#chapter 8 script 1

[teddybearty]

A School kid, Some School Staff, and Daisy’s Mom 💕

[calicotisane]

Chapter 2 Page 14

[calronhunt]

starting production on kibby cats was a bad idea because now i'm fully understanding that this comic is going to be like 1000 pages long and i'm going to have to deal with a 1000 page cat comic on my back for years. oh god. oh christ.

[notherpuppet]

Hazbin Human AU Masterpost

“My Deer Nanny” Radioapple Nanny AU Collection

• My Deer Nanny "Poster"

• First Concept/Meeting

• Alastor bumps into an old friend at the grocery store

• “Buckshot” (Injured Alastor/Dinner Party chapter): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

• “Buckshot” Deleted scenes scripts and scribbles

• “Let’s Dance”: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Epilogue

• Huskerdust doodle

• Nanny Duties

• “Morning After”: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

• Lucifer/Alastor/Vox sandwich

• Radioapple x TWICE doodle

Answered Questions about “My Deer Nanny”:

-What is Lucifer’s job? Where is the setting?

- How did Lucifer meet Angel?

-What are The Vees’ dynamic?

Other Human AU Depictions

• Alastor the Radio Man

• Vox Human Design

• Genderswap Luci & Al

• Radiohusk sketches

• Radiohusk hug

• Radioapple enemies

• Genderswap Al & Vox

*this post is subject to change if/when I make more Human AU posts, so be sure to return to the original post if you are so inclined to delve into the AU ☺️🫶🏽

[akanemnon]

TWIN RUNES MASTERPOST

Because of the limited amount of links you can put into a post, you can find the links to each page in these sub-posts:

To be continued...

FAQ under the cut!

TWIN RUNES MINI COMICS

Glasses - Fallen down - First steps - Press [C] - Frisk Dance - But nobody came - Whatstheirface - An acquired taste - Eye opening - Smalltalk - Connection issues - Not-To-Do-List - All You Can Eat - Beach Episode - Salute the Frick - Morning Routine - The Universe is a Hologram - Normal Human Behavior

______________________________________________________________

TWIN RUNES - FAQ

What exactly is this AU about? Twin Runes is essentially a comedic crossover AU between the universes of Deltarune and Undertale. No fancy nicnacs. Just the characters being their chaotic selves. But there might be some darkness lurking up ahead... ____________________

When is the next comic? The comic updates most Sundays at 6:30 PM Central European Time. ____________________

Why is this AU called Twin Runes? The name is more or less a play on the typical naming format of most AU's by featuring the "Runes" part. There are no literal Twin Runes. The whole name is more of a stand in for Undertale and Deltarune as parallel worlds. Hence the "Twin" part. ____________________

When does Twin Runes take place? This AU takes place between a hypothetical Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of Deltarune. On the Undertale side of things, it takes place post neutral route just as Frisk was about to deliver Undyne's letter to Alphys.

How many pages are there going to be? The script for this comic estimates that the comic is going to be 137 pages long (if I don't make any major changes). ____________________

Is the Player a thing in this AU? The Player(s) lost control over both human children as soon as Frisk entered the world of Deltarune. Essentially, the reader takes the role of the Player. You have no influence on the outcome of the story anymore. All you can do is watch. ____________________

Is there going to be a Weird Route? Due to the lack of Player, all choices made by Kris are now their own. How to engage in battle all depends on Kris, and not the Player. Because of that, there are NO DIFFERENT ROUTES. There is only one route and that one is based on Kris' choices. Because of the lack of save points, there is no "what-if" scenario. ____________________

When Chapter 3 and 4 are released, will it affect the story? Any chapters after Chapter 3 won't affect the story in the grand scheme of things. Twin Runes created a new timeline so to speak. ____________________

How old are the characters in this story? Frisk appears to be around 9 years old. Kris thinks they're 14. (Both Frisk and Kris don't know their actual age.) Chara died when they were around 10-11. Susie is around 15-16 (she was held back once) Ralsei appears to be the same age as Kris. ____________________

What's up with Kris' and Frisk's hair? The red bits of their hair is more or less a representation of their souls. That in turn is also why Chara doesn't have that feature. They are soulless. It's a stylistic choice. ____________________

What's that thing on Kris' chest? It's a scar they got from tearing out their soul.

And why do they have weird lines all over their body? Both Kris and Frisk's anatomy resemble that of ball-jointed dolls. They appear just as markings across their bodies. Think of them as elaborate birthmarks. Kris and Frisk are still made of flesh and blood, but are in fact hypermobile. The reason as to why they do is still a little secret :) People here like to refer to these markings as "puppet limbs". You can get a better look at them and the scar in this artwork

Why does Kris have braces? This is why:

Why is Dark World Frisk green? Frisk changes their main sweater colors with Kris when they enter the Dark World.

Can other ghosts see Chara? (pre Darkner transformation) No, only Frisk and Kris are able to see Chara. ____________________

IS KRIS NOW FRISK'S COUNTERPART OR CHARA'S???? :) ____________________

So, was Chara in the locket all along? No, Chara possessed the locket to become a Darkner. ____________________

Where are Jevil and Spamton? Are they in Castle Town? The Fun Gang have already fought these two in the previous chapters and added them into their inventory. Outside of that little dream sequence, neither will be making an appearance. ____________________

Is anyone from Undertale Yellow gonna make an apperance? Outside of a tiny cameo from Clover (that has no greater bearing on the story) no one from Undertale Yellow is going to make an appearance. ____________________

Is (insert character here) gonna go to the Dark World/underground? With the way the story is going to play out, only the main group will be heading to this new Dark World. The rest of the story will be taking place there. ____________________

How did you come up with the idea of Twin Runes? Twin Runes is an offshoot of a separate script I wrote. It's a similar concept but turned on its head. The funny moments in that script made me just continue what now is the start of Twin Runes. I pretty much just wanted to see if I am actually capable of drawing a comic to begin with. So... in a way Twin Runes is my first attempt at a comic ever. If I ever finish Twin Runes, then I know I can tackle turning that mammoth project of a script into a comic too. In the grand scheme of things these two projects are sister series. They have A LOT in common and even share similar plot elements. When Twin Runes is over you will automatically also know certain mysteries of The Other Script. ____________________

What is The Other Script? As of this moment I call The Other Script: "Lost in the In-Between". At its core it's an inverse of Twin Runes. I.e. Kris falling into the underground and being aided by Frisk on their quest to return home. The story and jokes are a considerably more grounded than in Twin Runes and so are the characters. Though they do have their moments from time to time. The overall mood of that script is a lot darker in nature and it's a 200+ page passion project of mine. ____________________

Am I allowed to make fanart? ABSOLUTELY! You are very welcome to make fanart if you feel like it. Please let me know if you do by tagging me, so I can share it with everyone to see so that you get the appreciation you deserve :) ____________________ Can I use the funny faces you draw for memes or for stuff like memes or for profile pictures? That's what they're here for :) ____________________

Is there x ship in this comic? The focus of the story is not on shipping. If it's in the game it will very likely be mentioned or brought up, but that's about it. ____________________

What pronouns do you go with for the human children? I try to stick as close as possible to the games so I use THEY/THEM FOR ALL OF THEM WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTIONS.

______________________________________________________________

ABOUT ASKS

Asks will open for 24 hours after a new comic has been released. Your questions will then be answered over the course of the week.

Try not to submit multiple asks. If necessary, just keep everything in one post.

Keep in mind that I receive AL LOT of asks, so not every question can be answered...

Questions containing spoilers will not be answered on principle. Wouldn't be as fun if the surprise was ruined, right?

Before leaving an ask (mostly for everyone who's new), please make sure to read the FAQ section above. A lot of times your question might have been answered already :>

I love memes and dumb jokes as much as the next guy, but try not to spam

It probably goes without saying, but please stay civil. I want to give everyone the respect they deserve, and naturally like to be treated the same way.

Please be mindful about drawing requests. It is understandable if you're eager to see a certain character drawn in my style, but I do not like to be bombarded by requests. The more it happens, the less likely I am to do it. Be kind and ask nicely.

I don't take unsolicited comic ideas.

Don't use other people's posts that I reblogged to ask me questions! It has happened before and I do not wish to see this!

______________________________________________________________

ABOUT SUBMISSIONS

The submission box is for FANART ONLY!

It is meant for those who do not want to submit their fanart to their own blogs, in case they feel scared or intimidated to do so.

ASKS AND REQUESTS THAT ARE SUBMITTED THIS WAY WILL NOT BE ANSWERED.

Please wait until the ask box opens. You can read more on how asks work in the section above.

______________________________________________________________

REFERENCE SHEETS

The following are ref sheets of characters that don't have established Dark World forms yet (as of writing this comic). The list will be updated as soon as a new character enters the Dark World. Here you will also find references of characters that might appear as surprise cameos, or maybe even completely new faces...

______________________________________________________________

FULL ART

[morbethgames]

NEW UPDATE IS OUT!

I’M FREE! FREEEEEE! 32 MOSTLY UNIQUE VARIATIONS OF INTIMATE SCENES DONE!

Clears throat

So, like stated above, the update is out! I’ll leave a list of patch notes, but this is majorly a bigger one for Alzarez and Lance romancers. The Lance extra story “Movie and Dessert” is being released with this update. You will need to replay the game. I’m sorry about that. BUT it’s because I added in new variables to the train scene so that stuff said there could possibly be brought up in this new scene! Reactivity, yay!

Along with that, you’ll get to read Alvarez’s flashback scene which is the actual end of Chapter 4. Along with a lot of little goodies. All in all, there was about… 44k-45k words added into this update? 40k of them are entirely optional and only happen if you choose to hang out with Lance after Alvarez’s flashback scene scene.

Not gonna lie, 1 variation in I was confident it would take two weeks. 8 variations in I was a bit tired but still energized to get this scene done. 16 variations in I had to step away for a couple of days to not let my brain melt. By the time I hit mid-twenties in variation for this scene, I was finding myself thinking that it just. wasn’t. worth it.

I have no idea if I’ll make the other intimate scenes this branching. It was honestly a lot of work. Like, a lot, it it was so fatiguing after a while, but I knew I had to get it done. IT’s also the reason I paused my patreon this month, because it wouldn’t be fair to charge people for something that they’re not getting early as promised in the rewards. This took way longer than I thought, so I wanted to just release it to everyone at once.

I do hope you guys enjoy it, and without further ado, here are the patch notes for this update.

Stay Brilliant, -Vi

Patch Notes:

“Movie and Dessert” Lance Extra Scene is finished.

Alvarez Flashback scene is finished.

Added a Text Box Investigation Tab in the Stats Screen.

You are now able to toggle between Text Box Investigations and regular choice script gameplay for TBI sequences.

You can now view the Text Box Investigation tutorial at any time via the stats screen.

Removed the Text Box Investigation Tutorial from chapter 4.

Added an option in the beginning of the game to Fade To Black during intimate scenes.

You can now pick asexual and aromantic as separate options, and they are not tied to each other.

Grammar edits and fixes (thank you to all who report them).

🛡️Patreon | Forum Page | Demo Link🛡️

[thepixelelf]

Oh Baby, You - svt smau

The birth of your son three years ago was what caused your breakup with Wonwoo, your longtime (and at that point, long distance) partner. Now, you're getting concerned that Orion is starting to look a lot like his dad, but that's not your only problem. Wonwoo is back… and he's living across the hall.

Genres: smau, romance, drama, comedy, angst, single parent au

Pairing: jeon wonwoo x afab they/she reader x mystery member(s)

Warnings: coarse language, conversations about sex, mentions of pregnancy, mama/mom/mother is used to refer to reader's parental status sometimes, infidelity, light alcoholism, miscommunication as a plot device, some of the teenies are not so nice at times, slut shaming, angst, everything is unrealistically dramatic because this is basically a kdrama in text/twitter form. warnings may be updated as they come, but I will label chapters properly if it's anything major

Note: unfortunately, I did have to make the mc for this series have female reproductive organs because, well... that's the plot. I couldn't find a good way around it :( if anyone reading this is discouraged, please know that pretty much every other fic I've ever posted is gender neutral. So, if you think you might've liked this smau, please check out my masterlist! hopefully there will be something you like there :) ALSO! if anyone makes fun of Orion's name just know that it's the name of a precious baby cousin of mine and if you bully smau Orion you are bullying irl Orion!! do not touch him!!!

(new!) Updates will post when I have the time and motivation

The taglist is full! Leave a comment under the post linked here if you're not on the main taglist to be notified when Oh Baby, You is completed.

Profiles I: Orion's Prettyboy(gn) Posse

Profiles II: Wonwoo's Famous Friend and the Other Guys

Profiles III: Gyu and the Rise of Capitalism

1. Everybody Loves Vernon

2. Tens Among Tens

3. Grown Ass Men

4. I Hate This FUcking Family

5. The Ones Keeping Secrets

6. A LITTLE Curious

7. You Go Girl Get His Ass

8. The Calm

9. The Storm

10. It's Been a While

11. Fucked Up Coincidences

12. Not... a BAD Guy

13. Still So Affected

14. Just My Type

15. Nothing to Hide

16. Fists Up

17. Act Natural

18. Girl, They Blocked You

19. Plot Relevance

20. Actually it is a Date

21. It's All Pretty Confusing

22. Scripted

23. All it Takes is a Smile

24. Yoon Jeonghan is Watching

25. Completely Surrounded

26. No Such Thing

27. What Does That Mean

28. A Name I've Heard Recently

29. Can't Risk It

30. Errand Day

31. One Day at a Time

32. Confrontation

33. Not Looking to be a Parent Any Time Soon

34. What if I

35. For This Little Guy

36. Get Blocked

37. I'll Take Care of You

38. Messed Up, Stupid, and Jaded

39. You Fucked Up

40. That's For You to Figure Out

41. Need to Try Something

42. Recovery Mission?

43. Your Everything

44. You're Cute When You're Like This

45. Not Sponsored

46. This is Nothing

47. Promise? Promise

48. Hhrk

49. A Busy Afternoon

50. Cherry

51. Don't Freak Out

chapters loading...

52. Bad Guys

53. Everything is Fine

OBY Ask the Characters Game

[kirikeijii]

𝐂𝐨-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

Movie star ! Toge Inumaki x Movie star ! Reader SMAU

Prologue - Auditions

INTRODUCTIONS Prev← →Next Chapter 1 - Trending Hangout Sesh

Synopsis: You saw a job offer for a new upcoming movie —Jujutsu Kaisen 0— starring some of the most famous actors: Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Yuta Okkutsu, and Maki Zenin. The requirement for the character's personality was a match made in heaven. The character was perky, smiley, talkative, in short, a ball of energy. In contrast to your character: a quiet and observant role was played by Toge Inumaki, your character's love interest. To get the chemistry on screen you had to spend time with him. Despite his character personality, he was the complete opposite on set. The world watches the two of you do interviews and vlogs about the upcoming movie. The world watches you fall in love with each other without even knowing yourselves. At some point, the world knows how whipped you are for each other except for the two of you.

Kugisaki, Name: 9:35am

"I do not wanna do this. I honestly thought it was a live audition you know." You vented to your sister. "I do better under pressure." You look at her.

"You are under pressure, you have a 4:30 deadline." She explained to you. You scoffed at her as she made iced coffee for the both of you.

It took you atleast 20 minutes to get your emotions right. "Oh, my God, I'm finally done." You laid on your couch sipping the iced coffee wile you glanced at the clock on your wall. 4:20

Just right. You looked at your phone to see the script you were acting earlier and got curious on the other ones. "Nobara, look!" You pointed at your phone. "One of the scripts is literally just rice ball ingredients, HAHA!" You laughed when your sister looked at it she also burst out of laughter.

"Imagine if that was the real script. That'd be hilarious."

Kugisaki, Name: 8:32am

ᯓ★You love your manager (platonically)

ᯓ★You hate acting on your own. It's just super weird

ᯓ★You saw Inumaki act once and you thought he was cute

ᯓ★Thank you for reading<3 | Masterlist

ᯓ★Tags: @sophiasrant @walllflowerrrsss

[darlingshane]

Salt of the Earth ~ Part 3 (Final)

Pairing: Michael Berzatto x OFC

Summary: She was Carmy's best friend growing up, and Michael never looked at her as anything other than that until years later when she comes back to Chicago to start over. In the process, she turns his sorry excuse of a life upside down.

