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jooheonspinky · 7 months

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From the Ashes

Characters: Jungkook x Female reader

Genre: Fantasy!au, angst

Synopsis: I am ready to confess my feelings to Jungkook, but his older brother, a wizard, has other plans. Plans with devastating consequences that I could never have prepared for.

Warnings: major character death, various mentions of fire, mentions of panic attack

A/N: This story came about from a dream I had. Actually, two dreams I had last month. You can read them before the story if you'd like. I did have to change a lot in order for it to make a little more sense.

Dream Log 56

Dream Log 57

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Part 1

Word Count: 3.2K

“Are you sure?” My cousin stares at me with a mixture of disbelief and elation. “Once the words are out of your mouth, that’s it. There’s no taking them back.”

I giggle, my cheeks flushing with warmth from the terror and excitement coursing through me.

“I know, Merrick,” I say breathily. “But we only live once, right? If I never tell him, how will I know how he feels? I just don’t want to have any regrets later on.” Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to calm my rapidly beating heart, I ask, “Do I look okay?”

She side-eyes me as I run my hands over the smooth material of my cap-sleeved attire, trying to ensure everything is in place. The empire-waist dress hugs my breasts tightly, giving them a little lift. A butterfly embroidered sheer pink tulle overlay hangs beautifully atop the mint green satin length of the dress’s skirt that cascades down to the tops of my slippered feet. My hair is half-up, half-down, and a large mint green bow pinned to the back of my head completes the outfit I have chosen for the university’s Halloween festivities.

“I can’t believe you just asked me that.” She stares at me with feigned anger. “Didn’t you check yourself out in the mirror? You look absolutely gorgeous in that.”

The warmth in my cheeks intensifies, and I glance away momentarily.

Exhaling, I whisper, “I just want to make sure everything goes goo- no, great.”

She hugs me tightly, and I welcome not only the warmth the gesture provides but also the encouragement and love she is wrapping me in. My soul soaks it all up, steadying my heart. Though I am not a witch like her, we are extremely close and often find ourselves inadvertently sharing what the other is feeling. Merrick still believes I, too, am a witch, but at this age, nothing has manifested yet, and I don’t expect it to either.

And I am ok with that.

Stepping out of her arms, I tug open the matching reticule that hangs from my wrist and pull out my phone. A quick message asking my crush to meet me at the top of the library tower, where we both love to spend time as we study, read books, or listen to music is sent off. It should be empty now as everyone prepares to go to the auditorium for the costume ball. No one should be there to interrupt. No one there to witness the rejection if things don’t go how I would like them to. As of yet, he has not given the impression that he thinks of me as anything other than a good friend.

I shake my head, pushing away the negative thoughts before they can convince me to keep my confession to myself.

“Go,” she urges me. “You shouldn’t leave Jungkook waiting.”

“Ok, ok,” I laugh as I turn to push the door open and step outside.

The air is brisk as it hits my flushed skin. I can feel Merrick’s eyes on me as she watches me speedily walk across the courtyard. Scattered mounds of melted snow collected on the sides of the square I walk across are evidence of the remnants of a mid-autumn snowfall that had surprised us earlier in the week. I am a bit too exposed to the elements with my wispy dress and primarily bare arms, but I don’t seem to feel the cold. I’m too nervous and excited about what I’m getting ready to do.

Up ahead, I catch sight of Jungkook stepping into the archway that leads to the library tower. Though his face is not visible, his way of walking is unmistakable and gives him away. From this distance, I can make out that he’s wearing what appears to be black leather pants with a billowy white shirt that is only tucked into the front. A pair of black boots adorn his feet, and I wonder if he is dressed as a pirate or maybe a vampire just as he disappears deeper into the tunnel.

I speed up, soft, giddy giggles escaping my lips as I reach the archway. I pause to straighten my dress and take a few deep breaths as my slippered feet carry me forward. Footsteps echo across the cement walls, and the hair on the back of my neck instantly stands on end. I swirl around to find the silhouette of a slightly hunched figure clad in black floor-length robes. There is a hint of deep purple satin that lines the inside of the cloak, visible only when he steps closer.

I instantly recognize the pallid face that smiles at me. A chill shivers down my spine, and I have only a moment to wonder why it is that Jungkook’s older brother always gives me the heebie-jeebies whenever he is around despite his friendly demeanor. He’s never done anything to make me question his genuineness, yet I can sense something just behind those eyes that doesn’t quite fit the expression that sits on his face.

His hand darts forward to grab my wrist, pulling me from my inner thoughts. Though I gasp, nothing else comes out as I attempt to follow it with a scream. Utter fear and confusion locks me in place. It’s like his grip has control over my body’s functions, and nothing I do can override it.

“I knew it,” he hisses, his face contorting into disgust. His dark eyes hold my gaze as he tugs me into him. “You will not get the chance to tell him a thing, do you hear me?!”

My eyes widen. How does he know…

“Please,” I manage to croak out. “Let me go.”

“Oh, I’ll let you go, alright,” he sneers.

His fingers tighten, digging into my skin, as he begins to murmur unintelligibly. I don’t need to hear what he’s saying to know precisely what he’s doing. He is a wizard, after all, and wizards, just like witches, have magic powers. The possibilities are endless as to what they can do with that power, power he’s not supposed to use while on school grounds unless authorized by a professor or the Dean.

But here, in the middle of the tunnel, where anyone can see or hear if they pass by, he is chanting a spell without a care, and there is nothing I can do. A sensation similar to vertigo washes over me, and I fight the feeling of nausea as my body begins to transform. It only takes a few seconds before I am no longer human. Whatever words he has recited has converted me into a bird. He laughs as he gazes down at me, pleased at his work.

“It’s nothing personal, little raven,” he confides. “I’m just tired, ya know? Tired of him getting everything he wants. Tired of everyone saying he’s better at everything. The ‘golden boy’,” he mocks. “He’s just a measly human. He has no powers. Can’t cast spells or make charms. I can, though. I can, and no one cares. It’s always about Jungkook. I won’t let you make your confession to him and give him yet another thing he wants.”

My beady eyes can only stare up at him, absolutely dumbfounded at what is occurring. I let out a caw, and he chuckles.

“I’ve given him a little snack to munch on while he waits for you to meet up with him. We both know the kid can eat.” He grins at me as if he’s just chatting with a friend. “But little does he know I’ve added something extra to it. He’ll be dead before you can even reach him.”

He exits the archway with another laugh, leaving me in absolute shock. I flap my wings frantically, unsure of what to do.

“Y/N!” My cousin’s voice has me frantically skittering towards her. “Ohmygosh! What the hell happened to you? Did he do this? I saw him come in here after you, and I just got this really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach…”

Merrick doesn’t wait for an answer. She squats down and sets her hand gently on my head. Closing her eyes, I let the images and the conversation run through my mind like a piece of CCTV footage and focus on pushing them toward her.

“Oh, shit!” she shoots up. “I gotta go get the Dean. You go and stop Jungkook!”

Scooping me up, she rushes out of the small arched tunnel and straight to the library doors. With fear guiding me, Merrick opens her hands, and I find I can instantly fly. I hear the door close behind me as she rushes across campus toward the Dean’s office, cell phone pressed to her ear.

I fly up the spiral staircase, my voice calling to Jungkook, screaming and begging him not to eat anything as I try to reach him as fast as I can. No words come out, only cawing sounds that reverberate against the walls as I circle my way up. Though new to flying, I make it to the top in record time, as if I have flown all my life.

It’s not fast enough, though.

As I reach the landing, my eyes catch sight of a bright pink and red box of Kancho (칸쵸) choco biscuits lying on the floor. My gaze shifts from the box to Jungkook’s form. A newspaper he must have been reading while he snacked was under his feet, the crinkling of the crisp paper sounding amplified in the ordinarily quiet space. His hands are clutching his throat, his eyes wide in desperate panic. From inside my head, I can hear his brother laughing maniacally.

The spell must allow him to see what I see, and I hate that I’m giving him a front-row seat to Jungkook’s dire predicament.

I need to figure out how to help Jungkook. My mind races as I try to lock in on what I can do. Jungkook falls to his knees, and I swoop toward him. Maybe I can pluck the food from his mouth and stop any further reaction the morsel is causing. I bump my beak under his chin, trying to tilt his head up, but there is a slight pfft sound as soon as I make contact with his skin. I stare on in disbelief as Jungkook disappears, and a pile of ashes materializes on top of the newspaper where he had just been, a thin tendril of smoke undulating up in front of me.

Footsteps pound up the stairs, and Merrick falls to her knees next to my now human form, her chest heaving. The thought that perhaps Jungkook turning to ash broke my spell sits at the back of my mind as my eyes continue to stare at the remains in front of me in sheer disbelief. I can feel hysteria trying to claim me, my cousin’s voice sounding miles away as she attempts to bring my attention to her. The elevator dings behind us, and in comes the Dean with several guards, their presence making the space feel cramped. Voices resonate up the stairs, the commotion sounding as if it were in the same room.

“Y/N was practicing magic,” Jungkook’s brother is saying. “I heard her say she was going to kill Jungkook, and then she changed into a bird. I was just on my way to find the Dean, actually.”

Tears burn down my cheeks at the betrayal. How can a brother commit such a heinous act against his own flesh and blood? How does he have the ability to push that familial bond aside and go through with extinguishing the life of his younger brother? It just doesn’t seem fathomable to me.

It’s not long before the world comes flooding in, and I begin sobbing hysterically, folding the paper gently to contain his ashes, even as my body shakes violently. It’s too much: too much feeling, too much pain, too much anguish. It’s all just too much. So I hug him to me, feeling like I’m suffocating. I am overwhelmed with so much grief I can’t even speak.

“Miss Y/N,” the Dean’s stern voice cuts through the cacophony in my head. His tone is not unkind and softens when he continues. “I’m afraid that is evidence, and I must confiscate it.”

I look down at the newspaper clutched between my trembling hands, my grip tightening.

“Sir,” Merrick steps in. “If I may?”

She raises her hand, reaching out towards the Dean.

“Go ahead,” he nods.

Her fingers touch his temple lightly, and they both close their eyes as I can only assume she is sending him the information and images I had given her earlier. His eyebrows pinch together, and his lips tighten into a thin line as he receives the information.

Merrick lowers her hand, solemnly replying, “That’s what happened.”

“I’m at a loss,” he shakes his head. Pulling out his walkie-talkie, he radios to the guards downstairs. “Arrest him. Use the magic suppressing cuffs.” To us, he admits, “His own brother. I would never have expected such condemnable actions from him.” The Dean sighs heavily, and it's full of disbelief. “Such an exemplary student. One of my best.”

“I never would have expected that from him myself,” Merrick agrees.

I would have. I think to myself. I felt something was off about him but had no proof of what. And now here we are. If only I had said something anyway.

“I will be contacting the family,” he tells us as we enter the elevator, my legs too shaky to take the stairs. Merrick holds me up as we descend. “I know I can trust you with his remains,” the Dean says gently. “You can hold on to them for us until they are able to come and retrieve them.”

I can only nod, the events draining me of energy. The elevator ride is quiet except for my sniffles and ragged breaths that sound extremely loud to my ears. This couldn’t be happening. There just could be no way Jungkook was dead. His brother. His freaking brother just-

The doors slide open, and I have a clear view of the offending man being escorted away, his hands cuffed at his back. Two guards hold him by the elbows on either side. My heart lodges in my throat when he looks over his shoulder, a small smirk adorning his lips as his eyes lock in on mine.

My knees buckle as rage and agony tighten my heart to the point it feels as if I’m about to have a heart attack. I crumble to the floor, and air refuses to enter my lungs. Black dots begin to dance before my eyes, but I don’t let go of the newspaper… of Jungkook.

“Dammit!” the Dean curses, and I can sense Merrick’s shock at his outburst. “Get her to her room before she keels over.”

My cousin nods, her arms hooking under my armpits to lift me.

“Come on, Y/N,” she coos. “You’re going to be ok. Just breathe and you’ll be okay.”

The Dean takes long, swift strides to the door and opens it quickly.

“Get him out of here, ASAP!” he roars before the door closes.

My focus turns to my cousin, who is begging me to breathe with her. I follow her guidance, and soon, the panic attack subsides, the darkness at the edge of my eyes slowly pulling away until I’m able to breathe and walk on my own.

“It hurts too much,” I whimper.

“I know,” she swallows thickly. “Believe me, I know.”

I have no doubt she does. Our connection so strong that I know she can feel just how grief-stricken I am, and it makes me feel guilty, selfish even as I allow her to guide me to my room.

The adrenaline must be wearing off because I begin to shake as soon as we enter my studio. The rugged stone walls are still holding onto the chill from outside. As I step further into the room, Merrick immediately gets a fire going in the fireplace. A warm, soft orange glow fills the center of the room.

“Let's get you outta this dress and into your jamas.”

I nod, too lost in the horrors I had experienced to do anything other than shiver and allow her to take over. After rummaging through my drawers, she returns with one of my ankle-length long-sleeved nightgowns and a shoe box I had been meaning to discard for some time.

Unzipping the back of my dress, she turns me to face her. “You’re going to have to put this down in order for me to take this off.”

I shake my head and whisper a desperate, “No.”

Merrick strokes my head as if I were a child. “I know this is difficult, but he wouldn't want you to be like this.”

I lift my eyes to hers, the tears distorting her face. “I can't,” I plead.

“Y/N.” She exhales before continuing. “Listen to me. You are in shock. You need to warm up, and in order to do that, you need to put this down so I can get you dressed properly and get you in bed.

I know you’re hurting, but standing here like this is not going to help anyone. You need to be strong for when his parents arrive. You understand?”

Oh, his parents! They are going to be so devastated. My heart breaks even more, but she's right. I have to get my shit together so I can be there for his family. They have two terrible pieces of news to deal with: the death of their youngest son and the fact that their eldest child committed the act.

“Ok,” I murmur.

“Ok,” she smiles at me. “Here’s a box you can keep him safely in.”

She holds it out, and I gently place the folded newspaper with Jungkook’s ashes inside the box. Just as carefully, she sets the box on my rounded table that sits across the fireplace, the two chairs neatly tucked in. Now that my hands are free, she is able to remove the dress and replace it with the nightgown. She walks me to my bed before disappearing into the bathroom.

I take that moment to remove my shoes and sit on my full-size bed. The frame is made of wood, with bulky square-shaped short posts. It has a rustic look, as I loved nature and enjoyed having pieces of it in my living space. The bed fits along the shortest wall of my rectangular-shaped room.

Merrick returns with makeup remover wipes and a wet face towel. I allow her to gingerly swipe the makeup from my face and eyes before she wipes off any remaining residue with the cloth. Pulling back the navy and cerulean blue comforter, Merrick helps me slide in and lie down.

“I can stay,” she insists, pointing her thumb over her shoulder towards the wall beside the door. “I don't mind sleeping on your futon.”

“No,” I shake my head, my eyelids heavy as the exhaustion from the evening's events starts claiming me. “I just need to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, hesitant to leave. I nod my head, already between the waking world and sleep. “Alright then.”

She strokes my hair a few times, the gesture lulling me further into dreamland. I barely catch the click of the door when she leaves.

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I hope you enjoyed Part 1. Happy Friday the 13th! Please look forward to Part 2. Coming soon.

Part 1| Part 2| Part 3

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Moodboard by me

Image credits

Smoke

Fire

Jungkook 1 and 2

Flame in hand

Fire and Sparks

#BTS #jeon jungkook #jungkook #bts jungkook #jungkook fantasy #Jungkook Phoenix #Jung Kook #Jungkookie #fantasy au #jungkook phoenix #phoenix au #angst #bts major character death #tw major character death #tw fire #magic #spells #BTS ARMY #ARMY

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heavensbeehall · 2 months

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"Mockingjay", Chapter 13

Part 2: The Assault

Chapter 13: Katniss wakes up in a hospital bed (oh no I forgot I was going to count how often she gets knocked out in this book, damnit). There's a lot of talking about Peeta's condition but no one really knows anything for certain. Once Katniss is released from the hospital, she goes to find Beetee and Gale in Special Defense. She has a disagreement with Gale over his traps, but she doesn't have time to fully process it before Haymitch shows up with news about Peeta. Delly Cartwright, a character only briefly mentioned in the first book, has been chosen to go into Peeta's room. Katniss and Haymitch are confused by this precious ray of sunshine. Delly gets to be the one to tell Peeta his whole town got blown up. (Shouldn't there be a professional person who does this?) Katniss very quickly determines that Peeta is "gone" and asks to be sent somewhere else. The Mockingjay could be used in District 2.

Thoughts:

-- I do like how Prim protects Katniss in this chapter, a reversal from everything we know. Prim talks back to Plutarch and I love her for it. The narration specifically mentions her putting blankets on Katniss which is what she did for Buttercup during the bombing. So I imagine cat and Katniss wrapped in blankets, being bummed about finally catching the light and feeling tricked.

-- I don't love how Katniss responds. I shouldn't be surprised, fleeing is often her first thought when something bad happens. But she witnesses Peeta behaving badly twice and is like, "I gotta go." She always says she's not the one who can deal with sick people and that is exactly what she does. I kind of wish Haymitch would force her to to be nicer to him, like he did when Peeta was dying in the games.

It was Boggs who knocked out Peeta with one blow before any permanent damage could be done. I know Haymitch would have come to my defense if he hadn't been utterly unprepared. To catch both Haymitch and myself off guard is a rare thing. But we have been so consumed with saving Peeta, so tortured by having him in the Capitol's hands, that the elation at having him back blinded us.

Obviously it is sad to see this happen to Katniss and Peeta, but there is something about Haymitch--who is cynical and suspicious always--not sensing danger that makes me sad.

"Snow executed Peeta's stylist and his prep team on live television tonight. We've no idea what happened to Effie Trinket. Peeta's damaged, but he's here. With us.And that's a definite improvement over his situation twelve hours ago..."

Ugh, did Snow make Portia continue to style Peeta for the interviews? Haymitch mentioned that "covers would be blown" if they tried to retrieve Peeta. Was she an informant for Plutarch or was this just Snow lashing out at anyone associated with Peeta?

I no longer feel like crying. In fact, I can only manage to hold on to one simple thought: an image of Snow's face accompanied by the whisper in my head. I will kill you.

Things Katniss obsesses over: 1) Prim and/or Rue being safe in the meadow, 2) Peeta's eyelashes, 3) Killing the President.

