazzi and pandering to the ones she knew her agent had paid. She’d be lucky if she got to sleep before five in the morning. That is, if she could sleep at all.

Aelin couldn’t help feeling alone. She’d never tell anyone else this, of course; complaining about her life just felt privileged and spoiled. The only person who truly understood was…

Was…

Gone. Somebody else’s to love.

Snapping back to reality, Aelin forced a smile and nodded. “Of course.”

She turned back to the window and took a final breath, closing her eyes as she let her face melt into the mask she’d perfected over the time since her break into the industry; the arrogance, the casual beauty, the always-present amusement. Looking over her shoulder, she shot her friends a wink before the door opened and she stepped out onto the street.

Instantly, she was overwhelmed by the chaos of it all; the flash of the cameras, the shouting of the paparazzi.

“Aelin, over here!”

“Aelin, how did it feel to perform at the Grammys without any nominations?”

“Here, Aelin!”

“Aelin, who are you wearing tonight?”

“Look here, Aelin!”

“How were the Grammys, Aelin?”

“One smile, Aelin!”

“Aelin, how did it feel to perform your pointed single in front of ex Whitethorn?”

A wave of cold washed over Aelin, and she swallowed and locked her spine. Plastering a smirk on her face, she moved toward the entrance, letting her hips swing with every step. She felt and saw the lightbulbs flash, and kept her eyes on the entrance. The guard at the door gave her a smile and a nod, stepping aside to let her in. Aelin walked through the threshold and sighed, shoulders slumping for one second before she forced her posture perfect again.

Here we go.

The music was too loud.

Much, much too loud - meant to drown out the chatter of the industry’s finest. Rowan wondered how much people paid to have their music played at events like these.

“Rowan?”

Rowan blinked and looked down, straight into big brown eyes. Lyria smiled softly up at him, the action lighting up her face from pretty to beautiful. She reached out, curled her fingers around Rowan’s dress shirt and tugged. Obliging her, Rowan leaned down, turning his head so she could whisper into his ear.

“Can we go find the rest of the group?” she asked, her lips grazing the shell of his ear. Rowan pulled back and nodded, offering her his arm to take as they left the room. Instantly, the chaos of the main room was muted as they stepped into a hallway. “Oh, it was agonizingly loud in there, wasn’t it?” Lyria asked.

“I don’t understand why they always crank the music up to the top volume,” Rowan grumbled, shaking his head. “I was about to lose feeling in my ears.”

Lyria giggled, a soft, breathy sound. “Good thing I saved you.”

“Good thing.”

They made their way through the crowds, craning their necks to find the rest of The Cadre. Rowan welcomed the quiet Lyria offered him, letting his mind wander. He still felt shaky, totally on edge. How could he go on through this stupid party, full of vain, vapid people, after what had happened just two hours before? He didn’t know how he’d held on so long without breaking down, honestly. Most likely thanks to Lyria’s sweet presence.

“There!” the girl in question said, pointing through the crowd. Rowan instantly saw the backs of the heads of Gavriel, Fenrys, and Lorcan, and began gently tugging Lyria towards them. He felt his spirits rise at the thought of talking to his friends, debriefing the Grammys, discussing the awards…They reached the group and his friends turned, letting him see who they were all talking to -

Oh, gods.

Oh, fucking gods.

Standing there, in all her glory. Dressed in a tight red dress that stopped mid-thigh and hugged every curve, sleeveless with a dipping neckline. A gold necklace was draped across a perfect collarbone, drawing the eyes to a delightful amount of cleavage - just enough to tease but modest enough to maintain control. Golden hair swooped back with gold clips, two perfect strands framing the face..that face. High cheekbones. A pair of full lips painted red to match the dress. Darkened eyelashes and a cat eye to accentuate those blue, fiery eyes.

At the sight, Rowan almost fell to his knees.

He thought half-hysterically that far below him, some dark god was laughing his ass off as Rowan drowned in those eyes…that perfect shade of blue, that untamable fire he’d always adored…

Rowan forced his gaze away from Aelin Galathynius, and just like that, he was in control again. His legs were once again steady and strong. His heart, on the other hand, was still hammering like he’d run a race.

“Oh, Rowan!” Gavriel stammered, looking nervous. Rightfully so. Rowan was going to kill him once they were out of here. “We - we were looking for you, but we couldn’t find you guys…” His voice trailed off, most likely thanks to the death-promise that was undoubtedly in Rowan’s eyes.

“We were in the main room,” Lyria replied for him. “It got too loud for Rowan, though. Old man.” She chuckled, patting his arm.

Old man. Rowan wondered if Lyria knew what she was doing, making that joke. He dared a glance…

Her eyes were full of flame, lips pursed. His gaze dropped to her hand, currently holding a flute of champagne, and watched her slender pointer finger tap against the glass, an almond nail clacking against the surface. Her tell, one that no amount of media training could stamp out of her. She was angry.

Rowan felt the ghost of a smile around his mouth. He loved the sight of Aelin Galathynius in a rage.

No. He tamped down on the thought before it could go any farther.

He knew why she was mad. He let the train of thought carry him away, to better times…

Old man…

—“You old man!” The fond joke he’d grown accustomed to hearing. He’d rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair, smirking at her shrieks of fake rage.

“Sorry, we’ve got to get home…this old man here needs to be in bed before eleven.” The excuse she’d give their friends whenever his hands would trace below her lower back, or when he’d press pleading kisses to the back of her neck when nobody was looking. It was his favorite insult, given that it usually led to fingernails dragging down his back, a head thrown back in ecstasy, pleasure unlike he’d ever known.

“You’re such an old man.” The words he’d beheld in her eyes after his stiff and formal introduction to her father. She hadn’t even had to say anything for him to understand. He’d thrown her a wink and pressed a kiss to her mouth, reveling in her delighted laughter, arms around his neck. He’d pulled her to him, hugging her tight, breathing in her lemon verbena shampoo. Glancing up, he’d seen her father watching them at the door and knew the sight had won the man’s approval more than any conversation would. —

Rowan pushed away the memories. The joy of those days had now turned to despair. The once-beloved words, old man, as sacred as phrases of love, felt distorted and dirty coming from Lyria’s pink lips. Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to speak-

“Rowan can’t stay in one place for long before he leaves, can he?”

All heads whipped to the cool-faced beauty standing before them. The words were dripping with acid, but in a voice so melodic it almost didn’t pierce Rowan’s heart.

Almost.

Gavriel, Fenrys, and Lorcan shifted, all finding the floor, their drinks, the ceiling suddenly riveting. Rowan swallowed and squared his shoulders. “Aelin-” he began.

“I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had that problem with my boyfriend,” Lyria’s soft voice floated up from next to him, edged with a steel he’d never heard before from her. “We left because I wanted to.” She turned to him, smiling, and stroked his cheek once before letting her hand fall and grasp his tightly. “He’s always so responsive to my needs,” she said sweetly. Honeyed words, meant to choke.

Aelin’s nostrils flared, and she cocked her head in a move so animalistic a distant voice in Rowan’s mind wondered if she was descended from a leopard. A terrifying smile graced her mouth, eyes frozen in rage. Part of Rowan shrank back as his gaze darted from woman to woman. One feline and dangerous, the other doe-eyed and deceptively soft.

The soft part of Lyria, he saw, had gone as quickly as her loyalty to Aelin.

Aelin took one step forward. A single step, that had the entire group bracing themselves. Her words were breathy and tinged with dark amusement.

“Let’s see how long that lasts, sweetheart.”

@aelinchocolatelover @renxzs @throneofshadows @mariaofdoranelle

#aelin throne of glass #throne of glass fic #aelin and rowan #angst #singers au #fanfic #rowaelin band au #rowaelin au #throne of glass #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #writers on tumblr

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eldritcmor · 1 year

Text

Jason Todd Their Ass part 2

The little plane landed with a heavy thump on the cracked tarmac. 941,741,132 or Entrance to The KIngsmouth Reserve. Laswell had pulled through for the team, digging into the coordinates as she did. Apparently it used to be a decently sized coastal town. That was until a few years ago. Something happened and the town was quickly taken off the map. Soap Glanced out the window as the plane taxied for a second before pulling to a stop. The place was clearly abandoned to the elements of the sea. A single rusted out hangar and a decent sized tin shed was all that lined the tarmac. The pilot ushered the team off the plane. Something about how staying could ground him permanently. Soap hummed as the plane took off immediately as the last man touched the ground. Looks like they would be their own exit strategy. “Might as well get started. Soap, Ghost you two take the shed. Gaz and I will take the hangar.” Price’s voice cut through the steady drum of rain. “Report anything that can Lead to our target.” With a nod, 141 split towards their assignments. The shed was a rusted out shell that looked halfway to falling over. The windows were broken in and the door was barely hanging on by a single hinge. Soap pressed to the right of the door and Ghost to the left. Soap counted on his fingers. One...Two...Three. Ghost swung and the door crumpled in with a swift kick from the Lieutenant’s boot. Soap followed close behind the man as he rushed into the shed. The place was empty. Quiet. Incredibly dusty. The only foot prints were his and Ghost’s. Soap slowly relaxed his hold on his rifle as Ghost dubbed the room all clear. The place was cluttered with what looked to be scrap parts of planes and was that radio equipment? Soap dragged his finger gently across the face of the radio, rubbing the dust away. It looked old but well cared for. He fiddled with the knobs on the front till the radio clicked on with a harsh hiss of static. Soap raised an eyebrow as he dialed through the channels, at a rapid pace trying to find anything. He swear he could hear something just under the static. It took a minute before he narrowed down the channels on the radio. There! He heard it! A dot of sound, just under the static. It took him a minute to slowly puzzle out the sound. A consistent rhythm of dots and dashes of one solid note of sound. Soaps eye’s widened. Morse code. “L.T. , I got something.” Ghost turned from poking around in what looked to be some old tool boxes. “What is it, sergeant?” “Listen.” Soap twisted one of the knobs on the radio til the one note sound of dots and dashes filled the shed.