Content/Warnings: 18+. Explicit, Friends to lovers, Fluff, Heavy Angst, Smut, Shower Sex, BJ's, P in V, Family Drama, Dysfunctional relationships, Addiction, Alcohol, Pets, Pet names, Dialogue heavy, Undisclosed age gap.

Word Count: 12.3k // Chapters 8-10 // AO3 Link.

— Part 1 (Chapters 1-4) // Part 2 (Chapters 5-7)

A/N: This part includes my version of the famous 'Fishes' episode. Though having Maya in it changed a few things, most of it is pretty faithful to the actual script. I also borrowed some of the dialogue to keep it as close as possible.

Chapter 8: As warm as toast

Maya is hugging Michael’s back when the warm breath of her dog is pressed against her ear. She tells the dog to go back to sleep, but Coco, ignoring her request, whines a couple of times until Maya has no choice but to get up. Though it's still terribly early, she takes Coco out to the park down the street from Michael’s building. It's freezing outside, but that doesn’t stop Coco from zooming across the park a hundred times until she’s spent while Maya paces along the fence, wrapped in thick layers of hat, scarf, mittens and a bulky coat.

Upon their return, Maya fills Coco’s bowl and makes some coffee.

They’ve fallen into a nice routine with Michael. He’s made room in his life for them, as much as they’ve welcomed him open into theirs. Half a week they spent in his apartment, and the other half at Maya’s house.

While she sips on her coffee, she tries to guess what's inside the big wrapped box that has been sitting in Michael’s living room for a week. Curiosity has been killing her since she saw it the other day. Her fingers tap on one of the sides and lightly pull on the edge of the red and white paper, trying to sneak a peek of the box.

“I told you to leave that alone, Maybird. That’s not for you.” Michael catches her red-handed as he comes out of the bedroom.

“C’mon, Bear, let me open it already. It’s Christmas.”

“Uh-uh, it’s Christmas Eve.”

“Is it a sex swing? It feels like a sex swing.” She keeps tapping on the box.

“It's not a sex swing. Keep guessing.” Michael snorts, leaning over to kiss her good morning. “Your face is cold, did you go out?”

“Uh-huh.” She glances at Coco, who’s currently devouring her food by the kitchen. “She woke me up and dragged me outside.”

“At least she knows how to hold it and ask for the head.” Michael goes around the breakfast bar to fill a mug with coffee. “Remember that yorkie that Francie had that couldn’t stop peeing everywhere.”

“Well, training goes a long way.”

“That's what everyone kept telling her, but her parents ended up leaving a poor thing in the kennel.”

“I mean it's Francie. I'm not surprised. She really can't be trusted to take care of anything. How's she? I haven't seen her in ages.”

“She's around. I think. Last time I saw her was probably a couple of years ago. She’s banned from our house.”

“Why?”

“Beats me. It's a Sugar thing. I think Francie tried to hit on Pete or something. You'll have to ask Sug.”

“Really? Just when I thought she couldn’t sink lower.”

“Tell me about it.” He pulls up his sweats as he takes a seat on the couch next to her.

“Okay, stop trying to distract me. So, if it’s not a sex swing, or a pizza oven, which I really wanted by the way…”

“The sex swing?” He lifts a brow at her and takes a sip of his mug.

“The pizza oven, smartass. How about… a weighted blanket?”

“First, you don’t need any of those. You can cook pizza already in your oven, and why do you need a weighted blanket or a sex swing when you have me?”

“That’s true.”

“You know what? Go ahead and open it, but you’re gonna need Coco, cause like I told you, that’s not for you. C’mere Coco Girl.”

Coco’s floppy ears perk up at Michael’s call. The dog turns her head to look at Michael for a second before continuing chewing her food.

“She’s too busy to open presents right now.”

“Figures.”

They wait till she’s done, and Maya beams in delight, quickly tearing apart the flashy wrapping paper. That delight turns into a mocking frown when she finds out it’s a big, fluffy dog bed for Coco.

“Oh, you weren’t kidding. It’s not for me.”

“Aw, don’t be jealous, sweetheart. You know I have something else for you. She needed a bed here. This couch is so uncomfortable, no even a dog wants to lay here. She’s always either hoarding the bed or sleeping on the rug.”

“Yeah, I know.” Her lips curve up, watching Coco inspect her present before attempting to curl inside. “That’s it, baby, lay down. Good girl.”

“Are we still up for tomorrow?”

Maya sighs, “yeah, I think so. Did you tell them I was coming?”

“I said you might. Just in case you change your mind.”

“Do you want me to change my mind?”

“No,” he strokes her hair with his free hand. “I really want you there.”

“What are we going to tell, y’know… everyone?”

Everyone – meaning Carmy. Though their relationship is practically nonexistent, the last thing she wants to do is show up holding hands with Michael and flaunt it on anyone’s face without a warning.

“Well, Richie is the only one who knows.” Cause he caught them last week making out at their usual bar. “I guess Tiff knows too. Does it freak you out? Do you wanna back out now?”

“No, no. I just… I guess I’m not ready to announce it on a day like this. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s okay, baby. I get it. It’s driving me crazy, too.”

“If they find out, that’s great, but I don’t just wanna put it out there right away.”

“We’ll just have to keep a low profile, then. How hard can it be?”

“I’ve never had a secret relationship before. It could be fun pretending, even if it’s just for a few hours.”

“We just have to hope Richie doesn’t blow our cover.”

“Oh, we’re screwed.”

“I don’t know about that. But I can tell someone is about to get screwed. Shower?” His brow playfully arches.

“Hmm, you’ve read my mind.”

It’s that rush of excitement of being with someone new that leads them quickly to the bathroom. He undresses her just as fast as she pulls his sweats and underwear off him. He hasn’t finished taking off her bra and his lips automatically invite themselves into her neck as she fumbles to get the water going so it warms up before stepping inside.

Under the warm spray of the water, their bodies fuse together. Lips against lips share a vicious amount of kisses and laughs. Their arms tangle around the other, her hands become his, and vice versa. The steam filling the room boils hotter when Michael turns Maya around and presses himself on her ass while one of his hands slides between her legs. Her palms brace the tiled wall, as his mouth bites the flesh at the curve of her neck. Her moans and curses sound like heaven when the blunt tip of his cock slides into her opening. His hips push painfully slow as her walls stretch inch after inch. Once he’s fully sheathed in her tender pussy, his eyes squeeze shut, he lets his desire guide the pacing of his thrusts. Maya waves her hips at the same time, countering his moves until both find the same rhythm. One of his hands clutches the curve of her ass, keeping her secured, as the other stays right on her pussy, rubbing her swollen clit with passion.

His back turns red as the hot water keeps pouring over him. The fiery pressure rising up in his core makes his cock throb inside her. He looks down to see his length disappear inside her fast with each push. At the same time, his mind dissipates somewhere up, above the mist of the bathroom, somewhere above clouds. It’s like he’s traded one addiction for another. As long as he’s with her, he’s safe. It’s not the healthiest way to deal with it, but right now he doesn’t give a shit. The climb to that high is way faster, it feels better, it’s less toxic, but it lasts shorter. That’s the only downside.

“Michael… please,” her breathing swallows, as she inches close to the finish line.

“I know, sweetheart, shh…. Come for me. C’mon…”

Following her plea, he pushes a little harder, rubs a little faster until her body seizes up. She lets out a strained moan that bounces off the steamed walls, as her opening contracts around him harder than he’s ever felt. Maybe it’s the position. It feels like pure bliss to have her squeezing every last drop of him.

Catching his own breath, he hangs his head down to rest on her nape for a moment. While still riding that high, he slowly slips out of her and drops to his knees on the shower floor. His hands handle her body around so she's facing him. As her abdomen lines up with his face, he glances up to capture her glowing aura, stunning as ever. Maya’s still floating in that same sea of ecstasy he floats on. It makes her look like a goddess from his position. Her dark hair cascades over her shoulders, sticks to her skin as it touches the curves of her chest. Water trails down her body as if she was standing under a waterfall. And like the Goddess she is, he aims to devout himself only to her.

He gently holds one of her legs up, letting his lips glide across the surface of her thigh as he drapes her leg over his shoulder. His mouth waters as it gets closer to her center. Licking his lips, his eager tongue just to taste the heaven between her legs. It's slicked and tender, ready to consume. His mouth fits perfectly against it. Wide open. Desperate to please her with the flick of his tongue and ease his own affliction.

Maya leans her back on the wall, anchors her only feet hard to the floor, and grips at his soaked hair as his tongue works restlessly all over her sex. He sucks her clit between his lips, licks her folds, circles her dripping opening, and revels in tasting both, him and her. In a wild frenzy, he devours it all. It consumes his need and desperation for more. Her moans are exquisite. Her body writhes in his hold as she rises up gracefully to a higher plane.

Chapter 9: Bigger fishes to fry

“Are you really going to wear that?” Asks Maya as soon as she sees the outfit Michael has chosen for Christmas dinner.

“What’s wrong with this?” He gazes at his blue Under Armour shirt and jeans ensemble.

“Workout shirt, jeans and kicks, really? Why don’t you put on a nice sweater at least?”

“Baby, it’s just dinner at my house with the same fucking people I see every year. It's not like the Queen of England is gonna show up to have tea and biscuits.”

“C’mon, Bear, do it for me?” Maya pulls out her big adorable eyes and disarming smile.

“Ugh, alright, only for you.” Unable to resist her power, he easily yields and goes into his bedroom. From a drawer, he collects a dark blue fisherman sweater. Then he sticks his hand into the closet to pick up the vintage jacket she bought him for his birthday. To finish his new getup, he trades his sneakers for ankle boots.

Maya is taking out a dessert from the fridge that she bought this morning to take to The Berzattos.

“Wow,” her head turns when hearing his footfalls. “See, you look so much better now.”

“Yeah? You clean up pretty nice too,” he picks up her hand and makes her spin under his arm, capturing the stunning shape of her body hugged in a cream knitted dress that almost touches her knees. Right below, black leather boots cover the rest of her legs.

“Thanks, handsome bear.” After her spin, her head tilts to the side, capturing a chaste kiss from his lips.

“What’s that?” Michael points at the dish covered in tin foil on the breakfast bar.

“It's a strawberry tart.”

“You made a tart?” He lifts part of the foil to uncover the well-crafted pastry.

“What? Surprised that this tart made a tart?”

“Well, yeah. You almost poisoned me the last time you cooked.”

“You got me. I didn't make it. I bought it this morning when I took Coco out.”

Michael softly chuckles. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring that. Have you forgotten about pudding-gate? Donna's going to eat you alive if you show up with food.”

“Oh, I think that night was the first time I got drunk. I don't remember the details. But I do remember the pudding and eating a bowl with Carmy in the garage. Who brought it?”

“Uncle Jimmy's first wife.”

“That's right. She was never seen again after that. Okay, I guess I could bring a bottle of wine.”

“You're gonna make me look bad if I show up with nothing.”

“You could bring the tart, and say that you made it. I bet Donna will be delighted if it comes from the golden child.”

“That's a great idea, baby. It'll be a great distraction when she starts strangling me that people won't even notice this other tart.” His hand boldly squeezes her ass.

“Hey!” she swats his shoulder with the back of her hand. “I thought we agreed to keep our hands off each other.”

“I meant later. Here, I can still get a piece if I want.” He links his arms around her waist and peppers the curve of her neck with kisses, making her laugh with the coarse tickle of his beard.

“Oh, this is gonna be harder than I thought,” she whines when his lips nibble her earlobe.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” He laughs against her ear, gripping tightly at her hips. “I’m not sure how long I can make it without touching you like this.”

“Well, we better think of something…”

Ready to go, they hop in the car and drop Coco first at Maya’s house. While Michael waits in the car she collects a bottle of wine to bring for dinner.

It’s then that she gets jittery about the whole ordeal. It’s been years since she attended one of their functions. Christmas at the Berzattos was never a walk in the park, and as she has heard recently, they still aren’t. But she’s not the one to talk cause the Silvas have always had their own issues, proof of that is her desertion from her own family dinner.

“Okay, kiss me one more time,” she requests after parking at the end of the street. They both lean in to meet in the middle over the center console for a chaste kiss. “One more.”

Michael delves into her mouth a little deeper, hoping it’d ease her up.

As they walk up to the house, they pass Maya’s empty childhood home, and Michael just wraps an arm around her and kisses her hair.

“Their loss,” he mumbles. “Don’t think about them, Maybird.”

“I won’t.”

His arm unfurls away from her body as they get closer to the Berzattos’ house. When they reach the door, they stay there for a minute, filling their lungs with cold air as they muster the courage to cross the threshold.

The house is loud with people talking and laughing when they step inside.

Maya can see Michael's face changing as the door closes behind them. That raw vulnerability, his bashful expression he's not afraid to show her slips once again behind that mask he's fought so hard to get rid of. She can't hold it against him. Everyone has their coping mechanisms and this is Michael's.

She becomes suddenly the new sensation, everyone openly welcomes her as if they hadn't seen her in ages. Which is actually the case. She's bombarded with questions she doesn't really want to answer like — How are your parents? How does it feel being back? Are you seeing someone?

Mirroring Michael's, she just draws her best smile and tries to satisfy their curiosity while Michael takes a smoke break with Sugar leaving her to be eaten by wolves before she can protest.

To Maya’s disbelief, after the third degree, she’s welcomed with open arms by Donna Berzatto, who is just as intense as she remembers. Hair on point, makeup on point, fresh manicure softly scratches Maya’s jaw when she briefly holds her face.

“We've missed you, Mayhem Maya.” Donna actually coined that nickname after that incident when she broke one of her figurines when she was a kid. And she'd never live that down. It makes her feel like a child every time she calls her that or the way she manages to compliment her and patronize her at the same time.

“Hey,” she hears the familiar voice as Donna disappears into the kitchen.

Maya turns around to see Carmy climbing down the stairs.

“Hey, you made it,” she says a little hesitant, trying to decide whether to hug him or just shake his hand as he reaches the last step.

“You too.”

Hug. She goes for it and tucks her arms around his shoulders for no more than two seconds. It feels a little awkward and cold given their history but understandable. They're not as close anymore, and it doesn't come as natural as it used to. She tries to internalize that as best as she can, but there’s still something that doesn’t feel right. Maybe this wasn’t the best moment to show up back again into his life. Being Michael’s girlfriend, no less. Perhaps deciding to hide that wasn’t the best choice after all. It sounded reasonable when she chose that, but right now, it feels like she’s betraying him.

“How's Copenhagen?”

“Cold. How is being back?”

“Weird.”

“Tell me about it… Never thought I'd see you again in one of these functions.”

“Yeah, Michael insisted. You knew I was coming, right?”

He nods. “Sugar told me.”

They shoot back and forth meaningless questions without really diving into anything substantial. For the first time, she looks at his cold blue eyes and realizes they're not best friends anymore. She might have known everything about him once upon a time, but now it feels like talking to a stranger, and it breaks her heart not being able to pass that invisible wall between them.

Maya stares at him one last time as they are interrupted by the rest of the party. He’s dragged to a mindless conversation with Neil and Ted Fak, while Michelle brings Maya a drink and settles with her on the couch to catch up.

Carmy manages to escape the Faks and asks for some help from his siblings that were hiding outside.

Michael does another quick round before disappearing again somewhere with Richie.

“I thought you weren’t serious about bringing her.” Richie takes him to the garage where they open a couple of beers.

“I was dead serious. And please, don’t say anything. Tonight, we’re just friends, alright?” he gives him a menacing look.

“You’re dead for sure when Carmy finds out. Don’t get me wrong I love Maya, but is she all that? Is she worth the trouble, Cousin?”

“She’s all that and a basket of biscuits.”

Soon, Michael thinks. Soon everyone will know how much he loves her but for now, this is for the best. This is what she wants and he respects that.

When they go back into the house, Michael goes checking if she needs a break from socializing. Figures, she probably does as much as he does. She's not in the living room anymore, or anywhere on the first floor. He climbs upstairs and from the cracked door to his room, he finds her snooping around the bedroom with a glass of wine in her hand.

“Hey. What are you doing up here?”