Gale's not supposed to visit me, as he's confined to bed with some kind of shoulder wound. But on the third night, after I've been medicated and the lights turned down low for bedtime, he slips silently into my room. He doesn't speak, just runs his fingers over the bruises on my neck with a touch as light as moth wings, plants a kiss between my eyes, and disappears.

I know I am hard on Gale but... I am not the only one who thinks this is weird, right? Does he know she's awake? Is she pretending to be asleep? I have follow up questions.

"I think Peeta might get somewhat better. But…I don't think he'll ever be the same."

Katniss takes this as bad, but I don't think Haymitch is wrong. Later Johanna and Katniss will talk about how they are both not the same. So I think this is more of a realist's thoughts about the situation.

"... I've felt a little guilty about it. Stealing Gale away from you so much," Beetee admits.

The Beetee of the books is a bit more odd than the competent character Jeffrey Wright portrays in the film versions. Kookier maybe. Has anyone written meta on the comparison between the relationship Beetee has to Gale to the one Dr Gaul had with Dean Highbottom? (I do not think he is crazy like she is, but he is the adult in the room allowing a teenage boy to create theoretical death traps that then actually get used.)

"Oh, yes!" Delly's face brightens. "We played together from when we were little. I used to tell people he was my brother."

Wait, why? Again, I have follow up questions. She has a brother of her own.

#delly cartwright #peeta mellark #thg reread #mockingjay #mockingjay reread #the hunger games #thg #thg series

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jimmypesto · 1 year

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14. Going on a sleigh ride + Zekina please!

zekina + going on a sleigh ride!

“Oh. Lily, maybe we could…not take our mittens off?”

Tina looks to Zeke for help, and he quickly scoops their baby into his arms.

“Hey, now. You gotta listen to your mama, little lady! The mittens stay on.”

Tina doesn’t usually have a problem getting her daughter to behave, but overstimulation is making it difficult to persist with her fair, patient parenting style. The cold weather grips her even through several layers of clothing, and Lily seems intent on doing everything in her power to frazzle her mom.

“Thank you.” Tina sighs. “This is fun. This’ll be fun, right?”

Zeke nods.

“Course it will be. Wasn’t this whole thing your idea, baby?”

That was true, but Tina had pictured the whole thing going a lot more smoothly. Family sleigh rides at the park! Why would that be stressful? As she’s quickly finding out, though, babies often make things more stressful than they need to be. Zeke likes to say that their daughter takes after him, but Tina just hopes Lily doesn’t grow up getting as many detentions as her dad did.

“Right. My idea.” Tina says warily. “Do you think she’ll have fun?”

As a mom, it’s hard not to worry about how well you’re doing. If your kids aren’t happy, intellectually stimulated, and well behaved at all times, you start to feel like a total failure. Miraculously, Lily chooses that moment to grin.

“Well, that answers that!” Zeke says. “See, T? She’s having a blast. So am I!”

Tina’s stress is no match for his upbeat attitude. When leans in to kiss her cheek, she starts to feel better.

“Are you really?” She asks. “Even though our sleigh ride was supposed to start at 4, and the first group isn’t back yet?”

Zeke nods.

“Are you kiddin’ me? It’s a day with my girls! Nothin’ makes me happier than that.”

Before Tina can answer, Zeke smiles at something behind her. He raises a pointer finger in that direction.

“Oh, boy. Look who’s here, T.”

Turning around, Tina gasps softly. The first group of sleigh riders has returned, and their massive sleigh is being led by three large, majestic horses.

“Ah!” Lily giggles.

“The horses!” Tina says, full of childlike wonder.

She’s only seen horses up close a handful of times, but this is a whole new kind of delight. For the first time, she’s seeing her favorite animal through the eyes of her daughter. Sure enough, Lily’s eyes are huge with elation. Zeke chuckles, squeezing his wife’s hand.

“Horses.” He agrees. “Wow. I can’t tell which one of you is more excited! You think you can handle this, Tina girl?”

As she tugs her family in the direction of the sleigh, Tina doesn’t answer. Reinvigorated, she marches through the snow, ready to give her daughter a Christmas memory she won’t forget.

#thank you for the prompt!#bobs burgers #tina belcher #zekina

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lonelypond · 1 year

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Lily White Love

Rin & Umi & Nozomi friendship, Love Live, 1.2K, 1/1

Summary: Tokyo's been gray and snowy, Nozomi's been gloomy.

Lily White Love

A quick phone call between classes.

“I will have her at the rendezvous point at the hour we discussed.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll walk Nozomi to her apartment after school.”

“Oh right.” A pause. “Did you bring the…”

“Of course.”

“Yeah! It’s going to be so much fun.”

“Please restrain your voice. My seat neighbors are curious.”

“Sorry sorry sorry.”

“Goodbye.”

###

Gloomy wrapped Nozomi up easily during winter. After the elation of Snow Halation and their victory and the business of rehearsals, suddenly Nozomi faced an empty afternoon. Eli had to help Alisa with something; the rest of Muse was taking a day off to rest, and Nozomi was left alone with her least favorite time of year, the gray soon to be twilight of a winter afternoon. The luster had gone off the snow, sun hiding behind a cloud, refusing to share any warmth. More snowy powder had drifted down over three days, leaving sizeable borders to any shoveled path.

Eli had hurried off, meeting Alisa at her middle school. Nozomi lingered as long as she could, but then she gathered up her bag, heading to the shoe lockers. She took three steps and a polished, confident voice surprised her.

“Nozomi.”

She turned to see Umi Sonoda, already dressed for the outdoors in coat and scarf, watching her.

“Umi-chan!”

Umi inclined her head, “Would you like to walk home together?”

Umi asked so seriously, Nozomi’s heart fluttered just a little. Umi in gallant mode would make anyone’s heart flutter a little. And then immediately calm those flutters with the friendly concern and caring. Umi had perfected the art of consideration, a gift she offered to her friends.

“Where are Honoka and Kotori?” Nozomi couldn’t help asking, curious, if Umi, like her, had been left behind.

“My guess would be adding to the clutter of the student council office.”

“Shouldn’t you be…” Nozomi didn’t want to say monitoring or restraining them so she opted for a kinder thought, “helping.”

“I am exactly where I had planned to be.”

“Okay.”

Nozomi put on her coat with more pep than before. Umi was usually monopolized by Kotori or Honoka or guiding them through their routines. With the pressure of the Tokyo regionals, all the subunit rehearsals had been changed to extra Muse rehearsals.

###

Umi always seemed impervious to things not Honoka or Kotori, Nozomi realized when she felt surprised to see Umi shiver slightly at a cutting wind. Nozomi was used to cold. She tolerated it, even embraced it for the greater warmth she would feel when she was inside, snuggled up with tea, under something warm. That was on good days. Today, she could feel the gray seeping in, cold dripping into the marrow at the center of her bones. So it seemed could Umi.

“It was this gray when we were rushing to the preliminaries.” Umi announced, “WIth a wind that nearly stole my umbrella. But Honoka pressed forward. And Kotori and I followed.” Umi nodded, pleased with how she was telling the story, now a part of the Muse legend, “It was almost as if as a reward for our diligence, the wind settled, and we could see the friends who’d made our path.”

“You are a poet, Sonoda-sensei.” Nozomi teased.

Umi bowed her head, the corner of her lip curling in the slightest of smug smiles. “I continue to be inspired by my friends.”

A rush of warmth. To be called a friend with affection while teasing the serious and stalwart Sonoda Umi. Of the many surprising things that had happened in this, Nozomi’s last year of high school, that was one of Nozomi’s most prized serendipities.

A whoosh of velocity and a soft ‘ppppppwwww’ as Nozomi felt something impact her chest. She saw Umi rock from impact to and then there was the battle cry that brightened the winter feel.

“Nya-body can dodge Rin’s surprise attack!”

Nozomi realized what had hit them was snowballs, loosely packed powder, and she could see on the edge of the school grounds that the tiny, lively ginger cat had made a pile of them, grabbing two more to toss one after the other, as rapidly as possible. One hit Umi on the cheek, the other Nozomi’s arm.

“You can’t catch me.” Two more tossed in their direction and Rin took off in the direction of the shrine.

“Get back here!” Umi shouted, her pace increasing.

Nozomi reached an arm out, stopping Umi. “I know a shortcut.”

A moment, then a broad grin crossed Umi’s face, “Lead on.”

Nozomi hustled to the left, Umi following.

###

Umi had found a corner with a snow pile in easy reach and was now sniping snowballs at Rin. Nozomi had joined her for a few minutes, but then, arms wide, ran straight at Rin, whose eyes got wider. Nozomi could feel snowballs hit her back, Umi unprepared by her sudden action. Nozomi had gotten faster, reaching Rin before Rin realized she should flee. Nozomi wrapped her arms around Rin, dropping them both into a drift of snow.

Sounding like the breath had been pushed out of her, Rin whined, “Umi! Save me.”

No reply. Nozomi laughed and rolled off Rin, both of them now laying on their backs in the snow, Nozomi holding onto Rin’s hand, “C’mon, Umi, let’s make a three person snow angel.”

“Angels are terrible and wondrous beings.” Umi stood, looming over Nozomi for a minute.

“Flatterer.” Nozomi laughed.

“C’mon, Umi, I want to take a picture for Kayo-chin.”

Umi turned, held her arms out, bent her knees, and rolled back into the snow. Nozomi quickly clasped her hand before Umi could pull it away and the three of them lay there, kicking their legs, staring straight into a sun buried behind layers of gray clouds. Nozomi felt a sudden bubble of joy, that turned into rolling back and forth giggling, first Rin joining her, then Umi.

###

“Nyaw I’m cold.” Rin said quietly. Even though they couldn’t see the sun, they could feel that it was sinking into twilight’s horizon.

“We’re not that far from my place. You can warm up and have tea.” Nozomi said, sitting up.

Umi was the first on her feet, brushing snow off everything and then offering each of the other women a hand, pulling them up easily.

“I packed a very toasty Hōjicha, along with daifuki and manju from Homura.”

Nozomi made a shocked noise, her hand going to her chest, “You planned this.”

“We did.” Rin was bouncing, “You seemed extra gloomy so me and Umi thought we should have a Lily White snow and tea party.” Rin bumped Nozomi, “And you’re smiling. So we did good, right, Umi?”

Umi glanced to Nozomi, who nodded, “I believe we did, Rin.”

“You did great.” Nozomi grabbed both of them, pulling them into crushing hugs, whatever coldness was melting into her back through her coat nothing compared to the warmth of the caring she felt from the two friends next to her.

“Lily White PAR-TEA!!!!!” Nozomi did a small dance, Umi and Rin half following her steps.

“Yeah!!!!! Lily White! PAR-TEA! We are the BEST!” Rin shouted in agreement, drawing notice from pedestrians, as she wrapped Nozomi in another hug.

Umi let Nozomi squeeze her in tighter, grinning as they all laughed.

A/N: Idol Fanfic Heaven is having a Gen-uary event. I just like the Lily White dynamic; it's unexpected.

#Lily White #Gen Fic #sonoda umi #hoshizora rin #nozomi tojo #winter #snowball fight #friendship

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casualreginaspectator · 1 year

Text

it's strange how much I write from discomfort, even if I don't recognize it. how even those those two-odd months, which were so painfully beautiful in so many ways, left me so worried, disparaged, confused, and cold. how someone I love, unbearably, slowly eroded my smile. I can't say he didn't make me happy, at times. because he did, he still does. he means everything to me. but he runs about himself with a shadow, has since the beginning. he's the boy I've always tried to fix, always wanted to fix. but I couldn't even keep him from my pain, so maybe it's time to let go. love him, from a distance.

but I started writing on here at the beginning of him. and now that the end of him has come and gone around, I find myself rather at a loss for words.

I shouldn't be. the boy from before, the boy who is both first, second, and third, he's back in my life, and it's so, so so wonderfully better. I am so full of peace. and I'm smiling again, the kind of smile that throws your head back, eyes creased closed, mouth slightly agape. it is as much a full-bodied laugh as it is orgasmic; it is the sigh of relief that comes after holding your breath in too long. it is elation. but if I am so happy, so comfortable, so at terrible ease, what's keeping me from memorializing it? etching it in stone, in ink, in marker against my wall? that pretty boy I almost fell in love with last summer, I could write about him just fine. but was I not so uncertain then, too? wasn't I always left wondering? that's what my writing shows. discomfort makes me write poetry. I wrote endless poetry about that boy.

I know I'm not alone with this. my firstsecondthird, he's told me time and time again how the songs he writes are always sad. he wrote a song about me, when he was still the first, or afterwards at least, and he wrote it so bittersweet, so slow. my head spun around in spider thin circles after he played it to me, winding me almost nearly to the point of tears. I held him so tight, unblinking, remembered how my heart dropped as soon as he started singing. how it continued to overflow and unravel after every line. how it hurt like love sometime does, even if it's not love at all. how deeply I understood his care for me. his comfort, his shape.

I do write to joy. when I do, I talk about nature. I talk about the sun. I talk about life.

I've had more people compare me to the sun, or sunshine, in some way or another this last month more than ever before. a little ray of sunshine. I think I really am so happy. people can feel it too.

he wants to write another song about me, a happy one. how do you write a love song that is happy, but isn't cheesey? how do I write about the incredible ways I feel about him without sounding so cliche.

this man is everything,

he is green,

he feels like, like maybe firecrackers, but firecrackers in a snow globe, a warm snow globe,

oh I don't know

I don't consider this poetry. but any uncertainty I feel is curiosity, and hope. or it's things I don't know, things I don't understand, things from my past that would spin me for a loop anyways. I'm not worried.

maybe it'll go somewhere, maybe it won't. but gods above, isn't it worth it if I'm happy. isn't it worth it if he only kisses my cheek when I ask him to, doesn't touch me if I ask him not to, doesn't call me sweetheart, doesn't question my sexuality, doesn't care that I know so little. he read my essay right away. instantly, he knew my pain. so isn't it so, so just, god maybe I can call it perfect here, that he also makes me feel joy? peace? and isn't it worth it because he makes me hot chocolate? asks about my passions and feelings? makes me music? isn't it all worth it when he pulls me closer by the waist of my jeans to kiss me in the elevator, when he lets me in when I ask him questions, when he smiles, oh, oh when he smiles all of it makes sense.

isn't it worth it if he's not worth wasting poetry over?

#journal #thoughts #writing #women writers #female writer #female writers #writer things #writers and poets

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en-amours · 3 years

Text

loser (affectionately).

☼ park sunghoon x reader; pure fluff, established relationship au.

sometimes, the definition of love is really just laughing over your soulmate nearly falling on their face and challenging them to a racing competition in a public ice rink (where everyone is prone to accidents).

warnings: none

notes: this is what happens when you indulge too much in what was supposed to be just a quick bullet scenario but kept on returning to it until it became a full-fledged drabble :D this is sunghoon’s part in the “ooh, you wanna kiss me so bad” req i’m writing! hope y’all enjoy <3

♡ — taglist: @yoshinung @cyberhwng (tumblr won’t let me tag y’all for some reason :<) @stargirlstories @lovelycharm05 @honeyju

wordcount: 1.1k

Being with Park Sunghoon feels like getting whisked into the streets of a city brimming with life and light; like witnessing the first breath of winter unfurl upon the shimmering rooftops of your hometown; the sweet rush of euphoria as the wind breaks through your hair on impulsive afternoon drives, skyline in view—it’s been two summers, but he still takes your breath away like the first time you met on that lonely spring day.

You cannot describe half of the magic he invokes in your chest when you meet his eyes, when he intertwines his hands with yours as he walks with you along the streets populated with fragrant honeysuckles into the quaint café tucked behind the old bookstore downtown, when you see his eyes turn into crescent moons in a solemn spot beside the Han River, or any moment you share with him in these spontaneous little meet-ups when time finally decides to spare a little mercy to one more pair of starcrossed lovers. Even if you try, there is nothing more impossible than describing all the things Sunghoon makes you feel.

That and you think he’s an absolute monster for laughing at you as you try to avoid your near-death, you hurl your glove at his face, holding onto the rare space near the railings in your town’s public rink, and Sunghoon’s laughter ceases as your glove hits him square in the face.

“Deserved,” you state, gaining enough balance to push away from the barrier, you deliver a gentle slap to his shoulder with a half-hearted glare. “Boyfriends are supposed to help you out when you nearly get run over by a group of prepubescent kids, not laugh at your demise.”

“I just thought that your vision wasn’t as bad as I thought it was,” he reasons with a smug smile, putting your glove back on, but his hand doesn’t leave yours. “Plus, weren’t you an athlete before?”

“I haven’t been on the ice since the ninth grade, genius,” you huff, “it won’t come rushing back to me after a minute of skating around.”

Gently, Sunghoon pulls you closer, and you will never get used to seeing his eyes in close proximity, how they sparkle softly beneath the blinding luminance of a thousand dangling lights, yet you think it isn’t the lights that’s making him brighter. Your breath hitches, and he breaks into a smile. “But you’re okay now, right?”

“Y-Yeah. Why? What’s up?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to make sure,” he shrugs, and you try to assess his nonchalance, but he is skillful in calibrating his façade so you drop your efforts, and as snow graces the world in gentle whirls, joy paints his ribs golden and his heart plays a rapid boomboomboom because he’s seeing his two greatest loves together and warmth settles between his ribs and says, I am home.

—————

Ten minutes have never felt this short before.

Quietly, you marvel over the unbridled excitement that glazes Sunghoon’s eyes, that pools in his palms and taints his cheeks in a lovely glow. His steps are a ghost of all the programs he’s inscribed into his bones, he flashes you a grin after he performs a spin, and you’re about to commend him when a kid whizzes past you at Sonic-level speed, hysterical with laughter. Thus begins the formation of an idea.

“...woah,” Sunghoon breathes out as returns beside you, but both of your eyes still follow the kid, “I hope they don’t slip—or accidentally run over someone’s hand.”

“Yeah… that’d be disastrous,” there’s a clip of anticipation in your tone, and Sunghoon shares an expectant look with you. Silence. But then you ask:

“Wanna race me?”

He starts bolting along the sides of the rink without warning, the implication of a competition enough to propel him forward without any remorse; with an outraged cry, you follow suit.

(In hindsight, maybe going against a former speed skater is a bad idea but Sunghoon would rather lick the pavement than let you—his universe, the love of his life—think that he was giving up easily.)