“-.. .-. --- .--. -....- .--. --- .. -. - / --... .---- ..--- ..... ...-- -.... .-.-.-” “And, this is what soap?” Soap hummed, “Morse code, sir.” Soap could tell Ghost was giving him some serious side eye underneath his balaclava, waiting on an explanation. Soap gestured to the radio. “This is a short range radio. The only incoming traffic for the island was our plane. So whoever is putting out a Morse code signal is still on the island. It could lead us to our missing sergeant.” Ghost nodded. “Get translating, Johnny.” Soap nodded as Ghost reached for his radio. “Bravo Six, This is Bravo Seven. We found something.” Price’s voice filtered through Soap’s radio. “Copy Bravo Seven. We’ll meet you in two.” Soap hummed under his breath as he puzzled out the meaning behind the dots and dashes of one note sound. Ghost had laughed at him picking Morse code up as something to occupy his mind but look where it got them. He had just finished when Price and Gaz came rolling into the shed. “what do you got for me, boys?” Soap stepped up. “Morse code on a short range radio. Really short range too. Anyway whatever is it, it’s broadcasting to the island.” Price raised an eyebrow, “And this helps us, how?” Soap grabbed the scribbled down translation. “The code translates to Drop Point 712536. They’re coordinates, sir and I bet they are somewhere on this island.” taglist: @fruitymoonbeams-blog @tapioca-marzipan

#call of duty x reader #cod mw2 #141 x reader #john soap mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #taskforce 141 #simon ghost riley #eld writes #captain john price #the secret world

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blackroseguzzi · 2 years

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FATE PART 3

Summery: Colin is reeling from your reunion and drinks his feelings. When he finds Mare at the bar he finally confesses your connection between the two of you.

Warnings: Colin being so cute when he’s drunk that it hurts.

We walked quickly and quietly to his car in the parking lot. He had a nice county cruiser, and when I entered the car the familiar scent of Colin filled my nose. He wore the same cologne since that day you’d met, and suddenly the memories of our relationship flashed in my head. The first night in our shared apartment when we made love on the kitchen table, the times we would snuggle on the couch and watch movies while we each ate your favorite ice cream. I couldn’t even look at a container of his favorite chunky monkey for months after the split.

“Sorry the car’s a mess,” Colin called out as he moved some paperwork off the dashboard. “Mare isn’t exactly welcoming when it comes to sharing her office.”

I smiled to myself, recalling my first interaction with the rough edged detective.

“She seems real friendly,” I was totally being sarcastic and when Colin caught on he actually gave me a small smirk and my heart jumped.

“The crime scene’s only about 5 minutes away.” Colin announced as we pulled out of the station. I knew he was only telling me this because he was reminding himself that he didn’t have to be in the car with me for long. I watched his fingers drum lightly on the steering wheel and I couldn’t help but stare at him.

“How have you been?” I managed to squeak out, I had to say it and I immediately regretted it as Colin’s eyebrows furrowed and he let out a scoff.

“You don’t get to ask me that, Y/n.”

Fuck, he hates me.

“Can’t we be civil for this one week, Colin?” I started to fidget in my seat. This was a long 5 minutes.

“Ok, fine.” Colin sighed and glanced in my direction for a moment before back to the road. “I’ve been great- just picking up the shattered pieces of my life since you left me two weeks before our wedding. Once I finally stop replaying the whole thing in my head all day like now you shows up out of the blue almost two years later to spend a week reporting on a case I’m already having a hard time with. I’ve been great, Y/n, just fan-freaking-tastic.” Colin’s voice was low and I felt the knife drive into my gut with each word. I don’t even know why I had to open my mouth. He pulled up at the park where the rest of the police crew were huddled around. I hung my head as I heard Colin’s door open and he slipped out. I sat there for a moment and watched him walk in front of the car and raise his eyebrows at me, wondering why I wasn’t getting out of the car. I sucked in a breath before exiting the vehicle.

“Just try not to get in anyone’s way out here, and you really shouldn’t be out here for too long so I’ll have another office give you a ride in 20 minutes.” Colin didn’t look at me as he spoke and I felt like a kicked puppy following him towards Detective Sheehan. She was watching us approach and sucked in a breath of vape before shoving it back into her coat pocket.

“Alright Zabel, We’re here looking for the shell casings from the bullet that grazed Erin. Her finger was taken off by the bullet, or Bullets we really don’t know what’s out here”

I pulled out my notepad and scribbled everything that mMare had spoken as information.

I looked around at the group of cops searching the premises, and realized this was a large area for just our eyes to see.

“Doesn’t the county have dogs for stuff like this?” I pointed out, looking between Mare and Colin. I watched Mare’s eyebrow raise and she smirked. “Exactly. I was wondering if Zabel here could call in a favor.” Mare licked her lips and watched Colin as he sighed, shaking his head.

“That’s a big favor Mare. A favor way out of budget,” Colin responded.

“It’s probably the only way you’re going to find bullets or let alone a trail leading to them.” Mare nodded at my words and Colin sighed again pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and shooting me a glare before walking away to call in the police dogs. I wrapped my coat around me tighter as Mare looked me up and down.

“High school?” Mare questioned and I looked at her with confusion.

“High school is when you and Zabel last saw each other last?” She pulled out her vape and took another hit.

I nodded “Yeah, it was a long time ago.”

“Mmmhmm,” Mare breathed smoke out and walked away. I decided to follow her and she told me a little more about the case- I quickly scribbled as she talked and I mentally kicked myself for not bringing my tape recorder. Around twenty minutes later after learning a lot of valuable information on the case, I saw Colin and another office walking over towards Mare and I.

“Y/N, Officer Mavericks is going to take you back to the station now,” Colin avoided my eyes as he spoke. I didn’t blame him, honestly. I nodded and thanked Mare before heading off with Officer Mavericks. It had been a long and exhausting evening and I was honestly not sure I would be prepared for the next week.

Later that night Mare sat at the local bar, her head hung low and a beer in her hands. She was deep in thought when a group of men came through the door hollering. Mare watched as one of them made their way to the bar. It was Zabel, and he was clearly intoxicated. Mare cursed to herself before taking a sip of beer as Colin’s eyes found her and he drunkenly started to make his way towards her.

“MARE!” Colin’s voice filled the air. He slumped his elbows onto the bar top and smiled widely at her. Mare smirked quickly before turning back to her beer.

“What are you doing here Zabel?” Mare questioned the drunk detective.

“Post game with the boyzzzz,” Colin responded as he pointed over towards his group of friends. “We ah, always get together when they’re in town for thanksgiving.”

“What about you what are you doing? What’s going on?” Colin slurred.

“Trying to drink away a bad thought,” Mare spoke, toying with a bar peanut in her fingers. She looked at Colin as he drunkenly sucked in a breath and nodded.

“Let me help you,” Colin flagged down the bartender “One more for milady, I’ll do one of those and,” Colin groaned at the thought of more alcohol, but todays events was brutal and he needed to drown them away with more booze. “And a shot of Jameson.”

Mare watched the bartender pour him the shot, and she realized he was trying to drown his own thoughts just like she was.

“So uh, what’s with you and that reporter chick?” Mare asked as Colin threw back his shot.

“Oh mannn.” He felt his face fall and Mare narrowed her eyes at him as she took another swig of beer. “She’s actually my ex.” Mare’s eyes widened now.

Colin closed his eyes and shook his head “almost ex-wife.” He laughed as though there was something funny about it. “She called it off two weeks before the wedding… But.. What are you going to do?” Mare felt empathy for the guy. She had a feeling there was more to their story, but she had no idea that it ran that deep. She felt sorry for Colin, especially that he had to be around her for the next week while she worked the case. She watched him take a swig of beer from his own bottle.

“I’m sorry Zabel, that’s um.. I’m sorry,” She really was, she couldn’t imagine how he felt seeing her today.

“It’s okay… here’s to us,” He shot down another shot that had appeared before him and Mare watched his face twist in confusion as he pondered his thoughts. “I just don’t know what happened you know? I woke up one morning and she goes NOPE! Not in love with you anymore.” Colin’s face turned to shock as he dramatized the replay, but inside his heart was ripping to shreds all over again. He hadn’t talked about that day with anyone. “I was like Okay, let me just put my bagel down.” He sniffed and swayed a little as he told her the story. Mare’s eyes watched him, clearly he was still effected greatly by this. “I’m just feeling like I was ready to start over after two years and It’s like….it’s like Nope here she is again ready to rip my heart open again.” He rubbed his eye, trying to stop himself from getting emotional.

“Zabel, I can’t imagine how that feels,” Mare responds but inside she does. She sees her ex husband who lives behind her house with his fiancé everyday.

“She asked me how I was today, like ppppffft, I’m not okay! She just left me for the Washington Post- like I was a piece of trash she’d rather throw away than take with her.”

“I’m sorry Zabel, I get it when life just falls apart around you.” Mare looked to her fellow detective and smiled at him empathetically

“I just thought I was never going to see her again,” Colin inhaled and shook his head. He was feeling really drunk, heartbroken, and defeated.

“Well, maybe its fate,” Mare took another swing from her beer, emptying it.

“YO ZABES, SHOTS!” A man yelled over the Colin from across the bar.

“FUCK YEEAAAHHH!” Colin yelled back in his drunken state. Mare laughed lightly egging Colin to let things go for the night and enjoy some time with his friends.

“the development of an event beyond a person's control,” Colin hiccuped and looked at Mare with hazey eyes. “That’s the definition of fate… I know that because I wrote it in my vows,” Colin snorted before hitting the bar and standing straight up and patting Mare on the back and moving through the crowd to go take shots with his friends.

#colin zabel #Colin Zabel x y/n #colin zabel mare of easttown #Colin Zabel x reader #colin zabel fanfiction #Colin Zabel fan fiction #evan peters x y/n #evan peters fanfic #Evan peters #evan peters imagine #evan peters #Colin Zabel imagine #Colin Zabel #ilovecolinzabel #mare of easttown

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bts-story · 2 years

Text

LOVE IS CHAOS

Previous chapters

Chapter 10 - Hatter

The Hatter.