“The bathroom downstairs was occupied, so I came up here, and I realized I never really saw your room. Was it always like this?”

“Kinda. It’s cleaner for starters. The walls used to be covered in Red Sox merchandise and movie posters. It’s all in the basement at The Beef now.”

“Traitor,” Maya mockingly squints her eyes before taking a sip of her glass.

“Why do you care, you don’t even watch baseball?”

“Yeah, but if I had to pick I wouldn’t even dream of going against my own home team,” she says, scanning a pile of CD’s on the corner of the desk and picking one from the middle. “Marky Mark, really? Who are you?”

“That’s Sugar’s.”

“Sure it is,” she laughs.

“This is why you came up here, to make fun of me?”

“Nope, I just like snooping.” She turns around and keeps flicking through those albums while Michael shuts the door to seize that as an opportunity to kiss her again.

“Hey, c’mere.” Quickly wetting his lips, he cups her face as it turns to the side and gently captures the flavor of her mouth soaked in white wine.

“Hmm, we’re a lost cause,” she says as his lips bounce a few times against her.

“I know.” Michael hums, unable to stop himself from going deeper into her mouth.

As she places her glass on the desk, his tongue swipes past her lips.

Michael moves his hands to her hips, as Maya links her arms around his neck, letting her tongue slowly play with his.

His mouth grows hungrier and desperate for more. She can feel it at the eager tip of his tongue demanding more action. He blindly guides Maya to the bed, and almost without breaking from the other, as she settles on her back, he pushes all the coats people left on his bed to the side. Michael lies on top of her, nestling between her legs, claiming ferociously another kiss from her mouth.

From zero to sixty, his hand slips beneath the hem of her dress and hikes the skirt up to her waist to grab her ass. He digs his fingers on her skin over her tights. He could rip the fabric apart in a second if he pressed a little harder.

Maya hums in his mouth, struggling to keep up with the burning passion he's pouring into her lips as the coarse texture of his beard scratches her face.

The setting is a little off-putting for her right now no matter how much she wants him and as his bulge hardens between her legs, she promptly puts a halt on.

“Michael, baby, shh. We can’t do this here.”

“We’re just making out. The door is closed.”

“We’re not just making out. You’re already hard. What if someone comes in?”

“There’s a lock on the door. I closed it.”

“The lock is not the problem. It's this place. This house.”

“The house is cock-blocking you?”

“Pretty much. Yeah. Let’s just take a breath and go back down. We’ll finish this later at home. See, this is why we can’t be left alone.”

“Okay,” he begrudgingly rolls to the side with a sigh, feeling a little disappointed to be honest and stares at the ceiling. “Is it the house or is it Carmy being here?”

“I don't know. Maybe both.” She leans on her elbow to look at him.

“I see.”

“It’s not like I don’t want to. I do. More than you know, Bear. I just feel weird about doing this right here. We said the other day that we should be honest with each other to make this work. And this is me being honest.”

“I know, baby. I get it. I just… All I wanna do is be with you right now. Can't stop thinking about you. That’s why this happens…” he gestures vaguely as his crotch.

“Now, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to give you blue balls. I know how much that hurts.”

“I don’t think you do,” he snorts.

“I’m sorry,” her palm covers her smile. “I really am. But I… I guess I could do something about it. Don’t move.”

Maya’s fingers glide over his crotch to undo his fly.

“Wait, are you changing your mind?”

“No, but I don’t wanna leave you like that either. Just trust me.” She shifts on the bed as her hand slides under the fabric to feel the pressure of his straining erection.

Biting her lip, she locks eyes with him as her fist curls around his shaft as Michael’s hand wraps around hers.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I wanna. Just because I can’t, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. Let me do this for you. Please.”

“You’re fucking amazing, you know that?” he sighs, letting her hand move up and down his hardness.

“I know. Just relax for me. I'll make it quick.”

Maya leans closer to his face to lock her lips with his. His low grunts echo in her mouth while her fist prompts him to spill his early drops of arousal. They help her pump more swiftly. He has to bury his sounds deep in his throat when she parts from his mouth and moves her head down his torso so he can finish him with a blow.

“Fuck, Maybird,” he moans as her lips wrap tightly around his swollen gland. Her hand keeps a nice pressure at the base as her head bobs quickly to have him climaxing all over her tongue.

She cleans him up, licks her lips and makes sure nothing was spilled on their clothes before taking a long swig of the glass of wine on the desk to get rid of the aftertaste of his cum.

“God, sweetheart, that was…” he stands up and pulls his clothes together while she finishes her drink. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

“You better.” She collects a pocket mirror from her purse to check her makeup. As she moves Michael's jacket out of the way, something falls from its pocket — a round pill container lands at her feet.

She means to bend down and pick up, but she freezes. It's Michael the one to reach and grab it. Maya stiffens, stares at him as he quickly tucks in his pocket. Unable to process any thought at all, she pins that in her head to revise later. As she intended to do, she fixes her hair and makeup.

Michael should have left those at home. He didn’t even mean to grab them. It was just exactly that– a habit he can’t break yet. Especially on a night like this.

“Hey,” he says softly, holding her chin under his finger and tilts her head up so he can capture her eyes. “We'll talk about it later, okay?”

“Okay.”

She checks her face in the mirror a second time to make sure there’s no visual signs of her just going down on Michael before leaving the room.

Their hands are still linked together when they step into the hallway, and it isn't until they spot Natalie coming from another room that they quickly pull them apart.

So much for being sneaky… There's no way she didn't see that. The shock flashing across her face is telling.

“Michael, can I talk to you?”

“We should go downstairs before… Carmy can't handle all those people.”

“This won't take a minute,” she says firmly.

He glances at Maya, and they nod at the other.

As Maya returns to the party, Sugar can't help but question Michael about it.

“I don't know what you saw, but it's not what you think, Sug.”

“You came out of your room holding hands. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Are you dating her?”

“Would you have a problem with that?”

“I don't know… It's just… She's Maya. She practically grew up here. In this house. She and Carmy were… you haven't told him, have you?”

“Nobody knows yet. Well, just Richie. But it hasn't been going on for long, and we just thought it'd be best to wait.”

“And you brought her here tonight?”

“I didn't want her to spend the night alone. Do you think it's weird, me and her?”

“I don’t think it’s weird. I… I guess it's a little unexpected. It just caught me off guard. If you had given me a warning…”

“You wouldn't be so shocked. I'm sorry. I wanna tell everyone, but it's all so new, and she's…”

“Maya.”

“Yeah.”

“Look, it's an adjustment, but if you're happy with her, then I'm happy, Bear. Does she make you happy?”

“She does,” he smiles bashfully.

When Michael and Natalie join the rest, Cicero and his wife arrive. Uncle Lee follows.

The delicious smell of food cooking fills every nook with the house and Maya's stomach rumbles under layers of wine. She desperately needs to soak all that alcohol before it's too late.

She goes into the kitchen to find Michael casually leaning on the counter bantering with his mother as she works against the clock, cooking those seven fishes that’s the staple dish of her house.

“You doing good?” He gives Maya a look as she props her hands on the breakfast bar.

“Hm-hm.”

“You hungry too?” He guesses and Maya only nods at his question as Donna points at the meatball casserole on the counter.

“Here,” Michael grabs one meatball from the casserole, dabs the sauce on the edge so it drips as he lifts it up to her mouth. His eyes light up as she carefully bites half of it directly from his fingers. Then he shoves the other half into his mouth. Smiling at the other, both thinking about what they did earlier as they fight the urge of eating each other's mouths again.

A beat after, Maya looks to the side to see Carmy standing by the door as Donna barks something at him. She swallows, watching people come and go out of the kitchen. The timer goes off as voices get louder all around. Maya helps herself to another drink in the middle of the whirlwind of chaos of the heart of the house while Carmy takes him upon himself to organize the mess of the kitchen against Donna's wishes.

“Ma, why don't you let him help you? It's all he fucking does.” Michael picks up another meatball and offers it again to Maya, but she declines this time.

“What was that?” Carmy glances annoyed at Michael. “Like uh, that was a shot or…”

“Wasn’t a fucking shot.”

“Mikey, he’s helping me. Back off.”

“Yeah, that was a shot.” Carmen states more sternly this time. “I'm the guy that does food. You're the guy that what? You-you, uh… You start 100 different businesses and have zero follow-through.”

“You’re the one to talk,” Maya rolls her eyes, taking a long sip of her wine.

“Yeah, what are you doing here? Thought you had a husband.”

“Wow. Leave her out of this, Carm. She’s here cause I asked her to.”

“It’s fine, Michael. Let Annie Oakley take her shots at me.”

“Okay, this is why I didn't wanna come home. This is why.”

“Fuck you!” Donna shouts.

“What the fuck? Why the fuck would you say that?” Michael raises his voice. “It's fuckin' Christmas. Why would you say something like that?”

“Whatever, okay? Whatever.”

“Maya, sweetie, can you bring some ice from the freezer in the garage?” Asks Donna in the middle of the argument, and she just silently agrees.

All their voices ebb as Maya disappears into the hallway that leads to the garage to grab some ice and pull herself together. She stays there for longer than she should, collecting her thoughts and checking her phone for all her friends and co-workers messages and sending some of her own. Her eyes pull away from the screen when the door swings open.

She tucks her phone in her pocket as Carmy climbs down the two steps into the room.

“What are you doing here?”

“Grabbing some ice.” She glances at the freezer where her ass is propped.

“No. I mean, why did you come here at all?”

She shrugs, folding her arms against her stomach.

“Michael invited me.”

“It’s pretty fucking weird, don’t you think?”

“Why? I used to come here all the time when we were kids. Hell, the first time I got drunk was right in this garage with you.”

“Yeah, that’s my point. You and I aren’t friends anymore, Maya. It doesn’t make sense that you’d come anymore.”

“You've made that clear but hey, you’re the one who stopped talking to me in the first place.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. I’m not psychic, Carmen.”

“Doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“No? It matters to me.”

“Guess I got tired of waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me? You’re completely delusional, you know that?”

“Am I? I thought you were different, but you’re just…”

“Just what? Are you going to call me a slut or something? You better watch your mouth.”

“No. You’re… reckless.”

“I'm reckless? For what? Living my life? Growing up? Marrying another guy?”

“Yeah.”

“I’d rather be reckless than be anything like you, Carmen. You think you're better than me, than anyone in here, but you're not. You're conceited. You've always looked at everyone down from your ivory tower like you've never made a mistake in your life. You said you were waiting for me? You had many opportunities to say what you felt, and you never did, why is that? Because you’re a fuckin’ coward. I’ve watched string along girls you weren’t into for longer than you should have. Anytime anyone has shown you an ounce of love, you’ve run the other way. You've shut down me and everyone out cause you don’t know how to love anyone but your self-righteous, narcissistic ass.”

“That’s rich coming for someone who’s fucking my brother.” His voice comes out deeply loud as Maya swallows. “You think I’m dumb? It’s written all over your face.”

Her posture stiffens all of a sudden. She opens her mouth to contradict his words, but she can't. It's pointless. He's chosen to attack, and she's going to stand and take blow after blow without throwing some of her own.

“You had your chance, Carmen, and you never took it. And the worst part is that you expected me to do something about it, but it really wasn’t up to me. I’m sorry I never felt anything for you… but I don’t think you ever loved me like you wanted either. You only thought you did cause I was there all the time. It was easy, right? We were friends. Best friends. And you ruined that.”

“So did you.”

“Yeah, we can agree on that.”

“It’s fucked-up, y’know?”

“What is?”

“You and my brother.”

“You know what’s fucked up?” She pegs him with a harsh twisted brow. “You. Coming here judging everyone and pretending you know anything about me or him. Say, when was the last time you said I love you just cause you wanted to and not because someone said it first? When was the last time you were in a relationship that lasted more than two dates? When was the last time you woke up next to someone and the thought of leaving them ripped your heart apart? I'd rather take risks and be called reckless than feel nothing, do nothing, say nothing at all, and turn into a bitter asshole like you.”

Maya walks past him and heads out the door without giving him the opportunity to respond.

As tears threaten to come out, she stops in her tracks and draws a fortifying breath to keep herself from falling apart. Though she knew sooner or later she’d have to deal with Carmy, that conversation was truly more difficult to deal with than she expected. She couldn't handle that better if he wasn't acting like an asshole.

Disheartened… Maya feels just at home. It really is no different from being with her own family. Next year, she swears she's going to take a trip or just stay at home with Coco, which sounds like something she should've done today. Coming here tonight was a mistake. If she could turn back time to earlier in the day and convince herself to stay at home she would.

In the never-ending night of riffs, she overhears Donna yelling at Natalie in the kitchen as she crosses the hallway. In the living room, Michael has everyone's attention while telling one of his stories. Every one seems entertained except for Uncle Lee that has to poke the bear as usual.

It feels like an eternity until dinner is finally served it doesn't get better once everyone is sitting at the table. No. Because, of course, there can't be a moment of peace, everything escalates from that point.

Maya’s taking a swallow of her glass when Lee starts telling the story about the seven fishes and the Dutch oven when Michael makes a buzzing sound and throws a fork at him. It hits his shoulder.

“Wrong answer.”

“Did you just throw a fork at me?” Lee's high-pitched tone breaks.

“I did,” Michael snorts.

They both start bitching back and forth. The tension strains harder after every word, every sentence interrupted, every thought unfinished.

She places her glass down as the animated conversation grows more heated by the second. The voices get louder. There's a countdown hovering over the table showing how many seconds are left for the bomb to go off. Maya hears the ticking in her head, or maybe that's just the sound of her own heart racing.

In the heat of the moment, Michael borrows a second fork from Fak and repeats the same action. This time he misses Lee's head by an inch.

Everyone tries to put off the fire before it rises, but Michael is too far gone into his own head, nobody can talk sense into him.

“Cousin, you're scaring the normals.” Richie nervously laughs.

“This is fine. It's nothing.”

“Mikey, can you hear me, buddy?”

“Not now, Stevie.”

“Cut it out.”

“Hey, look, here's the thing.” He leans back on his chair ignoring everyone. “You see, I can throw forks cause this is our father's house. My father's house.”

“Okay you have everyone's attention so go ahead, tell us a story we've all heard a million times already.”

“That's good Lee.” He laughs manically while Lee goes on a rant about him living off his mom and borrowing money from everyone.

“… I don't know what the fuck you're on, but if you can hear me through the fog, throw another fork at me, you're gonna get fuckin’ rocked!”

There's a long moment of silence. Michael scratches his beard and gazes to his side, where Maya is sitting trying to process the whole thing happening before her eyes.

“Hey, Maybird.” He says softly, and waits until she looks at him. “I just… You think I could just borrow that for one second…” he points at her fork.

“Michael don't,” she tries to say, but the rest of the table speaks louder over her voice.

“It's okay, baby.” It slips out as he picks up her fork. “This is fine. I’m fine.”

“Michael. Please don't do this!” It's Natalie's words that stand out over the others. “Hey!” She calls his attention and when Michael glances at the opposite side of the table and Sugar lowers her voice. “I love you. Okay?”

“I love you, too, Sug.”

“I'm begging you. Don't do it.”

He vaguely nods. But he's dead set on making everyone shift in their chairs as the ridiculous dispute picks up again.

The flames touch the ceiling, and there's nothing she can do to smother the fire.

Maya nudges his thigh under the table with her knee, and says his name softly, hoping it'd be enough to calm him down. But it's too late, he's already so riled up that not even her can't stop him from rising from his chair, fork in hand taunting Lee non-stop.

Petrified, she stares at the man she loves, the one who looked like a dreamboat when she woke up next to him this morning, turning into something completely different. The cracks of his mask can't hold any longer. Behind it, it all slips out. His haunted expression taking over the rough edges of his face, the sorrow in his eyes, and his tired voice, makes her heart hurt.

“Bear.” She resorts to a term of endearment, but there is no use. He's on a different plane now, guided by his addiction.

Her eyes well up as Lee keeps repeating that he’s nothing. She can see his gears spinning in a different direction and for a moment everyone stays still watching everything unfold until Donna comes into the room.

That only puts a temporary patch on the wound. It's only a matter of time before someone takes it away to let blood spill all over the table. Michael sits back down, pushing his hair back before clutching the fork again in his fist as Donna lights up a cigarette and takes a seat.