You catch up to him quickly, the cold wind biting your cheeks raw, but hearing Sunghoon’s laugh feels like liquid electricity in your veins. “You know you’re going to lose so hard, right?”

“As if I’d ever let that happen,” he huffs, nimbly dodging a wobbly couple, and you chuckle softly.

“It’s cute how you think you can beat me.”

Your words add more coal to the fire, but part of Sunghoon is surreptitiously delighted that you think he’s cute. “Ooh, you just wanna kiss me so bad, don’t you?”

After two minutes you end up beating him anyway, and you come up to him with a grin that makes him think he can hold the world in his bare hands (are you even aware of the things you do to him? And even if you are, would you still have been this cruel?).

“I told you so,” you grin, hands fixing your scarf; Sunghoon sees the little chips and scars littering your skin, and he realizes that he’s grown to love everything about you all the same—he adores all of you. and he hates that he does. He hates how he loves you so much (he doesn’t).

“Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to rub it in my face.”

You laugh at him softly, reaching out to brush his hair out of his eyes. his panting has transmuted into quiet breaths, and he is just as captivating as the first time you saw him—you let your hands fall to his waist, fingers dancing along to a vague holiday tune playing over bass-boosted speakers. Sunghoon traces your jaw, and he retracts his hand because his touch might make you colder, but your own one shoots up to keep his in place, wanting to keep him closer.

“You were right,” you whisper, half-defeated, half-elated by this revelation: “I do wanna kiss you. So, so bad.”

There it is again: that stupid, toothy grin of his. You didn’t ever think you would ever learn to love someone like this, but boy, you’ve fallen hard.

(Little do you know that Sunghoon has, too.)

He presses his lips against yours, softly, tentatively, and though maybe the world is just a speck of light in a macrocosm of galaxies, you are worth more than that.

You are worth everything.

When you pull away, Sunghoon laughs incredulously at your expression. “What's with the face? I thought you won?”

“Yeah, I did, but I’m also a loser in a way,” you frown, glaring half-heartedly at your soulmate.

“How so?”

“It’s you, idiot. I’m a loser for you,” a sigh leaves your mouth, and Sunghoon giggles; he places your foreheads together, and there is nothing more beautiful than him.

“That's alright, you and I can be losers together.”

#enhypennetwork #enhypenwriters #enhypen #enhypen x reader #park sunghoon #park sunghoon x reader #enhypen scenarios #enhypen imagines #enhypen fluff #park sunghoon imagines #park sunghoon fluff #enhypen sunghoon #this one’s for u sunghoon stans + ppl who have a massive crush on him

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angryschnauzer · 3 years

Text

Just What I Need

Summary; Working in a coffee shop you meet all sorts of people, but one customer in particular is always friendly, a local Detective from the nearby precinct. When one night he orders through a delivery service rather than in store, you get more than a tip when you make the delivery.

Fandom; Nomis (Night Hunter) Movie, Henry Cavill

Pairing: Detective Walter Marshall x Female Reader (no race or size specified)

Trope: Coffee Shop Meet Cute

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Flirting, Masturbation (male), Oral Sex (female recieving), unprotected sex, Vaginal Sex, Snowstorms.

I do not operate a tag list but instead please pop over and follow @angryschnauzerwrites and put that blog onto notifications, then you’ll get an alert every time i post a new story. My Masterlist got too long and tumblr ate it, so all my past stories can also be found on my AO3, link HERE

A/N: I am considering expanding this story, depending if people like it and want me to? Let me know! <3

Just What I Need

Running the steam through the coffee machine you wiped the nozzle and smiled, there were just fifteen minutes until closing and the coffee shop you worked at was all but abandoned. Just your manager in the back counting the cash takings, and you were getting ready to box up the remaining muffins and cookies for the homeless shelter volunteer to collect dead on closing time.

You didn’t mind working the late shift, in fact you preferred it over the early shift opening up at 7am. The 7am crowd were grumpy, rude and always in a rush. The 7pm customers were tired, quiet, and always thankful for whatever caffeinated delights you provided them with.

The bell over the door rang as it opened and you looked up over the cups that were stacked on top of the machine, smiling at you saw the weary familiar face coming towards you;

“Good Evening Detective” you smiled as the beast of a man stood at the counter. His face softened as he saw you, his shoulders dropping a little as he relaxed.

“Hey… Sorry I’m in so late… you’re still open, right?”

You glanced at the clock;

“Another ten minutes. What can i get you?”

You watched as he cast his gaze up to the handwritten chalkboard menu’s above the counter;

“You got any Chilli left?”

“Sure, a couple of pots in the fridge. Want me to warm it up?”

He paused for a moment, as if trying to process the most technical question through his tired mind;

“No… yes… urghhh…” he took a deep breath; “Yeah… if you wouldn’t mind. I’m so fuckin’ tired i think I’d burn my apartment down if i tried to use the stove”

“Sure thing” you said with a smile as you got to work.

You made small talk as you prepared his order, pulling out the sides and condiments that came with the Chilli meal;

“Hey, you want a free muffin?”

“I’m not really into sweet things this late at night… what flavours you got?”

“How about an Apple Cinnamon? It’ll last overnight and still be fresh enough for breakfast”

The Detective smiled and nodded, pulling his wallet out as you finished bagging his order and rang it through for him, paying before you handed the bag to him;

“Have a good evening Detective”

As he turned he smiled at you;

“Call me Walter”

Three days later and you were on the late shift again. Again it was quiet, just the soft sound of tyres driving through slushy snow outside the only noise since around 6pm as just a couple of customers nursed steaming mugs of coffee from their window seats. You saw the big silver truck pull up in the space outside the coffeeshop and smiled, there was only one customer that drove a truck that huge and if you were being honest with yourself you were developing quite a crush on the curly haired Detective.

The moment he walked through the door you were smiling at him;

“Detective” you greeted him happily

“Didn’t i say to call me Walter last time i was here?”

“I like Detective, has a nice authority ring to it” you said with a wink; “What can i get you tonight?”

He paused for a moment, and as you reached for a notepad to jot down his order you missed the slight eyebrow raise and smirk at what you’d said before he cleared his throat;

“What have you got that i can eat in my office without facing the wrath of my Lieutenant for making the department stink?” he said with a grin as he leaned on the counter.

“I got Mozzarella and Pesto Subs? Tuna Melt?”

“Tuna is a no. The case isn’t going well, no fish. Gimme two Mozzarella Subs, and the largest black coffee you do”

“Sure thing. I’ll put a fresh pot on and get those sub’s on the press”

As you started to prepare his order his phone rang, and you couldn’t help but to listen in;

“... i’ll be like five minutes, i ain’t eaten all day… yeah ok… i’ll grab a box…”

He hung up and nodded to the cakes;

“Can i get a dozen muffins to go too? Got some grunts that are jealous that i got to escape the paperwork…”

“Sure thing”

Loading a box you picked what you knew were the best flavours and the freshest bakes;

“You know, we’re on Uber Eats. As much as its nice to see a friendly face, we can deliver to the Precinct”

“I… I have no idea what that is…”

“Its a food delivery app. Here, give me your phone…”

He unlocked it and set it down and rested his elbows on the counter as he watched;

“You go to the app store and just download it. Put in your location and it’ll bring up nearby eateries and you can search for us. It has all the standard menu on. Save your card details or link it to paypal, and its super easy, it even keeps you updated when the order is being prepared or its out for delivery”

He smiled as you pushed the phone back to him, locking the screen and pushing it back into his tight jeans;

“That’s all well and good, but then i wouldn’t get a chance to see my favourite coffee shop girl now, would i?”

You leaned forward and grinned, keeping your voice low;

“Order between 6.45 and 7pm and i snag the deliveries and do them on my way home”

Walter pushed the key into the lock, opening the door to his apartment and groaning as his body ached from tiredness. He should be elated, they caught the killer, the evidence was logged and couldn’t be disputed… and yet he was tired to his core. He’d been at his desk for longer than he’d been home, and when the Lieutenant had finally ordered him to go him a little after 5pm, it had still taken him the better part of an hour to finish up and leave the building.

Shutting the door behind him he felt his stomach rumble. He didn’t even need to look in the fridge to know it was completely empty, devoid of anything even vaguely edible. Checking his phone he saw that it was a little after 6.30pm and a thought fired across his mind, a smile forming. Fifteen minutes later he’d added far more to his online basket than he ever would have done in store, but for the first time he was able to see exactly what the creations were whereas in the store it was just a big pile of weird looking cakes and bakes. By 6.50pm he’d entered his card details and completed the order, the little update screen stating delivery would be by 7.30pm, just enough time to grab a shower, after all if it was you that would deliver, he should probably shower for the first time in 72 hours having rushed out of the apartment three mornings in a row due to new leads in the case.

The shower was far too enjoyable to rush, and after he’d washed his hair he started on his body, soaping over his chest and stomach before he paid extra attention to his dick. The anticipation of just the possibility of seeing you had him hard in seconds, and resting his head back against the tiled wall he quickly worked his hand over himself. He got lost in the moment, his mind taking him to places it shouldn’t, imagining his hand was yours, thinking about that time he saw you wearing over the over the knee knit socks and a skirt, how your ass was the perfect roundness, how your lips would look stretched around his dick… he came with a groan, thick white ropes falling to the shower floor as every ounce of stress left his body, his body shuddering when he was finally spent.

He was halfway through drying himself when he heard a knock at the door to his apartment, he eyes going wide when he saw it was 7.20pm;

“Fuck!”

He’d gotten carried away in the shower, and now he had to quickly rush to wrap a towel around his waist as a second knock came just as he reached the door, taking a deep breath before opening it and seeing you standing on the doorstep shivering in your padded coat, holding two takeout bags;

“Hey! Come in, come in, Jeez its freezing out there…”

Stepping into the apartment you couldn’t help but to look him up and down, attempting to hide your reaction as you could clearly see the distinct outline of something rather large bulging against the fabric of the fluffy white towel;

“Hey D-d-detective… Y-y-yeah it’s d-d-dropping fast out t-t-there… radio s-s-said it was g-g-gonna be a wind chill of minus t-t-twenty nine by eight o’clock… what a n-n-night to have my b-b-bike, huh?” You carefully dropped the two bags onto his coffee table as you spoke.

“You cycled here? On that pedal bike that is always chained up outside the coffee shop?” he asked incredulously, immediately forgetting his current state of undress. Shutting the door he immediately wrapped his arms around you, pulling you to his chest; “You’re gonna stay here until you’re warmed up, i’m gonna make you a hot coffee and to warm you up from the inside too...”

“I ain’t gonna complain to that” you mumbled, your face pressed to his chest as you suddenly melted against him, warming your cheek against his firm muscles before turning your head to warm the other one and he let out a little gasp as your cold hands pressed against his sides.

“I also said for you to call me Walter…” he said quietly.

Pulling your head back you smiled at him;

“Thank you, Walter. You’re the best… though you’re the first delivery i’ve made where i’ve been greeted by someone in just a towel”

“Sorry, let me go put some clothes on…”

You tighten your grip around his waist;

“I wasn’t complaining…”

There was no poignant pause, no longing gazes, his lips met with yours and the kiss was fierce and hungry. He was pushing your coat down your arms and you reluctantly released your hold from his waist to let it drop to the floor, your sweater following soon after. Your lips met again and he was lifting you, wrapping your legs around his waist as his hand rested on your ass beneath your skirt as he walked you through the apartment before dropping you on his bed.

He was pulling your boots off your feet as you scrambled up the bed, your hands reaching for your thigh high socks when he suddenly caught your hands in his;

“Leave those on…”

You paused and grinned, before his lips met yours again and he was on top of you, his hands sliding up your skirt and bunching it around your waist as he pressed a trail of open mouthed kisses down the valley of your breasts and over your stomach, before briefly lifting his head enough to pull your panties down your legs and toss them aside.

As he lowered his mouth to your core his gaze was intense, vivid blue shining through the dim light of his bedroom, his tongue pushing through your soaked petals and parting them as his beard brushed against your skin, heightening all of the sensations. Wrapping his arms around your thighs he pulled you closer to his mouth, his tongue pushing into you and he started to fuck you with it whilst his bearded face tickled your clit. You were squealing and struggling to stay still, needing to anchor yourself on something as your hips bucked and your orgasm started to rapidly approach, your hands finding their way to his still wet hair and your fingers wrapping around the dark curls as he pressed a hand to your stomach to keep you still, growling at your taste on his tongue as he felt you shake as your orgasm took over.

When your body had finally stopped shaking Walter pressed a chaste kiss to the inside of each of your thighs before he sat back on his haunches, licking his lips where he could still taste you on them. Pushing yourself up onto your elbows you grinned at him, your gaze travelling down his thick chest to his stomach, and the trail of hair that led beneath the towel;

“You gonna show me what you’ve got under that towel, Detective?”

“You ready for what i’ve got under this towel darlin’?”

Pushing yourself up to sitting, your legs spread and bent either side of him, you hooked a finger into the towel and tugged, your eyes going wide when you saw his thick meaty cock standing hard and proud between his muscled thighs. Wrapping your hands around it you relished the feel of his silky skin as it moved over the hardness beneath, your mouth against his;

“I need you inside me”

“I… Fuck… this wasn’t planned… i haven’t got any protection…”

“I’m on birth control, I want to feel you bare…”

With a growl he surged forwards, capturing your lips with his own before he pushed you down onto the bed. Holding himself up on one hand he hooked your leg up over his hip, opening you like a winter blossom as he rubbed his dick through your soaked folds, dousing himself with your slick wetness. You whined at the teasing, the way his tip would brush against your hole only to move up to your clit;

“Walter, please… you promised to warm me up from the inside…”

He paused, a smirk on his face;

“You want me to get you a coffee? ‘Cos i can stop…”

“NO, i need your diiiiiiiiii….FUCK!” He’d pushed into you as you were mid sentence, the feeling of his meaty girth splitting your walls wide open overwhelming you and your eyes rolled back in their sockets; “OH MY GOD!”

“You like that Darlin? You feeling warmer now?”

“Please… please fuck me…”

He grinned and shifted his hips, grinding into you;

“Well, as you said please…”

You had been expecting him to pound you into the mattress, you had not been expecting for his technique to start off with sensual rolls of his hips, filling you tenderly and carefully whilst you got used to his size. It was almost overwhelming, completely surrounded as he caged you in with his massive arms, his chest pressed against your own as his hips worked utter magic. He pulled his legs wide apart, shifting to rest on your open hips and he got even deeper. Pressing kisses to your lips and neck he soon had you moaning and begging for release, every push and pull hitting just the right spots and you were almost embarrassingly wet from the arousal but it only added to the sensations.

You could feel yourself coming, the pleasure too much to hold back, and with a long low moan your body betrayed you and succumbed to the orgasm that had been building in the pit of your belly. Walter kept up the same speed of his thrusts but pushed a little harder, a little deeper with each one;

“Can feel you fluttering around me, you gonna cum for me? You look so fucking beautiful all fucked out and wanting, feel so fucking amazing…”

Just as your orgasm was at its peak he tensed and you could feel his cum flooding into you, the twitching of his dick as he filled you with his seed prolonging your high. When you had both finally finished you could feel his weight start to get heavier on top of you, before with a sudden and surprising act of nimble dexterity he rolled the pair of you over so you were laying atop of him, his softening dick slipping out and you felt the trickle of his seed flow out of you. With one massive hand he pulled the duvet across your bodies, and you snuggled up to his chest;

“That was the best tip ever” you giggled; “In fact definitely more than the tip”

At that moment you not only heard but felt his stomach growl, looking up and seeing him grin sheepishly as he spoke;

“I just want you to know this is not how i usually treat food deliveries… do you want something to eat? Or drink?”

Nodding you smiled;

“That'd be nice”

A while later you were cleaned up, Walter having given you one of his massive t-shirts to wear which came to the tops of your thighs. He’d grazed through half the contents of his order as you nibbled on a muffin, having eaten at the coffee shop during a very quiet last hour of your shift. You’d laughed and chatted as the pair of you had eaten on the comfort of Walters couch, before you’d suddenly stopped mid sentence;

“Shit, i left my bike in the lobby… will it be safe there until i go home?”

Walter smiled at you, his hand curling around your thigh;

“Have you heard that weather out there? I’d be surprised if you could even ride it home through three foot of snow…” he paused for a moment; “Stay the night…”

You went to object, decline politely but you caught yourself, why? Why shouldn’t you spend the night? Taking a deep breath you smiled;

“I’d love to”

_____________________________________________

Part 2 >>>

#walter marshall #walter marshall x reader #walter marshall x you #henry cavill #walter marshall smut #walter marshall fanfiction #walter marshall fanfic

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tomtenadia · 3 years

Text

Be my Cytosine

Rowaelin month day 12 - delayed love confession

Ok, today’s title is a weird one. If you have a knowledge of basic biology you will know that DNA has four nucleobases called Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C) and Thymine (T). You should also know that C always pairs with G and A pairs with T but in RNA A cheats on T with Uracil. This should help to understand the confession at the end. In the fic Rowan is a geneticist... ( a field your truly finds extremely fascinating).

Apologies for the biology lesson. I felt I had to give an explanation for the weirdness of the title which is, by the way, also a play on the phrase Be my valentine...

Anyway... enjoy it!

Aelin was at the pub waiting for Rowan. He had texted her to meet him at their pub. She had a tiring day at work and was more than happy to finish off the day at the pub with her best friend.

Aelin was a high school teacher and Rowan was a scientist. He worked in a lab as a geneticist.

They had friends in common, and they met through them but their beginnings had been turbulent. The man had confessed he hated her guts and she had admitted she was not his fan either. The animosity had lasted for about a year. Then something shifted and slowly their relationship settled and they became friends. Until the she broke up with Chaol, he kicked her out of the flat and Rowan had been the first one to offer her his spare bedroom. So they became flatmates and the friendship blossomed even further to the point she could now call him her best friend.

What she had never had the guts to tell him was that she had been in love with him for a while now. But she had kept it to herself. They lived together and it might complicate everything between them. So she had pined in silence. Not even her friends knew about her secret.

Rowan was looking forward to meet Aelin at the pub. He had big news and she was the first person he wanted to share it with.

The job offer had been the culmination of years spent on books, his PhD years spent in labs day in and day out and then his currently living in a lab. but all of the sacrifices had finally paid off. He had been offered the position as a lead scientist in Doranelle as a part of the research team at the country’s most prestigious hospital. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.

He had spent the day in a daze.

Now he was driving and he hoped she would be happy for him.