He was a strange character. Eccentric, arrogant, extreme. To begin with, the way he never took off his sunglasses, like an undercover movie star, made him absolutely ridiculous in your eyes. He must have thought he was the "Sun King" because the way he kept talking with big gestures and threatening words was a clear indication of how he was used to having a horde of minions at his command.

He may have been someone important in the real world before, but this was the Borderland. And in the Borderland, there were no labels, no class pyramids. Money was useless, fame and beauty were worthless.

It had been precisely twelve days since the eight of clubs, and with Niragi, you spent your days mostly trying to find food. This was no small task, and hunting was definitely not your forte. Still, persistence paid off, and eventually you found a way to trap those famous rabbits that wandered the city at random.

After a few days, a big discussion had once again taken place between you two. You had determined that the only way to learn more about this crazy country was to play games. There was always a sharp-tongued player to bring you new information, while outside of the threat of an arena, no one was willing to reveal anything.

One evening, while walking near the harbor, you came face to face with a group of players. Three women and a man who had literally liquefied in front of you. They were so frightened of running into other gamers that they took off running, abandoning their camp as fast as they could. Good for you, you got to taste their dinner and drink their water. It wasn't very nice of you, but it was their loss. They didn't seem to want to come back so soon anyway.

Another time, it was two men you passed near Koto's movie theater, and their menacing looks and the sight of their weapons held at their fingertips made you turn back. There was no point in confronting them when they didn't look at all convenient.

So, the only way you could get answers was to wait at the exit of a game arena and question the surviving players. You still had days left on your visa and there was no point in going into a game unnecessarily.

At the exit of a two of diamonds, you had stopped a woman in her thirties who was clutching her bloody left hand, which was missing a finger. "Hey, you," Niragi had called in front of the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, "tell me what you know about this country."

The woman looked at him incredulously as she caught her breath. Other surviving players passed behind, exclaiming and celebrating their victory. The woman leaned against the wall outside the museum, ready to hurl a well-placed insult. But you approached her gently before she could say anything, shooting an exasperated look at Niragi. "My name is [Y/N], I'm a doctor," you explained gently, hoping that this would help her relax. "I can probably fix your hand, if you let me look."

Suspicious, the woman looked at you from head to toe, and after a few seconds, when she considered that you did not represent any danger for her, she nodded. You had kept your backpack, the one where you had made a small stock of medicines and bandages that you now always kept with you.

The lady's hand was shaking and while you were looking in the bottom of your bag for some sanitizer and bandages, Niragi was standing at a distance, staring at you. It was better if he left you to it, he had a lot of qualities under his nasty shell but social and sociable were clearly not his forte.

"That's a dirty wound," you commented to get her attention on you so that she would forget about the way Niragi was looking at her with unimpressed eyes. "What was the game?"

"The hangman," she asserted breathlessly, already apprehensive of the pain you were about to inflict on her. "And you had to provide the hanged man with a body part of yours for every wrong answer."

Oh, that was nasty. Really nasty. It must have been a mess. Curious that it was only a twofer after all. She didn't seem to want to say anything more and you understood her. Reliving the horror when you had just escaped it seemed like a whole new ordeal in itself.

"Careful, it's gonna sting," you warned before pouring the disinfectant over the bloody hole between her thumb and middle finger. The woman hissed in pain, gripping her wrist tightly. A nasty insult flew through the air and after that, you prepared the sewing thread as well as the needle you had found in a sewing kit from one of the apartments you had been squatting in.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked to keep her mind occupied and not think about the pain that would ensue when you'd pierce her skin with that needle.

Niragi was looking at you intensely and you didn't need to meet his eyes to know what he was thinking. He was probably wondering why you were so intent on wasting your resources and medicine on a stranger, and you could have gotten information out of him otherwise. "I think the real world is already way too shitty for us not to help each other in this one, don't you think?"

It was a logical progression though. Helping her and expecting something in return. Information. It was a very respectable exchange according to you.

"My name is Seolhyun and I'm Korean. I've been here for thirty-two days, I've played six games, and I still don't know who the fuck is that put us here. I have no idea how we got here, no idea why we got here. All I know is that we have to play games to survive." She recited these words breathlessly as you finally broke through her skin. In the end, it didn't seem to hurt as much as she thought it would, as she barely moved at the pain.

Niragi sighed behind you. It was true that it was disappointing to know that this woman would not bring you more information and that the gaping hole of mystery of this world remained unanswerable. " Fucking hell..." he swore as he threw his head back, defeated at the words.

It was true that it was quite disappointing to know that this woman couldn't give you any more answers. It was as if, finally, it was absolutely impossible for anyone to unravel the secrets of this world, and that you were all destined, whoever you were, to play these games without question.

"You don't know... if there's any way out of here?" you asked carefully, as you finished stitching up the lady. You still had to do a bandage as you cut the thread, and she watched you do it carefully.

"You look like a good person to me," she began softly, still ignoring the way Niragi sneered at her words, "so I'll tell you something. There's someone here who thinks he's figured out the mystery of this world. But... he's not really a good person. He is a dangerous man who calls himself The Hatter. He thinks that if we put all the cards together, we can get out of here."

That was a good explanation. You had come up with the same one. It was a logical enough interpretation to come up with at the moment. And it seemed like a long, long time. You had only one card, and the second card, the eight of clubs, had been stolen from you callously by Chishiya and An. How do you get fifty-two cards together when everyone else is chasing them too?

"Has anyone ever succeeded? To get out I mean..." you asked as you placed the bandages on her hand, which soaked up blood directly, draping the cotton in a dark red.

"Not that I know of, it's just a myth after all." She affirmed and clasped her hand against her chest again as soon as you were done with her. She met Niragi's eyes, who this time, was waiting for her next words with impatience. His face was closed, eyebrows furrowed as he stood motionless in front of her, arms crossed against his chest. "You could look him up and ask him yourself, he's hiding out in a hotel he's renamed The Beach. But... Here's my advice for helping me... If I were you, I'd do anything to avoid him. Him and his minions."

"What makes him so dangerous, then?" Niragi asked firmly, unimpressed by her warnings.

She looked at him intensely, and after a few seconds, she continued, "He is looking for players to collect the cards for him, under threat of execution if they do not submit to his orders." She sighed and you exchanged a look with Niragi, "He is creating a dictatorship in that Beach of his, and the only solution to not dying because of him is to run away from him at all costs."

"And how do you know that, anyway?" Niragi accused suddenly.

"Those are the rumors... If you want to get out of here quickly, you should gather those cards on your own," she muttered as she finally stood up. She stretched her injured arm and patted her upper thighs to dust them off. With a smile, she began to walk a few steps toward the exit but stopped short at Niragi. She stared at him silently, judgment clear in her eyes. She turned back to you, and spoke again, "Thanks for your help. And beware of players with numbered bracelets around their wrists. They are the Hatter's minions."

The woman left and Niragi's incredulous look mirrored yours. If it was possible, she hadn't so much brought answers as even more questions. It was quite strange, and despite her warnings, the curiosity that hovered around Hatter would perhaps drive you to seek him out and find the answers for yourself.

Which leads us, ultimately, to this very moment. It was actually just a coincidence, but the woman's warnings had been of great help to you.

He was shirtless, wearing shorts and a long red and black Japanese vest. He had medium-length hair that fell over his shoulders and sunglasses on his nose despite the dark evening and the stars shining high in the sky.

It took only an hour and a few minutes after meeting this young woman, to run into the man who called himself The Hatter. It was not in your plans to run into him, let alone fall into his net. Even if the warnings of the player had not worried you more than that (you had bet on the small possibilities of running into him in the vastness of Tokyo to escape him), it was much more prudent to be wary of every word he said.

"Look, Aguni, two little lost sheep," he laughed with a cold chuckle as he got out of the car, slamming the door violently.

You really had to go over all those mathematical calculations, because running into someone who was warning you about somebody else, and running into that somebody very precisely an hour later, was a coincidence you found suspicious. And the headlights of the car speeding toward you as you walked down to the harbor had caught you off guard. Amazed to see a car running, the metal carcass had stopped at your level before you could hide from it.

Strangely enough, even before the two men showed up, you had a crazy hunch about the identity of these two thugs. Or at least one of them. He had this arrogance painted on his face that couldn't fool you. Niragi had stepped in front of you, protecting you from any threat that came your way.

The man named Aguni was tall and strong, wearing a tank top that showed off his muscles. He had a shaved head, a mustache and a goatee that vaguely reminded you of the military stereotype. Anyway, his face was closed, his jaw tense and his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the hood of the car he hadn't turned off after he left the wheel.

He said nothing and the other shirtless man walked around the car to greet you with two open arms and a smile on his face. "I don't believe we've met," he'd said and you'd taken a step back, more than a little wary at the sight of these strangers. It wasn't trivial to run into other players in the city, but the intentions of some were so questionable that it was best to stay in your lane and avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Who the fuck are you, and what do you want?" Niragi had threatened in a low, authoritative voice, offering his best dark look he had in stock.

There was a gun around the tank top man's belt and a bracelet around his wrist, and the Hatter stepped forward a little more, as if to block your eyes as they analyzed his friend's figure. "My name is Takeru Danma, but you can call me Hatter."

Niragi chuckled at the name. A small chuckle that slowly evolved into a mocking laugh and you watched him from the corner of your eye, somehow worried that he might offend the man in front of you. "You're the Hatter?" He chuckled some more before turning his head to meet your gaze. He had that little mischievous look in his eyes that you found absolutely no place for in this situation. "I was expecting some kind of big shot and a freak hat on his head."

"You know me?" the man asked curiously, almost surprised.

"You have a reputation," you informed before Niragi could, as if expecting him to say something tangential again.

This time it was the Hatter who smiled, and behind him the stone man did not move, did not smile, did not speak. "A good reputation, I hope," he tried to joke as if to lighten the mood. But it was futile. The woman's warnings remained in a corner of your head, far too prepared by the soft words or threats he might throw at you to rally you to his cause.