“What did I miss?”

“Nothing.”

“I missed something.”

“Uh, Stevie, Stevie's about to say grace, Ma.”

“Ooh, good, yes.”

“Go ahead and take it away there, Stevie.”

“I uh… I don't think…”

“Just say the fucking thing, Stevie.”

The tension eases up for those couple of minutes while Steve improvises grace. It all seems perfect for a moment, they all nod and smile a Steve’s kind words, but that countdown is still ticking down every last fucking second.

Everything afterward is a tableau of surreal events tangled together that would play in Maya’s head for years to come… Donna’s meltdown, Michael throwing the last fork, flipping the table and taking a more physical approach against uncle Lee, Donna losing her hinges and crashing the car into the house, the police attending the disturbance…

Out of all the memorable dinners she's had in this house, this one really takes the cake.

It's the shitshow of a lifetime that nobody will ever forget.

Chapter 10: Basket of biscuits

It’s past the witching hour when all the voices, all the noise, all the sirens, and rumblings of his own thoughts quiet down in his head when he closes the door as he settles on the driver's seat. And at once, the only voice he wanted to hear the most echoes in his head with one simple word — his name. The fear in her tone haunts him. He probably scared the shit out of her after what went down. Staring at the ruins of the front of his childhood home, Michael turns on the engine and takes a final look before steering Maya’s car out of that place.

Maya left earlier, after the police took everyone’s statement. Though she wasn’t as drunk as he was, he begged her to take a cab back home. While Donna refused to leave the house, everyone eventually left as well. Michael stayed all the way through while they boarded up the hole in the wall as a temporary measure.

Sobering down, the road gets clearer the closer he gets to Maya. He can't stand the thought of her being witness to his frantic meltdown. All he can see now, clear as day, the utter disbelief and fright in her eyes when she was pleading him to stop. He should have listened. He should have held himself better in that situation. Drugs or not, there's nothing or no one to blame but himself. That was… Embarrassing. Even for him. He swore he'd never sink that low, that he'd never let anyone see that part of him. It was bound to happen. He lost control and everyone saw. And if he wasn't for Donna interrupting his act, he's not sure how far he'd have gone.

For a split moment, he blames it on something else taking over his actions, like being possessed by one of his demons. But it doesn't last long. He can’t continue denying the fact that he’s the only one responsible for his actions. Claiming otherwise would only delay the inevitable.

They say all roads lead to Rome, and if keeps driving in the same direction, he’d surely find the only possible outcome to this. It’s time to veer off the path and find that there’s more world to see besides Rome.

He has to find a new way, and she is the only thing that could save him from this right now. However, after tonight, it wouldn't surprise him if she was already thinking about kicking him to the curve. He would blame her.

Christmas lights and empty streets quickly take him to her house. He can even imagine what’s going through her head right now… but it’s time to find out.

He parks on the driveway and takes measured steps toward the front door as the weight of the world perches on his shoulders. He feels like shit and the biggest asshole in the world for breaking his promise.

The glow of the TV and tree lights shine faintly behind the curtains when he knocks on the door. He should have called before, he realizes on that spot. Or even just text her to say he was coming so she would know what to expect. But there’s not going back now.

She takes her time to open the door and when she does, he’s met with the reflection of all his fears coming true. It flashes across her face the disappointment and disgust and utter terror of what happened at the table.

“I brought your car.” He reaches out to hand her the keys.

Hesitantly, she collects them, and makes room for him to enter before closing the door behind him.

“I… You shouldn't be driving.”

“It's fine. Sobered out pretty soon after… Where's Coco?”

“Upstairs. Hoarding the bed.” Maya puts the keys on the console table as they stand by the staircase railing. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, Carm and Sug stayed with her at the house for the night. Everyone else left. ”

“She wouldn't leave?”

“No, she locked herself in her room.”

“That's crazy.”

“Yeah, another Christmas at The Berzattos. Hey, but at least none of us got locked up.”

“That's not funny, Michael.”

“It wasn't meant to be funny.”

“I think you should go… You should've stayed with them.”

“I wanted to check on you.”

“I'm fine.” Her tone says otherwise.

“Are you?”

“I was about to go to sleep.” She’s already slipped into her pj’s and was just watching TV cause she couldn’t fall asleep.

“That doesn't answer my question.”

“What do you want me to say? Of course, I'm not okay. You lied to me.”

“What… When did I lie to you?”

She fights the urge of rolling her eyes and instead, crosses her arms against her midsection to keep herself together.

“You said you weren't using when you were with me, but tonight you did. Instead of coming to me and saying — hey I'm dealing with this and that, you straight up hid it, and then you just… went off. I thought we were being honest with each other.”

He hangs his head down as she tiredly leans her back against the wall.

“I don't know how to help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on, Michael.”

“There's nothing you could've done.”

“Maybe not but you didn't even give me the chance to. I'm really concerned about you and after tonight… I don't know… I'm out of my depth here. I knew it was bad, but it's worse than I thought… If you're not seeing that, if you're not willing to admit that… Then maybe we should take a step back and consider our options before going further.”

“Consider our options? You're getting cold feet now?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just…” she sighs in exhaustion. “You should go. It's been a long night. And I'm not in the mood for this.”

“If you're gonna break up with me, just say it. Don't wait till tomorrow.” Though it’d be the right decision for her to do, he can’t stand the thought of not being with her now that he’s seen what it is to have her in her life. It would rip his soul and heart apart to hear her say those words.

“I don't wanna break up with you, but I can see that you're going through something right now, and I think it’d be best to talk about this tomorrow or the day after with clear heads.”

“Okay, okay…” he says under a heavy breath, as he shortens the distance between them.

Michael cups her jaw, and places his lips gently on her forehead.

“Can I stay here tonight?” He tries to not sound desperate but it fails so badly.

“Michael…” He grabs his wrist and takes a step back to detach herself from his hold.

“Please, Maybird, I don't wanna go. I… I can’t be alone right now. I’d… I don’t know what I’d do…” There’s something brewing inside him and if tonight wasn’t bad enough, not being able to be with her would send him down to that hole of despair he’s dug himself.

“You're scaring me, Michael.”

“Fuck, I know… I know I’m an asshole. I just…” He frantically runs a palm over his beard as he keeps pleading. “I need you. Don’t make me leave. I'm begging you.”

Those words put her between the sword and the wall. As much as he loves him, as much as she’d want him to stay, she’s still shaken and would rather be alone right now. But she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if something happened to him because she sent him away.

Before she has the chance to reply, while she gathers her thoughts he dramatically drops to his knees on the verge of tears.

“Please. I’d do anything for you, but don’t ask me to go.”

“Michael…”

“Shh, shh, shh,” he grabs her waist, pulls her close, and links his arms around her hips, planting his full face on her abdomen. He swallows his sobs in his relentless ramble. “Please, baby, I need you… I’m sorry I lied to you… I’m so sorry that I'm scaring you… I swear I’d never hurt you…”

Her eyes brim with tears and unable to pull away she just holds his head protectively in her hands, threading her fingers in her hair to calm him down.

“You’re everything to me, Maybird. I know I’m a pathetic loser and that I don’t deserve you, but I’m fucking ready… just tell me what to do… I don’t know how to fix this… please just… let me stay…”

“Shh, it’s okay, Bear.” She’s so overcome by the love she has for him, she doesn’t have the strength to kick him out. So, she just gives up to his implore. “We’ll figure it out.”

Michael’s breaking point came like the most unexpected Christmas gift he didn't ask for. He can't return it or exchange it for something else. It's only up to him to either throw it away and pretend it didn't happen or use that as the catalyst to his recovery. They say that sometimes you have to break down to break through. And he went down so many levels, that there’s only one option but to go up from there. No because he feels like he has to, but he'd do anything to stay with Maya, and he knows the only way to do it is to climb out of the dirt.

After falling asleep in Maya’s arms, he wakes up in her bed alone the next morning. The clock says it is 10am when he looks up to her night stand and from the feet of the bed is only Coco, keeping a close watch of him. Her tail starts wagging when he gazes at her and extends his hand to scratch her head.

“Hey, Coco girl.” His voice rasps as she climbs up closer to lick his face relentlessly, slobbering all over his beard. “Okay, okay, that's enough, sweetheart.”

He holds her close and scratches her neck to calm her down, as Maya’s measured footfalls make the stairs creak when she climbs up. He looks to the door and watches her as she enters the room. She's fully dressed and by the amount of layers she's clad in, it looks like she's been outside.

“Morning.” She smiles softly as she proceeds to take off her hat and scarf.

“Morning.” He props himself on his elbow while Coco jumps suddenly out of the bed and circles around Maya’s legs before leaving the room at once. “Went out?”

“Yeah, just went for a drive and grabbed some breakfast. You two looked so cozy together, I thought I should let you sleep a bit longer. You're not opening today, right?”

“No. C’mere, sweetheart.” He finds her hand and gently tugs on it so she would sit down next to him. “I'm sorry about last night, I shouldn't have come here like that. I thought I was…”

“Sh, it's okay. You already apologized, hon.”

“No. That wasn't me. That was fucking embarrassing.”

“Is this you now?” She tenderly moves his straightened hair away from his forehead and combs it softly.

“Think so.”

“You look better.” Her fingers keep gently peppering him with caresses all over his head and neck.

“I feel like shit.” He gets a hold of her hand and kisses her knuckles. “You’re not mad at me anymore?”

“No. I can’t really stay mad at you for long. You know that. And the good thing about all this is that since last night, I haven't really thought about being ditched for Christmas by my family.”

“Fuck, I'm such an asshole… I had all these plans with you after dinner… and I totally ruined everything. We didn't even get to open our presents.”

“It's okay. I promise. We'll try again next year. Maybe just the two of us.”

“You still think we'll be together next year?”

“I have no idea. But I'm hoping so… I want to.”

“God, you’re a fucking angel.”

“I’m not,” she laughs softly.

“Yeah, heaven-sent. You took care of me last night when you had your own thing going on. Not many people would’ve done that.”

Maya leans in and kisses his temple before wrapping her arms around his neck. She bathes him with love cause she’s not sure what else to do than to show him that she needs him just as much.

“How about we get some food in you?” She smooches his head and as she attempts to stand up, he curls his arms around her, pulling her down with him.

“Not yet, baby. Let's stay here for a minute. I'm not hungry.”

She relaxes in his hold and cuddles with him until his phone goes off.

“It's Sugar.” Maya sees on the screen. “Are you gonna pick it up?”

He vacillates, but he ends up taking the call while Maya dislodges herself from his embrace. She collects a tray and some food from the kitchen while Natalie tells Michael that they finally got their mother out of the house. She'll be at Nat's for a few days until they fix the front of the house.

“Yeah… I'll take care of it. See you later.” Maya overhears as she returns to the bedroom with his breakfast.

“Everything alright?” She sits down on the mattress, placing the tray in the middle.

“Yeah. She asked me to go talk to uncle Jimmy's friend. You know, the contractor? He said he could get it done fast.”

“That's good, yeah?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“What's wrong?”

“I don't know… I just… how can I look at these people in the face after what I did.”

“Because you're Michael fucking Berzatto. And you don't take shit from no one.” She tries cheering him up. “Uncle Lee was an asshole. Nobody cares that you threw a couple of forks at him. They're worried about you. And I don't think anyone remembers what you did. Donna upstaged the two of you, I'm afraid.”

“How do you manage to put a positive spin on everything?”

“Someone has to.”

As much as he loves hearing her talk like that is time for a reality check. Besides Maya being the brightest light in his life from the past few months, the rest have been hell. The restaurant has been struggling for way longer than he’d like to admit and has become the biggest failure of his life. His dependency has only been exacerbated by the pressure he’s put on himself to try to fix all by himself. All the lies, the high expectations, and the way his family look up to him for answers and comfort have become a lead weight on him.

The Beef was an inherited mess that was passed down to him when his father died. He took it upon himself to carry the family business to keep the family afloat, especially since Carmen and Natalie were merely teens, and there was nobody else but him to provide for all of them. He always thought he’d had his own restaurant and part of that pipe dream was bringing Carmy along. That dream faded as soon as he got hit with the hard cold truth that managing a restaurant, even a sandwich shop wasn’t as easy as his father made it look. But to be fair the late Berzatto didn’t have the best system either. It was all back door deals and handshakes and fucking agreements with this guy and this other guy. It made him wonder if the old trio had some shady business going on. Even Maya’s uncle was involved at some point, he recalls seeing his name a couple of times in one of the accounting books.

To sum it all up, he was set up with a business that was already failing before got it. His optimism and passion could only keep him trying for so long. The last couple of years have been hell, and at this point he’s not sure if he wants to run it anymore. He’s toyed with the idea of burning it to the ground and starting over, or just selling it and walking away. But there are a lot of factors in play that are stopping him from doing that. Like disappointing his family or the people who work for him. And let's not forget the big question of what Michael would do if he didn’t have The Beef.

With a heavy heart he finally pours everything out to Maya. If someone can understand, it’s her. She knew when her life needed a turn and took it. He’s at the same crossroads right now, but unlike her, he doesn’t feel brave enough to do what needs to be done.

Maya draws a breath, absorbing every single thing Michael has laid out. It’s a lot to process, but her mind is already spinning ideas and questions that could potentially help him.

“You could sell and start over. The Beef is not your failure. It wasn’t even your dream to begin with. And I don’t think anyone will hold it against you if you give it away.”

“I guess I’m not ready to give up, you know? I don’t know what I’d do if I walked away now.” He shifts in the bed, laying on his side, placing his head on her lap while she plays with his hair.

“What about the restaurant you wanted to open with Carmy? It was all you talked about once upon a time. ”

“I can't bring him into this. He's better off without me.”

“He's not. Your brother is fucking miserable.”

“How do you know that? Did he tell you that?”

“No… but we shared some words last night, I don't want to get into the whole thing right now, but I could tell that he's not happy either.”

“Last night… He gave me this thing. It was a sketch he did about that restaurant… I just don't know how to make you both understand that I have no idea how to make it true. He's worked so hard to be where he is now…. I won’t be the one to keep it away from all that.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe you could learn something from him and that teaming up would solve all your problems?”

“Yeah, maybe. But I don’t want to take that chance. I won’t ruin his career. He’s where he’s supposed to be.”

“You know, you’ve talked a lot about not wanting to let everyone down and keeping everyone happy. But when are you gonna start taking care of yourself, Bear? All those people you’re caring for, they’re pretty much grown up. They don’t need you to keep holding their hand. Not Natalie, nor Carmy, nor your mother. And don’t get me wrong, the way you care for them is part of the reason I care for you… but at some point you’re going to have to care for yourself too. Cause I can’t keep an eye on you 24/7.”

“Did you go to shrink school or something?” He scoffs, glancing up at her eyes from his comfortable spot.

“No, I wish! It’s hard to put yourself above anyone else… I get it. But you’re going to have to, Michael. If you don’t, it’ll eventually catch up with you. The pressure, the pills, the need to please everyone…”

“What if it’s too late?”

“It’s not. I promise it’s not. I know it seems that way, but you, asking the right questions… That tells me it’s not too late. And the thing is that you don't have to decide anything right now. But hypothetically speaking, if you didn't have The Beef to take care of, and could do anything in the world, what would you do?”

“Well, If I could do anything, I'd stay in this bed, day, and night with you for a year.”

“Okay, let's say you've done that now. You wake up, get out of bed and where do you go?”

“I've always….” he pauses as the corner of his mouth pulls up.

“What? Tell me.” Her hand fists his hair without pulling.

“I've always wanted to buy a bike and drive across every state.”

“I could see you doing that.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Stop doing that. It's not an unattainable dream, Bear. You can do whatever you want.”

“Would you come with me if I asked you?”

“Hm, I don’t know… I’m not a huge fan of bikes. But I guess if I could follow along with my car and bring Coco with us, I’d go.”

“How about next summer?”

“Bring it on.”

“You know I’m joking, right?” He scoffs.

“I’m not. If you really wanna do that. Do it. What’s that thing you always say… Let one rip?”

“Let it rip,” he snorts and shakes his head, utterly amused by her way of messing up his motto.

“So, let it rip!”

“How? How do you walk away from everything?”