Once at the pub he parked and finally walked in. He scanned the venue and finally spotted her blonde hair. She was sitting at a table with two pints in front of her.

“I got your favourite as soon as you told me you were five minutes out. Still nice and cold.

They clinked their glasses and Aelin took a huge gulp of her beer.

“Long day at work?” He mused at the avidity with which she drank the first gulp.

“Teenagers and their drama…” she explained “and on top of that, parents who think they can tell you how to do the job that you have been doing for the past ten years.”

“Just tell them to fuck off.”

“Says the man who works all day with petri dishes and DNA. They at least don’t talk back to you.”

Rowan chuckled “DNA mutating might be its way to tell me to fuck off.”

Aelin snorted so hard at the joke, while she was taking a sip that she had inhaled a bit of the beer and was now coughing after the drink went down the wrong pipe.

Rowan patted her back and she coughed a bit more.

“Are you okay?”

Aelin nodded “sorry I just imagined a DNA strand unfolding and in cartoon style morph back into a middle finger in the microscope.”

This time was the turn of Rowan to laugh. She loved that dynamic of theirs. She had even brushed up on some of her high school biology to make jokes. Once for Samhain she had dressed up as a Punnett square. Rowan had laughed for then minutes, then went and corrected it, saying that the combinations were incorrect.

Rowan cleared his voice and the atmosphere shifted all of a sudden “I got a big news today.”

Aelin grinned “Spill you heterozygote beans, Whitethorn.”

“I got a job offer.” He admitted, taking a sip of his beer “An hospital in Doranelle has offered me a lead scientist position for their project on genetic mutations. They read all my papers on a specific disease and its onset. Now they want me to work in one of their state of the art labs.”

Aelin gasped. That was an incredible opportunity. She knew how hard he had worked to get where he was and the job offer was the reward for all the time he had sacrificed and personal life as well. He and Lyria had dated for a couple of years until she left him because he was more dedicated to her job than her.

And if a part of Aelin was elated for him, the other, the selfish one, was hurting. He would leave. He would have a brand new successful life in Doranelle. Away from her. It hurt.

“Ro, that is absolutely amazing,” she hugged him hard and tried to hide the ache in her heart.

“I will need to leave in two weeks. I can move the lease of the flat to your name, I— ”

Aelin shushed him “let’s just celebrate tonight.” He nodded and toasted to a new adventure.

Two weeks later

Aelin had begged Rowan to let her drive him to the airport. He had tried to convince her that he was happy to take a taxi, but Aelin had been stubborn and now she was helping him unload his luggage from the trunk of her car.

Her heart was racing. The previous night she had cried herself to sleep. The idea of him leaving her for good was killing her.

She accompanied him to check-in and forced herself to calm the tears that were now threatening to spill.

And when he started walking to the security area, the place where she knew she’d have to eventually say good bye to him, she froze.

Rowan noticed she had stopped “What’s wrong, fireheart?”

Aelin looked up at him, tears finally broke free “I love you.” She sobbed. “Rowan Whitethorn, I love you. You are the C to my G.” She let out a wet chuckle “not A since it cheats on T with U.”

Rowan laughed.

“What I am trying to say is that is you. Only you. And I know it’s the wrong time because you are going away to your dream job, but I had to tell you.” She was now sobbing and Rowan pulled her to his chest “you are the most amazing woman I ever met and I don’t deserve you.” He pulled back but kissed her on the forehead “be happy, Aelin.”

And he slowly walked away from her. Aelin watched at him disappear through the barriers. Never looking back. Aelin cried and cried. She stared at the screen watching the message switching from Boarding Now to Gate closed. She sat on a chair in the waiting are and let her desperation take over.

It was half an hour later when she heard a voice call her name. She hadn’t moved from her chair, she just could not leave.

It couldn’t be. He was on a plane.

She stood and turned and saw Rowan standing near the chair with his duffel bag on his shoulder.

“Rowan?” She breathed, her voice shaken by sobs “the plane.”

“I got off the plane.” He chuckled “and pissed off a lot of people since now they have to unload my luggage.”

“You got off the plane.”

He nodded again and took a step to her “I sat at my seat and all I could think was your confession. And realised that I have been an idiot.” He took her hand “I love you, Aelin. You are as well the C to my G. It took me almost to take off to realise it but better late than never.”

Aelin threw herself in his arms and he held her tight “and where else will I find a woman who uses genetics for a love declaration? That was super hot.” Aelin chuckled while inhaling the scent of pine and snow that was so typically him “what about your job?”

Rowan shrugged “my boss was quite gutted at losing me. I guess they will be happy when I phone tomorrow and tell them that I am happy to go back if they still want me.”

“But—” Rowan shushed her with a kiss.

“No buts, I have no regrets. This is the right choice.” And he kissed her.

A few minutes later a voice called him “Mr Whitethorn.” He turned and saw an airport attendant carrying his luggage.

“Thank you, and I am sorry.”

The man grunted something and walked away.

Aelin grabbed one of the bags and his hand and they walked out.

“Let’s be clear, I blame oxytocin.”

Rowan stopped and pulled her to him and then lifted Aelin in his arms, not caring about all the hundreds of people around them.

“I love you, Aelin Galathynius.”

#rowaelinmonth #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #rowan x aelin #rowaelin #fluff

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ladydaemon · 3 years

Note

hi could you do headcanons that are set in the grishaverse and after KoS and RoW abt nikolai and readers(she/her pronouns) wedding and what happens the day before, day of, and after. thank you

A/N: so i haven't read ROW yet,,,,, i'm sorry y'all but i'm broke af and am waiting for it to come out in softcover so this is an AU where everything with the darkling and shit doesn't happen and there's no demon but the characters are there??? if that makes sense

Warnings: swearing, innuendos because nikolai lantsov, i think that's it

okay so it's the day before

the past five months have been the most exhausting ever

nikolai has been doing the guest list and making sure there are guards at every entrypoint

and picking out the decorations because we all know his taste is immaculate

you've been making sure the staff is on point, picking out exactly what color rose you want, and making the plan for what's going to be a ten-course meal (while trying not to serve anything that will offend the foreign missionaries)

genya and nina have been planning the honeymoon of course

you and nikolai are not allowed to know anything about it

anyways, its the day before, and its honestly not as hectic as you thought

its kinda like the calm before the storm

it's starting to freak you out

and you're in your room that's made for a queen, freaking out about becoming a queen, and also knowing with absolute certainty that something about to go wrong

and then

lo and behold

the man in question slips into your room

and he has the most worried look on his face and you want to cry because he's going to say something horrible like he wants to take the proposal back or the giant ice sculpture of vasily fell down

you actually wouldn't mind the last one but-

but he just sits on the bed next to you and hugs you and buries his face in your hair

because of course he knows that you're about to tear you hair out with nervousness

and that would be bad considering that this is pretty much a global event

and oh look you're spiraling down again

and you're just wondering why the fuck would the literal king of ravka want to marry you

when nikolai heaves you up and fucking carries you out your window

keep in mind you are at least five stories up

and he's somehow shifted you onto his back

and now he's climbing down the trellis, laughing as you let out a string of curses in various languages

he is laughing

and saints you want to smack him but you're dangling at least fifty feet in the air

no you are not looking at his muscles flexing underneath his shirt why would you do that

and then you're on the ground again and you move to shriek in his face when he kisses you

he kisses you

homeboy legit pins you to the wall

and suddenly you can't think straight and everything you were just worrying about goes fwoop out the window

well you're outside so there isn't really a window but you get what i mean

and now this man has the audacity to smirk and say 'i thought that'd get you stop overthinking'

this time you actually do smack him

he yelps in mock pain and you laugh

and then he chases you around the garden

that is conveniently placed under your room for the night (you are now realizing he planned it all, and aren't sure if you want to kiss him again or smack him again)

and when you're done you sit under a tree and he tugs you into his lap until zoya finds you and separates you for the night

and then nina comes in and slows your heart rate and forces you to go to sleep so that you can look your best because 'it would be inappropriate if i looked better than the bride'

and then you wake up and it's the day of and a herd of servants drag you out of bed at the buttcrack of dawn

and now you're wondering if you can call off the wedding because there should be absolutely no reason to wake up this goddamn early

but genya ushers them out and gives you a tonic while nina fusses over your hair

they help you slip on the giant-ass dress that you look gorgeous in

and then

there's literally nothing to do for the next two hours

zoya and alina slipped in the room and then the girl gang was all together

you played a couple rounds of truth or dare (nothing that couldn't be done in a wedding dress without getting it ruined)

stuff you learned: alina had once broken her leg climbing a tree, nina had once bribed a cook to give her waffles with a button and then burned the kitchen down on accident when the cook had refused, and zoya had gone through a phase where she would steal genya's lipstick and write creepy messages on the tailor's mirror with it

stuff you had to do: give alina your candy stash (you were not happy about this), genya had to give herself bangs, zoya had to fistfight nina, and nina had alina get her cookies from the kitchen

nikolai tried to sneak in a couple times but was forcibly escorted from the hallway every time

nina and zoya frog-marched him back to his room every time before he could see you while alina and genya giggled with you

the girls swooned again at how pretty the lantsov ring looked

and then they got ready

nina is wearing a jaw-dropping red ballgown with an almost inappropriate neckline

genya has on a simple shift dress that's halfway between a carrot color and cream

zoya's wearing a midnight-blue suit with silver cuffs and accents

and alina's wearing a gold dress with a ridiculous amount of tulle

they all look prettier than you and everyone spends half an hour complimenting each other

but then it was time and your stomach dropped into your fancy shoes

and suddenly you were walking down an aisle with zoya on your arm and

then

time

stopped

you don't think you had ever seen nikolai this nervous

in all the years you had known him, you had never seen this expression on his face, this mix of nervousness and anticipation and elation and sheer love

any doubts you had ever had about rushed away in that one instant, when you saw that puppy-dog look on his face, the way his eyes followed you and only you

however you are also noticing how hot he looks in his suit with all the fancy ribbons and medals

and then a thought so ridiculous and unprompted popped into your head and you wanted to laugh

because the term sobachka never fit more perfectly on nikolai

his eyes were wide and he looked vulnerable and innocent

he wouldn't be that innocent later that night in bed though

and then he made a fancy speech and kissed your hand while you looked on adoringly

and then he gave you a chaste kiss while you both said i do and the crowd went nuts, cheering and whooping and hollering

and then this bastard actually booped your nose

everyone awwhed while you blushed furiously

and then you got to throw cake in nikolai's face

it was fun

and then you and the girls started a full-on food fight

zoya nailed you in the tits

and nina somehow got nikolai in the crotch, cackling the whole time

there was frosting in genya's hair and alina was using mal as a human shield

and then the tidemakers melted the ice sculptures to make snow

so the whole party became a cross between a food fight and a snowball fight

and at the end everyone was soaked and covered in food and laughing their asses off

and what you thought was going to be a very stiff and formal meeting turned out to be the best night of your life

#nikolai lantsov x you #nikolai lantsov x y/n #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov #nikolai x reader #nikolai fanfic #dae's requests

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thefinalcinderella · 3 years

Text

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru Chapter 10 - Shooting Star (Part 1)

We finally made it...we’re in the endgame now...

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. My Grandfather’s Clock is a popular song written by Henry Clay Work in 1876. The 2002 version by Ken Hirai was especially popular in Japan

Previous | Next

January 3rd, 5 a.m.

Yuki was in a dimly lit room in the Ashihara Ryokan. He changed into his Kansei University uniform and jersey and picked up his bench coat.

Two hours had already passed since Yuki woke up. After breakfast and a bath courtesy of the ryokan that took place at a time that could be better called late night, Yuki returned to the room where he had spent the night once the food in his stomach digested properly.

It was a night where he wasn’t sure if he had slept or not. However, his mind was clear and lucid. Excitement and tension became sharp blades that pared his body, and he felt somewhat light.

My energy is high, Yuki thought. He had felt the same way when he passed the bar exam. He read the questions for the essay exam and wrote his answer. It was almost funny how the meaning of the questions soaked into his brain, and before he could even think about how to answer them, the answer sheet was filled with words; it was just like automatic writing. He had never been able to output so smoothly what had been inputted into him until that moment, as though his consciousness had become clear and his sixth sense was working.

He knew that the same moment of elation and focus was about to visit his body and mind.

The return leg of the Hakone Ekiden started at 8 a.m. Yuki would slowly warm up over the next three hours, in order to build up his energy levels. It was Yuki’s method to relax and relieve his nervousness for two hours, and then concentrate on warming up for the remaining hour. Ever since the time when he was confronting his bar exam, Yuki preferred to increase the intensity of his concentration at this pace.

The six-mat guest room was completely occupied by the three futons laid out on the floor. Shindou, wearing his mask, was breathing faintly in his sleep. Yuki gently put his hand on his forehead and found it was still a little hot. The landlord was grinding his teeth as he slept soundly.

Yuki lightly folded his futon and put it in a corner so as to not wake them. Standing by the window, he quietly pulled back the curtains: the cozy garden of the ryokan was covered with a light dusting of snow, and ashy snowflakes continued to fall from the dark sky.

Yuki had never been skiing before. He didn’t understand going to the trouble of sticking boards to your feet in a cold place in a cold season. He thought it would be better to spend that time on one’s studies, and more than that, living with a single mother, they had no money to spend on fun.

Can I run down a steep, snow-covered slope? I can’t say I don’t want to run in the sixth leg at this point. Should I have at least experienced skiing if it’s like this?

The window was immediately fogged up by Yuki’s breath. The room was slightly warm from Yuki, Shindou and the landlord's combined body heat.

It’s not just me, Yuki reminded himself. In the past few years, there has never been snow on the roads of Hakone at New Year’s. Most of the runners—no, maybe all of them—have never gone down the mountain roads of Hakone covered in snow. Everyone lacks experience. I can run. I can run.

Chanting that in his mind as though to convince himself, Yuki picked up Kansei’s sash from the alcove. It seemed to still be damp from absorbing the sweat of the five people who had run in the outbound leg.

After carefully folding the sash and putting it in his jersey pocket, Yuki quietly left the guest room.

He walked through the corridor to the front door and saw the ryokan’s proprietress holding a newspaper.

“Oh, you’ve already changed?”

“Yes. I’ll be warming up from now on.”

“Outside?” Looking at the still-dark front of the building, the proprietress furrowed her brow in concern. “It’s minus five degrees right now.”

Yuki had planned to go outside, but he quickly changed his mind. He would have to wait until the temperature rose a little, or his muscles would stiffen up from the cold.

“May I borrow this space?”

He pointed at the empty lobby, and the proprietress graciously said, “By all means.

“Do you want to read the paper? I asked them to deliver it earlier today.”

While reading the newspaper, Yuki sat down on the floor of the lobby and began to stretch. He exhaled and began to relax his muscles and joints.

The paper had a big spread on the outbound leg of the Hakone Ekiden. Bousou University won the outbound leg by a narrow margin. It was a close race where it was impossible to tell if Rikudou University would make a comeback in the return leg, or which school would take the overall victory.

There was also a mention of Kansei under the headline “A Challenge with Only Ten People”. There was a photo of Shindou, unsteady and desperately trying to run on the mountain roads. Yuki opened his legs and brought his upper body down while reading the article.

“With only ten members, Kansei University unexpectedly put on the brakes in the fifth leg. They dropped down drastically in the rankings and ended the outbound leg in eighteenth place. However, with ace runners such as Kurahara, a freshman, and Kiyose, a fourth-year, in the return leg, there are still plenty of opportunities for a comeback. All eyes will be on the development of this small team’s great challenge.”

At the end of the article, there was a signature (布). It’s Nunoda-san, Yuki thought. The reporter Nunoda, who had come to Lake Shirakaba during summer vacation, had continued to keep an eye on Kansei.

There are still more than enough opportunities. We believe that, but it’s reassuring to have a third party say so as well. Yuki put the newspaper on the rack in the lobby and silently worked on stretching.

It was 6 when Shindou appeared in the lobby. He was wearing Musa’s bench coat and a mask. “Good morning,” he said in a hoarse voice, and pushed on Yuki’s back to help him stretch.

“You should be sleeping.”

“I asked Musa to give me a wake-up call because I knew you would be thoughtful like that.” Shindou sat down next to Yuki. “It’s snowing.”

“Yeah.”

The two watched the fluttering snow through the lobby window.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good. What about you?”

“I’m feeling much better.”

Yuki began doing sit-ups. Shindou lightly held his ankles still.

“To tell you the truth,” Yuki murmured, “I’m getting uncomfortably nervous. I want to run away, if I could.”

“I was the same way,” Shindou laughed under his mask. “Why don’t you try listening to some music? I took it from your luggage without asking.”

Yuki took the iPod Shindou gave him and put the earphones in his ears. He listened to his favorite songs for a while, but today, the world of sound was no comfort to Yuki.

“It’s no use.” Yuki tore out his earphones. “When I’m running, it feels like music I don’t like is playing through my head incoherently and endlessly. And it’s music that you can’t even get into! Like My Grandfather’s Clock (1) and stuff like that!”

“You hate it?”

“I don’t like irritating things.”

“I think it’s a good song, though,” Shindou said, and Yuki stood up with a “hmph.” Looking up at Yuki, who was rotating his ankles, Shindou made a suggestion.

“No matter what song plays in your head, you can always arrange it so it’s up-tempo.”

“Shindou, you’re amazing.” Yuki was deeply impressed. “I’m filled with worries. All I can think about are bad things like, what if I fall down the slope, or what if my shoelaces get torn off.”

“Yuki-senpai, you can even aim for the sectional prize.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you’ve always accomplished what you said you would do. Whether it’s the bar exam or the Hakone Ekiden, you said you’ll do it, and you did.” Only Shindou’s eyes were smiling. “So say it this time too. That you’re aiming for the sectional prize.”

As though pushed by Shindou’s quiet force, Yuki said, “I am.”

“Yes, then it’s fine now. You will definitely run a good time.”

Yuki looked down at Shindou, who was nodding in satisfaction, and couldn’t help but laugh.

“I know how useless I was yesterday,” Yuki said. “I knew you were experiencing this pressure before the race, but I couldn’t support you like this.”

“No matter how much support I get, in the end, I’m the only one who can bounce back from the pressure.” Shindou also stood and prompted Yuki. “Let’s jog.” The two put on their shoes at the door and went outside. There was no sign of the sunrise anywhere, but birds were singing in the mountains. The fine snow felt dry against their cheeks.