"Not really," Niragi chuckled as if it gave him pleasure to contradict the shirtless man, as if depriving him of such an illusion somehow gave him personal satisfaction.

"I take it you've heard of my Beach, then?"

"Your dictatorship?" Niragi asked innocently, as if the weight of his words didn't have the power to put you in danger. "Yeah, we heard of it."

The Hatter's smile faded for only a second, insisting with his deep black eyes on both of your figures to determine what attitude to approach after a confession like that, and finally, he clapped his hands and exclaimed again, "Aguni!" He turned around and the man behind him looked at him with a bored expression, finally dropping his insistent gaze from your face. "Remind me why the Beach was created."

Taking a breath, Aguni recited in a detached tone, as if every word he spoke pissed him off, "To gather as many players as possible and help each other gather the cards so we can all get the hell out of here."

"There, that's it," the Hatter nodded as if he wasn't sure why he had created his... company, or whatever it was. He walked a few steps to the right, then back, walked left, and back again. He was thinking, as if he was finally calculating his every word. Was he trying to win you over?

"Rumors say you get people to play games to collect cards for you," you pointed dangerously, cutting him off in his reflection.

He stopped short and stared at you for a few seconds before licking his bottom lip. Then he scratched the back of his head, exchanged a look with Aguni, and finally said, "You don't strike me as people who believe rumors."

Mmh. He was answering your accusation with another accusation, and that was smart, from your point of view. It didn't create affirmation or negation.

"I have the vague impression that you've been here long enough to know that the players of this world have to play to supply our visas, am I right?" He was right, indeed. But that didn't really mean much. It was as easy to steal other people's cards as it was to force them to play deadly games under threat of irreversible repercussions.

The master of this game was no match for the Hatter, who made his own rules in this crazy world.

"I have something to offer you," he finally began again, and Aguni straightened up behind him, offering a menacing look as a sign of his authority. "You join my Beach, play the games of this world, and bring back the cards you win..."

He knew he had piqued your interest, he knew you were waiting for the next part, to know what he was going to offer you in return. He knew he was onto something and that his proposal was enticing enough to make anyone flinch. It was only the beginning of his experiment, only the beginning of his creation, but he had faith in his values and expectations. He believed in it, and with that alone, the Hatter knew he could rally anyone to his cause.

"...and in turn, I offer you food, shelter, electricity, and most importantly, working showers. Hot ones, I might add." That last word could have been enough to make you groan on the spot. Your skin instantly tingled at the thought of a hot shower. It had been so long since you'd had one that you'd forgotten how it felt.

You longed for something carefully prepared, something warm and good that had nothing to do with canned food or rabbits caught on the run.

It was a tempting proposition. It was.

"How can you have electricity in that Beach of yours, when the whole city is out?" Niragi spat accusingly, and he was right to be suspicious. It was important not to forget the woman's warnings earlier.

"There's a power generator," he explained simply. It was still suspicious to you, why would this world go to such lengths to strip you of electricity, if it was to leave generators lying around the city?

The Hatter watched you intently, as if he had played his own cards and was waiting for your next move. He offered a smile as Niragi turned a second time to meet your gaze.

You had never mastered the skill of reading each other's minds, but the years spent together were a great help in deciphering what was hidden in each other's eyes.

Niragi's eyes were round, eyebrows raised as if to say, ‘What do you think?’

You only had to tilt your head slightly to the side and bite your lower lip, the intense look in your eyes to retort something that would have looked like: 'He can't be trusted!'.

Niragi smiled. He had something on his mind. His decision was made.

"And tell me, Hatter, in your beautiful Beach dictatorship there -"

"It's not a dictatorship." Hatter cut Niragi off, who glared at him.

Niragi rocked back and forth on his other foot, brushing away a lock of hair that fell in front of his eyes. He scoffed at the boldness that the other man showed him, fearlessly cutting him off. It was strange for him, because this person, the Hatter, seemed as unimpressed by him as by his threatening airs.

Everywhere he went, Niragi was used to seeing glances down, footsteps rushing by, and sometimes even seeing figures change sidewalks at the sight of him. He had this bad boy aura about him, like someone so unfriendly that it was better to avoid him at all costs. Without even opening his mouth to express in a deep and authoritative voice two or three insults often well placed, he had the attitude of a man with whom one did not want to have problems.

But the Hatter, or maybe it was only because of the bodyguard behind him who was looking at Niragi with a contemptuous look, did not seem to be afraid in the least. On the contrary, it finally seemed to suit him. As if you were exactly what he was missing.

"Forcing people to do what you want, I call that a dictatorship." You commented in a firm tone and the Hatter turned his attention back to you.

"Ooh, that one bites!" He exclaimed with a big smile as he clapped his hands excitedly. He took a step towards you, but was stopped short by an arm that blocked his path, Niragi's figure more imposing than his own.

Their faces a few centimeters apart, Niragi muttered something under his breath that was too imperceptible for you to hear. Behind them, Aguni straightened up and pulled the Hatter towards him, his gaze as black as the sky as he threatened Niragi with his imposing gaze.

"Aguni, my friend, remind me of the rules of the Beach, please," the Hatter resumed and the summoned man's shoulders relaxed once he felt that Niragi was not a threat.

"Rule number one, you must always wear a bathing suit," Aguni recited in a still detached, completely bored tone. Every word that came out of his mouth seemed to hurt him to the core of his being.

Niragi sneered and you raised your eyebrows. "You're kidding."

"This rule is only imposed on non-executive players, it's to... avoid carrying illegal weapons, I'd say," the Hatter explained and you wondered what the reason for this rule could have been. Had someone wanted to rebel, carry a gun and point it at him?

"Rule number two," Aguni continued, ignoring the little exchange that had just occurred, "You are free to live your life exactly as you wish."

"There, that... that's a good rule," the Hatter commented, taking his little steps left and right again. "That doesn't sound like a dictatorship, does it?"

Aguni was still staring at the two of you, as if he was only waiting for one thing, and that was to get the hell out of here. A simple "No," came out of his mouth before he finally uncrossed his arms to shove his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

"Who are the execs?" You asked curiously, and you needed a lot more before you knew if you wanted to join his cause or not. You had to take the opportunity to get away scot-free if it came up, or accept such an enticing opportunity if it did.

"They're players like you and me, who have proven their loyalty and brought high-level cards back to the Beach," he explained simply, and that damn smile that stuck to his face was starting to irritate you.

You could see past his fake politeness, past the appearances and this show he was putting on.

"Do you have any cards, by the way?" Hatter asked curiously, alternating his gaze between Niragi and you.

The trust was so far out of reach that you couldn't conceive of giving him the only card you had in your possession. After all, taking on a card hunter wasn't in your plans at all.

"What about you?" You retorted quickly, as if in the end, it was he who had to prove to you that he was worthy of this world. As if, it wasn't you who had to prove yourself, but it was him and his misplaced ideology that had to show that you could believe in him and what he said.

Hatter chuckled as his eyes locked on yours, and calling over his shoulder, he grumbled happily, "You hear that, Aguni? The lady asks if we have any cards!"

He chuckled at his own words, but the man behind him only bulged his chest, not a shadow of a smile on his face. You wondered then if this man had known joy in his life, even for a single second.

"Of course we have," the Hatter continued after a minute, "we're starting to have a nice little collection, by the way."

Once again, Niragi turned to capture your gaze and this time, it was you who spoke up. "Very well. We have a question though, before we join your amazing sect," The Hatter winced at the word but said nothing. "Your bracelets, there, what are they for?"

You pointed to the bracelet around his wrist that brilliantly asserted the number one, under the light of the moon. Aguni, behind him, was wearing the number two.

The Hatter exchanged a look with him, and scratching the back of his head again, he cleared his throat before explaining, "This is the hierarchy of the Beach. I wholeheartedly believe that if we put all the cards together, we can escape this world all together and return to our own. If only one person is allowed to go though... then the bracelets determine the order of departure. I created the Beach, so I am number one, it goes without saying."

"And if we joined you, what number would we be?" You asked and Niragi listened intently, still glaring.

The Hatter looked uncomfortable now, as if he had prepared his speech but not the questions he might have been asked. He hesitated for a moment, before answering that "It will depend on what you bring to the Beach. Either you're one of the reckless players who are obsessed with playing as many games as possible to bring back those cards, or you're one of the people who can help us outside the games. Mechanics, cooks, doctors, that sort of thing..."

It took a lot of effort not to meet Niragi's gaze again and perhaps silently admit that one of you would be of great help to their group. You had to keep your identity a secret until you knew more about The Beach and the other people in it.

But for the moment, with your status as a doctor, it was almost sure that it would bring you an undeniable importance there. Niragi, on the other hand, would be willing to play games to bring himself the importance he deserved.

"You wouldn't be a doctor, by any chance? It would seem that there is not one in this world..." You found the Hatter to be a man of many words. He had his mouth running on its own schedule, not caring how briskly he strung together each word he spoke. As if the whole alphabet was not concrete enough to form the words he wanted to transcribe orally.

He was a strange character. Yes. Arrogant, eccentric. It all blended awfully well with this gloomy world that reeked of danger and menace.

You largely ignored the Hatter's words, and as Aguni moved away from the vehicle to make room, you walked to the door. Opening the back of the battered blue BMW, you gave an inviting look to Niragi, who hurriedly sat down in the back of the car beside you. The Hatter clapped his hands, excited at the idea of having rallied two new recruits to his cause.

"That's wonderful, Aguni, I'm sure the four of us will get along just fine!" And Aguni rolled his eyes as he resumed his seat behind the wheel. Sitting on the passenger side, the Hatter put his feet up on the dashboard, as carefree as he was indifferent.

The engine purred loudly and Aguni accelerated towards his destination, the Beach.

You were curious to see what it looked like, and who you would have to deal with, once there. You had to brave your courage and even with all the boldness in the world, you still had to be wary. For now, a new adventure was about to begin, and discreetly, Niragi's fingers slipped between yours to press a reassuring pressure.