“You put one foot in front of the other and repeat.”

“Well, thank you for just describing walking, baby.”

“I’m serious, Michael. You take enough small steps and one day you’ll look back and won’t be able to see what you left behind.”

She holds his face firmly and dips to leave a small peck on his lips, then plants her forehead on top of his.

“I’d go anywhere with you. Would you?”

“Yeah, always.”

Michael’s palm slides along her jaw as his lips capture her mouth one more time. In this room, on this bed, he feels more safe and loved than ever before.

In the evening, Maya takes Michael to meet the contractor who comes into the house to survey the damage. After that, they swing by Natalie’s to check how Donna is doing.

Maya stays in the car. Her choice. She’s not ready to have another Berzatto reunion so soon.

She’s listening to the radio when all of a sudden a tap on the glass startles her. She glances to the side and finds Carmy motioning with his hand to roll down the window.

Sighting, she turns off the radio, as the glass slides down.

“Hey, can we talk?” His breath manifests in the air.

“I'm not in the mood for you to keep jabbing at me.”

“I wasn’t going to… I just…” he props his forearm on the roof of the car. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. You were right about… well, about almost everything. I have no right to tell you how to live your life and shouldn’t have talked to you that way. I still think it’s pretty weird that you’re dating my brother… but I guess I’ll have to get over it.”

Maya swallows, staring at her hands curling around the steering wheel. It feels forced to hear him say that so soon, but not completely dishonest. He’s making an effort, and she appreciates that.

“Thank you for saying that. I’m sorry that you had to find that way and that I called you a self-serving asshole that doesn’t care about anyone but himself. I know you cared about me… I just…”

“Hey, I get it. We both said a lot of things we didn’t mean.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“I don’t know… I couldn’t sleep last night and Sugar and I started talking, we were up for hours… I guess she knocked some sense into me.”

“Do you think we could ever be friends again?”

“I don’t know.”

“Could we pretend that we are just for five minutes? I need to ask you something.”

“I… I suppose we could. Can I get in? It's freezing out here.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Carmy goes around the car and hops into the passenger seat as Maya closes the window.

“What is it?”

“How's Copenhagen? Are you liking it there? Is it everything you ever dreamed of?”

“It's one of the best jobs I've ever had.”

“That's not what I asked.”

“I… I don't know what you want me to say… I guess I always thought I'd end up here with Michael… But I don't think he even wants me here anymore. Why are you asking me this?”

“God, he's going to kill me for telling you this… But hypothetically, what if he was in trouble and was too prideful to ask for help? What if he wanted to build that restaurant you dreamed of but wouldn't want you to give up your career for him? What if he was thinking of selling the shop but was too afraid of disappointing all of you?”

“Fuck, that's a lot of what ifs, Maya. Is that all true?”

“I can't tell you that, but if that were all true would you consider coming back?”

“You know better than anybody that all I wanted to do is work with him. If he asked, I'd be here in a second. But he's not going to ask, is he?”

“I don't think he's ready yet. I'm trying to help him as best as I can, but I feel like I'm not enough.”

“What do you think I could do if he doesn't want anyone's help… ”

“I don't know… he's too stubborn to ask for help. I'm just running out of ideas here… and he's looking at me like I have all the answers…”

“You think if I came back that'll change?”

“Maybe not, but if there's just a small chance that you were considering doing what you always wanted to do… if he saw that you weren't going anywhere, perhaps it’d point him in the right direction.”

“It takes guts to ask for help like that. And I'm not talking about him. I know you wouldn't be asking if it wasn't serious.”

“Yeah, like I said, if he knew I was telling you this…”

“I won't tell, if you don't.” He smiles softly.

“Thank you.”

“I'll think about it though.”

“Yeah? I'll keep trying too.”

As Carmy leaves the car, Michael comes out of the front door. They meet in the middle and Maya watches them quickly sharing some words before saying goodbye.

“Everything good here?” Asks Michael once he's taken his seat and closes the door.

“Yeah, we were just straightening some things up. I didn't want to tell you earlier, but we had an argument last night. It's all good now…” and she feels like an asshole for going behind his back, but if Michael is too proud or ashamed to ask for help, someone has to. She'd love to have all the answers laid out for him, but she has no idea what she's doing half of the time.

“He knows about us, does he?”

“Yeah, we weren't as careful as we wanted. Even Sugar saw. I mean… you even called me baby at the table. Don’t think anyone really noticed but… I guess it’s out now.”

“Does it freak you out that they know?”

“No. It was never about that. I just wanted to keep it just between us for a little longer.”

As they drive back home they toy with the idea of recreating the Christmas dinner they never go to have the previous night. They make a quick stop at a couple of places to gather some ingredients and scramble something together.

Michael has a lot of faults, but he's a natural in the kitchen. He feels right in his element when he's crafting a meal, especially when it’s for her. There’s no pressure laying on the counter, no bills to worry about, but the need to impress her makes him rise to the occasion.

After dinner, they exchange those gifts they put under the tree in her living room a couple of days ago. There’s a gift basket for Coco with toys, her favorite snacks, a blanket, and bathing products. While the dog is distracted with a chew on the rug, they sit on the couch to open theirs.

Maya’s gift to Michael is considerably bigger than what he got for her, which is a thin flat box as long as her palm.

“You want me to go first?” Asks Maya.

“Yeah, sure. Go on, baby.”

She’s kneeled by his side on the cushion, and he closely watches her hand unwrap the jewelry box that contains a dainty gold necklace with two twin pendants. Two small discs share an M etched on one side but are different on the back. One of them has the outline of a bear, and the other a dog paw.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it, Mikey Bear.” Her free palm slides at his nape. “Thank you.”

“Thought you could wear this one,” he points at the one with the bear, “and I could take the other.”

“Yeah, that’d be perfect.” She inspects the pendants for a bit longer before sliding the one with the paw on it out the chain. “We’re kind of an institution now, like M&Ms.”

“Or Eminem.”

“For sure,” she laughs at the same time she clasps the chain around her neck. “Are you gonna open yours?”

Michael nods and extends his hand to open the big wrapped box waiting on the coffee table. In it there's a record player set with speakers and a couple of Otis Redding albums.

“You’re the best, you know that?” He holds his chin on top of his fist for a second, mesmerized by how much he adores her.

“Hm, I’ve been told.” She smugly slings her arm around his lower back as he inspects his new gift and starts setting all the components on. “Wasn’t sure if you liked Otis, but it’s one of my favorites.”

“Yeah, I dig it. Everyone loves the king of soul.”

Tucking her palm under the hem of his shirt, she kisses his shoulder, as he carefully slides one of the vinyls out of its sleeve before placing it on the platter.

“I haven’t used one of these in a while, let’s see if I remember…” he thinks for a beat, staring at the levels and buttons as he figures out how to set it up.

“You know, there are instructions on the box, right?” She playfully scratches his back.

“Don’t need instructions.”

“Typical male response,” she scoffs.

“Look, it’s done.” After settling the needle in position he hits the on button and stares at the record as it starts spinning. It rotates a couple of times before the first track comes out of the speakers.

Michael curls his arm around her, pulling her flush against his chest as they lean back on the couch. Maya drapes her legs on his lap, pillowing her head on his shoulder as the ever so beautiful melody of These Arms Of Mine plays on the speakers.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Maya tucks her hand in her jean's pocket to collect a keychain of a miniature motorcycle she got at the gas station earlier. “I also got you this when we stopped for gas. I didn't have time to get you a real bike in time but– what do you say, you wanna go on a road trip with me and Coco?”

“A Harley-Davidson? I don't think the three of us can fit here.” He dangles the keychain between his fingers. “But we'll see.”

Maya smiles against his shoulder as he kisses her head.

“Hey, can I tell you a secret?” His voice changes to a softer tone.

“Uh-huh.”

He knows this is far from perfect and that he's probably going to screw everything up at some point, but whether it's perfect or not, right here, in her arms, everything is like it's supposed to be.

“I love you, Maybird.”

She tilts her chin up so he can capture the glint of eyes. She doesn't say it right away, it takes her a couple of beats to build up the courage to say back…

“I love you too, Bear.”

The End.

[eashn]

Hunger | Kuroo Tetsuro Chapter 1

Part 2 of The Train's Coming (link to masterlist)

Pairing: businessman!Kuroo x fem!reader

Summary: You're colleagues and you're screwin'

Ao3 Link | Word count: ~2.2k

Tags/Warnings: Explicit smut, friends-with-benefits, Timeskip!Kuroo, sexual tension, dry humping, banter

“Fuck, Kuroo!” you cried, locking your arms and legs around him as he slammed your back against the wall. He ground his clothed cock against your bare heat, groaning as he watched the crotch of his best pair of work pants grow damp beneath you.

“I did good, right Y/N? Waited patiently all day, didn’t I?” His breath fanned heavily across your face as he whispered the words. He pressed feverishly hot lips against the side of your neck, burying his face into your skin. “But I can’t take it anymore—fuck. I need you.” 

8 hours earlier

The morning train into the city was like an airlock between home and work. It was a bridge between the solitude of your one-bedroom apartment and the restless, simmering energy of the corporate world. After all these years on the job—as a sports promoter for one of the nation’s top companies—you’d come to love the hustle and the grind. You thrived on it. And you knew, better than most, how easy it was to lose yourself in the work. 

Perhaps that was why the quiet routine of your commute felt as comforting as it did. There was a unique tranquility in watching the landscape speed past the tinted windows, the suburban condos morphing into towering high-rises as you sped further downtown. Alongside the shifting scenery, you’d feel yourself shift, too: from muted, to expectant, to hungry for the challenge and the spoils of a new day. The train’s low, mechanical rumble was your only company as you transformed. This was your time to clear your mind—to cultivate the razor-sharp focus which made you so good at what you did—and you treasured it. 

Then, he came along. 

“Morning, Y/N,” Tetsuro Kuroo drawled, looking up from his laptop as you took the seat across from him. 

“Hi,” you replied. 

“Ready for the big day?” 

“As I’ll ever be.” 

His white button-up was crisply ironed, as always, but today there was also a suit jacket folded neatly over the arm of his chair. “That’s cute,” you said, pointing at it. “You got all dolled up.” His canine flashed in a crooked smile as he silently stared at his computer. 

You’d been at the company for a couple years already when the Promotional Division hired Kuroo. Quick enough, everyone realized that he was a fucking force of nature: charming, ambitious, and wickedly intelligent, he climbed the ranks faster than anyone you’d seen before, and soon enough, he held the same position as you. You saw a lot of him after that. He was a workaholic. Partnered with him on new projects, you recognized the perfectionism—his need to do more, do better, to prove himself. You had that in common, you supposed. It was the reason you found yourself building easy rapport with him all those months ago, and now, it was why you were glad he was the one presenting the big proposal with you today.  

“Wanna run through the script again?” he asked.

You groaned. “How many more times, Kuroo? You might as well tattoo it behind your fucking eyelids.” 

“Hey, I want to nail this, alright?” He snapped his laptop shut, leaning forward in his seat. “Y/N, if they like this idea, we’re gonna be—” 

“Promoted. Right. You keep saying that—”

“Unstoppable,” he corrected. “We’re gonna be unstoppable.” 

Gold-rimmed irises bore into you. They glittered with anticipation, with intent. You stared right back into them—knowing. Understanding. 

The hunger had crept in. 

After all this time, you’d come to realize just how alike you and Kuroo were. He, too, was married to his work and addicted to the drug that was success. You were both a little bit neurotic in exactly the same way, and you liked that about him. You liked him. 

Yeah, you were fucking—but you were friends too, of course. 

Neither of you had what it took to commit to a relationship right now. You were both prioritizing your careers, and the sex had become a way to release all that stress at the end of the day. So it had always been a casual thing: you went home together after late nights at the office, and Kuroo pounded you into your mattress. You fucked on his kitchen counter in the morning before work. Sometimes you gave him fast, messy head in an empty conference room during lunch break. You were both a bit insatiable. A bit.

But Kuroo was…more than just a fuck-buddy. He was a friend—a real friend. He made you laugh, he bitched about your other coworkers with you, and, more than anything, his ambition continued to inspire you. He understood you on a wavelength that few others did. You remembered the first time you saw him on this train—the first time you met on relaxed terms, outside the office. It was complete luck: you boarded the train that morning, having barely rubbed the sleep from your eyes, and there he was, already seated. You were both cordial at first, you talked work stuff. Then, “I’m so sick of driving to the office,” he’d finally admitted. “I was this close to becoming an actual menace on the road.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, man,” he replied. “Rush hour in this city is insane. How’ve you not lost your mind yet?” 

You chuckled. “Well, I’ve been taking the train for years,” you sighed. “Honestly,” you lowered your voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “this is my way of giving car-dependent infrastructure the finger.” 

You remembered the way he smiled wolfishly at that. “Fuck car-dependent infrastructure,” he agreed. And you spent the rest of the ride talking anything but work stuff: college and the transition to the corporate world. How Kuroo used to play volleyball in high school and the fact that you wanted to adopt a cat one day. Colleagues melted into friends so quickly, and you wondered how you’d ever tolerated the lonely silence of the train ride before. 

Now, here he was before you: brimming with anticipation for the day ahead, when you’d finally hatch the brainchild you’d been creating together over weeks of planning and diligence. There was no one you’d rather have done it with than Kuroo. Together, you really were: 

“Unstoppable, then,” you said. 

Kuroo gazed at you with those gleaming eyes, a smile playing on his lips. You matched him with your own grin. Sunlight flashed through the window periodically, streaking across his face as the train sped along, and you couldn’t help but stare as it happened. He looked beautiful. 

Was it time? Finally? You thought it might be. You’d been waiting for the right moment to ask. And right now, it was perfectly calm and quiet; you were gazing at each other like you were the only two people in the world. It certainly felt right.

You clenched your palms in your lap, working up the nerve to say it. “Kuroo,” you began. “If the board likes the proposal…and if they decide it is worth a promotion—” 

“Not if,” he interrupted. “When.”

“Fine. When.” There it was—that brazen confidence that never failed to electrify you. It made you want to believe that everything would work out, that the odds would always turn in your favor eventually. Right now, it made you feel brave enough to ask the question you’d been afraid of for weeks. “A promotion would mean a management position, Kuroo. For both of us. And…there’s something I’ve been wanting to, um, ask you. In case that happens.” 

His eyes narrowed slightly, in a way that told you he noticed your hesitance. But he didn’t remark on it yet. “Alright,” he replied. “Shoot.”

You swallowed. “What if…what if we try to leverage a position as co-managers? Of the Promotional Division?” you finally said. “I just—I mean, Washijo’s had the job for years and he’s practically senile at this point. We might have a shot at replacing him, if we play it right. Co-Heads of Promotion, Kuroo. And then we could run this place the way we want.” 

His mouth hung open in surprise. He said nothing for a moment. 

“I know,” you blurted frantically, scared you’d laid it on too quickly. “I know. It’s ballsy—and I know we can't afford to make any mistakes in front of the Board, but I just. I have a good feeling about this. And, I mean, obviously there’s no one I’d rather share the position with than you—hey! Don’t smile at me like that,” you snapped, for his lip had quirked up a bit at that last part. “We’re the two most competent people in the whole fucking department, you know that…and we make a good team. At least, I think so. I’ve always thought so. I dunno. Fuck,” you said, feeling your face burn hotter the longer he stayed quiet. “Forget it, Kuroo. I…I’m sor—” 

“Y/N!” 

Your name burst from his mouth like water breaking a dam—like he’d been holding it back this whole time. “Jesus, Y/N. Slow down,” he said. The embarrassment could’ve lit you on fire. 

“What are you sorry for?” he demanded. 

Your gaze snapped to him. That—the crackle of concern that edged the words—that was not what you expected. You expected howling laughter in your face. Or a declaration that both you and your harebrained idea were insane. 

But Kuroo didn’t do any of that. Instead, he made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. “You’re incredible,” he said. “You know that?” 

You blinked. “What?” 

“You’re fuckin’—” Before you knew what was happening, Kuroo leaned in and cupped your face in his hands. He hovered mere inches away from you. “You’re unreal.”

There was nothing else in the world right now. Nothing but his warm breath, gusting across your skin. His warm palms against your cheeks. His warm, hazel eyes. He was close enough that you could bump the tip of your nose against his if you wanted to. Or you could lean in and kiss him. 