“But yesterday, you stayed by my side until the very last moment before I started running, Yuki-senpai. That gave me a lot of strength.” Shindou pulled down his mask and breathed in the cold air. “That’s why, I’ll stay with you today. I’ll stay with you until you start.”

Yuki didn’t have any words to respond. He was simply happy, and watched Shindou put his mask back on.

“We’ll freeze if we stay in one spot. Let’s run.”

“By the way, how’s the landlord?”

“He said he’s going to take a morning bath.”

“He’s in a sightseeing mood, that person.”

“His nighttime teeth grinding was very loud, wasn’t it?”

They chatted about trifling things as they jogged, and Yuki and Shindou's white breaths flowed shakily along the dark, snowy lakeside path.

---

Kakeru was feeling restless.

Kiyose was acting strange. When Kakeru invited him to go jogging after breakfast, he refused, saying, “Go ahead. I’ve got a lot of calls to make.”

It’s definitely strange that Haiji-san didn’t do his morning jog. He didn’t seem to sleep well last night either. I wonder if his leg hurts.

After running around Yokohama Station for about thirty minutes, Kakeru decided to go back to the hotel. He could still warm up at the relay station. He had never cut a jog short before, no matter how sick he was, but right now he was worried about Kiyose. He wondered if he was planning on pushing himself too hard. As if spurred on by a bad premonition, Kakeru ran back to the hotel.

In the lobby of the small business hotel, Jouji was opening a sports newspaper while watching the weather forecast on TV. Noticing Kakeru running across the lobby and pushing the button for the elevator, he came up to him and said, “You’re early.

“Your jogging time was unusually short today.”

“Where’s Haiji-san?”

“I think he’s in his room. Prince-san and Hana-chan are organizing their luggage together. I was chased away. I can sense that he’s trying to keep me away from Hana-chan.�� Jouji pouted in dissatisfaction, but Kakeru wasn’t listening anymore. He rode the elevator to the fifth floor. “What’s going on?” Jouji asked as he followed him.

Kansei had three rooms: Kakeru and Kiyose’s room was at the far end of the corridor, Jouji and Prince’s was next to theirs, and Hanako’s room was near the elevator.

After exiting the elevator, Kakeru passed a man in the hallway. He was in his late thirties and carrying a large black bag in his hand. Thinking that it looked like a house call bag, Kakeru turned around with a start. The doors to the elevator the man got into were just about to close.

That wasn’t a guest just now. That was a doctor. Kakeru had a hunch. He must be the doctor who came to examine Haiji-san’s leg.

“Haiji-san!”

Kiyose was sitting by the window near the two beds. He looked up in surprise at Kakeru’s menacing attitude, and Kakeru sprang at him.

“Let me see your leg, let me see it!”

Kiyose fell down onto the bed, pushed by the momentum. Kakeru didn’t care and tried to pull up the cuff of Kiyose’s track pants.

“Just calm down, Kakeru! I’ll explain!”

Jouji was standing in the doorway of their room, watching in amazement as Kakeru and Kiyose grappled with each other. Noticing the commotion, Prince and Hanako came out of the room next door.

When Hanako asked, “What’s this all about?” Jouji tilted his head to the side.

“Uh, I have no idea.”

Kiyose finally pulled Kakeru off of him and beckoned everyone in the doorway to come in. The group that had stayed in Yokohama gathered in the room and sat down on the beds and chairs of their choice.

“Haiji-san, there was a doctor in this room a while ago, wasn’t there?” Kakeru sat on the bed and questioned Kiyose.

“There was,” Kiyose admitted as though he could see that there was no way out of this. “It was the doctor who always examines me. I asked him to make a house call and he gave me some painkillers.”

“The leg you said you injured—did it not heal?” Prince asked in shock. Jouji and Hanako had never even heard that Kiyose was injured, and they looked at each other in disbelief.

“What are you going to do?” It was all Kakeru could do not to let his voice tremble.

“Of course I’m running.”

“Are you okay with being so reckless?”

“If I’m not going to be reckless now, then when?”

“If…” Kakeru hesitated to put it into words. He was afraid that if he said it aloud, it would become reality.

“What if you can’t run for the rest of your life because of your recklessness today?”

He saw Jouji gasp and Prince hanging his head. Hanako didn’t move, only watching the course of Kiyose and Kakeru’s exchange.

Kakeru stared fixedly at Kiyose and waited for a response.

“It would be very painful,” Kiyose’s voice was quiet, and Kakeru knew that he had been thinking about that for a long time already. “But I won’t regret it.”

There’s no stopping him, Kakeru thought. If he were in Kiyose’s position, he would still choose to run.

Kakeru made up his mind. If that’s the case, then there’s only one thing I can do: to put as little burden on Haiji-san as possible, I should gain as much time as I can in the ninth leg.

The silence that enveloped the room was broken by Kiyose's phone ringing. He hung up after a short conversation.

“That was Shindou. The final entries were announced at Lake Ashi. Just as expected, Rikudou put Fujioka in the ninth leg.”

Jouji looked at Kakeru with both anticipation and worry in his eyes. “Okay,” Kakeru murmured. Blood was rushing through his body, and his heart was beating with joy and a fighting spirit; the day had come when they could finally compete in the same place. At the TSU meet in spring, he had only chased Fujioka’s back, but it was finally time to test how fast and strong he had become since then.

“Kakeru, don’t lose the race,” Kiyose said. Kakeru nodded determinedly.

It was past 7 in the morning.

They had to leave the hotel now. From now on, they were to split up: Kakeru and Jouji were going to the Totsuka relay station; Kiyose and Prince were going to the Tsurumi relay station; Hanako was going to Otemachi, the finish line.

“Are you okay with Jouji attending you? I can go with you, if you’d like,” Prince asked Kakeru, but he didn’t understand the intention of his question at all.

“Why? It’s fine as we planned.”

Even though his generous consideration was turned down, Prince didn’t seem offended at all, instead laughing and shaking his head lightly as though to say, “Good grief.”

When they reached the Yokohama Station premises, Kiyose said to Kakeru, “About what you said earlier.

“The situation isn’t as serious as you think. The painkillers are working, and I’m not beyond recovery.”

“Is that really true?”

“Have I ever lied?”

“Quite a lot.”

Kiyose frowned at the sky for a few moments, seemingly recalling his past acts.

“Don’t worry. I’m telling the truth this time,” he smiled. “I’m looking forward to seeing you run at Tsurumi.”

He felt like he wanted to say something to Kiyose—his gratitude, worry, and determination. But they were feelings that would never take shape no matter how many words he spent on them, so Kakeru only said, “I’ll hand you the sash not a second late.”

The group raised their hands a little to say goodbye, and then headed up the stairs to the platform to go to their respective places.

---

8 a.m.

As the starting gun sounded from Lake Ashi, the Bousou runner started running first. One minute and thirty-nine seconds later, the Rikudou runner followed.

One after another, the runners from each school left Lake Ashi with their sashes, with a time difference reflecting the times they had finished at Lake Ashi in the outbound leg. This time, the return leg of the Hakone Ekiden was beginning, heading for Otemachi, Tokyo.

Schools with more than ten minutes of difference from the outbound leg leader, Bousou, would start together ten minutes after Bousou began the return leg. In this year’s race, five schools had to start at the same time: the federation selected team, Eurasia University, Kansei University, Tokyo Gakuin University, and Shinsei University.

Kansei had a time difference of eleven minutes and fifty-three seconds with Bousou. Even though they would start the race simultaneously after ten minutes, the extra one minute and fifty-three seconds would not be discarded and would be automatically added to their overall time. Because of the simultaneous start, the visible order in which the runners were running and their orders by their times might differ from each other for the return leg.

In the return leg, especially for lower ranked teams, the competitors must not only look at the race’s development before their eyes, but also keep in mind the complicated time calculation, and try to fight calmly to raise their actual rankings as much as possible.

I’m made for this, Yuki thought. Rather than competing against others, he preferred to think about how to achieve his goals by developing countermeasures and how to show off his abilities while doing that. The sixth leg of the Hakone Ekiden, the mountain descent, suited his personality; he didn’t have to be misled by the apparent rankings, he just had to use his skills to run down the winding slope against the invisible enemy called time.

Just as he had declared, Shindou stayed by Yuki’s side the entire time before his departure. He helped him stretch, massaged his calves to prevent them from stiffening up in the cold, and conversed with him casually. Thanks to him, Yuki was able to calm his mind and focus on the race.

When the time came to set off, Yuki took off his bench coat and left it with Shindou. The temperature at Lake Ashi was minus three degrees Celsius. There was still powder snow in the air. The road surface was covered in snow and the ruts were frozen. Even with a long-sleeved T-shirt under his uniform, there was no way to prevent the cold from pressing down on him. The lack of wind was the only saving grace.

Jounan Bunka University was the last team that was able to start according to its time difference with Bousou. After being called by the staff member, the teams hurriedly lined up at the start line to start simultaneously.

Yuki looked at the crowd of people next to him. Shindou was almost swallowed up by the waves of spectators, but he was watching Yuki firmly.

“We’ll meet at Otemachi,” Yuki said. It might not have reached him, having gotten lost in the cheers, but Shindou was nodding.

Ten seconds after Jounan Bunka, the runners from the five teams started running at the same time on cue. Yuki’s glasses immediately fogged up from his body heat, but he soon regained his clear vision thanks to the cold wind blowing.

The road surface was covered with a thin layer of snow, making it nerve-wracking to even walk on flat surfaces, but running on it, there was no time to check your footing. Every step he took, the sherbet-like snowflakes bounced off his legs. Even the lightest shoes with the latest features couldn’t prevent the soles from slipping slightly as they kicked the surface.

The first four kilometers from the lakeside road to the highest point of Route 1 were mostly uphill. Of the five teams that had started at the same time, Eurasia was in front and Yuki didn’t hesitate to follow him. When he checked his watch at the first kilometer, his pace was less than three minutes and twenty seconds.

On the way up, he was a little too fast considering the poor road conditions. But if he didn’t go all out here, then there was no way Kansei would be able to improve their ranking in the return leg. Besides, Yuki thought, among the runners assigned to the sixth leg, the Rikudou runner was the only one who has a record of twenty-eight minutes for the ten-thousand meter. In other words, the runners in the sixth leg don’t put much emphasis on speed.

From the highest point to the town of Hakone-Yumoto, almost the entire sixth leg was downhill. Even if your time on flat surfaces wasn’t good, you could still go fast on the downhill if you gathered momentum. What was important was the dexterity to change your running style depending on the ups and downs, a sense of physical balance, and the boldness to run downhill without fear.

Even if he entered the first uphill slope at a somewhat fast pace, he would be able to conserve enough stamina. With this judgement, Yuki didn’t recoil.

They left the lakeside and headed up the path towards the mountains. There was one small up-and-down right before the highest point. As they approached the first descent, Yuki looked at his watch again. Kiyose had instructed him to run at a pace of three minutes and twenty seconds per kilometer on the way up, but he was now going at a pace of three minutes and fifteen seconds per kilometer.

I can do it. He was convinced. His body felt light and he was able to asjust his footwork according to the ups and downs without even thinking about it.

Tokyo Gakuin University and Shinsei University were already about to be shaken off from the lower-ranked group, which was now composed of six schools as it had absorbed Jounan Bunka, who had departed ahead of them.

All Yuki could think about was overtaking as many schools as possible in front of him. The cold didn’t bother him anymore. He climbed to the highest point in one go.

The downhill slope, which stretched for nearly fifteen kilometers, awaited him, meandering on and on beyond the falling snow.

---

“Isn’t he going too fast?”

Watching the portable TV, Kakeru arrived at the Totsuka relay station with Jouji. The screen showed Yuki and the others passing in front of the main gate of the Flower Center, the five-kilometer marker.

“But I heard that the normal pace for the sixth leg is five kilometers in around thirteen minutes?” Jouji said in his usual carefree way, but it didn’t ease Kakeru’s concerns. It was the pace after you got into the descent in earnest—it was hard even for a runner himself to hold back his speed once he was completely going downhill. Once your body got into the rhythm of the descent, it wasn’t impossible to run down a hundred meters in fifteen seconds. In the sixth leg, despite the long distance of 20.7 kilometers, the speed in some places was comparable to that of a short distance run.

However, even though the first five kilometers were uphill and the road conditions weren’t good, he was running in sixteen minutes. Even with Yuki’s running ability, it seemed to Kakeru that this was clearly an excessive pace.

“I’ll call Haiji-san.”

Kakeru took out his phone from his jacket pocket.

“You worry too much,” Jouji said, shrugging a little.

“Yes, this is Kiyose.” The phone immediately relayed Kiyose’s voice along with the bustle from outside. It seemed that he had already arrived at the Tsurumi relay station.

“Are you listening to the radio?”

“Prince’s phone has a TV function. He also found out about it just now. We’re watching it. It’s amazing what you can do with a cell phone these days.”

“Yes. No, not about that…” Prince’s slow pace and Kiyose’s hopelessness with technology made Kakeru feel dizzy. “Isn’t Yuki-senpai running a little too fast?”

“Yeah. I would call the landlord, but there’s no point—the coach cars don’t stay close to the runners on the mountain roads of Hakone.”

“What should we do?”

“There’s nothing we can do. The rest is the descent. It would be foolish to slow down now, so we can only pray that Yuki doesn’t slip and fall,” Kiyose let out a light laugh, as though he had gotten over all his worries. “Anyways Kakeru, make sure to jog and warm up properly. I have to get in touch with Nico-chan-senpai and King now, so we’ll talk later.”

The call ended, and Kakeru let out a sigh.

“I told you it’s fine,” Jouji took the phone from Kakeru. “You need to trust us a little more.”

“Trust, huh,” Kakeru began to rotate his ankles and prepare for a jog. “Come to think of it, Katsuta-san said that too.”

“H-Hana-chan?” Jouji immediately turned red. “Why are you bringing up Hana-chan?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Are you doing that on purpose or are you really that airheaded?” Growing impatient with Kakeru’s pointless reply, Jouji turned to him again. “Hey, you know, I like Hana-chan.”

“I know.”

“You know!? How?”

“Nico-chan-senpai said it on the phone yesterday.”

Even when we’re apart from each other, we can still be overheard just as well as when we’re in Chikusei-sou, Jouji grumbled.

“What about you, Kakeru?” He asked the question he wanted to ask the most: “Is it okay if I confess to Hana-chan?”

Why do you need to check with me for that? It seems that the residents of Chikusei-sou are convinced that I like Katsuta-san. Kakeru, pondering up to that point, felt a jolt to his heart like the feeling of falling during the first stage of sleep.

I like Katsuta-san.

It was partly because he was so dense that he couldn’t even laugh at the twins, but it was a feeling that had been in his heart so quietly and naturally that he hadn’t been aware of it until now.

Kakeru had always kept Hanako’s figure carefully in his memory. The color of her scarf on the night they walked together. The profile of her face when she watched them train under the sky where summer clouds were rising. The first time he saw her, her thin back as she pedalled her bike through the shopping district.

Kakeru was looking at Hanako. And all that time, her eyes and thoughts were solely on the twins.

“Now I get it.”

Kakeru was shocked at his feelings that had finally become clear.

“…What are you talking about?” Jouji nervously asked, seemingly thinking that it was creepy how he had suddenly zoned and then nodded to himself.

“No,” Kakeru shook his head. “I think you should just confess to her.”

It wasn’t an act of bravado, but a feeling of clarity. He was sure that Hanako would be happy to know Jouji’s feelings. Perhaps she would be equally pleased with a confession from Jouta, and there might be a quarrel there. But that wasn’t Kakeru’s business.

This wasn’t a competition. Hanako’s heart belonged to her. Jouji’s heart belonged to him as well. It was the same as how Kakeru’s heart only belonged to him. It was a domain that was free from all standards and measures, something no one could steal or bend.

It was satisfying to know that there was a gentle but strong feeling within him that had nothing to do with speed or victory or defeat. Hanako, who taught him those feelings, seemed more and more important to him. Kakeru would be happy if her love was realized.

Also, I’m used to long-distance running. I’m good at patiently waiting for an opportunity. Even if Hanako has feelings for the twins right now, you can’t state definitively that it’ll be forever.

“I see, I guess it’s better to tell her. Uwah, what should I do, I’m so nervous.”

Jouji was determined to confess his feelings to Hanako without any hesitation, not realizing that Kakeru, who was patient when it came to the important things, was chewing on his first realization of love like a ruminating cow.

---

Yuki was smoothly descending the mountain.

In the beginning, he tried to run on the ruts because he was afraid of slipping on the frozen snow, but then he couldn’t steer a good course through the turns. Too much concern about slipping would cause him to put pressure on his muscles, which would make it all come to nothing. In the end, Yuki decided to run and take the course as usual.

Running downhill is fun, Yuki thought. To be able to feel such acceleration with my own body. His speed was so fast that even the soft snowflakes hitting his face from the front hurt like pebbles. While balancing with his whole body, he followed the slope as it led him forward. His fear of falling down didn’t cross his mind at all in the face of the pleasure of speed.

The front of Kowakien was the ten-kilometer point of the sixth leg. It was also a TV relay point. Even though the weather was bad and it was early in the morning, there were spectators along the roadside cheering for them. Following the Eurasia runner, Yuki turned to the right, and he could hear the watery footsteps of the Shinsei runner right behind him.

Yuki, of course, had no way of knowing, but the announcer and the commentator Yanaka were watching the live feed and commentating on the running of the athletes from each school.

“The footage of the lower-ranked teams at the ten-kilometer mark is coming in. What do you think, Yanaka-san?”

“They’re going at quite a fast pace. I thought that the section prize for the sixth leg would go to Manaka, who is steadily improving their rank from twelfth place, but there is a possibility that it will go to one of the lower-ranked teams.”

“According to the data at hand, except for Tamura-kun of Rikudou, all the runners in the sixth leg have an official record in the twenty-nine-minute range for the ten-thousand meters.”

“When it comes to the mountain descent, the time on flat surfaces is not that important. If you can run ten-thousand meters in the twenty-nine-minute range, then the rest is all down to guts.”

“Guts, you say?”

“Yes. The speed and incline the runners experience is much more than what you see on the screen. It’s like pedalling a bike down a steep slope with both hands free. And today, the footing isn’t good. It’s crucial to calmly keep your balance and have the guts to keep your momentum going.”

“Which of the lower-ranked teams do you think is closest to the section prize?”