When you looked at him, his head was turned, eyes peering through the open window as the wind blew through his hair. He gave a second squeeze around your hand and as quickly as it had come, he withdrew his fingers and ruffled his hair as it fell into his neck. He pulled his bun tighter, and it was so hard to ignore the way his neck shone in the moonlight. Like he was inviting you to plant one, two, three, a thousand kisses there.

But the Hatter's insistent gaze in the rearview mirror burned your skin, and looking away - finally - through your own window, you tried to carefully memorize the address of that Beach.

The Seaside Paradise Hotel was large enough to accommodate two hundred people. It was an old luxury hotel, with a pool and tennis court, that had a great reputation in the real world. At the entrance, the name of the hotel had been scratched out with red spray paint, replacing the name The Beach.

From outside, it was easy to hear the thundering sound of bass music hitting the floor with every vibration. Shouts of joy and excitement could be heard, and as Aguni parked the car at the entrance, the Hatter stepped out of the car, a smile still on his lips. "It's a party here every day," he clarified to your incredulous look, curious as to where that sound was coming from. "Every moment we spend not playing is another moment of survival to enjoy life."

He was now entering the hotel and the entrance was adorned with a huge red carpet, and trinkets that carefully decorated the room. He walked through the room, and the people you passed were all wearing bathing suits, not embarrassed to show their skin so easily. They greeted the Hatter with a nod, offering their best smile to their leader. Then he headed for the exit and once you passed the glass doors that opened to the outside, an apocalyptic scene was revealed before your eyes.

Dozens of naked or almost naked bodies were dancing together on the tempo of a frantic music, the alcohol was flowing and the smoke that escaped from some groups suspected the state in which they had to be. "And how better to enjoy life than to submit to the debaucheries and sins that the original world forbade us?"

There were definitely a lot of players, much more than you would have imagined. Each one of them was getting carried away by the sound of the raging music, some were mouthing at each other, some were exchanging glasses of alcohol and some were even passed out on the cushions by the pool.

Niragi stopped beside you and the petty look in his eyes made your jaw tense. He was playing with the piercing of his tongue, amused by the debauchery that appeared before his eyes. You knew that look, you knew he was enjoying the show. It wasn't so much the bare legs of these girls moving their butts and breasts vulgarly that attracted him, but rather this space of chaos that opened the door to delinquency and crime.

"Welcome to The Beach," the Hatter enthused, his arms open to what he called a paradise.

The sound of the bass made your heart tremble with how loud the music was. It was strange that you hadn't heard that racket before, you were sure it was echoing throughout the entire city. Niragi watched with amusement as two men who had drunk too much started to get into a fight as one of them threw the first punch. He laughed, pointing at the one who fell to the ground at the power of the blow.

You weren't sure how to feel about it all. It was both completely crazy and absolutely amazing. On the one hand, you supported the idea that people could finally let go of their lives and barriers, that they could enjoy who they were without the social pressure of real life. On the other hand, it could mean the end of the world. Without faith and law, everything became dangerous. Every person you met, every action of anyone could cause an inevitable tsunami.

"I see you found The Beach," a voice came from behind you through the music, and you didn't have to turn around to recognize who it belonged to. Unconsciously, you closed your eyes for a second as the voice began again, "Or did The Beach find you?"

The last few days had been so tumultuous, considering the hunt for food and the quest for information to try to understand this world, that you had forgotten (or ultimately didn't care) that this meeting with the Hatter was not your first encounter with people from The Beach.

"Chishiya," you opened your eyes and offered as sincere a smile as you could as the blond approached. You could feel Niragi's stature tense up at the very sight of the other man, but he said nothing to let it be known. "What a... pleasure to see you here."

A pleasure, far from it. But if it was necessary to play dumb so as not to start off on the wrong foot, then so be it. Hatter called out to himself, looking between the three of you as he tried to figure out what was going on. "Oh, you two know each other already?"

"We've met, yes." Chishiya agreed, offering a smile to the Hatter who looked at him excitedly. You weren't sure how to react to him, you weren't sure yet if he was one of the bad guys or the good guys. Knowing each other in the real world didn't mean that much here. He had always had this mysterious air about him, and he enjoyed seeing the confusion on the faces of the people he talked to. It was a pet peeve of his, and with his amused look crossing yours, you wondered how he ended up here, too.

"By the way," Niragi stepped in front of him, taking advantage of the way he towered over the blond with his height. He was trying to be imposing and intimidating in front of the other who didn't flinch under the threat. Chishiya looked at him curiously, and Niragi resumed, "you stole my card."

"Stole it?" Chishiya wondered, his eyes round.

"The eight of clubs, that was my card," Niragi growled, his jaw tense.

You could have rolled your eyes at this little testosterone war that was slowly taking place between the two of them. There was a rivalry that was starting to take hold that had no place here. You knew that Chishiya had the nonchalant attitude that could easily get on anyone's nerves, but you thought that Niragi would be smarter than that. Apparently, he was falling for it too easily.

"I think what you mean by that is that it was your card as much as mine. It was a team win, haven't you forgotten?" Chishiya retorted and God forbid he was right, because if Niragi didn't restrain himself, he would be able to throw his fists in his face. Niragi had little patience and arrogance was something that irritated him to no end. It was quite ironic, for someone as arrogant as himself.

Yes, if your only hope of getting out of this hellish world was to partner with the Hatter, then giving him your cards was the only way out. Chishiya had probably already given it to him, and the seven of diamonds that was still in the back pocket of your jeans seemed to burn your skin through the fabric.

Even though what he was saying made sense, Niragi still considered it theft. He didn't like the way Chishiya looked at him with that condescending look on his face, as if he considered everyone around him as mere pawns in a world that only deserved his own survival.

"I guess not," Niragi mumbled after a few seconds, still holding his gaze in Chishiya's irises, which didn't flinch either.

You weren't talking about stealing, but you thought it was much fairer to provide a card for each surviving player, than one card for all. This would avoid situations like this that would inevitably cause arguments about who owns the cards. But here, as Chishiya so aptly put it, it didn't matter. All the cards were going to the Hatter anyway.

"Excuse me," you snuck between their two bodies in an attempt to pull them apart. You knew that it would take Niragi only three times as much to jump on Chishiya, it was as if he was just waiting for the other to weaken so he could get a good punch in the face. Both of them took a step back when your shoulders hit their torsos, and stopping right in front of the Hatter, you held out your card. "This is a seven of diamonds. Our other cards were stolen six days ago, so... we're starting over."

It was much smarter to lie than to admit that you had only played two games so far. You had to showcase your survival skills if you hoped to move up in this hierarchy. The Hatter didn't know anything about you yet, but for now, he would just have to take your word for it.

"I hope you won't hold it against us, and that you'll give us a chance to prove our loyalty to you." You were far from agreeing with everything the Hatter had put in place, it was all what you would call dictatorship, no matter what he might say.

"Ah, my dear friend, don't worry about the cards," he put an arm around your shoulders, as a slightly too invasive friend would do, and pulled you a little further away. Immediately, Niragi on your heels and his eyes piercing the Hatter's skull with his invisible laser beams coming out of his eyes for touching you as you walked down the stairs to the pool, leaving Chishiya where he stood. "We'll see about that tomorrow. For now, I want you to enjoy your evening in your new life as a resident of The Beach!"

He let go of your shoulders to slump down on a banquette near the pool, and immediately, two babes came to settle down beside him, planting languorous kisses in his neck. He was greeted by a cocktail glass containing a bluish liquid which he hastened to drink of only one sip. He slapped the buttocks of one of the girls, and the other lit a cigarette to put it in his mouth.

If that wasn't a dictatorship, you wondered what was. Niragi, at your side, was laughing playfully, as if he thought that this place wasn't so bad after all. You couldn't conceive the idea that all these players were stupid enough to forget what world you were in, while Niragi probably supported the idea that forgetting was probably the only way to relax and let go of death's grip on you all.

"My room is on the top floor terrace. The execs have the rooms on the fourth floor, the rest belong to the players. I'll let you find the one that suits you best." The Hatter added between two kisses with the girl on his right, and you understood that was the end of the discussion. There was nothing more to add, nothing more to understand, nothing more to explain.

Niragi pulled you by the wrist, and led you through the small crowd of players towards the interior of the hotel. You passed Chishiya who had stayed in the same place, giving you a curious look before heading to a place you didn't know. Back in the lobby, a few players were bickering as they made their way outside, something about the game they had probably just played earlier.

You were surprised to see that the elevators were working as a girl in a bathing suit came out. She was wearing nothing but her blue floral bikini, her body naked. A lollipop was nestled in her mouth, which she sucked absent-mindedly as she played with the dreads in her hair. She walked past you, without giving you a single glance, and walked away to a door behind the reception. Niragi entered the elevator, still dragging you by the wrist.

He stopped in front of the buttons on the shaft, thinking for a second before pressing number four. "The fourth floor is for executives only, baby."

Niragi smiled. Yes, he knew that. He didn't need you to remind him. "We didn't come here to be underlings, princess. From now on, we're execs, you and me." Okay, that was a pretty radical decision. Still, the Hatter and his minions had to agree as well. If a hierarchy had been set up, it was surely to avoid coups like these.

This did not surprise you from Niragi. After all, he had put behind him all those days when he followed orders like a common animal, and you knew that he would never again agree to submit to the ways of the shepherd.

The ding of the elevator rang out and the doors opened onto a long hallway. The light from one of the sconces flickered on the right, all the doors were closed, and Niragi stepped forward. It seemed that each occupied room was marked in a different way.

To the right, the first door had a large X painted on the wood. Opposite, there was a poster of a naked girl hanging. Then there were three rooms with nothing at all, then there was another door with bullet holes that had pierced the wood. Next to it was a blank door, with nothing to differentiate it from the others except for the dozen or so dead empty beer bottles that littered the floor.