“Um,” you lisped out as Kuroo smushed your cheeks together. “Thanks. Wait. What?” 

“That is,” he breathed, “an exceptional idea. Holy fuck, Y/N. I’m mad I didn’t think of it first.” 

How did he do that? you thought. How did he manage to make everything okay, every time? He said yes. You could’ve leapt with joy. Now, in hindsight, you wondered why you’d even been afraid to ask him in the first place. You should’ve remembered that he and you were inextricably synced. He’d never have said no. 

“God, I could kiss you,” he murmured, stroking your skin tenderly with one thumb. For the first time this morning, you looked at him properly, without anything else on your mind—not the proposal, not what would come after. You gazed at his fawn skin, always so stark in contrast to that dark, ruffled hair. The smooth line of his throat bobbed slightly as you raked your eyes over him. All of a sudden, he shifted his grip—catching your jaw in one, large hand. 

What are you staring at? he asked with his brows. Electric tension sizzled in the air between you. 

Your gazes met. He had you pinned with that deep, smoldering stare, that look that you knew so well. God, it made you want to burn. 

“Kiss me then, Tetsuro,” you said.

He exhaled sharply. And—

“ATTENTION PASSENGERS!” 

The automated female voice rang out, and you both jolted. “The train will be arriving at its destination in approximately one minute.” You giggled, pulling yourself from Kuroo’s grasp. 

“Well, so much for that,” you sighed, leaning back in your seat. “C’mon. Time to put on that cute little jacket.” You began to gather your things. When you rose to your feet, he was still seated. 

Oh, wow, you liked this.

He was staring up at you stupidly: open-mouthed, with color darkening his cheeks. What a pretty fucking sight, you thought, and you knew what it stemmed from, of course. You rarely said his given name. Usually, he had to coax it out of you—spear you open on his cock until that name clogged your senses and rotted your mind from the inside out. 

“‘S’matter?” you murmured. “Go on now.” 

A moment passed in silence. He rose. His eyes never left yours, and you had to tilt your chin incrementally—up, up, and up until he stood at full height in front of you. He grabbed the jacket and looped his arms into it, slowly. Languidly. The train was skidding to a halt now, whining softly against the tracks, and he caught the upper guard handle to balance himself. You leaned against the armrest behind you. And as the force of slowing velocity sent him tipping gently into your body, you felt it. Rock-hard, brushing against your inner thigh. 

“Your fault,” he whispered in your ear. 

People began filing past you out the vestibule door, but the two of you stayed put, leaning into each other. 

“Eight hours, Kuroo,” you said, letting a grin break across your face. He mirrored it, those catlike canines glinting. “Then I’m all yours.”

Part 2 is coming soon!

Thanks so much for reading!! Requests are currently open. Follow @eashn for more!

[venusmorning]

The Targaryen Prince and I. (Chapter 1 )

Male!Rhaenyra x Alicent Hightower AU (Both Show Version)

Disclaimer: This is not me erasing lesbian representation if anything I prefer the original ship but this is my personal take on what would happen if Rhaenyra had been born a boy and befriended Alicent still. Also: I’m not claiming any works as mine, I don’t own any of the characters or anything house of the dragon related, everything belongs to the rightful owners at HBO and George RR Martin. I have used the original script and I don’t claim the script as my own, plagiarism is wrong.

Notes: Rhaenyra’s name has been changed to Rhaegar.

Words: 1002

Trope: Friends To Lovers.

Warnings: Arranged Marriage (Both Agree Though), mentions of childbirth and pregnancy, but SFW. Mentions of Miscarriages and Stillbirths. Scheming Otto Hightower idk

Summary: The Prince Rhaegar Targaryen has a best friend, the Lady Alicent Hightower. Little do they know the Lord hand Otto Hightower, Alicent’s Father is scheming for them to marry, needless to say King Viserys complies.

The adolescent dragon, Syrax, had just returned with the Prince Rhaegar flying aback. The yellow-gold dragon set herself down gracefully at the command of the Prince, who eventually reached over to pamper the dragon for her memorable flight, but from a distance a carriage had arrived; Lady Alicent stepped out and marvels at Rhaegar’s bravery, very captivated by the strength of her friend. “Dohaerās, Syrax!” Shouted the dragonkeeper, Syrax quickly turned around toward the dragon pit. (The Dragon Keepers leading her of course) Leaving plenty of time for Rhaegar to stroll over to his best friend.

Ser Harrold Westerling, his sworn protector greeting the young prince on the way. At the sight of Alicent his faces lights up, “Syrax is growing quickly, she’ll soon be as large as Caraxes.” Lady Alicent said as Prince Rhaegar shifted closer, “that’s large enough to saddle two.” Prince Rhaegar lets out a smile at imagining being able to fly with his friend.

————————————

“You stink of dragon.” Alicent exclaimed her face mildly scrunching up, “I don’t have time to bathe, I do have time to visit my mother.” He replied. “Although I may need a sworn protector, I imagine she won’t be happy with the smell.” Rhaegar grinned at her but she only rolled her eyes, “I’m afraid I don’t possess any training.” She whispered letting out a little giggle, Rhaegar still determined took her hand in his. “You can appeal to her by kindness, it is quite the feat.” he said as they say travel up the castle stairs. “Mayhaps, I suppose I am at your loyal service my Prince.” She’s teased as they came closer to her mother’s private bedchamber.

There sat Rhaegar’s mother, Queen Aemma. She is croqueting a new piece of work whilst hands maids work busily and ladies in waiting are lighting candles for their soon dinner, it had been good ever since Rhaegar, a boy, was born. No more pregnancies for the Queen, no more grief, no more late afternoons of the 10 year old Prince Rhaegar crying into Alicent’s shoulder for comfort after his mother had suffered another miscarriage. In truth Queen Aemma and King Viserys had been content with their heir, Prince Rhaegar for a while, 8 years even. But still needed a spare in case the sudden death of the young prince. They had left it long enough according to Viserys’s council. They had tried, really tried, but after the third time of failure gave up for the Queen’s sake, no matter what the Kings Council said. They would name Rhaegar as Viserys’s heir officially on his 10th name day, not so long since Aemma’s stillbirth.

But after that, Prince Rhaegar was watched all the time. He was discouraged from riding his dragon, or even a horse, it wasn’t as much the smell of dragon that frightened Queen Aemma but the thought of losing her only living son. The realms delight. He had befriended the hand of the kings daughter, Alicent after Otto had introduced them when they were no more than 8 years old. It was no surprise: Alicent was the hand of the kings daughter. Why wouldn’t she be at court? Although the rumours of Prince Rhaegar and Alicent being betrothed spread like wildfire, it is not true. At least not yet it isn’t.

All this to say, Queen Aemma had addressed Alicent but later lectured the young Prince for flying. After a short while of talking about the upcoming tourney the prince turned around with Alicent in tow, waving goodbye to his mother and making his way back out the castle. Prince Rhaegar made his way to the courtyard to go practise his swordsmanship with Lord Harrold Westerling, Alicent watched in a quiet but peaceful gaze. After a while of fencing he sat down next to Alicent, “Shall we go then?” he says.

——————————————

Alicent is sat down, back against the weirwood tree whilst Rhaegar has his head in her lap. The carved face in the tree seems to stare down at them both, “Did you actually read it?” Alicent says sarcastically, “Of course.” He replies trying to act shocked. “Okay how about this.” She says sitting up slightly and getting ready to test her friend. “When Princess Nymeria came to Dorne, who did she take to husband?” Alicent says, testing him. “If you reply with "Lord Something," Septa Marlow will be furious.” She says bewildered. “So? She's funny when she's furious.” Rhaegar answers. Alicent, utterly frustrated closes the book and gets up wresting away. “Where are you going now?” He says teasing her, Alicent not appreciating his tone of voice. “I’m going home, the hour is late.” She replies. Rhaegar stands up letting out a sigh of annoyance, “Princess Nymeria led her Rhoynar across the Narrow Sea on ten thousand ships to flee their Valyrian pursuers. She took Lord Mors Martell of Dorne to husband and burned her own fleet off Sunspear to show her people that they were finished running.” Rhaegar leans in as Alicent opens the page and smiles amiably at Rhaegar’s knowledge, to her surprise he rips out the page of the book. “What do you think you’re doing?!” She shouts. “So you remember.” He replies handing her the torn piece of parchment. “If the septa sees this book-“ she squabbles before being interrupted, “fuck the septa.” He says a frown emerging. “Rhaegar!” But the both of them only giggle as the birds tweet behind them.

A warm feeling emerged in Rhaegar’s heart as he stared at Alicent, his cousin Laena, had asked many a time when he was planning to wed Alicent, he’d only snort at her as a young child, but now that he was older whenever he would visit Driftmark and bare witness to her teasing, he would simply roll his eyes and ignore the racing of his heart at the thought of marrying Alicent, He doesn’t know it himself, but perhaps he loves that girl. But I’ll tell you who does know. Lord Otto Hightower, and he’s not opposed to it. In fact, he fully welcomes it.

[hellfirenacht]

Wing Man 12

Fic Summary: Steve ‘the Hair’ Harrington is your best friend, and is constantly striking out. Sick of this, you two make a deal; you’ll wing man for each other. Hooking Steve up with dates is easy, but he finds himself struggling to find you a date. At least, until Dustin starts talking about his new cool friend Eddie.

Chapter Summary: You go to your audition, but things never go as planned.

CW: Unwanted flirting, Chris Morrison

5.4 Words

(1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11)

When you weren’t busy with work, talking to Eddie, spending time with Steve, or sleeping, you were working on your audition. You’d called Chris one time in the week that led up to the audition time, and in that thirty second phone call you had learned absolutely nothing about what to actually prepare for the audition. 

You’d been on stage before, but you didn’t exactly have to audition for the middle school talent show in 8th grade. Everyone was forced into it, so you were put into the show by default, not that you minded. But, that wasn’t exactly a good example as your act had gone disastrously and you pushed down that memory every time it reared its ugly head. 

When you thought of being on stage, you preferred to think of your first time as the Virgin Sacrifice, or the time that you had been in the school’s production of Our Town two years ago. You’d signed up for auditions as a way for extra credit, and had been cast as part of the ensemble and had even been given three full lines. 

That had been the first time you had noticed Robin Buckley, actually. You didn’t talk to her at all during the audition, but you remembered her reading off the script so passionately it actually took your breath away. It had also taken Robin’s breath away as well, unfortunately, as she had finished her speech and promptly passed out cold. 

The next time you remembered really noticing her was at prom a few months later when she had burst in, her dress cut up and looking damn near manic. She’d danced once with Sheena Rollands and then had been chased out of prom. You remembered this distinctly because she looked, well, way cooler than anyone there. Her hair was choppy and messy, and her dress looked like it had been hacked at as well, with stars sewn onto the new hemline. She looked like a rebel, like someone who mattered. You could never actually be cool like that, as much as you wished you could. 

You had heard rumors that she was on the run from Hopper for being a runaway that night, but that seemed stupid because what runaway would run away to her high school prom?

You’d asked her about it a few weeks into working with her at Family Video, and she just shrugged and said that Paris had been the goal, but Prom was more feasible that night. You didn’t press further. 

With that small shared connection though, Robin had helped you put together something that resembled an audition. Chris had said that all you needed to do was show up bu it didn’t feel right to show up to a real audition like it was your school play, so you roped Robin into helping you find some sort of speech to give as well as re-watching your video copy of the movie, doing your best to mimic the choreography on screen, both in dancing and in general blocking. 

The VHS tape got a work out with the constant pausing and rewinding. You and Robin had spent a good afternoon with her directing you on your lip syncing and movements. By the end of the afternoon, the two of you had worked out something that you hoped showed that you belonged in the show. 

You zipped up your jacket as you stepped out of your car, and made your way to the theater. There weren’t any cars in the parking lot other than yours, which should have been your first red flag. You had double and triple checked the time, and yes, you were set to meet up for auditions in the next seven minutes. 

The sun was setting over the old theater, bathing the world in gold and red. It was late in the afternoon and as you approached the old marquis, you wondered briefly how Eddie’s lunch went. You pushed that down, not wanting to think about your crush and guy you were kind-of-sort-of seeing spending time with an old flame. 

This wasn’t about him, this afternoon was about you and you alone. 

Your stomach flipped as you approached the heavy wooden doors. You went to push and realized they were locked and the ‘closed’ sign hung there as if to say don’t you know what time it is? Why are you here?

You knew what time it was, you’d been checking your watch every two minutes since you parked. 

Was this some sort of prank by Chris? Another false hope that you could be part of something? To feel like someone? To matter? 

It was five minutes after your alleged call time, and you were about to turn around and go home and give up. Maybe you’d shake down Steve and Robin for a pity party where you could gripe and watch a shitty movie. No wait, they worked tonight. Eddie? You didn’t know if you were ready to know how his lunch went. Maybe you needed more friends. 

Long shadows started to cast across the parking lot from the theater that loomed over you. Without the bright welcoming lights of the marquis, the building felt more foreboding, towering over you as if judging your worth to even be here when casual moviegoers weren’t around. You felt small, the lack of lights telling you that you didn’t belong anywhere, let alone in a spotlight. What were you really doing here?

You started walking away, and had made it five steps before you heard the slow creek of the front door opening, and the sound of someone calling out your name. You turned, and Chris was there opening the door and giving you a smile. He was fully clothed and, thankfully, not wearing those metallic gold shorts you had seen him in last. 

“Sorry about the wait, I lost track of time.” Chis beckoned you in and you hesitated for a moment before following you inside. 

“I thought more people would be here.” You said, trying to ignore the way Chris’s hand lightly pressed on your lower back as he ushered you into the empty lobby. The air smelled like stale popcorn and felt stagnant, like no one had turned on the air since Halloween. Your voice felt too loud in the empty room, as if your presence was a disturbance when the theater wasn’t bustling with people.

“I’m keeping the auditions private. I’ve had people come in and out all day.” Chris explained, leading you towards an ‘Employees Only’ door. “I have a form for you to fill out and then we can start.”

“You’ve been having people...?” Wait, was Chris in charge of the audition?

“Oh, did I not mention?” Chris looked at you. “My dad owns the theater now.”

No, he had not mentioned that. He had failed to mention a lot of things, actually. He didn’t mention that his dad owned the theater now, he didn’t mention it would be a private audition, and he certainly hadn’t mentioned that he was in charge of whether you’d be in or out. Again. 

There have been some recent changes to management. That’s what Chris had said that night. The Halloween show had sucked because Chris’s dad took over the theater-

A clipboard appeared in front of you, snapping you out of it. You took it, looking over the form. 

“It’s just to keep track of who’s been auditioning.” He said. “Basic things, name, number, any experience you’ve had.”

You took a seat in the office, while Chris leaned against the desk, watching you. You really wished he’d look anywhere else while you filled out the basic information needed. When it came to “on stage” experiences you put down your ensemble experience for Our Town and stopped. 

“Feel free to put down the talent show.” Chris laughed. “I think it fits in with the show perfectly, Miss Pussy Lover.”

You winced at the nickname, and there was a voice in the back of your head that told you to crack the clipboard over his head and storm out. Stubbornness made you stay and give an awkward laugh. He wasn’t... completely wrong. Your talent show act had caused a commotion among your peers in a way that had followed you into high school. It was too much to hope that everyone would have forgotten about that almost seven fucking years later, you guessed. 

“Yeah, it wasn’t supposed to be taken that way, but at least it means I’m not afraid to say dirty things on stage.” Your words felt forced, and you didn’t like how it made you feel. Making dirty jokes with Steve and Robin was a daily activity, you trusted them and had fun doing that. Making dirty jokes with Eddie was especially fun, and the attraction you felt towards him helped with that.

“Good, because that’s what this show is about.” Chris’s face looked smug.

“So, your dad owns the theater now?” You asked, trying to keep conversation focused and relevant. 

“Yeah, he took over a few months ago. He bought it off the old owners, and we’ve been working with the Rocky Horror troupe since.” Chris said. “Since management is now owned by my dad, he put me in charge of it.” 

Things were starting to make sense, and you didn’t like it. That voice in your head was getting louder now, saying that this wasn’t a good idea. 