“I still don’t know yet, but I like Iwakura-kun of Kansei. He has a very stable lower body. His upper body doesn’t sway unnecessarily, and he doesn’t flinch from running down bad roads at all. He is an excellent example of how to run downhill.”

“I see. The rest would depend on their persistence when the road becomes flat after Hakone-Yumoto. They've passed the ten-kilometer TV relay point.”

As they descended in altitude, the snow turned into sleet mixed with rain and the road became covered with a sherbet-like muck. Yuki realized that he had crossed the width of the crosswalk in two steps.

The current crosswalk was probably four meters wide. If he had crossed it in two steps, then that meant he had gone two meters in one step. Yuki was once again shocked at himself—his acceleration was incredible. He had gained momentum and was literally running as if he were flying, and his stride was widening as a result. He glanced at his watch: for the past five kilometers, he had been running downhill at a pace of two minutes and forty seconds.

One kilometer in two minutes and forty seconds. It was a time Yuki couldn’t achieve on flat ground. As far as he knew, the only person who could sustain such a pace for five kilometers on level ground was Kakeru.

The branches of the cedar trees on the roadside were piled with pure white snow. The trunks were black and wet, and the mountains had been transformed overnight into a beautiful, monochromatic world. As soon as they appeared in the corner of his eye, they streamed backwards, smoother and faster than in a movie.

So, this is the world Kakeru normally experiences. Yuki had a lump in his throat.

Kakeru, you’re in a very lonely place, aren’t you? The wind rumbles loudly in your ears, and all the scenery passes by you in an instant. It feels so good that I never want to stop running, but it’s a world you can only experience alone.

For the first time, he understood why Kakeru was so devoted to running, sometimes to the point of overdoing it. If Yuki were allowed to run at such a speed, he would certainly indulge in it like an addict. He wanted to see the world in quicker, even more beautiful instants. Perhaps that was a momentary experience, almost like an eternity. However, it was too dangerous—it was a world that was too beautiful, too harsh to challenge with a flesh and blood body.

Now I’m just looking at the gate that would lead me there from a distance, with the help of the mountain roads of Hakone, Yuki thought. He knew that he wouldn’t get any closer.

Dragged in by Kiyose’s enthusiasm, Yuki’s life had been centered around running for the past year. But that life was coming to an end today. I have my own way of life. I don’t want to aim for momentary beauty and exaltation, sharpening my mind and body day after day. I want to choose to live among people, even if I’m covered in filth. That’s why I passed the bar and am trying to become a lawyer.

Today’s the end. But I’m glad I experienced this speed for the first and last time. Yuki smiled slightly as he sped along the mountain road. Kakeru, don’t go too far. What you’re aiming for is a beautiful place, but it’s lonely and quiet. So much that it doesn’t suit a living person.

It would be nice if there’s something to tie Kakeru’s soul to the earth, Yuki thought. In people’s lives, in people’s joys and sorrows. It’s only by planting his feet on the ground that Kakeru would definitely become even stronger. Balance was essential. It was the same as running down a snowy mountain road.

As Yuki entered the Miyanoshita Hot Spring Village and passed in front of the Fujiya Hotel, he saw something unexpected and let out a short cry.

“Uwah!”

In front of the hotel, there were many guests waving Hakone Ekiden flags. Some of them were dressed lightly in yukata and padded kimonos, shouting their voices hoarse even as they shrank back from the cold. Among them, Yuki saw his mother, his younger sister who was only half related to him, and his mother’s second husband.

“Yukihiko!” his mother shouted loudly.

“Onii-chan, do your best!” His young sister leaned forward, and his stepfather, who was holding her, nodded firmly.

“This is so embarrassing…”

He passed by the hotel in a few moments, but Yuki ran for a while with his head down. Did my family elegantly spend the New Year’s at that hotel? Yuki snarked inwardly to cover up his embarrassment. They probably knew I wouldn’t be able to come by even if they invited me, so they planned to surprise me by not saying anything. Even so, it’s too bad for my heart. I hope the TV and radio didn’t pick up the voices and figures of Mom and the others. Nico-chan-senpai would definitely make fun of me if he knew. Well, he should only have a radio, so I think I’ll be fine.

Yuki suddenly felt happy. That look on Mom’s face just now. She looked desperate and tearful, like she was the one running.

Yuki didn’t remember his biological father. He had died in an accident right after he was born, so his only memories of his father were in his mother’s words and photos. Since his father’s death, Yuki had only lived with his mother, and he treasured her very much. His high school girlfriend had once said to him, “Yuki, you’re a mama’s boy, aren’t you?” Of course I am, Yuki thought. A son who doesn’t take care of his mother isn’t a good son.

Perhaps because he grew up watching his mother work late into the night, Yuki set his sights on his goals early on. He wanted to get a steady job so that he could make his mother’s life easier. Fortunately, he had confirmed during his school life that his brain wasn’t half-bad. If that was the case, then it would be easy to aim for the bar exam, which was called the strongest qualification. He thought that being a lawyer, where he could work between logic and emotion, would be suitable for him, and more importantly, it seemed to make a lot of money. As soon as Yuki entered high school, he began preparing for the exam on his own. He studied hard and worked on his stamina. He thought that he should be well-versed in the inner workings of relationships between men and women, so he went out with girls.

However, something happened that made Yuki’s efforts all come to nothing: his mother remarried. Her new husband was an office worker who earned a decent wage, so his mother didn’t have to work anymore. She loved her new husband and seemed to be very happy. His stepfather was easily able to do more for her than Yuki had ever wanted to do for his mother.

Yuki couldn’t help but feel devastated. He had his pride, and when he decided to do something, he had to finish it, so he didn’t give up on passing the bar exam. However, it was all in vain now. The following year after his mother remarried, she had his little sister. This was also a situation that made Yuki, who was in his late teens, feel awkward and uncomfortable. When he got into university, he left home and rarely came back, even at New Year’s.

Seeing his family cheer him on made the trivial pent-up feelings he had melt away. As though to match that, the snow had completely transformed into rain.

Both his stepfather and his sister had always cared for Yuki as a member of the family. And most importantly, his mother was happy. That’s all that matters. That’s exactly what I’ve always wanted. It would be childish of me to keep sulking about the fact that my mother became happy in a slightly different way than I envisioned.

Yuki laughed, unnoticed by anyone else, in the midst of his white and billowing exhalation. Before he knew it, he caught a glimpse of the Teitou University runner's back at the end of the turn. He couldn’t sense anyone behind him; he seemed to have pulled away from the lower-ranked teams he had started the race with.

He looked at his watch and confirmed that he hadn’t slowed down his pace at all. His mind and body felt light. He could go the rest of the way downhill at this pace. What was important was whether or not he could keep up this running for the last three kilometers of flat ground after Hakone-Yumoto. Kiyose had given him advice yesterday.

“After a downhill slope, even flat ground feels like going uphill. That’s when the real battle begins.”

I think I’ll be okay, Yuki answered in his mind. I have no intention of losing today—to the battle between me and my body and mind.

---

The drums were still beating at the Odawara relay station. In front of Kazamatsuri Station, there were many people crowded into the kamaboko company's parking lot, waiting for the arrival of the sixth leg athletes.

“Did you see that, Jouta? Yuki’s face was there just now!”

Nico-chan had directly witnessed the scene in front of Fujiya Hotel with the TV function of his cell phone. It was only when Haiji called him earlier that he realized he could watch TV on Jouta’s phone as well. Even Nico-chan, who was knowledgeable about computers, only used his phone for calling, and Jouta only used his for texting. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t interested in the evolution of machines that he could be satisfied with the rundown apartment.

“Yuki-senpai’s mom is young and beautiful,” Jouta said, biting into a rolled omelette. “By the way, he’s going to win the section prize at this rate, isn’t he?”

“Yuki doesn’t seem to be aware of that fact, though. The Manaka guy is just as fast as him, so it's hard to tell.”

“Ugh, I’m so frustrated! I want to tell Yuki-senpai his time.”

“How?”

“I’ll use willpower or telekinesis or something,” Jouta put the omelet he was partway through eating away in his sports bag and began to look at his phone intently. “In less than twenty minutes, it will be Nico-chan-senpai’s turn.”

The screen showed Bousou in the lead, and Rikudou chasing behind with a difference of about one and a half minutes. They were about to finish their descent and head towards Hakone-Yumoto Station. The Manaka runner, aiming for the section prize, had improved his position and was now in eighth place. His pace hadn’t slowed at all.

“How’s Yuki?”

“He’s not on the screen. Until they go out to Hakone-Yumoto, the lower-ranked teams won’t be shown much.”

Nico-chan told Jouta to keep an eye on Manaka’s time and began his final adjustments. He ran lightly in the parking lot to loosen up.

Nine o’clock in the morning. The Bousou runner arrived at the station in the lead. His time was sixty minutes and forty-six seconds. Rikudou and Yamato were the next to receive their sashes. Nico-chan hurried back to Jouta, who was near the relay line.

“Amazing!” Jouta was excited. “Even on flat ground, his speed hasn’t slowed down. Keep going, Yuki-senpai!”

On the screen of his phone, he could see Yuki sidestepping the Teitou runner at the crossroad with New Hakone Road. Kansei, in fourteenth place, had a clear view of TSU in front of them.

“Yes, that’s it!”

Nico-chan took off his jersey. Now it was time to see if Yuki could get the section prize.

“Manaka?”

“We'll be able to see them with our own eyes soon.”

Jouta raised his head from his phone. “They’re here!” he shouted.

The red uniform of Manaka, running along the railroad tracks, was just about to turn off the road and enter the relay station. They knew he was a candidate for the section prize, so the cheers were even louder. Manaka’s sash was handed over.

“What’s his record!”

“Sixty minutes and twenty-four seconds.”

Jouta read the information on the TV screen on his phone out loud. It was a good time for running on snowy roads. Even Rikudou’s Tamura, whose ten-kilometer time was in the twenty-eight minute range, had a time of sixty minutes and forty-eight seconds.

At the relay station, the schools relayed their sashes one after the other. The TV screen showed that Yuki was almost there.

Yuki, just a little more. The staff member called Nico-chan to stand at the relay line. All that was left was a race against time. Next to him, the TSU runner received his sash and started running. He could hear Jouta’s voice as he timed Yuki on his watch.

“Sixty minutes and seventeen seconds, eighteen, nineteen…”

Yuki entered the relay station. He was gritting his teeth and holding the unfastened sash in his right hand. He might have learned Manaka’s time from the spectators along the road and was trying to summon up all his strength in the final stretch.

“Yuki!” Nico-chan howled. “Sixty minutes and twenty-four seconds,” Jouta screamed. There was a stir from the spectators. The sash still hadn’t been passed to Nico-chan’s hand. Yuki was a step short of the section prize.

But at that moment, Nico-chan forgot about the existence of times. Yuki’s eyes were looking straight at him. He wasn’t thinking about the section prize at all, he just wanted to give the sash to Nico-chan as soon as possible. That was the only thing he was thinking about as he made it through the last three flat kilometers. Nico-chan understood that. He could see that in Yuki’s fingertips, which were still hot and damp despite being exposed to the cold wind.

“Good job,” Nico-chan muttered.

“I’m tired. I’m leaving the rest to you.”

Yuki clapped Nico-chan on the back, managed to step firmly on his trembling legs, and prevented himself from falling over.

“Yuki-senpai!” Jouta snatched a towel from a staff member and ran up to Yuki to support him. “It's disappointing, but you were incredible!”

“Disappointing? What is?” Yuki drank water from a plastic water bottle and finally found his voice.

“The section prize. Yuki-senpai’s time was sixty minutes and twenty-six seconds. If you had been two seconds faster, you would have tied for the section prize.”

“Really.”

Two seconds. Yuki laughed. Only two seconds. Such a short amount of time that passed in a single breath. Did I miss out on being the best in this leg by such a small margin?

“Oh well,” Yuki said. “Those two seconds were like an hour to me.”

Jouta almost cried when he saw Yuki’s soles after he took off his shoes. The blisters at the base of his big toes had peeled off and there was blood welling up, even though the skin on his soles had grown so thick over the past year. He realized just how hard it was to run down the mountains of Hakone.

“Of course it was enough. You were so cool, Yuki-senpai.”

After patting the tearful Jouta on the head, Yuki looked at the road leading toward the town of Odawara.

I’m leaving the rest to you, Nico-chan-senpai.

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#Kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru #kazetsuyo #kazetsuyo translations #run with the wind

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rome5683 · 3 years

Text

A 'Sociopath's Touch

Chapter Ten : Dearly Departed

Words: 6193

Summary: It's the storm after the fluff. You and Kai go to help Damon get his mom back, and everything goes wrong. Again.

Kai’s hands moved the hangers quickly down the rack, cursing when he couldn’t find what he was looking for. “Am I even in the right section- I mean, what is this?”

“This is Walmart. You get what you buy.” Damon scowled as he leaned against a wooden platform that had folded clothes against it, furring his brow at Kai.

“And it’s not exactly snowing here, either.” Jacob said from the other side of the rack, “So yeah, their selections for parkas aren’t exactly bussin’.”

Damon stood, looking at Jacob with annoyance, “What did you just say?”

“Uh…” Jacob hesitated, face filled with both anger and fear. The man who killed him was asking rudely what he just said.

“Bussin’.” Kai smirked at Jacob’s relieved expression, relief to be free from any type of confrontation, and looked to Damon with a raised brow. “What’s wrong, old man? Can’t get with the times?”

Damon scoffed, “Do you even know how to use anything that plugs in?”

Kai smiled sarcastically, “Do you even know how to speak to anyone younger than you?”

Damon was about to speak when Jacob interceded with a laugh, “Does he even know anyone older than him?”

Damon raised a brow towards your brother, “I will kill you, again.”

Kai smirked and chanted under his breath, causing Damon to groan and clutch his forehead before the spell went away. He glared at Kai, who smirked wider. “Do that, and I will kill you. Capisce?”

Damon frowned, walking away to look for his own parka.

You were indecisive at the moment- the black one looked more chic, but the white one looked so classy. You looked at Elena, who sat nearby with a bored expression. You held them both up to her, “Which one do you think I should get?”

She sighed, “I don’t know, (Y/N). Can you just hurry up?”

“God…” You rolled your eyes, deciding to go with the white parka instead of the black one. It was easier to get dirty, sure, but hell of a lot cuter. Especially with those dark jeans you would wear… and those white snow boots you spotted in the other section. You hung the black parka where it belonged, grumbling with annoyance, “You’re such a killjoy.”

“It’s not like you’re a breeze to get along with- and I don’t usually get along with people who try to threaten me, so-“

You looked at her with a raised brow as you folded the white parka over your arm, “I did what I had to do, okay? I needed a break- my family needed a break.”

She raised a brow back, crossing her arms, “So Kai’s your family now?”

You let out a soft exhale, not even thinking twice about that fact. You and Kai… you had more than just a connection. More than attraction- you had a bond. A deep and real bond. You shrugged, a hint of a smile on your lips, “Pretty much.”

Elena softened slightly, “Look, I get what you mean. At first, when I was still human- I took a break from all this for a bit.”

You nodded, remembering when she told you about the first break she had with Stefan.

“And we need it sometimes, we really do. And… I understand that you threatened me for a good reason.” She furrowed her brows in confusion, a smile on her face.

You laughed at that, causing Elena to chuckle as well. “I’m… a little sorry about that.”

Elena smiled widely, “You don’t need to be sorry. It’s all fine.”

You smiled back, until a sudden wave of nausea overcame you. You felt confused, swallowing the lump in your dry throat all of a sudden, and shoved the white parka in Elena’s hands. You ran towards the nearest restroom, running to the nearest stall. You couldn’t help it as vomit came out, and the taste of it made your face cringe.

Elena followed you, holding your back and patting your back soothingly, and looking on in confusion. “What’s happening to you?”

You flushed the toilet, gasping as you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand. You shook your head, standing and going to the sink to wash your hand and rinse out your mouth.

Elena gently grasped your shoulder when you were done, “Are you okay?”

You exhaled shakily, “Is it possible for vampires to get food poisoning?”

Elena spoke soft and low, “I’ve been a vampire for about two and half years now, and I’ve never-“

“It isn’t possible.” You murmured at first, then looked at Elena as you grasped her shoulders. “Tell me this isn’t possible.”

She pursed her lips, her eyes saying everything she couldn’t bring herself to say out loud. Then, she nodded with a sudden determination in her eyes. “Only one way to find out.”

You shrieked, throwing the fifth pregnancy test against the bathroom wall with frustration. A woman walked out of the nearby stall, barely glancing at you two with a frightened expression as she washed her hands and scurried out of the store’s restroom.

Elena grasped her forehead, stressing herself out, “There’s no way.”

“Obviously, there is!” You exasperated, grabbing the first four you took and showing them to her in a dramatic way. “They’re all positive, aren’t they?!”

“I mean, this is literally impossible.” She scoffed in disbelief, taking one of them and shaking her head at the positive results.

You scoffed with frustration, “We live in a world where witches, vampires, doppelgängers, wolves, and even hybrids between all those things exist. This is definitely up there on the list as possible…”

“Not to mention the other type of creatures you’ve left out…” She looked away, before looking back at you with a slightly confused expression.

You raised a brow, “What is it?”

“I mean… how much sex have you and Kai been having?” Elena let out a nervous laugh.

Your lips widened with a grin, and you looked away as you tried to wipe it off your face. You shook your head as your cheeks reddened, failing to come up with a good answer, or even estimate.

“I’m guessing it was a lot.” Elena smirked at your pink-tinted cheeks, “Anyhow, you cannot come with us today.”

You frowned, “The hell I can’t.”

“What happens if something goes wrong?” Elena stressed her words, raising her voice, “What happens if Kai and Bonnie fight, and you get hurt in the process? You can’t take that risk- you can’t leave Jacob alone-“

“Don’t you think I know that?!” You snapped, and slightly faltered at Elena’s hurt expression. You clasped your hands together in front of your face, sighing and trying to keep your composure. You looked back up at her as you spoke, “As much as Jacob matters to me, and as much as I am determined to make it back to him… I cannot risk Damon, or Bonnie, or even you leaving Kai there. I can’t let him be abandoned again. Not after everything we’ve built together...” You winced slightly, “Not after everything he’s been through.”

Elena sighed, coming closer and embracing you. You hugged her back, sighing with relief. Hopefully she would understand…

You pulled away, looking at Elena with slightly teary eyes, “Promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t tell him.”