A small pink bow hung on the door opposite, and next to it, several empty rooms again. As you made your way through the floor, you had this funny feeling that you couldn't ignore. It was something like a foreboding. Good or bad, it was still hard to tell. But something was waiting for you, you could feel it.

You were trying to open a door, finally, when you were interrupted, your hand around the handle, "Hey, you there, what are you doing here? This floor is for executives only," a man rumbled from across the hall, and as he stepped through the dim light of the sconces, you could make out a gun in his hands, pointed at you.

Despite everything that had happened in this world so far, this was the first time you had a gun pointed at you. It wasn't as scary as you thought it would be, or maybe it was just the fault of this country that seemed to have redefined all your fears and beliefs.

The man was small, he had a bandage around his neck and he was holding a machine gun in his fingers that looked much heavier than he was. His voice was shaking, his fingers were shaking and even his hair seemed to be shaking. He had on a bathing suit that fell well over his hips, and a dirty t-shirt that stuck to his skin.

Niragi slowly stepped forward, not afraid of the tip of the device sticking to his own torso. "That's a nice toy you have there," he muttered and the man stammered under his breath. You wondered who the idiot was who had appointed him executive. Or was he just providing security for the floor? To prevent people like Niragi or you from trespassing in a forbidden place like this one. "Can I borrow it?"

"Ba-back off!" The man said, and he looked more like a teenager than a young adult with his frail body and pretty angelic face.

Niragi seemed to be amused, he had a small smile on his face that didn't bode well for you. "Come on what, I just want to hold it for a bit..."

"Stop it, I said back off!" The man shouted, taking a step back. He seemed much more impressed with Niragi whereas he was the one holding the weapon. "Go back to your rooms, immediately or... or I'll shoot!"

Niragi laughed and if you were smarter than that, you would hold him back by dragging him further away, so you could go back downstairs. But you knew that Niragi would not forgive you if you did. You knew not to hold him back at times like this, as if holding him back or preventing him from doing what he wanted to do in front of someone would make him feel inferior. You couldn't do anything, you couldn't call him out, bring him to his senses. It was futile and unnecessary.

"Please..." Niragi stepped forward and the man stepped back. You could only stand in your corner, your hand still on the handle as Niragi's menacing aura continued to intimidate the man. With one blow, Niragi's right hook slammed into the man's nose and he took several steps back. He didn't have time to point his weapon at Niragi again, who grabbed it and smashed it against his forehead. The man fell to the ground, and Niragi grabbed the machine gun and pointed it at his victim.

"Please..." he echoed, his voice even more shaky, if that were possible. "I... I'll do anything you want, I won't tell anyone you were here, I -"

Trrratata!

But Niragi had pulled the trigger. The deafening sound of the machine gun echoed through the hallway, and the noise chilled your blood. You couldn't conceive the idea that Niragi had just pulled the trigger when in fact, the young man's lifeless body laid against the floor, the scarlet blood from his abdominal wounds running down the carpet. "What the fuck, Niragi, what have you done?"

You couldn't take your eyes off the inert body that sat before you, and as Niragi stepped up beside you, taking your face in his hands, he whispered, "Look at me, princess, here, look at me!" His hands were icy despite the warmth within his walls, and finally taking your gaze off the dead man, you found Niragi's intense gaze looking for some reassurance to transfer into your eyes, "We will not be slaves to the Hatter, do you hear me? I'm going to do everything I can to get you and me out of here, and that means we're going to have to make sacrifices, you understand?"

If you thought about it, you would remember that you had also sacrificed a man's life in the game of eight of clubs, but everything was different in the arena. In a game, you had to make choices and decisions to ensure your survival. But here, right now, it was a completely gratuitous act that was anything but necessary.

"You fucking killed him, what were you thinking?" You were beginning to feel your heart racing, your throat dry as Niragi's hands applied light pressure to your cheeks to draw your attention to him.

This was far from your first body, you had seen so many deaths in the hospital that you had found the strength to detach yourself from the feeling it could give you when you saw this. But here you had witnessed a cold-blooded murder, something that was undeserved, you didn't understand. "To fear or to be feared, which do you prefer?" It was neither an explanation nor an excuse. "I'll chomp all over them, right here, okay?"

You knew what he was thinking. If you were just a little more twisted than that, you would understand Niragi's way of thinking. That holding a gun established fear and respect, and that with it in his hands, no one would dare say anything to him, or do anything he didn't like. He was taking strength by force, and he was in a good position to know what it felt like, and how to do it.

It wasn't a bad strategy, but you wished he had chosen another.

Yes, the Borderland had no laws or rules. There was no punishment for murder here. There was no one to take justice where it should be applied. Here, there was only the law of the strongest, and the strongest today was Niragi, who carried his new machine gun with a proud look. He was going to take care of his weapon, he was going to pamper it and caress it as it deserved. Because with this, nothing and nobody could touch you.

He knew that with this, he could ensure that you would always be safe. He would take great pleasure in keeping away anyone who might want to harm you. It was a protection, more than a real weapon. You had to see it that way. It wasn't so much the idea of killing that excited Niragi, no, don't get him wrong.

It was the idea that here he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

He would never say anything, never let on that you might get hurt in one of these fucking games. Or by one of those assholes who didn't like how you talked to them. Because he knew that all it would take to hurt him was to hurt you.

No, he had to set his law here, no matter what the Hatter said. A new era had to start, the one of Niragi Suguru.

And you, in all this, would always be safe. Always safe.

//////////////////////////////

Oooh lalalalala, I am SO sorry for the delay! My son had the flu all week, so he didn't go to daycare, and with work, I just didn't have time to write anything!

Anyway, we are in the thick of it! So, forget what I said about writing the story in one go, I'll have to make little time jumps otherwise it'll be endless

I've got a few more chapters to write that you're going to love, so I hope my little Niragi stans are still there, and that you still like what I'm making!

I hope to take less time for the next chapter, look forward to it, please!

Nageoire

#Niragi Suguru #niragi #niragi aib #love is chaos #niragi x you #niragi x reader #aib #alice in borderland #alice in borderland x you #alice in borderland x reader #aib x reader #aib x you #dori sakurada

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pomniegranate · 3 months

Note

you have a few words , pomni ? anything you want to express ? ( you already know )

From this prompt list! / Always Accepting!

... Was he fucking serious right now?

Pomni couldn't help looking at him with dumbfoundedness laced with irritation. How long has she been trying to get any inkling of useful information out of him? How long has she tolerated his theatrics and willingly allowed herself to be a puppet for his own games and personal entertainment, regardless of how it made her feel? How much has the brunette truly been bottling up all this time? HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN HERE NOW ?

Her eye twitched. Where does she even begin to start about how she feels? There was so much collectively all bound together in a tightly knit ball in her stomach, a dense fog that shrouded her mind; she couldn't pinpoint where to start until she let the anger take the reigns and she metaphorically shoved the bottle of everything pent up inside to shatter into pieces onto the floor - a resemblance of herself. Once Pomni started, she couldn't find herself stopping.

⸺ ❝ ... Now... now you ask if I have something to say, Caine? NOW you're finding it somewhere in yourself to actually listen to me? To take what I have to say into consideration ?! ❞ She closed the distance between them as he elevated lower than usual near the floor but still floating a couple of inches off the ground. Her face was contorted in anger, as her finger went to shove itself into his chest to punctuate her words that were cycling faster than she could think.

⸺ ❝ You want me to #%!$ing express myself? Alright, fine ! You asked for it. I hate it here, not to put it lightly. Every day I feel like I'm losing more and more to myself, not getting any closer to an answer! Because YOU never give one!!! It's all riddles, jokes and games with you, like our lives are nothing but chess pieces to your own #%!$ed up pass time to play! Like we're not people!!! So tell me Caine, is there any semblance of a person inside you or are you really just an AI? Can't you see this is all hurting us??? Hurting me ??? ❞

Through her rant, the emotions that had been locked in the safe of her heart started to crack and leak out, tears started to pool at the corners of her pinwheels without her wanting them to. All until the dam broke and the wetness rolled down her cheeks as she pounded her fists into his chest like it'd do anything to solve the nightmare she's been condemned to. Pomni doesn't even know why she was bothering right now. It's not like the ringleader actually cared about her, had any piece of her that mattered to him. Could he even comprehend that? Or anything she was spilling out of her heart and past her lips to him?

❝ And you don't. Even. CARE ! ❞

Now, she was sobbing, allowing herself utterly vulnerable. And she hated it, but it was too late to get the waterworks to stop. She breathed in deep as she allowed her wails to sing in the space between them. She was tired, so tired, of just about everything. All the potential hope Pomni's carried until now rested in his white gloves. He broke her. Is that what he wanted? Is that what this sinister ploy had been all along? Well, congratulations.

YOU WON.

The pounding on his chest grew weaker and weaker before she found herself slowly falling onto her knees, any bit of strength left in her resided in the grip her gloves dug into his suit. She couldn't look at him anymore, she felt completely defeated as her eyes screwed shut and hung her head towards the ground. Her shoulders heaved with her desperate cries, jerking every time she attempted her lungs for more air. The anger was rung dry and all that was left was just the shell of herself, in the arms of the man she hated.

Woe was I to believe I mattered. That I could possibly find the true exit door to escape. This was all a trap; there was never a way to leave... just a means to delve deeper into the madness.

#veneror #inquires from an audience.#story telling.#DIDN'T PROOFREAD WE DIE LIKE MEN #i hope this was okay i put a lot into it...#showtime

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rabbitholessk · 1 year

Text

SOULMARK AU

According to an outlandish urban legend, once you touch an object owned by your soulmate you will get a mark on your body. Only the old money families of Konoha knew about this stupid legend. Sakura had heard her great aunt tell her the stories. Yet when she asked her own mother, she admitted she had no mark on her body. Her mother had said it was a silly tale.

Sakura was running late, her car had taken forever to start and she had left her writing utensils in her passenger seat. Having run halfway across campus she makes it to her class with 30 seconds to spare. Upon arrival she realized she had nothing to write with. Searching frantically on the tables and under the chairs in her vicinity in the lecture hall she found a fountain pen. A bit extravagant for taking lecture notes, she thinks. She proceeds to uncap it and begin writing.