“So you’re in charge of the shadow cast and production?” You couldn’t keep the skepticism out of your voice. 

“I enjoyed running tech for the school play, I figured I could run this.” He smirked. 

Straight into the ground. You thought, remembering how Columbia and Riffraff had been talking to each other in the corner that night. 

“So, did you have anyone in mind that you were wanting to audition for?” Chris asked, ignoring whatever face you were making. 

“Uh, I always really liked Janet and Columbia.” you offered, trying to focus. “I actually got really bored one winter and glued pennies onto an old pair of shoes to make some fake tap shoes. I tried to learn Columbia’s choreography but I ended up slipping and spraining an ankle instead.” 

That little stunt had you spending the holidays with your foot propped up on a pillow while you binged holiday movies and ate junk food. There had been worse ways to spend that week, especially since all of your friends at the time had been busy with their own families. 

Chris’s laugh echoed through the small office and you would have bet that it could be heard in the empty lobby. You had meant for the story to be a little humorous, but he was acting like you’d told the funniest joke in the world. 

“Didn’t realize you were such a clutz, Miss Pussy Lover.” He said as he calmed down. 

“Please don’t call me that.” you said. “And I didn’t realize how slippery pennies would be on the wood floor.”

Chris’s hand clapped down on your shoulder as he retrieved the form from you. “It’s fine, it’ll be the perfect name for you while you’re with the troupe.” 

“I’m not in yet, so just my name is fine for now.” you said a bit more firmly, standing up and sliding out of his grasp. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I think you’re already going to fit in.” he continued, standing way too close for your comfort. “I already like you more than anyone else who’s auditioned today. And you’re in luck, our Columbia just quit.” Chis’s eyes looked you up and down. “But, I think you’d be a better Janet. You’d look good in her outfits.”

Janet had two main outfits outside of the end of the movie. The first outfit was a simple sweater and blouse with a long skirt, sweet and modest. In the second half of the movie, she was running around in a bra and slip. It was clear what outfit he was talking about. 

“Actually, let’s start with having you read for Janet.” He continued and went to the desk and pulled out a piece of paper. “How about we start with the scene where Janet takes care of Rocky when he’s scared and injured?”

Oh. You hadn’t thought about that. You took a small step back and he took a step forward. Chris wanted you to act out the part of the movie where Janet decides to seduce Rocky and sleep with him, turning her officially into a “slut”. 

“I’d actually really rather audition for Columbia.” you said, handing the paper back over. Chris pushed it back into your hands and stepped forward again, and you bumped against the chair that you’d been sitting on before. 

“We can have you read for Columbia, but I think we should start with Janet.” He insisted. “Janet is cuter anyway, and you’ve gotten a lot cuter since school.” 

The voice in your head was now ringing every alarm bell, and before you could say anything, Chris kept talking. 

“I can make you Janet easily.” he said. “She’s basically the lead. I’ve seen your energy at the shows, so I know you can handle it.”

“I... listen, I really don’t think-”

“You don’t need to think. Just listen to me and follow my direction.” Chris said, smirking down at you. He had a good six inches on you, but thankfully he didn’t move any closer. “Hey, you’ve heard of a casting couch right?” 

Time froze for a second and your blood ran cold. “Wh.... what?”

“It’s fine. If you’re worried about protection, this is Rocky Horror. I have plenty of condoms-”

Chris was on the floor, grabbing his crotch before you realized what you had done. 

As you burst through the lobby doors, the sound of your shoes echoed through the empty lobby. Your eyes blurred and stung, unable to allow yourself to take in the sight of the place that had been your safe haven for the past two years. In just ten minutes it was tarnished, ruined by the idea that you could ever really belong where you wanted to. You didn’t fit in here, you didn’t fit in anywhere. Rocky Horror, Hellfire, school, work, it was all the same. Who were you trying to fool? You were a background character, an npc, an extra. And that’s all you would be. 

The shadow of the theater stretched and followed you to your car, not quite touching it as you hopped inside and slammed on the gas. You didn’t even care that Chris was being sleazy, you’d dealt with creeps before. This was the first time that you had kneed one in the crotch though. 

It was the humiliation that every time you tried to fit in or stand out you were shoved back down. Every time you reached out to be something else, reality brought you back down to earth. You had told yourself that you were different now, that you weren’t the same person you were in high school, but was that really true? The talent show, Halloween, Rocky Horror, all desperate attempts to stand out, only to be dragged down. 

You were a fish out of water, and you had been holding your breath for so long that it was catching up to you. You couldn’t breathe. 

You were drowning. 

Getting back home was a blur. You were probably speeding, but it didn’t matter. You just needed to get as far away from that theater as possible. Tears spilled over. 

You didn’t even get to say goodbye. 

Now here you were, in your room, in the dark. Night had fallen quickly after you’d left and it looked black as midnight outside, despite being early in the evening still. 

The plastic gray phone in your hand droned on as you held it off its hanger. That one low note, continuous and echoing in your lonely apartment. That voice in your head that you had tried to ignore earlier was telling you something new, and this time you intended to listen to it. 

The numbers you pressed were a ten note song that sung in your head every time you had dialed it over the past week. 

The phone rang for an eternity, you counted. Each ring sounded like a hundred years, and as you heard that final ring start its long note, it cut off. There was a click, and for a moment you resurfaced and felt oxygen returning to your lungs for just the briefest moment. 

“Hello?”

“Hey.... Eddie?” your voice squeaked over the first syllable of his name. “Sorry I... Can you come pick me up? I’m at home.” 

“I’ll be right there.” There wasn’t a question in his voice, not hesitation. Just a simple statement. The last thing you heard was a distant jingle of keys and then a click as Eddie hung up, leaving you to wait for that next breath.  

“So... what happened?” 

It was the first time that Eddie had said anything since you had jumped in his van four seconds after he parked. You had immediately shaken your head and turned up the volume on the tape that he had been playing, needing to hear something as hurt and furious as you felt. 

That had been ten minutes ago, and now you were in a place where you felt like you were finally able to talk. You turned down the volume and took a deep breath. 

“Chris’s dad owns the theater now.” you said, your voice sounded so distant to you. 

“He- wait, Chris Morrison’s dad owns the theater now?” Eddie repeated and you could only nod your head. 

“Yeah. He owns the theater. Chris was put in charge of the show. He uh....” you took a deep breath and watched intently as the streetlights passed by in a constant flash of warm yellow. “He made a move on me.” 

Eddie’s head snapped to the side to look at you before remembering that he needed to pay attention to the road. 

“I thought that I was going there to audition.” you started telling him everything. You told Eddie how Chris had been using the audition to get laid and that you had blacked out and had probably kicked him in the dick when he made a pass at you. 

Eddie had a stone face as he stared out the windshield, a stone face of a very pissed gargoyle. 

“Did he touch you?” he asked, and you noticed he had a death grip on the steering wheel. 

“Only on my shoulder.” you said. “He didn’t like touch me, touch me.”

Touch-a touch-a touch-a touch me!

You never wanted to hear that song again. 

Eddie didn’t relax at that, and still looked pissed. “You really kicked him in the nuts?” 

“Yeah, I remember him saying something about condoms and then he was on the ground grabbing his dick.” You said, running your hands over your thighs. “I’ve never hit anyone before.”

“He deserved it.” Eddie said. 

“Yeah, but... I don’t know. I feel weird about the whole thing.” You sighed, rubbing your face in frustration. “I’m pissed. Chris hitting on me was just the cherry on top. I knew it was too easy trying to be part of this, and now I’ll never be able to go back.”

“I’ll be surprised if there are any shows after this.” Eddie said. “Everything Chris touches turns to shit. He dropped Hellfire and I had to pick up the pieces. Maybe someone will be able to pick the show back up in the future.” 

It was a nice sentiment, but it did nothing but tell you that maybe one day you’ll find a piece of driftwood to cling to. 

“I don’t know what to do now.” The paved road turned to dirt and gravel as Eddie pulled into his neighborhood. Trailers and RVs of different shapes and sizes were scattered around, and you could barely see the dirt road as Eddie pulled up next to one. You assumed this was his home. It occurred to you that you had never asked where Eddie lived before. You two had only ever hung out at The Hideout or in his can before. 

Eddie didn’t make a move to get out after he parked. It was pretty common, the two of you sitting in here for hours just talking and getting to know each other. 

“The show was the one place outside of work and home that I felt like I could actually belong.” You said, hating that you were dumping all your shitty problems on him. “Once a month I had a place where people didn’t expect anything out of me. I didn’t have to be the assistant manager, I didn’t have to struggle to fit in, and I didn’t feel out of place.”

You leaned back in your seat, rubbing your eyes to rid the tears that threatened to start up again. This was so fucking embaressing, crying in front of the guy you liked after you begged him to pick you up after a bad day. 

“I know that The Hideout isn’t exactly the most, uh, glamorous place.” Eddie said slowly, knocking his rings against the steering wheel. “We don’t exactly draw a crowd, and it’s not brimming with freaks like you’re used to, but you can come any time we’re playing.” Eddie turned and grinned at you. “If you want I can drag you on stage to dance with us, if it helps. You could heckle us, too. It’s been a while since we’ve had someone throw something at us on stage. It’d keep us humble.”

You found yourself grinning back, unable to stop the rumble in your chest as laughter escaped you. 

Eddie took that as a sign to keep going. “I think you’d do better at it than our normal drunks.” he continued. “See, you actually listen to our music. You’d get creative with your insults. I’ll write out copies of our lyrics and give you a head start. You can start throwing dice at us. I think I can handle being called a ‘satanist freak’ if it’s from you. Maybe you can start doing some satanic chants during some songs-” 

“Oh my god, Eddie.” You laughed, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a weirdo?” 

“Excuse you, I am the mean and scary freak of Hawkins.” Eddie said seriously, placing a hand over his heart. “I will not settle for anything less, sweetheart.” 

Your heart jumped at the nickname and the warmth in your cheeks from your laughter intensified. 

“My apologies, Mr. The Freak. I’ll be sure to address you properly next time.” you rolled your eyes, but your smile was sincere. 

“Please, Mr. The Freak was my father. You can just call me Eddie.” He leaned against the seat, his side pressed against it as he looked over at you with a smile. 

You offered your hand to him in greeting. “Hello, you can just call me ‘weirdo’ or ‘that one girl’ or ‘hey you.’” you said as he took your hand and shook it. 

“It’s nice to be properly introduced.” Eddie said with a snort. His hands felt warm in yours despite the chill in the air. 

You felt better, you were still pissed as hell and upset, but you at least didn’t feel like crying. 

“I hope your day went better than mine.”  With the Chris drama being put aside for a moment, you might as well pull the pin out on this conversation. You didn’t want to have it, you really didn’t, but you liked Eddie. You really really liked him, and you decided it was better to know sooner rather than later what the deal with him and his ex was. 

Eddie blinked his eyes in surprise that you were the one to start the conversation. He looked thrown off for a moment, but shook it off quickly. 

“Paige is in charge of a new-ish label that she’s trying to get set up in Hawkins.” Eddie started. “She wants Corroded Coffin to audition for a chance to be signed.”

“Holy shit, that’s amazing.” you said, and you meant it. You had only seen them play a few times, but each time you felt like they belonged to something bigger. Even on a small stage, they acted like they were playing in front of a crowd of thousands. “You’re gonna do it, right?”

“Yeah, I... I really can’t pass this up. I mean, I still need to tell the rest of the guys and get their input but I doubt they’ll turn it down.” Eddie said. 

“Even a small label is a big deal, right? That means you’d be able to record and play somewhere outside of the Hideout.” you said. 

“Paige said that she wants us to audition by the end of the year and if things go well, then she could have us in a studio by summer.” 

“Wow.” you breathed out, leaning back against the seat. “So, can I get you to autograph a few things now to get ahead of the crowd? I figure one or two for me to keep then a few more for me to sell off as you get bigger.”

“Ha ha, real funny.” Eddie said dead pan. 

“I’m not joking.” you said. “I got bills to pay, and you’re about to be signed. Help a girl out!”

“We haven’t even set up the audition.” 

“So? She flew out here, told you that she wanted you to audition and that she could have you in a recording studio next year! I really doubt that she would tell you all of that unless she already had you planned for the roster.” you pointed out. “It sounds like the audition is more of a formality.” 

“You really think so?” Eddie asked, perking up slightly. He hadn’t thought about it like that. 

“I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but it can’t have been horrible if she wants to sign you still.” You added. 

Eddie had an expression on his face that you couldn’t read.

“I guess.” He shrugged, but he didn’t seem convinced. 

“Either way, I hope your audition goes better than how mine just went.” 

Eddie took a deep breath. “Paige tried to kiss me.” he said quickly, and all that anxiety from the day shot back up. 

“Oh.” You failed to sound neutral about what Eddie had just said, disappointment clear in your voice. 

“No, I- I turned her down.” Eddie clarified. “After the meeting she started leaning in and I told her no, that it wasn’t a good idea.”

“Oh...?” you were searching for words, but nothing else came out. 

“I also...” He hesitated for a moment, messing with one of his rings. “I told her I was seeing someone.” 

“Oh!” It was your turn to be surprised, and once again you felt the warmth in your cheeks. “How’d she take it...?”

“She took it well.” Eddie said. “I don’t think she was really thinking it through when she tried. I think she just got caught up in this fantasy about me being some sort of rock hero. It’s business, that’s all it is. Paige even said that it wouldn’t ever actually work between the two of us.”

“She’s not pulling a Chris right?”

“No, she said that the audition is still on with or without any entanglement.” He promised.

“And you don’t have any romantic feelings for her?” You asked. 

Eddie shook his head. “No. I don’t.”

You believed him. You didn’t have any reason not to anyway. Eddie had been up front about his relationship with Paige every step of the way. If Eddie had been a lesser person, he wouldn’t have told you that she was his ex and he really wouldn’t have said anything about an almost kiss. 

Plus, when he said he was seeing someone your stomach felt like it was full of butterflies and glitter and that was something you were having a really hard time ignoring.

“Alright, I trust you.” you nodded. “At least one of us should have something good come out of this night. I’m happy for you, really. I want this to work for you.” 

“Thanks.” His voice was soft. “Do you uh, want to come inside?” 

When you had asked Eddie to pick you up, you hadn’t thought too far ahead of what that would mean or where you would go. You glanced at the trailer for a moment, and suddenly you were really curious about where he lived and what his room looked like. 

“Absolutely, I do.” you said. After the emotional roller coaster you had just been on today, you were fine with any kind of distraction. 

The two of you hopped out of the car, and Eddie swung the door to the trailer open for you and let you in first. It was a small trailer, with a living room, kitchen, and you could see the open door to Eddie’s bedroom from where you stood. 

“Do you have enough hats?” you asked, stepping into the living room and looking at the many hats and mugs that decorated the walls. “And mugs? I don’t think you have enough mugs. Whatever will you drink out of?”

“Those are all my uncles.” Eddie said, shrugging off his jacket. “He’s been collecting them since I could remember.” 

There were still hints of Eddie in the living room, despite his uncle's collection. A few papers were scattered on the coffee table, filled with numbers and notes next to a set of dice. On top of the tv there were a few VHS’s of old monster movies that you’d seen at your own job as well. 

“Sorry about the mess.” He had made his way to the kitchen and quickly disposed of something you couldn’t see in the trash. 

“You haven’t seen my apartment, don’t apologize.” you said, thinking back to the unwashed pile of dishes waiting for you in the sink at home. You should also really take out the trash and fold your laundry instead of tossing it all on the chair- 

“My room’s this way.” Eddie said. It occurred to you that the last time you followed a guy into a private room he tried to make a move on you. But when you thought of Eddie being the one to lean in and tell you that he had some condoms, you didn’t feel that disgust you felt earlier. You were actually finding yourself hoping that he’d make a move as you followed him to his room. 

Eddie Munson’s room looked exactly how it should. A hand made Corroded Coffin banner hung proudly over a stereo system, and the walls were more poster than paint. Every inch of the room proclaimed proudly who Eddie was and what he was about. It was loud, and cluttered, and lived in, and absolutely perfect. 

You watched as Eddie tried to subtly pick up some of the empty beer cans around the room and toss them in a small basket in the corner of the room. Your eyes were drawn to the nightstand where there was a small pile of tapes which you helped yourself to go through. 