She faltered slightly, “What do you mean?”

“If everything goes right today, I want to be the one to tell him.” You half-smiled, before going back to your serious expression. “But if it doesn’t, and something happens to me… I don’t want that extra weight on his mind.”

“But-“ Her voice slightly broke, but you shook your head.

“Elena.” You spoke sharply, making her stay silent with widened eyes. “You can never tell anyone. Please…” You pleaded with her, “Please do this for me.”

She swallowed, and nodded as she squeezed your hands reassuringly, and walked out of the restroom. You let out a shaky sigh, your hand subconsciously drifting to your abdomen… you couldn’t believe it. A part of you was elated, glad that this was even possible and that you two could practically have a future together. Another part of you was frightened to death. You were still in college, you still had a lot of plans and none of them had ever involved this… but here you were. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. And as much as you weren’t exactly prepared for a kid to be in your life, you knew Kai would be there a hundred percent of the way for your guys’ child, and you knew that no matter what, you wanted this.

You looked to the mirror, straightening your posture before inhaling sharply and exhaling slowly, and walking out of the store’s restroom.

Your eyes widened to see Elena at her lover’s side, looking at him with a pleading look. Damon looked over with a raised brow, and you felt cold at that knowing look in his eye.

Elena scowled, softly hitting his abdomen. “Promise me, Damon.”

“Fine.” He scoffed, his eyes glancing to your belly before looking at your uneasy expression with a slight smirk. “Your secret is safe with me.”

You nodded with relief, about to thank him before you were interrupted.

“Who’s secret is safe with who?” Kai popped up from behind Damon and Elena, a grin on his face. Jacob followed, wearing an amused expression.

“It’s a secret.” Damon winked at Kai, causing Elena to groan.

Jacob scoffed, “Can I at least know?”

Elena chuckled, “It’s not a secret if everyone knows.

Kai walked over to you with a slight pout, his hand drifting your waist absentmindedly. “Why are you keeping secrets from me?”

You laughed as he pecked your cheek, “It’s more of a surprise, really. I’ll tell you later.”

He grinned again, his eyes smiling as his blue eyes sparkled with delight. “Promise?”

You smirked up at him, “I promise.”

You could hear Damon scoff from the living room as you took your time getting ready in the restroom. He shouted, “Uh? Tick tock, woman! How long does it take to change?”

Elena shushed him, and Kai spoke up next. “I mean, she doesn’t take that long-“

You exited the restroom, your black skinny jeans, white boots, and white parka complimenting each other as you let your hair down. You also put on a little bit of makeup, because why not? You gave Damon a raised brow and gestured to your appearance, “You think all this magic just happens?”

Kai grinned, his winter outfit, slightly messy hair, and beard making him look scrumptious, “Looks like magic to me.”

Damon and Jacob groaned simultaneously, while Elena grinned. You blushed, smiling widely and walking into Kai’s arms as he hugged you close to him and he pecked your forehead. You looked at Jacob and sighed, “I’ll be back, okay?”

Jacob nodded, getting up and giving you a hug. “Be safe.”

“I will.” He squeezed you close, and patted your shoulder as he sat onto your guys’ couch. Damon rolled his eyes.

“Okay. Let’s get this prison world train going.” The old vampire went to open the door, letting Elena pass before he went. Kai caught the door before it closed, holding it open for you as well. You waved goodbye to Jacob through the door, and followed Damon and Elena to Damon’s car.

Elena held open the passenger seat, and you climbed in happily with Kai in tow. He grunted as he sat next to you, shifting into a comfortable position with his arm around you. You leaned into him, enjoying the feel of him against you as you closed your eyes. You woke up pretty early to go to the store for all your clothes, and Kai stayed up late to get the ascendant for the 1903 prison world which of course you waited up for him, so you were a little tired- especially considering the fact you and Kai had a little romp in the shower this morning. Again- you barely had any sleep.

You slipped into a light sleep, feeling yourself sigh as you finally slipped into the pleasing darkness that was sleep. Kai shifted a little, and you moaned with slight annoyance before getting comfortable again.

Damon grunted as he started pulling out of the parking lot, “If I hear kissing, groaning, or any other moan- I will kill you both.”

“Damon,” Elena scolded.

Kai smirked, looking down at your sleeping form. Just looking at you was enough to make him melt inside. He ran his hand through your hair, tucking it behind your ear as you sighed happily in your sleep.

“What?” Damon exasperated, clearly annoyed with your guys’ affection.

Elena shook her head with a laugh, amused at the way Damon was so bothered.

“Where are they…” Bonnie grumbled to herself, nervous as hell. Nervous, because she has been planning to kill Kai. And she was a little scared, but of course- who would admit that? Not only that- but she knew Jo could die… but a part of her didn’t care. She wanted Kai gone- or at least abandoned in the prison world like he had abandoned her. Stabbed, and left to die on her own.

As soon as the door opened, she stood. Her nerves were on end, watching them come through the door one by one. Finally, Kai and (Y/N) came through the door.

You barely glanced at Bonnie, clutching Kai’s hand with an intense hold which only made him squeeze back in reassurance. Elena went upstairs for a second, and you wondered briefly why. You weren’t scared of Bonnie, but still were tense around her.

Damon sighed, standing next to Bonnie. “Let’s get this show on the road. Kai, ascendant?”

Kai reluctantly let go of your hand, and went to take the ascendant out of his pocket. He approached Bonnie, conflicted whether to try to be nice or hold the grudge of hurting you again. However conflicted he was, he wasn’t exactly good with poker faces. His face was obviously annoyed and perplexed as he stood there with the ascendant in hand.

Bonnie pulled out a knife, cutting her hand and letting the blood trickle onto the ascendant. Kai huffed, “Damn. Crocodile Dundee called, he wants his knife back.”

You smirked to yourself, you’ve always loved Kai’s snarky comments.

“You know, he’s no longer a thing, and neither is that joke.” Bonnie quipped back, sheathing her hunting knife.

Kai raised a brow and let out a slight hiss, “Ouch.”

Elena huffed, coming back with a parka of her own and standing next to Bonnie. “Is this acceptable attire by 1903 standards?”

You shrugged, about to speak up when Damon interrupted, “Whoa, who said you’re coming?”

“To meet the woman who gave birth to the two epic loves of my life? Me.”

You grinned, “Plus I’m going, so it isn’t fair not to let Elena, out of all people, go.”

Damon scoffed, looking at Kai and Bonnie. “Isn’t there a limit?”

Bonnie rolled her eyes, “Right, which is why there’s two of us. So shall we?”

“Fine. Let’s go get Mom.” Damon huffed, and Elena grasped Bonnie’s shoulder while holding Damon’s. In turn, you grasped Kai’s shoulder and smiled encouragingly when he glanced at you with a somewhat worried expression.

“Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema.” Kai chanted, and you couldn’t help but look at him in awe with the way he spoke. He really was a powerful witch. “Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema.”

A bright light flashed, changing your surroundings while you were blinded- and before you knew it, you could feel the snow falling onto your hair and cheeks. You let out an amazed laugh, looking around to see you were in a snowy Mystic Falls, but in the woods. This was really amazing, and for a second- you forgot how gruesome real life magic was- and remembered how magical and awe-inspiring it was. Kai grinned at your reaction as you looked up at the snow falling.

“Well, isn’t this a picturesque slice of hell?” Damon spoke, and Bonnie let out a small sigh.

“You guys go ahead. Kai and I will start the locator spell on the ascendant.”

Elena frowned in confusion, “But Kai just has the ascendant. Why do we have to find another one?”

Kai shrugged, “The ascendant can’t travel between worlds, which means we gotta find its mirror image here in 1903.”

“Page 10 on the world-jumping rule-book. Shall we?” Damon went to walk away, not even looking back as Elena stayed behind hesitantly.

Kai wandered away, his head tilting up to stick his tongue out at the snowflakes. You smiled at his childish antics, and Elena pulled you and Bonnie aside.

“I don’t… I don’t want to leave you guys alone with him.”

You felt confused at Elena, wondering why she was so concerned when she knew how much Kai cared about you, “Elena, we’ll be fine.”

“He’s good now, remember? New leaf.” Bonnie stated, making you frown in further confusion. Bonnie wasn’t one to believe in Kai so easily.

“It’s-It’s not that.” Elena stammered, “I just…” She sighed, defeated. “Just play nice, the both of you.”

She turned, following after Damon as you and Bonnie exchanged a look of suspicion towards one another.

“New leaf.” You both turned to see Kai approaching you both, his head cocked to the side as he analyzed Bonnie. “You believe me.”

“Hell no.” Bonnie’s voice rang out with an edge, and you bristled with annoyance. “But Damon and Elena need to meet his mom alone. So shut up and help me find the ascendant.”

Bonnie held out her hand, and Kai sighed as he took off a glove and pricked his finger. As he let the blood sleep onto the other witch’s hand, he sighed somewhat awkwardly before speaking up, “You have really nice palms.”

You looked at him with a raised brow, both confused and annoyed. Kai shrugged with an awkward smile, and Bonnie scoffed under her breath.

“Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem.”

Kai stayed quiet as she changed, before blurting words out. “I really have changed, you know?”

Bonnie ignored him, continuing to chant. You placed a hand on his arm, rubbing your thumb back and forth. Kai looked at you, and grabbed your other hand, placing it on his cheek for comfort as he closed his eyes. You placed your other hand on his other cheek, and leaned forward to rest your forehead against his. “I believe you.”

Your voice was barely above a whisper, but when he heard it- he believed it. God, he loved you. He loved the way you loved him. He leaned into your hand, softly pressing his lips against your wrist with a gentle peck.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” You both turned to see Bonnie’s disgusted expression, and Kai rolled his eyes as Bonnie walked past you both. “The ascendant is this way.”

As Bonnie walked away, Kai quickly and discreetly gave you a peck on the lips. You smiled, kissing him back before he took your hand and started to follow Bonnie through the woods.

After a couple minutes, Bonnie spoke up. “The spell feels stronger. The ascendant must be around here somewhere.”

Kai scoffed, “Why would the ascendant be here?”

Bonnie turned and frowned at him, “I don’t know. I didn’t put it here.”

Kai rolled his eyes, letting go of your hand and looking around the snow. You did the same, walking a couple paces away to look for the ascendant.

“If you don’t think I’m capable of change, why spend an entire day with me? Why bring me out in the middle of nowhere?”

You hummed in thought, wondering about what Kai was saying as you glanced around the snow for the ascendant.

“I mean… I could gut you all over again. Your friends would never even hear you scream.”

Bonnie sighed, “Because maybe you’re right. Maybe, deep down, there’s a part of me that believes there’s a sliver of good in you.”

“And you’d be right!” Kai laughed, almost disbelievingly. “Looking, looking, and… nope, they didn’t hide the ascendant in a pile of snow over here or over-“

You groaned, feeling a sharp pain as a stake went into your throat. You keeled over, grasping for it desperately. You looked behind you, seeing Bonnie raise a brow behind Kai, and you realized she must’ve thrown it with her magic.

Kai looked over, confused before sharply gasping as he was stabbed in the back by Bonnie’s large hunting knife. He fell onto the floor, attempting to crawl away when Bonnie stabbed his thigh from behind.

“Bonnie!” You heard Kai groan, and the drive to help overpowered.

You grunted, taking the stake out of your throat. You gasped, being able to breathe once more. You looked over, seeing Bonnie’s back to you as she leaned over Kai with her knife in hand.

“What are you doing?!” You screamed, making her glare back at you.

“Gaining his trust, and then stabbing him in the back? Sound familiar?!” She turned back to Kai, and your boyfriend winced in pain.

“Please, don’t, Bonnie-”

“Don’t what? Don’t-Don’t leave you here? All alone?!” She shouted, justifiably enraged. “Don’t abandon you and make you feel hopeless?!”

“Please, Bonnie! He’s changed-” You interceded.

“I have! Bonnie, please, please believe me. I’ve changed.” Kai whimpered, desperately.

“And I have to.” Bonnie spoke, her voice unwavering as she raised the knife above Kai.

You used her focus on him to speed towards her, pushing her and yourself yards away from where Kai lay on the ground. You stood using your super-speed about a foot away from Bonnie, seeing her get up with her knife, and she was suddenly charging towards you now. You held your hands out, “Wait, Bonnie! Wait!”

Bonnie didn’t stop, gritting her teeth as she used her other to cast a spell. You were suddenly immobilized, and you had to spit it out. You had to tell her.

“Bonnie, don’t! Please, I’m pregnant!”

Silence. She stopped midway, panting and looking at you in disbelief. You let out a grunt of relief, her magic releasing you now. She shook her head, “That’s-That’s not possible.”

“Bonnie…” You started, and she suddenly placed her hand on your stomach. The words died in your throat, and you looked at her confused while she closed her eyes in concentration. She gasped, eyes widened and looked at you with an unfathomable expression.

She backed away, dropping her knife with widened eyes. “You… How… You and Kai… pregnant.”

“Bonnie, he’s the father of my child, and the man I’m in love with.” You let out, somewhat disbelieving the words that came out of your own mouth. Despite that, you continued. “I know he’s hurt you, I know he’s manipulated you. I know-”

“What do you know of what I’ve been through?! What do you know of what HE put me through?!”

“Because not too long ago, he did the same to me!” You shrieked, suddenly feeling emotional when you recalled the incident with Elena. “When we kidnapped Elena, he made me bleed… he siphoned her almost to the point of desiccation. And she was hungry- and she chased me-”

Bonnie furrowed her brows with a shake of her head, “That’s literally horrible.”

“And then I ended up being killed… by you.” You finished, scoffing with humor at the whole situation. “As horrible as all of it was, here I am. With Kai, with his baby in my stomach, and begging for your forgiveness.”

“I’m not going to forgive him, (Y/N)-”

“Not for him. For me, Bonnie.” You let out another laugh, a stray tear releasing from your left eye from all the emotions you’re going through. “I don’t want this. I don’t want these fights. I want a normal life. As normal as I can get with a siphon boyfriend and a werewolf brother…”

Bonnie bit her bottom lip, suddenly perplexed with the whole situation.

“And as much as you hate Kai… Just… Please, don’t kill him. When we leave here, we’ll move away and you’ll never have to see us ever again. If that’s what it’ll take, I genuinely don’t care… Just, please, forgive me. And if not, the very least you can do is let my child have a father.”

Bonnie shook her head, turning away from you.

“Bonnie, I’m sorry. For everything that he and I have put you through, I am genuinely so sorry. I really am. I never meant to hurt you.” You sighed heavily, “I understand if you don’t accept my apology, or don’t forgive me. I get it. But I can’t let you kill Kai. I won’t.”

Bonnie huffed, turning to face you with a guilty expression. She spoke swiftly, “I never want to see either of you again.”

You let out an exhale of relief, watching Bonnie walk in the opposite direction of where she had been leading you and Kai. Oh my god, Kai!

You sped over to where you could hear his groans, and knelt by his grunting form.

“Oh my god. Oh my god, Kai.” You gasped at the sight of the blood pooling around his thigh, and could feel yourself start to panic as Kai looked at you with a desperate and pained look. All the blood, it was… you could feel your face transform at the smell of it. Your heart was beating, but his was beating louder- and you were suddenly so hungry.

“(Y/N)-” Kai’s hand grasped your thigh, and you suddenly focused back into reality.

“It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay.” You bit your wrist roughly, barely even wincing at the pain. You grasped the back of Kai’s neck, helping him lean upwards and pressed your wrist against his mouth. He drank your blood greedily, and you breathed deeply, in and out, desperately trying to curb your appetite. It wasn’t like you were starving- you had dranken blood just this morning after the morning sickness incident with Elena. You were okay, you were okay…

Kai groaned into you, brows furrowed as he drank for only seconds more before pulling away. He gasped, sitting up and hissing in discomfort as his wounds started to heal. “Agh… God, that hurts like a bitch.”

You rubbed his back soothingly, still kneeling next to his sitting position, staying silent as he struggled to keep his breathing under control. He leaned his head onto your chest suddenly, and you were a little startled when he was silent, but you didn’t mind. You ran your hand through his hair, softly raking your nails against his scalp in the way Kai loved. Both of you stayed there for god knows how long in the snow, and you were brought out of your silence when Kai shivered. You gently grasped his head, moving him from your chest, and looked at his face.

He had a pensive expression, still silent and refraining from glancing at you. You purse your lips in slight annoyance, but merely let out a sigh as you gently grasped his face in your palms. “Kai… Are you okay? Are you cold? How can I help?”

“You…” The words died on his lips, but then his face went from pensive, to forlorn, to determined. “You need to leave.”

You stilled, and slightly shook your head with confusion. “What… What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you get it?” Kai suddenly pulled away from your grasp, standing and raising his voice as he spoke. “As long as I live, people will want to kill me.”

You stood, furrowing your eyebrows as he continued.

“We can’t just have a life together.”

You frowned, “Why… Why not?”

“Did you not just hear me?” He spoke harshly, his face angry and glaring. You tensed, your heart beating rapidly in your chest. “People will want to kill me- to hurt me.”

“And what about it?” You scoffed, “I don’t see how that should stop us from being together.”

“To hurt you, to hurt Jacob, is to hurt me, (Y/N)! Bonnie could’ve killed you!”

“Who cares?! That doesn’t mean we-”

“That’s exactly what it means! I have a whole coven of enemies! I have a whole family of them!”

“So?! That doesn’t matter as long as we’re together!” You could feel yourself start to get emotional, and you hated how you couldn’t control them. “As long as we’re together, we can protect each other! I’m not some fragile little-”

“I don’t care what you are, (Y/N)! I want you to leave!” He yelled sharply, making you still as he grit his teeth. “Now.”

You shook your head, “No.”

“Leave.” His voice spoke gravely, and you could feel your eyes start to tear up. You shook your head again.

“No.” You glared at him, huffing in annoyance when your voice broke. “No! I’m not going to leave you-”

“Leave, or so help me I will-”

“What?! What are you gonna do, Kai?” You stood closer, feeling your chest swell with unease and fear. Not of him, but at the loss of him. You… Kai was a part of you. You couldn’t… no.

“You’ll just stay if I do, won’t you?”

“Hell yeah I will.” You were more determined than him, more stubborn. Who did he think he was to be a martyr, out of all the times to be one? He chose when you were pregnant? This idiotic… little… hot bastard.