Feeling a twinge of pain on her upper back shoulder she rolls her shoulder thinking it to be a muscle spasm. The pain subsides shortly after. The pink haired goes about the rest of her class opting to keep the ornate fountain pen.

Sakura had agreed to go to the campus gym with her friend Ino that evening. Throwing on her workout clothes at her apartment she rushes over. They hit the treadmills and spot each other for weights.

“Forehead- you didn’t tell me you got a tattoo!” Ino spouts loudly as they are stretching on the communal mat post workout.

“Huh? I don’t have any tattoos, Pig! Your eyes are going bad.”

“Ha-ha, then explain that.” Ino says snidely and points to her upper shoulder. Sakura can’t see it when she tries to look. She stands and walks over to the mirrors, and turns around to look. The mark was something of a mix between a tattoo and a birthmark. Her eyes widen and she stares at her freckled shoulder for what felt like hours.

The mark was a familiar fan shape that Sakura was not able to place where she had seen before.

In a rush, she gives Ino a lame excuse to leave and go back to her apartment to examine the mark on her body in private. On the drive home from the gym, her anxiety gives her the shakes.

Was the legend true?

She is stopped at a red light in a busy intersection and looks around at the various buildings and high rises. The light turns as she spots the logo. One of the biggest and most competitive law firms in the city with a fan logo after their name Uchiha Law.

The car behind her beeps, jolting her to move from her stupor. Sakura makes a sudden turn to get a closer look at the building. She knows of the lawyers at Uchiha law from back when her fathers bakery had been bought out by a competitor, the Uchiha firm had mediated. Her father lost his life’s work and passion for a check, she thinks. Recalling how the light in her fathers eyes had since left, leaving behind the shell of the once happy man she knew.

The pink haired enters the building after parallel parking in an open spot out front. People are leaving in hoards going home from their work day. Why was she here? Why did she come in? This was stupid- a waste of time.

Her shoulder twinges in the spot where the new mark was. She grasps at it and falls to her knees onto the tiled entryway.

What the hell?

Her shoulder twinges again.

A dark haired man, around her age from what she can tell walks over to her. People walking all around her exiting through the grandiose glass door entrance.

This man offers her a hand. Before the world goes dark around her she speaks out.

“You…”

—-

Sakura smells the disinfectant before and knows exactly where she is. Sitting up she looks around the shared emergency room floor, hearing a variety of patients and finally landing upon the same dark haired man from earlier. He sits in a chair adjacent to her bed, her purse on the ground by his feet.

The man looks at her with a neutral expression.

“Did you cause this?” He rolls up his dress shirt and shows Sakura his inner left forearm, a Sakura blossom symbol in the direct center. She gasps and shifts slightly to show him her shoulder, lowering the sweatshirt she had thrown on after the gym. His eyes widen as he stares at the fan on her back.

“I thought my mother was loony when she told me that legend.” He states.

“My purse, can you hand it to me?” He reaches down and hands her the purse. She pulls out the fountain pen and hands it to him.

“Is this yours?”

The dark haired man takes the pen from her and examines it and nods.

“What now?”

“For starters you could…tell me your name?” The pink haired suggests.

“Sasuke Uchiha, you?”

“Sakura Haruno.” The Uchiha lets out a weird chuckle and looks down at his forearm.

“Fitting.”

#sasuke #sakura #sasusaku #sssnippetaday #naruto #alternate universe #soulmarks

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fearowkenya · 9 months

Text

Winds of Change

Chapter 5: Something in the Air

Shuuji knows something is amiss when he catches Syakomon let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. He’s lucky that the viscous surface of Syakomon’s slimy green body betrays her—the quiver of the otherwise silent exhale sends a faint, wobbly shockwave across her skin, and she jiggles ever so slightly in her shell, as though somebody’s just set down a cautious bowl of lime-flavored jello.

Supposedly, the worst is over, but Shuuji can't shake the feeling that there's something the Kemonogami aren't telling him.

ao3 link in source , extended end-of-chapter author's notes under the cut!

oh BOY the editing situation was a doozy. granted, i was also busy with work, but even then this chapter needed a TON of reworking, much much more than chapter 4 did. like i said on ao3, it got to the point where this chapter was so long that i had to split it in two.

i also mentioned that this chapter marks the beginning of the second half of this fic. chapters 1-4 make up part one, which i'd summarize as "how did we get here?", and then from 5-8, the focus will be "what happens next?". it helped a LOT to recontextualize chapters 5-7 (now 5-8) as an answer to chapters 1-4, and i think it'll make editing easier going forward; i have much more direction now and a better idea of what needs to be expanded on and what needs to be cut.

unfortunately, like i said, i had to omit a lot of saki-centric stuff. she is the scariest character for me to write, and i think i need to progress more thru my replay of truthful before i feel confident enough to write from her perspective. it works out anyway, because the part i cut had shuuji taking a very passive role and just observing interactions between saki and floramon, and it felt very drawn-out and unnecessary. this is my favorite cut segment tho

im really hoping to be able to figure out what an aoi-miu-saki dynamic looks like as i get more comfortable writing the three of them. i think it could be really fun. also i think it would be so funny if miu and saki bring out a mischievous side of aoi that would otherwise not exist. much to think about.

anyway. another challenge i had with editing this chapter was the topography of the beach area the group hangs out at before moving on to the shopping district and apartment complex. for some reason i was convinced the rocky beach area was like.. up on a cliffside? but then i looked at the map and got REAL confused. the beach is super super narrow, and that was really inconvenient when i needed shuuji to be somewhere relatively out of the way, where he could have a conversation with agumon that takuma cannot hear, while still being able to see takuma. so thats why i spent an hour and change squinting at the tiniest png of the map and reorganizing where people spend their time

if my handwriting is illegible (from left to right) (oh my god now that ive added the image to the post its a nightmare. idk why im even posting it. lord. im not sure opening it in a new tab will help) factory residential area shopping district woods near shopping district minoru up here group rests here waterway exit from shaft here instead; rest of waterway rock w/ supplies hill down from the waterway shuuji rests here pt 6 argument happens here aoi & ryo here in ch4 (this is where they were keeping watch) miyuki here

i didnt make many changes; mostly i just moved people around. the one thing that i DID change though was the placement of the waterway entrance. i have NO IDEA why the game has it in the middle of the fucking ocean. like i know theres a tunnel there, but surely the entrance to that tunnel isn't underwater right? i then poured another hour and change learning about waterways, trying to figure out where it made the most sense to put the exit before remembering that it doesn't matter because the digital world doesn't play by human world rules. oops! it was still super interesting though! please look up 'tokyo g-cans' if you ever get the chance, its fucking fascinating. if i ever go back to japan id like to go down there, maybe.

obligatory commentary about the map:

oh my god it seems too big for what we actually see but im not a cartographer so i dont know for sure

the shopping district/apartment complex is visible from the beach but i feel like it shouldn't be: on the map it looks like it's on a cliff face while from the beach it looks like it's shore level

i've been reading half the green patches as dense tree cover but now that i think about it, that might just be open grassland. oops. it's all trees now.

i wish we could go to the sandy beach areas to the north and east ends of the island!!! that could've been fun!

i really appreciate that the second island is shaped vaguely like a beluga

in other news, agumon was much easier to write than i was worried he would be, and it was nice to work out how he felt about what happened in the waterway. one thing ive noticed about agumon on a second truthful run is that he and takuma are equally awful about pushing down their own feelings for the sake of the ones of their friends. a lot of the others seem to view agumon as the guy who is always Staying Silly , no thoughts head empty. while i DO think that that's a genuine part of his personality, i think it also happens sometimes that he uses that image to downplay his concerns.

my favorite part to write this chapter was labramon's dialogue at the end. and also baby stats. baby stats was the ONE THING i REFUSED to cut. non-negotiable. it's been in my notes since the beginning and digimon survived all edits of this chapter, and i was DETERMINED to keep it.

all right im getting sleepy and i want to post this chapter and then go to bed. as usual please dont be afraid to leave a comment, i looooove finding out people's favorite parts, and im still curious about your Gamer Theories, especially now that i think what i'm foreshadowing is becoming clearer and clearer >:3c

couldn't tell you for sure when ch6 will be out. ideally it won't involve as much editing as ch5, but it's hard to say. thank you for reading, and i'll be back as soon as i can!

#digimon survive #shuuji kayama #kayama shuuji #ryo tominaga #tominaga ryo #agumon #aoi shibuya #shibuya aoi #im so sorry @ ppl who are in the aoi shibuya tag for the other aoi shibuya (the one who is not a digimon character)#labramon #miu shinonome #shinonome miu #syakomon #floramon #digimon

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ivanajpeg · 1 month

Text

ODESTA WEEK (DAY 4 THROWBACK)

Where Finnick helps Annie collecting seashells (After Finnick's games/ before Annie's games)

Note 1: this was mostly inspired in the AO3 fanfic "where soul meets body" where it says that Annie before her games used to sell jewelry made of seashells

Note 2: English is not my first language, I swear I'm trying my best

Hope you enjoy it <3

After his games, Finnick didn't had true friends. The only person that was there for him was Annie.

They met before Finnick's games. It was when their families ran to each others on a fishing point. Finnick saw that Annie was struggling with fishing, so he decided to help her. from that day on they became good friends.

Annie was a bit shy at first, the normal thing when you meet someone new but as time when on she was more confident arround him.

Annie wasn't a fan of fishing, so she diced to make jewelry with different types of seashells, ropes for nets and all kinds of sea stuff, even fishing gear.

Finnick thought that was relaxing. Sometimes he would be next to her while she was working. His favorite part was collecting things with her, it was a perfect excuse to spend more time with her.

Also in his free times he would collect thing by himself that she could use. Almost everytime he would sell them with her. It wasn´t a secret that whe Finnick was there, she would sell more, just because there was "Finnick Odair". Finnick would always tell her how talented she was and that the whole world should see her art.