“Eddie, what’s this?” You said with a snicker, holding up a cassette. 

“Shit, nothing!” Eddie reached out to snatch the tape from you, but you sidestepped him, looking it over.   

“ABBA!” You giggled. “Oooh, I am so telling your friends about this.”

“I’m holding it for a friend, I swear!” Eddie said defensively. “It’s not mine. I was peer-pressured. I don’t touch that shit. It’s Zacks!” 

You turned the tape over. “ABBA Arrival. I didn’t take you as a Dancing Queen fan. Are you really so young and sweet and only seventeen?” You continued to tease. 

“I’m not!’ Eddie tried to argue. “I’m old and bitter and an adult.” 

He took a step closer to you and you took a step back as he grabbed the tape out of your hand. You bumped against the nightstand, sending a book falling to the floor. 

“Oops, sorry.” you said and reached down to pick it up. It was a worn out copy of The Hobbit, and as you picked it up, the bookmark he had been using fluttered to the floor. 

You grabbed the construction paper stem and held it up, noticing that you also knew how to make this kind of flower. 

...You had made this kind of flower before. 

You stared at it for a moment, and then looked at Eddie. Your mind raced to that night at the theater under the yellowed light of the marquis, how it felt so familiar. You thought of the yearbooks you’d looked at and how every year Eddie’s hair got shorter he became more familiar. Eddie on stage. Eddie under a street light. Eddie playing guitar. 

Eddie. 

“Oh.” 

You remembered. 

Dividers by: @strangergraphics

Tag List @k8loo @terrormonster55 @sp1dyb0y1008 @crocwork-clockodile @ali-r3n

@mxcheese @josephquinnschesthair @gagasbee @peaches-roses-sins @witchwolflea

@vintagehellfire @royale1803 @cumslutforaemond @prestinalove @browneyedgirly93

@perpetualmessmachine @thebook-hobbit @cultish-corner @grishaversecaptivated @sortagaysortahigh

@siriuslysmoking @huffledor-able541 @pookiesnatcher @eddiesguitarskills @browneyes-8288

@sheneedsrocknroll92

[ddwcaph-game]

Chapter 4 & 5 is finally out!

The wait is finally over. Grab your plot armor, Chapter 4 and 5 of Dear Diary, We Created a Plot Hole! is finally here!

🚌 Play it here! 🚌

To celebrate the release, a +50% ✨EXP Bonus Event will be running for the next couple of weeks!

The full change log is over 500 lines long, so here's an overview of all the new stuff:

🌈 UPDATE HIGHLIGHTS

~ 509,000 total wordcount (including code) ~ 278,000 additional words (including code) ~ New average playthrough of 115,000 words!

New Stuff to Discover!

52 New Secrets to discover, 8 New Trinkets to collect, 12 New Achievements

30 New Character Traits, 15 New Heritage Passives, 3 New Phobias, 16 New Status Effects

3 New Main Quests, 12 New Sidequests

and 1 New Song to sing along to!

New Scenes!

Introductions to Wayne, Lily, and JM's parents!

New exclusive bestfriend scenes!

Get a sneak peek into the story worlds you'll visit in future, in the Story Exchange!

Revamped crush confession scene with your twin!

Steal a kiss on the cheek from your crush!

Catch a preview of Chapter 6!

New Choices and Customization!

Choose the name of MC's dad!

Choose a second bestfriend, other than your twin (and give them a custom nickname)!

You can now choose to have two different pronoun sets!

Choose a mild swear word for your MC

Added B as a crush option

Tons of Diary and Stat Improvements!

New, updated, and expanded character diary entries!

New unlockable codex entries!

Write custom post-scripts in your diary!

Added new toggle settings for simple/detailed view of traits/passives, and background transitions

New trait option that reduces the frequency and gives additional context to Filipino expressions

Improved diary and stat notification layout

So Much More!

Added lots of new character art!

Added gameplay tips!

Lots of references to In Auctorem Credimus!

Roselyna is now approximately 20% more huggable!

---

I've also updated the Trinkets & Secrets Guide, as well as the Twin Character Templates!

If you encounter any errors, or have any questions or feedback, feel free to send me an ask! I'll go through my ask backlog after I have recovered from the update.

I hope it was worth the wait! 😊

[seirindono]

two questions.

one, HOW DOES ONE COMIC/STORY BOARD??

IM OBSESSED WITH HOW YOU DO IT ITS SO BEAUTIFUL

two, HOW DO YOU SO IT SO FAST( that’s question is more just me being super impressed oh my goodness)

you’re very good😳

Aw, sweet, a board question *puts on serious glasses*

Ok, bring it on anon.

So, the first thing to ask yourself when starting a comic, as I see it, is what type of board are you dealing with. Webtoon? A4 pages? 4 panels? There are many ways to go about it, and each involves different processes. For example, pages will allow for more superfluous scenes, whereas the webtoon format has to be super succinct because of the reading direction. I personally think that's the main reason I do pages, among other advantages: •narrative density •variety •Tumblr-friendly format

There are quite a few disadvantages too but you have to go through the process of trials and errors to really find out what suits you best!

Then there's the ambition of the sequence you're boarding for. And it goes from 1. how used I am to boarding this kind of sequence/drawing these characters/setting and backgrounds, to 2. is it an emotional sequence? Dialogue-heavy? Or more contemplative?

It changes the way you work and how you should approach your board! For example, in TMS, the very wordy chapters (4 and 5 for ex) generally called for simple and narrow framing. Of course, you don't want to bore the reader so you can spice things up to match the characters mood and reactions once in a while, but you have to bear in mind that the sequence aims to provide dialogue and information = the text bubbles are key and WILL take a lot of place. So let them.

( then again, it's all about pacing and balance. A page full of dialogue and one with too much happening are equally hard to read and boring to do)

Only dialogue, simple squares, no compostion, the focus is on Mel's reaction

On the other hand, parts 7 and 8 are all about action and atmosphere! This makes for wider and more varied shots!

They're fighting, things are going fast so why not use a single line to show many actions! They're still basically squares and rectangles but the pacing is totally different!

Or why not give the action a full page to really show its sheer impact

You can also split things, with a zoom or small time gap, depending on if it's a gag or if you want to put the focus on a reaction. Here, the asymmetry helps reinforce the unstable, jerky aspect of the scene. The situation is getting out of hand, and visually, the pages are affected too.

Now, these are case-by-case examples. And I never work on my pages separately.

For context, this-

-is the "first" board I did for part 8.

The drawings are very small and frankly difficult to make out, but the intention is what matters at this point lol I have the script (very important) next to my canvas, and I scribble the pages one after the ither. This allows me to see if the actions flow well, if the compositions are varied and also whether certain passages are too long or too short in regard to their importance. Which scenes can be merged? Removed? Toned down or if they deserve more bite?

This is a really fun and creative part but, I'll say it again, made a lot easier with a solid scipt. And I'm talking about a text document with clearly defined dialogues (or at least outlines) and actions.

I can't really explain how to write a script, it really depends on your work flow and how confortable you are with writing, but it's too important to just rush through it. No matter how much it changes before, during or after your finish boarding (cuz you gotta break your own rules sometimes and you'll often realize some things don't work as well once you put them on paper/sometimes art block can be resolved by writing the scene and just taking the time to imagine) but it's still your one guideline.

Aaaand, that's about it.

Other than that, I can only highly recommend reading lots of comics, Webtoon, books, watching movies, paintings, illustrations, animatics or listening to music, to inspire you and expand your own "personal library of references". Professional or not, anything your find inspiring and well executed. Boarding is at its core, telling stories. No art skill involved, just pure subjectivity. At the end of the day, it's all about squares, rectangles and bubbles so you gotta work on your creativity. The rest is gut feeling!

Constantly ask yourself how to tell this story, and how you want to tell it. How this sequence should be perceived? What do you need to show to make pages and pages of words appealing and interesting.

Be patient, be bold. Start with easy stuff to get some confidence if you need to. Accept that "boring" pages are smt necessary and that it's up to you to build up tension for a scene to really pop. Try new ideas and be ready to scrap many of them, the result will be worth all the work!

Now, concerning the "fast" part, I'm flattered but I personally think I'm super slow xD You prbly get that impression bc I finish the whole chapter before posting it, but behind the scene, I'm just working at a very regular pace.

Thank youuu anon ♡( ◡‿◡ )

[indieyuugure]

indie do you have any tips on comic making? (coming from someone who's trying to make their own tmnt comic)

Sure! I can try my best!

Plan your story beginning to end! It doesn’t have to be a movie script but just something that keeps track of the plot, its twists, characters and their motivations and stuff. ROTP’s plot was almost entirely written on a week to week basis. The only chapters that were planned out were 1, 2, 8, 9, and 10. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s not fun to write a comic shoot-from-the-hip that way. You’re more prone to writer’s block and thus giving up entirely. Do yourself a favor and write the story ahead of time!

Establish a style! You want something that when people scroll through social media go “Hey! I know that style!” I unfortunately can’t give you many tips on this, but I’ve had people tell me that the way I the way I draw faces is very unique. If you don’t feel like you have a style, just try a ton of different stuff until something clicks with you! Adopting techniques from other styles is okay too!

Go at your own pace! Pacing your progress to your own life and speed is very important, especially for avoiding burnout! For me, I have enough time to do 5 pages a week, but maybe you need more time, or maybe you need less, or maybe you wanna do more pages or fewer, it’s all up to you and how you’re life functions! Whatever you choose though, I highly recommend setting it to a schedule if you can. When people discover your comic and really like it, they’re gonna want to know when to come back for more; repeat costumers, if that makes sense. Eventually that predictably will make your comic grow!

Sorry, that was a bit long, but yeah, there’s 3 tips, most of which I learned from experience. Hopefully you found these helpful, and I wish you luck in comic making!

Good question! :]

[tessenpai]

Kono Oto Tomare! Chapter 135 Scans and Rough TL

Disclaimer: Please DO NOT use this translation to make your own TL of the chapter!! The KOT TL group works very hard to give you the most accurate translation, that does as much justice to the original script as possible. This is a ROUGH translation. That means is faulty and there must be mistakes in certain places. This is just for impatient people like myself to get a grasp on what is going on in the chapter! You can REFERENCE my TL if you want to discuss the chapter but never USE it as it was your own.

Scans: https://nicomanga.com/read-kono-oto-tomare-raw-chapter-135.html

Page 1

Chapter Title: #135 Celeste Blue

Side text: An overwhelming performance...!!

Page 2

*Thunderous clapping*

Page 3

*Thunderous clapping*

Judge Tatsumi [thoughts]: ...Unbeliavable... From here on...

Judge Kurokawa [thoughts]: ...The first place has already been decided.

Page 4

*No text*

Page 5

Chika: ..Ahhh... haha...

Page 6

Chika: I wanna play, already...

Takezou: Yeah.

Page 7

Kifune-sensei: Good job, everyone! Explendid! That was your best performance yet!

Miran: Really...

Imari: The heck!?

Imari: Wait, hold on. Why are you crying?

Miran: --un.

Imari: Eh?

Page 8

Miran: I had so much fun...

Page 9

Miran: Ugh----... I didn't...

Miran: I didn't know

Miran: That music could be this much fun...

Page 10

Imari: Wai- What? Stop that, now...

Page 11

Imari: Whaaaat!?

Imari: Hey, what's with you two!!? Don't cry!

Luka: It's just, I'm so happy.

Luka: I also had so much fun...!!

Luka: It was the happiest moment ever!!!

Page 12

Luka: Thank you, guys.

Imari: ...Why are you doing this----...

Imari: I also had fu-

Organizer: Ichiei High, please do not stand behind and head to the exit, please.

Kifune-sensei: Oh, my apologies. We are leaving now.

Imari: Flush

Kio: Pfff

Page 13

Kio: Ahahaha

Imari: Kio!

Kio: I'm sorry, the timing is just so...

Imari: Shut up, shut up! If you want to laugh at me, just do it!

Kio: ...Not at all. We are all feeling the same way, surely.

Tougo: Yeah, I also had fun. The most ever.

Page 14

*No text*

Page 15

*No text*

Page 16

Komaki: --san

Komaki: Tsukaji-san!

Tsukaji: Ah-

Tsukaji: ---Wha!? What!?

Komaki: Geez, why are you spacing out like that...

Tsukaji: Right, sorry... The performance was just so incredible...

Komaki: Yes, it truly felt like a whole different level, didn't it? Even I was moved.

Tsukaji[thoughts]: Up until now, Ichiei's performances have given a strong impression of 'a collection of talent' overpowering others ‘through sheer force’, but…

Page 17

Tsukaji[thoughts]: Today's performance combined the talents of every member into an overwhelming work of art..!!

Tsukaji [thoughts]: So Ichiei brought this kind of performance...

Komaki: I feel sorry for the next school---

Komaki: Isn't it super hard to go after a performance like that? It feels like everyone has already decided who will be the winner!

Komaki: There are so many people leaving the venue, too--

Page 18

Komaki: If it was me, I absolutely wouldn't want to play now...

Tsukaji: ...

Tsukaji: ...Well--- I kind of thought the same thing. But that's not right, we gotta be careful.

Komaki: Eh?

Tsukaji: We don't know anything about this kids, yet with such little information, we make all sorts of assumptions and judgements.

Tsukaji: We pity them or critize them. That kind of thing...

Tsukaji: I thought I'd reflected after the Tokise incident.

Tsukaji: But I still did it unconciously.

Page 19

Tsukaji: There are many toughts, feelings and journeys unknown to everyone else.

Tsukaji: Every school, and every person has them.

Tsukaji: Huh---!? Why are you suddenly saying something so obvious?

Tsukaji: My words just bounce off your head, don't they?

Page 20

Announcer: We will now take a 10 minute break—

Suzuka: Alright, let’s start moving

Takezou: Yes!

Mittsu: Uoooohhh it’s finally here!!

Sane: Aaaaah, let’s gooo!!

Kouta: Wowowowooow

Atsumu: *Exhale*

Natsu: …You okay?

Atsumu: Yeah!

Page 21

Sen-chan: Break a leg

Chika: !

Mittsu: Ah

Page 22

Mittsu: Tetsuki!

Tetsuki: You’re going already?

Mittsu: Yeah… My heart’s gonna burst off my chest

Tetsuki: Do your best.

Mittsu: Thanks—…

Mittsu: Woah

Same [thoughts]: Eh? Wha- Uzuki? Why’s Uzuki with them? Huh? Is it ok for me make fun of this?

Chika: Wait, what kind of weird ass combination is this?

Tetsuki: Haha

Takezou [thoughts]: He made fun

Hiro[thoughts]: He made fun

Page 23

Isaki: Come on, don’t worry about the small details. Just make sure to deliver your sound to Uzuki with all you got!

Chika: Is this your doing?

Chika: Well, but you did come after all, huh?

Chika: Make sure to open your ears wide and listen well to—…

Page 24

*No text*

Page 25

*No text just Collective gasp*

Page 26

*No text*

Page 27

*No text just my internal screaming*

Page 28

Natsu: Uhh, Senpai, there’s people behind you…

Chika: Aah, my bad…

Tetsuki: He totally froze up, didn’t he?

Isaki: It’s fine, it’s fine.

Page 29

Satowa: …—————

Satowa: …

Page 30

Satowa: …That person just now…

Chika: Aaaah—

Chika: …My father

Sane: What!!? Chika’s dad came?

Mittsu: Seriously?

Chika: It caught me off guard too.

Chika: We haven’t met in a long time.

Chika: More like, we cut off all ties with each other.

Page 31

Satowa: But he came to listen…

Satowa: All the way to Hokkaido.

Page 32

Chika: …You see, I…

Chika: Don’t have a single good memory of him.

Chika: And not for one second did I wish for him to come listen to our performance…

Chika: …And yet.

Satowa: ?

Page 33

*No Text*

Page 34

*No text*

Page 35

*No text*

Page 36

Suzuka: You guys, we’re going to be late for the load-in!

Kota: Oops, gotta hurry!

Side text: The father’s feelings were shown not through words, but through actions. Now it’s time for Chika to respond through sound—!

—-Kono Oto Tomare! will continue in the next issue!—-