He stayed silent, looking away from you and at the floor as his breath hitched. You swallowed, clenching your jaw, and balling your hands into fists. What could he do?

“It’s over.” You looked up at him in alarm, his eyes dead serious as they stared down at you. You shook your head, feeling anger rise as he swallowed and nodded, confirming his own words. “I don’t want to be with you. I don’t want to be near you, near Jake, I…”

“Kai, don’t-”

“I’m breaking up with you.” His own voice slightly broke, and you winced involuntarily. The snow never felt colder, and you withheld a sob. “When we get back, we go our own separate ways. Do you understand?”

You nodded, letting out a shaky exhale as he walked past you and back where you guys had come from. The cold pricked your cheeks, pricked your nose… but the emptiness you felt in your chest was far worse. You followed Kai from a couple feet away, walking in awkward silence, and your eyes widened when you heard it.

“Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema. Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema.”

“Damon! No-!” Elena’s voice cut off with a small crack, and you gasped in realization.

Bonnie had just started chanting. Elena wouldn’t leave you, of course, but Damon wouldn’t let that happen. Why would he?

Kai looked at you when he noticed you stopped in your tracks with your eyes wide as you processed what you just heard. He walked closer, “What is it?”

“Bonnie… She’s leaving us.”

You two exchanged a look before breaking into a sprint through the woods, which of course you kept at his pace, and stopped when you saw them a couple yards away. You shouted, voice weak, “Bonnie, don’t!”

Bonnie raised a brow at you, continuing to chant as an unconscious Elena rested against a standing Damon, who held hands with a woman you could only assume was Lily. How could she? Why would she? She knew only you could catch up, only you could make contact before the spell was done. She wanted you to leave Kai.

There was no time. The spell would be over soon.

You grit your teeth, grabbing onto Kai. Before he could register what you were about to do, you sped with all your might towards the group about to leave. It was like slow-motion.

You pushed Kai with all your strength towards them, a bright light just shining as you did so. Kai’s expression changed as he realized what was happening, his eyes pleading, his mouth open in a gasp as he held his hand out towards you while he himself fell backwards into the group. You jumped, closing your eyes at the blinding bright light as you reached for his hand.

You fell to the floor with a grunt. Only the floor wasn’t wood like you expected; it was snow. As soon as you opened your eyes, the cold breeze of winter seemed all the much clearer especially since you had expected warmth in the Salvatore lodging house. But no, you were still here. You let out the sob you were holding since earlier, looking around the woods as it snowed, hoping and praying you had been knocked out from the world-jump. That this was only a nightmare. Your hand went to the ascendant in front of you, running your fingers across the cold metal. God, please let this be a nightmare.

That wasn’t the case, though. You were in the 1903 prison world.

And you weren’t alone. You heard something behind you, and turned around as something tackled you onto your back. You shrieked, “Ah!”

Kai grunted as his back crashed against Damon’s front, and was immediately pushed off. As soon as his hands met the wood floor of the Salvatore house, his eyes widened. He let out a gasp, “No. No, no, no.”

He stood, bewildered and looking at a shocked Bonnie and Lily. “Bonnie! Why would you do that- What-”

Bonnie clenched her jaw, and raised her chin defiantly. “(Y/N) made her choice.”

Kai practically snarled, “We have to go back, Bonnie!”

“When we go for my family, I’m sure you could accompany us.” Lily spoke calmly, and Kai glanced at her with incredulity. He knew that Damon lied to her, of course.

“Bonnie, give me the ascendant. Now.” Kai had never been so enraged in his life. Okay, maybe he had- but nothing ever felt like this. Nothing ever hurt him like this.

Bonnie grit her teeth, “No.”

Kai moved forward, only to have a hand on his chest hold him back. Damon. Kai glared up at the vampire, who only raised a brow.

“So you lost your baby mama- get over it.” Damon spoke as if you didn’t matter. As if you were some side-piece who- how- what did he even mean by that?!

“I. Lost. EVERYTHING!” Kai shouted, his voice full of vigor, the fire in the fireplace blazing wildly as he used his magic to throw Damon against the wall and onto the floor. Lily and Bonnie gasped, and in this moment- Bonnie was reminded of Klaus’ tantrums. Kai glared at the witch who had stabbed him earlier, his rage knowing no bounds. “GIVE ME THE ASCENDANT!”

“You want your ascendant?!” Bonnie screamed, taking the one from this world out of her pocket, “Here it is!”

Kai stepped towards her when she held it up, and threw it onto the floor with all her force. Both Kai and Lily screamed, “NO!”

The ascendant fell to the floor, smashing into a million pieces. Lily sped to it, whimpering to herself as she tried to collect all the pieces. “No, no no-”

“Incendia.” Bonnie spoke, lighting it on fire with a smirk. She looked at Kai, satisfied to see his suffering. Maybe it wasn’t justice, but it tasted just as sweet. Lily gasped away from the fire, her eyes tearing up with the loss of her family. Kai’s blue eyes darkened with fury.

Bonnie went to hold her hand out, wanting to fight against Kai, but whimpered when Kai flicked her against the wall only to immobilize her against it. Kai stomped past Lily, approaching Bonnie and grabbing the sides of her head. Bonnie’s eyes widened, realizing that he’d do something just as someone else had done once before. She shook her head, frantic, but powerless. “No, Kai!”

Kai chanted, his brows furrowed and his expression cruel. He didn’t care anymore- he couldn’t. Bonnie gasped, falling to the floor with a sob when Kai pulled away.

Kai huffed, “There. Now you can’t hurt anyone.”

Bonnie shook her head, still sobbing. She couldn’t form the words. Did she feel bad? Yes. Did she feel bad about Kai feeling bad? No. But now- her magic was gone. Kai took it, just like Dr. Martin had all those years again. She felt like a little girl all of a sudden- powerless, and human.

Damon groaned on his side, looking from Bonnie to Kai. “What did you do? Kai? What did you do?”

Kai glanced back at the ascendant, barely even noticing Lily as she glared at Bonnie, and walked towards it. Slowly, he picked up every little piece, no matter how burnt.

“Kai!” Damon stood, enraged at the sight of his best friend’s sobs. “Kai, what did you do?!”

“YOU!” Lily suddenly screamed, lunging for Bonnie.

Damon cursed, speeding to stop his mom. As Damon and his mom argued over Bonnie, Kai silently walked out of the Salvatore house with all the burnt ascendant pieces. Kai didn’t care how long it would take. Kai would fix it- and Kai would get you back.

No matter what.

----

Well, that's all folks. I will continue this series in another work of fiction, starting right from where we left off after a short break. So it's like, gonna be about ten chapters, but be a different name... basically a sequel. Truth be told, I procrastinated so hard on this chapter because the angst was killing me. Oh, what a long time it's been. Anywho- see you in a week or two to continue this angsty and loving fic!!

@fandom-strumpet @fangirlforever2412 @1-800-khaleesii @big-boobi

#kai x reader #tvd kai #kai x you #kai parker fanfic #kai parker gifs #tvd fanfiction #tvdversegifs #tvd fandom #tvdforever #kai parker #hot fanfiction #tvd angst #tvd x reader #tvd au

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quinintheclouds · 3 years

Text

YES YES YES YES YES

Spoilers for RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 6

THAT WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN I HAD EVEN LET MYSELF HOPE FOR

It really looks like this is the Volume the writers realized how many answers we’ve needed for years and years, and is answering them now. I wish it’d come sooner, of course, but since they can’t go back and fix the pacing or writing, I’m really impressed and optimistic about how Volume 8 is going!

BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY

I would like to GUSH about how they handled the Oscar and Ozpin scenes. We have needed, nay, BEGGED for this sort of development, and it’s finally here. There’s too much I want to rave about so bullet point time!

[Note: I love the farmboy so this wound up longer than expected -- have a read more for your scrolling convenience -- TL;DR at the end]

We got confirmation that Ozpin has been pleading with Oscar to let him take over so he can burden the pain and torture instead. Oscar is the one refusing, choosing to take it himself because he knows Salem and Hazel will be much harsher on Oz. I thought that was the case, but I’m so glad they addressed it because otherwise we’d be wondering why Oz hasn’t offered. It does make me wonder, is Oz still able to take control without asking? Oscar was able to fight it in vol 6, and he’s come a long way.

Hazel is holding back -- at least, Oscar says he can tell that he is. This would keep in line with the battle at Haven, when Hazel was suspiciously playing defense and stalling by letting Ozpin monologue, then letting Oscar give a little protagonist speech... I mean, it sure doesn’t LOOK like he’s holding back. Look at this kid:

moving on before I cry,

Ozpin suggests he take over and try to escape.

Oscar says no, he has a better idea. “This is our chance.”

Oz: “Hm. Maybe you’ve taken one too many hits.” I like this for two reasons: one, because it gives us a taste of the ol’ lighthearted Ozpin humor we’ve missed since he’s been gone, and two, because it shows that he and Oscar think differently. They have different thought processes, ideas, etc. Oz didn’t immediately know what Oscar was planning.

Oscar explains that Salem can’t take on everyone at once, and thus has been sending people to infiltrate all of remnant first, to attack from within.

I LOVE that they had Oscar come up with this, because it is so in line with his character development in Volume 7. Not to mention how in volume 6 he was the one to figure out how to defeat Cordovin’s mecha. It’s cool to see him as a strategist, because while he’s a sweet kid from the middle of nowhere, he’s proven to be really smart and quick.

Plus, this gives him agency. People wanted Ozpin to return and save Oscar, but this is so, so much better. Oscar’s idea, Oscar’s choice, and Oz gets right on board. They’re agreeing to work together, despite their unresolved conflict. “Ozma learned the importance of living with the souls with which he’d been paired.”

AND THEN, A MOMENT I CANNOT THANK RT ENOUGH FOR:

The captions don’t show it, but Oscar AND Ozpin said this in unison. Now, this and the few seconds that follow were a rollercoaster of emotions. Let’s break it down:

When they said this together, I was positively GIDDY with excitement: they’re leaning into the “like-minded souls” thing and calling attention to the situation! Surely this must be a sign that Oscar and Ozpin will indeed both exist when their souls are one, as they are both equally parts of the combination of lives that is Ozma. Well, maybe not equally (yet?).

Then, my elation was replaced with dread. What if this was actually an indication of them “merging” in the way some of the FNDM interpret it will go, rather than how I think it does? Or what if that’s not what RT is doing, but what if the FNDM takes it as a sign Ozpin is taking over?? I can’t last the whole break without knowing!

AND THEN!!! Ugh, this made me so relieved. Ozpin says, in a slightly amused tone of voice with a trace of a laugh, “We certainly are similar, you and I.” YESSSSS more references to them being like-minded souls!! But still having differences!!

“Maybe we have been presented with an opportunity.” I’m really glad they went the route where Oscar is changing Ozpin’s mind on things. Oz no longer thinks he knows best, and is allowing Oscar to come into his own. Now he’s seeing how far Oscar’s come and the person he is.

Related note: The commentary for the vol 7 finale said that it was Oscar’s speeches to Ironwood about fear and trust that made Oz realize he’s been keeping secrets and hiding out of fear, and inspired him to come back. This is so promising for Oscar’s character going forward.

[Side note: Would love more info on what Oscar meant in volume 7 when he said “these memories... you’re back, aren’t you?” because? Is he just referring to the scenes with things like how he talked about Atlas’ history as if he were there, or does he have access to Oz’s memories now? 2 chapters ago we saw that he doesn’t yet know the location of the Beacon Relic. So unless he was lying really well, he doesn’t have ALL the memories yet. So which ones does he have? RT EXPLAIN]

Next,

I would like to call attention to the fact that Oscar smiled here. After Ozpin said they were similar, I was worried Oscar would react the way he has in the past: sad and conflicted about his identity, worried he’s becoming less of himself. But no. Like we saw in Volume 7, THIS is who Oscar Pine is. His development was his own, and we get to see that when Ozpin returned because Oscar had made him rethink his choices. Oscar Pine is more himself now than he’s been at any other point in the series.

It’s really brilliant how the writers have used these last 2 volumes to show that Penny, the robot, is one of the most human characters on the show; and Oscar, the boy cursed to death and rebirth with a soul that was not his own, is one of the most individualistic ones. It’s just really cool how they’re playing with our expectations of the characters. (They’re doing great with Salem, too!)

[Side note: Penny’s soul/aura was given to her by Pietro, and they still have distinct personalities and identities. It’s possible that’s a parallel to Oscar’s situation, but I do feel the merge’s completion will result in one remaining soul/identity - just not a “taking over” situation]

Okay, that’s the last of that rollercoaster I mentioned.

Time to get on a new one!

At long last, this episode finally gave us something we haven’t had since chapter 4 of volume SIX*:

*(I am not counting the one second of "Oscar." *glowy eyes* *Oscar blinks and is back in control* in the vol 7 finale)

OZPIN IS BACK!!!!

First, HELL YES I WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN!!!

Second, wow, they can change really quickly now. At first it took effort and was super visible, then just shook Oscar up a bit with the glowy eyes, and now it seems almost effortless, seamless. The eyes glow and the transition is smooth. I like it.

We didn’t get to hear Oscar’s thoughts after Oz said “Oscar, please,” begging him again to let him take control. So we don’t know whether Oscar allowed it out of pain, exhaustion, their plan, or a decision to trust Oz and work together here. Alternatively, Ozpin may have simply taken over of his own accord. I wish the writers would give us more insight to Oscar’s thoughts, because those scenes already have him talking inside/to his own head, so leaving some of his thoughts out can seem intentional and open-ended, which could mean more dragging out answers, but I think this was fine. Not the worst case of this by far lol

WHEN! HE! SPOKE!

I was hoping for this with all my heart. Over the course of volume 7 in particular, we saw Oscar’s voice, mannerisms, and speech patters start to resemble Ozpin’s. However, he still sounds and feels like Oscar. Going back to Volume 5, heck, even Volume 6 (which is when we last saw Ozpin in control), the voice of Ozpin speaking through Oscar is similar, but distinctly different from how Oscar’s speaking now. So I’ve been theorizing and hoping, and it CAME TRUE! Ozpin sounds more like Oscar now, while still managing to clearly be Ozpin.

Right from the first “Hello,” it was noticeable. It sounded almost like Oscar. I know it’s the same voice actor when one of them is in control (same body, same vocal cords), but that just makes it even more impressive. This is the first time we’ve heard Ozpin’s voice speaking through Oscar since QRWBY yelled at him in the snow in vol 6. And I was NOT disappointed.

“Why do you follow her?” I’ll keep saying it, but he sounds so much like Oscar confronting Ironwood.

“I know how you see me. But her? Look at what she does, how is she the answer, why not stop her??” This gives me serious deja vu to Oscar’s speech towards Hazel in the Battle of Haven (and his speech towards Ironwood in v7′s finale). That speech had given Hazel pause then, and this one does as well, now. Ozpin sounds angrier, though, more aware of just how far gone these people are, but knowing they can change.

Hazel calls Ozpin out for the same thing the FNDM has been, and honestly, it’s been a long time coming. Hazel’s motivations are extremely misguided, Oscar was right to stand up for Oz/Gretchen at Haven, and the show really needed to reinforce the Ozpin-isn’t-bad-actually thing. Now it’s all out in the open. But it’s Ozpin’s response to this that elevated this scene even more:

That’s it. Ozma has spent countless lives fighting a war that may be impossible to win. But if no one tries, no one will survive. The gods will destroy all of Remnant. Still, every single lifetime, he chooses to try. Like Oscar said in volume 5 (about Hazel’s sister but writing-wise also kinda about Pyrrha), “She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself. So do I.” Like-minded souls.

AND THIS!!! Good gods I’m glad he said this. The show went way too long before anyone even questioned the “You can’t” answer from Jinn. Nora mentioned it in passing earlier, which I liked a lot (though this really should’ve been discussed in volume 6, but better late than never). But here? We see that Oz never gave up, never planned on losing, not sending people to a battle he “knows they can’t win.” While Salem is immortal, she is not infallible. Not even the gods were. Salem can be fought. Even Hazel has a moment of hesitation, perhaps even realization, before Salem enters.

Salem manipulates Cinder, offering her the maiden powers she wants so badly, and Ozpin interjects. “You’ll only be helping her bring about the end, for all of you!”

I just wanted to show these shots because again, just as we’ve seen Oscar’s mannerisms become increasingly similar to Ozpin’s, now that he’s back, we get to see the other way around. Look at the surprise and fear on his face. Look at how he widens his eyes and raises his eyebrows instead of narrowing/furrowing them now. Listen to the sounds he makes when tortured or thrown about. Listen to the desperation and earnest passion held in his pleas. He’s no longer hiding -- he’s being honest with the people who scare him most, and truly trying to help them see the light.

[Side note: Cinder is not showing remorse in this scene, but I wonder how she’d react to Oscar, not Ozpin, being tortured. In the same episode, we have Cinder being tortured with a shock collar, AND we have Oscar decide to try to appeal to the humanity left in these villains. Last time we saw Oscar, Salem was torturing him with intense, almost electric magic. She might not care, but I wonder...]

ANYWAY I’m done for now. Have a TL;DR that wound up being long too

TL;DR:

Basically, I’m super happy with the writers for the detail put into these scenes:

they confirmed Oz has been begging to take over and bear the torture instead

had Oscar come up with an idea himself instead of getting rescued or immediately escaping

had Oscar view his dire situation as an opportunity, reminding us of his optimism and capabilities as a strategist

had Ozpin not know what Oscar’s plan was before he explained it (this might change as the souls become one, but it at least shows they think differently)

Oscar’s plan to appeal to the villains’ humanity and infiltrate Salem’s forces from within lining up with his volume 7 character development

had Oz trust Oscar and put his faith in him, which is progress for Oz

Oz and Oscar speaking in unison and agreeing to work together

Ozpin’s comment about them being similar, not the same

had Ozpin take control to speak to Hazel

Ozpin’s speech to Hazel and Cinder as parallels to Oscar’s speeches to Hazel and Ironwood, which CRWBY said were the reason Oz realized his secrecy is out of fear of trust, and Oscar’s points are what inspired him to come back.

Ozpin sounding and acting more like Oscar just like we’ve seen happen the other way around (though with Oscar, he’s holding true to his own ideas/morals, with Oz meeting him there)

established hope for some of our villains to defect, setting it in motion.

#oscar pine #professor ozpin #rwby ozma #the merge #rwby ozcar #hate calling them that lol but it's a useful tag #rwby8 #rwby #quinpost

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