At the moment, Finnick was walking by the shore. Annie was still on school, because he was a victor, he didn't had to go to school anymore. During his walk he found a shell really big and pretty, he placed it in a special place to keep it safe, he knew Annie would love it. Together they had found a special and secluded place on the beach, they would spend their afternoons talking and enjoying their company.

Finnick was there first, obviously. The day was beautiful and he was really exited. Mags had prepared for them some pastries, he would always talk about her, and he always dreamed of taking Annie with him to meet her.

Shortly after, Annie arrived.

"Finn! Hi!" she said excitedly

"Annie! you're here! I have some things for you"

"Really? For me?" she said even more excited

"Just for you" he pulled out the shell and gave it to her

"Wow! Finn... thank you, you didn't had to"

"Is my way of thanking you" he said with a smile "besides, Mags knew I was coming so... she baked us this" he pulled out the pastries.

"They look so good! I got hungry by just looking at them" she looked at them "Mags must be really nice and she must love you a lot"

"She's been like a mother to me since... well, you know. One day I'll take you home for dinner, she also wants to know the pretty girl i always talk about"

"I'll be honored" she laid her head on his shoulder.

Finnick laid his head over Annie's, he would give anything to stay in this moment forever.

"Finn... I brought something for you too" she started looking through her things "I hope you like it, I worked really hard on it"

Annie pulled out of her bag a very beautiful necklace. it was made of different stones, ropes, and complicated knots, it aslo had really pretty shells.

"Annie... this is..." it left her speechless. he was used to receive expensive, fancy and superficial jewelry from capitol people, but no one compared to this. Just knowing that Annie made him especially for him, that no one else would had anything like it made him feel special and loved "thank you... really. no one has ever give me something this special"

"Don't thank me. You've been the best friend ever and I really wanted to make something special to you, you deserve it" she said smiling.

"I swear I'm never taking it off, this is gonna be a way to have you always with me, no matter where I am" he smiled back "I think... I think I love you, Annie"

"I think I love you too, Finn"

Finnick didn't broke his promise until the day he died, he never took it off. In that moment he realized that Annie had stolen his heart completely.

#odesta week #odesta #annie cresta #finnick odair #district 4 #the hunger games #hunger games #tgh #odesta fanfiction #thg fanfiction #the hunger games fanfiction

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turnthemasunder-if · 1 year

Note

I have a NSFW question, so please be aware! *Kisses Maria's forehead and quickly leaves the room before she murders me*

Thank you.

Well Happy advance Bday Gift from me Friend! So I decided to make this snippet very cute and corny at the same time. I hope you enjoyed it :) Also sing along lol.

(Maria's POV)

Maria's body trembled with exertion as she pushed herself to the limits of her physical and mental strength. Beads of sweat dripped from her furrowed brow, mingling with the sharp sting of determination in her eyes. Every breath she took was a battle cry, fueling the fire burning within her.

The silver sticks in her hands felt weightless, an extension of her very being. With each swing, they sliced through the air with a swiftness that defied comprehension. The clashing of metal reverberated through the training room, a symphony of power and precision. Maria's muscles screamed in protest, but she ignored their pleas, channeling her pain into every strike.

Her senses were heightened, the smell of sweat and leather filling her nostrils, mingling with the metallic tang of anticipation. The room seemed to pulse with energy, the air charged with electricity. She could taste victory, tantalizingly close, as she danced through the intricate steps of her training routine.

Then she brought the sticks together and extending it into a staff, twirling it faster and faster in her fingertips before bringing it behind her back and settling into a stance. She swept her arms out and slammed the staff onto the floor, creating a resounding thud that seemed to shake the entire room.

She leaned close, eyes darting to her side, body taut and tensed. Something was wrong, a creeping dread settling in the pit of her stomach. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, then the door to the training room burst open and figure came rushing in and closing it behind them. "Tarnish?" she asked curious and concerned at the same time.

Tarnish who always exudes charisma and confidence is now shaken like a leaf and sweating profosuly. She gasped and went up to him. "Whats wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost? Who followed you?. Tarnish's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. His body was still shaking as his gaze darted wildly around the room. He let out a low groan, clutching his side where a dark stain had begun to spread across his shirt. "Maria I need to tell you something!" they gasp and clutching their wounded side.

Maria lean close and using her body so that Tarnish can lean on to her for support. "Tarnish what wrong tell me?". Tarnish slowly eases down and put their back on the wall. Then Tarnish lean forward, blood dripping from his mouth. "Maria you must be brave, it's a doozy" he whispers urgently. She stares at them, fear rising in her throat. She tried to make sense of his words, but all she could see was the blood and the fear in his eyes. "What are you talking about?" she cried.

Then without any hesitation, Tarnish rush forward and kissed Maria on the forehead. "Bullseye!" they say laughing and moving to Maria's side and opening the door and exiting it. Maria is left shell shocked and confused."Tarnisshhhhhhhhhh!" she screamed.

She runs after Tarnish, seeing the end of their jacket biwlloing before diappreing on a ahllway. "I will whoop your ass till kingdom come!" Maria curses and give chase. Then apporaching the turn, she saw Tarnish entereda room and closing it with a bang. She rashead foward and bursted in.

Then pausing before she reached Tarnish, her senses were overwhelmed. The space was dark and dusty with a the right light to see everything, with cobwebs festooning every corner. But what stunned Maria was the banner that was hanging in the middle it reads. "Happy Valentines Day!" then a music started to play in the air with Tarnish dancing and singing.

If you're alone and you need a friend Someone to make you forget your problems Just come along baby take my hand I'll be your lover tonight

Whoa oh whoa oh This is what I wanna do Whoa oh whoa oh Let's have some fun

Whoa oh whoa oh One on one just me and you Whoa oh whoa oh Boom boom boom boom

I want you in my room We'll spend the night together From now until forever

Boom boom boom boom I wanna go boom boom And spend the night together Together in my room

Whoa oh whoa oh Everybody get on down Whoa oh whoa oh

Vengaboys are back in town Whoa oh whoa oh This is what I wanna do Whoa oh whoa oh Let's have some fun Whoa oh whoa oh One on one just me and you Whoa oh whoa oh

They started to dance with hips swaying, legs dipping up and dwon and fingers near their chest and forming a heart shape. Tarnish is acting like those Japanese anime dancers that Maria she's in T.V. so it made her giggle a little but she quickly composes herself.

Tarnish begins to advance and moving their way toward Maria. The room seems to shift with each move they make, colors dancing and swirling, making the world into a glorious mess. Maria stares at their soulful eyes, a warmness creeping over her body, and a shiver racing up her spine. "What are you doing?" she ask albeit disgusted and touched at their gesture.

"Remember the time that we have a mission in Paris during that summer festival," Tarnish asks sheepishly. "Yeah, you caught me crying and my ice cream had melted. I wasn't upset because of the rain. I was homesick and missing my parents. But then you walked up to me, and offered me a flower. I thought you were so cute, that I just wanted to keep talking with you for the rest of the night. That's when we became best close friends. But also remember that moment when we danced under the moonlit night on that gazebo? And we were the only ones there, and we twirled and spun, and suddenly you just leaned in and kissed me.

Maria blinked. Her mind was reeling, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She'd always been attracted to Tarnish, but she never imagined they would share the same feelings.".

"Well, I know you probably thought I was just being silly or messing around, but that kiss meant a lot to me. It was my first real kiss. And to this day, I never regretted it." Tarnish's voice had dropped to a whisper, their words weaving a spell over Maria. She found herself closing the gap between them, their bodies just inches apart. "I was afraid to tell you how I felt. I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way. And, to be honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to anything. But now, I see how silly I was being. Spending all these years loving you, but too afraid to admit it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love you, Maria."

A slow smile spread across Maria's face, and she felt a rush of emotions welling up inside of her but she crossed her arms she's not yet ready to crack her tough facade just yet. "Really?" she ask voice flat and even. "Yes," Tarnish said nervously. "Uh huh!" Maria looked into Tarnish eyes,!

"You may have hit me with a few corny jokes and pranks today, but you also swept me off my feet with your song and dance number. I can't tell you how touched I was by your thoughtfulness and your heartfelt words.".

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Tarnish said, their hands running through Maria's hair. But Maria swat their hands away. "I didn't say I agreed to your love!" she clicked her tongue.

"NO FAIR!" Tarnish pouts. "Even though I did that dance just for you?"

"Especially when you did that dance!" Maria deadpans, before bursting into laughter. "But really, that was very sweet of you. No one's ever done anything like that for me before."

"Then maybe you should take a chance with me," Tarnish teased. "I bet you can make me see fireworks."

"As long as I don't have to see another dance of yours," Maria snarked. "But seriously, I'm happy that you shared this with me."

"You're not happy yet," Tarnish laughed. "Wait until you see what I have in store." Then without warning, Tarnish planted their lips against Maria's. Maria was taken aback by the suddenness, but after a moment, she closed her eyes and let the feeling wash over her.

They leaned into the kiss, the world around them melting into a blur of sensations. Maria could feel the warmth of Tarnish's breath, the faint tickle of their fingers resting gently on her shoulders. She never imagined that a kiss could be so powerful, that a single moment could change the course of her entire life. Then she steps back and raised a hand and bitch slap Tarnish on the cheek. "Ouch!" Tarnish says rubbing their cheek with a sly grin on their lips.

"No kissing without my permission!" Maria chastise them playfully. "Whatever you say, boss."

"Now then, why don't we go catch a movie or maybe grab some lunch?" Tarnish suggested. "Sure, why not?" Maria agreed, and they headed for the door.

"By the way," Maria added. "This was the best Valentine's Day gift anyone's ever given me."

"And you haven't seen anything yet my loving side.!"

With a laugh, Maria reached out and took Tarnish's hand in her own, and they walked out into the chilling moonlight, the scent of the city and fresh air wafting to her nose.

#maria #TTA #Cute Bunny #creative writers #writers on tumblr #thanks for the ask #ask me anything

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